HCBC Sunday School - “Friends” Class
A New Name (Genesis 17:1-8, 15-22)

1) First Thoughts
a. Like riding in a car with a first-time driver, we may wonder if we can really trust Him with all the details as we travel through life.
b. Instead of making our own plans and asking God to bless them, God wants us to trust His plans and leading.
2) Understand the Context
a. Genesis 16 records the story of Hagar and Ishmael where, instead of trusting God, Sarai and Abram decided to make their own plan. Hagar is an example that God sees us and cares about us even when we face great difficulties and problems.
b. In Genesis 17, God clarifies the covenant promise, commands circumcision as a sign, and changes their names to Abraham and Sarah. Sarah continues to doubt.
3) Explore the Text
a. God’s Promise Renewed (17:1-8)
i. Note that 24 years have passed. “I am the Almighty” – a reminder of God’s power to keep every promise and meet every need.
ii. “walk before me, and be thou perfect” – the responsibility of obedience that comes out of a personal relationship with God (fellowship).
iii. Discuss “being filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18) versus “walking in the Spirit” (Gal. 5:16,25)
iv. Vs 3 – notice “fell on his face” before “God talked with him”.
b. Abraham Offers an Alternative (17:15-18)
i. God blesses both husband and wife and sees them as partners in their journey of faith and their future blessings.
ii. Sometimes God’s plan seems so big that we doubt and try to find an alternative.
c. God’s Power Declared (17:19-22)
i. God does not want our shortcuts. He wants our faith and our obedience, i.e., when God says “no”.
ii. God’s sovereignty means: (1) He is capable of doing what seems impossible to us; and (2) He knows what is best for our future because He can see the future perfectly.
iii. Perhaps some of our doubts have come because of our faulty expectations of when God is going to act.
4) In My Context/Memory Verse:
a. …, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. ~ Genesis 17:1b