“God Guides and Provides for Jacob”

“God Guides and Provides for Jacob” (Genesis 29:1–14)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
SundayPM, June 12, 2016
 
Genesis 29:1–14 (NIV)
29 Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples. 2 There he saw a well in the open country, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well. The stone over the mouth of the well was large. 3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well’s mouth and water the sheep.Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well.
4 Jacob asked the shepherds, “My brothers, where are you from?”
“We’re from Harran,” they replied.
5 He said to them, “Do you know Laban, Nahor’s grandson?”
“Yes,we know him,” they answered.
6 Then Jacob asked them, “Is he well?”
“Yes,he is,” they said, “and here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.”
7 “Look,”he said, “the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered.Water the sheep and take them back to pasture.”
8 “We can’t,” they replied, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep.”
9 While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherd. 10 When Jacob saw Rachel daughter of his uncle Laban,and Laban’s sheep, he went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle’s sheep. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud. 12 He had told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and a son of Rebekah. So she ran and told her father.
13 As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he hurried to meet him.He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his home, and there Jacob told him all these things. 14 Then Laban said to him, “You are my own flesh and blood.”
And he stayed with him for a whole month.
 
Main Idea: The God we worship is the same God who guided Jacob. He is still providentially watching over our lives.He is still guiding and protecting his people.

“You Are What You Love”

“You Are What You Love” (1 John 2:15–17)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, June 12, 2016
1 John 2:15–17, NIV
15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.  16 For everything in the world-- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-- comes not from the Father but from the world.  17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
1. You cannot love the world and God (v. 15).
2. Love for the world begins with our inner desires and a misplaced affection for the pleasures of the world (v. 16).
 
3. Love for the world is a fools’ errand, because it is passing away and will soon be destroyed (v. 17).
4. The only path to eternal life is through a love for God that reveals itself by obeying his will (v. 17).
Main Idea: A Christian who has truly been born again by the grace of God does not replace their love for God with a love for the world and its pleasures.

“Jacob’s Dream” (Genesis 28:10–22)

“Jacob’s Dream” (Genesis 28:10–22)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, June 5, 2016
Genesis 28:10–22 (NIV) 
10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. 11 When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.  15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” 
16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” 17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.” 
18 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. 19 He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz. 
20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear 21 so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God 22 and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.” 
1. God is faithful.
2. God is gracious.
3. God is sovereign.
4. God reveals himself to Jacob.
5. Through God’s gracious revelation, Jacob is changed.
a. He is moved to worship.
b. He is moved to faith.
c. He is moved to consecration. 
Main Idea: When God graciously reveals himself to us, we cannot help but be changed. God’s grace moves us to worship, faith, and consecration.

“Words of Reassurance” (1 John 2:12–14)

“Words of Reassurance” (1 John 2:12–14)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, June 5, 2016
1 John 2:12–14
12 I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.  13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one.  14 I write to you, dear children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
1. Your sins are forgiven.
2. You know the one who is from the beginning (Jesus Christ).
3. You have overcome the evil one.
4. You know the Father.
5. You are strong.
6. The Word of God lives in you.
Main Idea: We need to remember who we are as children of God and what we have been given by grace, so that we can be motivated to live faithfully in the world and overcome it in Jesus’ name.

Message from 1 Peter 1:6-12 by Jordan Atkinson

1 Peter 1:6-12English Standard Version (ESV)
6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

“Jacob’s Deception for the Blessing” (Genesis 26:34–28:9)

“Jacob’s Deception for the Blessing” (Genesis 26:34–28:9)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, May 22, 2016
1. Those who have become spiritually dim by loving the world’s delights can often overlook glaring flaws in their own family and forget about God’s greater blessings (27:1–4).
2. God’s people need to be patient in waiting on God’s promised blessings, refusing to resort to manipulative practices in an effort to help guide the process along (27:5–24).
3. God’s sovereign purposes will be fulfilled, even in spite of our misguided steps along faith’s journey (27:25–29).
4. Those who disregard God’s promises cannot expect to receive blessing (26:34–35; 28:6­–9; 27:30–40; cf. 25:29–34: Esau sells his birthright).
a. His disregard for his birthright (25:29­–34)
b. His Hittite marriages (26:34–35)
c. His misguided attempts to win back his parents’ favor after the blessing had been given (28:6–9)
5. Disregard for God’s ways often creates strife and conflict between people (27:41–45).
6. God’s grace and his blessings are sovereignly bestowed and unmerited, but we must respond in faith and obey his word (27:46–28:5).
Main Idea: God’s purposes will unfailingly unfold; let us be faithful and obedient participants in the accomplishment of those purposes.

“The Old-New Command” (1 John 2:7–11)

“The Old-New Command” (1 John 2:7–11)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, May 22, 2016
7 Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. 8 Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. 9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister1 is still in the darkness. 10Anyone who loves their brother and sister1 lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. 11 But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness.They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them. (1 John 2:7-11, NIV)
1. How can something be old and yet new (vv. 7–8)?
a. It is old… 
i. because love for one another was built into our moral consciousness, being made in the image of God.
ii. because love for neighbor was a part of Israel’s Law and reiterated by Christ in the two great commands (Lev19:18; Matt 22:34–40
iii. because the command to love is a part of the Gospel (message you have heard) of Jesus that has been preached since the beginning of this new age.
b. It is new… 
i. because Jesus’ self-sacrificial love has given love a new standard and example.
ii. because the new age of the age of Christ and his Spirit has come.
iii. because it is a command that is renewed every day in the life of the believer in Christ. It should never grow old or boring because it is the highest goal of Christlikeness that we can strive to attain.
2. What is one of the clearest indications that you are a Christian who is walking in the light (vv. 9–11)?
a. A person who hates is not a Christian and is still in darkness (v. 9).
i. Your life can be accompanied by a number of other righteous looking traits, but if you do not love others your religion is a fake.
ii. A person characterized by hatred of others is not a Christian and has never been a Christian (in darkness until now). 
b. A person who loves others shows that he is a Christian and that he is walking in the light of God (vv. 10–11).
i. Those who walk in the light will not stumble, because there is nothing in the light to cause him to stumble (v. 10).
ii. Those who walk in darkness are blind and are prone to stumbling and falling (an image of judgment) (v. 11).
Big Idea: One of the clearest indications that you are a Christian and have the assurance of eternal life (1 John 5:13) is if you love other people.

"Christians Are Christians" (1 John 2:3-6)

“Christians Are Christians” (1 John 2:3–6)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, May 15, 2016
3 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. 4 Whoever says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. (1 John 2:3-6, NIV)
A Christian obeys the commands of God (3).Christians obey God’s Word, thus fulfilling God’s loving purpose in saving them (5).Christians model their pattern of living after that of Jesus (6)Christians have an assurance of their standing as God’s children when they demonstrate family resemblance by living as Christ did (3, 6).Those who claim to be Christians but do not live like Christians have no basis to claim that they know God. More than likely, their profession is a lie and they are not Christians at all (4).Main Idea: Christians are to live like Christians, obeying God’s commands, remaining in God’s Word, and modeling their lives after Jesus. This fulfills the purpose of God’s love in saving us and brings us assurance that we are in fact God’s children.

“Like Father, Like Son” (Genesis 26)

“Like Father, Like Son” (Genesis 26)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, May 1, 2016
Genesis 26 (NIV) 
26 Now there was a famine in the land—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines in Gerar. 2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed,  5 because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.” 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar. 
7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.” 
8 When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelek king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. 9 So Abimelek summoned Isaac and said, “She is really your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” 
Isaac answered him, “Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her.” 
10 Then Abimelek said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the men might well have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.” 
11 So Abimelek gave orders to all the people: “Anyone who harms this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.” 
12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him. 13 The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. 14 He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. 15 So all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth. 
16 Then Abimelek said to Isaac, “Move away from us; you have become too powerful for us.” 
17 So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar, where he settled. 18 Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them. 
19 Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. 20 But the herders of Gerar quarreled with those of Isaac and said, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek, because they disputed with him. 21 Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah. 22 He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth,  saying, “Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land.” 
23 From there he went up to Beersheba. 24 That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.” 
25 Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well. 
26 Meanwhile, Abimelek had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces. 27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?” 
28 They answered, “We saw clearly that the Lord was with you; so we said, ‘There ought to be a sworn agreement between us’—between us and you. Let us make a treaty with you 29 that you will do us no harm, just as we did not harm you but always treated you well and sent you away peacefully. And now you are blessed by the Lord.” 
30 Isaac then made a feast for them, and they ate and drank. 31 Early the next morning the men swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they went away peacefully. 
32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. They said, “We’ve found water!” 33 He called it Shibah, and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba.  
34 When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah. 
1. Patterns that we establish in our own lives may very well be imitated by those who follow us.
a. Patterns of doubt and deception
b. Patterns of faith and devotion
c. We have a responsibility to try to establish positive patterns of faith and obedience for others to follow, because those who come after us will likely follow in our footsteps.
2. The promises that we have received from God can and should be handed down to the next generation.
a. Isaac is the rightful inheritor of God’s promises to Abraham.
i. Land
ii. Descendants
iii. Blessing to the world
b. We too have been granted promises from God – we have a responsibility to pass these on to the next generation.
3. God’s blessing will be with each generation of his people who walk in faith and obedience before him.

"Fellowship with God through Christ's Atonement" (1 John 2:1-2)

“Fellowship with God through Christ's Atonement” (1 John 2:1–2)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, May 1, 2016
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father-- Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.  2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
(1 John 2:1-2, NIV)
1.    Christians take sin seriously and strive diligently in the power of the Spirit to eliminate sin from their lives (1a).
2.    Our salvation, though, does not rest on our ability to live a sinless life but on Christ’s perfect atoning sacrifice (1b–2).
Main Idea: Christians fight against sin in their own lives, but their trust is in Christ’s atonement to bring them home to God.

"Esau Trades His Birthright" (Genesis 25:27-34)

"Esau Trades His Birthright" (Genesis 25:27-34)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, April 24, 2016
Genesis 25:27–34 (NIV)

27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. 28 Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30 He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.)

31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”

32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”

33 But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.

34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.

So Esau despised his birthright.

"Fellowship with God through Confession" (1 John 1:8-10)

"Fellowship with God through Confession" (1 John 1:8-10)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, April 24, 2016
1 John 1:8–10 (NIV)
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
1. Christians do not deny the presence of sin in their lives (vv. 8, 10).
2. Christians do not deny the presence of sin in their lives; instead they openly and continually confess their sins to God (v. 9).
Big Idea: Christians do not deny the presence of sin in their lives; instead, they honestly and continually confess their sins and receive the forgiveness that has been offered to us by God through Jesus Christ.
Christians do not cover-up; they confess.

"The Lord Chooses Jacob" (Genesis 25:19-26)

"The Lord Chooses Jacob" (Genesis 25:19-26)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, April 17, 2016
Genesis 25:19–26 (NIV)

19 This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Isaac.

Abraham became the father of Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram  and sister of Laban the Aramean.

21 Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 22 The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.

23 The Lord said to her,

“Two nations are in your womb,

and two peoples from within you will be separated;

one people will be stronger than the other,

and the older will serve the younger.”

24 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 25 The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau.  26 After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob.  Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them.
1. God provides for the continuation of his promises by supernatural grace (19-21).
2. God chooses the recipient of the promises by sovereign grace (22-23).
3. God's people must respond in faith to the outworking of God's sovereign plans (24-26).
Main Idea: Those who owe their existence to sovereign creation and divine election must be able to respond in faith and acknowledge the hand of God in the circumstances of life.

"Fellowship with God, Who Is Light" (1 John 1:5-7)

"Fellowship with God, Who Is Light" (1 John 1:5-7)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, April 17, 2016
1 John 1:5–7 (NIV)

5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
God is pure, uncorrupted Light (v. 5).We are deceiving ourselves and others if we claim to be in fellowship with God all the while we are walking in darkness (v. 6).Walking in the light with God provides assurance that we are in fellowship with Him, with other believers, and that our sins have been forgiven (v. 7).Main Idea: We have no basis for claiming that we are in fellowship with God or that our sins have been forgiven if we are not walking in the light.

"Abraham's Final Days" (Genesis 25:1-18)

"Abraham's Final Days" (Genesis 25:1-18)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, April 10, 2016
Genesis 25:1–18 (NIV) 25 Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah. 2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. 3 Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of Dedan were the Ashurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. 4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanok, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.
5 Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. 6 But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.
7 Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. 8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people. 9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, 10 the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites.  There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi.
12 This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Sarah’s slave, Hagar the Egyptian, bore to Abraham.
13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. 16 These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers according to their settlements and camps. 17 Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people. 18 His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt, as you go toward Ashur. And they lived in hostility toward all the tribes related to them.

"Fellowship with God Incarnate" (1 John 1:1-4)

"Fellowship with God Incarnate" (1 John 1:1-4)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, April 10, 2016
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched-- this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.  2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.  3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.  4 We write this to make our joy complete.  (1 John 1:1-4, NIV)

"Preparing for the Future" (Genesis 24:1-67)

"Preparing for the Future" (Genesis 24:1-67)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, April 3, 2016
Preparing for the Future in Faith (1-9)Trusting in God's Guidance and Providence (10-27)Obediently Fulfilling Covenant Obligations (28-60)Blessed by the Faithful Covenant Lord (61-67)Main Idea: God will faithfully and providentially accomplish his covenant purposes, and he often is pleased to use the faithful and obedient actions of his followers to accomplish those purposes.

"A Letter for the Assurance of Faith" (1 John)

"A Letter for the Assurance of Faith" (1 John)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, April 3, 2016
1.    How can I know that I am a Christian and that I am assured of eternal life with God?
a.    The promises of God
b.    The internal ministry/witness of the Holy Spirit
c.     The fruit of the Spirit
 
2.      The letter of 1 John is written primarily to give us a basis for our Christian assurance.
1 John 5:13   I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
3 Tests of Assurance in 1 John
a.    The test of belief
b.    The test of love
c.    The test of obedience
Main Idea: My prayer is that this letter will draw us all into a real, living, and assured faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. This faith can be assured when we witness the presence of belief, love, and obedience in our lives by the grace of God.

"Abraham and Sarah's Land" (Genesis 23)

“Abraham and Sarah’s Land” (Genesis 23)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM March 13, 2016
Genesis 23 (NIV)

23 Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old. 2 She died at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her.

3 Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites.  He said, 4 “I am a foreigner and stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.”

5 The Hittites replied to Abraham, 6 “Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.”

7 Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. 8 He said to them, “If you are willing to let me bury my dead, then listen to me and intercede with Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf 9 so he will sell me the cave of Machpelah, which belongs to him and is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price as a burial site among you.”

10 Ephron the Hittite was sitting among his people and he replied to Abraham in the hearing of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city. 11 “No, my lord,” he said. “Listen to me; I give  you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead.”

12 Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land 13 and he said to Ephron in their hearing, “Listen to me, if you will. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there.”

14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 “Listen to me, my lord; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver, but what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.”

16 Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weight current among the merchants.

17 So Ephron’s field in Machpelah near Mamre—both the field and the cave in it, and all the trees within the borders of the field—was deeded 18 to Abraham as his property in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of the city. 19 Afterward Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre (which is at Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20 So the field and the cave in it were deeded to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site.
1.    The Faithfulness of God
a.    In fulfilling his promise to give Abraham and his descendants the land of Canaan.
b.    In fulfilling his promise to give Abraham and Sarah a son.
c.    In fulfilling his promise to make Abraham great and give him a “name” among the peoples of the land.
d.    In fulfilling his promise to bless others through Abraham.
2.    The Faith of Abraham
a.    In recognizing his pilgrim status in the land (3–6), but trusting God to bless him with the land in the future.
b.    In choosing to purchase a burial plot in Canaan and not back in Haran, demonstrating his commitment to the Lord’s call and his faith in God’s promise to give him this land.
c.    In choosing the location of Sarah’s burial place – at one of the original sacred sites where Abraham worshiped God when he first came into the land of Canaan and where the Lord appeared to him (Gen 13:18; 14:13; 18:1).
d.    In his humble negotiations with the Hittites, the people of the land, trusting God to bless him with what he needed.
e.    In his faithful and dependable interactions with the Hittites.
f.    In his looking to the future inheritance of the land by his descendants as the Lord promised.
i.    Hebron/Mamre became the central dwelling place of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (18:1; 23:2; 35:27; 37:14)
ii.    Abraham is buried there with Sarah (25:9)
iii.    Isaac/Rebecca and Jacob/Leah are buried there (49:28–33; 50:13)
g.    In trusting that God would keep his promises even after Sarah (and Abraham) were gone.
i.    The death of Sarah reminds us that God’s covenant people still go through the common disappointments and struggles in this world.
ii.    God’s promises do not always come to full blossom in our lifetimes. They certainly didn’t in Abraham’s. The writer of Hebrews tells us that he was looking for a better city.
Main Idea: Abraham’s purchase of a burial plot for Sarah in Canaan teaches us the faithfulness of God in keeping his promises and provides us a model of faith in God, trusting God to keep his Word even when the fullness of those promises have not yet matured.

"The Ultimate Test of Faith" (Genesis 22)

Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM March 6, 2016
Genesis 22:1–24 (NIV)


22 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed,  because you have obeyed me.”

19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.

20 Some time later Abraham was told, “Milkah is also a mother; she has borne sons to your brother Nahor: 21 Uz the firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel (the father of Aram), 22 Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and Bethuel.” 23 Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. Milkah bore these eight sons to Abraham’s brother Nahor. 24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also had sons: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maakah.