This week we will be exploring Exodus 1 together, Living in Bondage.
Exodus begins where Genesis ends. Israel is in Egypt, living in the land of Goshen, under the protection of Joseph, prospering and multiplying.
But as time goes on, things begin to change.
A new Pharaoh arises and stirs up fear, hatred, and opposition to the Israelites.
Suddenly God's people are despised, enslaved, and even targeted for death. The place that once gave them protection, now becomes a place of persecution. The place of their enjoyment becomes a place of their enslavement.
But even in their distress, God's promise remains and His plan is still at work.
As we study Exodus 1 together, it will become clear that we can never count on this world to be our home. God's Word runs counter to the world's desires. And His plan moves in the opposite direction of the rulers and principalities of this age.
We should not be surprised by opposition.
But, at the same time, we should not live in fear. Two Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, give us an example of how to live courageously and faithfully in the face of fear.
May God's greatness be so magnified in our minds that we live boldly and faithfully for His glory no matter what this world may bring!
A Bible study guide is available, walking step-by-step, verse-by-verse, through Exodus 1-13. Pick up a study guide on Sunday ($5 donation) and join us for this journey!

I am excited to jump in to this study through the book of Exodus. After a year and a half in Genesis, then it only makes sense to continue the story in Exodus.
Exodus reveals the character of God.
Pharaoh's question in Exodus 5:2 is the question that the book answers: "Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go."
We will learn more about Yahweh, the great I AM, the Redeemer, the Lord of all creation in this study.
Exodus also reveals the model of redemption.
The story of Israel's redemption from bondage in Egypt, by the power of God and the blood of the lamb, is a historical picture of our own redemption in Jesus Christ. The story of the exodus, in many ways, is our own story.
We have been set free from the bondage of sin, from the course of this world, from the ruler of this world system, in order that we might walk in covenant relationship with God. We are called out and called to. Called out of serving Pharaoh; called to serving the Lord.
But it is one thing to remove the child of God from Egypt; it is another to remove Egypt from within the child of God!
As we walk with the Israelites out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, through the wilderness, to Mount Sinai, and toward the Promised Land, we will see many parallels to our own walk with Christ.
We are redeemed people, called to follow after God in the freedom of grace, but we are easily tempted to continue to live under the bondage of sin and the world.
As Paul says in Galatians 5:1:
"It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery."
This Sunday, we will introduce our year-long study through Exodus. We will also have a Bible study guide available for you, walking step-by-step, verse-by-verse, through Exodus 1-13.
Pick up a study guide on Sunday ($5 donation) and join us for this journey!
May God overwhelm our vision with His matchless glory and free our hearts to worship His great name!

This Sunday, January 11 (9am & 10:45am), Pastor Zach will conclude a two-week mini sermon series on What Happened After Christmas?
Last week, we saw what happened after Christmas while Jesus was still a baby. This week, we will examine what happened after Christmas when Jesus became a boy.
In this week's passage (Luke 2:41-52), we will get a unique glimpse into Jesus' childhood. Jesus is twelve years old and going up to Jerusalem with his family for the Passover feast. But after the feast is over, and unbeknownst to his parents, Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem.
When Mary and Joseph realize their son is missing, they scramble to look for Him. After three days! They finally find Him in the Temple, listening to and learning from the Jewish teachers.
Like any mother would have been, Mary was stressed to the limit. And she asked why Jesus would do such a thing. But Jesus was surprised. Why were his parents looking for Him? Didn't they realize that He must be in His Father's house?
This passage provides us with the first words spoken by Jesus in the Gospel. And it reveals to us--that from an early age--Jesus understood who He was and what He was called to do.
In 2026, may we be a people who understand our identity and calling like Jesus!

Pastor Zach Benton Teaches through Luke 2:22-40.

This Sunday, we will be exploring Genesis 50 together, The Final Chapter According to God.
We have finally reached the last chapter of Genesis. It has been quite a journey through an amazing book. I pray that you have been encouraged and challenged along the way.
Genesis 50 is the final chapter of this great book. It is also the final chapter of Jacob and Joseph's lives here on earth. Both of their deaths and funerals are in this chapter.
With two deaths and two funerals, it goes without saying that Genesis 50 is also a chapter of sorrow and tears. In fact, crying and tears are mentioned on nine different occasions in the twenty-six verses of this one chapter.
So what does this chapter have to do with Christmas?
Everything!
Christmas is not the story of a little baby entering a pristine world to make us all feel better about the winter season.
It is an invasion. It is a visitation. It is a confrontation with the sin and death of this world.
It is the story of redemption.
This world is a world of tears. We do not live in the Garden of Eden. We live in a world impacted with sin, soaked with sorrows, devastated with death.
Is there any true hope?
In Genesis 50, we see the embers of hope. God's sovereignty assures us that we are part of a bigger story. God's promises are the anchors of our soul in the midst of life's storms. And God's goodness and love remind us that He will surely visit us with redemption.
All that is broken will be made whole.
All that is ruined will be made new.
Do not weep, the Lion of Judah has prevailed!
May God open our eyes to the wonders of the incarnation of our Savior, give us confidence and hope as we navigate the storms of this life, and fill us with joy as we look forward to His kingdom here on earth!

This Sunday, we will be exploring Genesis 49, Prophecy According to God.
Jacob is on his death bed. Hospice has been called in. The time of his death is quickly nearing.
But in a last moment of strength, Jacob calls all of his sons into the room. He speaks as their father. He speaks as a prophet. He speaks as a man who has weathered the storms of life and experienced both the firm discipline and gentle grace of the Lord.
He addresses each of his sons. He describes their character. He warns them of their weaknesses and sinful tendencies. He prophesies about their future. He sees the salvation of God coming through their seed.
Chapter 49 is one of the most difficult passages in Genesis to interpret. It is also one of the longest and oldest poems in ancient history.
Amazingly, it is also an appropriate Christmas passage as it prophesies about the coming Lion of Judah, Shiloh, the Prince of Peace, the Savior of the world!
May we see ourselves in this passage and may we see the beauty, power, and majesty of our Savior, Jesus Christ!

This week we will be exploring Genesis 48 together, Reversals According to God.
It seems that every week we are changing the title of the sermon from the one that is listed in the study guide. It's amazing that as you study a passage more deeply that God reveals deeper and deeper truths.
In this case, while redemption is certainly a theme in Genesis 48, the chapter seems to focus more on the unexpected reversals in life.
Life doesn't always turn out as we planned.
Sometimes we make good choices and it seems like bad consequences follow. Sometimes we pray for God to do one thing and it seems like He does the exact opposite. Sometimes we expect life to turn out in a certain way and it hits us with something totally unwanted and unforeseen.
These are the unexpected reversals of life.
God often blesses us with "crossed hands." He puts His hand of blessing on a part of our lives that we are not expecting and He chooses not to bless a part of our lives that we are wanting Him to.
This is one of the principles that we see in Genesis 48.
Jacob is nearing the end of his life. He is on his deathbed. He can't see. He can barely sit up. But the eyes of his faith are as clear as they have ever been in his life.
He finally sees as God sees.
And this moment is the pinnacle of his faith.
And, despite Joseph's strong objections, Jacob blesses the younger over the older.
It is an unexpected reversal (from a human standpoint).
But, in reality, it is part of God's eternal, beautiful plan.
Joseph just has to trust that his father knows what he is doing.
And we have to do the same.
May God open the eyes of our heart so that we can see Him more clearly, love Him more dearly, and follow Him more nearly than we ever have before!

This week pastor Ken Courville teaches on Genesis 47.