Providence Church Sermon Podcast Providence Church

As we continue our journey through Genesis, we see an encounter in Genesis 26 between Isaac and Abimelech, the king of the Philistines. As Isaac enters Abimelech’s land, God repeatedly reiterates his covenant promise with him, yet we also see Isaac encounter struggles in this foreign territory and even respond sinfully. What do we make of this complicated story? 

This week, we're launching into our new summer message series, Genesis: The Birth of a Nation, where we are exploring the lives of Isaac and Jacob.

Those who have been around Providence for a while know that we’ve explored other parts of Genesis in the past. In 2016, we began at the end of the book, looking at the story of Joseph, which vividly points forward to Jesus. We later rewound to the first eleven chapters of Genesis, digging into the creation story, Noah, the flood, and the Tower of Babel, where God creates the nations of the earth by scattering them in an act of judgment. In Genesis 12, we met Abraham, the man in whom God chooses to bless all the nations of the earth. We studied the life of Abraham, leaving off with his legacy of faith in the opening verses of chapter 25.

Now, six years later, we’re coming back to that legacy and God’s promise to make of Abraham a great nation. Join us as we pick up the story and see the birth of a nation through Isaac and Jacob.

In Luke 19, Jesus is on the outskirts of Jerusalem, getting ready to enter the city where he will soon be crucified. Before he does, he addresses the crowds with a parable about three servants. Two of them invest the money given to them by their master to enlarge his estate. The third wastes it. In the story, Jesus challenges how we view him, the gifts he has given to us, and our responsibility until his return.

We often think about the call to ministry as some kind of charge for those elite few. But as Paul addresses the Ephesians, he shows them something different. We're all called to ministry while some are specifically called to equip others for the task. Josh Patterson explains what it looks like for the church to walk in this truth.

If you grew up going to church, you’re likely familiar with the story of Zacchaeus and the song about his encounter with Jesus. As a tax collector, he was a hated man in his town who exhorted the people around him for personal gain. Yet, Jesus called him by name and risked his own reputation to stay with him in his home.