Laughlin Community Church

God Wrestles With Jacob We are in the final act, the third and final act of Yaaqov's story, and we have reached the middle of this opening piece. The meeting with Esau happens on either side of this narrative right here. And the fact that they're all next to each other, it's a point of meditation that…

Introduction: What Is Worth Showing the World? Paul's words in this passage are not theoretical. They are spoken from confinement, under real threat, with his future uncertain. He is not writing from comfort but from custody. Yet what rises to the surface is not fear, bitterness, or self-defense. It…

Jacob Builds an Ark We are at a crossroads moment in the story of Yaaqov. We just walked with him through a 20-year exile in Mesopotamia, halfway to Babylon, in the house of Lavan. Do you remember the first story of him leaving the land was having that dream and vision of Heaven and Earth united with…

Introduction Some of you may remember walking through this passage years ago. Others were not here yet. A lot has changed since then. Seasons change. Circumstances change. People change. But the gospel has not changed, and it has not slowed down. Paul writes Philippians from prison. Not a metaphorical…

Jacob and Laban Make a Covenant This is the climactic showdown between Yaaqov and his uncle. Remember all the brothers are there. All the kids are there, all the animals. It's this whole crew. And remember they're up in the hills. 43 Then Laban answered Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters; the children,…

Introduction Think about someone in your life who always shows up for you—someone who prays for you, encourages you, and walks with you in your faith. That's a gospel partner, and that's what Paul writes about in Philippians. When we hear “partnership,” most of us think marriage, or maybe a business…

Introduction Every family has habits that reveal who they are. Some families have a certain way of greeting each other. Some share meals every night. Some build traditions that are passed down for generations. When you see those habits, you know something about the identity of that family. Paul does…

Jacob verse the Narrator We're turning a significant corner right now in the story of Yaaqov. We followed him into exile because of the mess of he and his mom's making. And it's been, as I said, a hall of mirrors of the deceiver being deceived mirrored by the sisters deceiving and tricking, the rivalries,…

Introduction Some of the greatest movements of God begin in the darkest places. For Paul and Silas, the path to salvation for a Roman jailer ran straight through pain, injustice, humiliation, and a midnight prison cell. What happened in Philippi is not just a story of a man saved. It is a story of how…

Introduction: When God Opens a Door, No One Can Shut It Have you ever had a moment where you knew, beyond your plans and beyond your control, that God was clearly the One opening the door? That is exactly what we see in the story of Lydia. Paul's second missionary journey had been one redirection after…

God Sees Leah Last time we were together we talked about Read that just to get our bearings 31 When the Lord saw that Leah was neglected, he opened her womb; but Rachel was unable to conceive. 32 Leah conceived, gave birth to a son, and named him Reuben, for she said, “The Lord has seen my affliction;…

Introduction: The Best-Laid Plans Good morning. Welcome to the first Sunday of a new year, 2026. This morning, we are starting a brand new sermon series called Philippians: The Pursuit of Joy . We are going to spend the next several weeks walking through the Book of Philippians, a letter the Apostle…

Welcome Tonight, y'all are invited to rest your weary hearts and rejoice. The waiting is over. The promise is fulfilled. Christ the Lord is born! Let's pray that the light of His coming fills every dark and tired place in us tonight. 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping…

Introduction: The Love That Found Us There's a reason the last candle we light before Christmas is the candle of Love . Because love is the center of it all — it is the heartbeat of Christmas and the foundation of our salvation. In a weary, wounded world, love often feels conditional. We love those who…

God Sees Leah We just finished the story of Lavan, the uncle, swindling his nephew, Yaaqov, the trickster. The trickster gets tricked in a way that mirrors his own trickstering Genesis 29:31-30:24 - Another example of how the numbering doesn't always match up with the narrative, but that's ok. And these…

Introduction This third week of Advent we light the pink candle, the candle of Joy . In the middle of the Advent journey, we pause to remember that joy is not simply a feeling dependent on circumstances—it is a steadfast, soul-deep response to who God is. Even when life feels bleak, even when our hopes…

Deception in the House of Lavan Last week we talked about that amazing dream. Do you wish you had dreams like that? He did say he was terrified. We're not gonna forget about the dream though, 'cause it's gonna come up again as we move forward. he goes from Bethel, which is up in the northern hill country.…

Introduction – When Life Feels Like a Storm Have you ever noticed how life can shift from calm to chaos in a matter of moments? One phone call, one diagnosis, one loss—and suddenly the waves rise, and the winds roar. You thought you were sailing peacefully along, but then a storm hits that you never…

Introduction Today is Thanksgiving Sunday—a time when we pause to remember God's blessings and to express our gratitude to Him. But gratitude isn't just a seasonal emotion; it's a spiritual posture. True thanksgiving flows from recognizing who God is , not just what He gives. Psalm 100 is one of the…

Jacob's Exile We just finished act one, the first main part of the Yaaqov story. Where we had lots of deceit. Now we are going to follow the deceiver into exile and see where it leads him. The first thing that happens to Yaaqov in his exile is he ends up alone in a field, so he falls asleep, as one does…

Looking Back at the Journey Today we come to the end of Ecclesiastes. Over the past weeks, we've walked with Qoheleth—the Teacher—on his quest for meaning. And what a journey it's been. We began with the declaration: “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity” (1:2). Life under the sun is fleeting, elusive,…

Parting of the Brothers Let's take our third and final step into this first part of the Yaaqov story. You can feel the tension has built to a climactic point here. The double deception. Now Jacob appears to be walking away with the blessing, the deceptive plan that he and his mother worked. But it's…

Introduction Life is short. That's a truth we can't escape. If you're young, life feels long—like you've got all the time in the world. If you're older, you know how fast the years go by. One day you're full of energy and possibility, and then suddenly you're looking back wondering where it all went.…

Isaac Blesses Jacob So Yaaqov just walked into the tent with the tasty food that my father loves. 18 When he came to his father, he said, “My father.” And he answered, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” 19 Jacob replied to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit…

Rebekah's Plan to Deceive Isaac We just finished walking through This story, and it was the story of how the son of Avraham imitates the deception of his father, Avraham, in deceiving foreign kings, and potentially bringing curse and disaster on the nations instead of blessing. And so remember, in our…

Yitskhaq's Conflict With Abimelech 15 Now all the wells which his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines stopped up by filling them with earth. 16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are too powerful for us.” 17 And Isaac departed from there and…

Introduction Ephesians 6:18-20 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the…

Isaac Deceives Abimelech The literary design of this unit has been carefully crafted to invite the reader into a meditation on how the children repeat the story of their parents, and how God's choice of this family means that God's justice and mercy will also repeat through the generations. 1 There was…

Introduction Life is full of risk. Every decision you make involves some level of uncertainty. The job you take, the investments you make, the people you trust, the ministry you step into—all of it has a cost. Some of us are risk-takers by nature. Others want to avoid risk at all costs. But here in Ecclesiastes…

Jacob Tricks Esau 27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a peaceful man, living in tents. 28 Now Isaac loved Esau, because he had a taste for game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. 29 When Jacob had cooked stew, Esau came in from the field and he was famished;…

The Birth of Esau and Jacob The Literary Design of the Yaaqov Story The Jacob story goes from Genesis 25:19 - 37:1 It goes from chapter 25, verse 19. So do you remember how the seven-day narrative in Genesis 1 and 2, the chapter divisions that came much later, they're kind of amiss 'cause the seventh…

Introduction There is an old saying: “As goes the leader, so goes the people.” History is full of examples of nations flourishing under wise leadership—and collapsing under foolish rule. It is one of the leading themes in Parts of the Bible. Koheleth (the Teacher) gives us a picture of what happens when…

Jacob: Introduction Jacob is actually not how anybody in his family would've ever pronounced his name. In Hebrew, this figure's name is Yaaqov Yaaqov. Yaaqov, grandson of Avraham, takes up this third section of the Genesis scroll, though interestingly, he is actually the character who receives the most…

Introduction – A Wake-Up Call You Can't Ignore My wife always teases me. I fall asleep hard for about 3 hours. You can drive a truck through our house and I wouldn't hear it. But there are some “wake-up calls” that you can't ignore — the smoke detector going off, your child screaming “Dad!” in the middle…

Not Chosen But Blessed Let's think through the cycle. The Eden's been planted. The wife, the ezer, has been provided. And so what I'm expecting is maybe something that's disappointing, some sort of mistake or tragedy that's going to lead to division, strife. 1 Now Abraham took another wife, whose name…

Introduction Let me ask you: have you ever been in such a rush to finish something that you skipped over a basic precaution and paid the price for it later? Maybe you were putting together a piece of furniture, ignored the instructions, and ended up with five extra screws and a shelf upside down. Or…

Isaac's Marriage to Rebekah This is the last stop before Abraham is sent the the grave. Today we are going to be with Rivqah. Remember here name is the sounds of the work “blessing” in Hebrew, with the letters mixed up. And we're gonna follow her on her Abraham-like journey to the land of the new Eden.…

Introduction: The Danger of Small Things Small things can cause big problems. A single spark can start a forest fire. One missed detail can derail a mission. And, as Ecclesiastes 10 opens, a few dead flies can ruin a whole bottle of expensive perfume. This isn't just about hygiene—it's about how a little…

Sarah's Tomb as a Mini Eden This story is designed with three major sections. There's a little opener, there's a long dialogue in the center, and then there's a little concluder. The dialogue itself has three parts, with a little fourth part that concludes the dialogue. 1 Now Sarah lived 127 years; these…

Introduction: The Quiet Strength That Goes Unseen In a world that celebrates loud success, celebrity, and brute strength, Ecclesiastes reminds us: wisdom—though often quiet and overlooked—is a treasure beyond measure. But it's also fragile. Ecclesiastes 9:13–18 13 I also saw under the sun this example…

Blessing for the Next Generation A Heroine From the Non-Chosen Family 20 Now it came about after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, “Behold, Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor: 21 Uz his firstborn and Buz his brother and Kemuel the father of Aram 22 and Chesed and Hazo…

Introduction: Joy in a World of Shadows Have you ever been so overwhelmed by life that joy seemed... out of reach? You wake up, go through your routines, shuffle through responsibilities — but joy feels like a luxury, or worse, a distraction. Ecclesiastes understands that. It doesn't ignore death, suffering,…

Abraham Surrenders Isaac Still in that test moment the Genesis 3 place 4 On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. 5 Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.” 6 Abraham took…

Introduction: There's a strange comfort and a haunting chill that comes when we hear the words: “The same event happens to the righteous and the wicked.” Koheleth is pulling no punches. Everyone dies. This fact levels us—it humbles kings and commoners, it erases fame, and it silences ambition. Death…

Abraham's Ultimate Test 1 Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains…

Introduction Have you ever looked around and thought, “That's not fair!” Maybe you saw someone cheat their way to success, lie to keep their job, or abuse others and walk away untouched—praised, even. Meanwhile, someone who's done things the right way—honestly, humbly, sacrificially—gets passed over,…

Abraham's Covenant with Abimelech Today we are going through the second half of Genesis 21 which happens in two parts The first part is focused on Hagar and Yishmael, which makes sense. That's what flows right out of it. But next is gonna come another round of interactions between Avraham and Abimelech.…