The Story of Joseph and the Gospel of many colors – Genesis 41:1-40
Have you ever had a dream that unsettled you? No doubt if you are reading this you have at some point in your life or another. The Pharaoh ruling in the land of Egypt had such a dream, in fact, he had two! Genesis 41 teaches us that these dreams came from the Lord of the universe as a way of forewarning the Pharaoh what was about to take place over the course of the next 14 years. Seven years of incredible prosperity in the land followed by seven years of severe drought and famine. While none of the dream interpreters in Pharaoh's administrative court were able to understand the message of the dreams, there was a young man who could... Joseph! It was at this precise moment that Joseph was brought out of the prison, brought before Pharaoh, and given the opportunity to honor and serve God in this moment.
We encourage you to download the sermon teaching notes, and follow along as Pastor Anton teaches on Genesis 41:1-40. We hope and trust that you will be encouraged.
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- May 1, 2016The Story of Joseph and the Gospel of many colors – Genesis 41:1-40
The Story of Joseph and the Gospel of many colors – Genesis 41:1-40
Have you ever had a dream that unsettled you? No doubt if you are reading this you have at some point in your life or another. The Pharaoh ruling in the land of Egypt had such a dream, in fact, he had two! Genesis 41 teaches us that these dreams came from the Lord of the universe as a way of forewarning the Pharaoh what was about to take place over the course of the next 14 years. Seven years of incredible prosperity in the land followed by seven years of severe drought and famine. While none of the dream interpreters in Pharaoh's administrative court were able to understand the message of the dreams, there was a young man who could... Joseph! It was at this precise moment that Joseph was brought out of the prison, brought before Pharaoh, and given the opportunity to honor and serve God in this moment.We encourage you to download the sermon teaching notes, and follow along as Pastor Anton teaches on Genesis 41:1-40. We hope and trust that you will be encouraged. - Apr 24, 2016The Story of Joseph, Quickly Forgotten – Genesis 40:1-23
The Story of Joseph, Quickly Forgotten – Genesis 40:1-23
Have you ever been overlooked? Possibly for a job promotion or an award for something? Joseph knew the pain of being overlooked and forgotten all too well. A door seemed to open before him, but instead, he remained stuck in prison for another two full years! In the midst of prison, Joseph maintained a God-centered focus and work ethic. He served others, including his pagan masters as a way that he could honor the Lord. You and I have much to learn from the life of Joseph. We encourage you to download the teaching notes, and follow along in your Bible in Genesis 40 as Pastor Anton leads us through a journey of his life. We hope and trust that you will be encouraged.
- Apr 17, 2016The Story of Joseph, and the Gospel of Many Colors – When Temptation has you by the cloak – Gen. 39:1-23
The Story of Joseph, and the Gospel of Many Colors – When Temptation has you by the cloak – Gen. 39:1-23Have you ever suffered the consequences for doing the right thing? It is one thing to receive a negative consequence for doing something wrong or evil, but to receive a negative result when you do the right thing cuts to the core. Joseph experienced this on the deepest level. In somewhat of a similar fashion of that of Christ Jesus, Joseph was lied about and falsely accused. He was thrown into a dungeon for resisting the temptation of Potifar's wife to seduce him. Yet when he resisted her indecent requests time and time again, her desire for sinful relations with the young and handsome Joseph only increased. After years of faithful service to Potifar, Joseph was thrown into prison based on her false testimony against him. Yet in the midst of this, God was providentially at work within Joseph's life, not only to save and spare him, but to save many others including his own family. We encourage you to download the teaching notes, and follow along in the book of Genesis as you listen to this teaching. We trust that you will be encouraged.
- Apr 10, 2016The Story of Joseph, Life in the Pit – Genesis 37:12-36
The Story of Joseph, Life in the Pit – Genesis 37:12-36Did you have any brothers or sisters growing up? If so, what was the birth order? Were you the oldest, youngest, or maybe the middle child? What was the baby of the family treated like? Royalty as though they could do no wrong, or were they overlooked and ignored? Sometimes when reading the story of Joseph, we can be tempted to overlook the emotional pain and hurt associated with Joseph and his relationship with his family members due to our familiarity with the story. Today, as you listen and consider the teaching from Pastor Anton, try and imagine what it would have been like for Joseph to be brought up in such a dysfunctional family home environment. Consider the betrayal and heartache he must have faced when they seized him and threw him into the empty cistern to die. Only to have his hopes crushed again as a result of being pulled out of the cistern, and then betrayed again as he was sold to traders headed to Egypt. Yet through all of this, God had His hand of blessing and provision upon Joseph. As you listen and consider this teaching, consider your own story, and what you have faced through life up till this point. Consider what God has brought you through, and where He is leading you in the days to come. We hope and trust that you will be encouraged.
- Apr 3, 2016The Story of Joseph and the Gospel of many colors – Genesis 37:1-17
The Story of Joseph and the Gospel of many colors – Genesis 37:1-17 At the age of only 17, Joseph as we are told in Genesis 37, has some incredible dreams. Although he is one of the youngest of his father Jacobs 12 sons, he is highly favored over the others by their father. This causes for there to be incredible disunity within the family, and his brothers hate him so much that they are unable to speak to him. Joseph came from a dysfunctional family to say the very least, yet at this early stage in life, we are able to see a man of great character and integrity emerging. Joseph learns integrity early on and acts upon it, even when it costs him everything. We would like to encourage you to join us in our journey through the life of Joseph over the next several weeks. There are many important life lessons to be gained from his life, as well as many exciting correspondences between him and Jesus Christ. Please download the teaching notes and follow along as we embark on this journey together.
- Mar 27, 2016Mirror Mirror – Easter Sunday – March 27 2016
Mirror Mirror – Easter Sunday – March 27 2016
What do you see when you look into a mirror? Anger, hatred, addiction, lust, failure... what do you see? Each of us, if we are being honest, would like to have our past failures or regrets covered and paid for, and a bright future ahead of us. When it comes to our personal and spiritual lives, this is often the case. During this message, Pastor Anton speaks on the reality of 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT) which says, "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" Our past has been paid for through the precious sacrifice of Jesus, and we have a glorious hope for our future in Him. But a gift cannot be earned, it must be received. We encourage you to listen to this message and download the notes as you follow along. At FOCUS, our primary desire is for you to know and understand the truth of God's Word, and walk in it. We hope that you and your family have a wonderful Easter this year! - Mar 25, 2016Good Friday – Mark 15:33-47
Good Friday – Mark 15:33-47
Have you ever described a food as "good"? In a conversation, have you ever explained someone as being a "good" person to someone else? We often call people, places, vehicles, even pets as being "good"... but what does it mean to call Good Friday "good"? We encourage you to download the teaching notes and journey along with Pastor Anton as he teaches on Mark's account of the death and burial of Jesus. We hope and trust that you will be encouraged and challenged in your walk with Him. - Mar 20, 2016Palm Sunday – Christ as the Coming King – Luke 19:28-44
Palm Sunday – Christ as the Coming King – Luke 19:28-44
Have you ever had a "Red Carpet" experience? A time in your life when you and possibly others with you were honored in a special way?When we consider the arrival of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem, we quickly gather from the Gospels that Jesus was received as a coming king! Yet the expectations of those gathered in Jerusalem at the time were not met by Jesus. Jesus had come as a humble servant to fulfill the will of the Father in Heaven. He had come to bring about an eternal victory, not a temporal one over the Romans. We encourage you to download the teaching notes from this message by Pastor Anton, and learn with us as we journey through the account of the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. - Mar 13, 2016Love Revolution – Story of Gomer/Hosea Chapters 1 &14 – Our Position in Christ Jesus
Love Revolution – Story of Gomer/Hosea Chapters 1 &14 – Our Position in Christ Jesus
Have you ever considered what it must have been like for Hosea the prophet's wife Gomer? I can only imagine that she had feelings of guilt and shame because she was a woman with a title and a history. And although she might have "married up" as some would say, I am sure that she must have quested Hosea's genuine love for her at times. "Could he really ever truly love me?" "Did he only marry me because God commanded him?" "Will he leave me because I am not good enough?"These are just a few of the questions that Gomer would have asked herself. Yet how often do we ask the same things of the Heavenly Father's love for us! One pastor says it this way, "our Past always has a way of working it's way into our Present." How true for each and everyone of us! We hope that you will take the time to download the lesson notes and following along as Pastor Anton journeys through the book of Hosea as seen through the eyes of Gomer. God had such a beautiful redemption story for Gomer, and He has a story of redemption for you too! - Mar 6, 2016Love Revolution – Hosea 1:2-2:1 – Run TO God
Love Revolution – Hosea 1:2-2:1 – Run TO GodHave you ever been pursued by someone or something? Maybe by a mean neighborhood dog like that of the movie The Sandlot... Or maybe it was an officer of Law Enforcement due to you making a poor choice while driving. Being pursued by someone or something can feel overwhelming and scary at times. This is how some view God. They view Him as one who is "out to get them" for all the wrongs that they have committed. They are essentially Running FROM God because they are worried about Him catching up to them and judging them for their selfish actions and choices.
On the other end of the spectrum, some are in the mindset that they need to Run FOR God. This too is a faulty way of viewing the One True God of the universe. They believe that through their actions, they can serve God in such a way that He will love them more. It is a way of "making up for all the past mistakes." Yet the Word of God tells us that even our very best actions are like fitly rags before the Almighty creator and sustainer of the World.So what is the correct way we should be viewing God? We are to Run TO Him! He is a loving heavenly Father, and His desire is to have you in right relationship with Him. He is the only one who is able to forgive you for the wrongs (what the Bible calls sin) you and I have committed. Download the notes to this week's sermon, and follow along as Pastor Anton shares about these truths from the story of Hosea the prophet. We hope and trust you will be encouraged.