Forgiveness can be hard. In Genesis 50 Joseph explains how he was able to forgive his brothers even after all they had done to him. In Joseph’s forgiveness of his brothers we catch a glimpse of God’s amazing forgiveness of us and we also find some practical help for how we too might learn to forgive those who have sinned against us.
A Good Death
June 25, 2022 • Tim Cain • Genesis 49:28—50:14
We don’t talk very much about death do we? In tonight’s message we will consider why thinking and talking about death is so important. We will also consider some questions like: what does a good death look like? How does someone make sure that they are ready to die? And how should Christians respond to the death of our loved ones? These and other questions will be addressed as we look at the death of Jacob and see what we can learn from it.
Redeeming the Consequences of Sin
June 11, 2022 • Tim Cain • Genesis 49:1–10
Are there still consequences for forgiven sin or are grace and consequences meant to be mutually exclusive? In Genesis 49 we see that even for God’s people there are consequences for sin and those consequences don’t just impact the people who commit the sin. However, as we follow the story of Levi we will see that the consequences of sin, both the sins we commit and the sins that are done against us, are able to be redeemed!
Jacob’s Last Words Part I
June 4, 2022 • Tim Cain • Genesis 48
There is something powerful about people’s last words. Here in Genesis 48 Jacob’s dying words are meant to teach us how to live. In them we learn about the importance of gratitude and we are reminded of how God has chosen to interact with his people. Jacob reminds us that we have a shepherd who will never leave us and that he is able to redeem his people from all evil and those two truths are meant to radically impact the way that we live.
Remembering What We Have Been Saved From
May 28, 2022 • Tim Cain • Genesis 47:13–31
In Genesis 47 the Egyptians joyfully gave Joseph everything they had in exchange for food so that they might live and not die. This got me thinking, “If we could only rightly grasp all that Jesus has saved us from, we too would joyfully let go of the things of this world in order to cling more fully to the one who offers us eternal life.” In this message we will consider what we have been saved from and the price that our savior paid to do it. My hope is that we too would join the Egyptians in declaring to Jesus, “You have saved our lives, may it please my Lord, we will be yours forever…”
The Paradox of Being Sorrowful Yet Always Rejoicing
May 21, 2022 • Wes Van Fleet • Genesis 47:1–12
After Jacob found out that Joseph was alive, you would think he would be overwhelmed with joy. What we actually find out in Genesis 47 is that sorrow and darkness have shaped Jacob in a way that makes joy seem foreign. Listen and hear how the Gospel changes us to be honest about sorrow but also frees us to experience joy.
When faced with a fork in the road we often think we have to choose between obedience to God OR our own happiness because we cannot imagine how God could accomplish both. However, the paths of obedience and blessedness are not two different paths. God comes to remind us that the path of faith and obedience is the path of greatest blessing and happiness. The God who raises Jesus from the dead is worthy of trusting with our future happiness even when we don't understand or when he intentionally leads us down uncomfortable and even painful paths to get there.
It’s Enough
May 7, 2022 • Tim Cain • Genesis 44—45
Tonight’s story is one of paralyzing fear that turned into hugs and tears as forgiveness is offered and estranged brothers are reconciled together again. It’s the story of prayers being answered in ways that exceed anything anyone could have ever asked or imagined. It’s the story of a numb heart being revived when a father realizes the son that he thought was dead was actually alive and he was going to get to see him again before he died. But even better than all this, tonight’s story is just a shadow of a far bigger story with an even better ending that you and I have been invited to be a part of.
Relief and Restoration
April 30, 2022 • Tim Cain • Genesis 43:15–34
Relief, it’s something all of us long for. Relief from guilt and shame; relief from the insidious fear that perhaps our God is against us; relief from the sorrows that we bear and the pain that we carry. In this passage we will get to see both Joseph and his brothers find relief from some of their greatest burdens. In their story we will not only see that relief is possible, but we will also find out exactly where it can be found.
The Pursuing God
April 23, 2022 • Tim Cain • Genesis 43:1–14
Like all of us, Jacob struggled with letting things in this world become more important to him than God. Over and over in Jacob’s life we see that he looked to a person to give him what only God is able to give. But God did not let Jacob live comfortably with his disordered love, but instead he pursued him, often through disappointments, in order to bring him to the place where he was finally ready to look to God as his only hope. In God’s pursuit of Jacob we get a picture of the way our God pursues his people in order to loosen their grip on the things of this world and put their trust in him.
Haunted by Guilt
April 9, 2022 • Tim Cain • Genesis 42
We are a people who are haunted by the sins and the sufferings of our past. But what are we supposed to do about that? What do we do with the things we wish we could forget, but can’t? The memories that seem to spring up uninvited and often end up controlling us in ways that we know are unhealthy. Tonight we are going to look at a family that is haunted by a tragic event that took place over 20 years earlier. An event they all wish they could forget, but can’t. And in this story something happens to each of them that triggers their memory of the past. And in the midst of the many unhealthy responses to the past that we will see, there is one that I believe offers us hope and direction for dealing with the sins and the sufferings in our past.
When God Says No: Dealing with Hardships and Loss
April 2, 2022 • Tim Cain • Genesis 41
Have you ever begged God for something that you knew was good, only to have God say no? Have you ever pleaded with God to let you keep someone that you loved dearly, only for him to take them away? Why? For 13 years Joseph asked God for good things and over and over again God said no. In Genesis 41 we finally see why. My hope is that in understanding why God said no to Joseph, we will get a better understanding of why he sometimes says no to us as well.
Dealing with Disappointment and Self-Pity
March 26, 2022 • Tim Cain • Genesis 40
Disappointment and self-pity are two things that most of us are pretty familiar with. But what do we do about them? In tonight’s message we will see how Joseph was able to endure terrible injustice without falling prey to feeling sorry for himself. We will also consider what it is that God wants to say to us in the midst of our disappointments.
Where is God in Temptation?
March 19, 2022 • Wes Van Fleet • Genesis 39
Temptation is something that can feel inescapable, and if we are honest, hard to resist. In Genesis 39 we will see that Joseph resists temptation because he is driven by something more than just resisting. Listen and hear how the Gospel empowers us to resist sin and live for the glory of God.
Shame, Sexual Abuse, and the Gospel
March 12, 2022 • Tim Cain • Genesis 38
Some of you have endured some dark things in your lives that continue to haunt you with questions. You find yourself wondering, “Where was God when all this was happening?” “Did he see?” “Does he care?” “If I told anyone, would they believe me?” “Is it possible for God to use someone as broken as I feel right now?”
And some of you haven’t just endured some dark things in your life, some of you have been so impacted by the pain that you have gone on to hurt others as well. Now a whole new set of questions arise. “Can I be forgiven?” “Will this terrible cycle ever be broken?” “Is it possible for someone to know everything about me, all my darkest secrets, and still love me?”
In Genesis 38 we will get a glimpse into the darkest closet of both a victim of abuse and a perpetrator of abuse and we will get to see how God responded to the different questions that haunted each of them.
