Genesis
Genesis is the foundational book in the whole of the canon. Without at least a cursory understanding of Genesis nothing in the Bible or the biblical worldview is coherent. In Genesis, God created humanity out of the dust in his own image to be like him and to represent him. We see the framework that holds the entire Bible together: covenants. God cuts covenant with his people and the whole rest of the Bible is about his people’s faithlessness and his faithfulness. Finally, Genesis provides the origin of the messianic hope that runs through the storyline of Scripture and finds ultimate fulfillment in Revelation 21-22.
As the book of Genesis comes to a close, we see the book that began with life ending in death. Yet with death comes a hope beyond death that enables us to finish well.
Resources:
Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 2, Genesis 16-50, Gordon Wenham
Genesis: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Derek Kidner
The Complete Spurgeon Sermons on Genesis, Charles Spurgeon
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As we come near the close of Genesis, our eyes are drawn to the future, where God’s kingdom will come under the reign of His chosen King.
Resources:
Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 2, Genesis 16-50, Gordon Wenham
Genesis: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Derek Kidner
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Jacob is now getting ready to head to Egypt, but is afraid to leave the promised land. God assures him and us that He is with us and will use us wherever He sends us to bless the nations through us.
Resources:
Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 2, Genesis 16-50, Gordon Wenham
Genesis: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Derek Kidner
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After much brokenness and trauma in Joseph’s life, in these chapters we read of the incredible story of reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers, one that calls all of us to be reconciled to one another.
Resources:
Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 2, Genesis 16-50, Gordon Wenham
Genesis: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Derek Kidner
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God has told Joseph that one day he will be exalted, but in order for his exaltation (and ours) to serve the glory of God and others rather than self, he (and we) must be humbled first.
Resources:
Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 2, Genesis 16-50, Gordon Wenham
Genesis: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Derek Kidner
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A look at the ways God’s redemptive plan is shown in Genesis 37-38
Resources:
Genesis 37-38
Reformation Study Bible
Preach the Word (Genesis) by Kent Hughes
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Though Jacob was on his way home, he stopped along the way. Our reality is we aren’t at our final home, and therefore we experience the ruinous effects of sin in heinous ways. But, there is hope.
Resources:
Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 2, Genesis 16-50, Gordon Wenham
Genesis: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Derek Kidner
Sexual Assault: Healing Steps for Victims, David Powlison
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Every human longs to go to their true home, the place they should have been born, but how do you get there? You have to leave the house of idols, deal with God, and deal with others.
Resources:
Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 2, Genesis 16-50, Gordon Wenham
Genesis: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Derek Kidner
Counterfeit Gods, Chapter 7: The End of Counterfeit Gods, Timothy Keller
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Gifts are great as gifts, but can never replace the Giver. Throughout Genesis, God shows Himself to be the Giver of every good gift, but in this passage, we see the chaos that ensues when those gifts are used to replace Him.
Resources:
Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 2, Genesis 16-50, Gordon Wenham
Genesis: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Derek Kidner
Counterfeit Gods, Chapter 2: Love is Not All You Need, Timothy Keller
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God is with us when we ruin our lives (and we’ve all ruined our lives). Despite the fact that Jacob unleashes a maelstrom of destruction in his life and the lives of his loved ones, God remains faithful to him and promises His abiding presence with him.
Resources:
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With Abraham now dead, God is still with the next generation, though as the story progress we find his favor cannot be bought. It is administered by sovereign grace, a doctrine simultaneously offensive and comforting.
Resources:
Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 2, Genesis 16-50, Gordon Wenham
Genesis: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Derek Kidner
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As we conclude the section of Genesis focusing on Abraham and read of his death, we see he had a hope for the future beyond even his death that we too share with him.
Resources:
Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 2, Genesis 16-50, Gordon Wenham
Genesis: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Derek Kidner
The Complete Spurgeon Sermons on Genesis, Charles Spurgeon
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
As we inch closer to the end of Abraham’s story, we find the promise is progressively fulfilled, but sin and its effects are not yet eradicated. Yet through trust in God’s promise of land in the future, we can have hope alongside mourning in the present.
Resources:
Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 2, Genesis 16-50, Gordon Wenham
Genesis: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Derek Kidner
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Who we’re ultimately loyal to is revealed by how we act, not what we say. God tests us to expose what it really is, so that our hope will be set fully on Him.
Resources:
Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 2, Genesis 16-50, Gordon Wenham
Genesis: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Derek Kidner
Counterfeit Gods, Timothy Keller (Chapter 1)
Note: Due to power outage, the sermon recording does not include the first 10 minutes of the service
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We can take God at His word by celebrating, praying, and remembering His word.
Resources:
Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 2, Genesis 16-50, Gordon Wenham
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We’re told frequently to have hope for the future because we can do whatever we put ours minds to, but what happens when you come up against your flaws? Is there a hope beyond you? Here we see Abraham’s flaws reemerging, but the hope of God’s power fulfilling His promise remains.
Resources:
Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 2, Genesis 16-50, Gordon Wenham
Genesis: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Derek Kidner
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We saw last week that God is a God of grace, and this week we read that He is also Judge of all the earth? How can He be both? How can we survive His judgment? The answer is the mediator.
Resources:
Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 2, Genesis 16-50, Gordon Wenham
Genesis: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Derek Kidner
Is God Anti-Gay?, Sam Alberry
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Faith is powerful, but how do you handle it when faith and the evidence in front of you seem to conflict? Genuine faith can exist alongside genuine doubt, but God is more trustworthy than our doubts.
Resources:
Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 2, Genesis 16-50, Gordon Wenham
Genesis: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Derek Kidner
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You can’t have real joy in life without loving relationship, and you can’t have a loving relationship unless you’re willing to be imposed upon. Here we see God’s incredible love, and the demand it places on us.
Resources:
Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 2, Genesis 16-50, Gordon Wenham
Genesis: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Derek Kidner
Known by God: A Biblical Theology of Personal Identity, Brian Rosner
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As we continue the story of Abram, we meet another barrier to faith in God’s promise of future blessing: Our own efforts and schemes. Once again, God’s promise proves more trustworthy.
Resources:
Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 2, Genesis 16-50, Gordon Wenham
Genesis: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Derek Kidner
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made: Ethics and the Beginning of Human Life, Dr. Megan Best
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Now that God has promised to bless Abram and make him a blessing to all nations, the question is whether Abram, and we, will trust God or ourselves.
Resources:
Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 1: Genesis 1-15, Gordon Wenham
Genesis: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Derek Kidner
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When we come to Genesis 11:27, humanity has been divided into nations, all of which are in rebellion against God. However, in this passage God launches His plan to bless all those divided peoples through a blessed people, a people we must leave home to become a part of.
Resources:
Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 1: Genesis 1-15, Gordon Wenham
Genesis: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Derek Kidner
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God created humanity to fill the earth with His image for His glory, but our desire for self-promotion and self-preservation gets in the way. But by coming down, God ensures His purpose will prevail.
Resources:
Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 1: Genesis 1-15, Gordon Wenham
Genesis: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Derek Kidner
Every Good Endeavor: Connecting your Work to God’s Work, Timothy Keller
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Genesis began with God making everything and quickly proceeded to sin ruining everything. But God is a God not only of second chances, but much more: God remade everything.
Resources:
Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 1: Genesis 1-15, Gordon Wenham
Genesis: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Derek Kidner
“Common Grace“, Herman Bavinck
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In a culture with so many problems, is there any way to not only survive, but thrive? In this passage we see the only way it is possible: God preserves the righteous.
Resources:
Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 1: Genesis 1-15, Gordon Wenham
Genesis: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Derek Kidner
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Humans create culture; it’s part of what it means to be human. The issue is what kind of culture? When God’s rule is rejected, sin rules. It ruins culture by creating a culture of death.
Resources:
Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 1: Genesis 1-15, Gordon Wenham
Genesis: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Derek Kidner
“What is Christian Cultural Engagement?”, essay by Timothy Keller
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Everything flourished under God’s loving rule, but the world as we know it today doesn’t seem like that. What happened? What’s wrong with the world? In this sermon, we look at the Bible’s basic answer.
Resources:
Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 1: Genesis 1-15, Gordon Wenham
Genesis: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Derek Kidner
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We are made in the image of God and commanded to fill the entire earth with God’s image for God’s glory. But where do we start? In Genesis 2, we zoom in on the creation of the first man in his first home.
Resources:
Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 1: Genesis 1-15, Gordon Wenham
Genesis: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Derek Kidner
Created and Creating: A Biblical Theology of Culture, William Edgar
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As the origin story of Genesis rolls on, we zero in on another big question Genesis answers: Who are we? Identity involves a sense of self and a sense of worth, and we’ll see where both can really be found.
Resources:
Making Sense of God (Chapters 6, 7, and 10), Timothy Keller
God and the Transgender Debate, Andrew Walker
Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 1: Genesis 1-15, Gordon Wenham
Genesis: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Derek Kidner
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As we continue to look at the creation account of Genesis 1, we arrive at a unique part of it: The creation of humans in the image of God. Why did God make us? What’s our purpose? That’s what we’ll see.
Resources:
Created and Creating: A Biblical Theology of Culture, William Edgar
Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 1: Genesis 1-15, Gordon Wenham
Genesis: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Derek Kidner
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After God creates everything, He forms and fills it by His Word so as to make the creation suitable for every need of humanity. As a result, we should praise Him, trust His Word, and obey His Word.
Resources:
Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 1: Genesis 1-15, Gordon Wenham
Genesis: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Derek Kidner
“Correlations with Providence in Genesis 1,” Vern Poythress
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We are all born into the middle of a story, but you can’t understand a story without understanding its beginning. In this sermon we go to the very beginning of the story of everything, where we learn that the God of the Bible created everything.
Resources:
Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 1: Genesis 1-15, Gordon Wenham
Genesis: Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Derek Kidner
The Confessions, Augustine
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