Sand and Stars Part 4

TALK-IT-OUT

Go through each main point and scripture from the message and use the corresponding questions in discussion with your group.  

Main Scripture: Genesis 11:27–32 (NIV)
This is the account of Terah’s family line. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth. Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there. Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Haran.

Scripture Context: Genesis is the first book of the Bible and covers a significant amount of events including creation, the call of Abram, and ending with Israel's journey to Egypt just before their captivity there. This passage is the first introduction of Abram and begins his story. The place they were leaving, Ur of the Chaldeans was a region with great wealth and located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The common religious practice of that area was idolatry and the worship of the moon God, Nanna. Haran, the area where they settled, was approximately halfway between Ur and Canaan. Terah lived 205 years. There are many theories of why man lived so many years in the book of Genesis. One of the most favorable theories being that when death entered the world as a result of sin in Genesis 3 it caused a gradual process of decay which is why the length of time man lived gradually became less and less over time. 

Opening Question: What stands out to you about this event in scripture? OR What questions do you have about this scripture?

POINT 1: MEMORIES HAVE TO BE MANAGED.

Philippians 3:13–14 (NIV)
 . . . one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 

Scripture Context: This scripture is a part of a letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Philippi. Paul's declaration about forgetting what is behind was meant in the most general sense to include past achievements, past mistakes, past sins, and past memories either good or bad. Rather, he encourages them to think about the future and what is next as it relates to the plan and purposes of God. 

TALK-IT-OUT: How is your past affecting your ability to press on toward what God wants to do through you in the future?  

POINT 2: NEVER SETTLE.

Genesis 12:1-5 (NIV)
The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people, and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.

Scripture Context: The calling of Abram in this passage is one of the most important events in the Old Testament because it was through Abram and his descendants that the Jewish nation was formed and through his descendants that Jesus was born. Notice that Abram was not given all the details of his calling, yet he obeyed God's command without question and with expectation that God would show him what to do next when the time came. The command to leave his father's household behind could have been due to the fact that they had different religious practices, including idolatry like those from the land they came. His nephew Lot was included in Abram's household because Lot's father, who was also Abram's brother, Haran, had died while they were still living in Ur of the Chaldeans.

TALK-IT-OUT: What stands out to you about Abram?

TALK-IT-OUT: How are you settling in your life right now? (This could be relationships, career, faith, or any area of your life.) 

POINT 3: KEEP VISION IN FRONT OF YOU.

Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)
Where there is no vision, the people perish . . .

Scripture Context: The book of Proverbs was written primarily by Solomon. It's 31 chapters give great wisdom and insight into living a righteous and prosperous life.

TALK-IT-OUT: Are you dreaming big?

POINT 4: KEEP MAKING BOLD MOVES IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. 

TALK-IT-OUT: Are you ready to be bold for Jesus? If not, what is holding you back?