We live as citizens of a kingdom that has begun but has not yet been completed. Thus, we aren’t to just twiddle our thumbs and wait for Jesus’ return or to hide from the world so it doesn’t contaminate us. While we are here we are to join with God in the blessing of this world. Our mission is to follow God in His. Our purpose is to follow Him in the building of His Kingdom.

The central lesson that we must learn this morning and to which we must respond is that We will not truly know Jesus and follow Him unless we see Him rightly through the revelation of the Father in His resurrection and in the Scriptures.

Follow along as Pastor Patrick Edwards brings us the significance of the Crucifixion.

As we close the book of Genesis this morning we’re going to summarize this message of this book by seeing how we are to be looking forward to the City of God and allowing that vision to shape our every action now. Genesis shows us that God’s purposes are to create a family, through whom to bless the whole world, that He may dwell with His creation, and that He is going to do all of this by sending a promised King-Priest, a true Adam.

These three things have been on display thus far in the entire book of Genesis, in the Joseph story, and especially here in our passage this morning. In chapters 42-45 we see how God is at work always to transform the hearts of His people as well as to accomplish His purposes and promises. We see that the sovereignty of God is demonstrated in how He brings about redemption and transformation in our own lives as well as accomplishes His purposes for all creation.

This morning we begin to see how God allows Joseph’s suffering in order bring him and his family into God’s promises for them. We begin to see how God allows Joseph’s hardship to bring about His grander redemptive purposes for all of creation. Though at times mysterious or unclear, God is always bringing to fruition His perfect plans, which, accordingly, are to shape the entirety of His people’s lives.

Genesis 37 & 38 point us forward to the coming King who will reign; these chapters direct us to Jesus Christ. We see this morning that God’s purposes to build His Kingdom through the redemption of people from every nation will ultimately happen through the sending of His anointed King.

We will be shown throughout the remainder of the book of Genesis how we are anointed and set apart by God in His grace so that we will worship and obey Him. God sets His people apart according to His grace to honor and serve Him and His purposes, permitting their stumbles and failures while ultimately keeping His covenant to redeem the nations.

In Genesis 29-33 we see that Through His sovereign, free work God will make all things new, including making a new people that He will conform into His likeness through His benevolent care and covenantal faithfulness.

Thus, continuing this week to explore the faithfulness of God we see that Regardless of the identities, successes, or failures of human beings, God is faithful to His promises, sovereignly and effectively bringing about those purposes through Jesus Christ.