Loving Leah

Genesis 29:15-35

 

15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?” 16 Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance. 18 Jacob loved Rachel. And he said, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” 19 Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.” 20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.

21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.” 22 So Laban gathered together all the people of the place and made a feast. 23 But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and he went in to her. 24 (Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.) 25 And in the morning, behold, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?” 26 Laban said, “It is not so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. 27 Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years.”28 Jacob did so, and completed her week. Then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. 29 (Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.) 30 So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served Laban for another seven years.

Jacob's Children

31 When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. 32 And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, “Because the Lord has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me.” 33 She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon. 34 Again she conceived and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will be attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi. 35 And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she ceased bearing.

 

SERMON NOTES

 

We must Remember God Loves The Downtrodden

V31 - When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren

Romans 5:8

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

We Must Realize Real Beauty Is internal

V32 – Reubin – see, a son

V33 – Simeon – heard

V34 – Levi – attached

V35 – Judah - praise

1 Samuel 16:7b

man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.

We must know God’s Plans Are Always Perfect

Genesis 29:25 - And in the morning, behold, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?”

Romans 9:11-12

though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

Proverbs 19:21

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.

 

Who Are You Walking With

Genesis 6:5-9

 

5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

Noah and the Flood

9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.

In God We Trust

Psalms 33:12-22

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!

13 The Lord looks down from heaven; the sees all the children of man;

14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth,

15 he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds.

16 The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.

17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue.

18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,

19 that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.

20 Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.

21 For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.

22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.

SERMON NOTES

 

Psalms:118:9

9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.

Psalms 117:1-2

1 Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples!

2 For great is his steadfast love toward us,

    and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!

Poverbs 3:5-8

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

8 It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.

Psalms 118:1

1 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!

 

AMPED  The Kingdom's Kids

John 10:10

 

"I have come so that they may have life.  I want them to have it in the fullest possible way."

Baptism: What Is It Good for?

Colossians 2:6-15

Alive in Christ

6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

What Am I Filled With?

PSALM 71:1-8

1 In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame!

2 In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me, and save me!

3 Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me,

for you are my rock and my fortress.

Upon you I have 6 

For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth.5 

Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.4 leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother's womb.

My praise iscontinually of you.

My mouth is filled with your 8 

I have been as a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge.7 praise, and with your glory all the day.

for each tree 44 “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit,43        

       Luke 6:43-45

Key #1  What I allow into my heart and my mind is what my mouth will be filled with.is

       known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from

       a bramble bush. 45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and

       the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his

       mouth speaks.

And the Lord said:  “Because 13       

       Isaiah 29:13this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips,

       while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men.

       Proverbs 27:19

       19 As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man.

For those whom he 29        

       Romans 8:29foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in

       order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

       Romans 12:2

        2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing

       you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

       Romans 7:23

        23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me

       captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.

Key #2  What I praise is what I Worship and what I Worship is what I am enslaved to.

         Jeremiah 17:14

       14 Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.

He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that         21 

       Deuteronomy 10:21your

      eyes have seen.

       Isaiah 6:1-8

       1In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the

       train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he

       covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another

       and said:

          “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house         4 was

      filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell

      in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken        6 with

      tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your

       guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”  Isaiah's Commission from the Lord  8 And I heard the

      voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send

       me.”

Key #3  God's Glory must dominate my life all the day.

       

       Psalm 115:1

       1  Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and

       your faithfulness!

       1 Chronicles 29:11

       11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all

       that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted

       as head above all.

      2

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.31      

      1 Corinthians 10:31

 Corinthinans 4:17

      17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all

      comparison.

      Romans 8:18

      18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is

      to be revealed to us.

      Philippians 3:9

      9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which

      comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.

Three concluding thoughts

      1.  This is one of the most difficult verses for me to live out daily.  As my stiff and hardened heart at

      times, do not gravitate towards the emploring of the psalmist but default to rebelling.

      2.  In the midst of my distress and affliction not in theabsense of my distress and affliction.

      3.  God ispassionly for His Grace and Glory not mine; and He will pursue His Glory at any and all

      cost, even at the expense of my own personal comfort.

      Isaiah 42:8

       8 I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other.

   

                  

Spies Like Us

Numbers 13:25-14:10

Report of the Spies

25 At the end of forty days they returned from spying out the land. 26 And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the people of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh. They brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 And they told him, “We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there.29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negeb. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country. And the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and along the Jordan.”

30 But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” 31 Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” 32 So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. 33 And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”

The People Rebel

14 Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night.2 And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” 4 And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”

5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the people of Israel. 6 And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” 10 Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones. But the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the people of Israel.

1.  We must replace fear with courage b/c of God’s faithfulness. (Luke 12:32, Numbers 14:24)

2.  We must remember what God has done in the past. (Numbers 14:2-4; 9, Exodus 16:3, Psalm 77:11-12)

3.  We must see opportunities instead of obstacles.  (Numbers 13:30, Judges 7:2)

James 1:1-12 (ESV)

Greeting

1 James, a servanta]">[a] of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:

Greetings.

Testing of Your Faith

2 Count it all joy, my brothers,b]">[b] when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grassc]">[c] he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Action Steps

1. What is your "Polka Dot"?

2. How might God use your trial to bring you WISDOM?

3. Share your trial with another - AND commit to PRAY for each other!

Bringing Children To Christ

Mark 10:13-16

Let the Children Come to Me

13 And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” 16 And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

 

SERMON NOTES

We ourselves do not go to Jesus

We fail to foster Christ-Centered conversations in the home

We fail to live in integrity

We fail to love Christ and His Church

We fail to trust God and hold fast to His promises

We show little interest in spiritual things. 

How do we bring our Children to Christ today?

We are to keep bringing them despite opposition. Even opposition from fellow believers. 

8 Practical ways to bring our children to Jesus

Be fully convinced that our children need Jesus and His salvation

Realize that our children belong to the Lord

We surrender our children to the Lord

Speak to and live with our children in a Christ-Centered way

Offer our children Christ-centered views on current events 

Teach our children the whole counsel of God both law and the gospel

Lovingly warn our children about being outside of Christ

Become spiritual mentors for our grandchildren

Mom Goggles Skit Guys HD

Mommy Goggles - Notes

Godly Moms are...Finders of Anything - Luke 2:41-52, 15:8-10

Godly Moms are...Feelers of Everything - Luke 2:33-35

Godly Moms are...Fixers of Broken Things - John 2:1-11

Godly Moms are...Fervent in the Teaching Things - Proverbs 31:1-27

Godly Moms are...Faithful in the Hard Things - 1 Samuel 1&2

Godly Moms are...Favored by the Precious Things - Proverbs 31:28-30

Open the eyes of my heart:  Ephesians 1:18