Pastor Luke Herche concludes his series on the book of Genesis with this sermon on Genesis 49:29–50:26, in which Jacob and Joseph both die in Egypt, hoping in the promise of being buried in Canaan. Listen as Pastor Luke teaches us that death seems to have the last word, but hope in the promise remains. God overrules evil for good, therefore we look to the risen and exalted Christ, entrusting justice to Jesus’ hands, seeing the good in the hard, and repaying evil with good.

Part of a series on the book of Genesis.

From Sunday Worship, November 23, 2025.

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

In the final moments of Genesis, both Jacob and Joseph, on their deathbeds in Egypt, clung tightly to the promise of being buried in Canaan. Which specific details or actions in these final chapters best illustrate their hope in God's promises, even when their current circumstances seemed to contradict them? Where in your life are you currently tempted to think that God’s plan has been thwarted, and how can the certainty of God’s promise renew your hope today?

Joseph asks his brothers, “Am I in the place of God?” after they fear his retribution. When have you been tempted to step into “the place of God” by trying to repay evil, judge others, or orchestrate justice on your own terms? What keeps you from entrusting justice to Jesus’ hands?

The sermon argues that God “meant it for good” even in the midst of the brothers’ evil and Joseph’s suffering, and that the cross is the ultimate example of God overruling evil for good. How does truly believing that God is working out his “good purpose” change the way you respond to tragedy or injustice in your own life or in the world today?

The final call is to “look to the risen and exalted Christ” by entrusting justice to him and repaying evil with good. What is one specific, practical way you can show undeserved kindness this week to someone who has wronged you, seeing it as an opportunity to reflect to others the grace Christ showed you?

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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.