Series: Genesis
Part 1: Let’s start at the very beginning: Genesis 1:1-5
What really happened in the very beginning?
We look at the opening words of Genesis, and the opening words of John's Gospel, to answer this question.
Part 2: Order, structures, rules and boundaries in God's creation. Genesis 1:1 – 2:3
How do you view God's creation?
Are you aware of all the order, structures, rules and boundaries that God has put in place?
When God saw all that he had made, the Bible says that it was very good.
Part 3: Everything was very good but one thing is not good: Genesis 2
What is not good?
What did God do to resolve the situation?
Today we celebrate God's creation and the institution of marriage.
Part 4: Something amiss in the Garden: Genesis 3 (Part 1)
How does temptation work?
What tactics does Satan employ, when tempting us?
What schemes did he use in the Garden of Eden?
Part 5: Cursed is the ground - Genesis 3 (Part 2)
Do you ever look at the news and ask - what is wrong with our world?
Ever since the time of Adam and Eve - the ground that we walk on has been cursed.
But Christ has redeemed us from the curse, by becoming a curse for us.
When did the first world war take place?
When did the second world war take place?
We look at six features of war, throughout history.
Part 7: Walking faithfully with God
What do you think about, walking with God?
Is it easy or hard?
Is it essential or optional?
What can we learn from Enoch?
Part 8: God's Heart and the Human Heart
What do you see, when you look around the world today?
What does God see?
What is the Heart of the problem?
We look at two questions today:
Who Shut the Door?
Who Opened the Way?
And we see, our God, being Hands-on, to bring us salvation.
We see 4 changes in Genesis Chapter 9:
1. In the Animal Kingdom
2. At the Restaurant
3. In the Sky
4. In the World of Work
How do these changes relate to us today?
What happens, when we try to make a name for ourselves?
What happens, when we try to build a tower, to our own glory?
We look at 3 towers in the Bible.
What can we learn from these 3 very different towers?
Part 12: Who should be teaching who?
Should the world be teaching the people of God?
Or should the people of God be teaching the world?
Are we living in the light of God's promises?
Are we living by faith?
What happens to our witness, when we give way to fear and doubt?
If you are offered two variations, which do you choose?
How do you make your choice?
How did Abram choose?
What can we learn from him?
Part 14: Lot nearly lost the LOT - and who on earth is Melchizedek?
Who on earth is Melchizedek - King of Salem?
Why did Abram give him a tenth?
Why did Abram refuse to receive anything from the King of Sodom?
Where else do we hear about straps of sandals?
Do you keep your head down, worrying about the here and now?
Or will you dare to raise your gaze, to see all that God is promising you?
Part 16: The danger of "But" and "Perhaps" on the Roller Coaster Ride of Faith
Have you been to a theme park recently?
Have you been on a scary ride?
Abram's journey of faith truly was a roller coaster ride.
How are you surviving the peaks and troughs, and the ups and downs?
Part 17: The covenant of circumcision
How do you understand the covenant of circumcision in the Old Testament?
Why does God call it an everlasting covenant?
How is it relevant today?
Part 18: Is anything? Is anyone?
Is anything too hard for the Lord?
Is anyone righteous?
What did Abraham and Sarah discover?
How does it apply to us?
Judgement will fall very soon
It is not a joke
Don’t look back
Ask for mercy
And remember: Don’t look back
Part 20: What a way to behave whilst waiting for the Lord’s return
We look at further incidents from the life of Abraham and Lot, presented in 4 parts:
1. All because they thought it was a joke
2. Would you make the same mistake twice?
3. The fear of the Lord
4. What a way to behave whilst waiting for the Lord’s return
Abraham and Sarah waited 25 years for their son Isaac to be born.
What could have spoiled their happiness, when he finally arrived?
Is there a sequel to this story?
Part 22: Neighbours: Getting it right
How well do you get on with your neighbours?
How important is it to you?
What does the Bible say?
Are there any risks that we need to be aware of?
Do you ever feel that you are being tested?
We face many challenges in our world today.
Abraham was tested by God.
What can we learn from his situation?
Part 24: Weeping, mourning and paying
What does it say when we weep and mourn?
What does it say when we pay?
What can we learn from Abraham's example, following the death of his wife Sarah?
How can I prepare for marriage?
When should I start preparing for marriage?
Part 26: How would you like to be remembered?
How would you summarise Abraham's life?
What things can you learn from him?
How would you like to be remembered?
Part 27: Unity, hostility and witness
Do you long for unity?
The Psalmist extols the blessings of unity.
Unity is hard to find today.
How often do we find unity in the Bible?
What will happen when we love one another?
Part 28: Mistakes and Living Water
We look at two questions today:
1. Are we making the same Mistakes as our Parents?
2. Are we aware of the Battle for Living Water?
Part 29: Deceiving and Taking - or Humbling ourselves before the Lord
Have you ever stolen from your brother or sister?
Did your mum encourage you to steal from your brother or sister?
Is there a better alternative to deceiving and taking?
What about humbling ourselves before the Lord?
Can we believe, that he will lift us up?
Part 30: How great was Jacob? How great is Jesus?
Jacob is described, in the New Testament as a Great Father.
How great was Jacob?
How great is Jesus?
What title would you give to your memoir?
Being spare - can drive you SPARE
But, as children of God - we are not spares but HEIRS
Part 32: God's blessing in the midst of deception
Jacob was deceived by his uncle Laban.
But God was in control.
Jacob benefitted from God's blessing because he had chosen the Lord as his personal God.
Are you ever deceived by others?
Who is your God?
Part 33: Letting go of your little gods
Do you have any little gods?
Where do you keep them?
Do they damage your relationship to the living God?
Part 34: Are you struggling? Are you wrestling?
What do you struggle with?
Who do you struggle with?
Why are you wrestling?
Jacob wrestled with God and with humans.
What can we learn from him?
Part 35: No favouritism in the gospel
Jacob is about to meet his brother Esau - after being apart for 20 years.
We see joyful forgiveness in the narrative, and we also see some favouritism too.
But we end by declaring that there is no favouritism in the gospel.
Part 36: Do two wrongs make a right?
Should a whole nation be punished, because of one individual?
Can the whole world be saved, because of one man's sacrifice?
This message has 4 components:
1. Get rid of your foreign gods
2. Return to the House of God
3. Have your identity changed
4. Increase in number
Part 38: Marriage - the Original Plan and the Ongoing Plan
There are 3 sections to this message:
1. Son of my Trouble
2. Son of my Right Hand
3. Creating a Right Hand relationship
What can we learn from Jacob and Rachel?
How does the way of the world differ from the way of God?
How should godly leaders differ from leaders within the world?
We compare the nation of Edom with the nation of Israel, as found in Genesis 36.
Part 40: What was Joseph doing when he was seventeen?
What were you doing when you were seventeen?
What was Joseph doing when he was seventeen?
What can we learn from him, about living in the will of God?
Part 41: Pretending to do the right thing
Do you ever pretend to do the right thing?
Do you ever do something, with a religious motivation, when in reality, your heart is not in it?
Onan pretended to do the right thing in Genesis.
The Pharisees and Sadducees pretended to do the right thing in the New Testament.
God is calling us to stop pretending.
Part 42: Be alert and sober - Stand firm in the faith
God had a plan for Joseph's life - he was going to become the ruler of Egypt.
But meanwhile, Joseph had to be alert and sober.
Do you love God?
Have you been called by God?
Are you submitting yourself to his purposes?
Are you allowing God to work?
Part 43: Joseph was free - even in jail
Can you imagine what it must be like, going to jail for something that you did not do?
What was it like for Joseph?
Joseph was Free, even in jail, because the Lord was with him, and because he trusted in his God.
Joseph cared for others in the midst of his suffering.
What about us?
Part 44: Why 2 symbols? Why 2 dreams?
Why was the message at the Last Supper, given in 2 forms, with 2 symbols?
Why did God communicate with Pharaoh, using 2 dreams?
Part 45: Weeping in a time of famine
Why did Joseph speak harshly to his brothers?
Why did he weep when he met them?
Are you motivated by love or by fear?
When Joseph met his brothers, what was motivating him?
What was motivating his brothers?
Part 46: Killing our brothers and sisters - or laying down our lives for them
The Apostle Paul, John Newton, and Joseph's brother Judah, all persecuted others.
Can such people be saved?
Can such people be forgiven?
Can such people mend their ways?
Can they ever do anything good?
How does this relate to us?
Part 47: My son Joseph is still alive
How would you have reacted, if you were Joseph's Father, or one of his brothers, when you discovered that Joseph was still alive?
How are you reacting to the news, that Jesus is alive?
Part 48: Don't quarrel on the way!
Why did Joseph tell his brothers: don't quarrel on the way?
What does it mean, to be on the way?
What causes fights & quarrels?
What is the solution?
Part 49: What is on your Bucket List?
What kinds of moments were so significant in the Bible, that men of God could declare: Now I am ready to die?
Part 50: Are you on a pilgrimage?
Jacob described himself as being on a pilgrimage.
What about us? Are we on a pilgrimage too?
What does that mean?
What does it look like in today's world?
Part 51: Ministering to the poor
Does God care about the poor?
Should we care about those who are in poverty?
How do you help people - without making them dependent?
How do you help people - without taking away their dignity?
What can we learn from Joseph on this subject?
Part 52: Breaking with convention and tradition
Are you a rule maker, a rule keeper, or a rule breaker?
Do you obey all the traditions and conventions in our generation?
Jesus went against the conventions and traditions of his day - to reach out to people who needed a saviour.
Part 53: What would you say about your sons?
Imagine that you had 12 sons, and you had to say something about each one of them:
What would you say?
Would you be honest and objective, or would you be biased?
What did Jacob say about his 12 sons?
Part 54: Longing for a better country
Are you living by faith?
Are you longing for a better country?
Are you longing for a heavenly country?
Part 55: Nearly forgiven or really forgiven?
Do you feel guilty, or do you know that you are forgiven?
What is the secret of forgiveness?
Why is it important to confess our sins?
Why do we need to forgive others?
What happens when we turn to Jesus?
Why do we need to come home?