Herod receives news from the Magi that the King of the Jews has been born, and seeks to put him to death. The Magi, meanwhile, seek Jesus and present gifts to him. Our God and King, Immanuel, has come to us!

In his first advent, our King came to testify to the truth, to bear sin, and to be with his people. The Jews and nations rejected him, but we must receive him.

God is king of all creation. His Son rules and reigns. Only Jesus is worthy to ascend the hill of the Lord, so we enter his gates through the merits of Christ.

The church is established upon the foundation of Christ, and has been charged as the gatekeepers of the kingdom of God. We cannot bypass the cross for the crown, any more than Jesus did.

Abraham, after mourning Sarah's death, secures a property where future generations will be buried. We learn how people of faith face death and loss, looking ahead to a heavenly city.

God tests Abraham's faith by calling him to sacrifice Isaac. He obeys, but is stopped by the angel of the Lord as a ram is provided - a great picture of the Lord Jesus who provided an acceptable offering to God on the mount of the Lord. Pastor Pilgrim teaches Genesis 22 at Shoreline Church.

Sarah conceives and gives birth to Isaac, and a few years later asks Abraham to cast out Hagar and Ishmael. Abraham establishes a covenant with Abimelech and settles in Beersheba, as the everlasting God is with him.

God preserves His covenant with Abraham and intercedes for him in spite of Abraham's discouragement, unbelief, and sin.

Lot compromises by sojourning in Sodom, then settling when it was time to escape. He suffered greatly as the city was destroyed, and though he was saved, his family became marked by scandal. Jesus has mercifully saved us from God's wrath and calls us to repentance and to hold fast to him rather than compromise our faith.

Abraham ministers to the Lord as Sarah laughs at what is to come, setting the stage for the destruction of Sodom, even as Abraham intercedes for the city. Pastor Pilgrim Benham teaches Genesis 18 at Shoreline Church.