Programs And Podcasts

Ever notice that when you take a step of faith and you’re committed to being the person God wants you to be, that life suddenly gets really tough? Why is that? Chip explains why it gets worse before it gets better and he’ll give you some practical ways to make it through the bumpy ride that you may be enduring right now.

Broadcast Resources

• Message Notes

Additional Resources

• Take The Real You Assessment

Connect

• 888-333-6003
• Website
• Chip Ingram App
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Twitter

Partner With Us

Donate Online

• 888-333-6003

Some of my favorite moments in our kids growing up years have been story-telling time. I remember one time after we told the Bible story about the book of Genesis, I said to my daughter, "And Honey, do you remember who the first Mommy and Daddy were?" And she said, "Yep! Eve and Steve." Okay, good, so much for my Bible teaching. I said, "Do you remember who their boys were?" She said, "Yep! Cain and Mable." There we go again.

Well, back to the drawing board for Bible stories. But I do think the Bible is exciting, and I wanted my children to think so. So I tried to make the telling of the stories as exciting as possible. So, each night I would take the story to sort of a cliff-hanger point and I'd leave it there, often to loud protests. But even when they objected, they were ready to listen the next night. You know, when you don't tell the whole story, you keep folks interested.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "A Chapter at a Time."

If you are in need of God's guidance today, would you walk with me into the life of Abraham for a minute? God's got a great story line for Abraham's life. He's going to have him leave his home, he's going to have him go to Canaan land, and he's going to eventually promise him that that land will be his. Then he's going to promise that He's eventually going to have a son, and that son's going to become a great nation, and He's going to give that son to him miraculously. But did He tell him that all at once? Oh, no. God only gives Abraham the story a chapter at a time, like I used to tell my kids stories.

Just real quickly, as we march through his life in our word for today from the Word of God, Genesis 12:1-2, "The Lord said to him, 'Leave your country. Go to a land I will show you. I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you.'" He sure doesn't give him very many details. He just says, "Leave and go to this land." Well, that's what Abraham does. He goes on what information he has.

Chapter 12, verse 7: He's in Canaan. God appears to Abraham and says, "To your offspring I will give this land." Now he finds out that there's going to perhaps be some children. And then he finds out that it's going to be the land of Canaan that God was talking about. In chapter 15 and verse 4, God goes on to say that it's going to be to a son that will come from your own body. "You're going to have a son!" Then finally, He leads him in Genesis 22, to the offering of that son, willing to sacrifice him. And after he has shown that willingness, God gives him blessings that are unprecedented.

Notice the pattern of God's leading. You might need to know this right now to understand what He's doing in your life. He shows you what you need to know to take the next step. Then, after you do just that next step, He'll show you what you need for the next step. It's an unfolding scroll...a little at a time. It's like me telling that story to my children. Because I didn't give them the whole story, they were eager to get back to my lap the next night.

The old hymn writer said, "We cannot see what lies before, and so we cling to Him the more." See, the plan is the easy part for God. He could give you that in one blueprint right now, but you would walk away with that under your arm and not need Him, not depend on Him, and not be back in His lap.

God wants to build trust in Him in a day-to-day relationship. And so He shows us the story a little at a time. Like Abraham, your mission is to take the step He shows you today from His Word; not to worry about the whole big picture. There's another reason He doesn't show it all to us. If He did we might either run from it or run to it and we'd ruin it, like jumping ahead of the book and wondering why the chapter didn't make any sense.

But if God's will unfolds a day at a time, then it just seems natural when we g

Pastor Jonathan Laurie breaks down the story of the prodigal son by spotlighting the older brother—the one who stayed, obeyed, and still missed the father’s heart.  

Notes

Luke 15:11–32 (NKJV)
  
Luke 15:11–24
 
The younger brother rejected the father, rebelled, and pursued pleasure.
 
The son’s request would be unheard of in the first century.
 
The father honors the son’s request.
 
Jesus is painting a picture of a father who maintains his love and endures the agony despite being rejected.
 
We can be like that, too. We want the gift but not the Giver of the gift.
 
The prodigal son hit rock bottom.
 
That’s when he came to himself.
The father ran to the son and kissed him.
 
The Robe
The Father tells his servants to bring out the best robe.
 
The father covered the son with his own honor.
 
We don’t clean our lives up and then come to God.
He cleans our lives up when we come to Him.
 
The Ring
The son had the righteousness of the father, and a full restoration of identity and authority to make decisions and give directives.
 
The Sandals
The father restored the son, saying you belong here, and you’re equipped for the road ahead.
 
The Feast
This was the father’s way of publicly and directly addressing any rumors or questions about his son.
 
Luke 15:23 (NKJV)
“And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry;
 
Luke 15:24 (NKJV)
“For this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” And they began to be merry.
 
Read Luke 15:25–32
 
The father again demonstrates his love.
 
He pursues both sons because both sons are lost.
 
The Religious Brother
Luke 15:25–32
 
Jesus was holding up a mirror.
 
Read Luke 15:1–2 (NKJV)
 
The religious leaders that Jesus was speaking to looked down on the people Jesus came to redeem.
 
Luke 19:10 (NLT)
For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.
 
The two brothers are a picture of the two types of people in the audience, rebellious versus religious.
 
The Redemptive Brother
Romans 8:29 (NKJV)
 
Jesus is the third brother. He is the one who left heaven and came to earth to seek and to save the lost.
 
Jesus took our rebellion; He took our religion and everything that stood between the Father and us and absorbed it on the cross.
 
That’s the gospel.
That’s what Jesus did for you.
 
What’s it going to take?

—

Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years.

Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.

Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupport

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In essence, believers are a part of two families. We’re a part of our earthly families, and we’re part of the family of God. There are privileges and responsibilities that go with both.

Pastor Greg Laurie points out how it’s sometimes difficult to share about our faith with our earthly family. Sometimes, one family doesn’t want to hear about the other one. Listen in for good insight on what God expects of us within those most important earthly relationships.

The Harvest Crusade is coming to Angel Stadium on July 11! Stay updated on all important event details. 

—

Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years.

Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.

Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupport

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The darkness of antisemitism continues to spread around the world. On In The Market with Janet Parshall this week, Olivier Melnik was back to answer your questions and explain how this evil is preparing the way for the End Times. Evangelist Ray Comfort shared his experiences to explain why we must appeal to people’s conscience and not their minds with the gospel message. Pastor Jack Hibbs explained how we can discern REAL truth in a culture that is pushing half-truths and outright lies. We lengthened your prayer list with Karen Covell’s update on how to pray for the entertainment industry and Todd Nettleton’s update on the persecuted church around the world. To help you continue to fight for your families, we invite you to another examination of the news against the straight stick of God’s truth.

Become a Parshall Partner: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/inthemarket/partners

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Greg Laurie has counsel today for husbands (and wives) on undergirding our marriages. “You need to tell them you find them beautiful. You need to tell them you appreciated the meal. You love what they’re doing with the house. You see them being such a great mother to your children. Or whatever it is, you need to be building one another up. Far too often in marriage we tear each other down and we never build each other up.”

The Harvest Crusade is coming to Angel Stadium on July 11! Stay updated on all important event details. 

—

Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years.

Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.

Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupport

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"A bill we could not pay has been paid.” Dr. Tony Evans explains the powerful truth of the Gospel and what that good news means for us and for those around us.