For this week’s Announcements please visit: (waterschurch.org/events):

*************

Reminders:

✳ Please regularly check your Planning Center profiles for requests to join your life groups, remove members from the list that no longer attend, or add members not listed. Please ensure that you have added no-reply@churchcenter.com to your email contacts so that you do not miss an email from Planning Center and encourage your members to do so as well.  This will ensure you do not miss a member request or any emails that come from the Planning Center site. Thank you!

Waters Class Schedule:

• 1st Sunday: Discover Waters – after 1st service
• 2nd Sunday: NO CLASSES
• 3rd Sunday: Connect Class – after 1st service
• 4th Sunday: Baptism Class – after 1st service

Waters Help: Need marriage and family care  or have a group member in need of marriage and family care?   Click here:  help resources page  or visit waterschurch.org/help

Location Text Alerts:

Key Verse: Genesis 22

Ice breaker

Q.  What are 3 of your favorite movies of all time?

Unshakeable Faith

Genesis 22:1-23

There may be times when we need to take a leap of faith. 

Maybe you have had a time when you had to take a leap of faith but felt stuck.  You may have realized that if you had faith, even as small as a mustard seed or as big as a mountain, you would have been fine because of the God that lives inside you.

We need unshakeable faith!

What does UNSHAKABLE mean?

Something not possible to weaken or get rid of, not able to be shaken. The foundation is concrete and unmovable.

What is FAITH?

Hebrews 11:1 ESV

Faith is the confidence that God is faithful to his promises. The confidence to believe He will fulfill his promises in perfect timing according to His perfect plan.

Faith is active, it is alive. It is the confidence that we trust in God.

Abraham had a lot of faith.  He loved God and believed.

Q. Reflect on a moment in your life when a small act of faith had a big impact. What was the situation and how did your faith help you through it?

Genesis 22:1-18

There is so much to learn from this passage.  The Bible teaches us that Abraham’s faith was unshaken.  He truly had unshakeable faith.  That was a major decision and life choice to make.

Abraham was obedient.

1. An Unshakable Faith REQUIRES me to be OBEDIENT.

Genesis 22:1

Abraham was determined.  There was affirmation in his choice of words.   His mind was made up before God even asked.  This shows that Abraham trusted God and chose Him over his circumstances.  He knew that God loved him and that God would take care of him.  He said yes before the command was an act.

Sadly, many of us get transformed by our situations and circumstances and then allow our circumstances to define who we are.  But faith is taking the first step without actually seeing the second one.

God asked Abraham to take a step of faith.  His faith was not shaken.

“Your faith will grow not by chance, but by choice.” —Elder Neil L. Andersen

OBEDIENCE is the FOUNDATION of an Unshakable Faith.

Hebrews 11:8 (ESV)

Q. Discuss a situation where you felt defined by your circumstances. How did you, or how could you, use faith to redefine that moment in terms of obedience to your values or beliefs?

2. An Unshakable Faith REQUIRES me to TRUST God.

Trust God and no one else. 

Genesis 22:5

Abraham asked his servants to stay maybe because they would not have supported his decision this time.

People will support us throughout our lives, even through bad, ugly, and sad times, but there are times when we have to trust God alone, others cannot do that for us. 

Abraham believed no matter what was going to happen, that God was faithful to keep His promise.  He had so much faith that he believed that God was going to bring Isaac back from the dead.

Hebrews 11:19 (ESV)

Trusting God is not always easy, it is a journey. We need to choose God on our own.  Trusting others can only take us so far.  Don’t allow someone else to believe for you, you have to believe for yourself.

Sometimes you have to let go of those who are weighing you down.

I must surrender CONTROL and TRUST in GOD’S plan, even when it doesn’t make SENSE to me.

You need to fully surrender.  Christian or non-Christian, life happens.  Sometimes we are four steps ahead and six steps behind.    Faith is the opposite of doubt.  It is invisible but has the power to connect you to God.

Q. Can you share an experience where you had to trust God on your own, despite a lack of support or understanding from others? How did that situation impact your faith?3. An Unshakable Faith REQUIRES me to LET God BE GOD.

Genesis 22:7 (ESV); Genesis 22:8 (ESV)

If God says it, it is already done.  Stop asking God to give you a game plan, He has been taking care of you.

When you feel like your world is falling apart read about the One who put the world back together!

Q. The text suggests reading about God’s acts when feeling overwhelmed. Discuss a scripture or story from the Bible that has helped you feel reassured and put the pieces back together in difficult times. How does returning to these stories strengthen your faith?

Sermon in a Sentence:

In order to have an Unshakable Faith, we must be OBEDIENT to God’s call, TRUST in His promises, and ALLOW Him to be God in our lives.