In our journey through Genesis, we come this Sunday to one of the darkest and most difficult passages in all of Scripture. It is here we see that the Lord knows the depth of our depravity and yet his purpose of grace runs even deeper. This passage is a warning but also a comfort that the Lord will save and heal his people no matter what.
We are all prone to self-reliance, especially when times get tough. In this Sunday's passage, Jacob comes to the climactic conflict of his life--facing his brother Esau. Yet it is Jacob's newfound weakness, not his strength, that enables him to find deliverance and reconciliation.
Brother Daniel leads us back into our sermon series in Genesis this Sunday. We'll consider through Jacob's wrestling with an angels, how we can persevere with the Lord when doubts or difficulties come.
The Christian life isn't always easy. We face doubts, temptations, the consequences of our own sin--as well as trials, opposition, and consequences of others' sin or just the broken world we live in. Sometimes it's hard to keep going. Our passage this Sunday is a reminder of the faithfulness of God to us as we walk with him—that He will keep his promise to save and preserve us, his people.
Who is responsible for our success? How does our work relate with God's work? This Sunday's sermon text might seem foreign to us. It's an ancient business deal involving herds, breeding, and a little superstition, too. And yet at the foundation we'll see two men not unlike us today who are striving for material success no matter the cost.
This Sunday's passage is another bizarre and incredibly sad one. We'll learn from Jacob's two wives--Leah and Rachel--who each experience an unfulfilled longing for their deepest desire. And we'll see how God can bless despite even the worst kind of mess.
Scripture is clear that the Lord leads his people into difficult circumstances to grow our faith in him. Do you remember a past faith-refining season in your own life? This Sunday's passage is a particularly bizarre and painful expression of that. We'll observe both the Lord's kind providence and his refining discipline in Jacob's life and apply it to our own lives.
Our passage this week finds Jacob in the consequences of his sin: alone, running for his life, and with an uncertain future. Perhaps you can relate to some or all these feelings in your own life. Yet it is in this dark, lonely place where God graciously meets Jacob--and delights to meet us--with his amazing grace.
Favoritism. Greed. Deception. Despair. Our passage is full of ugliness—all within one family, and the family of promise no less! God's blessing perseveres even in the midst of this mess, and our messes, too. This Sunday, Genesis 27 offers us a strong warning against sin and a consolation of God's undeterred plan of blessing for his people.
How do you persevere amid the ups and downs in life? God's word consistently points us to his presence with us. Often we may ask God to be with us, but what does this really mean? And how does his presence practically help us? In Sunday's passage, we'll learn the significance of God's presence with us as we learn from the ups and downs of Isaac's life.
We all have choices to make, but how do we make sure we make the right ones? This Sunday we begin a new sermon series in Genesis 25-35, following "the generations of Isaac." In this new section, we'll observe how the Lord preserves his redemption plan through his chosen family. We'll see God's grace in his own sovereign choice, while also the significance of our own choices to follow him.
This Sunday, we come to the end of the "Roots of Our Redemption" series. The account of Abraham's death includes opportunities to look back at what we have learned in Genesis and to look forward at God's plan for history. Abraham's death reminds us of our own fleeting moments on this earth. It causes us to wrestle with our own life's purpose. And it zooms us out to see our true place in history with a God's-eye view.
The end of Abraham and Sarah's lives will mark the conclusion to our series in Genesis. In this week's passage, Sarah dies first and Abraham grieves his beloved wife. You might think the message of this passage is how to grieve and cope with death, but it is not. There is a much greater message about the cost and commitment to truly believe God's promises, even when they are not yet fulfilled. Are we truly willing to give our entire lives for something--and someone--we haven't seen?
In our text this Sunday, Abraham faces the test of his life. How much does he really trust the Lord? Will he really put the Lord first, over even the dearest parts of his life--even his own beloved son? This passage raises numerous questions for us: Does God test us? If so, how can we prepare so we can pass the test like Abraham did? Join us as we explore the roots of our redemption in this infamous story.
Finally. In Genesis 21, the Lord finally fulfills his promise to Abraham and Sarah "at the very time [He] had promised." God keeps his promises! In this week's passage, the sovereign, faithful, loving-kindness of the Lord rings out--but not just for Abraham and Sarah, even for Hagar and Ishmael, too. On Sunday, we'll be encouraged by God's character and examine how can we grow in trusting his promises.
Do you wrestle with a habitual sin? Something you just can't seem to get past? Maybe it's sexual sin, or a short temper, or anxiety over your finances or future. The good news is we're not alone. In this Sunday's passage, the great, faithful patriarch Abraham blows it again. It's déjà vu from chapter 12. Even though he is decades older and has had numerous personal encounters with God, Abraham falls into the same old sins. In God's word this Sunday, we'll find encouragement and hope for overcoming our habitual sins. But most of all: grace.
In our text this Sunday, Abraham asks a question probably all of us has asked at some time: "Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" In other words, is God really just in his judgment? Is he truly fair? The story of Sodom and Gomorrah's destruction is perhaps best known for the "fire and brimstone" that fall on the city. God's word for us this week is challenging, but in the midst of all of this sin and suffering, we will see God's patience, kindness, and grace.
Do you ever struggle with doubt? Do you sometimes wonder if God really hears us when we pray? Or, even if there really is this all-powerful, all-loving God we see in the Bible? In this week's text, we see clearly Sarah's struggle with her faith, which seems to have deteriorated into cynicism. This Sunday we'll talk about dealing with our doubts and see where can we find reassurance in our faith.
After a 4-week break for Boy Meets Girl, we're picking back up our sermon series on the book of Genesis: Roots of Our Redemption. In this week's text, the Lord again renews his covenant with Abram--a new name and a new sign of this divine-human relationship. In this ancient narrative we see the importance today of our identity in Christ and our own sign of our relationship with him.
We go from the mountaintop of chapter 15 to the valley of chapter 16. Abram and Sarai do here what we all have done, in a way. It's Genesis 3 all over again. In their actions we see both the root and the seriousness of sin. Yet in the midst of this ugliness, we again see our Lord's glorious grace.
