Trinity Presbyterian Church North Bay — Sermons & Sunday School

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 04/28/2024 in Petaluma, CA. This week we discussed common questions for apologetics.

Sermon preached on Genesis 39 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 04/21/2024 in Petaluma, CA.

Sermon Manuscript – (Unfortunately, not able to post Audio, due to technical difficulties)

We return to Genesis’ account of Joseph after last week’s brief aside to tell us about God’s redeeming work in the life of Judah in the midst of his sin. We pick back up with Joseph having been taken out of the pit and sold off to slavery in Egypt, and now becoming a servant in the house of Potiphar the captain of the Egyptian guard. In today’s passage, we will see how the LORD was with Joseph through these times.

Let us begin in our first point to consider verses 1-6. There, we see Joseph in Potiphar’s house. Verse 1 summarizes his situation that he found himself in after being sold into slavery. We might appreciate that this was a decent assignment, to be in a household of one that had some prominence in Egyptian society. But then we come to verse 2 and it is so thematic for our sermon today. That the LORD was with Joseph. It mentions this specifically for Joseph as he was in this house of Potiphar, his Egyptian master. Even though Joseph was no longer with his family, which was the chosen people, and even though he was no longer in Canaan, which was God’s chosen land for this people, yet here God was with him. He may have felt all alone, but he was not. By the way, notice how it here repeatedly describes this as the LORD being with Joseph, the personal name for the God of Israel, not just the generic word for “God”. That way there is no confusion to think this was an Egyptian god being with Joseph now that he was in Egypt. No, the God of his fathers, the LORD, continues to be with him even though he is now in Egypt.

Let us then observe all the fruit that came from the Lord being with him. Verse 2 says he was successful. In other words, even as a servant, God was blessing and prospering his work, so that he was successful in his labors. So then, in verse 3, we see that it this so obvious that even his master Potiphar noticed it. Verse 3, “His master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his hands.” This would have been a great testimony of the Lord and his might for someone like Potiphar to take notice of how specifically the LORD so prospered Joseph. So, the LORD being with Joseph meant he succeeded in all he did.

This then resulted in Joseph being promoted. Verse 4 describes that Joseph thus found favor in Potiphar’s sight. He ends up setting Joseph in charge of everything in his household. Potiphar had a large house with plenty of people working for him and various things happening. Potiphar sets Joseph over everything. So while Joseph had been humbled to become a slave, he is now exalted to be the chief servant in a relative position of authority. As verse 9 will describe, no one was higher in the house than him, that there was a sense that Joseph could basically command anyone to anything in that house. So, the LORD being with Joseph meant he was exalted to a high position.

Verse 5 then tells us how much this blessed Potiphar’s house. Everything Joseph had been overseeing prospered. So, when Potiphar set Joseph in charge of everything in his house, then everything in his house prospered. That’s what verse 5 tells us, explaining it was the LORD’s blessings. Notice the specific wording there in verse 5. For Joseph’s sake, Potiphar’s house is blessed. So, the LORD being with Joseph meant that his master got to benefit from it. On a related note of application, we are reminded here that it is the duty of servants to look to bless their master’s estate as they serve their master. It would be an unrighteous servant who wouldn’t work ...

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 04/21/2024 in Petaluma, CA. This week we discussed common questions for apologetics.

Sermon preached on Genesis 38 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 04/14/2024 in Petaluma, CA. Sermon Manuscript We continue today our sermon series through Genesis with another example of sinful failings among the patriarchs. We might immediately wonder why this passage is here, as it interrupts ... Read more

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 04/14/2024 in Petaluma, CA. This week we discussed common questions for apologetics.

Sermon preached on Genesis 37 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 04/07/2024 in Petaluma, CA. Sermon Manuscript Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div. We begin the final section of Genesis, starting here with the words of, “These are the generations of Jacob.” Here, we will learn ... Read more

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 04/07/2024 in Petaluma, CA. This week we discussed apologetics in personal evangelism.

Sermon preached on Matthew 28:1-10 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 03/31/2024 in Petaluma, CA. Sermon Manuscript Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div. Each year at the anniversary of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead we take a break from our normal sermon series to rejoice in this fact ... Read more

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 03/31/2024 in Petaluma, CA. This week we discussed apologetics in personal evangelism.

Sermon preached on Mark 15 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Good Friday Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 03/29/2024 in Petaluma, CA. Sermon Manuscript Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div. Jesus was mocked, derided, and reviled. Jesus, the Son of God and the Messiah, was mocked, derided, and reviled. This was part of the suffering ... Read more