From the time God promised a son to Abraham to the time that son was born, fifteen years had gone by. Abraham, at this time, was 100 and Sarah, his wife,

was 90. This child was an absolute miracle. In today’s passage, we’ll see that God wanted to prove something to both of them: His promises are good, but their faith needed to grow still.

A covenant is a promise, but on an even grander scale. The covenant that we

will see today was on such a scale that it formed the foundation of an entire people group: the nation of Israel. As we look at this account, we will see how the promises God makes, He keeps.

A covenant is a promise, but on an even grander scale. The covenant that we

will see today was on such a scale that it formed the foundation of an entire people group: the nation of Israel. As we look at this account, we will see how the promises God makes, He keeps.

The creation and fall of humanity is one of the most famous passages in Genesis. Here, we see God’s perfect design for mankind--two parts of the same flesh working together to carry God’s image across the Earth. But, as we know, something goes terribly wrong and sets a plan in motion that plays out over the course of human history.

Certain hope, is not wishing, not just feeling, not simply my expectations of what is to come, but rather knowing for certain. The results of the scan we received, the struggle of trying to fit in, the pain of missing out on things we thought would happen, they all hit differently when we have a real, trustworthy, certain, future Hope. It’s this hope that keeps us moving forward one step at a time...

Living in the overflow is an idea I shared several years ago through a series of sermons. The idea came from a mentor as he taught us how to prepare to preach. He said “You want to preach out of the overflow”. It’s the idea that we are so filled with God’s love, So filled by His grace, So filled with His truth, So filled with is patience, kindness, mercy, that it flows freely. We don’t have to stop and think about it, it becomes natural.

“When the time had fully come”. It’s an expression that we hear this time of year as the account of Jesus’s birth is read aloud, shared with family under the Christmas tree or in the candlelight of a Christmas Eve service. It’s a reminder that big things happen, life altering events take place, sometimes in an instant. But in this case it was a very calculated and deliberate event planed in eternity past waiting for just the right time to be revealed to the world.

“When the time had fully come”. It’s an expression that we hear this time of year as the account of Jesus’s birth is read aloud, shared with family under the Christmas tree or in the candlelight of a Christmas Eve service. It’s a reminder that big things happen, life altering events take place, sometimes in an instant. But in this case it was a very calculated and deliberate event planed in eternity past waiting for just the right time to be revealed to the world.

This weekend we look at how Paul makes a contrast between Timothy (a man of God) and the false teachers he has spent much of his letter warning Timothy about. It’s a contrast that speaks to the character of Timothy and all who are set-apart. From this, we learn five characteristics of those identified by their relationship with God, rather than people characterized by this world.

"I have learned the secret of being content in every situation, whether well fed or hungry, living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:12-13)

What is the secret to this kind of contentment? It’s realizing that even if we have nothing, we have already gained everything in Christ. That’s why Paul says that godliness with contentment is great gain.