A servant travels 500 miles to find a bride for a man she has never met, and her family asks her one question: “Will you go with this man?” In this verse-by-verse study of Genesis 24, Jeff Thompson unpacks the chapter's stunning picture of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and the Church — plus how God shepherds our decisions when no Bible verse tells us exactly what to do.

SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS:

- Read Romans 12:1-2, James 1:5, and Proverbs 15:22. Jeff gave 5 steps for when there's no verse that covers your situation: desire to please God, pray, seek counsel from mature believers, listen for the Spirit, and move forward in faith. Paul says a renewed mind is how we discern God's will, not a voice. Be honest: which of those 5 do you tend to skip (for most, it's the counsel one). So name names — who are the mature believers in your life you'd genuinely take a hard word from? If you can't name 2, that's the answer to the question.

- Read Philippians 2:12-13 and Nehemiah 2:4-5. Jeff called this chapter's theme the unknowable dance between God's sovereignty and human decisions. Nehemiah prays a split-second prayer to the God of heaven and then, in the same breath, makes a specific ask of a pagan king. Both things at once. Does believing God is sovereign tend to make you more passive or more active? Be honest about which way you lean.

- Read Colossians 3:23-24. A caravan of thirsty camels, a 3-gallon jar, steps down to the spring — Jeff put it at 70 to a 100 trips, hours of hard labor, for a stranger who never asked her to do it. And the servant stood there and watched to see if she'd get cranky. She didn't. Tell the group about someone who served you like that — quietly, at real cost, when nothing obligated them to. Have you thanked them? Then turn it around: where does your own serving come with grumbling attached, out loud or under your breath?

God promised Abraham an entire country, and the only piece of it he ever owned was the cave he bought to bury his wife in. In this study, we'll walk through the death of Sarah and what Scripture actually says about grief, losing a spouse, why death still feels like an enemy, and how gratitude becomes the floor you stand on when the waves hit.

SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS:

- What stuck out to you from this sermon? Did you feel like the Lord was drawing your attention to anything specific in your own life or perspectives?

- Read Matthew 10:37 and Psalm 73:23-26. What in your life, if it were taken tomorrow, would take your sense of purpose with it? Your kids. Your health. Your career. Your ministry. Be honest about your own answer.

- Read Ruth 1:19-21 and Hebrews 12:15. Where is the line between honest lament, which God clearly permits, and a bitterness that slowly becomes someone's identity? Have you ever been stuck in that second place—over anything, not only a death? What got you out, or what is still keeping you there?

- Share prayer requests. Have everyone close their eyes. Have someone read Psalm 23 over the group, and move straight into a time of prayer.

In this study, we'll look at a living parable - the controversial tale of Abraham's binding of Isaac. We'll discover the hidden imagery and prophetic details that point to the Father's offering of Jesus as the Lamb of God, slain for our sins.

SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS:

- Was there anything in the message that especially stuck out to you (encouragement, conviction, etc.)?

- Read Micah 6:6–8. Genesis 22 is a favorite passage for people who argue that God is cruel. How would you actually answer a coworker who brought it up?

- Is there a part of the Bible that disturbs you and that you've mostly avoided thinking about?

- Read Isaiah 53:4–7 & Romans 12:1–2. Given that God withheld nothing from us, what does or would presenting yourself as a living sacrifice look like in your life?