In Genesis 44, Joseph sets up a clear ruse. Isn't that a bit dodgy... even sinful? He seems to be entrapping his poor brothers. Well, remember that not every test is a trap. Some tests are all of love, designed to purify. This one is the latter. Yes, there is a ruse, but that ruse is leading to redemption and reconciliation by repentance and a clea…

How can men like Joseph's brothers enter into God's blessing? In part 2 of "The Brutal Journey Towards Reconciliation", we will see together how God's love and kindness can awaken even the hardest of hearts. Joseph's brothers did not deserve to be loved and yet they were loved by Joseph. Similarly, in Jesus Christ, despite our failures and sin, we …

Forgiving someone or people who have sinned against us deeply is one of the hardest human actions. Are you there? Is there someone or a list of people that you cannot imagine being able to forgive? And, do you struggle with guilt because of something you did? Repenting without knowing the outcome is also a really huge test of faith. This passage is…

One of my mentors once said that patience is trusting God's work in other people's lives. So true! Every time I am tempted to be the Holy Spirit, I remember that truth. This principle is also true for patience in hard situations. When in tests, I need to believe that God is at work in each and every circumstance and that even my tests are part of H…

Faithfulness can be lonely. Faithfulness can lead us to places where others don't want to be and don't want to remember, especially when others are rescued and want to focus on their normal lives. Joseph is in that place in Genesis 30. The last line says it all: "The chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him." There's such pain in tha…

We're back in Genesis! Chapter 39. We are going to look at God's recipe for success. Now, don't worry, I am not turning into THAT preacher! But seriously, this passage is about success - true success. Joseph is enslaved, tempted, and imprisoned, and yet in all that the Lord is with him and the Lord gives Joseph success - the success of obedience, m…

We are at the end of 2nd Corinthians and Paul is giving a last appeal to his beloved Corinthians with a warning and encouragement - a warning to examine ourselves and an encouragement to rejoice because Jesus Christ is in us! Friends - in the light of all we heard this summer, are you ready to embrace your cross?…

One thing that proves to me I am not making up this gospel stuff is how counter intuitive and counter culture and "counter Jay Thomas" the gospel is. 2 Corinthians 12 is the highpoint of the letter and it has been used of God profoundly in my life. Paul states the truth as clearly as he can: our weaknesses are gifts God gives us so that in our empt…

Desperate times call for desperate measures. 2 Corinthians 11 is a weird, exceptional, ironic, and one-off chapter. Paul, having just dropped the mic by saying we cannot boast in our selves but only in the Lord, now goes onto to boast about himself. But here's the thing - he acknowledges the temporary foolishness of his approach, and yet its vital …

The church of Corinth had been infiltrated with false apostles essentially preaching a “ALL crown and NO cross” gospel and they were turning congregants against Paul by discrediting his apostleship. In this final section of the letter, Paul pivots toward the infiltrators and their detractors, but all the while pointing the church toward Christ. For…

Giving is one of the many ways our worship shines through our lives. In 2 Cor. 9, Paul continues his exhortation to the Corinthians to give faithfully, cheerfully and willingly. Join us as we subject our hearts to the Lord to be shaped by his generosity and compelled by his glory alone.

Finances are an important part of our lives, with money being both an asset and a temptation. In chapter 8 of his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul encourages his readers to excel in this act of grace, that is, in being generous to supply the needs of others. Join us as we reflect on the generosity of Jesus and as we are challenged to lead gen…

Have you ever wondered what a pastor's deepest desire is for his congregation? It is for you to know the Truth (Christ) and to enjoy the gift of His salvation (through the Spirit given to those who are saved). In this portion of the book of Corinthians, we see the pastoral heart of Paul, showing the church when the truth is taught, some will receiv…

When you hear the word HOLINESS, what comes to mind? For many it conveys rigidity, fundamentalism, legalism, repression, and old-school "boomer" Christianity. One problem. Jesus is really big on holiness. The Scripture is full of calls to holiness. But, as Inigo Montoya once said: "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it…

Sorrowful yet always rejoicing. Really?!? Really. That was Paul's song. That is the pastor's song; the kid's ministry team's song; the song of the elder and deacon. That is the song for every Christian who wants to be ALL IN with Jesus. To be of the kingdom means rejection, slander, betrayal, and general hardship. That is rough. It brings real sorr…

When we hear a phrase like the "fear of the Lord" it can be easy to slip into a mindset of an angry God who looks disdainfully back at us, leading us to cower, run away, and experience shame. What Paul means by that phrase in 2 Corinthians 5:11 is the opposite. Yes, fear is a strong word and we should keep the teeth in it, but the point is that god…

What is the "eternal weight of glory" for which our "light momentary afflictions" are preparing us? It includes at least three things: resurrection life, the vision of God, and vindication that we are indeed in Christ. This week's passage defines and details the "eternal weight of glory" we heard about last week. In doing so, we are instructed to f…

Do you remember what it was like the first time you drove a car in reverse and had to steer? Everything was backwards. What turned the car one way is now opposite. Did it take a moment - or a year - to learn to steer in reverse intuitively? Learning to live by faith in the Word of God, especially in light of suffering, is a lot like driving and ste…

If you have ever been accused of not having what it takes to serve Jesus, you know the pain of rejection, betrayal, and perhaps barbs that go to the soul. False accusations are only as powerful as our sense of self outside of the gospel, though. In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul preaches the contrast between the Old Covenant and New Covenant, not for nerdin…

Paul had to change his plans to visit the Corinthians, choosing to stay back for a while. This change of plans, along with many other things, was weaponized by his opponents and used to accuse him of being insincere, vacillating, and self-centered. Paul begins his overall defense of his ministry - and discipleship in general - by explaining and pre…

What if Jesus asked you to sign blank sheet of paper as a promissory document. Your signature of commitment and nothing else. Jesus will fill in the rest and you must trust Him. Now, picture that the sentence "You will suffer for my Name" is on that paper. Will you sign it now?!? You and I would if we knew the trade-off. If we gave our certainty an…

Sometimes you wonder if these stories in Genesis can get more twisted. Well, they can. You can't make this stuff up. In Chapter 38, we have one of Jacob's sons, Judah, leave the family, head toward the pagan Canaanites, marry one of them, sire two wicked sons and one nondescript ones. Then, on top of all that, through deception, curated sexual sin,…

Remember the J-Curve - the graph of following Jesus? Sometimes we are thrown into a pit, only to be rescued and brought to a greater strength, maturity, and blessing than ever before. That J-curve is the pathway of Genesis 37-50, a new unit we are starting this week. We're calling it "Joseph and the Many Colored Gospel." Chapter 37 is a powerful st…

Have you ever returned home? By home, I mean where you were raised, and all that represents: your old house, schools, hang out haunts, college campus? I bet a flood of memories come back. Some of us did not know Jesus back then and we can feel the regrets and loss with those memories. However, as it often happens, God meets us in that nostalgia and…

Genesis 34 is a cascade of atrocities displaying the depravity of the human heart. This awful story of disobedience, defilement, deceit, and death highlight our need to be rescued. And while there is no hero in this Genesis 34, praise be to God that this is only one chapter in the story of God's redemptive plan for his people.…

God loves us so much, He gives us limps. It is true. Let me argue from this vantage point. God loved the Son so much that He sent Jesus to the cross. The logic is difficult, but clear. In Genesis 32-33 we are going to see a little pre-gospel. Jacob needs to reconcile with Esau. And, in a surprising and beautiful way, they will reconcile. But it is …

He is Risen! He is Risen indeed! The glorious truth of Jesus's resurrection and our resurrection will be celebrated this Easter Sunday and we will look at it from 1 Peter chapter 1. In that text, Peter uses stunning imagery to show us what the resurrection means for our lives as the people of God who are not home yet. In fact, he calls us the chose…

Palm Sunday begins Holy Week often with a refresh on Jesus riding into Jerusalem during Passover week on his way to the cross. This is referred to as the Triumphal Entry. This year, I want to journey with Jesus, but from a bigger perspective. What does this journey to Jerusalem mean in the bigger context of the Biblical story line? I want us to pul…

The Bible is a truly cool interconnected story. God often teaches the same themes through layers of stories upon stories. Genesis 31 is like that. Before the big book of Exodus, we have a small chapter and mini-Exodus. Jacob flees his father-in-law, who has him in slavery. He does so because God commands him out, and promises to be with him, just l…

The story of Jacob and his two wives involves much sin and hardship. Jacob's relationship with Laban is marked by trickery and deceit. Yet the worldly intentions and actions of each of these human characters are no match for the triumphant grace of God. We will ultimately see that as God mercifully remembered Rachel, sinful though she was, to give …

Three things are for certain: death, taxes, and our sins will eventually catch us.In Genesis 29, Jacob's deceptions eventually catch up to him through another deceiver, a "Jedi deceiver," his uncle Laban. In the midst of the plot line is another water-well love story, a young vs. older narrative, and a God who get his purposes accomplished in it al…

I like planning. I like the predictable. Calendars are my friend. Even people who are "free spirits" and "go-with-the-flow" types want scheduled unscheduled moments. We might call this chronos time - the planned life. However, while most of life will be lived within chronos time, the most transformative moments in our life happen in crisis time - w…

When you think deeply about why we 'twist' the truth... or shall I just say it... we lie, we deceive, and we manipulate, one is drawn to the reality of trust. What do we actually trust? Do I trust God? If so, why do I think I have to claw my way through life, to get ahead, and to ultimately achieve blessing? If I really trust the promises of God, t…

Last week we learned about the importance of prayer in evangelism. This Sunday we will look into the amazing story of Jesus healing a blind man in John 9. We will see (no pun intended) that there is often a progressive revelation and realization of who Jesus is. We will also consider how to share the gospel in a way that speaks into the some of the…

Prayer is a crucial part of our efforts to share the good news of Jesus with others. Yet we often forget to pray or are unsure of what and how to pray. This Sunday, we will look at three specific prayers in the New Testament to give us some guidance as we make Jesus known.

We were created out of, into, and for community. This Sunday, we will see how community is at the heart of God and His people and what that means for CHBC to live into our mission statement to equip our church as a community to reach the Triangle and beyond with the message of Jesus.

Jesus is our Savior, amen. Jesus wants to shape us into Himself in character, amen. But, Jesus also wants to use our lives in a way that he modeled for us - radically Spirit dependent lives, with particular gifts the Spirit has given us to use for the building of the church and the advance of the Gospel. We are going to begin a brief miniseries, le…

If you came home one night and noticed a fire breaking out in your neighbor’s house, what would you do? You would warn them. You would call 911. You would pound on the door. You might even break down the door if necessary to save their lives. Do we believe the Bible when it says, “This is the testimony of God that he has born concerning his Son. He…

God so desires a relationship with us, not a casual friendship or acquaintance nor to just provide direction in our lives. No, He desires an intimate relationship with us. It’s the kind that the world strives for between two people but can never achieve. It is the kind that no other religion offers or believes in.But it is entirely different. He al…

We're on the cusp of a new year and we'll be looking closely at Hebrews 3:1 as we seek to savor Jesus more in 2024 and thereby guard against Satan, sin, strange teachings, spiritual sluggishness, and suffering.

Merry Christmas, Bible Church! We conclude Advent and begin Christmas this Sunday - in one day as we share Christmas Eve! We have been marinating in the Gospel of John, moving from the idea of wishing the gospel story was true, to wanting the gospel story to be true, to actually believing the gospel story to be true, to the ultimate goal, worship. …

The joy of Advent is the object of our longings, namely, Jesus. There are truths about Jesus that get me fired up and hopeful, yes. I thirst for knowledge about Jesus and the world he rules, indeed. But the Scripture paints a picture of belief that is not less than a teaching moment but far more. It is a wedding scene. In Advent, I am reminded that…

Sometimes we want to want a thing. We see merit but realistically we're not going to expend much effort because we're just not feeling hot about it yet. But then something happens. We get to the point of actually wanting something. That is a game-changer. A lot of people want to want the Truth, but often life and other things just gets in the way. …

For the last 3 years during Advent, we've been going through each of the Gospel accounts and now we conclude with the fourth gospel, John. And, this Sunday, we start our journey with some of the most ultimate and heavenly truths about Jesus - He is the eternal, divine, creator, and life-giver Son of God, God of God, Savior.…

We'll be sojourning through Genesis 26 with Isaac, as he learns of God's faithful, gracious, glorious presence and blessing. God promises us that He will be with us, is with us, and always has been with us-- because He is faithful, by His grace, for His own glory.

The first shall be last and the last shall be first. That sentence is both startling and heartening. Jesus echoed it and yet he did not invent it in the NT. Jesus is citing a truth that had existed for millennia. In fact, it all goes back to Genesis 25 - a story of Abraham's death, twins, a stolen and impetuous trading of a birthright and yet a sto…

Sarah's story is over, for now. And she must be replaced. There must be a new woman of the house but also a wife so the line of promise continues. That woman is named Rebekah. Our story unfolds the Promise, Providence, and Purpose of God to provide a wife for Isaac and in doing so just might give us some wise insights on longing for, looking for, a…

Is God asking you to something that seems out of step with His character but you are pretty sure He in fact is the one calling you to it? Does it ever seem like something is from God's hand yet out of step with His word? Let me be blunt: Does God ever seem foolish to you? What if I told you that God is foolish - to our earthly eyes. Perhaps there i…

One of the hardest things to do as a Christian is to give something over that you depend upon, you are fond of, that seems to give you some semblance of vitality and yet you know it is getting in the way of the Lord. In Genesis 21, we have a story of that crisis in Abraham's life. He was called to give over a son. He will be called to do that twice…

For one week, we pivoted to an important teaching from Romans 11 in order to help us better understand how to pray, give witness, and expect the Lord's return in light of the events in Israel of late. This is not going to be a scare sermon. This is not going to be a political sermon. This is not going to be a theological camp sermon. My aim is to c…