2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. – Genesis 20:2
It’s like Groundhog Day! Do you remember the movie? The year was 1993.The actor was Bill Murray. The plot was about a self-centered weatherman named Phil Connors who finds himself stuck in a time loop covering Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney, PA. Antics ensue as the day repeats itself and he lives the same situations over and over again until he gets it “right.” The movie has become a bit of a phenomenon and its title has developed into a descriptive cliche to describe a situation that repeats itself.
So now, with this in mind, go ahead and read Genesis 20. Am I right? Doesn’t it feel a lot like Groundhog Day? Haven’t we studied this passage before? The answer is no and yes. No, we haven’t studied this passage before, but yes, it sure feels like we have. The reason it feels this way is because Abraham literally makes the same mistake he made in Genesis 12 when he took his trip to Egypt. Now 25 years later, he takes a trip to a different location but finds himself committing the same sin with the same repercussions as before. Never-the-less as we learn, our God is gracious.
While it’s easy to shake our heads at Abraham, the truth is we live a lot of days committing the same pattern of sins. In essence, from a broader view we all tend to live our own series of spiritual groundhog days. The question we’ll tackle in this week’s message is, how do we break out? How do we get it “right” and move beyond the recurring sins that beset us. O’man, I cannot wait for this week’s message. Freedom awaits. Breakthrough is coming. It’s time to crush the echoes of past sins in our lives.
Take some time to listen to the worship set to prepare your heart.
Love you Church,
Jerry Lingenfelter
Senior Pastor