Sermon Central
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Genesis
Contributed by Tom Fuller on Apr 25, 2005 (message contributor)
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1. In The Beginning ...
Contributed on Apr 25, 2005
Is the story of creation a myth? And what is the book of Genesis about anyway? Learn what this first book is, and what it is not as we begin our journey through God’s wonderful story.
For many people today - to say that you believe the Bible is to say that you are an anachronism - something out of today’s enlightened understanding. To say that Scripture is revealing the truth is laughable in some circles - especially among the intelligentsia. Much of the reason for scoffing ...read more
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2. The Garden Of Delight & The Fall
Contributed on Apr 25, 2005
Did you know that God always intended to bless man? Learn the original purposes for man, woman, and marriage - plus learn how the serpent deceived Eve and how it still does it to this day.
2:1-3 So God rested on the 7th day. The Hebrew actually means God "ceased" from the activities of the past six days - and possibly then settled in to the creation He had made, receiving refreshment from it. The Law codified the Sabbath as a day of rest and the Jews came up with all kinds ...read more
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3. The Choice Of Cain
Contributed on Apr 25, 2005
In this chapter we learn of the anquish that sin causes, why Cain’s offering was rejected by God and how his attitude reveals what was in his heart - and the choices he made because of that attitude.
Chapter 3 shows the fall of human kind and the infection of sin and the infiltration of sin. Chapter 4 shows the fall of the family and the impact of sin We move from unrepentant Cain to defiant Lamech Chapter 5 shows the attempts of man to counteract the fall while living in sin Overall ...read more
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4. Are You Ready To Go Home?
Contributed on Apr 26, 2005
Genesis 5 is filled with death, but there is one bright light in a man who walked with God and got called home. As we look at our lives, would we be ready if God said that to us?
Some of these genealogies are not in chronological order - that’s okay - the point is tracing a line from Adam to Noah. Something to note - they died, they died, they died - except 1. Consequences of the fall. Vs 1 - 2 God gave them the name "Adam" - which means mankind. They were both ...read more
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5. The Decay Of Man
Contributed on Apr 27, 2005
After the fall, man continued to become more violent and less receptive to God - why? Also learn about the mystery of the Sons of God and the Nephillim and why God judged the earth.
How could God allow this to happen? We can’t have it both ways. We cannot be morally responsible beings and not have to deal with the consequences. God gives us enough rope to hang ourselves. We have a responsibility to listen to Him. Its not that God is out of control, but He always planned ...read more
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6. The Flood Part 1
Contributed on May 2, 2005
A lot of people consider the flood to be a myth - or at best, a localized event. But we consider Scriptural and scientific evidence for the flood and how it answers many questions about our earth and our destiny.
So we come to Chapter 7 - the Flood This is the single greatest judgment ever to hit planet earth - so far. This and chapter 8 are also one of the hardest for us humans to swallow. Four things we need to keep in mind about the Flood: " It really happened (New Testament quotes it four ...read more
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7. The Flood Part 2
Contributed on May 2, 2005
God teaches Noah and us patience in times of trouble.
I came up to my computer yesterday and it said "the operating system has experienced a serious error." After rebooting - the system returned itself to normal and on I went. In a sense, earth experienced a "serious error" that caused God to "reboot" and recover with the flood. The account in ...read more
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8. Echoes Of The Flood
Contributed on May 3, 2005
Why does life continue to exist on earth? Its because God made a covenant with us. Chapter 9 also shows the reemergence of worship and sin.
Genesis 8-9 is the rebooting of creation - there are some strong ties to Genesis 1-3 where God created the earth - here He restarts or reboots it - beginning with the flood (remember "the Spirit brooded over the water"?) then with land, plants, animals, and man. It is the restarting of ...read more
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9. The Self Importance Of Man
Contributed on May 3, 2005
Even after being saved from the flood, man goes about disobeying God and building monuments to self. Find out the creative solution God used to solve that problem!
Have you ever done something that you regretted? I mean really felt stupid about? You know those construction workers who direct traffic around road projects? Well when I was 5, 6, of 7 years old - somehow I got it into my head that I wanted to be one. Instead of just playing in my backyard, ...read more
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10. Abraham - Faith & Mistakes
Contributed on May 3, 2005
Do you ever make mistakes? Believe it or not, so did Abraham! Learn what he learned from his mistakes - and how we really can trust God to take care of us.
Things to understand about Abraham: 1. The focal point of Genesis (not even the creation) but the call of Abraham – everything before builds to Abraham and everything after builds on Abraham 2. He is the most respected man on the earth (even more than Jesus) not from importance but sheer ...read more
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11. Sold Out To God Or To The World?
Contributed on May 18, 2005
What are the signs of good leadership? Abram exhibits them as he and 318 men take on a whole army. Then Abram must make a choice - serve God or the world. How would you respond?
In these two chapters we have two amazing accounts - the first of Abram and how he routed a whole army with 318 men - and the second, we get our first real glimpse at what many feel is the pre-incarnate Christ - Melchizedek. Verses 1 - 12 The city-kings around the Dead Sea paid tribute ...read more
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12. The Plot & The Promise
Contributed on May 18, 2005
Abraham and Sarah think they know best how to fulfill Gods promise. Doing things our way can have unintended consequences.
What happens when God doesnt move fast enough for us? Do we wait patiently or do we start thinking - "maybe I was supposed to do something." In the end we muck it up by inventing answers to prayers. Thats what happens to Abram and Sarai - and it almost ruins the family. Fortunately, God is in ...read more
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13. A Meal & A Promise
Contributed on May 20, 2005
What would you do if God came to dinner? Abraham gives his best to the Lord and receives fellowship, promise, and plans for the future in return.
Two things are accomplished in this chapter - a visit from God Himself for two reasons: blessings and judgment. God is reminding Abraham - and especially Sarah - of the promised son, and to engage Abraham in a discussion about judging sin. It teaches about God’s character and intercession. ...read more
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14. Sodom Destroyed!
Contributed on May 20, 2005
Learn about how God may have destroyed Sodom and why Lot’s life there compromised his fruitful walk with God.
We begin by looking into the Psalms: Psalm 1 1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted ...read more
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15. Mistakes Re-Made
Contributed on May 20, 2005
Abraham gets reprimanded by a Cannanite king - what happens when we don’t learn the lessons God is trying to teach?
There are times to stay and face situations and times to leave. Hagar gets to leave (after the first time when God told her to go back), and Abraham must face his mistakes (after getting to leave without rebuke the first time). We all like to think that we learn from our mistakes. Truth is it ...read more
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16. The Biggest Tent
Contributed on May 20, 2005
Abraham faces his biggest challenge yet. And through it God shows a wonderful picture of Jesus Christ through the sacrifice of Isaac.
Abraham didn’t wake up one morning and say "Oh, I better get my prayer life in order - today’s a big test day from God." We don’t get that chance either - and our relationship with the Lord needs to be in order so that on any day a test comes - we’ll be ready. We learn today about the nature ...read more
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17. Sibling Rivalry
Contributed on May 20, 2005
Learn how two brothers fight from before birth - and how differences in attitude towards God can mean a big difference in how your life goes.
Verse 1 - 4 Abraham remarried and had kids - the kids were of no consequence and moved to different areas around Palestine - the point is that Isaac is the focus of the blessing. Verse 5 - 8 Abraham started giving away the inheritance before he was dead. Even though Isaac was the ...read more
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18. Backfiring Schemes
Contributed on May 20, 2005
What happens when everyone does the wrong thing? We find that in this chapter - and how God gets His way despite our best efforts to mess up!
Do you ever find a situation where absolutely everybody does the wrong thing - and yet God still gets His way? That’s what we find in Genesis 27. Everyone - Isaac, Essau, Jacob, and Rebekah - all have plans they want hatched and so they go about trying to maneuver God’s blessing to their benefit. ...read more
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19. Killing The Flesh - The Spiritual Jounrey Of Jacob
Contributed on May 20, 2005
Jacob begins a relationship with God after the Lord strips away everything he has. It is a process God brings each of us through.
Verses 1 - 5 So you’re Jacob. You’ve just wrangled the biggest deal of your life - by cheating your brother first of the birthright then of the patriarchal blessing. But far from celebrating, Jacob now has a death threat against his life and is going to be sent away on a journey hundreds of ...read more
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20. Confrontation!
Contributed on May 20, 2005
Laban confronts Jacob after God tells him to leave and go to Canaan. We learn how God peels away the flesh and transforms us with His character through the confrontation between Laban and Jacob.
I don’t like confrontation - especially with people who I know have ulterior motives and are trying to trip me up and get the best of me. I get obsessed about it - and it makes my stomach churn. I’m sure Jacob was feeling some of those feelings as he thought about Laban - who at every turn ...read more
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21. Jacob's Final Transformation
Contributed on May 20, 2005
After Jacob gave his heart to God, and saw the Lord change his character, there was a point where God needed to break Jacob so that he would be fully devoted. God does that in our lives as well - what does it mean?
You give your heart to the Lord - saying "I’m yours, be my Lord and Savior." Then the Father begins a process of transformation. The Apostle Paul put it this way: "being transformed into His image with ever increasing glory" (1 Cor 3:18). That transformation process often involves the tearing ...read more
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22. Unexpected Welcome - Unexpected Sin
Contributed on May 20, 2005
After dreading the meeting - Jacob and Esau have a family reunion. But then jealousy and violence take over as Jacob’s sons do something unthinkable.
Jacob has had a really tough time - back in Padan Aram he finally left his uncle Laban, who had cheated him for 20 years. Laban would have probably killed him had God not intervened but even still Laban gives Jacob a really hard time and then makes this agreement asking that God judge Jacob if ...read more
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23. What To Do If You Make A Big Mistake
Contributed on May 20, 2005
We all make small errors now and again. But what do you do if you make a big blunder? We learn from Jacob and what he did after Shechem about how to get back with God.
When we make small errors we often just breeze over them or remind ourselves not to do that anymore. But what happens when we make a really big blunder - something that affects other lives and our own in significant ways? Sometimes we panic, or we throw up our hands and do nothing, or we allow ...read more
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24. Moving Out Of Your Comfort Zone
Contributed on Jun 3, 2005
Joseph had it all - favored by his father, in a position of power - yet God moved him out of the place of having it all to having nothing. What does that teach us?
Genesis 37-38 Sometimes when we think about the patriarchs and the leaders of the tribes of Israel they take on sort of a patina glow – a sort of holiness – like they were not quite human. But here in chapters 37 and 38 we see the very human nature of Jacob’s twelve sons. We see the dirt swept ...read more
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25. Living A Godly Life In A Godless World
Contributed on Jun 16, 2005
Joseph was stuck as a slave, then a prisoner in Egypt. He could have claimed God had forgotten him, but Joseph remained faithful and a man of character on the inside and outside. It gives us many lessons on how to live our lives in Christ.
The story of Joseph reminds me of someone else later on in the Old Testament - Daniel. Like Joseph, Daniel was carried off to a foreign land but because of his God given talent and integrity, he was given broad trust and responsibility. Also like Joseph, that character got him enemies who sought to ...read more
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26. Be Ready When God Comes Calling
Contributed on Jun 23, 2005
Joseph languished in prison for two years after he thought he had a chance to get out. But when Pharaoh came calling suddenly he was ready to serve. So how do we keep "at the ready" when God comes to ask us to serve unexpectedly?
Verse 1 2 years passes after Joseph gives interpretation to the baker and butler. What must Joseph had thought. After it looked like God was making a way for him to get out of prison – the days were followed by weeks which were followed by months and years – and nothing. You’d think God had ...read more
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27. How Deeply Will You Repent?
Contributed on Jun 30, 2005
Joseph tests his brothers - but he is not being capricious or vindictive - rather he is testing whether they are the same characters who tried to kill him. We learn important lessons about the kind of repentence we have.
When some people read Genesis 42-45 what they see is Joseph having some fun with his brothers in a sort of revenge, or pay back for what they had done to him as a boy. He could appear capricious and arrogant – flaunting his authority to inflict pain on his brothers. In fact, Joseph is trying to ...read more
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28. Moving Into Harms Way - With God's Blessing
Contributed on Jul 13, 2005
Jacob and his family move to Egypt, knowing that they will face hardship. Yet God also promised to go with them and bring them. He makes the same promise to us if we will go the place of worship, peace, and refreshment.
Has God ever instructed you to go into a place where you knew eventually there would be suffering? I’m not sure that’s happened to any of us - and I am even less sure that knowing that fact would help us in any way. But in doing so we fulfill God’s plan not only for us but for His purposes on ...read more
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29. How To Change Your Character
Contributed on Jul 14, 2005
We as humans see things we don’t like in ourselves - then just decide to change. But we are who we are and cannot change - unless God does the transformation. We also hear how God uses this to turn what the enemy means for harm into good.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could plan the day of our departure? Just think about it - you could accomplish the things that are really important, pass on vital information to those you will leave behind, then set your sights on heaven and away you go. I remember when I was growing up the father ...read more