Jacob is going home. God has promised to be with him. Esau is coming with 400 men.

In Genesis 32–33 Jacob sees the camp of God, prays as an unworthy man, then tries to buy peace with gifts. Alone at the Jabbok he wrestles until dawn, is given a new name — Israel — and walks away with a limp. Then Esau runs to meet him.

This sermon continues our series in the life of Jacob: God is faithful in spite of us. He breaks our self-reliance so that we learn to trust him. In Jesus we meet God face to face, are reconciled while we are still enemies, and are made new.

Passage: Genesis 32–33

Series: Jacob

Preacher: Chris Bowditch

Church: Lindisfarne Anglican

God is with you. He will not leave you until he has done what he promised.

God tells Jacob to return home and promises to be with him. Jacob goes — but he still slips away on his own terms, trying to control the exit. When Laban catches up, Jacob talks as if twenty years of hard work have earned God’s protection.

This sermon from our series in Genesis looks at a God who keeps His word to flawed people. Grace is not wages. We are called to obey, and to trust Him with the outcome.

Reading: Genesis 31:1–24

In Genesis 30, Jacob’s household is full of envy, rivalry, surrogacy, bargaining and clever schemes. Rachel cries, “Give me children, or I shall die!” Leah and Rachel compete for status and affection. Jacob and Laban try to outwit each other for wealth.
Yet the chapter’s message is clear: God alone opens the womb and multiplies blessing. He remembered Rachel. He kept the promise He made to Jacob at Bethel. He builds His people not through perfect families or human techniques, but through His sovereign grace.
This sermon invites us to stop manufacturing outcomes in family, ministry and life, and to rest in the God who gives new life through Jesus Christ.

Jacob falls in love with Rachel and gladly works seven years for her — a picture of patient, sacrificial love. But the deceiver is himself deceived when Laban swaps Leah for Rachel on the wedding night. In the middle of this messy, painful story, God sees the unloved wife. Leah’s journey from desperate longing for Jacob’s affection to praising the Lord (culminating in the birth of Judah) shows us that God notices the overlooked and advances His purposes through broken people. This sermon from Genesis 29 calls us to patient love, warns that the patterns we sow often return, and comforts every person who feels unseen: God sees you.

Jacob is alone, on the run, and sleeping with a stone for a pillow—fully living out the consequences of his sin. Then God meets him. In a dream of a stairway between heaven and earth, the Lord reaffirms the covenant promises and declares, “I am with you… I will not leave you.” This sermon explores Jacob’s encounter at Bethel and shows how it points us to Jesus—the true ladder, the true house of God, and the One who meets us at our lowest with undeserved grace.

Favouritism, deception, and self-interest tear a family apart. Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Esau all try to take God’s blessing into their own hands. Yet God’s purposes stand. This sermon from Genesis 25–28 walks through the messy story of the stolen blessing and points us to the greater reality: none of us deserve God’s blessing, but Christ took the curse so that we might receive it by faith. The invitation is clear—stop trying to force God’s hand, trust His Word, and rest in the free gift of grace.

Abraham trusts God’s promises. His servant prays boldly for guidance. Rebekah says “I will go” even though she has never met the man she will marry. Genesis 24 is a story of ordinary people responding in faith to a faithful God. As we begin a new series on Jacob, this sermon shows how God keeps His word, leads His people, and calls us to the same response: trust His promises in Christ, pray with expectation, and obey—even when the future is uncertain.

Don’t lean on your own understanding. Fill up on God’s Word until it changes your heart, submit to Him in every area of life, honour Him with your resources, and humbly accept His loving discipline. From Proverbs 3, this sermon shows what wise living looks like in practice—whether you’re a parent, a worker, or a child—and points us to Jesus, the true wisdom from God. One practical challenge: where do you need to stop trusting yourself and start trusting Him more fully this week?

Work hard. Invest in family. Build a good life. But without God, it is all in vain. Looking at Psalms 127 and 128, this sermon reminds us that children are a heritage from the Lord, rest is a gift He gives, and true blessing and peace come only to those who fear Him and walk in His ways. As we head into the school holidays, we’re invited to put God first—recommitting our work, our homes, and our families to the Master Builder who alone makes what lasts.

In a world full of teachers who say whatever our itching ears want to hear, Paul’s final charge to Timothy cuts through the noise. From soft prosperity preaching to cultural creeds that rewrite the gospel, many turn away from sound doctrine. Drawing on 2 Timothy 4, this sermon calls us to preach the Word in season and out of season—correcting, rebuking, and encouraging with patience—while finishing the race and longing for Christ’s appearing. Will we keep our heads, endure hardship, and stay faithful until the crown of righteousness is awarded?