God loves mankind very much and also wants men and women to know the reality of His existence. To make both of those facts plain, He gives prophetic words throughout scripture. One of those places is where Pastor Daniel will be teaching from today. You’ll hear Jacob telling what the descendants of his sons will be like based on the temperaments of the son. It’s quite remarkable and goes to show the divine origin of the Bible.

What does being faithful and fruitful mean and how is that different than being successful? From the world’s viewpoint, success can be measured by increasing wealth and prestige. But does that mean that you were faithful or fruitful? Pastor Daniel will be teaching about Jacob’s faithfulness to God as Jacob nears the end of his life. You’re going to learn what the difference between success and fruitfulness is and which is more important to God.

You’ve probably heard the saying, “You can pick your friends but you’re stuck with family”. And it’s true; you don’t have a choice about blood relatives, for good or for bad. Adopting someone, on the other hand, is deliberately making a person a part of your family. Pastor Daniel will teach about Jacob adopting Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. He will explain the significance of this act and Jacob’s prophecies about these brothers.

Have you ever tried to lift a package that was too heavy for you to carry? Did you try to figure out a way to move it yourself or did you ask for help? In the daily toils of life, we humans most often try to figure out a way to solve our problems ourselves. Pastor Daniel will be reminding you that there are always going to be hardships that you just can’t solve yourself. There’s Someone, God, Who knows about your trouble and has a solution for you.

Nobody wants to go through hard times, but when they happen – and they do for everyone – the tendency is to ask why they happened. Joseph surely could ask why he suffered the way he did but Pastor Daniel is going to show that there’s no evidence that Joseph had a pity party or got mad at God. He showed how to live your life: remember Who has you in their hand and do the best you can in your situation, because God is Who you ultimately answer to.

That’s tough to hear, isn’t it? Everybody wants to be given a break because we all fall short of our ideal behavior. And maybe that’s okay for earthly stuff but as Pastor Daniel will be teaching, God’s standard is a simple one to understand: perfection. In word, thought, and deed. And we all know that under that code we don’t make the cut. That’s why God planned for Jesus to come to earth and redeem us; how wonderful!

You’d have to love somebody a whole lot to offer your life in exchange for theirs. Most parents would be willing to do something like that to save their children; if you’re a parent, you understand. Pastor Daniel will be teaching about a similar situation where Jacob was required to let his precious son Benjamin go to Egypt so they could get food. The similarities between Judah and Jesus will become clear.

You’ve heard the phrase, “Actions have consequences”. This is true in the physical world but also in the spiritual one. How we react to circumstances, both good and bad, has a ripple effect on the world around us. Pastor Daniel will talk about Joseph’s treatment of his brothers and the effect it had on them. You’ll hear about their residual guilt as well as Joseph’s graciousness toward them. Lessons for us to learn, for sure.

Joseph certainly was the right man in the right place at the right time for Egypt and the surrounding countries. If he had been busy with a pity party when he was sold into slavery by his brothers, things would’ve turned out way different for that whole region. Pastor Daniel will be teaching about the importance of living your life in such a way that you will be prepared for things that God has planned for you but you know nothing about yet.

Have you ever had a situation where you needed to say something to a friend that you knew they weren’t going to like, and you didn’t tell them because you didn’t want them to get mad at you? Sure, everyone has done that. But Pastor Daniel is going to teach about a time when Joseph did just that thing. You’re going to be reminded that sometimes being a good friend sometimes means you’re going to make your friend mad.