In this sermon on Genesis 19:17–38 (the events following the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah...) Pastor Luke Herche exhorts us to listen to God’s voice, to not look back, to respond from the heart, and to warn those in danger and pray for them.

What makes Christians different from the world around us? The answer, of course, is NOT our righteousness, but... God’s faithfulness to us in Christ. Therefore we pursue righteousness in light of God’s faithfulness. In this sermon on Genesis 20, Pastor Luke Herche expands on this subject with four points: you are not the hero; the world is not as bad as it can be; God is faithful, despite your faithlessness; therefore, walk in the way of the Lord.

When Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarah after years of waiting, it proved God’s faithfulness to fulfill his... promises. In this sermon on Genesis 21:1–21, Pastor Luke Herche shows us that God’s promised inheritance is sure; therefore, you have reason to persevere in joy, to persevere in hope, and to persevere in love.

There are a lot of options on the table when it comes to how Christians live in the world. Some Christians... look just like the world. Others have created a Christian subculture, living a parallel life, like the world, but a Christian version of it. Some Christians avoid the culture at all costs. Others seek to dominate it. Thankfully Scripture is not silent on how we relate to the world around us. In the second half of Genesis 21, we learn how to live as aliens and sojourners in the world. Listen as Pastor Luke Herche helps us to note where we are (living as aliens), acknowledge the conflict, trust God’s promises, bless the nations, and praise God for his blessings.

How you respond when the heat is turned up in life demonstrates what has first place in your heart. When... God told Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, Abraham was tested and his faith was tried. In this first of a two-part sermon on Genesis 22, Pastor Luke Herche sheds light on this difficult passage, showing us Christ, another child of Abraham who was tested, who suffered, who rose, and also calling us to face trials ourselves by putting God first (part 1) and by resting in his promises and his love (part 2).

When our faith is tested by trials, how do we stand firm? What does it look like to put God ...first by obeying him, whatever the cost? In part two of this two-part sermon about the binding of Isaac in Genesis 22, Pastor Luke Herche shows that for God to have first place in our hearts we must believe his promises, know his love, and rest in the righteousness of Jesus.

Not everyone deals with death in the same way. For some this is a hypothetical question, for others a present reality. Some... choose not to think of it, others do everything they can to prepare. We tend to run to extremes: shall we ignore death and focus on the present or ignore the present and focus on what comes next? Of course the answer is neither, but it is also not simply “both/and.” Instead, the way we express our hope in the face of death is by investing in this present life.

In this sermon on Genesis 23, Pastor Luke Herche helps us to think rightly about facing death, offering us three ways to respond: mourn over the brokenness of this age, live in the tension of God’s promises, and hope in the face of death by investing in this present life.

In this sermon on Genesis 24, the account of finding Isaac’s bride Rebekah, Pastor Luke Herche looks... at God’s faithfulness to Abraham, God’s faithfulness to Jesus, and God’s faithfulness to us.

As Christians, how do we live in the world, among the world? In this sermon on Genesis 25:1–18, Pastor Luke... Herche answers that question in four points: imperfectly (Our Messy Witness), as pilgrims (Our Pilgrim Life), seeking others’ good (Our Servant’s Calling), and focused on things to come (Our Living Hope).

We all want a good life, to be what we were made to be, to experience what it is to be fully alive, to see our friends... and family flourish. The Bible calls this kind of flourishing “blessing.” Blessing is one of the main themes of Genesis, beginning with God’s abundant blessings on creation in the first two chapters. But by the third chapter, a new word enters the vocabulary of Scripture: curse. Because of sin, curse enters the world and creation is subject to futility and groaning. What once was blessed is now cursed, what once was good is now corrupt. But does this mean we are doomed to lives of suffering and frustration? Or is God’s blessing still possible in a sin-cursed world? Listen as Pastor Luke Herche preaches from Genesis 25, showing through the life of Jacob how God is continuing his plan to bless the nations, focusing on God’s sovereignty, God’s subversion of human expectations, and the foresight of faith.

God doesn’t bless you simply to bless you. He does delight in his people and desires to bless them. But God doesn’t bless you simply... for you. God blesses you for his glory and for the good of those around you. Despite human rebellion, our fallen nature, and the wrath we deserve, God is determined to bless. In Genesis we see that the blessing of God comes to and through the seed of Abraham. We see this imperfectly through Isaac, preeminently in Jesus, and, by God’s grace, through us as well. Listen as Pastor Luke Herche explains from Genesis 26, showing how God’s blessing on us changes our relationship to others, freeing us to love sacrificially, enabling us to endure enmity, and serving as a means God uses to bless others.

Christianity can often be falsely represented as a means of getting good stuff for yourself: a trophy... wife, a big house, all the recognition “you deserve,” if you just pray for your blessing and claim it in Jesus’ name. But this false gospel misunderstands the nature of blessing and the timing of blessing. God’s true blessing is everything that is good according to God's will and God’s timing. In this sermon on Genesis 26:34–28:9, in which Isaac attempts to bless Esau, but ends up blessing Jacob instead, Pastor Luke Herche shows how to take hold of God’s blessing, exhorting us to recognize our sin, to respect God’s plan, and to put on Christ.

Every human heart longs to meet with God. It’s a longing we were born with and cannot fully escape. Many attempt... to fulfill this longing by our own methods and means. Whether by moral deeds or seeking signs from heaven, through mind-altering drugs or ritual and tradition, we create all kinds of ladders and stairways to attempt to make our way into the presence of God. In Genesis 28, we find Jacob, fleeing for his life after grievously deceiving his father and enraging his brother, Esau. And yet, it is while Jacob is in this state of exile, sleeping in the wilderness, that God comes down to meet with him in a dream. In this sermon on the well-known story of Jacob’s ladder, Pastor Luke Herche shows that God, in Christ, has drawn near to his covenant children, meeting us in the mundane, promising his protecting presence, and assuring us through the cross and the resurrection. And because God has drawn near to us, we can now draw near to God.

The book of Genesis is a discipleship primer. It is the ABCs of the faith. In... Genesis we learn about the power of God in creation and the beginnings of his covenant relationship with his people. Through the accounts of the patriarchs and matriarchs of Israel’s early history, we see what it looks like to walk with God. In this sermon on Genesis 29:1–30, in which Jacob marries Leah and Rachel, Pastor Luke Herche shows that walking with God looks like accepting God’s sovereign care, receiving God’s fatherly discipline, and humbling ourselves to serve, even as we anticipate glory.

Where do you look for wholeness? Living in a world that is under God’s curse, we find that things don’t work... as they were intended. Our present age is broken. We are broken, longing to be made whole again, to no longer sin or be sinned against, to no longer suffer or get sick or old or weary. We long for things to be put right, to be as they were intended from the beginning. But in our longing to be made whole, we so often look to the wrong things, in the wrong places, by the wrong means. In Genesis 29:31–30:24, we find sisters Leah and Rachel following this tragic pattern as they compete with each other in child bearing. Listen as Pastor Luke Herche preaches on this passage, talking about our longing for wholeness: where we look, why it will never work, and where wholeness is found.

We live in a generally mobile age. People rarely stay in one place for long. Because of that it is hard... for us to understand the value of “place” in Scripture. But in the Scriptures, the promises of God hinge on place. In the beginning, God made a place, a garden in Eden. Because of their rebellion, man and woman were removed from the holy place, and they became exiles, homeless, wanderers. In Genesis 12, God calls Abraham to Canaan and promises to give a new place to him and to his offspring. Yet, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob each leave this promised land for a time, and all three of them experience exile, receive blessing during their exile, and eventually return to the promised land, wealthier than they left it.

Listen as Pastor Luke Herche preaches on Genesis 30:25–31:55, telling of Jacob’s departure from Laban in Haran, and showing us that we are exiles who will experience troubles and hardships on our journey, but Jesus is with us by his Spirit to bless us and he will restore us on the last day.

Some lessons take virtually a lifetime to learn. The Christian life is a life of being gradually... conformed to the image of Jesus in both his character and his work, daily taking up your cross and following him. In Genesis, we see Jacob slowly learning to walk with God over a period of more than 20 years, and in his life we have both a preview of the life of our Savior and a pattern which we, too, are to live out as we follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Listen as Pastor Luke Herche preaches on Genesis 32–33, teaching us to rest in God’s promises, to cling to God in weakness, and to step out to serve, as we have been served, in Jesus.

How do you respond to the troubles of the present age? Do you stick your head in the sand and hope for... the best? Or do you come out swinging, hoping to win one for your team? We live in a morally complex and confused age. In Genesis 33:12–34:31 Jacob’s daughter Dinah is defiled, and we find Jacob and his sons responding to the horrific situation with compromise and combativeness. But those are not our only options when we find ourselves face-to-face with ugly situations. Listen as Pastor Luke walks us through this passage, drawing some conclusions about the moral complexity and confusion of our age, about the temptations to comprise and combativeness, and about the peace made through Christ and his cross.

Where do you need renewal to happen in your life right now? Where are you weary, tired, numb? Where are your relationships... stale or taken for granted? How is your relationship with God, your Father in Heaven? Is it growing, exciting, and thriving? Or does it feel static?

In Genesis 35, Jacob’s story proper comes to an end and we see that it’s a sort of climax of Jacob’s life, a renewal. As we look at Jacob’s return to Bethel at this high point in his life, we see that God calls us, even as he called Jacob, to be renewed in our relationship to him. God calls us to recommit ourselves to him even as he assures us of his commitment to us. Listen as Pastor Luke Herche preaches on this passage, showing the need for renewal, the pursuit of renewal, the context for renewal, and the future of renewal.

If you grew up in a church—if your parents are believers, members of a church, disciples of Jesus—what does that mean for... you? It doesn’t mean that you don’t have to own Christianity for yourself. You, too, need to repent and believe, to turn your life over to Jesus, to take up your cross and follow him. Esau was a covenant child, and while his story could be considered tragic, we ultimately find God’s covenant faithfulness there. Listen as Pastor Luke Herche preaches on Genesis 36:1–37:1, taking us through the genealogy of Esau and showing us God’s covenant blessings, God’s severe judgement, and God’s wide-open mercy.

Everyone longs for life. And most people don’t just want to survive, but to thrive, to know life to its... fullest. A Biblical way to say it is that people long for blessing. In Scripture, to bless is to bestow life upon and God, the blessed one, the source of all life, all power and good, is the one who blesses us. The book of Genesis is fundamentally about life and blessing. If you want blessing in your life, you need the message of this book. Listen as Pastor Luke Herche returns to a sermon series on the book of Genesis, re-introducing the book and showing that Genesis is the beginning of God’s story to bless the nations through the promised child. Pastor Luke exhorts us to believe the promise, give thanks for present blessing, and wait expectantly for what is to come as he walks us through the beginning of the story of blessing, the content of the story of blessing, and our response to the story of blessing.

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Want to go deeper? Take some time to reflect on the sermon with the following questions:

What do you think about the idea that we must understand Genesis (and, indeed, every book of the Bible), in light of the whole story? What are the strengths of that approach to the Bible? What are the dangers?

Where do you see blessing and curse play out in your own life, experience, or context? What do these things look like “at ground level”?

Which do you find to be the most difficult, believing God’s promises, giving thanks in the moment, or waiting hopefully for what is to come? Why do you think that is?

Jesus takes the curse we deserve at the cross and receives the blessing we need in his resurrection. How does that enable you to give thanks for present blessings even as you wait for good things to come?

Can our sin derail God’s purposes? Is it possible to undo God’s good plan with your poor choices? Can you out-sin... grace? These questions seem to be on the mind of the writer of Genesis in Chapter 37, where we find the account of Joseph, Jacob’s favored son, and his brothers. This story, though well-known on its own, is just a part of the larger story of Genesis, and a part of the even larger story of redemption. Through Joseph we ultimately get a glimpse of Jesus; through Joseph’s rule we find a picture of God’s kingdom. Listen as Pastor Luke Herche preaches on this passage under four heads:

1) God’s promise to restore his world includes exalting his King.
2) Pride tempts us to resist God’s King; pain tempts us to despair of his promise.
3) God uses opposition to his rule to exalt his King.
4) Take heart—despite present appearances, our King reigns; his kingdom is coming.

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Want to go deeper? Take some time to reflect on the sermon with the following questions:

In your own words, retell the key events of Genesis 37. What stands out most to you? How does this story show us God’s determination to right his world and human opposition to it? (Consider also Psalms 2 & 8.)

Why are we, like Joseph’s brothers, so opposed to God righting his world? Why do we often like Jacob despair of it ever happening?

Which temptation is stronger for you right now—resisting Jesus’ reign in some area of your life, or despairing that his promises will ever come true?

The sermon asked, “Can our sin derail God’s purposes?” How does Genesis 37 begin to answer that question? Do you find this easy or hard to believe? Why?

Read Acts 2:22–24, 32–33. How might looking to the cross (both the significance of Christ’s opposition and the wonder of God’s purposes) change the way you respond to difficult circumstances this week?

Can God keep his promises when we fail? It’s a major question in the book of Genesis, and even throughout the whole... Bible. A popular question about the problem of evil is, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” But in this sermon on Genesis 38, the story of Judah and Tamar, Pastor Luke asks a twist on that question: Can God do good things through bad people? Or, will God keep his good promises when we fail so bad? Pastor Luke looks at the answer to that question under three heads: Our sin seems to endanger God’s redemptive purposes; God works through what is sinful and shameful to accomplish his glorious redemptive purposes; we can now boast in our weakness, trusting that our darkest moments are a part of Christ’s redemptive story.

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Want to go deeper? Take some time to reflect on the sermon with the following questions:

What parts of Judah and Tamar’s story are the most shocking to you? How does this chapter challenge the idea that God only works through “clean” situations or morally impressive people?

Where in your own life have you assumed “God can’t use this”? How does knowing that Jesus willingly entered the family line of Judah and Tamar impact the way you view your own failures?

How might you share your story (even the messy parts) in a way that points to Jesus as the hero?

Take some time to pray that God would use the weak and messy parts of your life for his glory. Confess your sins and ask for power to live in the hope of God’s redeeming grace.

Many Christians have a fairly optimistic expectation when it comes to life and ministry, feeling that with enough prayer and hard... work they can change the world. Others have a more pessimistic view, with little expectation of fruit or of God using them. But Scripture offers a more nuanced option, a realism that knows that God is with us to work through us even in the hard spots and difficult times in life. Listen as Pastor Luke Herche preaches on Genesis 39:1–20, the account of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife, showing in this passage God’s continuing plan to bless the nations through the offspring of Abraham. Pastor Luke focuses on four main points:

—God is with his people, to bless the nations through his people.
—Temptation and persecution make it seem as if God is absent and his blessing has failed.
—Jesus faced God’s curse and absence that we might know his presence and blessing.
—Jesus is with you; trust God in your calling, whatever may come, confident in his resurrection power.

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Want to go deeper? Take some time to reflect on the sermon with the following questions:

If you were retelling Joseph’s story in this passage to a friend, which moments would you highlight most vividly, and why do they stand out to you?

This passage raises a big question: when life unravels through temptation or injustice, where is God? How do you wrestle with that in your own story?

Joseph’s life reminds us that blessing isn’t about circumstances but about God’s presence. What makes it hard to believe that God is with us in our difficulty? What would help remind you of that reality in difficult times?

God blesses “the nations” through his people. What might living as a bearer of Christ’s blessing look like in your work, home, or community this week?

The hardest part is often the waiting. Sometimes it seems as if God is not at work and nothing is happening in your life and you wonder if God is doing anything... at all. But what if this season of waiting is not a sign of God’s absence, but the very place he is doing his most profound and necessary work in you? In this sermon on Genesis 39:21–40:23, Pastor Luke Herche invites us to see that even when God’s promises seem on hold, God is at work in the waiting, present with his people and preparing for things to come. Jesus endured delay and experienced God’s absence before receiving God’s kingdom, and we can now endure with hope that God is with us and at work, whatever may come.

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Want to go deeper? Take some time to reflect on the sermon with the following questions:

Which moments or details in Joseph’s story did you find most striking or relatable, and why? What emotions does the scene in the prison stir in you?

This passage wrestles with what it feels like when God’s promises seem on hold. What thoughts or reactions come up for you in seasons where life feels slow, stuck, or silent?

The sermon highlighted how God is at work in the waiting—even when we can’t see it. How does that truth land with you? When have you experienced God’s presence in an unexpected or unremarkable season?

In what area of your life are you currently waiting, or feel forgotten, overlooked or sidelined? How does the gospel help you wait with hope, trusting that God is with you and preparing you—even now?

The news can be frightening. Many people feel less safe after watching, listening to, or reading the news. On the global scale, we hear... of world rulers who seem to have the power to shape our world for years to come, either for good or for ill. But in what power do you place your trust? Is it in the visible, impressive, but ultimately limited powers of this world? Or is it in the invisible, often hidden, but absolute power of God who rules over all? In Genesis 41 we find God’s sovereignty, his control over all things, and his power on display again in the life of Joseph as Joseph is called before Pharaoh to interpret his dreams. Listen as Pastor Luke Herche preaches on this chapter, showing that human power is ignorant and impotent, God’s power is counterintuitive, and God’s power is a call to act.

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Want to go deeper? Take some time to reflect on the sermon with the following questions:

Where in Joseph’s story do you see God working behind the scenes—and how does that reshape your understanding of God’s role in your own past or present struggles?

When life feels stalled, silent, or unfair, how do you typically respond—and what does that reveal about where you place your hope?

How does seeing Jesus as the One who was falsely accused, imprisoned, and ultimately exalted help you reframe your own seasons of pain or powerlessness?

What would trusting God’s sovereignty look like in a practical area of your life this week—especially where you feel powerless or impatient?

Have you ever found yourself in a moment where you realized you had no idea what was going on? Life was sailing along as normal and then suddenly... something happened: bad news from a doctor, relationship changes, unexpected bad grades, the loss of a steady job. You didn’t see it coming and you can’t make sense of God’s providence. But in those moments, what if rather than being anxious and fearful you could be calm and confident in God’s work for your good? In Genesis 42, Joseph’s brothers come to him in Egypt for food during the famine, and we see that, though God’s providence seems confusing, his purposes are good. Listen as Pastor Luke Herche preaches on this chapter, showing us that God is at work for good, we are in a season of trial, Christ endured that we might come through, and what matters now for us is our response.

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Want to go deeper? Take some time to reflect on the sermon with the following questions:

What parts of this story grabbed your attention most—either something Joseph did or how his brothers reacted—and why do you think that stood out to you?

How would it affect your current situation if you really believed God is weaving all things for good—even the ones that don’t make sense right now?

When trials press in, what do you tend to reach for—control, escape, blame, despair? What would it look like to name that honestly and bring it to Jesus?

Jesus stood the ultimate test so you could be found faithful in him. How does knowing that he passed the test for you change the way you face your own tests today?

What is one small, grace-fueled step you can take this week to respond to trial not with self-protection or self-pity, but with trust and openness to God's refining work?

In Genesis 43:1–45:15, Joseph’s brothers journey to Egypt for the second time, this time with Benjamin in tow, where... they are tested by, and ultimately reconciled to, Joseph. Listen as Pastor Luke Herche preaches on this passage, taking a closer look at the events that unfold, at the character and actions of Jacob and his sons, and especially at Judah, the one through whom God’s promised child who would bless the nations would come.

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Want to go deeper? Take some time to reflect on the sermon with the following questions:

What part of this story is most moving to you and why?

How does Judah distinguish himself as a leader among God’s people? How does his leadership point us to Jesus? How is his leadership a model for us?

Think of an area of your life where you have relational struggles. How might a willingness to lead by sacrifice for others be used by God to restore intimacy?

In this sermon on Genesis 45:16–46:27, in which Jacob learns that Joseph is alive and travels to Egypt... with all of his family, Pastor Luke Herche teaches that God’s blessings are tied to the land, that resurrection assures us of present and future blessing, and that we can now be confident in God’s blessing both here and in the world to come.

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Want to go deeper? Take some time to reflect on the sermon with the following questions:

What stands out to you about how God’s hand moves through the events and responses of these people? What emotions, surprises, or reversals do you notice?

Read Genesis 46:3–4. What do these verses reveal about God’s heart toward his people when they face uncertain transitions? How might God’s promises reshape our definition of blessing?

Why do you think Jacob hesitated to leave the land of promise? Where do we today struggle to believe that God can bless us “here”—in our own version of Egypt?

How does seeing Jesus as the “greater Joseph” deepen your understanding of God’s presence and blessing in hard places? What difference do the cross and resurrection make for how we interpret seasons of suffering or exile?

If God is with us and will one day bring us home, how can that confidence shape daily life—our attitudes toward hardship, our priorities, and our relationships? Which “old way” do you sense the Spirit inviting you to release, and what “new way” of trust or contentment could take its place?

In Genesis 46:28–47:31, Jacob is reunited with Joseph and he and all of his family settle in Egypt, becoming sojourners... in a foreign country. Listen as Pastor Luke Herche preaches on this passage, teaching us that to sojourn well involves these six things:
1. Remember sojourn is part of God’s perfect plan.
2. Don’t be surprise that your sojourn is hard.
3. Rest in the provision of God’s exalted King.
4. Maintain our identity as God’s distinct people.
5. Be instruments of God’s impartial blessing.
6. Hold onto hope in God’s promised home.

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Want to go deeper? Take some time to reflect on the sermon with the following questions:

Jacob calls his years “the days of my sojourning” (Gen. 47:9). What does this reveal about how God’s people are meant to see themselves in this world? How might recognizing yourself as a sojourner of faith bring both humility and hope?

Egypt offered comfort and abundance, but it wasn’t the promised land. Where do we see ourselves tempted to “settle in Egypt” today? What kinds of security or belonging do we look for apart from God’s promises?

How does Jesus’ own sojourning—leaving heaven to dwell among us—fulfill and redeem our restless search for home? What does his death and resurrection tell us about where our true citizenship lies?

In light of Christ’s finished work, what might it look like for you to sojourn faithfully—to live with open hands, rooted in God’s presence, and confident of your heavenly home—right where you are this week?

There’s a certain erroneous way we tend to think about God’s favor. We think there is a bar, a minimum standard... requirement for entry that we must reach to receive God’s favor, his love, his acceptance, and so many of us live either believing we have lived up to that standard and feeling good, or knowing we have fallen short and feeling bad. But surprisingly, God’s ways are not your ways. We find it hard to forgive, hard to get past wrongs done to us or the wrongs we have done to others, but, unlike us, God is ready to forgive. And his forgiveness will lead to blessing. In this sermon on Genesis 48, in which Jacob blesses Ephraim and Manasseh, the children of Joseph, Pastor Luke Herche focuses us in on the fact that God is determined to bless, despite what we think, by the logic of his grace. Therefore, we can stop doubting and rest in Jesus.

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Want to go deeper? Take some time to reflect on the sermon with the following questions:

What scenes or surprises in Jacob’s blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh catch your attention most, and why?

God was determined to bless his people, even when they didn’t expect it or deserve it. Where have you experienced God’s grace showing up unexpectedly in your own story?

Where do you tend to assume God’s blessing must be earned — and how does that shape your view of him, your struggles, or other people?

How does Jesus’s upside-down life, death, and resurrection redefine your idea of blessing and whom it’s for? How does God’s "logic of grace" shape how you see yourself and others?

If you trusted deeply that God delights to bless you by grace, not performance, what might change in your relationships, emotions, or decisions this week?

In this sermon on Genesis 49:1–28, in which Jacob blesses his sons, Pastor Luke Herche shows... us that God has a plan, life is still hard, character matters, history has a goal, and you have a choice.

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Want to go deeper? Take some time to reflect on the sermon with the following questions:

Which son’s destiny—whether good, bad, or ambiguous—stands out to you most vividly, and what specific detail from their story in Genesis 49 or the sermon really drives home Jacob’s point?

How have you personally experienced the tension between resting in God’s plan (“It’s all in his hands”) and actively taking responsibility for your actions and choices (“I have a choice”) in your daily life?

History’s true goal is the Messiah, Jesus, who secures a destiny of abundance and new creation through his sacrifice. How does trusting in Jesus’ substitutionary exchange—that his perfect righteousness secures your future—free you from the fear that your own failures will ultimately determine your eternal destiny?

The tribe of Levi was cursed for their violent character, but later redeemed their identity by channeling that zeal for the Lord’s service. Where in your own life is there a strong personality trait or “bent” that you recognize as a potential danger but believe the Holy Spirit could reorient? What would it look like to use who you are this week for God and his glory?

Pastor Luke Herche concludes his series on the book of Genesis with this sermon on Genesis 49:29–50:26, in which Jacob and Joseph... both die in Egypt, hoping in the promise of being buried in Canaan. Listen as Pastor Luke teaches us that death seems to have the last word, but hope in the promise remains. God overrules evil for good, therefore we look to the risen and exalted Christ, entrusting justice to Jesus’ hands, seeing the good in the hard, and repaying evil with good.

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Want to go deeper? Take some time to reflect on the sermon with the following questions:

In the final moments of Genesis, both Jacob and Joseph, on their deathbeds in Egypt, clung tightly to the promise of being buried in Canaan. Which specific details or actions in these final chapters best illustrate their hope in God's promises, even when their current circumstances seemed to contradict them? Where in your life are you currently tempted to think that God’s plan has been thwarted, and how can the certainty of God’s promise renew your hope today?

Joseph asks his brothers, “Am I in the place of God?” after they fear his retribution. When have you been tempted to step into “the place of God” by trying to repay evil, judge others, or orchestrate justice on your own terms? What keeps you from entrusting justice to Jesus’ hands?

The sermon argues that God “meant it for good” even in the midst of the brothers’ evil and Joseph’s suffering, and that the cross is the ultimate example of God overruling evil for good. How does truly believing that God is working out his “good purpose” change the way you respond to tragedy or injustice in your own life or in the world today?

The final call is to “look to the risen and exalted Christ” by entrusting justice to him and repaying evil with good. What is one specific, practical way you can show undeserved kindness this week to someone who has wronged you, seeing it as an opportunity to reflect to others the grace Christ showed you?