Jacob: A Tale of Two Church Kids

This week, Susanna made her third appearance in church on her 3-week birthday. She will be another certified "church kid." I cherish my "church kid" childhood and the heritage my parents passed on to me. It is a parent's greatest privilege and responsibility to pass on their faith.

But their are pitfalls to having an inherited faith. We see those pitfalls in the first generation of "church kids" in the Bible: Abraham's grandsons Esau and Jacob.

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Abraham: A New Generation

I realized today that I hadn't posted Sunday's sermon yet. I have to apologize to all of you who have been refreshing this page every hour since Tuesday in anticipation, but here it is!

Today we look at the longest and final story that we have in detail from Abraham's life. In this story, Abraham is trying to ensure that Isaac will build on the foundation he has laid. That leads to an interesting question for us: How do we build on the foundation our parents have laid? How do we help the next generation build on our foundation?

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The Rebel's Cross

We say that Jesus died in our place - and it's true.  But as he took on our cross in a spiritual sense, he took on another man's cross in the most literal sense.  What can we learn from the story of Barabbas, who was set free as Jesus was crucified? 

This week's message begins with a "Barabbas" monologue and then a short message.

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Abraham: Reasonable Faith

People without faith in God often describe faith as believing something without (or contrary to) evidence. But the Bible says that without faith, it is impossible to please God. So is it possible to be intellectually honest and still have faith in God? Of course it is. And the life of Abraham gives us a great example of how to live a life of reasonable faith.

Abraham and Lot and the Question of Influence

Influence is a funny thing.  What affects one person does not necessarily affect another.  For some, it's incredibly difficult not to follow friends into destructive behavior.  For others, it's not so hard, but the suggestions of advertisers move them to action. 
For Christians, influence is central to what it means to follow Christ, who said we are "the light of the world."  But what causes a Christian to "be light"?  Today we look at two believers, Abraham and Lot.  For one, his righteous life caused others to praise "God Most High."  For the other, his light was all but snuffed out.  Why?  Let's take a look today...

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The Sin of Sodom

Part 4 of 8 in the series, "Foundations of God's Plan: Abraham"

Sodom is famous for one particular sin, but the Bible says Sodom and the surrounding cities of the plain were destroyed for another sin entirely (of which the horrific scene from Genesis 19 is only an example). When you realize the true sin of Sodom (from Ezekiel 16:49-50), you find that it hits a lot closer to home. Are you guilty?

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Abraham: A Promised Home

Part 2 of 8 in the series, "Foundations of God's Plan: Abraham"

When God blessed Abram, he not only promised him a great name but also a home. Each of these promises answers a great longing in the hearts of people.

As Augustine said, "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless ...until it rests in you"

So how did Abram come to his home? How do we come to our promised home? Let's look at the Scripture together...

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