The story of Leah, Rachel, and Jacob reveals how human longings, even for good things such as love, family, and acceptance, can never fully satisfy when they take the place of God. Both Jacob and Leah learn through disappointment that misplaced hopes lead to heartache, while God uses their struggles to shape their character and draw them closer to Himself. Leah’s journey culminates when she shifts her focus from seeking Jacob’s love to praising God, naming her son Judah, meaning…
This sermon uses the story of Jacob’s dream at Bethel (Genesis 28) to explore three themes: the hiddenness, openness, and givenness of heaven. Jacob, a lifelong trickster who tried to secure blessing and status through his own efforts, discovers that heaven is not earned through achievement but opened by God’s grace. Sermon preached by Peter Tepper on 19 July 2026 at St Peter the Fisherman, New Smyrna Beach, Florida.
The story of Isaac and Rebekah is a story of covenantal love. It is picture of God’s love for his bride, the Church. God guides, we respond in faith and the Spirit bring us home to our beloved. Text: Genesis 24 Sermon preached by Peter Tepper on 5 JUL 2026 at St Peter the Fisherman, New Smyrna Beach, Florida.
Abraham faces God’s agonizing command to offer Isaac, “your son, your only son, whom you love,” revealing a test of whether Abraham will trust God above even his deepest affections. The narrative heightens its emotional tension as Isaac carries the wood, asks about the missing lamb, and Abraham responds in faith that “God will provide for himself the lamb.” At the last moment God intervenes, sparing Isaac and providing a ram—showing that God both sees and “will see to it,”…
