FAITH AND SURRENDER IN THE TEST

MEETING AGENDA

  1. OPENING PRAYER – Ask one person to open the meeting in prayer.
  2. GROWTH QUESTIONS – Ask everyone the Growth Questions.
  3. ATTENDANCE – Take attendance through the DG Attendance System.
  4. TODAY’S LESSON – Go over this week’s DG lesson.
  5. GIVING – Encourage everyone to give on the App.
  6. CLOSING PRAYER – Ask for prayer requests and pray.

GROWTH QUESTION #1

Who would like to share a highlight, praise report, or testimony from this week?

GROWTH QUESTION #2

What did you learn from this week’s sermon?

GROWTH QUESTION #3

What was your most important accomplishment this week?

TODAY’S PASSAGE:

Genesis 22:1-10 (NLT) - 1 Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called.  “Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.” 2 “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” 3 The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 “Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told the servants. “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.”6 So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together, 7 Isaac turned to Abraham and said, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “We have the fire and the wood,” the boy said, “but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?” 8 “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham answered. And they both walked on together. 9 When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. 

Opening QUESTION

When you hear the story of Abraham being asked to sacrifice Isaac, what stands out most to you at first—and why?

TRUTH #1

EVERYONE’S FAITH WILL BE TESTED

  • Abraham’s story reminds us that no one is exempt from trials—if we follow God, we will be tested.
  • God tested Abraham, not to make him fail, but to refine and prove his faith.
  • God’s tests are not meant to destroy us but to strengthen and refine our faith.
  • Tests reveal what is truly in our hearts, whether our trust is in God Himself or in the gifts He has given us.
  • God’s tests are never for our destruction, but for our growth, preparing us for greater responsibilities and blessings.

James 1:3 (NLT) – For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.

  • When our faith is proven genuine, it brings glory to God and draws us closer to Him.

1 Peter 1:7 (NLT) - These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

INTERACTIVE QUESTION

What is one way God has used a hard situation in your life to grow your faith?

TRUTH #2

OBEDIENCE IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF WORSHIP

  • Abraham called the sacrifice “worship” (v. 5). This is the first time the word “worship” is used in the Bible.
  • Worship is more than songs; it’s surrender.
  • Obedience may often cost us something we deeply value.
  • Abraham rose early, showing no delay in his obedience.
  • True worship is trusting God even when we don’t understand.

1 Samuel 15:22 (NLT) – …Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.

INTERACTIVE QUESTION

Why do you think obedience is more important to God than singing, praying, or giving?

TRUTH #3

GOD IS OUR PROVIDER

  • Abraham didn’t yet see God’s provision, but he believed it: “God himself will provide the lamb” (Genesis 22:8 ESV).
  • This shows that faith is not about having all the answers, but trusting that God will be faithful to His promises.
  • Abraham’s trust teaches us that God is both the source and the solution—He provides what is needed for the sacrifice.
  • Just as Abraham believed God would provide a lamb, we also must trust in the Lamb God has already provided for us—Jesus Christ.
  • Our salvation depends not on what we bring, but on what God has already supplied through His Son.

John 1:29 (NLT) – “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” 

INTERACTIVE QUESTION

When you don’t yet see God’s provision, what makes it hard to keep trusting Him—and what helps you hold on to faith?

CLOSING QUESTION

Abraham showed radical trust in God by obeying in the hardest test of his life. What is one area of your life where God might be asking you to trust Him more deeply right now?

GIVING

A tenth of all your earn (a tithe) belongs to the Lord and must be set apart for Him.

Leviticus 27:30 (NLT) 
One-tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain from the fields or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord and must be set apart to him as holy.

Encourage everyone to give their tithes and offerings.

PRAY

QUESTION #1

Who are you praying for to be saved?

QUESTION #2

Who can you invite to the next meeting?

QUESTION #3

What are your prayer requests?