Tag Archives: Christ

Failure

The Struggle Between Our Faith and Failures

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Genesis 11:10-25:11 (NIV)

ABRAHAM’S FAITH AND FAILURES

The time between God’s promise to Abraham and its fulfillment spanned twenty five years!  During that time, Abraham made several wrong attempts to help God fulfill His promise.  There were times, also, when Abraham made decisions that revealed a lack of faith and trust in God. 

GOD’S FAITHFULNESS

Abraham is a wonderful example of a man who lived by faith but continued to make mistakes in judgement.  The bottom line is that God continued to remain faithful to His promises to Abraham, even in the midst of Abraham’s bad decisions and faithless choices. 

OUR FAILURES & GOD’S FAITHFULNESS

As Abraham’s descendants today, God’s faithfulness in the face of our failures is still true.  For His promise to us is still, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6; Hebrews 13:5).

Is this not what the apostle Paul is saying in Romans 8:31-39? Our failures do not deter God’s promises!

Abraham – Faith & Failure
Concluding Video From the Sermon

NOTHING Video | The Skit Guys

Shoreline Church

Jesus is our Shoreline.

Speaking to His people through the prophet Jeremiah, God asks a simple question:

“Have you no respect for me?
    Why don’t you tremble in my presence?”

God’s people, Israel, had messed up terribly, trying to make it through life without God.  Because of this they were suffering heavily and God was warning them that there was more to come.

And so, God tells them,

“I, the Lord, define the ocean’s sandy shoreline as an everlasting boundary that the waters cannot cross. The waves may toss and roar, but they can never pass the boundaries I set.”

– Jeremiah 5:22 (NLT)

God’s point was that no matter how badly the storms may become He is still in control.  He sets the boundaries of the winds and waves,  providing a shoreline of safety to those who will seek Him.

In life we all struggle with wanting to do things our own way instead of surrendering ourselves to God’s ways.  Then, when the storms of life visit us we find ourselves making poor choices under pressure that often make our situations even worse than they were before.

But God is still in control.

So, when we find ourselves in the middle of life’s storms, bobbing up and down in its currents and rip tides, taking on water, we look for the safety of land.  And standing on the shoreline, calling us to safety is God’s Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior.

Isn’t that what church is supposed to be?  A place to safely gather with others who struggle with life’s storms.  A place to rest in the promises of a God who is in control and has provided just what we need to make it.  A place where life makes sense and is filled with meaning and purpose in spite of all of our mistakes.

This is the meaning behind our name: Shoreline.  Here, Jesus stands, arms open wide, welcoming God’s children home.