An old song asks: “should I stay or should I go?”, and the same question returns every time we face a decision about committing to something bigger than ourselves. This sermon takes us to Ur and Harran, where a childless 75-year-old Abram, with no guarantees, hears the call to leave everything and go to a land he does not know (Genesis 12). It is his ‘I will go’ that begins the story of God’s plan of redemption, a story that reaches across generations all the way to us. Listen, and ask yourself whether you can trust God enough today to step into the unknown.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- In Genesis 12:1-9 God tells Abram to leave his land, his relatives and his father's house, and promises him a great nation and blessing for all peoples. What in this promise might have sounded unbelievable to a childless 75-year-old?
- When Abram reaches Canaan, the Canaanites are already living there, yet he builds altars and calls on the name of the Lord. What does his response teach you about times when a promise has not yet been fulfilled?
- The speaker pointed out that Abram took Lot with him and sometimes took matters into his own hands, yet God still led him. How does Abram's imperfection shape the way you think about your own obedience to God?
- The sermon showed that Abram's decision begins the story of God's plan of salvation, leading to Jesus and continuing in the church today. What changes for you when you realize you can be part of that same story?
- The speaker compared committing your life to God to a trust exercise where you fall backwards blindfolded, trusting someone will catch you. What makes that kind of step of trust in God hardest for you?
- The sermon's question was: should I stay or should I go? In what specific area of your life or service in the church do you sense an invitation this week to stop being just an observer?
