Genesis: In the Beginning...
Genesis 48-50 - The End of the Beginnings and the Beginning of the Rest of the Story
November 21, 2021 • Pastor Jim Thomas • Genesis 48, Genesis 49, Genesis 50, Romans 3:23–24
How should we interpret the painful experiences of this life? Is there a way we can learn to forgive others as we have been forgiven by God? Join Pastor Jim as we come to the final chapters of Genesis and the Joseph narratives. While this is the end of the stories about the beginning, it is just the beginning of the rest of God’s redemption story!
Genesis 46-47 - A Sojourning Reunion
November 14, 2021 • Pastor Jim Thomas • Genesis 46, Genesis 47, 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18
Don’t you just love a good reunion story? Do you ever wonder if God has a purpose when changes come flying at you like a speeding curveball and disrupt your life? Join Pastor Jim as he walks us through some major changes in the lives of Jacob and Joseph and then shows us what those events teach us about God and whether He can be trusted.
Genesis 44-45 - The Road to Reconciliation
November 7, 2021 • Pastor Jim Thomas • Genesis 45, Genesis 44
Joseph’s brothers did not merely hurt his feelings; they kidnapped him, abused him, sold him into slavery, and in doing so, they thought they had signed his death warrant. What happened years later when they came face to face again in desperate need of Joseph’s mercy and kindness? And what can we learn from this dramatic story about finding our way towards the road to reconciliation if we have strained relationships? Join Pastor Jim as he unpacks gospel hope and practical help from Genesis 44-45.
Genesis 42-43 - An Unexpected Reunion
October 31, 2021 • Pastor Matt Pierson • Genesis 42, Genesis 43, Genesis 3:17, Colossians 1:19–20, 2 Corinthians 5:18
The famine predicted in Genesis chapter 41 has to come to pass. Jacob’s 10 sons travel to Egypt to buy grain, not knowing they will soon meet their younger brother Joseph, who is second in command only to Pharaoh. What happens when they are reunited? Join Pastor Matt Pierson as he walks us through Genesis chapters 42-43 and we look at the forgiveness and reconciliation given to us through Christ.
Genesis 40-41 - What does 'withness' of the Lord look like?
October 24, 2021 • Pastor Tommy Bailey • Genesis 40, Genesis 41, Psalm 23:4, Philippians 4:4, Romans 8:39
The story of Joseph reveals a man of character, integrity and giftedness. But, more than any of those attributes, what framed and shaped his life was the reality that the Lord was with him. Four times we are told in chapter 39, “The Lord was with Joseph.” The story of chapters 40-41 work out the implications of that truth. We invite you to join Pastor Tommy as we study this life of faith that runs through a pit to a palace, from a prison and back to a palace again. This side of the cross, our union with Christ assures us that we are never alone. It’s good for us to ask the question, “What does a life shaped by the 'withness' of the Lord look like?”
Genesis 39 - What can we do about temptation?
October 17, 2021 • Pastor Jim Thomas • 1 Corinthians 10:13, Psalm 73:28, Genesis 39, Galatians 6:8, James 1:14–15
Is temptation a sin? Does everyone experience temptation at some point? How should we respond when we are tempted to do something we know is wrong? What choices are available to us? Join Pastor Jim for this practical study of a powerful temptation that entered Joseph’s life, how he responded, and the role of God in all of it.
Genesis 38 - When Family Life Gets Messy…
October 10, 2021 • Pastor Jim Thomas • Genesis 38
Why is it so hard for some people to hold the faith of their family together? Why have issues of sexuality become so complex? What is it about us that makes us so consumer minded in our relationships? The story of Judah and Tamar is not a light-hearted one. But it does remind us, in spite of how complicated the world can get, through it all, God fulfills His purposes and plans. Join Pastor Jim as he helps us unpack the light of gospel hope that shines through an otherwise very dark chapter in Genesis!
Genesis 36-37 - That Time the Dream Became a Nightmare
October 3, 2021 • Pastor Jim Thomas • Genesis 36, Genesis 37
What does the Bible teach us about parental favoritism? How about sibling rivalry? What should we do when our hearts and minds are beset with competition or crippled by resentment? Join Pastor Jim as he walks us through the timeless and practical truths we find in Genesis 36-37 and the gospel realities this passage points us towards.
Genesis 35 - Turning Towards Home
September 26, 2021 • Pastor Matt Pierson • Genesis 35, Genesis 28:15, Acts 3:19
For over 30 years, God has faithfully protected and provided for Jacob as he promised he would. Now, God calls Jacob back to the land of his fathers, to rename him “Israel” and continue with the covenantal blessings given to Abraham and Isaac. Join Pastor Matt as he teaches through Genesis 35- “Turning Towards Home”, and reminds us how God might be calling us to return as well.
Genesis 34 - What happens when we leave God out?
September 19, 2021 • Pastor Jim Thomas • Genesis 34
Where would we be without God? Would we even exist without God? Can humanity be good without God? Where did we get our ideas of truth, love and justice? Join Pastor Jim as he explores one of those chapters of the Bible that doesn’t even mention God, Genesis 34.
Genesis 33 - The Beauty of Reconciliation
September 5, 2021 • Pastor Jim Thomas • Genesis 33, 2 Corinthians 5:17–21
There are two terms that often get conflated: forgiveness and reconciliation. But they really are quite different. We can chose to unilaterally forgive someone. Forgiveness requires just one person but reconciliation requires at least two. Is reconciliation possible? If the timeless truths of the Bible are REALLY true, how can we start living them out for the glory of God, the love of others, and the witness they can be to the watching world? Join Pastor Jim as he walks us through an example of reconciliation found in Genesis 33 that also points forward to the greater reconciling power at work in our lives through the gospel!
Genesis 32 - The Pursuing, Wounding and Renovating Grace of God
August 29, 2021 • Pastor Tommy Bailey • Genesis 32
Jacob lived much of his life as a deceiver and manipulator, attempting to control outcomes in his way and his timing with little regard to God or others. The same can be said of any of us. This is what makes the grace of God so beautiful and mysterious. Join Pastor Tommy as we study Genesis 32 and witness the pursuing, wounding and renovating grace of God at work in the life of Jacob as he begins his return home 20 years after fleeing from his brother Esau.
Genesis 30-31 - Adversity is Often God’s Opportunity
August 22, 2021 • Pastor Jim Thomas • Genesis 30, Genesis 31
How can we make sense of adversity? When we try to find meaning in life’s seasons of difficulty, where should we turn? Join Pastor Jim as he leads us through the unfolding story of Jacob’s developing faith in God, and God’s unflagging faithfulness to Jacob.
Genesis 29:1-30:24 - Our Deepest Longings
August 15, 2021 • Pastor Jim Thomas • Genesis 30:1–24, Genesis 29
Each character in this passage is longing for something they hope will meet the deepest needs in their life. And yet, these longings inside our souls often just result in chronic dissatisfaction or despair. What is it we are looking for? And is WHAT we are looking for, what we OUGHT to be looking for? Or, might there be something else we never knew about, but have always really wanted? Join Pastor Jim as he explores this and more from Genesis 29-30:24.
Genesis 28:10-22 - From Greedy Schemer to Gospel Dreamer
August 8, 2021 • Pastor Jim Thomas • Genesis 28:10–22
Jacob had to drop everything and run away, everything he thought he had schemed for and stolen from Esau, had to be left behind. Jacob was out of luck, running on empty and didn’t even have a pillow to lay his head on. But then God intervened! Join Pastor Jim as he shows us the sovereign grace of God in action in Genesis 28.