Taught by Grace

In Genesis 43, Jacob and his sons are forced into uncertainty as God leads them back to Egypt for food in the midst of the famine.

We are going to enter into uncertainty with Jacob and his boys in chapter 43 and I want to show you two realities about this chapter:

1. God will put you in Uncertain Circumstances (1-15)

2. God is in control of Uncertain Circumstances (16-34)

In chapter 42, we meet his father and brothers for the first time as a group since chapter 37.

This chapter is the beginning of the story of forgiveness and reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers. Those scoundrels and losers are going to be reconciled to the brother they wronged and sinned against. However, before that could happen, something very important needed to happen - Their guilt needed to be uncovered. 

There are two big points I want you to see as we look at this chapter  

1. The Danger of Unconfessed Guilt (1-28) - In Joseph’s brothers, we are going to see how the guilt of their sin with Joseph never left them. It continues to weigh them down and is thoroughly exposed in this chapter. 

2. The Danger of Unresolved Grief (29-38) - In Joseph's Father, we are going to see how the grief of his loss with Joseph never left him.

Joseph has been a tested man ever since we met him in Genesis 37

He’s passed every test so far. 

He did his best at Potipher’s house

He ran from sin when Potipher’s wife tempted him

He was faithful in prison

He cared for the butler and baker 

He stayed faithful to God in the years of silence

Joseph has endured affliction faithfully, but how will he handle prosperity? What is the test that comes in our prosperity?

Will Joseph embrace Egypt or stay true to God? Listen as the text answers this question in this week's episode!

Joseph rises to power through seemingly ordinary circumstances here:

The king has a dream

The wise men can’t interpret the dream or don’t want to

The butler finally remembers Joseph

The guard brings Joseph from prison 

Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dreams 

Joseph suggests finding a wise man to put over Egypt through the years of famine

Pharaoh puts Joseph over all of Egypt as the grand vizier

Joseph got here because God had been working behind the scenes to fulfill his plan in Joseph’s life. This was all the masterful orchestration of God. Only God could have done all of this to put Joseph where he needed to be. 
God raised Joseph up from these ordinary circumstances to put Him exactly where He wanted Him to be, exactly when He wanted him to be there. Here’s what we learn from these first 41 verses of Genesis 41 - God is big enough to get you where He wants you to be, when He wants you to be there, and how He wants you to get there.

Are we there yet? 

Is the food ready yet? 

Is my package here yet? 

Has my coffee come out yet? 

Each of these questions have to do with something we all love to do - Waiting. 

In Genesis 40, Joseph is in the middle of the years of waiting. But it looks like the dam is about to burst as he interprets the butler and baker's dreams. Even though it looked like God was prepared to exalt Joseph, there was still more years of waiting to come. Listen as we learn how Joseph waited and how we can honor God in our years of waiting as well.

How do you respond when life isn't going according to plan? Joseph's life wasn't at all going according to plan, but God was with him in it all and he glorified God in it all!

In Genesis 39, the chapter is bookended with this statement - The Lord was with Joseph. The Lord was with Joseph at Potiphar's, in temptation, and even in prison. No matter where Joseph went, or how poorly his life seemed to go, God never abandoned and forsook Joseph. In fact, He was working out his perfect plan.

The beauty of Genesis 39 is how Joseph responds to all that he faces - He glorifies God. He glorifies God by doing well wherever he is and by fleeing temptation. He doesn't mumble and grumble, moan and groan, but he honors God in everything.

Genesis 38 is the story of Judah’s family history. A seeming interruption in the story of Joseph. It is the story of how Judah had children and how his generations were preserved. Yet, this is not a pretty, nice family history. This is one of the ugliest and saddest chapters in the Bible.

This story of Judah's descent to rock bottom, however, is one of the greatest stories of God's grace.

We're going to see two parts to this ugly chapter:  

An Ugly Story (Genesis 38) - We’re going to watch Judah’s downward descent. We’re going to see him make a mess and ruin everything in his life. 

A Beautiful Savior - We’re going to see how God redeemed Judah’s sin and failure. We read a chapter like this and wonder “Why is this in the Bible?” To give you the bottom line up front - God lets us see sin and failure like this so that we may see that He is a redeemer. Genesis 38 is not about an ugly sinner, but a beautiful Savior 

Genesis 37 introduces us to Joseph with an action-packed drama filled with bitterness, envy, hatred, murderous intentions, and slavery. Joseph had dreams of exaltation as the beloved son of Jacob, but God's plans for Joseph didn't work out as Jospeh (or we) would have expected. Yet, all along the way, God is fulfilling His perfect plan in his life and for His people.

It’s a New Year. Today is the first Sunday in 2025. A new year typically means New Year's Resolutions. For some reason, when the calendar flips over to January 1st, everyone is ready to set goals, change their lives, and become different people!

I want to call you to begin this year with the greatest resolution possible - Run after Jesus. We're going to see three truths in Hebrews 12:1-3

1. Forsake Sin (1a)

2. Run Patiently (1b)

3. Behold Jesus (2-3)

What is Jesus ultimately after in your life? He wants you to believe in Him and follow Him. In Mark 1:14-20, Jesus comes preaching and calls his first disciples. By looking at this narrative, we see what the passion and mission of Jesus was and still is. He calls us to believe in Him with total faith and follow Him in radical obedience.