Contend to Trust
Genesis 40 | In the deepest valleys of life, we hold on to the truth that God is with us. But it's important for us to ask... So what? Why is it good news that God is with us in the deep valleys of life?
As we continue in our study through the life of Joseph, we see that he is still in the valley. He's still in the prison. And it gets worse for him in Genesis 40. Through it all, we know that God is still with him. And we're going to study today why it's good news that God is still with Joseph... and still with us in the deepest valleys of life.
Genesis 40 | In the deepest valleys of life, we hold on to the truth that God is with us. But it's important for us to ask... So what? Why is it good news that God is with us in the deep valleys of life?
As we continue in our study through the life of Joseph, we see that he is still in the valley. He's still in the prison. And it gets worse for him in Genesis 40. Through it all, we know that God is still with him. And we're going to study today why it's good news that God is still with Joseph... and still with us in the deepest valleys of life.
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Genesis 38 Teaching
Genesis 38:1-30 | Join Pastor Brock as he walks through Genesis 38.
Genesis 38:1-30 | Join Pastor Brock as he walks through Genesis 38.
APPLICATION GUIDE | SERMON SLIDES | SUBSCRIBE IN ITUNES
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God With Us
Genesis 37:1-39:23 | Question: Where is God when life is at its worst?
Answer: Right. With. Us.
I know that is easier to know in our head than it is to know in our heart when life is at its absolute worst. When the deep valleys come it's easy to ask: God where are you? Why so silent? Why aren't you moving in this?
This week we watch as Joseph goes from the position of a prized son to a prison sufferer. In this decline, where is the Lord? Well, there are a few reassuring statements that tell us where God is in the valleys and that God is at work through the valleys.
Genesis 37:1-39:23 | Question: Where is God when life is at its worst?
Answer: Right. With. Us.
I know that is easier to know in our head than it is to know in our heart when life is at its absolute worst. When the deep valleys come it's easy to ask: God where are you? Why so silent? Why aren't you moving in this?
This week we watch as Joseph goes from the position of a prized son to a prison sufferer. In this decline, where is the Lord? Well, there are a few reassuring statements that tell us where God is in the valleys and that God is at work through the valleys.
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A Terrible, Terrible Story (Teaching on Genesis 34)
Genesis 34:1-31 | Walkthrough Genesis 34 with Pastor Brian. A terrible, terrible story but the grace of God abounds.
Genesis 34:1-31 | Walkthrough Genesis 34 with Pastor Brian. A terrible, terrible story but the grace of God abounds.
APPLICATION GUIDE | SERMON SLIDES | SUBSCRIBE IN ITUNES
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The Wrestle
Genesis 32 | What does it feel like to be weak, wounded, and wrestled to the ground by God? Jacob knows, and it changed the way he walked through life. We need to know what this is like as well.
There is no prevailing without first having been weakened, wounded, and wrestled by God. Let's come together ready to "leave with a limp" from our study of this passage.
Genesis 32 | What does it feel like to be weak, wounded, and wrestled to the ground by God? Jacob knows, and it changed the way he walked through life. We need to know what this is like as well.
There is no prevailing without first having been weakened, wounded, and wrestled by God. Let's come together ready to "leave with a limp" from our study of this passage.
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Meeting His Match
Genesis 29 | The schemer gets schemed. Jacob has been wheeling and dealing, scheming and dreaming, conniving and thriving (or so he thinks). He is about to meet his match in uncle Laban. Genesis 29 begins a series of events in which Laban and Jacob battle and scheme against each other. God is bringing Jacob face to face with one like him in the hopes of breaking him from his scheming and bringing him into a place of trust. God is good to allow us to meet our match in life in order to break us from the scheming of our ways and invite us into a complete trust in the Lord.
Genesis 29 | The schemer gets schemed.
Jacob has been wheeling and dealing, scheming and dreaming, conniving and thriving (or so he thinks). He is about to meet his match in uncle Laban.
Genesis 29 begins a series of events in which Laban and Jacob battle and scheme against each other. God is bringing Jacob face to face with one like him in the hopes of breaking him from his scheming and bringing him into a place of trust.
God is good to allow us to meet our match in life in order to break us from the scheming of our ways and invite us into a complete trust in the Lord.
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Meeting God on the Run
Genesis 28 | Have you ever found yourself making deals with God? "God if you... then I will..."
We find Jacob trying to make a deal with God while he is on the run from family drama in Genesis 28. Even after the Lord offers him the free gift of His mercy, Jacob still tries to scheme his way into blessing. What can we learn from Jacob, and where do we need to change "God, if you... then I..." deals into "God you have... so I will..." surrender?
Genesis 28 | Have you ever found yourself making deals with God? "God if you... then I will..."
We find Jacob trying to make a deal with God while he is on the run from family drama in Genesis 28. Even after the Lord offers him the free gift of His mercy, Jacob still tries to scheme his way into blessing. What can we learn from Jacob, and where do we need to change "God, if you... then I..." deals into "God you have... so I will..." surrender?
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The Birth, Some Stew, and a Con Job
Genesis 25 | If you experienced any kind of sibling rivalry growing up, I'm willing to bet it doesn't hold a candle to Jacob and Esau.
These twin boys were born to Isaac and Rebekah, and from the womb, they would war with one another. As they grew, some circumstances led to the intensity of their rivalry as well.
What was this all about? What was God doing in and through the lives of these twins? What do we learn about Jacob, who one day will have his name changed to Israel, paving the way for this family to become a nation?
Genesis 25 | If you experienced any kind of sibling rivalry growing up, I'm willing to bet it doesn't hold a candle to Jacob and Esau.
These twin boys were born to Isaac and Rebekah, and from the womb, they would war with one another. As they grew, some circumstances led to the intensity of their rivalry as well.
What was this all about? What was God doing in and through the lives of these twins? What do we learn about Jacob, who one day will have his name changed to Israel, paving the way for this family to become a nation?
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We Don't Even Know His Name
Genesis 24 | The promised son has come, the promised family is growing, the promised nation is on the rise. This week we watch as God unites Isaac with his wife, Rebekah. What is especially interesting is how God does it and who He uses to find a wife for Isaac.
We are going to watch a faithful, unnamed servant of Abraham fulfill one of the most important roles a dad could ever entrust to another. As we watch this faithful, unnamed servant in action, we are going to learn 6 facts of faithful servants that we can live out in our own lives as well. In God's economy, faithfulness is much more important than "famousness".
Genesis 24 | The promised son has come, the promised family is growing, the promised nation is on the rise. This week we watch as God unites Isaac with his wife, Rebekah. What is especially interesting is how God does it and who He uses to find a wife for Isaac.
We are going to watch a faithful, unnamed servant of Abraham fulfill one of the most important roles a dad could ever entrust to another. As we watch this faithful, unnamed servant in action, we are going to learn 6 facts of faithful servants that we can live out in our own lives as well. In God's economy, faithfulness is much more important than "famousness".
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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.
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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?
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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?
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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.
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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!
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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!
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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.
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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?
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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?
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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?
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