Sermon Central
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Jacob: Messy Life, Faithful God
Contributed by Vic Folkert on Mar 22, 2018 (message contributor)
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1. That's Just The Way I Am
Contributed on Mar 22, 2018
People are formed by NATURE and NURTURE, which they cannot control, but also by CHOICES, which they can control. They can choose VALUES, PERSPECTIVE, and ACTIONS. Yet how free to choose are they? Those who receive Christ are "born of God" (John 1:12-13)
“THAT’S JUST THE WAY I AM”—Genesis 25:19-34 (Series on the life of Jacob: “Life is Messy; God Is Faithful”) “That’s just the way I am.” People say that, and maybe we say it about ourselves: “I’m shy…I’m not very tactful…I’m not assertive…I’m not a sensitive guy…My emotions take over…I’m a ...read more
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2. Family Secrets
Contributed on Mar 22, 2018
Family secrets harm families. In Jacob's family, there was disunity and favoritism. Family secrets need to be brought into the open, where they can be dealt with. Families can change the way they deal with issues: truth, attitudes, and actions.
FAMILY SECRETS—Genesis 26:34-27:45 Are you familiar with the phrase, “the elephant in the room”? Imagine some people in a room, with an elephant in the middle of the room, but no one wants to recognize that the elephant is there. The people in the room talk about a lot of things, but no one ever ...read more
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3. Starting Fresh
Contributed on Mar 22, 2018
As Jacob flees for his life after deceiving his brother, God meets him at Bethel. He is not lost and alone, for God has not lost him! God shows him a stairway to heaven, which prefigures Jesus (John 1:47-51). God invites us to walk with him into a new lif
STARTING FRESH—Genesis 27:41-28:22 We are just a few weeks in a new year, and for some of us, a new year is a time for a fresh start. Maybe we refocus on what is most important, and invest our efforts there, with new energy. Maybe we lay aside some of the bad habits that keep us from our best. ...read more
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4. More Than We Bargained For
Contributed on Mar 22, 2018
What happens when we try to bargain with God? We get more than we bargained for! We get to build our character, confront our past, and learn how to cope with difficult people.
MORE THAN WE BARGAINED FOR—Genesis 29:1-30:24 The young man gets into the car, and hits the steering wheel with his palm. His girlfriend—the light of his life—has dumped him. How could God let this happen? He has loved her well, and honored God in his courtship. What has it gotten him? The ...read more
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5. Rising Above The Turkeys
Contributed on Mar 23, 2018
When people try to make changes, other people may hold them back. As Jacob tries to overcome his scheming nature, Laban drags him down. God intervenes, so that Jacob can rise above that old turkey, Laban, and his own nature as well.
RISING ABOVE THE TURKEYS—Genesis 30:25-31:55 “I could soar like an eagle, if I didn’t have to deal with so many turkeys.” My uncle raised turkeys. Turkeys are pretty stupid. They are always crowding each other, pecking at each other, fighting over food, so they can get big enough to be ...read more
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6. Wrestling With God
Contributed on Mar 23, 2018
In the darkness, which we all feel at times, Jacob wrestles with God. He asks for assurances of blessing (which he already had), but instead, he gets God! Jesus also wrestles in the garden, giving up control, and God raises him from the dead.
WRESTLING WITH GOD—Genesis 32 (Children’s Message: afraid of the dark?) Are you afraid of the dark—or the darkness? Maybe the darkness is in the hospital, or a war zone, or you found yourself jobless or on the edge of bankruptcy. Maybe the darkness was anguish over children, or marital ...read more
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7. Protecting Families In An Ungodly Culture
Contributed on Mar 23, 2018
In an ungodly culture, Jacob (and we too) protects his family, not by withdrawing into a cocoon or fighting the culture wars," but by eliminating idols, prioritizing worship, and renewing the vision of the family.
PROTECTING YOUR FAMILY IN AN UNGODLY CULTURE—Genesis 33:18-35:15 Is it more difficult to raise a godly family today than it used to be? The world seems more dangerous: drugs, school shootings, abuse and rape. Social media allows bullying and peer pressure to come to our families, 24/7. The ...read more