BROWSE BY SERIES:
SWIPE FOR MORE >
Faith in the Uncertainty
Genesis 22 | We hate uncertainty. Uncertainty can be disorienting, confusing, and discouraging. We long for clarity! We long for certainty!But where then, if everything is clear, easy, and certain, is faith?
Sometimes God takes us down a path where we know the destination, but we have no idea how we're going to get there. Even worse, it can sometimes feel like obeying God will take us further from the blessings He promised.
If you've ever experienced that, you're in good company. After finally giving him the child of the promise in Isaac, God is going to test Abraham's faith. We'll see how he responds this week as we continue our study in the book of Genesis.
Genesis 22 | We hate uncertainty. Uncertainty can be disorienting, confusing, and discouraging. We long for clarity! We long for certainty!
But where then, if everything is clear, easy, and certain, is faith?
Sometimes God takes us down a path where we know the destination, but we have no idea how we're going to get there. Even worse, it can sometimes feel like obeying God will take us further from the blessings He promised.
If you've ever experienced that, you're in good company. After finally giving him the child of the promise in Isaac, God is going to test Abraham's faith. We'll see how he responds this week as we continue our study in the book of Genesis.
More from this series:
God of the Promise
Genesis 21:1-7 | At times believing what God has promised can be hard. What's often even harder, though, is trusting Him for when that promise will come to pass.
For Abraham and Sarah, they have been waiting on a promise. And waiting...
And waiting...
But sure enough, this week we see that God will always do what He says when He says it is best.
So how about you? What promises are you waiting on from the Lord? How are you doing in the waiting?
Genesis 21:1-7 | At times believing what God has promised can be hard. What's often even harder, though, is trusting Him for when that promise will come to pass.
For Abraham and Sarah, they have been waiting on a promise.
And waiting...
And waiting...
But sure enough, this week we see that God will always do what He says when He says it is best.
So how about you? What promises are you waiting on from the Lord? How are you doing in the waiting?
More from this series:
Repeating Sin and Redeeming Grace
Genesis 20:1-18 | Ever done something you shouldn’t have done? And then ever done it again? We all know those things we should have handled differently, and then we know the feeling when we make that same mistake twice. This week we watch as Abraham repeats a mistake he made in the past. What’s so interesting to see is how God meets Abraham’s sin with total unmerited favor. What do we have to learn about how to avoid making the same mistakes twice? And what do we see of how God lavishes unmerited favor even in these mess-ups?
Genesis 20:1-18 | Ever done something you shouldn’t have done?
And then ever done it again?
We all know those things we should have handled differently, and then we know the feeling when we make that same mistake twice. This week we watch as Abraham repeats a mistake he made in the past. What’s so interesting to see is how God meets Abraham’s sin with total unmerited favor.
What do we have to learn about how to avoid making the same mistakes twice? And what do we see of how God lavishes unmerited favor even in these mess-ups?
More from this series:
Wickedness, Wrath, Mercy, and Judgment
Genesis 19:1-38 | Genesis 19 could come with a warning like "This message is rated R for violent and sexual content." There are a few chapters of the Bible that bring out the complete and utter depravity of the human condition apart from a Savior and this is one of them. In this chapter, we see four important things we must understand: Wickedness, Wrath, Mercy, and Judgment.
We will watch as God's wrath is poured out in judgment on the wickedness of Sodom, but we will also see His deep mercy to spare Lot from that wrath.
We'll learn how these 4 things work in our lives as well (Wickedness, Wrath, Mercy, and Judgment), and rejoice in the greatest news of how God has made a way for us to escape His wrath and embrace His mercy.
Genesis 19:1-38 | Genesis 19 could come with a warning like "This message is rated R for violent and sexual content."
There are a few chapters of the Bible that bring out the complete and utter depravity of the human condition apart from a Savior and this is one of them. In this chapter, we see four important things we must understand: Wickedness, Wrath, Mercy, and Judgment.
We will watch as God's wrath is poured out in judgment on the wickedness of Sodom, but we will also see His deep mercy to spare Lot from that wrath.
We'll learn how these 4 things work in our lives as well (Wickedness, Wrath, Mercy, and Judgment), and rejoice in the greatest news of how God has made a way for us to escape His wrath and embrace His mercy.
More from this series:
The Only Way
Genesis 14:1-14 | How do we stay grounded in a world unhinged from the truth? How do we find peace when life seems unsteady? What hope awaits the faithful believer? Is there a better way to live as Christians than what has become “typical” in American Christian circles?
These are questions believers need to know in a postmodern culture that screams truth is relative. It appears that at every turn the world tells us to look inward when what we desperately need, more than ever, is someone outside of ourselves. We need a Savior.
Let’s delve into the words of Jesus Christ in the Gospel according to John and seek greater clarity on these questions!
Genesis 14:1-14 | How do we stay grounded in a world unhinged from the truth? How do we find peace when life seems unsteady? What hope awaits the faithful believer? Is there a better way to live as Christians than what has become “typical” in American Christian circles?
These are questions believers need to know in a postmodern culture that screams truth is relative. It appears that at every turn the world tells us to look inward when what we desperately need, more than ever, is someone outside of ourselves. We need a Savior.
Let’s delve into the words of Jesus Christ in the Gospel according to John and seek greater clarity on these questions!
More from this series:
I Choose Joy
James 1:2-4 | Make the choice right now.
Right now.
Before 2021 even begins, make a conscious decision: I will choose joy in whatever comes.
It's easy to choose joy when all is well, it's harder to choose joy when things aren't. But we can be joyful in all things because the trials and troubles of life are God's time-worn path to an enduring, growing, thriving faith.
If 2020 taught us nothing else, it should have taught us that with trials and troubles come a great opportunity to grow. And guess what? As much as we don't want to admit it, you know what is coming in 2021? More trials and troubles.
So choose right now for 2021: Joy in whatever comes!
James 1:2-4 | Make the choice right now.
Right now.
Before 2021 even begins, make a conscious decision: I will choose joy in whatever comes.
It's easy to choose joy when all is well, it's harder to choose joy when things aren't. But we can be joyful in all things because the trials and troubles of life are God's time-worn path to an enduring, growing, thriving faith.
If 2020 taught us nothing else, it should have taught us that with trials and troubles come a great opportunity to grow. And guess what? As much as we don't want to admit it, you know what is coming in 2021? More trials and troubles.
So choose right now for 2021: Joy in whatever comes!
More from this series:
Hope-filled Homesickness
Philippians 3:20 | Have you ever been homesick? You know what that feels like. The pit in your stomach, the weight in your chest, the longing to be back with who you know and what you know.
As Christians, we live with a sense of homesickness. We want to be with Jesus. And yet, ours is hope-filled homesickness. Why? Because we are people living between the Christmas coming of Jesus and the second coming of Jesus. The Christmas coming fills us with hope. The waiting for the second coming fills us with homesickness.
So how are we to live as people between the two comings of Christ? What characterizes the life of the hope-filled homesick?
Philippians 3:20 | Have you ever been homesick? You know what that feels like. The pit in your stomach, the weight in your chest, the longing to be back with who you know and what you know.
As Christians, we live with a sense of homesickness. We want to be with Jesus. And yet, ours is hope-filled homesickness. Why? Because we are people living between the Christmas coming of Jesus and the second coming of Jesus. The Christmas coming fills us with hope. The waiting for the second coming fills us with homesickness.
So how are we to live as people between the two comings of Christ? What characterizes the life of the hope-filled homesick?
In The Waiting...
Genesis 17:15-18:15 | Waiting.... waiting.... waiting....
Even just seeing the word might stress some of us out. Waiting! I don't know many people who would say they really love to wait. Think about being put on hold during a phone call. Think about the days of dial-up. Think about traffic or waiting in long lines at the store. I'm guessing most (if not all) of these things don't bring happy and pleasant emotions.
But what do we do when God says wait? How are we to respond when we're waiting on the fulfillment of God's promises in our life? And what if it's in the waiting that God wants to do some deep work on our hearts? How would that change the way we view the waiting?
Join us as we dive deeper into the life of Abraham and see together how God used the waiting in Abraham's life.
Genesis 17:15-18:15 | Waiting.... waiting.... waiting....
Even just seeing the word might stress some of us out. Waiting! I don't know many people who would say they really love to wait. Think about being put on hold during a phone call. Think about the days of dial-up. Think about traffic or waiting in long lines at the store. I'm guessing most (if not all) of these things don't bring happy and pleasant emotions.
But what do we do when God says wait? How are we to respond when we're waiting on the fulfillment of God's promises in our life? And what if it's in the waiting that God wants to do some deep work on our hearts? How would that change the way we view the waiting?
Join us as we dive deeper into the life of Abraham and see together how God used the waiting in Abraham's life.
More from this series:
Trusting Instead of Taking
Genesis 16:1-17:14 | There is a saying we use when we feel the time has come for us to get something done ourselves: "I'm taking matters into my own hands."
Often, we say this when someone else who was responsible isn't doing things as quickly as we would like, but what happens if we do this with God? Are there times we take things into our own hands that God never asked us to take? And what tends to be the outcome when we do this in life? On the heels of an unforgettable, faith-building covenant ceremony, Abram is going to have an epic faith-fail. What can we learn from Abram and Sarai taking matters into their own hands that might help us from making the same mistake?
Genesis 16:1-17:14 | There is a saying we use when we feel the time has come for us to get something done ourselves: "I'm taking matters into my own hands."
Often, we say this when someone else who was responsible isn't doing things as quickly as we would like, but what happens if we do this with God? Are there times we take things into our own hands that God never asked us to take? And what tends to be the outcome when we do this in life? On the heels of an unforgettable, faith-building covenant ceremony, Abram is going to have an epic faith-fail. What can we learn from Abram and Sarai taking matters into their own hands that might help us from making the same mistake?
More from this series:
Our Faithful, Covenant-Keeping God
Genesis 15:1-21 | For the fourth time God will promise Abram that his descendants will be too many to count. Four times God has been saying it without Abram seeing it. Finally, Abram basically says, "Can you prove it? How do I know this?"
God delivers. In Genesis 15, God delivers with what we can look at as a really bizarre and bloody scene, and yet what God is communicating is one of the most powerful pictures of His commitment of faithfulness to a faithless people.
What is this bloody massacre? What does it mean? And how is it one of the most powerful pictures of God's gospel commitment to His people?
Genesis 15:1-21 | For the fourth time God will promise Abram that his descendants will be too many to count. Four times God has been saying it without Abram seeing it. Finally, Abram basically says, "Can you prove it? How do I know this?"
God delivers. In Genesis 15, God delivers with what we can look at as a really bizarre and bloody scene, and yet what God is communicating is one of the most powerful pictures of His commitment of faithfulness to a faithless people.
What is this bloody massacre? What does it mean? And how is it one of the most powerful pictures of God's gospel commitment to His people?
More from this series:
Maps, Messes, and Mysterious Melchizidek
Genesis 13:1-14:24 | Genesis 14 introduces a rather mysterious yet important character throughout the Bible. His name is Melchizedek, and well, we really don't know that much about him.
But he's mentioned again in Psalm 110, and then again in Hebrews 7 where he is connected to Jesus.
In fact, we are told that Jesus is a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. So who is this mysterious figure introduced to us in Genesis 14? And how does he give us a glimpse into a greater picture of who Jesus is?
Genesis 13:1-14:24 | Genesis 14 introduces a rather mysterious yet important character throughout the Bible. His name is Melchizedek, and well, we really don't know that much about him.
But he's mentioned again in Psalm 110, and then again in Hebrews 7 where he is connected to Jesus.
In fact, we are told that Jesus is a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. So who is this mysterious figure introduced to us in Genesis 14? And how does he give us a glimpse into a greater picture of who Jesus is?
More from this series:
Romans 5 + 6
Romans 5-6 | We took a break from our Genesis series to spend time in Romans 5 + 6. We'll get back to Genesis next week!
Romans 5-6 | We took a break from our Genesis series to spend time in Romans 5 + 6. We'll get back to Genesis next week!
Walking By Faith
Genesis 12:1-20 | It's hard to leave places you know to go to places you don't know. It's even harder to leave the people you know to go to people you don't know.
And yet this week, we walk with the father of the faith as he trades the known for the unknown and obeys God by faith. In our walkthrough of Genesis 12, we are going to find "4 Ways to Be Equipped to Live a Life of Faith". Without faith it is impossible to please God, so let's gather Sunday and let God's Word equip us for a life of living by faith.
Genesis 12:1-20 | It's hard to leave places you know to go to places you don't know. It's even harder to leave the people you know to go to people you don't know.
And yet this week, we walk with the father of the faith as he trades the known for the unknown and obeys God by faith. In our walkthrough of Genesis 12, we are going to find "4 Ways to Be Equipped to Live a Life of Faith". Without faith it is impossible to please God, so let's gather Sunday and let God's Word equip us for a life of living by faith.
More from this series:
Breaking Babel
Genesis 11:1-9 | A group of people set out to build a city and a tower to make a name for themselves. God wants them to scatter in faith to multiply His image. They want to stay together, comfortable, and safe. God wants them to live lives making His name famous. They want to make their names famous.
The story of Babel is a story of God's grace to intervene in the lives of a people who want to preserve self and exalt self. We need the Lord to intervene in our lives in the same way. This message is an investment in us running from lives of safe, comfortable, self-exalting disobedience and toward lives of faith-filled, uncomfortable God-exalting obedience.
Genesis 11:1-9 | A group of people set out to build a city and a tower to make a name for themselves.
God wants them to scatter in faith to multiply His image. They want to stay together, comfortable, and safe. God wants them to live lives making His name famous. They want to make their names famous.
The story of Babel is a story of God's grace to intervene in the lives of a people who want to preserve self and exalt self. We need the Lord to intervene in our lives in the same way. This message is an investment in us running from lives of safe, comfortable, self-exalting disobedience and toward lives of faith-filled, uncomfortable God-exalting obedience.
More from this series:
God's Grace and Noah's Ark
Genesis 7:1-9:29 | There is something subtly dangerous that can happen with the "big stories" of the Bible. You know, those ones you'll find in every children's Bible, David and Goliath...Daniel and the lion's den...Joseph and his coat of many colors...
The subtly dangerous thing is to get so caught up in the acts of the people of God that we lose sight of God's actual work in the story. This week we continue in one of those famous "big Bible stories," Noah and the Ark. What we need to see in this is God's character and God's power on display. He is the hero of the Bible, and He is the hero of the flood account, and we need to see that and respond to it properly.
And so we walk through Genesis 7-8 and see what we need to understand about who God is, how He works, and how we as His people are to respond with our lives to these truths.
Genesis 7:1-9:29 | There is something subtly dangerous that can happen with the "big stories" of the Bible. You know, those ones you'll find in every children's Bible, David and Goliath...Daniel and the lion's den...Joseph and his coat of many colors...
The subtly dangerous thing is to get so caught up in the acts of the people of God that we lose sight of God's actual work in the story. This week we continue in one of those famous "big Bible stories," Noah and the Ark. What we need to see in this is God's character and God's power on display. He is the hero of the Bible, and He is the hero of the flood account, and we need to see that and respond to it properly.
And so we walk through Genesis 7-8 and see what we need to understand about who God is, how He works, and how we as His people are to respond with our lives to these truths.
More from this series:
And Then There Were Eight
Genesis 6:1-22 | It seems like the world is getting worse by the year. More compromise. More sin. Fewer and fewer people following God. Even those who used to follow God have been falling away.
Sound familiar?
This is the world in Genesis 6. We’re now 10 generations after creation and the world is getting worse with every passing one. What is God going to do? And how should we respond? Come this week as we dive in and continue our series in the book of Genesis.
Genesis 6:1-22 | It seems like the world is getting worse by the year. More compromise. More sin. Fewer and fewer people following God. Even those who used to follow God have been falling away.
Sound familiar?
This is the world in Genesis 6. We’re now 10 generations after creation and the world is getting worse with every passing one. What is God going to do? And how should we respond? Come this week as we dive in and continue our series in the book of Genesis.
More from this series:
The Blood Cries Out
Genesis 4:1-26 | Once sin starts things get ugly. Sin unchecked gets brutal. From the story of the very first sin last week, we now see the evil escalate as the blood of a murdered man at the hands of his brother cries out before the Lord.
As the people multiply on the earth, the image of God does not. And this was not God's intent. What happens in this gruesome scene? How will God deal with multiplying people who are not multiplying His image? Where do we see His redemptive heart come out, and how is that good news for us?
The murder of a brother in Genesis 4 teaches us more about our own hearts and the heart of our redeeming God.
Genesis 4:1-26 | Once sin starts things get ugly. Sin unchecked gets brutal. From the story of the very first sin last week, we now see the evil escalate as the blood of a murdered man at the hands of his brother cries out before the Lord.
As the people multiply on the earth, the image of God does not. And this was not God's intent. What happens in this gruesome scene? How will God deal with multiplying people who are not multiplying His image? Where do we see His redemptive heart come out, and how is that good news for us?
The murder of a brother in Genesis 4 teaches us more about our own hearts and the heart of our redeeming God.
More from this series:
Gruesome Sin and God's Grace
Genesis 3:1-24 | Genesis 3 is ugly. Humans rebel against God. That never goes well. Rebellion against God never makes life easier, better, simpler... it always makes life more painful.
As we watch the first-ever sin unfold this week, we will be able to glean important things we need to know about life in this broken world. Where does sin originate? How does sin work? How is sin defeated?
And yet in the midst of the ugliness of Genesis 3, there is beauty. We get the first glimpse of the gospel. Good news. It's there, so clear, all the way back in Genesis 3. An arrow of God's grace pointed perfectly at Christ.
Let's worship our way together through the gruesomeness of sin and the graciousness of our God.
Genesis 3:1-24 | Genesis 3 is ugly. Humans rebel against God. That never goes well. Rebellion against God never makes life easier, better, simpler... it always makes life more painful.
As we watch the first-ever sin unfold this week, we will be able to glean important things we need to know about life in this broken world. Where does sin originate? How does sin work? How is sin defeated?
And yet in the midst of the ugliness of Genesis 3, there is beauty. We get the first glimpse of the gospel. Good news. It's there, so clear, all the way back in Genesis 3. An arrow of God's grace pointed perfectly at Christ.
Let's worship our way together through the gruesomeness of sin and the graciousness of our God.
More from this series:
Work + Rest
Genesis 2:1-25 | We can get out of balance so fast on the topics of work and rest. On one side, we can begin to worship work as God, instead of seeing work as worship to God. Out of a desire for more, to make a name for ourselves, or to run from other responsibilities in our life, we can become workaholics to our own demise.On the other side, we can tend toward laziness or complaining about work and fail to see what a good gift from God work is.
What should the rhythm of our week look like as it pertains to work and rest? What do I, as a Jesus follower, need to understand in order to honor God in my work? And just as importantly, how do we receive God's gracious gift of sabbath rest each week?
Let's seek a worshipful rhythm to our weeks of work and rest.
Genesis 2:1-25 | We can get out of balance so fast on the topics of work and rest. On one side, we can begin to worship work as God, instead of seeing work as worship to God. Out of a desire for more, to make a name for ourselves, or to run from other responsibilities in our life, we can become workaholics to our own demise.
On the other side, we can tend toward laziness or complaining about work and fail to see what a good gift from God work is.
What should the rhythm of our week look like as it pertains to work and rest? What do I, as a Jesus follower, need to understand in order to honor God in my work? And just as importantly, how do we receive God's gracious gift of sabbath rest each week?
Let's seek a worshipful rhythm to our weeks of work and rest.
More from this series:
In His Image
Genesis 2:1-25 | The human being is unique to all other created things. Only the human was made by the very breath of God breathing life into his nostrils. Only the human being was made in the image of God. Humans (men and women) are made in a unique way with a unique purpose in creation.We must understand how God made us so we can understand what we were made for. In Genesis 2 we will look at 4 identity-defining truths for image-bearers. It is my prayer that these truths will free us into a rich and wonderful understanding of who we are and what we were made for.
Genesis 2:1-25 | The human being is unique to all other created things. Only the human was made by the very breath of God breathing life into his nostrils. Only the human being was made in the image of God. Humans (men and women) are made in a unique way with a unique purpose in creation.
We must understand how God made us so we can understand what we were made for. In Genesis 2 we will look at 4 identity-defining truths for image-bearers. It is my prayer that these truths will free us into a rich and wonderful understanding of who we are and what we were made for.
More from this series: