Laughlin Community Church

Down Into the Pit The scene that we were just in was about how Joseph is betrayed by all the brothers, including Abraham's other sons, but especially Judah, that snake, and his really self-oriented betrayal of his brother. He's after a quick 20 shekels. We're gonna pick up in verse 29 and shift back…

Introduction Mother’s Day can stir up many emotions. For some, it is a day of gratitude and celebration. For others, it carries grief, loss, longing, or complicated memories. Some are exhausted in the middle of parenting. Some are praying for children who have wandered. Some are grieving children they…

A Man in the Field 12 His brothers had gone to pasture their father’s flocks at Shechem. 13 Israel said to Joseph, “Your brothers, you know, are pasturing the flocks at Shechem. Get ready. I’m sending you to them.” “I’m ready,” Joseph replied. 14 Then Israel said to him, “Go and see how your brothers…

Joseph’s Dream Today is the story about his dreams, his robe, the brothers becoming angry like Cain, doing something to their brother that will result in a robe deception, and that's the arc of the chapter. 2 These are the records of the generations of Jacob. Joseph , when seventeen years of age, was…

Introduction: From Theology to People Paul has just taken us to the heights of Christ’s humility. We have seen the Son who emptied Himself, took the form of a servant, and became obedient to the point of death. Now Paul shifts from theology to personnel. At first glance, verses 19 to 30 can feel like…

Introduction to The Joseph Story So we're gonna overview in this first session. And we are going to do some review. Remind ourselves what are you supposed to already know walking into the story of Joseph and his brothers? The story of Joseph and his brothers. These are the 12 sons of Jacob, who is the…

Introduction: Salvation That Shows Paul has just given us the great hymn of Christ’s humility. Jesus humbled Himself, became obedient to death, even death on a cross. Then Paul turns and says, “Therefore.” Because of Christ’s obedience, because of His humility, because of what God has done through Him,…

Jacob and Esau Part Ways Today we are gonna read the conclusion of the Yaaqov story. This final part of the final act. It began with Yaaqov going back to the place where he began his journey in and out of exile to Bethel. He got a new name. He got the blessing, the prediction of kings of many nations.…

Introduction: The Way Down Is the Way Forward Most of us spend a lot of energy protecting our place. Our reputation. Our rights. Our sense of being noticed or appreciated. We may not say it out loud, but we feel it when we are overlooked, when someone else gets the credit, or when serving costs more…

Introduction Good morning, and happy Easter. Easter is one of those days that comes with a lot of expectations. The room is fuller. The songs are louder. The story is familiar. And yet, when you slow down and actually read the resurrection story, especially in the Gospel of John, you notice something…

The Death of Rachel and Isaac The last section was a bright spot in a pretty dark tunnel up to that point. We go back into the land, the family purifies itself, Yaaqov introduces his whole family to the Elohim that has been with him all along. And they leave behind their pagan identities of old to embrace…

Introduction: The Soil Where Joy Grows Paul’s letter to the Philippians is saturated with joy, but that joy is never detached from how believers treat one another. As Paul turns to Philippians 2 , he addresses a quiet threat to the church’s joy, not persecution from outside, but self-centeredness within.…

Jacob Returns to Bethel We are wrapping things up. And interestingly, that is how all of these sections start to feel, like we're wrapping up unresolved threads from earlier in the story in really interesting ways. third and final section makes up most of what we call Genesis 35 and 36. And the first…

Introduction: One Command That Shapes the Whole Church After opening his letter with thanksgiving and prayer, Paul spends much of Philippians 1:12–26 describing his own situation. He writes from prison, uncertain whether his future holds release or death. Yet his concern is not self preservation. His…

Jacob’s Silence We've pondered how the story began. Highly disturbing. We have Shechem, the son of Hamor, who abuses his exalted position to see, take, and rape one of the daughters of a migrant family that just came into the area and bought new property. So we took a long time, and rightfully so, to…

The Oppression of Dinah We are coming to the center of the third act of the Yaaqov story. It's not a happy story. It's highly disturbing, and it's gonna repeat patterns that we have seen at the center of the other two acts. Recall that in the first act, you had the story of the twins and deceptions as…

Introduction: A Statement That Reorients Everything Few sentences in Scripture are as concise and as demanding as Paul’s words in Philippians 1:21 : “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” This is not a poetic flourish or a slogan for difficult times. Paul is not writing from comfort or security.…

The Reunion of Jacob and Esau We have the sending of messengers to Esau. He's coming with 400 men. We have the wrestling with God, seeing him face to face. Yaaqov is now the wounded servant. But he has the blessing, he has the blessing of God. The blessing of God is a dangerous thing to one's own health.…

This morning we are taking a short break from our journey through the book of Philippians. As we move through the year, I like to pause and draw attention to the biblical calendar and the Jewish festivals that shaped the faith of God’s people. Even though we do not celebrate these feasts as Christians,…

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…