Messages

[1 Peter 4:16-17] Suffering as a Christian is part of the Christian life, seek to bring Him glory by not being ashamed, living with a conscious sense that we represent Him here. Expect and rejoice in the suffering that God brings as discipline for his beloved children according to His will and good purpose. How are you doing in the discipline and testing from God?

[1 Pet 4:15] Peter’s prohibition is calling us to self-control and faith so that we will not sin when tempted in trials and suffering. Keep a clean conscience in the context of pressure so we do not suffer because of self-inflicted reasons. Sin really does bring pain and death, reminding us that it is not natural or good.

[Gen 48:15-16] Like Jacob, we ought to see the Lord as our personal God in an intimate relationship with our shepherd and redeemer.

[Gen 47-49] Jacob describes his life as one of sojourning, terminology of one who’s heart and hope is elsewhere, and full of trials. Hebrews 11 describes this perspective in great detail, holding out Jacob as an example amongst so many who died in faith. [Jacob OT Gen 47:9] Few and unpleasant have been the years of my life=[Paul NT Acts 14:22] through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.

[Heb 10:1-13] The shadows only served to show the need for the substance. How necessary it was for Christ to come into the world to fulfill all that the Old Covenant was powerless to do!

[Gen 37-39] Joseph, like Jesus, was favored by his father, a man of character, endured sufferings-hated without a cause, and God was with him through it all. The Lord was with Joseph in his unjust slavery and imprisonment, so he was successful and God’s kindness was extended to him-likewise God does not rescue us immediately out of every trial but remains with us through it.

[Gen 25-27] Jacob values the inheritence of the promise of God through Isaac’s blessing. Even though he schemes with Rebekah to steal Esau’s birthright, God chose Jacob before they were born and works on Jacob to transform him into His man to continue on in the gospel promise and blessing of Abraham and Isaac. Jacob is chosen and loved by God, so much that he is disciplined by God for years to change his life and character. We must remain under the discipline of God when He is training and chastening us, even though it is painful.

[Gen 22-26] Even though Isaac had the great promise of God to Abraham and his seed ultimately fulfilled in the gospel of Jesus, he still had to learn to survive in the mundane and opposition against him in this life. We as Christians will have to follow in his example as we cling to Christ and his word.

[Psalm 138:1-8] David’s had resolved to continue to personally worship the Lord in the midst of war because of God’s steadfast love. David does not let his emotions tell him what to do, but instead he trusts in God’s word and responds appropriately with thanks, singing, and bowing down in worship.

[Gen 15-23] We continue to walk through the history of God's promises to Abraham and how he believed God as he looked ahead to Jesus' day.