Stapleton Baptist Church

While the Bible never says "God works in mysterious ways," it does certainly affirm that God's ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. And that's actually really good news! This week we look at Genesis 46 & 47 and follow God working in mysterious ways through the life of Joseph and his family as they relocate to Egypt.

Every single person will experience being sinned against and we will be face with the decision to forgive someone or not. Genesis 42-45 gives us the perfect master class on forgiveness as we follow the story and example of Joseph. Joseph shows us how to wisely approach forgiveness and affirm God's goodness through it.

Through Genesis 40 & 41 we see a remarkable example of integrity and patience on the part of Joseph. He has every excuse to throw in the towel on God, yet he remains faithful and obedient even in the midst of suffering and injustice. 

Genesis 39 brings us back to the story of Joseph. In this chapter we find Joseph under the strain of immense temptation, yet he is able to overcome and resist. There is much we can learn from Joseph's example to help us resist temptation in our own lives.

Genesis 38 brings us the sordid story of Judah and Tamar. At first glance this story seems random and unnecessary, but once we dig down into the story we find it has a significant role not only in the story of Israel but also the story of Jesus Christ. It all goes to show that God can use the worse people and the worse situations and still accomplish exactly what he plans to accomplish. 

Genesis 37 brings us to the final section of the book of Genesis and its major character, Joseph. His story brings together all the plot lines of Genesis and through it we begin to see how God has been putting the pieces of the puzzle together all along. God's providence is on full display in the life of Joseph.

Genesis 35 & 36 bring us the end of an era--the era of the Patriarchs. From this point forward, God will begin dealing with his people on a corporate level rather than an individual level. And as Christians we should always remember that we are living, breathing fulfillments of God's promises to the patriarchs. 

Genesis 34 brings us one of the most painful stories in the whole book. It's a dark chapter with no mention of God found anywhere in it. Through the failure of Jacob and his sons we are shown the glaring need for God's law in order to establish true justice. The same is true for us today. 

This strange story brings us to the pinnacle of Jacob's spiritual journey. Through his wrestling match with God, Jacob is transformed as he struggles with God, is broken by God, and finally clings to God for a blessing. It often seems that God has to break us before he can bless us. 

This Sunday we heard a challenging message from Jeff Copeland on being people that seek first the Kingdom of God. May we be people that have a Kingdom Visions, Kingdom Values, and see Kingdom Victory!

Jacob's struggles with his uncle/father-in-law Laban continue to increase. Laban tries his best to keep Jacob dependent on him so he continue to reap the blessings that Jacob brings to his flocks, yet God has other plans. Though Jacob is in a tough spot, God shows that he can be trusted to preserve him, provide for him, and guide him. The same is true for us still today!

Genesis 29 brings us the fateful meeting of Jacob and Rachel. What begins as a love story soon turns into a soap opera and eventually into something you would expect from a tabloid television show. Jacob will end up having 12 sons from four different women, yet God will use that mess to establish the twelve tribes of Israel. This is another clear example of God's triumph over human sin.

in Genesis 28, Jacob is traveling to Haran to save his life and to find a wife. Little does he know that God will interject himself right in the middle of his journey through an amazing dream. Jacob was neither seeking God nor deserving of God's blessing, yet we see God seeking and blessing him. Praise God that he is still seeking and saving the lost today!

For our 2022 Homecoming service, we take a look at Galatians 6:7-10. This passage exhorts Christians to not grow weary doing good. Paul calls us to keep sowing to the Spirit and doing good to all because in due season we will reap eternal life. Don't give up!

Genesis 27 may be one of the most dramatic stories in all the Bible. No one comes out clean in this story. All four characters have shortcomings and failures. Yet through the mess they make God's purposes and promises are still fulfilled. The spotlight then falls on God's sovereign rule and reign over this world and even the foolish decisions of men and women. 

Genesis 25 serves as a transition chapter as we close out the story of Abraham's life and then move on to the birth Esau and Jacob. Those twin brothers will take center stage for the next 10 chapters of Genesis. From the moment of birth these brothers are destined for tension with one another and we see their personalities come through clearly in the infamous story of Esau selling his birthri...

Genesis 24 gives us the last task for Abraham: finding a wife for his son Isaac. Through this brief love story we find God's providence and sovereignty clearly on display at the same time God's people fully engage in his work. This story also gives us the opportunity to consider Christians marriage and our responsibility to the next generation.

Genesis 23 brings us the sad news of Sarah's death. But her death allows us to see how Abraham responds and how he continues to have faith in God's promises. This chapter gives us much to consider for our own lives, how we face our mortality, and how we can remain confident that God's promises won't be hindered by death. 

Genesis 22 brings us to the pinnacle of Abraham's faith journey. God asks him to give up the most precious, most important thing to him, and Abraham faithfully obeys. He shows himself to fully trust God. But there's more to this story. The author is training us to recognize future symbols that point us to a greater sacrifice and substitute for our sin. 

In Genesis 21 we finally meet the promised son of Abraham--Isaac. God shows himself faithful and comes through on his promises. But we are immediately thrust back into the main storyline of Genesis as we find tension between Isaac & Ishmael. The son of promise and the son of the flesh cannot live together. Let's consider the implications of these two sons.

We are finally ready to meet the promised child of Abraham, but then there's a roadblock. Once again, we find Abraham falling into the same old pattern of fear and deception. He still doesn't quite get it when it comes to relying on God. As usual, God will be the one to rescue Abraham from his own failure, and in the end God's faithfulness will be displayed. 

Genesis 19 is a hard chapter to digest. It's full of sin, wickedness, and foolishness. But sometimes we can learn as much from the bad examples in Scripture as we can from the good examples. We find five lessons to learn from Lot in this story that are all related to temptation and sin. 

In Genesis 18, God once again reiterates his promise that Sarah will give Abraham a son. But how could that be possible? Sarah was 90 and Abraham was 100! Biologically the time of bearing children was in the past. But in this chapter we are confronted with the truth that nothing is too hard for the Lord. Something might be impossible or too difficult for us, but nothing is too hard for God!

God is gracious enough to give Abram reminders of his covenant. In Genesis 17 we see God giving Abram an audible reminder in the form of a name change and a physical reminder in the form of circumcision. We will see Abram continue to learn to trust God even when he can't see or hear God. 

Genesis 15 brings us the story of God establishing his covenant with Abram. But we also see Abram is the first person in history to be declared righteous (justified) by God. He becomes the prototype and forefather of all who would find salvation through faith in God.  And it all begins here in Genesis 15.