Laughlin Community Church

Jacob’s Lost Sons We're just gonna pick up in verse 21 and a whole new network. Think what happens after the test in the Eden story? Think through the sequence in early Genesis stories, and then the sequence of what's happening here. 21 Then they said to each other, “Obviously, we are being punished…

This year marks an historic moment in our nation’s story. Two hundred and fifty years ago, a declaration was signed that changed the course of history. A group of men declared that liberty was worth the cost, that tyranny should be resisted, and that human rights came not from government, but from our…

The Brothers Go Down to Egypt Last session, The suffering chosen one goes down into what everybody else thinks is death, but Yahweh is with him. He rescues him, raises him up through uncanny circumstances to become an image of Pharaoh ruling over the land with the wisdom of God. And there's life and…

Introduction: Where Do You Belong? Every person lives out of a sense of identity. Where you believe you belong determines how you live. If you see yourself primarily as: an American, you live for this nation a professional, you live for success a consumer, you live for comfort But Paul says something…

Introduction Father’s Day is a time when we think about the influence of fathers. Some of us were blessed with wonderful examples. Others grew up without a father present. Some experienced fathers who tried their best but fell short. The truth is that fatherhood carries tremendous influence. Whether…

Dreamers in Prison 1 After this, the king of Egypt’s cupbearer and baker offended their master, the king of Egypt. 2 Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, 3 and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guards in the prison where Joseph was confined.…

In every area of life, examples matter. Athletes study great athletes. Students imitate great teachers. Children imitate their parents. Whether we realize it or not, we are always following someone. That is why Paul begins this passage with a call to imitation. the Christian life is often caught before…

Mature Conduct In the Christian life, one of the easiest traps to fall into is thinking we have already arrived. Some believers think maturity means they have reached a point where they no longer need correction. Others think maturity means they already understand everything important about the Christian…

Deceiving the Deceiver We got to verse 16 but because its been a couple of weeks lets go back and review from verse 12 12 After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had finished mourning, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to Timnah to his sheepshearers. 13 Tamar…

Introduction Sometimes we assume that the apostle Paul lived on a completely different spiritual level than the rest of us. We imagine him as a kind of spiritual giant who had already figured everything out. If anyone had “arrived,” surely it was Paul. But in Philippians 3 , Paul shatters that assumption.…

Judah and Tamar This story, for many people, when you read it, you're just like, "What is this doing here?" And that is on purpose. It's a riddle. And the more you meditate on it and the more you meditate on the relationship between the shared words and images with the narratives on either side, backwards…

Introduction: A Command and a Warning As Paul turns into chapter 3 of Philippians, he writes, “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord.” That word “finally” does not mean he is finished. It signals a shift. He is moving from the example of Christ’s humility in chapter 2 to a serious warning in chapter…

Down Into the Pit The scene that we were just in was about how Joseph is betrayed by all the brothers, including Abraham's other sons, but especially Judah, that snake, and his really self-oriented betrayal of his brother. He's after a quick 20 shekels. We're gonna pick up in verse 29 and shift back…

Introduction Mother’s Day can stir up many emotions. For some, it is a day of gratitude and celebration. For others, it carries grief, loss, longing, or complicated memories. Some are exhausted in the middle of parenting. Some are praying for children who have wandered. Some are grieving children they…

A Man in the Field 12 His brothers had gone to pasture their father’s flocks at Shechem. 13 Israel said to Joseph, “Your brothers, you know, are pasturing the flocks at Shechem. Get ready. I’m sending you to them.” “I’m ready,” Joseph replied. 14 Then Israel said to him, “Go and see how your brothers…

Joseph’s Dream Today is the story about his dreams, his robe, the brothers becoming angry like Cain, doing something to their brother that will result in a robe deception, and that's the arc of the chapter. 2 These are the records of the generations of Jacob. Joseph , when seventeen years of age, was…

Introduction: From Theology to People Paul has just taken us to the heights of Christ’s humility. We have seen the Son who emptied Himself, took the form of a servant, and became obedient to the point of death. Now Paul shifts from theology to personnel. At first glance, verses 19 to 30 can feel like…

Introduction to The Joseph Story So we're gonna overview in this first session. And we are going to do some review. Remind ourselves what are you supposed to already know walking into the story of Joseph and his brothers? The story of Joseph and his brothers. These are the 12 sons of Jacob, who is the…

Introduction: Salvation That Shows Paul has just given us the great hymn of Christ’s humility. Jesus humbled Himself, became obedient to death, even death on a cross. Then Paul turns and says, “Therefore.” Because of Christ’s obedience, because of His humility, because of what God has done through Him,…

Jacob and Esau Part Ways Today we are gonna read the conclusion of the Yaaqov story. This final part of the final act. It began with Yaaqov going back to the place where he began his journey in and out of exile to Bethel. He got a new name. He got the blessing, the prediction of kings of many nations.…

Introduction: The Way Down Is the Way Forward Most of us spend a lot of energy protecting our place. Our reputation. Our rights. Our sense of being noticed or appreciated. We may not say it out loud, but we feel it when we are overlooked, when someone else gets the credit, or when serving costs more…

Introduction Good morning, and happy Easter. Easter is one of those days that comes with a lot of expectations. The room is fuller. The songs are louder. The story is familiar. And yet, when you slow down and actually read the resurrection story, especially in the Gospel of John, you notice something…

The Death of Rachel and Isaac The last section was a bright spot in a pretty dark tunnel up to that point. We go back into the land, the family purifies itself, Yaaqov introduces his whole family to the Elohim that has been with him all along. And they leave behind their pagan identities of old to embrace…

Introduction: The Soil Where Joy Grows Paul’s letter to the Philippians is saturated with joy, but that joy is never detached from how believers treat one another. As Paul turns to Philippians 2 , he addresses a quiet threat to the church’s joy, not persecution from outside, but self-centeredness within.…

Jacob Returns to Bethel We are wrapping things up. And interestingly, that is how all of these sections start to feel, like we're wrapping up unresolved threads from earlier in the story in really interesting ways. third and final section makes up most of what we call Genesis 35 and 36. And the first…