By Kenny Bruce
Pastor Emeritus, Leawood East Baptist Church, Memphis

Focal Passage: Genesis 22:1-14

The provision of a substitute for Isaac is a symbolic picture of the greatest sacrifice of all time: God’s providing His Son on the cross as our substitutionary sacrifice. 

I. FAITH IN CRISIS (vv. 1-3) God tested Abraham’s faith by asking him to sacrifice his only son Isaac as a burnt offering on Mount Moriah. This undoubtedly brought Abraham to a breaking point. Isaac was the son of God’s promise whom Abraham dearly loved. God had promised to bless all of Abraham’s descendants through Isaac. Abraham must have thought, “Is God going to break His promise?” Confronted by a conflict between God’s promise and his command to kill Isaac, he obeyed by faith because he trusted God to have a resolution to the confusing difficulty. 

The essence of true faith is promptly obeying God when we don’t understand why or how. Faith is believing God and acting on it when it goes against our understanding.  [Read more…]

By Kenny Bruce
Pastor emeritus, Leawood East Baptist Church, Cordova

Focal Passage: Genesis 16:1-5; 17:1-9 

In Genesis 15 Abram was the man of faith. In chapter 16 he is the man of unbelief. 

I. UNDESERVED PAIN (16:1-5) The Bible records the first biblical instance of domestic strife. The story involves Abram, Sarai, and Hagar who were real people, like we are, and succumbed to the temptation to solve their situation their way instead of waiting on God. Sarai suggested to Abram that he produce an heir from his own body by having a child by her Egyptian servant Hagar. She had a right to do that under the laws and customs of the time. 

However, God had established marriage and the mandate for monogamy within the marriage so, though culturally acceptable, uniting Hagar to Abram was wrong. Sarai blamed God for her barrenness (v. 2). She also blamed Abram for her suffering after Hagar became pregnant.  [Read more…]

By Kenny Bruce
Pastor emeritus, Leawood East Baptist Church, Cordova

Focal Passage: Genesis 15:1-6, 13-16  

Abram is dealing with fear, doubt, confusion and uncertainty. God brings him confidence, security and peace with His promises. 

I. GOD’S PROMISES PROVIDE A FOUNDATION IN THE FACE OF FEAR (Genesis 15:1-5) In the previous chapter, Lot was captured by four invading armies from distant lands, and Abram led 318 of his men to rescue him. In chapter 15, Abram was likely afraid the kings of those armies would retaliate by launching a raid against him. God said to him, “Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great” (v. 1). As our shield, God protects us from our enemies. Every Spirit-filled Christian will have enemies, particularly Satan. 

Bertha Smith was a missionary to China. She was in a mission compound when machine gun bullets from the communists shot out the windows, and she ducked for cover. She said later in her testimony about the episode, “To get to me, a person has to go through God.” God also promised Abram to reward him greatly. The greatest reward was His presence, which is also our greatest reward.  [Read more…]

By Kenny Bruce
Pastor emeritus, Leawood East Baptist Church, Cordova

Focal Passage: Genesis 13:5-11, 14-18 

The herds and flocks of Abram and Lot had increased to the point that the land on which they were grazing could no longer support them. Quarreling began between their herdsmen. 

I. RELIEVED BY GOD (Ch. 13:5-9) Abram, in the flesh, could have said, “Lot, this land belongs to me because God has promised it to me.” Instead, he obviously turned to God, heard His voice, and heeded His counsel. Abram told Lot in verse 8, “Please, let there be no strife between you and me, … for we are brothers.” God had given Abram His plan to resolve the conflict. God did not want His chosen people arguing in the presence of ungodly Canaanites and Perizzites. 

Nothing hinders our testimony more than to have a falling out with a brother in Christ over material things. Paul says in Phillippians. 2:14, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing.” Furthermore, Jesus prayed that Christians would be unified so the world would know that God sent Him (John 17:21).  [Read more…]

By Kenny Bruce
Pastor Emeritus, Leawood East Baptist Church, Memphis

Focal Passage:  Genesis 12:10-13, 17-13:4 

Abram is in the land of promise, following God, and there is a famine. Should he remain, or flee to Egypt where there is food? 

I. FAITH TRIED (12:10-13) Abram was afraid that he would starve. He took his eyes off the promise that God would make him into a great nation and fixed them on his circumstances apart from God. 

He should have stayed where he was and trusted God to provide instead of trusting in himself and going down to Egypt. He followed his fear when he told Sarai to tell the Egyptians that she was his sister, not his wife. He was afraid that they would kill him. He refused to trust God to protect him. 

Have you ever experienced a famine where you did not see any way God could provide? Have you ever thought that because of all the trials that you were going through that you may not be in God’s will? Have you ever taken matters into your own hands because you were afraid? [Read more…]

By Kenny Bruce
Pastor Emeritus, Leawood East Baptist Church, Memphis

Focal Passage: Genesis 12:1-8

Confidence in God means that we focus on God’s plans and promises, not on our plans and circumstances. We see Abraham’s confidence in God expressed through faith and worship. 

I. GOD CALLS US TO FOLLOW HIM (Ch. 12:1-3) God invited Abraham to join Him in a journey to a land God would show Him. Abraham did not seek God; God sought him. He initiated the encounter with Moses at the burning bush and with Paul on the road to Damascus. Likewise, God calls us to assignments that we cannot accomplish apart from Him. God speaks to us primarily through His Word. 

Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ.” In the movie Show Me the Father, Stephen Kendrick was on an airplane reading his Bible when God revealed to him through John 10:16 that he should adopt a child. He and his wife adopted a girl from China who was born on February 14, 2011, the very day Stephen read that passage. God initiated the call and Stephen responded.  [Read more…]