Evergreen Church (formerly Calvary Bible Church)- Flagstaff

Psalm 63: The Thirst of the Soul Our thirsty for God.

Joash Lived Faithfully (Until he didn't) Are we finishing our race strong? Or are we faltering at the very end?

Dwell On Truth!: Asa Lived Intentionally (Until he didn't) Are we finishing our race strong? Or are we faltering at the very end?

A wrap up of Genesis. Examining how God uses crooked sticks to draw straight lines. Examples of mourning and grief.

Fear based inheritance vs God focused inheritance.

Understanding Genesis 46 and 47.

Exploring forgiveness, repentance and restoration.

God is with us and near us, even in hardship. Exploring reactions to temptation with sin.

The gift of pain and what it means if Jesus didn't rise from the dead. Technical issues have a small portion in the middle missing.

Exploring the attributes of King Jesus and His Triumphal Entry.

Using the story of Judah's sons and Tamar to examine the difference between wounded and broken people.

There are two paths in life. Which one you choose will greatly affect your life.

Today we begin the transition from Jacob to Joseph. Joseph is a stalwart of the faith. More chapters are given to him than any other character in Genesis. Yet, when God introduces Himself to Moses, He introduces Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God can use crooked sticks to draw straight lines.

How do you define success? In Genesis 36 it seems like Esau is the one who is blessed, but the author invites us to compare the two all the way to the New Testament.

I loved my grandparents, but my kids never knew them. I never knew my great grandparents. In a generation or two, we will be totally forgotten. All our accomplishments, all our failures, everything we built...forgotten. The only thing that will last is our relationship with God.

When someone wrongs you, do you trust in God, or take revenge. Not forgiving and punishing others reveals a lack of faith.

In chapter 32 we saw God change Jacob's name to Israel. Jacob was a schemer and manipulator. Jacob believed the promise, but thought he had so scheme to receive it. Israel had finally surrendered to God. In Chapter 33 Jacob will have to decided, is he Jacob or Israel? Will he live by his new identity or the old one? Will he live by faith or fear?

When you were born did you come out running? Maybe talking? Of course not, it took time. Often when we put our trust in God, we think we will start running with faith, but just like it took time to learn to walk, it takes time to learn to live with faith.

After weeks of learning about this dysfunctional family, we begin to see changes. The first change is an immediate obedience to God. The next change is setting up boundaries with a family member that wants to drag them back to dysfunction.

Competition is the thief of joy. As Leah begins to grow in God's grace, her competition with Rachel pulls her back into the world's operating system and creates a huge mess.

Last week Jacob had an aha moment. He realized that he could trust God, but trust is a muscle that needs to grow. In chapter 29 we see Jacob's trust begin to grow.

We all have defense mechanisms that do more harm than good. It might be sarcasm, using the silent treatment, or lashing out in anger. Each one of these feels good in the moment but actually aggravates the situation instead of solving it. When we trust God, we can let go of our broken defense mechanisms, and trust in God's protection. That is exactly what Jacob learns in Genesis 28:10-22.

In a world full of dysfunctional relationships, where people use each other to feel fulfilled, the only way to truly love, with freedom, is by getting your needs met by God.

God didn't waste anything in Abraham's life, nor anything in Isaac's life. God will also use everything in your life to grow you into the person He created you to be. With God, nothing in wasted!

How do you react to God's grace? Do you believe God needs help? Are you jealous of God's grace in others' lives? When we don't live in God's grace it creates disastrous results in our lives.