Stapleton Baptist Church

This is the heart of Genesis: Faith in the promises of God. From beginning to end, Genesis is really a series of promises from God to his people and we see how people respond in faith to those promises. May we learn from their example and live our lives as people who still have faith in the promises of God.

While the Bible never says "God works in mysterious ways," it does certainly affirm that God's ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. And that's actually really good news! This week we look at Genesis 46 & 47 and follow God working in mysterious ways through the life of Joseph and his family as they relocate to Egypt.

Every single person will experience being sinned against and we will be face with the decision to forgive someone or not. Genesis 42-45 gives us the perfect master class on forgiveness as we follow the story and example of Joseph. Joseph shows us how to wisely approach forgiveness and affirm God's goodness through it.

Through Genesis 40 & 41 we see a remarkable example of integrity and patience on the part of Joseph. He has every excuse to throw in the towel on God, yet he remains faithful and obedient even in the midst of suffering and injustice. 

Genesis 39 brings us back to the story of Joseph. In this chapter we find Joseph under the strain of immense temptation, yet he is able to overcome and resist. There is much we can learn from Joseph's example to help us resist temptation in our own lives.

Genesis 38 brings us the sordid story of Judah and Tamar. At first glance this story seems random and unnecessary, but once we dig down into the story we find it has a significant role not only in the story of Israel but also the story of Jesus Christ. It all goes to show that God can use the worse people and the worse situations and still accomplish exactly what he plans to accomplish. 

Genesis 37 brings us to the final section of the book of Genesis and its major character, Joseph. His story brings together all the plot lines of Genesis and through it we begin to see how God has been putting the pieces of the puzzle together all along. God's providence is on full display in the life of Joseph.

Genesis 35 & 36 bring us the end of an era--the era of the Patriarchs. From this point forward, God will begin dealing with his people on a corporate level rather than an individual level. And as Christians we should always remember that we are living, breathing fulfillments of God's promises to the patriarchs. 

Genesis 34 brings us one of the most painful stories in the whole book. It's a dark chapter with no mention of God found anywhere in it. Through the failure of Jacob and his sons we are shown the glaring need for God's law in order to establish true justice. The same is true for us today. 

This strange story brings us to the pinnacle of Jacob's spiritual journey. Through his wrestling match with God, Jacob is transformed as he struggles with God, is broken by God, and finally clings to God for a blessing. It often seems that God has to break us before he can bless us.