Pastor's Bible Study

Gen 22 is the climax of Abraham’s journey of faith to his bold obedience. But, there is something much larger and grander than the sacrifice of Isaac on Mount Moriah. In this chapter, there is a foreshadowing of the sacrifice of God’s Son on this exact same mountain that we today call Calvary. Abraham told Isaac that God would provide Himself a lamb, and He did - Jesus. John the Baptist said, "Beh...

The bible references Abraham as the friend of God, but that does not mean that Abraham was perfect. He is on a journey to bold obedience, but along the way he does have lapses of faith and commits sin. We are reminded that salvation is instantaneous, but spiritual growth takes time. Abraham sins by lying once again about Sarah being his sister. His sin not only hurt him but others around him. He d...

Chapter 19 tells the sad story of both the destruction of Sodom and the demise of Lot. What led to the destruction of Sodom and the demise of Lot? Choices. Every decision we make either leads us toward the light or deeper into darkness. There is no such thing a meaningless choice.

One of the great things that happened to Abraham as a result of journeying to a bold obedience is that God’s Word describes Abraham as the friend of God. (2 Chron. 20:7; Isaiah 41:8; and James 2:23)  In Genesis 18 we see Abraham and God's friendships on display. Abraham fellowships with God as he entertains heavenly company. Then we see God treat Abraham as a close friend when He communicates and...

God’s blessing on Abraham spills over into the lives of Abraham’s family members: his wife (barren/bearing son), his two sons (Ishmael - prince over 12 tribes / Isaac the father of Israel, the lineage of Messiah), and all their offspring.  The blessings of God in our lives can spill over into the lives of our family members (and others).  They are designed to do so, but you have to obey God and wa...

The decisions we make can ultimately make us or break us. And the breaking can be so bad that there is no coming back. We can break our reputation, our marriage, our career, our future opportunities, etc. Genesis 13 teaches us some very important and practical lessons about decision making and choosing foolishly or wisely. What were the circumstances surrounding and the causes of Lot's poor choice...

The Abrahamic covenant is a covenant where God promises Abraham the blessings of seed and soil, i.e. offspring and land. God promises to give Abraham a son (Isaac) through whom a nation (Israel) would be formed. God promises to give Abraham a particular seed (Jesus) through whom the whole would could be blessed with salvation. God promises to give Abraham a land that stretches from the Nile River...

Abraham lived a life characterized by obedience that was the result of faith. The bible says that “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6). It was the faith of Abraham that allowed him to be the friend of God.   We cannot be a lawgiver like Moses, a conqueror like Joshua, a king like David, or a prophet like Elijah, but we can be an Abraham by living a life of bold obedience. The...

We can learn a great deal about victorious faith from both Joshua and Rahab. We learn that to live out a victorious faith, you must have a personal encounter with God (Jesus) and you must submit to His commands. When you do, you can experience a work of God that has no human explanation, like Joshua and Rahab in the victory and salvation God gave in the battle of Jericho.

Moses life of faith can be divided into three 40 year periods: 40 years of training in Egypt, 40 years of training in the desert, and 40 years of doing what he was trained to do in the previous 80 years. All along the way he had a faith that was tested and tried. He had to learn to war by faith.   If we’re going to follow in the footsteps of Moses, waiting, watching, walking, and warring in faith,...

Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph each had faith even unto the end of their days. But the thing the author of Hebrews zeros in on that they utilized their faith to extend a blessing to their children. Every parent has a God-given responsibility to bless their children. From the word “blessing” we get our word eulogy—“to speak well of.” There three lessons we can learn from these men of faith about blessing...

Abraham's faith was tested and tested and tested. Some tests he passed. Some tests he failed. But what we do see over time is a growing and strengthening and purifying of his faith. It is as if Abraham were enrolled in a school of faith. One of things that all students in any school have in common is tests. All students are tested to see where they are academically. Our walk with God by faith is a...

Sarah's faith began in unbelief but it ended with her experiencing what was humanly impossible, i.e. God's possible, when after 25 years of waiting she gave birth to the promised son, Isaac. There are many lessons we can learn from Sarah about faith. One of the most important is that faith must be personal. Abraham had great faith, but Sarah needed her own faith. This principle is true for us. We...

Abraham was a man of great faith. God called Abraham to follow Him and come to a land that God would give to Abraham. . Abraham didn’t know where exactly God was calling him to, but he had faith to follow. And since he didn’t know where he was going, you could say he had faith to wander with God.  In our text we see five principles for those who live by faith: 1) We are invited to live by faith. 2...

Enoch teaches us that by faith we can walk with God in such a way that we please God. By faith we can walk so closely with God and sense His presence and power that we look for our blessed hope, the return of Christ and the rapture that will occur.

Noah was a man whose fear (trust) in God motivated him to build an ark. He was moved by faith to prepare an ark in which he saved his house (family), condemned the world, and became an inheritor of righteousness.   What is your faith moving you to do? Real faith moves believers to action. Do you have real faith?  

Abel responded to God in faith by bringing an appropriate offering in sacrifice. Because he obeyed by faith, he won God's approval. God testified to Abel's faith. And to this day, Abel's faith is still speaking to us; pointing us to the way of faith, i.e. responding in obedience to what God has revealed to us in His Word.

 True biblical faith is confident obedience to God’s Word in spite of circumstances and consequences. It is not simply an intellectual belief. It is revealed in us volitionally as we act on what we believe. The writer of Hebrews makes it clear that faith is very practical. Faith enables us to understand what God does. Faith enables us to see what others cannot see. As a result, faith enables us to...

Glorification is the ultimate and absolute physical, mental, and spiritual perfection and transformation of each believer into the image of Christ. It is in essence the completion of our salvation. 

 The gospel brings us a salvation that is eternally secure. God preserves us. Eternal security is God’s assurance of our salvation. God is absolutely certain of the security of our salvation because He is the one who is securing it. God saves, seals, and secures. Assurance is our confidence in God saving us and securing us. The ultimate secret to assurance of salvation is to base your present assu...

The gospel is good news because we are preserved and secured by God the Son and the Holy Spirit. We secured by Jesus through His promises, his prayers, His substitutionary death, His resurrection, His heavenly work as our advocate and intercessor. We are preserved and secured by the Spirit through His work of regeneration, His work of placing us in union with Christ, His work of indwelling us perm...

The gospel is good news because our salvation is secured by our Heavenly Father. He preserves us because He is sovereign, omnipotent, His nature is love, and He chastens us instead of casting us away. Praise God that our salvation does not rest on us but in God's grace alone.