To Know Jesus and to Make Him Known
Sermon Series on the Book of Genesis
(oldest content first)
Our Ultimate Destiny Is In Gods Hands (Genesis 43)
Things are getting desperate in Jacobs household so Judah takes control of the situation and decides to take Benjamin and go down to Egypt. Jacob displays a complete lack of faith, he acts and speaks in a very unbelieving way.
So the eleven brothers arrive in Egypt and to their surprise they are treated royally and the eleven brothers bow before Joseph . Joseph shows amazing Christian Charity towards his brothers despite what they the did to him and his Father all those years previously.
But God was not yet finished with the brothers!
Truth and its Consequences (Genesis 44)
(From the Genesis Series)
The Brothers are about to go back home as of now their secret sins are not yet revealed There is one more twist in the tale. A cup belonging to Joseph is found in a sack belonging to Benjamin . When the brothers are confronted Judah realises that the time has come to confront the sins of the family He is quoted as saying in verse 16 "God has found out the Guilt of your servants". Judah displays a new found spiritually and maturity and takes complete responsibility for the situation in hand .He displays what true repentance is really like which is a step beyond recognition of sin and regret of its consequences it is the decision to turn from sin to the righteousness one who is Jesus Christ.
Forgiveness & Reconciliation - Genesis 45
The simple statement "I am Joseph" must have sounded like a thunderclap to his brothers. After all these years they were finally confronted with their sin.
Joseph shows remarkable God like attitudes here by forgiving them and offering them kindness and telling them that it was all part of Gods sovereign plan.
We can learn from Joseph that by offering forgiveness and reconciliation to those who offend us we demonstrate God like attributes as we read in Ephesians 4:32 - "Be kind to one another,tenderhearted,forgiving one another,as God in Christ forgave you."
For Jacob, Life Begins at 130 (Genesis 46)
Jacob finally gets to meet his son Joseph - but not before God meets with him and reassures him that he is not going to be forgotten about in Egypt.
Jacob has learned that by trusting God is the only way to achieve peace and contentment even though it has taken him a lifetime to discover that truth.
One Big Happy Family (Genesis 47)
We see in this section the sovereign God at work providing for Jacob and his family by using a pagan King namely Pharaoh .
As Jacob realises his time on earth is short he calls Joseph to give him his final instructions regarding his funeral.
Jacob was a pilgrim like his forefathers who knew that his ultimate home was not here on earth but in the "City of God in Heaven" where a permanent spiritual home awaits for all believers.
Jacob Adopts His Grandsons (Genesis 48)
Jacob is bedridden and nearing death but before he dies, he wants to bless and adopt Joseph's two sons into his family.
Again as we have seen through Genesis, God intervenes in who receives the blessing that is traditionally reserved for the eldest son. Now Jacob blesses Ephraim over Manasseh under the guiding hand of God.
Jacob reminds Joseph and his sons of God's faithfulness to himself over his lifetime.
Like Jacob the most important heritage we can hand down to our children and grandchildren is Faith in the promises of God.
The Family With a Future (Genesis 49)
Jacob calls his sons and grandsons and blesses them -
but they were much more than just blessings -
they were in fact a revelation of human character and conduct as well as of divine purposes.
The coming of the Saviour,
which had been promised to Jacobs people,
is foretold as Jacob speaks to Judah.
Forgiving One Another (Genesis 50:15-26)
Jacob has been buried with his family members in Machpelah as was his dying wish.
Now the sons that remained behind become nervous as they are unsure as to how Joseph is going to treat them now that Jacob is gone. They need not have worried because Joseph treated them as God treats us sinners as we read in
Micah 7:18-19 "God forgives our sins they are forgotten and buried in the depths of the sea".
What a great example to show us how we should deal
with those who hurt and disappoint us in our Christian walk.
Philippians 2:1-5 - "Real People, Warts and All"
Over the course of our study of Genesis one thing we observed is
that the people we encountered were unique in their own way.
What they all had in common with us is that like us they were not perfect -
God was still able to work out his great plan of salvation through them.
Like us they also were also saved and provided for
by the mercy and grace that proceeds from God Almighty.
