This week, we will be focusing on Genesis 5:1-32, Death According to God.
Genesis 5 isn't the most encouraging chapter, at least on the surface. The refrain that is repeated over and over in this chapter is "and he died...and he died...and he died...and he died..."
One Bible teacher compared reading Genesis 5 to walking through a cemetery.
But even in the so-called "death chapter" there is hope.
And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. (5:24)
Walking with God.
Step by step.
Being faithful each day.
That is what God calls us to. Not the "big things." Not the social media "like" posts. Not the Billy Graham-type evangelistic crusades. Not the incredible "miracles," amazing "prophetic words," or "change the world" mission testimonies.
God can certainly do big things through us for His glory.
But what He asks us to do is to walk with Him.
To know Him...to love Him...to commune with Him...to talk with Him...to learn from Him...to journey through life with Him always at our side.
Even in the craziest, busiest, most stressful times of life...and even in a world that is filled with sin, division, and death...God just asks us to walk with Him and to trust Him.
Enoch walked with God.
That is his testimony. Nothing else is mentioned. No miracles. No great acts. No big victories. No incredible feats of faith.
Just a simple, faithful, daily, consistent, loving walk with the Lord.
A walk so close to God that eventually Enoch walked straight into the Lord's presence. The transition was instant...and apparently as natural as any other day in Enoch's life.
Enoch died to himself, walked with the Lord, and found life in a world of death.
May the Lord capture our hearts with His grace and His love and may each day be filled with joyful communion with Him!

This week, we will be focusing on Genesis 4:1-26, Anger According to God.
We all get angry. It's a common emotion.
We get angry at traffic...at politics...at our sports team...at people.
Oftentimes our anger feels justified...even comforting. We hold onto it. We nurse it. We let it simmer and grow. We justify it. And then we act on it in ways that we may have never expected.
Anger in itself is not a sin. In a sin-cursed world, it would be odd if we never felt anger at the unjust and unfair things that happen to us or to others. But there is a serious danger to anger, especially when we let it reside in our hearts over time...and when we never stop to think about what's driving our anger nor allow the Lord to search our hearts and expose the fear, envy, selfishness, and pride that often lie at the root of our bitterness.
The story of Cain and Abel is well-known.
But there is much truth in this story that needs to be explored and applied to our daily lives.
Sin is crouching at the door of our hearts, eager to attack, waiting to consume us.
When we ignore God's Word and choose to act on our own impulses, we experience the consequences...and others suffer the collateral damage.
May the Lord deliver us from our own sinful desires, strengthen us inwardly, and call us to a deeper love and trust in His goodness and grace!

This week, we will be focusing on Genesis 3:14-15, The Real Battle According to God.
We are going to spend an extra week in Genesis 3. The topic is too important, especially with the election coming up on Tuesday.
Our nation seems to be in the balance. Emotions are high. Anxiety is even higher. Based on surveys, this is one of the most frustrating, divisive, expensive, and nerve-racking elections in recent history.
24/7 news...social media...YouTube videos...only amplify the anger and the angst.
So how do we live in this present generation? How do we think? How do we respond?
Genesis 3:15 is one of the most important verses in all of Scripture.
It is the first prophecy, the first promise, the "first gospel."
And it reminds us that we are part of a bigger story.
There is bigger conflict going on in the world.
The seed of the woman and the serpent.
And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.
All of history...all of Scripture...is the playing out of this one cosmic conflict.
Earth is the stage. And we are in the middle of it.
As believers, the seed of the Messiah, citizens of His kingdom, we are to think differently, see differently, live differently.
Our weapon is truth. Our motivation is love. Our hope is Christ.
There is no reason to fear. There is every reason to rest in God's sovereignty and to rejoice in His final victory. This is what it means to live by faith and not by sight.
May God open our eyes to His truth and empower us through His Spirit so that we can live faithfully for Him in this present generation!This week, we will be focusing on Genesis 3:14-15, The Real Battle According to God.
We are going to spend an extra week in Genesis 3. The topic is too important, especially with the election coming up on Tuesday.
Our nation seems to be in the balance. Emotions are high. Anxiety is even higher. Based on surveys, this is one of the most frustrating, divisive, expensive, and nerve-racking elections in recent history.
24/7 news...social media...YouTube videos...only amplify the anger and the angst.
So how do we live in this present generation? How do we think? How do we respond?
Genesis 3:15 is one of the most important verses in all of Scripture.
It is the first prophecy, the first promise, the "first gospel."
And it reminds us that we are part of a bigger story.
There is bigger conflict going on in the world.
The seed of the woman and the serpent.
And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.
All of history...all of Scripture...is the playing out of this one cosmic conflict.
Earth is the stage. And we are in the middle of it.
As believers, the seed of the Messiah, citizens of His kingdom, we are to think differently, see differently, live differently.
Our weapon is truth. Our motivation is love. Our hope is Christ.
There is no reason to fear. There is every reason to rest in God's sovereignty and to rejoice in His final victory. This is what it means to live by faith and not by sight.
May God open our eyes to His truth and empower us through His Spirit so that we can live faithfully for Him in this present generation!

This week, we will be covering Genesis 3:8-24, The Fall According to God.
It is sort of funny how the preaching calendar lined up this week. The Sunday that we are having our annual Fall Fest is the very Sunday we are talking about the fall of mankind.
Obviously, they are vastly different .
Genesis 3:8-24 tells us what went wrong with the world after our first parents sinned.
Shame.
Separation.
Selfishness.
Suffering.
Every aspect of our lives and our world has been impacted by sin.
We don't live in Eden any more.
Just look at the newspaper or listen to the news and that becomes painfully evident.
Understanding Genesis 3 gives us perspective on the world. It enables us to see things properly. It expands our view of the spiritual battle that we are in. It exposes our own selfish tendencies. It helps us understand the impact of shame. It shows us where the true problems of our culture lie. And it points us to the only hope that we truly have in this life.
Genesis 1-3 are absolutely essential if you are going to understand reality.
Let's dig deep into God's Word...and ask Him to open our eyes to His truth!

This week, we will be covering Genesis 3:1-7, Sin According to God.
What's wrong with the world?
What's wrong with you and me?
Why are relationships so hard...and so hurtful?
Why does God allow pain and suffering?
Why is there death?
And why did God put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden in the first place?
Genesis 3 has been called "the seed plot of the Bible." In this chapter, many of the doctrines of the Christian faith take root.
Genesis 3 teaches us about temptation, sin, Satan, deception, guilt, shame, self-justification, conflict, pain, suffering, and death. Thankfully it also points us to the grace and hope that we have in Jesus Christ!
This Sunday we will examine more closely the goodness of God, the strategy of the serpent, and the fall of our first parents into sin.
May God deepen our faith in His Word, strengthen us against temptation, and awaken us to the beauty of His goodness and grace!
This week, we will be covering Genesis 3:1-7, Sin According to God.
What's wrong with the world?
What's wrong with you and me?
Why are relationships so hard...and so hurtful?
Why does God allow pain and suffering?
Why is there death?
And why did God put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden in the first place?
Genesis 3 has been called "the seed plot of the Bible." In this chapter, many of the doctrines of the Christian faith take root.
Genesis 3 teaches us about temptation, sin, Satan, deception, guilt, shame, self-justification, conflict, pain, suffering, and death. Thankfully it also points us to the grace and hope that we have in Jesus Christ!
This Sunday we will examine more closely the goodness of God, the strategy of the serpent, and the fall of our first parents into sin.
May God deepen our faith in His Word, strengthen us against temptation, and awaken us to the beauty of His goodness and grace!

This week, we will be covering Genesis 2:18-25, Marriage According to God.
Marriage has certainly hit rough times in our nation. The current marriage rate in the U.S. has declined 60% over the last 50 years and is at the lowest rate that it has ever been in the history of our nation. We are seeing the fruits of this decline.
When marriage rates fall, that means that more and more children are born into homes where there is little stability and often a missing father or mother.
Trace just about every problem in America to its source and you will often find a broken home.
What is God's design of marriage?
Why is the family so important?
And how can we strengthen marriages and families in our own church and community?
It could be argued that these questions are the most important to answer if we truly want to see revival and transformation in our own nation.
As marriages go, so goes the family. As the family goes, so goes the nation.
May God speak to our hearts with His truth and strengthen our marriages, families, and relationships for His glory!

This Sunday, September 29, we continue our sermon series through the book of Genesis, The World According to God. This week, we will be covering Genesis 1:26-28 and 2:4-23, Sexuality According to God.
Male and female.
Both made in the image of God.
Both equal in essence but different in design.
Both together reflecting the fullness of God's character.
Yet we live in a world that resists, redefines, and rejects the unique design of male and female.
So what does it mean to be male? To be female?
We will explore God's creative design of male and female in Genesis 1-2 and talk about how we should live in light of these truths.
May God open our eyes to His truth and change our hearts by His grace!

This Sunday, we continue our sermon series through the book of Genesis, The World According to God. This week, we will be covering Genesis 1:26-31, Humanity According to God.
Who am I?
Why am I here?
Do I have value?
Do I have purpose?
Am I loved?
Am I significant?
Genesis 1 not only introduces us to the nature and character of God but it also introduces us to ourselves. It answers the question of our identity.
We are each made in the image of God!
The implications of this fact can not be overstated.
Each of us is unique. Each of us displays the artistry of God. Each of us reflects His character in some way. Each of us has a purpose in the grand story of history.
We are fearfully and wonderfully made!
And we should praise Him for it.
May God open our eyes to the beauty and sanctity of human life and may He refresh our hearts as we reflect on His wonderful creative power and artistry in creating us!