This Sunday we come to the end of one section in Genesis (Genesis 12–24), as chapter 25 transitions from Abraham to his two sons (Ishmael and Isaac), to Jacob who will predominate the next eleven chapters (Genesis 26–36). As Exodus 6:3 identifies the covenant Lord as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, it is vital for us to see how these chapters work together to tell the story of God’s promises...

If you have been around OBC for any length of time, you know that we value the structure of the Bible. That is to say, we believe that because God inspired every word in Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:19–21), he also inspired the literary shape of those words. For instance, the five books of the Psalter were arranged to mirror the five books of Moses and to tell the story of King David and his g...

As you know, the book of Genesis is so named because it is a book of beginnings. Genesis 1–2 tell us about the beginning of the world. Genesis 3 tells us about the beginning of sin, while Genesis 4–11 begin to show us how God brings salvation through judgment. Then after Genesis 10–11 begin to show the spread of the nations, Genesis 12 introduces us to a man named Abram who will be the source of s...

Last year, we began a new Good Friday sermon series called “The Cross and the Crowd.” From 2018–2024, we looked at the seven statements of Christ on the cross. And last year, we started a new Good Friday series, where we considered the impact of the cross on the various people—individuals and groups—who stood around the cross. Or, as we will see this year, some who did not stand around the cross.A...