Crosstown OKC Sermons

The book of Genesis ends with the deaths of Jacob and Joseph, both of whom express interest in their physical remains resting in the Promised Land rather than in Egypt. Within the context of Genesis this is not surprising, because the emphasis is on God's promise, a promise which is not about "going to heaven when you die" but about Israel's fate in the land God promised to them. Assured of God's...

As Jacob nears the end of his life, he passes on the patriarchal blessing to Joseph and predicts the future for each of his twelve sons. We get a sense of what is coming in the rest of Israel’s history, replete with the surprising twists and turns that have characterized the lives of the three patriarchs in Genesis. Hope that Israel’s God will be faithful to his promise to his people lives on, alo...

Convinced that Joseph was still alive, Jacob moves his family to Egypt. The reunion of father and son is a touching scene, but a larger story in unfolding. Israel has arrived in Egypt where they will flourish and become a mighty nation and where God will begin to demonstrate his saving power through them.

The 4th part of the Genesis story is coming to a climax. Joseph sees his dreams come true. Judah’s character is transformed and we see redemption in his words and life. Joseph tests his brothers to see if their jealousy is gone and their honesty is real. As Joseph is revealed, we see the coming of peace and unity to the brothers, and of revival to the nation. There is real reconciliation and a new...

When ten of Jacob's sons went to buy food in Egypt, they came face to face with the brother they had betrayed and sold as a slave many years earlier. Although they did not recognize him, their encounter with Joseph would bring them face to face with the sin they had committed against him. Joseph set up a test which would give his brothers the chance to demonstrate that they were now willing to com...

When Pharaoh had a couple of disturbing dreams, Joseph was summoned to explain to him the divine message. Disaster was on the way, and someone wise and discerning would be needed to make a plan for survival. When Pharaoh promoted Joseph into leadership, not only did Joseph himself finally receive vindication, but the entire world would also be given hope for surviving the looming disaster.

It is easy to lose faith when troubles abound. Yet Joseph continues to demonstrate faithfulness to God and hope in him even in the deep pit. He knows that power belongs to God, and so do plans and dream interpretations. In a rare instance, he defends himself and proclaims his innocence. But he has not forgotten his dreams, and he receives assurance as he sees his interpretations of dreams come to...

Although Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt, his chosen status had not been forfeited. God was with Joseph and would ensure that God's plans for Joseph would succeed. But there would be yet another test that Joseph would need to pass first in order for the blessing of God to flourish through his life.

Judah succeeded in getting rid of his brother, Joseph, by convincing his other brothers to sell Joseph into slavery. But Judah's next plot failed when he broke his promise to his twice-widowed daughter-in-law, Tamar, and she tricked him to get from him the justice she sought. In the providence of God, the wickedness of sinful humanity is not only repaid justly; it also offers redemption to those s...

Christians know that the story of Jesus ends with his death and resurrection. But how that story fits into the larger biblical story—even Jesus's disciples had difficulty understanding how it all went together. The burden of the New Testament is to explore this puzzle, giving followers of Jesus the inspiration they need to spread the good news of Jesus to all the world.

Jesus of Nazareth's life was cut short when he was executed by Roman crucifixion. But the Christian faith is built on the claim that the cross of Jesus, far from being a tragic defeat, was a momentous victory. To see this victory of Christ on the cross, we need to see it as the climax to the entire biblical story.

When Jesus began his public ministry, he proclaimed the arrival of the kingdom of God. What then would he say about who could be a citizen of the kingdom? By exposing the heart conditions that contradict kingdom values, Jesus shows that it is impossible to find the life of the kingdom apart from a devoted discipleship to him and his way.

God's plan to save his creation is carried out through a covenant he makes with his chosen people.

The biblical story begins by describing the creation of the world as the formation of a temple in which God would dwell in the midst of his creation. He entered into a covenant with human beings, made in his image, giving them dominion over his kingdom on earth. But when Adam broke the covenant, the effect on all creation was catastrophic. Still, God remained true to the covenant, promising salvat...

When Jacob left home, he encountered God at Bethel. Now, as he returns home, God urges him to return there and to set up a place for worship. Having arrived at Bethel under divine protection, Jacob is assured of his place in the patriarchal blessing. This assurance sustained him the rest of his life, a life that would continue to be a struggle as his children became responsible for carrying the pr...

After returning home to Canaan, Jacob and his family suffer a great tragedy when his daughter, Dinah, is raped by a young Canaanite man. How they respond to this tragedy takes the story to an even darker level. How will the family of God be a blessing to the world when they are justifiably outraged by the sinfulness of the world around them?

As Jacob returns home, he must face the terrifying prospect of a confrontation with his brother, Esau. Jacob hopes that he can appease his brother with his gifts. But on the eve of the brothers' encounter, Jacob finds himself in a far greater struggle. He emerges with his life, but now walks with a limp, and carries with him a new name which will offer not just to himself but to the whole world th...

After 20 years of trouble and success, now comes the call of God for Jacob to return to Canaan. Many similarities are apparent between this return and the call to Abraham; between this flight and the exodus from Egypt. The passage focuses on God keeping his part of the covenant, Jacob’s faith in God, and Laban’s foolishness. God shows himself faithful once more.

Jacob arrives in Haran confident of God's presence with him. The next two decades of his life are spent in this foreign land, and they are anything but easy. Jacob is tricked and cheated by his uncle. Although Jacob starts a family, there is plenty of turmoil within his family, too. Still, God does not abandon him, and only because of the faithful presence of God with Jacob does Jacob receive ever...

Rebekah and Jacob devised a scheme to trick Isaac into giving his deathbed blessing to Jacob rather than to Esau. The scheme succeeds, and Esau is furious, requiring Jacob to flee for his life. As Jacob is running away from Esau he unexpectedly encounters God for himself and is amazed at just how close God has been to him all along.

As Abraham's heir, Isaac is entrusted with the same promises that God had given to his father. But he, too, struggled to believe that God would bring those promises to pass. When he succumbed to the same fears his father had, his life brought conflict and tension to the world. But when he sowed seeds of peace, God made plenty of room for him to flourish and for those around him to enjoy the blessi...

Prayer may be a felt instinct, but it must be learned and taught. The Lord’s prayer is a model prayer that teaches us how to pray with a view of who he is, what his purposes are, how his kingdom is manifested, and we can corporately together adopt a life of prayer for God’s holiness and our sanctification.

The Genesis story moves on from Abraham to the life of his grandson, Jacob. It is Jacob who will become the ancestor of the family that God will choose to bring salvation to the world. This choice will result in a great struggle, a struggle realized even while Jacob was yet in his mother's womb, as the nations of the world refuse to submit to God's choice without a fight.

Ponderings on the Prodigal