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The Gospel According to Esau

Bible Text: Genesis 33:1-20 | Preacher: Johnathan Keenan | Series: Guest Preacher

Genesis 33:1–20
And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau was coming, and four hundred men with him. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two female servants. 2 And he put the servants with their children in front, then Leah with her children, and Rachel and Joseph last of all. 3 He himself went on before them, bowing himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

4 But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. 5 And when Esau lifted up his eyes and saw the women and children, he said, “Who are these with you?” Jacob said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” 6 Then the servants drew near, they and their children, and bowed down. 7 Leah likewise and her children drew near and bowed down. And last Joseph and Rachel drew near, and they bowed down. 8 Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company that I met?” Jacob answered, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.” 9 But Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself.” 10 Jacob said, “No, please, if I have found favor in your sight, then accept my present from my hand. For I have seen your face, which is like seeing the face of God, and you have accepted me. 11 Please accept my blessing that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” Thus he urged him, and he took it.

12 Then Esau said, “Let us journey on our way, and I will go ahead of you.” 13 But Jacob said to him, “My lord knows that the children are frail, and that the nursing flocks and herds are a care to me. If they are driven hard for one day, all the flocks will die. 14 Let my lord pass on ahead of his servant, and I will lead on slowly, at the pace of the livestock that are ahead of me and at the pace of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir.”

15 So Esau said, “Let me leave with you some of the people who are with me.” But he said, “What need is there? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.” 16 So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir. 17 But Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built himself a house and made booths for his livestock. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.

18 And Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, on his way from Paddan-aram, and he camped before the city. 19 And from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, he bought for a hundred pieces of money the piece of land on which he had pitched his tent. 20 There he erected an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel.

Gospel as Love and Rescue

Bible Text: Galatians 1:1–5 | Preacher: Kyle Wells | Series: Galatians: The One and Only Gospel

Because God sent Jesus as a gift to rescue us, we must trust in and glorify him.
Galatians 1:1–5
1 Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2 and all the brothers who are with me,

To the churches of Galatia:

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Gifted to Gift

Bible Text: 2 Corinthians 8:1–10 | Preacher: Kyle Wells | Series: For the Life of the World

Because our rich God has graciously given to us, we, who are rich, must graciously give to others.

2 Corinthians 8:1-10

We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— 5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. 6 Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. 7 But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also.

8 I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. 10 And in this matter I give my judgment: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it.

The Empathy We Need Most

Bible Text: Jonah 4 | Preacher: Kyle Wells | Series: Jonah

When we are in the wrong, we long for grace. But when someone has wronged us, we often want the offender to get what they deserve. We want grace for ourselves, but karma for others. How can we go from hating our enemies to loving them and even rejoicing when they receive grace? Join us this week as we conclude our series on the Old Testament prophet Jonah.

Repentance

Bible Text: Jonah 1:17–2:2–9; 3:1–10 | Preacher: Kyle Wells | Series: Jonah

Sometimes we have a complicated relationship to change. We hear people say, “You are perfect just the way you are.” Yet there are countless voices telling us that the way we are isn’t that great after all and if we just tried a little harder, we could and should be better—often with a hefty price tag. Rarely do we step back and ask the crucial questions: Is change possible? How can we get there? Join us this Sunday as we continue our series on a prophet named Jonah who experienced and offered a radical change.

Unrelenting Grace

Bible Text: Jonah 1:4–16 | Preacher: Kyle Wells | Series: Jonah

As kids we love to play hide and seek. For most of us, it isn’t the hiding that is the fun part but the joy of finding and being found. Eventually, though, we grow up and become experts at hiding. We may even feel like we can hide from God. What does it mean that God is an unrelenting seeker who doesn’t give up on us? What does it mean to be found by God? Join us this Sunday as we continue our sermon series on the Biblical story of Jonah.

The One Who Can Keep You from Stumbling

Bible Text: Jude 24; Hebrews 12:1-2 | Preacher: Joshua Burdette | Series: Jude: Exhortations for Tenuous Times

In our youth we hung posters of our favorite sports or music heroes on our walls to inspire us to greatness. In adulthood, we often keep our visions of grandeur to ourselves, but they are no less powerful. Who do you look to for inspiration to keep going in the day to day trenches of the so-called real world? What is your vision of the good life? Join us this Sunday as we continue our series on the Book of Jude.

Nathan’s Story

Bible Text: 2 Samuel 12 | Preacher: Kyle Wells | Series: The Stories We Live By

If you were deceived would you even know it? One of the first things sin does is to deceive us and distort our view of the world. Today with Christians around the world we celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. This is good news for those deceived by sin because the Spirit was given to lead us into all truth, especially the truth about our true condition and the truth about God’s amazing grace.

Mephibosheth’s Story

Bible Text: 2 Samuel 9 | Preacher: Joshua Burdette | Series: The Stories We Live By

We are all longing for home—some place we can looked to and belong, some place where everything just seems right. The Bible tells us that this deep longing is good, and is ultimately met through a relationship with God, who brings us into his family, and serves us at his table.