Category: Sermons

Abraham does it again. Tries the same failed attempt at pulling the wool over a king’s eyes with a half-truth by passing Sarah off as his sister. Well, technically it’s true, but it’s not the whole truth. It doesn’t work here either. In the middle of the text, verse 6, we read that God kept King Abimelech from sinning. If He can do it for a pagan King, can He keep the believer from sinning? Follow the message and learn six principles from one passage that helps us see how God can keep us from sinning.

The theme of our missions conference this year is taken from the hymn “The Light of the World is Jesus”. Our guest speaker, Alex Pashkovets serving with the Slavic Gospel Association challenged us from John 8:12. From this passage he spoke about our responsibility to proclaiming the light of the world, identifying the light of the world, benefitting from the light of the world and then shining the light of the world. We each have the task to point people to the light of the world. How bright is our light for Christ?

We are living in the “Me” generation, a focus on self and being served. The book of Joshua gives some insight on where service should focus. It is seen in serving others. In this way you serve to God. Journey into the Old Testament where we discover in Joshua about serving God and serving others. You can find it in Joshua 22:1-5 and 24:14-29. A popular kids song from a couple decades ago stated that “if you want to be great in God’s kingdom, learn to be the servant of all.”

Genesis 19 is a sobering chapter in which some unthinkable actions are pursued and proposed. The focus is on Lot with the backdrop being that of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. His actions are cause for concern as they reveal a heart that was not right with the Lord. How do we avoid falling into the same pattern of poor choices, because we all have the capacity to become a Lot. Listen in on three ways that can help us in making right choices. They give us a Lot to think about.

God appears to Abraham one more time to remind him not only of the promise but that it will happen within the year. Sarah is still filled with doubt as she laughs to herself. But of more importance is the news Abraham is about to hear. It’s the primary reason for their visit, to bring judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah. Because of Lot, Abraham intervenes on behalf of the cities asking if the cities would be destroyed for the sake of any righteous in the city. Once again, it is a matter of faith.

If in last weeks passage we learned that we should always trust God no matter how long the silence, this week in chapter 17 we learn that without trials it is difficult to mature our faith. After 13 more years, when Abram is 99, God is going to reveal Himself again to Abram. He will learn that God is the Almighty God, the provider God. Once again, God confirms His covenant with Abram this time through the act of circumcision. It was a step of faith and trust in God. Abram had a name change and once more learned that God can do the impossible. Both Abraham and his wife were too old to have children naturally, but they would learn that God is not the God of the possible or even the probable, but rather He is the God of the impossible. How often do we reduce God to the knowable and the possible instead of believing He can do the impossible. Abraham trusted God and acted in compliance to God’s command by having every male in his household circumcised. The question remains for us, will we continue to trust God?

It never works out well when try to hurry God up. Sarah is impatient with God’s plan to provide an heir so she offers a solution, not a good one and Abram agrees to it. Sarah’s handmaid, Hagar, has a baby. She flaunts her pregnancy before Sarah who then mistreats her. God finds Hagar running away and gives to her a promise that her child would become a great nation. She willingly and obediently returns to Sarah as God instructed. What we can learn from all this is that we are to always trust God no matter how long the silence may be.

If you garden, weeds are inevitable. They can choke out the plants you want to grow. So if you want a beautiful garden you need to regularly be out pulling weeds. It’s that way with faith as well. For faith to continue to grow you need to be on the look out for weeds and pull them begore they can get established. Abram’s faith is growing, but it comes with trials and doubts. Doubt is a weed that needs to constantly be pulled from the mind of faith. Abram needs some reassurance from God that His promises will come true. God gives him a visual reminder by looking up at all the stars. It says Abram believed and it was credited to him for righteousness. This is the first time faith and righteousness are seen together. Righteousness will not occur any other way than by our faith. When we believe God gives to us His righteousness. God then established with Abram a covenant that solely depended on Him. God’s promises will all come to pass. Do you believe Him?

What does faith look like after you have faltered and failed in trusting God? These two chapters give us a great look at the faith of Abram following Egypt. He shows us how faith is rekindled, reaffirmed and rewarded. He’s a great example to us all.

Our journey through Genesis brings us to Abram which begins to look at his faith. Like everyone else, his faith has its ups and downs. This opening chapter of his life shows us both his faith and his failures. Yet, it serves as a pattern for us to follow in our walk of faith. Our faith either grows or decreases because of our response to the various trials that come our way. Where there is faith there is no fear. But where there is fear there is no faith. So are you looking to or lacking in faith?