Which is more important: obedience or sacrifice?

Abraham's journey of faith had persevered over many decades through many spiritual highs and spiritual failures when God's promise of a son was fulfilled in the birth of Isaac. But after years of peace living in the blessing of God's fulfilled promise, God had one more test for Abraham to prove the quality of Abraham's faith.

This week we begin reading Genesis 22 and study the greatest spiritual milestone in the life of Abraham. We'll see God test Abraham's faith by calling him to sacrifice Isaac and we'll study how this test of faith for Abraham became a picture of the redeeming work of Christ Jesus for the salvation of the world!

When will God finish the work that He started?

Twenty-five years after God first called Abraham and Abraham set out on his journey of faith, God's promise that Abraham would have a son by Sarah his wife is finally fulfilled! Unfortunately, the miraculous birth of Isaac doesn't mean that Abraham and his family go on to live happily ever after. But does the continuing conflicts in Abraham's household mean God has stopped working in Abraham's life?

This week we continue our journey through Genesis with chapter 21 and the birth of Isaac, the son of promise. We'll see God continue to work in Abraham's life through the blessings and the conflicts to produce a faith in Abraham more precious than gold. And we'll see how Abraham's story parallels the work of sanctification that God works in our own lives today.

If I'm supposed to be dead to sin, why do I keep sinning?

Abraham, a great man of faith who left his home at God's command and saved his nephew from invading armies. The man whom God counted righteous simply for believing that God would do the things He promised. After God visited Abraham and shared a meal with him and promised him a son by Sarah his wife, Abraham finds himself wandering again from the land of promise and falling into old habits of deception.

This week we continue our study through Genesis in chapter 20. We'll see how even a great man of faith like Abraham can easily fall back into old habits of sin, and how God's promises remain true despite Abraham's sin. We'll look at practical steps we can take--not to become sinless but to sin less, and see that even when we are faithless, God remains faithful.