NWHills Christian Church Sermons

Series: Genesis 12–25: A Family to Bless the Nations

What does faith look like when God has made the promise—but you still can’t see it?

Sarah dies having received part of what God promised, but not all of it. Abraham has spent decades living in a land God said would belong to his family, yet he still doesn’t own a single square foot. When he finally purchases his first piece of the Promised Land, it isn’t a home or a farm.

It’s a grave.

Genesis 23 gives us a powerful picture of faith that refuses substitutes, pays the cost to live toward a future it cannot yet see, and trusts that God will finish what He started.

In this message you’ll discover:

• Why a seemingly insignificant genealogy is actually a key to the Genesis story.
• Why Abraham refuses Ephron’s offer of “free” land.
• What the cave of Machpelah reveals about living by faith.
• How Sarah could die without receiving everything promised and still be commended for her faith.
• Why the Holy Spirit is called a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.
• How God’s promise ultimately points beyond “going to heaven” toward resurrection and God’s renewed creation.
• How Jesus—the offspring of Abraham—opens the promised inheritance to us.

Scripture: Genesis 22:20–24; Genesis 23; Hebrews 11:13–16; Ephesians 1:13–14

Faith doesn’t require seeing the whole promise fulfilled. Sometimes faith looks like buying the field anyway—trusting that what God has begun, He will finish.

We are foreigners and strangers who have not yet received everything promised. But in Christ, God has given us His Spirit as the down payment of what is still to come.

Northwest Hills Christian Church
San Antonio, Texas

Series: Genesis 12–25: A Family to Bless the Nations
Scripture: Genesis 22
Genesis 22 may be one of the most difficult passages in all of Scripture.
Why would God ask Abraham to sacrifice the very son He had promised?
In this message, we discover that this story isn’t ultimately about child sacrifice—it is about surrender. Abraham isn’t simply asked whether he loves Isaac; he’s asked whether he loves the God who gave Isaac more than the gift itself.
Following the repeated biblical theme of seeing, we trace the journey from Hagar’s declaration that God is El Roi (“The God Who Sees Me”) to Mount Moriah, where Abraham learns that Yahweh Yireh is the God who sees to our deepest need by ultimately giving Himself.
This profound passage reaches its fulfillment in Jesus Christ—the Son who carried the wood up another hill and whom the Father did not withhold so that the nations might be blessed.
In this message you’ll discover:

• Why Genesis 22 is about surrender, not child sacrifice.
• What God was really asking Abraham to place on the altar.
• The surprising connection between Hagar’s story and Mount Moriah.
• The biblical meaning behind Yahweh Yireh—“The Lord Will Provide.”
• How open hands become the posture of genuine faith.
• Why the greatest gift God provides is ultimately Himself through Jesus Christ.

Whatever you’re holding onto today—your plans, your future, your security, or even God’s promises—this passage invites you to trust the Giver more than the gift. On the mountain of the Lord, we discover that God always gives us what we need most: His very presence.
Northwest Hills Christian Church
 San Antonio, Texas 

Series: Genesis 12–25 | A Family to Bless the Nations

Dangerous | Genesis 20–21

What if the greatest obstacle to God’s mission isn’t the world—but God’s own people?

This week at Northwest Hills Christian Church, Pastor Justin Hartpence explores one of the most unsettling chapters in Abraham’s story. Abraham, the man chosen to bless the nations, nearly brings judgment on an entire city because he assumes he already knows what kind of people he’s dealing with. Yet in the very next chapter, we also witness God’s incredible faithfulness as Isaac—the long-promised son—is finally born.

Together, Genesis 20–21 confronts a challenging truth: being chosen by God doesn’t automatically make us a blessing to others. It makes us responsible for how we represent Him. Will we drive people away through fear, assumptions, and self-protection? Or will we become the kind of people through whom the world experiences God’s grace?

Ultimately, these chapters point us to Jesus Christ, who never used His position for His own advantage but opened the door for all people to become part of God’s family. 

In this message you’ll discover:

• Why being chosen by God can make us either dangerous to others or a blessing for them
• How fear and assumptions can keep us from truly seeing the people around us
• What Abraham’s repeated failure teaches us about God’s unwavering faithfulness
• Why Isaac’s birth demonstrates that God’s promises are fulfilled in God’s timing—not ours
• The surprising role a foreign king and an outcast woman play in revealing God’s heart
• What it means to become the kind of church the world is drawn toward rather than forced to survive
• How God calls His people to bless the nations through humility, hospitality, and peace 

Scripture: Genesis 20–21

Whether you’re exploring faith, returning to church, or longing to better reflect the heart of Jesus, we pray this message challenges you to see others through God’s eyes and become a blessing wherever He has placed you.

Northwest Hills Christian Church
San Antonio, Texas

Series: Genesis 12–25 | A Family to Bless the Nations (Week 7)

This week in our Genesis: A Family to Bless the Nations series, Pastor Justin Hartpence explores one of the Bible’s most difficult—and most hope-filled—stories. From Abraham’s table beneath the oaks of Mamre to the destruction of Sodom, Genesis 18–19 reveals a God whose justice is perfect and whose mercy reaches farther than anyone imagines.

As Abraham pleads for Sodom, he assumes there’s a limit to God’s compassion. He stops at ten righteous people. But God doesn’t. Even when the city cannot be saved, God reaches into the judgment to rescue one man, revealing a truth that echoes throughout Scripture: no one has ever found the bottom of God’s mercy. 

In this message you’ll discover:

• Why Abraham’s meal with God is a reversal of Eden.
• What Sodom’s true sin reveals about righteousness and justice.
• Why Abraham stopped asking before God stopped giving.
• How God’s mercy goes beyond what His people even know to pray for.
• How Ruth and ultimately Jesus demonstrate God’s power to redeem even humanity’s darkest stories.
• Why followers of Jesus are called to “stand on the hill” in prayer for others.

Scripture:
Genesis 18–19

No matter how far someone has wandered—or how broken their story may seem—God’s mercy is deeper than our imagination. May this message encourage you to pray boldly, trust God’s character, and never underestimate His ability to redeem.

Northwest Hills Christian Church
San Antonio, Texas

Series: Genesis 12–25: A Family to Bless the Nations (Week 5)

Have you ever felt invisible? Used. Overlooked. Forgotten.

Genesis 16 tells the story of Hagar—a woman treated as a means to someone else’s success and discarded when she was no longer needed. Yet in the middle of the wilderness, God does something extraordinary. He calls her by name, hears her cry, and reveals Himself as El Roi—the God who sees.

This week’s message reminds us that the greatest danger isn’t always obvious rebellion. Often it’s the reasonable solution that quietly replaces trusting God. But even when God’s people fail, His faithfulness never does. The God who sought Hagar in the desert is the same God who came in Jesus Christ to seek and save the overlooked, the forgotten, and the broken.

In this message you’ll discover:

• Why the most dangerous sin often looks like a good idea.
• How Genesis 16 intentionally echoes the fall in the Garden of Eden.
• What Hagar teaches us about God’s heart for the unseen and oppressed.
• The meaning of El Roi—“The God Who Sees Me.”
• How Jesus perfectly embodies God’s pursuit of those everyone else overlooks.
• Why Christians are called to see people because we have first been seen by God.

Scripture: Genesis 16

No matter where you find yourself today, God knows your name, hears your cry, and meets you in your wilderness. Because we have been seen by Him, we are sent to see others with His love.

Northwest Hills Christian Church
San Antonio, Texas

Series: Genesis 12–25 | A Family to Bless the Nations (Week 4)

What actually makes someone right with God?

In Genesis 15, God meets Abram in the tension between faith and doubt and reveals one of the most important truths in all of Scripture. After walking away from earthly riches, Abram discovers that God’s greatest gift isn’t possessions—it’s God Himself. But when Abram struggles to trust God’s promises, the Lord responds with a covenant that points all the way to the cross.

In this message, Pastor Justin Hartpence explores what it truly means to “believe,” why righteousness is about relationship rather than performance, and how God’s faithfulness—not ours—is ultimately what secures His covenant.

In this message you’ll discover:

• Why God Himself is the greatest reward we could ever receive.
• The biblical meaning of faith as loyal allegiance, not merely intellectual belief.
• Why righteousness is about belonging to God rather than achieving perfection.
• The profound significance of God walking the covenant alone in Genesis 15.
• How this covenant foreshadows the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
• Why your standing with God rests on His faithfulness instead of your performance.

Scripture: Genesis 15

No matter how strong or weak your faith feels today, God’s covenant doesn’t stand because of your perfect record—it stands because He walked it alone. May this message encourage you to lay down the scoreboard, cling to the right God, and find rest in the faithfulness of Jesus Christ.

Northwest Hills Christian Church
San Antonio, Texas

Series: Genesis 12–25 | A Family to Bless the Nations (Week 3)

The Empire Strikes Out | Genesis 14

The world teaches us to grab—for security, success, control, and significance. But what if the life God wants for us begins with open hands instead of clenched fists?

This week at Northwest Hills Christian Church, Pastor Justin Hartpence continues our journey through Genesis by exploring one of Scripture’s most surprising victories. After rescuing Lot from a coalition of powerful kings, Abram faces a far greater battle than the one on the battlefield: the temptation to believe that his success came from his own strength.

Through the mysterious encounter with Melchizedek, Genesis reveals that every blessing is ultimately a gift from God. When Abram finally recognizes the true source of his victory, he discovers the freedom to refuse the empty promises of earthly empires and to live with open hands. Ultimately, this story points beyond Abram to Jesus Christ—the true King of Righteousness—who came not to take, but to give Himself for the world. 

In this message you’ll discover:

• Why Genesis 14 is about much more than an ancient war
• How Babel’s spirit of grabbing still shapes our lives today
• The surprising significance of Melchizedek, the king of righteousness and peace
• Why true freedom begins when we recognize that everything is a gift from God
• How generosity and contentment flow from seeing God as our ultimate source
• How Melchizedek foreshadows Jesus, the King who came with bread and wine instead of a sword
• What it means to live with open hands in a world that constantly tells us to grab more 

Scripture: Genesis 14

Whether you’re exploring Christianity, returning to church, or seeking a deeper understanding of God’s Word, we pray this message encourages you to trust the Giver more than the gifts and to discover the freedom found in Christ.

Northwest Hills Christian Church
San Antonio, Texas

Genesis 12–25 | A Family to Bless the Nations – Week 2: Unclench

What do you do when God’s promises seem to collide with life’s reality?

In Week 2 of our Genesis series, Pastor Justin Hartpence explores one of the most surprising episodes in Abraham’s life. After faithfully following God’s call into the Promised Land, Abraham is immediately met with famine. Faced with scarcity, fear, and uncertainty, he begins grasping for control rather than trusting God’s promise.

Through Abraham’s failure, Lot’s choices, and God’s unwavering faithfulness, we discover a powerful truth: what we grab to secure ourselves often becomes the very thing that breaks us. Yet God remains faithful even when His people fail.

This message reminds us that God’s blessings are never earned through our schemes or secured by our strength—they are received with open hands.

In this message you’ll discover:

• Why faith is often tested in the gap between God’s promises and present circumstances.
• The repeated biblical pattern of “see, desire, take” and how it shapes our lives.
• Why prosperity isn’t always evidence of God’s blessing—and hardship isn’t evidence of His absence.
• How grasping for security can create future heartache.
• The difference between grabbing what looks good and receiving what God freely gives.
• Why God’s faithfulness never depends on our perfect performance.
• What it means to finally unclench and trust God with your future.

Scripture: Genesis 12:10–13:18

No matter what you’re holding onto today—your future, your finances, your relationships, or your fears—God invites you to loosen your grip, lift your eyes, and receive what only He can give.

Northwest Hills Christian Church
San Antonio, Texas

Series: A Family to Bless the Nations (Week 1)

How does God respond to a broken world? After humanity’s repeated rebellion—from Eden to Babel—God’s answer isn’t another flood, a king, or a new system. Instead, He calls one unlikely family to become the beginning of His rescue plan for the world.

In this opening message of our new Genesis series, Pastor Justin Hartpence explores one of the Bible’s most significant turning points: God’s call of Abram in Genesis 12. Discover why Babel represents humanity’s attempt to build its way back to God, why God always speaks first, and how His covenant with Abraham ultimately points to Jesus Christ and God’s mission to bless every nation.

In this message you’ll discover:

• Why we can’t build our way home to God
• How Genesis 12 answers the problem of Babel
• Why God chooses the unqualified
• The significance of God’s sevenfold promise to Abraham
• How God’s blessing was always intended to flow through His people to the nations
• What it means to Hear. Trust. Walk. Be a blessing.

Scripture: Genesis 12:1–9

Whether you’re exploring the Bible for the first time or have followed Jesus for years, this message will encourage you to trust the God who always speaks first and invites ordinary people into His extraordinary plan of redemption.

Northwest Hills Christian Church
San Antonio, Texas