In this sermon on Genesis 45:16–46:27, in which Jacob learns that Joseph is alive and travels to Egypt with all of his family, Pastor Luke Herche teaches that God’s blessings are tied to the land, that resurrection assures us of present and future blessing, and that we can now be confident in God’s blessing both here and in the world to come.

Part of a series on the book of Genesis.

From Sunday Worship, October 26, 2025.

-------------------------------

Want to go deeper? Take some time to reflect on the sermon with the following questions:

What stands out to you about how God’s hand moves through the events and responses of these people? What emotions, surprises, or reversals do you notice?

Read Genesis 46:3–4. What do these verses reveal about God’s heart toward his people when they face uncertain transitions? How might God’s promises reshape our definition of blessing?

Why do you think Jacob hesitated to leave the land of promise? Where do we today struggle to believe that God can bless us “here”—in our own version of Egypt?

How does seeing Jesus as the “greater Joseph” deepen your understanding of God’s presence and blessing in hard places? What difference do the cross and resurrection make for how we interpret seasons of suffering or exile?

If God is with us and will one day bring us home, how can that confidence shape daily life—our attitudes toward hardship, our priorities, and our relationships? Which “old way” do you sense the Spirit inviting you to release, and what “new way” of trust or contentment could take its place?

-------------------------------

allsoulspca.org

All Souls (Urbana, IL) is a part of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), a Christian, Reformed denomination with historic and theological roots in the Protestant Reformation.