Text: Genesis 46

1. God's Promise is Reaffirmed (Genesis 46:1-4)

· Jacob journeys to Beersheba to worship God

· God renews His covenant promise with Jacob and promises to be with him.

· We must trust God to be with us and keep His promises in the midst of fear and uncertainty.

2. Jacob's Faith is Renewed (Genesis 46:5-27)

· Jacob obeyed the Lord and journeyed to Egypt with his entire family.

· The list of 70 names highlights the faithfulness of God to keep His covenant promise.

· We need to regularly rehearse the faithfulness of God.

3. God's People are Reunited (Genesis 46:28-34)

· God was faithful to reunite Jacob and Joseph after decades of hardship and loss.

God was faithful to provide for and protect His people in Egypt.

Text: Genesis 45

Providential Forgiveness (Gen. 45:1-15)

• As Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, he traces God's providence through the evil his brothers had done to him.
• We must choose to forgive one another and seek to overcome evil with good, not vengeance. (Romans 12:14-21)

Providential Provision (Gen. 45:16-24)

• God sovereignly provides for His people through Pharaoh's decree and Joseph's generosity.
• God's grace is put on display as He sovereignly and abundantly provides for all our needs.

Providential Renewal (Gen. 45:25-28)

• Jacob not only discovers that Joseph is alive, but also that he is both ruler and provider.
• This news brings new life to Jacob as he journeys to see his son one last time.
• Christ is the ultimate Provider of salvation and reconciliation to all who believe in Him (Romans 5:8-11).

Main Idea: God providentially accomplishes His saving purpose by extending forgiveness to those who deserve judgment.

Text: Genesis 44

A Revealing Test of Character (Gen. 44:1-13)

• Joseph applies a final test to see if his brothers have truly changed.
• God tests our faith to reveal our character and produce steadfastness

A Real Confession of Guilt (Gen. 44:14-17)

• Joseph's confrontational question leads to Judah's genuine confession.
• God was at work to expose the brothers' sin against Joseph (Gen. 37:18; 42:21-22).
• God graciously exposes our sin to lead us out of our sin.

A Repentant Heart of Self-Sacrifice (Gen. 44:18-34)

• Judah proves his repentance in pleading for Benjamin and his father and offering up himself.
• Our repentance is proven in our submission to God and denial of self.
• Judah's substitution points forward to Christ's greater substitutionary atonement for our sins.

Main Idea: True repentance is proven by a transformed heart that submits to God and sacrifices for others.

The Promise Given (Genesis 12:1-3)

1- The Sovereign Plan of God is Revealed

2- God calls one man to bless the nations

3- He establishes a covenant that will echo for eternity

The Promise Clarified (Psalm 67)

1- This blessing leads to a knowledge of God and global joy

2- The goal is for the nations to rejoice in God's Saving Power

The Servant Declared--- The Light for the Nations (Isaiah 49:6)

3- The promise becomes clearer and more focused

4- A promised light

5- Each servant carries the covenant outward and forward

The Promise Fulfilled (Matthew 28:18-20)

1- The promised Messiah comes to obey, die, and rise!

2- All authority is His: He gives/repeats the command of His Father

3- The blessing of Abraham is secured

The Promise Proclaimed (Acts 1:8)

1- The risen King sends out witnesses/servants to proclaim - to be light

2- The Holy Spirit empowers the proclamation

3- The Gospel advances to all nations through faithful servants

The Promise Completed (Revelation 7:9-10)

1- A multitude washed in the blood of the Lamb

2- Every nation, tribe, people, and language

3- All worshiping with knowledge

"Our weaknesses cannot interupt the sovereign Will of God!"

Text: Genesis 43

God's Providential Mercy Moves His People to Complete Surrender (Gen. 43:1-14)

• Jacob is forced to reckon with his fears and put his trust in God.
• Judah demonstrates sacrificial love for his family.
• We must respond to God's mercy with a surrendered trust in His providence.

God's Providential Mercy Places His People Under Abundant Grace (Gen. 43:15-34)

• Joseph's brothers are invited to Joseph's home and receive undeserved generosity at his table.
• As recipients of God's mercy, we can forgive those who sin against us (Eph. 4:31-32).
• Jesus invites sinners to repent and be reconciled at His table of grace (Luke 15:11-24).

Main Idea: God prepares the way for reconciliation through His providential mercy.

Text: Genesis 42

Facing Perilous Circumstances (Gen. 42:1-5)

• Jacob and his sons face starvation due to a worldwide famine.
• Jacob's response proves his lack of trust in God's promises and in his sons' integrity.
• God's providence can be misunderstood through affliction: God is at work within us, as He uses affliction to draw us into dependance upon Him.

Facing Past Sins (Gen. 42:6-28)

• As Joseph's brothers come to Egypt to buy food, Joseph tests them in multiple ways to see if they have changed their ways.
• Joseph's testing awakens and convicts the brothers' consciences.
• God's providence in bringing conviction of our sin can be misunderstood: God is working in us, not against us.

Facing Profound Sorrow (Gen. 42:29-38)

• Joseph's brothers return to Canaan, but have difficult news for their father.
• Jacob is overwhelmed with sorrow at the prospect of losing another son.
• God's providence can be misunderstood through adversity: God is at work in us - not against us - through the adversity.

Main Idea: God's providence is often misunderstood during adversity, but it is always working according to His wise and gracious purposes for our good.

Text: Genesis 41

Providential Preparation (Gen. 41:1-13)

• In God's providence, Joseph continues to stay in prison for two more years.
• In God's providence, Pharaoh has two troubling dreams that cause him great distress.
• God remains at work to prepare and position Joseph for His purpose.

Providential Interpretation (Gen. 41:14-36)

• In God's providence, Joseph is summoned to appear before Pharaoh and interpret his troubling dreams.
• In God's providence, Joseph predicts a coming famine and produces a plan to save people from death.
• God is at work to provide Joseph with the right interpretation and rescue plan for His purpose.

Providential Promotion (Gen. 41:37-52)

• In God's providence, Joseph is promoted from a slave to second in command in all of Egypt.
• In God's providence, God blesses Joseph and causes him to be fruitful in the midst of his affliction.
• God is at work to bring His promises to pass and is faithful to bring us through affliction.

Providential Salvation (Gen. 41:53-57)

• In God's providence, Joseph was used by God to save people from dying in the famine.
• In God's providence, Jesus was sent by God to save people from dying in their sins.

Main Idea: In His providence, God will enable us to remain faithful to Him as He sovereignly prepares and positions us to accomplish His purpose for our lives.

Text: Genesis 40

God's Providence at Work in Difficult Circumstances (Gen. 40:1-8)

• In God's providence, Joseph encounters two prisoners in difficult circumstances who have dreams they don't understand.
• In God's providence, Joseph offers to help the prisoners, listen to their dreams, and point them to God's wisdom.

God's Providence at Work in Determining Destinies (Gen. 40:9-19)

• In God's providence, the prisoners share dreams of their future with Joseph.
• In God's providence, Joseph is able to interpret the dreams of the prisoners.
• In God's providence, Joseph pleads with hope for the cupbearer to plead his case of innocence before Pharaoh.

God's Providence at Work in Demonstrated Results (Gen. 40:20-23)

• In God's providence, the prisoners' dreams of the future take place just as Joseph interpreted them.
• In God's providence, Joseph is forgotten by man, but not forsaken by God.

Main Idea: Because God rules over every circumstance, we can trust Him with hope while we wait for His providence to unfold.

Text: Genesis 39

God's Presence in Our Success (Gen. 39:1-6a)

• God was with Joseph through uncertainty and hardship as he is taken as a slave to Egypt.
• God was with Joseph as the source of his success in Potiphar's household.
• We must look to God through every season knowing that anything we receive is from His good hand of providence.

God's Presence in Our Temptation (Gen. 39:6b-18)

• God was with Joseph in the midst of sexual temptation.
• Joseph resisted temptation out of integrity to his authority and his commitment to God's ways.
• We must look to God as we are tempted, knowing that He is more satisfying than anything sin can offer us.

God's Presence in Our Adversity (Gen. 39:19-23)

• God was with Joseph as he was falsely accused and forced into prison.
• God displayed His steadfast love and favor to Joseph.
• We must look to God in our hardships as our hope and help in all circumstances.
• In Christ our Savior we have "God with us" who is in us and will never forsake us (Matt. 1:21-23; Heb. 13:5-6).

Main Idea: God is with us and at work within us through all circumstances to empower us to live faithfully and trust in His providence.

Text: Genesis 38

A Disastrous Rejection of God's Ways (Gen. 38:1-11)

• Judah disobeyed God by marrying outside His covenant family.
• Judah's sons died by God's hand for their wickedness.
• Judah sinned against Tamar by cutting her off from the family.

A Deceitful Plot to Seek Justice (Gen. 38:12-23)

• Tamar acted in a sinful way to address the injustice Judah has caused her
• Judah's sinful heart is revealed in his immorality.
• Tamar secures the evidence that will protect her and expose Judah.

A Dramatic Revelation and Repentance of Sin (Gen. 38:24-26)

• Judah's hypocrisy is revealed as he condemns Tamar's immorality before examining his own sin.
• Judah's sin is exposed as Tamar reveals the identity of the father of her child.
• Judah repents of his sin and recognizes Tamar's case for justice.

God's Design to Preserve and Provide Salvation (Gen. 38:27-30)

• The line of Christ will extend through Judah, Tamar, and other broken sinners (Gen. 49:9-10; Matt. 1:3).
• God sovereignly protected and provided salvation according to His plan of redemption (Rev. 5:1-10).

Main Idea: God's grace is displayed in saving and using broken sinners for His plan of redemption.