Click here to download the sermon file.
Re-cap of the sermon from January 18, 2009:
1. Hatred, murderous intentions and separation result from the disregard of God’s Word and deception which occur earlier in Genesis 27. Disregarding God’s Word in a family leads to all kinds of dysfunction.
2. Isaac warns Jacob against marrying a woman from among the Canaanites who would bring pagan belief and practices into the people of God. There are warnings in both Old and New Testaments about the people of God marrying outside the faith. 2 Corinthians 6:14-16 warns against being unequally yoked with unbelievers, not just in marriage, but in other relationships as well. Marrying outside the faith will lead to compromises in a believer’s life and will result in not being able to be wholly committed to the Lord in worship and service.
3. God sometimes has to separate us from the familiar to get us alone with Him, to isolate us to Himself. He does this often through difficulties, trials, unexpected challenges, or a change of circumstances. He does this to reveal Himself to us in a new way and to remind us that He is here, He is near, and that He is real.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Living Without Scheming
Click here to download the sermon file.
Recap of the sermon from January 11, 2009:
1. Genesis 27:1-40 is a story of deception, fraud, and deceit…all in the name of God. While the chapter is rightly seen as a failure of faith with all its attending complications, at its core it is the story of the chaos that overtakes a family when a father does not lead his family in a Biblical/spiritual way.
2. Applications from Genesis 27:
-Fathers must lead their families in living out the Word of God honestly and transparently
-our sympathies often lie with people rather than with God’s purpose for them (this is exemplified in Isaac’s actions toward Esau). Our loyalties must be with God.
-Spiritual responsibilities must be carried out in spiritual ways (by faith, not the flesh, in God’s timing, not ours)
-Life becomes complicated when we abandon faith as our way of life opting instead to live by our appetites, sympathies, our wits. The result is broken relationships, hatred, separation.
Recap of the sermon from January 11, 2009:
1. Genesis 27:1-40 is a story of deception, fraud, and deceit…all in the name of God. While the chapter is rightly seen as a failure of faith with all its attending complications, at its core it is the story of the chaos that overtakes a family when a father does not lead his family in a Biblical/spiritual way.
2. Applications from Genesis 27:
-Fathers must lead their families in living out the Word of God honestly and transparently
-our sympathies often lie with people rather than with God’s purpose for them (this is exemplified in Isaac’s actions toward Esau). Our loyalties must be with God.
-Spiritual responsibilities must be carried out in spiritual ways (by faith, not the flesh, in God’s timing, not ours)
-Life becomes complicated when we abandon faith as our way of life opting instead to live by our appetites, sympathies, our wits. The result is broken relationships, hatred, separation.
Monday, January 05, 2009
DeJaVu All Over Again, Part 4
Click here to download the sermon file.
Recap of the sermon from January 4, 2009:
1. God blesses Isaac (Genesis 26:12-14) in response to his obedience in staying in the land and not going down into Egypt. God’s instructions in vv. 2 & 3 were to remain where he was and he obeyed (vs. 6).
2. Isaac persisted in the land despite opposition and animosity.
3. If we achieve anything of worth it will come through persistence (not personality, not giftedness, not the right connections).
4. We must persist in faith, persist in ministry, persist with people, persist in holiness and righteousness.
5. Isaac achieved peace with his enemies through: honesty; diplomacy (must show restraint, Proverbs 17:9,27; 19:11); renewed fellowship; and humility (Biblical humility is not being a push-over or fawning or weak; it is powerful and strong; not pretending a wrong was not done but exercising forgiveness in spite of the wrong done to us.
Recap of the sermon from January 4, 2009:
1. God blesses Isaac (Genesis 26:12-14) in response to his obedience in staying in the land and not going down into Egypt. God’s instructions in vv. 2 & 3 were to remain where he was and he obeyed (vs. 6).
2. Isaac persisted in the land despite opposition and animosity.
3. If we achieve anything of worth it will come through persistence (not personality, not giftedness, not the right connections).
4. We must persist in faith, persist in ministry, persist with people, persist in holiness and righteousness.
5. Isaac achieved peace with his enemies through: honesty; diplomacy (must show restraint, Proverbs 17:9,27; 19:11); renewed fellowship; and humility (Biblical humility is not being a push-over or fawning or weak; it is powerful and strong; not pretending a wrong was not done but exercising forgiveness in spite of the wrong done to us.
Monday, December 29, 2008
DeJaVu All Over Again, Part 3
Click here to download the sermon file.
Recap of the sermon from December 28, 2008:
1. Fear for his life prompts Isaac to repeat the sin of his father and to lie about Rebekah being his sister. In doing so he is making a mockery of God’s promises.
2. Fear is:
-inconsistent with faith, the antithesis of faith
-paralyzing
-a tacit acknowledgment that we doubt God’s control or His good intentions for us
3. Isaac’s lie is discovered by the pagan king who acts more righteously in this instance than God’s servant.
4. A. W. Pink cites the following lessons from Isaac in Genesis 26:
-Isaac readily follows the sin of his father – “…it is much easier for children to imitate the vices and weaknesses of their parents than it is to emulate their virtues.”
-Abraham and Isaac, despite their differences in temperament succumb to the same sin – “…no matter what our natural temperament maybe, unless the grace of God supports and sustains us we shall inevitably fall!”
Recap of the sermon from December 28, 2008:
1. Fear for his life prompts Isaac to repeat the sin of his father and to lie about Rebekah being his sister. In doing so he is making a mockery of God’s promises.
2. Fear is:
-inconsistent with faith, the antithesis of faith
-paralyzing
-a tacit acknowledgment that we doubt God’s control or His good intentions for us
3. Isaac’s lie is discovered by the pagan king who acts more righteously in this instance than God’s servant.
4. A. W. Pink cites the following lessons from Isaac in Genesis 26:
-Isaac readily follows the sin of his father – “…it is much easier for children to imitate the vices and weaknesses of their parents than it is to emulate their virtues.”
-Abraham and Isaac, despite their differences in temperament succumb to the same sin – “…no matter what our natural temperament maybe, unless the grace of God supports and sustains us we shall inevitably fall!”
Monday, December 22, 2008
God's Salvation In Infant Form
Click here to download the sermon file.
A re-cap of the sermon from December 21, 2008:
1. Luke cites two witnesses to the significance of the birth of Jesus in Luke 2:21-40, Simeon and Anna. The setting is the Temple, 40 days after Jesus’ birth when Joseph and Mary bring the sacrifice (burnt offering and sin offering) for Mary’s purification (she was not sinless as some doctrine claims) and to present Jesus, the first born to the Lord.
2. The birth of Jesus is significant in three ways:
-He came to bring salvation to the whole world, Jew and Gentile alike (“…all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel”)
-Salvation is found in the person of Jesus, not in a religious system, not in a philosophy, not in righteous works (“My eyes have seen your salvation”)
-Salvation is necessary because we are all sinners and in need of redemption (Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”)
A re-cap of the sermon from December 21, 2008:
1. Luke cites two witnesses to the significance of the birth of Jesus in Luke 2:21-40, Simeon and Anna. The setting is the Temple, 40 days after Jesus’ birth when Joseph and Mary bring the sacrifice (burnt offering and sin offering) for Mary’s purification (she was not sinless as some doctrine claims) and to present Jesus, the first born to the Lord.
2. The birth of Jesus is significant in three ways:
-He came to bring salvation to the whole world, Jew and Gentile alike (“…all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel”)
-Salvation is found in the person of Jesus, not in a religious system, not in a philosophy, not in righteous works (“My eyes have seen your salvation”)
-Salvation is necessary because we are all sinners and in need of redemption (Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”)
Monday, December 15, 2008
DeJaVu All Over Again, Part 2
Click here to download the sermon file.
Recap of December 14, 2008:
1. In Genesis 26 Isaac, following the bad example of his father Abraham, lies to Abimilech and the men of Gerar about his wife Rebecca calling her his sister to protect himself.
2. Lying of any magnitude (“little” or “big”) is dangerous because it dulls our senses to what is morally right, and will eventually erode our ability to distinguish the truth from falsehood.
3. The Old Testament condemns bearing false witness in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20, Deuteronomy 5:20), in the prophets and in the Proverbs.
4. Lying is inconsistent with the nature of God within the Christian, for God’s nature is to be truthful. In fact, He is truth (Titus 1:2).
5. Lying is however consistent with the nature and language of Satan. He is the “father of lies” (John 8:44).
6. By example and by teaching the believer is exhorted to truthfulness in the New Testament (Acts 5, Ephesians 4:25; Colossians 3:9). Lying is part of our old nature, the sin nature, which we are to be putting away by yielding to the Spirit of God and the Word of God as we are being remade in the character of Jesus Christ.
Recap of December 14, 2008:
1. In Genesis 26 Isaac, following the bad example of his father Abraham, lies to Abimilech and the men of Gerar about his wife Rebecca calling her his sister to protect himself.
2. Lying of any magnitude (“little” or “big”) is dangerous because it dulls our senses to what is morally right, and will eventually erode our ability to distinguish the truth from falsehood.
3. The Old Testament condemns bearing false witness in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20, Deuteronomy 5:20), in the prophets and in the Proverbs.
4. Lying is inconsistent with the nature of God within the Christian, for God’s nature is to be truthful. In fact, He is truth (Titus 1:2).
5. Lying is however consistent with the nature and language of Satan. He is the “father of lies” (John 8:44).
6. By example and by teaching the believer is exhorted to truthfulness in the New Testament (Acts 5, Ephesians 4:25; Colossians 3:9). Lying is part of our old nature, the sin nature, which we are to be putting away by yielding to the Spirit of God and the Word of God as we are being remade in the character of Jesus Christ.
Monday, December 08, 2008
DeJaVu All Over Again
Click here to download the sermon file.
Recap of December 7, 2008:
1. While Genesis 26 is similar to earlier incidents in Abraham’s life in Genesis 12 & 20, it is a different and separate incident in the life of Isaac, repeating the earlier sin of his father.
2. Genesis 26:1 specifically says this is a different incident, also there are similar elements to the earlier incidents but there are also differences.
3. A famine brings about this test of faith in Isaac’s life (as famine often does in the Bible).
4. As Warren Wiersbe points out: “Faith cannot grow apart from trials.” Our faith grows when it is challenged, when we are stretched beyond ourselves, when we are forced to use “new muscles” in our spiritual life.
5. “A commitment to Christ and obedience to his commands stretch us beyond ourselves, and that hurts. But this is a very different pain from that inflicted by torture or punishment. Growth pain is the kind we don’t regret; it leads to health and not disease or neurosis.” (Eugene Peterson).
Recap of December 7, 2008:
1. While Genesis 26 is similar to earlier incidents in Abraham’s life in Genesis 12 & 20, it is a different and separate incident in the life of Isaac, repeating the earlier sin of his father.
2. Genesis 26:1 specifically says this is a different incident, also there are similar elements to the earlier incidents but there are also differences.
3. A famine brings about this test of faith in Isaac’s life (as famine often does in the Bible).
4. As Warren Wiersbe points out: “Faith cannot grow apart from trials.” Our faith grows when it is challenged, when we are stretched beyond ourselves, when we are forced to use “new muscles” in our spiritual life.
5. “A commitment to Christ and obedience to his commands stretch us beyond ourselves, and that hurts. But this is a very different pain from that inflicted by torture or punishment. Growth pain is the kind we don’t regret; it leads to health and not disease or neurosis.” (Eugene Peterson).
Monday, December 01, 2008
Reversal of Fortune, Part 3
Click here to download the sermon file.
Recap of November 30, 2008:
1. Jacob schemed for what was already his. Esau sold his birthright (and its spiritual implications) to satisfy his physical hunger.
2. In Esau we are warned not to satisfy physical appetites at the expense of spiritual values. In Jacob we are warned against scheming, manipulating people, circumstances, and even God in seeking spiritual things (pursuing them by the sinful nature rather than by the Spirit).
3. Kent & Barbara Hughes in their book Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome
define true success as: faithfulness, serving, loving God, believing, prayer, holiness, and (a good, positive) attitude.
4. According to the Hughes, we should ask the following questions concerning holiness: Are we being desensitized by the present evil world; where do our minds wander when we have no duties to perform; what are we reading; what dvd’s, videos are we renting (what websites are we going to); and finally, how many chapters of the Bible did we read last week?
Recap of November 30, 2008:
1. Jacob schemed for what was already his. Esau sold his birthright (and its spiritual implications) to satisfy his physical hunger.
2. In Esau we are warned not to satisfy physical appetites at the expense of spiritual values. In Jacob we are warned against scheming, manipulating people, circumstances, and even God in seeking spiritual things (pursuing them by the sinful nature rather than by the Spirit).
3. Kent & Barbara Hughes in their book Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome
define true success as: faithfulness, serving, loving God, believing, prayer, holiness, and (a good, positive) attitude.
4. According to the Hughes, we should ask the following questions concerning holiness: Are we being desensitized by the present evil world; where do our minds wander when we have no duties to perform; what are we reading; what dvd’s, videos are we renting (what websites are we going to); and finally, how many chapters of the Bible did we read last week?
Monday, November 24, 2008
Reversal of Fortune, Part 2
Click here to download the sermon file.
Recap of November 23, 2008:
1. “Waiting on God is an act of faith—the greatest thing ever required of us humans. Not faith in the outcome we are dictating to God, jut faith in His character, faith in Himself. It is resting in the perfect confidence that He will guide in the right way at the right time. He will supply our need. He will fulfill His word. He will give us the very best if we trust Him.” (Elizabeth Elliot)
2. Difficulty forges character. In our lives, God’s good things are birthed through the pain of failure, difficulty, challenges, hurts.
3. Parents must guard against showing favoritism in the family. Showing favoritism is one way that parents can exasperate or embitter their children (Ephesians 6:4; Colossians 3:21).
4. God’s election is not based upon merit but upon grace. He chooses Jacob (the younger) over Esau (the eldest), reversing the natural order. His choice was made before they were born or had done anything good or bad (Romans 9:6-14).
Recap of November 23, 2008:
1. “Waiting on God is an act of faith—the greatest thing ever required of us humans. Not faith in the outcome we are dictating to God, jut faith in His character, faith in Himself. It is resting in the perfect confidence that He will guide in the right way at the right time. He will supply our need. He will fulfill His word. He will give us the very best if we trust Him.” (Elizabeth Elliot)
2. Difficulty forges character. In our lives, God’s good things are birthed through the pain of failure, difficulty, challenges, hurts.
3. Parents must guard against showing favoritism in the family. Showing favoritism is one way that parents can exasperate or embitter their children (Ephesians 6:4; Colossians 3:21).
4. God’s election is not based upon merit but upon grace. He chooses Jacob (the younger) over Esau (the eldest), reversing the natural order. His choice was made before they were born or had done anything good or bad (Romans 9:6-14).
Monday, November 17, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
Reversal of Fortune
Click here to download the sermon file.
The sermon recap from November 9, 2008:
1. Though Abraham had sons other than Isaac, sons by Keturah, as well as Ishmael by Hagar, none of them were of the promised line, the line of Christ (see Matthew 1). Abraham treated his other sons well, but sent them away to preserve and safeguard Isaac’s inheritance. Abraham ordered his life around God’s promises to the very end: “…thru Isaac your offspring will be reckoned” (Genesis 21:12).
2. Abraham died at the age of 175. Verse 8 notes that he died at a good old age and “full of years.” That means “full of life” or “satisfied.” How important it is for us to live well-to live a full life, not just mark time ‘til our death. That was Moses’ prayer in Psalm 90: that God would teach him to live well, to live “wisely and well,” in whatever years God had allotted to him.
3. Genesis also records that Abraham was “gathered to his people,” a reference to the fact that death is not extinction, those who die continue in existence after death, awaiting a day of resurrection. Those who are believers in Jesus Christ (who have placed their faith in Christ alone for salvation) go into his presence to await the resurrection of the body. Those who are unbelievers go into Hades (the temporary place of the unsaved dead) to await the resurrection of the body, after which they will be cast into the Lake of Fire (which is eternal death, away from the presence of God).
The sermon recap from November 9, 2008:
1. Though Abraham had sons other than Isaac, sons by Keturah, as well as Ishmael by Hagar, none of them were of the promised line, the line of Christ (see Matthew 1). Abraham treated his other sons well, but sent them away to preserve and safeguard Isaac’s inheritance. Abraham ordered his life around God’s promises to the very end: “…thru Isaac your offspring will be reckoned” (Genesis 21:12).
2. Abraham died at the age of 175. Verse 8 notes that he died at a good old age and “full of years.” That means “full of life” or “satisfied.” How important it is for us to live well-to live a full life, not just mark time ‘til our death. That was Moses’ prayer in Psalm 90: that God would teach him to live well, to live “wisely and well,” in whatever years God had allotted to him.
3. Genesis also records that Abraham was “gathered to his people,” a reference to the fact that death is not extinction, those who die continue in existence after death, awaiting a day of resurrection. Those who are believers in Jesus Christ (who have placed their faith in Christ alone for salvation) go into his presence to await the resurrection of the body. Those who are unbelievers go into Hades (the temporary place of the unsaved dead) to await the resurrection of the body, after which they will be cast into the Lake of Fire (which is eternal death, away from the presence of God).
Love Story B.C. Part 2
Click here to download the sermon file.
Recap of the sermon from November 2, 2008:
1. Among the many important things we should be praying for our children; such as that they might come to trust Christ as Savior early in life, that they be protected from the evil one in each area of their lives (physical, spiritual, emotional), that they be single-heartedly sold out to Jesus Christ; we should pray for their future mate, that they be kept from the wrong mate and saved for the right one.2. Abraham’s servant was successful in his missions because: he planned (leaving room for God to work)(James 4:13-15), he prayed, and he persisted.3. Principles of God’s leading in our lives:-we must be committed to and growing in the Word of God-we must be open to God’s leading-we must be watching for God’s leading, seeing Him in our circumstances-we must be committed to prayer-we must praise God when the answer comes-we must not be deterred
Recap of the sermon from November 2, 2008:
1. Among the many important things we should be praying for our children; such as that they might come to trust Christ as Savior early in life, that they be protected from the evil one in each area of their lives (physical, spiritual, emotional), that they be single-heartedly sold out to Jesus Christ; we should pray for their future mate, that they be kept from the wrong mate and saved for the right one.2. Abraham’s servant was successful in his missions because: he planned (leaving room for God to work)(James 4:13-15), he prayed, and he persisted.3. Principles of God’s leading in our lives:-we must be committed to and growing in the Word of God-we must be open to God’s leading-we must be watching for God’s leading, seeing Him in our circumstances-we must be committed to prayer-we must praise God when the answer comes-we must not be deterred
Monday, October 27, 2008
Love Story B.C.
Click here to download the sermon file.
Due to technical difficulties, this recording begins with the sermon already well underway.
Here's a re-cap of the sermon from October 26, 2008:
1. The need to find a bride for Isaac is another occasion for Abraham to exercise his faith in God in Genesis 24. As the son of promise his marrying was integral to the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham.
2. Abraham shows his faith in his two concerns for Isaac’s marriage:
-that he not marry a Canaanite girl (there was to be no confusion about the land having been a supernatural gift to Abraham and his family from God-not by Isaac marrying well)
-that he not return to Abraham’s native land (God’s promises were tied to the land, Isaac must not leave it)
3. Eliezer (Abraham’s servant) prayed and “put out a fleece” (a concept that comes from Judges 6:36-40).
4. Because we have the Word of God, the Spirit of God within us, the providence of God, and prayer as resources for determining God’s direction we in the church age should not live by the “fleece.”
Due to technical difficulties, this recording begins with the sermon already well underway.
Here's a re-cap of the sermon from October 26, 2008:
1. The need to find a bride for Isaac is another occasion for Abraham to exercise his faith in God in Genesis 24. As the son of promise his marrying was integral to the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham.
2. Abraham shows his faith in his two concerns for Isaac’s marriage:
-that he not marry a Canaanite girl (there was to be no confusion about the land having been a supernatural gift to Abraham and his family from God-not by Isaac marrying well)
-that he not return to Abraham’s native land (God’s promises were tied to the land, Isaac must not leave it)
3. Eliezer (Abraham’s servant) prayed and “put out a fleece” (a concept that comes from Judges 6:36-40).
4. Because we have the Word of God, the Spirit of God within us, the providence of God, and prayer as resources for determining God’s direction we in the church age should not live by the “fleece.”
Monday, October 20, 2008
Faith and The Future
Click here to download the sermon file from Sunday, October 19, 2008 from the study of Genesis. This sermon is from Chapter 22.
Here's a re-cap:
1. Abraham demonstrates his faith in God’s promises by, contrary to custom of that day, burying Sarah in the land of promise. There was no turning back in his life from God’s path for him and his family.
2. Physical and spiritual death is the result of sin brought about by the fall of mankind in Adam and Eve, in Genesis 3. Death is always a reminder of sin’s power broken at the cross by Jesus Christ. Believers need no longer fear death but can live and hope and die without fear.
3. “The deaths of patriarchs and saints are brutal reminders that people are sinners. Death brings out mourning. But death in this passage is a basis for hope. The point is that God’s promises to those in the faith are not exhausted in this life. As Abraham in hope bought a grave site in the land, so believers today have a hope beyond this life. The time of death--when one’s natural inclination is to mourn as the world mourns—should be the time of the believer’s greatest demonstration of faith, for the recipient of God’s promises has a hope beyond the grave.” (Dr. Allen Ross)
Here's a re-cap:
1. Abraham demonstrates his faith in God’s promises by, contrary to custom of that day, burying Sarah in the land of promise. There was no turning back in his life from God’s path for him and his family.
2. Physical and spiritual death is the result of sin brought about by the fall of mankind in Adam and Eve, in Genesis 3. Death is always a reminder of sin’s power broken at the cross by Jesus Christ. Believers need no longer fear death but can live and hope and die without fear.
3. “The deaths of patriarchs and saints are brutal reminders that people are sinners. Death brings out mourning. But death in this passage is a basis for hope. The point is that God’s promises to those in the faith are not exhausted in this life. As Abraham in hope bought a grave site in the land, so believers today have a hope beyond this life. The time of death--when one’s natural inclination is to mourn as the world mourns—should be the time of the believer’s greatest demonstration of faith, for the recipient of God’s promises has a hope beyond the grave.” (Dr. Allen Ross)
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