Sunday, June 26: Doctrine Creation What we believe about our beginning informs the way we live our lives and understand our purpose. Where we came from and why we are here are two fundamental human questions that have been debated outside and inside the church with passion because it tells the story of who we […]
Sunday, June 21: Family of God Genesis 1:26-28 In Acts 8, an Ethiopian eunuch is journeying home after worshipping at the temple in Jerusalem. We are not told the specifics of his experience in Jerusalem, but given his ethnicity and status (a eunuch), it probably would not have been good. Gentiles had limited access to worship. […]
Sunday, March 25: Joseph Genesis 47–50 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. Genesis 50:20 (ESV) As we’ve explored the life of Joseph and his family, it’s become increasingly clear that God is […]
Sunday, March 11: Joseph Genesis 45:1–28 What is it that makes Joseph great? Have you ever thought about that? Why did the Spirit of God give him so much ink in Scripture? Maybe not as much as a Moses or a David – but still a lot.Think about it. He never did a miracle. He […]
Sunday, February 25: Joseph Genesis 44:1–34 In his book on Joseph, God Meant it for Good, R.T. Kendall writes about the material in Genesis 44, “[Y]ou cannot have your life to live over again. What is done is done. Even the blood of Jesus cannot undo the past. It can forgive the past and make you […]
Sunday, February 18: Joseph Genesis 43:1–34 Last week, we saw a famine strike the whole world, forcing ten of Jacob’s sons to go to Egypt for grain. (Benjamin stayed behind, of course. He was the favorite and Jacob didn’t want to put him in danger.) Unbeknownst to the brothers, their long-lost brother Joseph had ascended the ranks […]
Sunday, February 11: Joseph Genesis 42:1–38 When we think of the faithfulness of God, it’s easy to think of the Bible’s “Main Characters.” The big names of the Bible get their own cartoon movies: Moses and Joseph, or even Dave and the Giant Pickle, if you prefer Veggie Tales. We understand how God was faithful […]
Sunday, February 4: Joseph Genesis 41:1–57 What God does in us while we wait is as important as what we are waiting for. Ben Patterson I don’t know about your Bible, but in mine there is about an inch of white space between Genesis chapters 40 and 41. It doesn’t look like much on paper […]
Sunday, January 28: Joseph Genesis 40:1–23 It was only when I lay there on rotting prison straw that I sensed within myself the first stirring of good. Gradually, it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either, but right through […]
Sunday, January 21: Joseph Genesis 39:1–23 Last week, we continued our study of the life of Joseph and saw him sold into slavery by his brothers. Our passage ended with Joseph on the slave train to Egypt.This week, we pick up the story in Genesis 39. Joseph is in Egypt and he finds himself a […]
Sunday, January 14: Joseph Genesis 37:12–36 How do we keep our faith when times are hard?That is going to be our question over the next two weeks as we continue our study of the life of Joseph. Last week, Gary introduced the story. We saw that years of favoritism had created a rift between Jacob’s […]
Sunday, January 7: Joseph Genesis 37:1–11 Then his brothers said to him, “Are you actually going to reign over us? Or are you really going to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.Genesis 37:8 A lot of people are familiar with Joseph but for a lot […]
Sunday, March 12: Jacob Genesis 48–49 Last week, we saw Jacob come into his own—he became one of the great patriarchs of Israel. But what of the promises made to Abraham and Isaac? Did they come true, or did Jacob the rascal squander God’s favor? Further, what does all of this mean to us?In Genesis […]
Sunday, March 5: Jacob Genesis 35:1–29 When we think of Jacob, we think of him as one of the great patriarchs. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were the fathers of the Jewish nation—the great patriarchs of the people of God. However, to this point in his story, Jacob hasn’t acted very patriarchal. In fact, he’s been […]
Sunday, February 26: Jacob Genesis 33:1–20 Jacob is on his way home. Twenty years before, he defrauded his brother and was forced to run for his life to escape his wrath. Esau, in fact, had promised to kill him. Esau is a big, strong, hairy guy with bow hunting skills. To make matters worse, Jacob has […]
Sunday, February 19: Jacob Genesis 32:1–32 If there was ever a man who found himself between the proverbial “devil and the deep blue sea,” it’s Jacob between the day he leaves behind his father-in-law, Laban, and the day he meets up with his brother, Esau.At the end of Genesis 31 Laban is behind him and […]
Sunday, February 12: Jacob Genesis 31:1–55 Jacob’s story begins with a word from God that his older brother Esau will serve him. But even from the beginning, it’s difficult to imagine how this might be. Esau is older. He’s stronger. He’s bolder and braver. His father is on his side. He doesn’t look ready to […]
Sunday, February 5: Jacob Genesis 30:25–43 We have been journeying through the life of Jacob for a few weeks now. From his angel-heralded birth, to his deception of Esau and Isaac, to his vision of God, Jacob’s life has been full of drama. Now we’ve know from the beginning that Jacob would inherit the blessing […]
Sunday, January 29: Jacob Genesis 29:1–30:34 As we return to our study in Genesis, Jacob has left home to escape the wrath of his bow hunting brother. Esau would like nothing better than to turn him into a human pin cushion for stealing his blessing. So, out of fear, he walks 50 miles on his […]
Sunday, January 22: Jacob Genesis 28:1–22 There is no event so common place but that God is present within it, always hiddenly, always leaving you room to recognize him or not… because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace. Frederick Buechner “There are two great tragedies in life,” […]
Sunday, January 15: Jacob Genesis 26–27 Have you ever found yourself saying that you have been blessed by God? What does that mean?Is blessing proof that God loves us more than others? Is blessing a sign that we are better or more righteous than most people? What about those who don’t experience blessing? What about […]