Sermon series

Journeys with Jacob (Genesis 25-50)

From Jacob to Jesus

Our final study in the life of Jacob is different from all the rest. When we began, he was still in his mother’s womb. When Genesis brings his story to a close, he is buried in the cave of Machpelah, along with his father and grandfather. In between, this man of restless faith never stopped […]

How a Good Man Dies

“Fear not that your life shall come to an end, but rather that it shall never have a beginning.” John Henry Newman Suppose you had three minutes to live and your loved ones were gathered around you waiting to hear your last words. What would you say? Perhaps you are in the hospital dying of […]

The School of Suffering

For me the most poignant scene of the recent presidential campaign took place last Monday night in Houston where George Bush was speaking in the final rally of his political career. During a long day that started in New Jersey he had hip-hopped across the mid-section of America, rallying the troops for one last charge […]

Healing the Hurts of the Past

Which is more difficult? To forgive or to be forgiven? You could argue it either way. If you say it’s more difficult to forgive, you are right. When you forgive someone, you are doing at least two things: 1. You are choosing to overlook the pain of the past. 2. You are choosing to give […]

The Breaking Point

In our study of the life of Jacob, we have come to a critical turning point. One might even call it the crucial moment of his entire life. Up until this point, Jacob has certainly lived up to his name—taking every advantage he can find to get ahead in life. Most of what he does […]

God’s Catfish

In one of his books Chuck Swindoll tells the following story. It seems that in the northeastern United States, codfish are not only delectable, they are also a very big commercial enterprise. A vast industry has grown up around catching, preparing and shipping codfish to every part of the country. But the great demand for […]

Hard Times in Haran

There are many ways in the English language to express the idea of retribution. For instance, we say, “Everything that goes around, comes around.” And we say, “Things have a way of evening out in the end.” We teach our children, “Crime doesn’t pay.” We talk about the chickens coming home to roost and the […]

Jacob’s Ladder

A long journey, a hard pillow, a guilty conscience, a heavy heart. These are the things that make men dream. It had been two days since he had left home— Esau seething in the background Rebekah weeping Isaac waving goodbye. Two days on a journey of 500 miles. Jacob is on his way from Beersheba […]

Portrait of a Dysfunctional Family

Although it is not a new word, most of us never heard the term “dysfunctional” until a few years ago. In the last decade, however, “dysfunctional” has become one of the buzz-words of this mixed-up generation. The dictionary defines the noun dysfunction as “the disordered or impaired functioning of a bodily system or organ.” In […]

A Tale of Two Brothers

Several years ago Dr. Kevin Leman wrote The Birth Order Book. You may be familiar with that book because Dr. Leman is a well-known Christian psychologist and has been on Dr. Dobson’s radio program a number of times. The thesis of The Birth Order Book is very simple: When you are dealing with your children, […]

Birth of a Heel-Grabber

There are many different ways to study the Bible. You can, for instance, study it analytically, taking each verse and each phrase and even each word in succession. Or you could study it doctrinally, tracing the great teachings of the Bible through the 66 books of Holy Scripture. You could study it synthetically, pulling together […]