How do you respond when things in your life don't go as you planned? In our text this Sunday, Abram talks honestly with the Lord about how his life has not gone as he thought it would. He is still without a son and heir, and he is still a stranger in the land that is supposed to be his. In this remarkable interaction we see the Lord gently encourage and reassure Abram to comfort his discouragement and doubt...and to comfort ours too!
Here in Genesis 14, Abram courageously goes to war to rescue his nephew Lot. (The first ever war recorded in the Bible.) But in this resounding military victory, it is clear there is something deeper going on here. Though he is invisible, God is still the main character of Genesis 14. The mysterious King Melchizedek reminds Abram that God is the true warrior who gave him victory. How can we acknowledge God's presence and power in our lives even though he is unseen?
How do you respond when someone treats you unfairly? After his failure of faith in Egypt in chapter 12, here we see a renewed Abram who is generous and faithful even in the midst of unjust treatment from his nephew Lot. This seemingly innocuous passage from God’s word actually teaches us quite a bit: the source of renewed faith, the power for obedience, and the way we can grow in trusting God and living generously even in the midst of opposition.
We often view the Old Testament patriarchs as heroes, men who followed God with incredible faith. But in this Sunday's passage, we see Abraham's faith falter. The father of God's people, the one through whom God would bring salvation to the world, becomes fear-driven instead of faith-driven. He fails miserably. Have you ever been afraid? Have you ever doubted God? Have you ever acted selfishly and hurt others, even those closest to you? Then this Sunday is for you.
Many people say that Genesis 12 is the turning point in the whole story of Scripture. God calls Abram (aka Abraham) and promises to bless him. But this raises a number of questions for us. What does it mean to be blessed by God? How do we receive these blessings? Why does God bless us? And where does this fit in to the story of salvation in the whole Bible? The Lord answers all of these questions and more in Genesis 12.
This week's passage is all about the people who decided to build a tower to the sky, and the Lord's response to their disobedience. What was at the heart of God's decision to confuse their language and scatter them over the earth? Perhaps the key is their motivation for the construction of their skyscraper: "let us make a name for ourselves."
And what about us? Are the cities that we build and inhabit for the purpose of making a name for ourselves, or honoring the name of Jesus Christ?
How can this be? Is this really Noah, righteous man of God, giant of the faith? Drunk, passed out, naked, humiliated by his son? Why is this story here, and what does it show us about the roots of our redemption? If you've ever thought to yourself, "How could God ever love someone like me?" then you need to hear this.
This week we look at Part 2 of the flood narrative: the waters recede, the ark comes to rest on dry land, and Noah and his family disembark. But the best part of all is God's promise...
The Flood is one of the most well-known stories in all the Bible, especially for children. But this is no fluffy fairy tale. It's an account of wickedness and judgment and death. God hits the restart button and reboots the whole earth because humanity had become so corrupt. Yet Noah "finds favor" (grace) with God, who preserves him and his family through the storm. In this passage, we'll see the gravity of God's judgment against sin and the great lengths he goes to save us.
This difficult passage clearly demonstrates the judgment of God. How do you live the abundant Christian life in view of God’s ability to wipe you out? The prospect of God’s judgment serves to eliminate from your options that you can come to Jesus and do whatever you immorally want. Are you looking to see what you can get away with in your Christian walk? Instead of focusing on your brokenness, give greatest attention to knowing and loving God so that your love for him motivates you to live in harmony with his will. But how do you live this way if you are afraid of his judgment?
Chapter 5 of Genesis is primarily a genealogy. We see a very clear pattern emerge: a man lived, he had children, he died. Lived, had children, died. But where do we see a break in this pattern, and why?
Today we'll look at the story of Cain and Abel, and we'll ask three questions that will help us see this familiar story in a new way:
What do we learn about God's character? What is important to Him?
What do we learn about Cain, and about ourselves?
Where is Jesus in this story?
Last week we saw Adam and Eve choose to follow the serpent's advice, instead of obeying God's commands (also known as "The Fall"). This week we'll see the consequences of that disobedience (also known as "The Curse").
This morning we welcome guest preacher Steven White, Pastor of Student Ministries at First Baptist Church in Hampton Falls, NH. Steven will preach from the first half of Genesis 3, in which sin enters the previously idyllic picture of man and woman enjoying God's creation in the garden...
For the first time in God’s creation something is not good. Adam is alone. In another dramatic and creative act of God woman is created from man. Even greater still, this relationship between the first man and woman is an image of the relationship God desires with you. Amazing that God is so passionate for an intimate and ongoing relationship with people like us. This relationship between the first man and woman reveals the root of our redemption. (For the “punchline” read Ephesians 5:21-33, especially verses 31-32)
In this week's passage, God forms physical Adam and gives him biological life. Adam is placed in an extravagant garden. But why, in this beautiful garden, would God place one tree from which he is not to eat? It’s to awaken Adam’s spiritual life.
What does it mean to be created in the image of God?
This is the first sermon in our series on the first 11 chapters of the book of Genesis. From today's passage we'll see three things: 1) God is; 2) God is Creator; 3) God is good.
