by Paul Apple | Mar 9, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: SOMETIMES GOD’S PROVIDENCE TEACHES US PAINFUL LESSONS THROUGH THE SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS INTRODUCTION: You have all heard of the school of hard knocks – those painful experiences that God’s providence brings into our life to hack off our rough edges and...
by Paul Apple | Mar 9, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: THE SPECTACULAR PROMISES OF SOVEREIGN GRACE CONSTITUTE A DIVINE BLESSING THAT CANNOT BE DUPLICATED BY FLESHLY EFFORTS AND EVOKE A RESPONSE OF CONSECRATED DEVOTION INTRODUCTION: This event that climaxes in the famous dream of the ladder to heaven may very...
by Paul Apple | Mar 9, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: GOD CAN ADVANCE HIS KINGDOM PROGRAM DESPITE SELFISH AGENDAS INTRODUCTION: Why do people do what they do? Natural depravity teaches us that we live in a fallen world with a sin nature that clings to us until we are finally transformed and glorified by the...
by Paul Apple | Mar 9, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: GOD REAFFIRMS HIS COVENANT PROMISES TO ENCOURAGE PERSEVERANCE IN TIMES OF TRIAL SINCE HE IS WITH US TO BLESS AND PROTECT INTRODUCTION: Passage begins and ends with an account of tremendous trials and pressure faced by Isaac and Rebekah. Verse 1 speaks of a...
by Paul Apple | Mar 9, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: SHORT-SIGHTED CARNAL VALUE SYSTEM DESPISES GOD’S BLESSING – [JACOB SUPPLANTS ESAU AS THE PRIMARY LINE THRU ISAAC] INTRODUCTION: This passage should cause us to examine our own value system. What do we consider important? How much faith do we place in the...
by Paul Apple | Mar 9, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: THE LEGACY OF A GODLY LIFE REFLECTS THE BLESSING OF GOD INTRODUCTION: What type of legacy will you leave behind when you die? What type of legacy does a godly man of faith like Abraham leave behind? Are you looking forward to a retirement life where you will...
by Paul Apple | Mar 9, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: GOD’S PROVIDENCE GRANTS US SUCCESS AS WE TRUST HIM FOR HIS PROVISION TO ACCOMPLISH HIS DIVINE PLAN INTRODUCTION: Some situations are critical for the consummation of God’s kingdom plans. Abraham finds himself in one of those critical situations in Gen. 24....
by Paul Apple | Mar 9, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: OUR DECISIONS AND INVESTMENTS MUST REFLECT FAITH IN GOD’S PROMISES – ESPECIALLY WHEN DEALING WITH DEATH INTRODUCTION: Do we really live like we believe the promises of God? God’s promises primarily impact our future reality. At present we live in hope, not...
by Paul Apple | Mar 9, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: YOUR DEGREE OF SPIRITUAL COMMITMENT WILL DETERMINE YOUR DEGREE OF DIVINE BLESSING – BUT . . .THE SAME GOD WHO TESTS OUR COMMITMENT, ENABLES OUR OBEDIENCE BY FAITH AND BLESSES US ABUNDANTLYINTRODUCTION: Growing up in school there was always a big distinction...
by Paul Apple | Mar 9, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: THE EVERLASTING GOD GUARANTEES THE POSSESSION OF THE PROMISED LAND USING THE COVENANT MOTIFINTRODUCTION:This short little paragraph speaks to the beauty of expositional preaching. As a preacher who makes it his practice to systematically work through an...
by Paul Apple | Mar 9, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: GOD DETERMINES THE DESTINY OF BOTH THE ELECT AND THE NON-ELECTINTRODUCTION:For those that find the doctrine of the sovereignty of God distasteful or offensive (due to their understanding of free will or what they think is fair), this passage will be...
by Paul Apple | Mar 9, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: GOD OVERRULES EVEN OUR BESETTING SINS TO ACCOMPLISH HIS KINGDOM PURPOSESINTRODUCTION:We have been tracking Abraham in his journey of faith. We have seen him rise to great heights – such as when he manifested such a magnanimous spirit in Chap. 12 to give his...
by Paul Apple | Mar 9, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: A LIFE OF WORLDLINESS WON’T END WELLINTRODUCTION:Today’s sordid text paints the last chapter in the life of worldly Lot and his dysfunctional family. This is how Lot ended up. This is the legacy of a loser. All of the small compromises he made with...
by Paul Apple | Mar 9, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: BOTH COMPROMISE WITH MORAL DEPRAVITY AND DIVINE JUDGMENT PUT WORLDLY BELIEVERS AT RISKINTRODUCTION:Illustration: W. H. Griffith Thomas: Like Lot, much of the American church has moved into downtown Sodom. We’re so surrounded by its stench that we don’t...
by Paul Apple | Mar 9, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: ORTHODOX THEOLOGY ONLY HELPS YOU IF YOU APPLY IT –ANSWERING 2 KEY THEOLOGICAL QUESTIONS THAT MUST BE APPLIEDINTRODUCTION:What is your concept of the person of God? What do you know of His attributes? How orthodox is your theology? Satan has a pretty...
by Paul Apple | Mar 9, 2020 | Bible-OT
OUR FAILURES DON’T NEGATE EL SHADDAI’S COVENANT PROMISES – GOD ALMIGHTY REAFFIRMS HIS COVENANT PROMISES AND COMMANDS CIRCUMCISION AS THE SIGN OF HIS COVENANT WITH ABRAHAMINTRODUCTION:Our faith in God’s ability to bless us and carry out His promises to us always needs...
by Paul Apple | Mar 9, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: WHENEVER WE TRY TO PLAY GOD WE MAKE A MESS OF THINGS — BUT GOD CAN SHOW MERCYINTRODUCTION:Easy to go down the wrong trail when studying the Scriptures. We are warned against twisting Scripture to suit our own purposes – politicians quote the Bible this...
by Paul Apple | Mar 8, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: 3 CORE PROMISES COMPRISING THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT THAT DEMAND FAITH AS THE ANTIDOTE TO FEAR, DOUBT AND QUITTINGINTRODUCTION:Remember that it was said of the Lord Jesus as He became incarnate and emptied Himself of the manifestation of His glory and limited...
by Paul Apple | Mar 8, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: WHEN GOD GIVES THE VICTORY, WE MUST GIVE GOD THE GLORYINTRODUCTION:Last time in chap. 13 we looked at the Contrasting Choices made by Abram and Lot – the contrast between big-hearted generosity on the part of Abram and selfish worldliness on the part of his...
by Paul Apple | Mar 8, 2020 | Bible-OT
BIG IDEA: WALKING BY FAITH FREES YOU UP TO RELINQUISH YOUR RIGHTS BECAUSE OF YOUR CONFIDENCE IN GOD’S PROMISESINTRODUCTION:Review: Remember the journey that Abram has traveled as we get to this point in the book of Genesis. He has made some remarkable sacrifices and...
