Beyond Sunday

How To Read the Bible and Actually Live It Out

Sat, 30 May 2026 22:43:00 GMT

Simple Steps to Help God’s Word
Shape Your Heart and Your Actions.

Have you ever thought, “I’ve been a Christian for years, but I still don’t really know how to read my Bible or apply it to my life”? If so, you’re not alone.

A lot of Christians feel overwhelmed when they open the Bible. Some don’t know where to start. Others read it faithfully but struggle to connect what they read to everyday life.

The good news is this: Bible reading does not have to be complicated. You do not need a seminary degree to begin understanding and applying God’s Word. You just need a simple, consistent approach and a willingness to let God speak through Scripture.

A great place to start is with the Gospel of John. John helps us see who Jesus is, why He came, and what it means to follow Him. Instead of trying to read huge sections at a time, slow down and focus on a few verses.

For example, if you read John 15 where Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches,” stop and think about what that means. Ask questions like:

What does this teach me about Jesus?
What does this show me about my
relationship with Him?
Am I trying to live spiritually disconnected from Christ?

You may realize you’ve been relying on your own strength instead of staying close to God through prayer and His Word.

Or maybe you read Philippians 2 where Paul says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit.” That passage moves from information to application very quickly. You can ask:

How do I treat people at work or home?
How do I respond when I don’t get my way?
Am I serving others or mostly thinking about myself?

Suddenly, the Bible is not just an ancient book—it is speaking directly into your life, your relationships, and your daily decisions.

Another helpful step is to look for one clear takeaway each time you read. Don’t try to apply everything at once. Focus on one thing.

For instance:

If you read about forgiveness, maybe your application is reaching out to someone you’ve been avoiding, or someone who you have wronged.
If you read about anxiety, maybe your application is choosing prayer instead of panic when stress rises.
If you read about generosity, maybe your application is helping someone in need this week.

Small acts of obedience matter. Spiritual growth usually happens slowly, consistently, and faithfully over time.

It’s also important to remember that application is not just about “doing more.” Sometimes the application is believing, and meditating on something more deeply. Maybe you need to believe that:

God truly forgives you,
He is still faithful in suffering,
Your identity is in Christ and not in your failures,
God is worthy of your trust even when life feels uncertain.

After you read, spend a few moments praying through what you learned. Talk to God honestly about it. Write down what you have learned in a journal so that you can see how you have grown spiritually over time.

You might pray something like this: “Lord, help me not just read this passage but live it. Show me where I need to grow. Give me wisdom, conviction, and strength to obey You today.”

Over time, you’ll begin to notice that Scripture shapes the way you think, respond, speak, and live.

And remember this: the goal of Bible reading is not simply to finish a chapter. The goal is to know God more deeply and be transformed by His truth.

So start small, read slowly, ask questions, pray through it, and look for one takeaway.

Then take one step of obedience.

One verse at a time. One day at a time.

God uses those small faithful moments to change our lives.

It is our desire that you to grow spiritually and that you cling tightly to the very Words of God found in your Bible. May God bless you and encourage you through this journey.

We invite you to join us for Bible study and for worship. Visit our website to find our location and to find oportunies to grow with us.

What if God Is Working Through Your Pain? | Genesis 50:15–21

Fri, 29 May 2026 19:52:05 GMT

What if God Is Working
Through Your Pain?

How God Uses Hurt, Betrayal,
and Brokenness for Good

Summary

As Genesis comes to a close, Joseph reminds his brothers that God will surely visit His people and bring them into the land He promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Even though Joseph had lived most of his life in Egypt and held great power there, he never considered Egypt his home. His final request was not for a grand Egyptian burial, but that his bones would one day be carried into Canaan when God fulfilled His covenant promises.

The sermon highlights Joseph’s unwavering faith in God’s promises despite suffering, temptation, loss, and life in a pagan culture. Joseph trusted that God would keep His word even when he could not yet see its fulfillment. His coffin became a testimony to future generations that God could be trusted and that Egypt was not their final home.

The message then points to the greater hope found in Christ. Just as Joseph’s coffin reminded Israel of God’s promises, the empty tomb of Jesus reminds believers that this world is not our home and that eternal life awaits all who trust in Christ. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, sin, Satan, and death have been defeated.

Genesis ends with death because sin entered the world in the garden, but throughout Genesis God was unfolding His plan of redemption through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and ultimately Jesus Christ. The message closes with the reminder that believers today live with the same kind of hope Joseph had — trusting the sure promises of God while awaiting the fulfillment of eternal life in Christ.

Key Takeaways

Guilt over sin is hard to let go of, even when forgiveness has been offered.
Vengeance belongs to God, not to us.
Forgiveness is rooted in the gospel, not self-help.
Joseph recognized God’s sovereign hand even in suffering.
Evil remains evil, but God can still use it for good.
Christians forgive because they have been forgiven in Christ.
God’s sovereignty gives believers freedom from bitterness and revenge.
The cross is the greatest example of God using evil to accomplish good.
Our hope rests on God’s unchanging Word, not changing emotions.
God works all things together for the good of His people.

Life Application

Refuse to take revenge when you are wronged and trust God with justice.
Forgive others the same way God has forgiven you in Christ.
Remember that your feelings do not determine whether you are forgiven — God’s Word does.
Look for God’s sovereign work even in painful seasons of life.
Show kindness and compassion to those who have hurt you.

Gospel Connection

Joseph’s story reminds us that God can redeem what others meant for evil. But the greater Joseph is Jesus Christ — rejected, betrayed, and crucified so that sinners could be forgiven and saved. At the cross, God turned the greatest evil in history into the greatest act of grace the world has ever known.

Scripture References

Genesis 50:15–21

Genesis 45:4–8

Romans 12:19

Ephesians 4:32

Ephesians 1:7–8

Romans 8:1

Romans 8:28

Colossians 2:13–14

Matthew 18:21–35

Luke 6:27–28

1 Peter 4:19

1 Thessalonians 5:15

Leviticus 19:18

Acts 2:22–23

Acts 3:18

Acts 4:23–28

Have questions about forgiveness, suffering, or trusting God through pain? Watch the full sermon, reflect on God’s Word, and join us this week as we continue walking through Genesis together. If this message encouraged you, share it with someone who needs hope today.

Genesis Ends With a Coffin - But Also Hope! | Genesis 50:22-26

Thu, 28 May 2026 19:01:27 GMT

Genesis Ends With a Coffin - But Also Hope! Why Joseph’s Final Request Still Points Us to Christ

Joseph’s final words in Genesis 50 remind believers that God always keeps His promises and that this world is not our home.

Genesis ends with a coffin in Egypt, but it also ends with hope. In this final message from Genesis 50, we see Joseph standing firm in faith even at the end of his life. Though surrounded by Egypt’s power, wealth, and influence, Joseph’s hope was never rooted there. His confidence rested in the promises of God. This message challenges us to ask where our hope, identity, and future truly rest and reminds us that God’s people are still living by faith in His promises today.

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Joseph trusted God’s covenant promises even at the end of his life.
God’s people must never treat this world as their permanent home.
Biblical faith is confidence in the promises of God, not wishful thinking.
Trials and worldly pressures do not have to destroy faith.
The empty tomb of Jesus guarantees eternal hope for believers.
Genesis reveals God’s sovereign plan of redemption through Christ.
The legacy believers leave behind should point others toward faith in God.

Discussion & Reflection Questions

Why was it important to Joseph that his bones be carried to Canaan instead of buried permanently in Egypt?
In what ways are believers today tempted to treat this world like their permanent home?
How does the resurrection of Jesus give believers confidence in difficult seasons of life?
What kind of spiritual legacy are you leaving behind for your family and others?
How does the story of Genesis ultimately point us to Jesus and the gospel?

Gospel Connection

The message of Genesis ultimately points to Jesus Christ. From the promise in Genesis 3:15 to the covenant promises given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God was unfolding His plan to send a Savior who would defeat sin, Satan, and death. Jesus came as the promised offspring who lived perfectly, died for sinners, and rose again. Through faith in Him, believers receive forgiveness, righteousness, eternal life, and the hope of a restored creation. Just as Joseph trusted God’s promises about a future inheritance, believers today trust God’s promises fulfilled through Christ.

Scripture References

Genesis 50:22–26
https://www.esv.org/Genesis+50/
Genesis 48:21
https://www.esv.org/Genesis+48/
Genesis 15:13–14
https://www.esv.org/Genesis+15/
Exodus 1:8–11
https://www.esv.org/Exodus+1/
Exodus 13:19
https://www.esv.org/Exodus+13/
Joshua 24:32
https://www.esv.org/Joshua+24/
Hebrews 11:22
https://www.esv.org/Hebrews+11/
Hebrews 11:1
https://www.esv.org/Hebrews+11/
1 Corinthians 6:14
https://www.esv.org/1+Corinthians+6/
Philippians 3:20–21
https://www.esv.org/Philippians+3/
2 Peter 3
https://www.esv.org/2+Peter+3/
Revelation 21
https://www.esv.org/Revelation+21/
Genesis 3:15
https://www.esv.org/Genesis+3/
Genesis 12:1–3
https://www.esv.org/Genesis+12/
Hebrews 2:14–18
https://www.esv.org/Hebrews+2/
Romans 4
https://www.esv.org/Romans+4/
Galatians 3:29
https://www.esv.org/Galatians+3/
Ephesians 1:3–14
https://www.esv.org/Ephesians+1/
Romans 16:20
https://www.esv.org/Romans+16/

Sermon Transcript - Genesis 50:22-26 | The Death of Faithful Joseph - Ken Addison, Teaching Pastor

Uh if you count staying up all night on Friday night because your kids made you do it. Celebration. But no, yesterday was so great. So great. Um so I celebrate all that God's doing and all that you guys and our community, the the the money that was collected to go back out to the ministry of the kingdom. So good. So good. But today we get to gather together and spend our last official uh time in Genesis together. And I just look to make sure we started this thing in August of 2023. Yeah. Lots gone since August 2023. A lot of celebrations, a lot of a lot of hurts. We've we've lost people since then. We babies have been born since then. a lot of wonder under the bridge in life, but also in this in this great book of the Bible that as we've walked through it, just God has taught us so much and it's been so relevant.

Something something about the very first days of creation through, you know, the years after that are relevant today as it is with all of scripture. And so we celebrate God, thanking God that he has been so faithful to us to carry us through such such such rich truth from his word. And so we're coming to the death of Joseph. We're in Genesis chapter 50. Uh starting in verse 22, we'll go to 26. Jacob, Joseph's dad has died and and the brothers, Joseph's brothers are, you know, they're a little nervous that uh that Joseph's going to retaliate on them because of what they did to him by selling him into slavery back when he was 17 years old. But Joseph assures them that, hey, look, I'm not in the place of God. It's God's to give vengeance, not mine. and and really God was in what you did to me and he's used it for good. So, I'm not going to put my place in the myself in the place of God. He basically assures him that he's forgiven them and um that he's going to provide for them while they're in Egypt. And so, there's where our last passage picks up uh today. So, if you'll stand with me, let's read um Genesis 50 22- 26.

So Joseph remained in Egypt, he and his father's house. Joseph lived 110 years. And Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third generation. The children also of Makir, the son of Manasseh, were counted as Joseph's own. And Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, "God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here."

So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They inbalmed him and he was put in a coffin in Egypt. This is God's word and it's good. You can have a seat. After assuring his brothers that he intends them no vengeance, that he's forgiven them, that he'll provide for them and their families.

Joseph and his father's house remain in Egypt. And he lives to be 110 years old. This is apparently seen from what I've read as an age that the Egyptians, remember he's in Egypt, that the Egyptians deem as a desirable age to attain. It's interesting. Um Joshua uh uh also lived to be 110 years old.

I read something, you know, Joseph is is the reason that the Hebrews came to Egypt. Joseph brought them to Egypt and Joshua is the final one who takes them from Egypt back into Canaan. You know, they had already come through out of Egypt, but he he puts them back into Canaan. So, Joseph's the reason why they come from Canaan. Joshua is the reason that they settle in Canaan. He's the leader at that time. They both live to be 110 years old.

He lives to see his son Ephraim's grandchildren, maybe great-grandchildren, depending on how the third generation is is talked about here. And his son Manassa's grandchildren were born. And some of your translations may say placed on Joseph's knee. Um, that may indicate adoption. They were made Joseph's own. As our scriptures, as the ESV says, Joseph lives long enough to see at least three generations after him. This is another indication of a long and a blessed life. Psalm 128:6 says this, "May you see your children's children." And Joseph certainly did. God was gracious to him on top of getting to spend his dad's last 17 years with him.

Remember, he didn't know if he'd see his dad again. and his dad didn't know that thought he'd never see him again. But Jacob's last 17 years, Joseph got to spend with him along with his brothers.

God was very kind to Joseph and let him see his posterity after him. God had promised to make Abraham's family a great multitude who would become a nation that would possess Canaan as their own. And Joseph, he doesn't see the possession of the land. He dies before that. He doesn't see the possession of the land while he's still alive, but he sees the start of God multiplying his people who would become the nation that would possess the land. These are blessings to Joseph.

And so, knowing he was about to die, Joseph has a message for his brothers. Doesn't necessarily mean all his brothers. Remember, he was one of the youngest ones. So, some may have passed on. So, this doesn't require, the passage doesn't require that all the brothers were there, but maybe they were. Maybe there was just some of them.

But he gathers his brothers together. He has a message for them. And he says verse 24 and 25. And Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." That I think this is the first time we see that that trifecta is talked about like that. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That becomes such a a phrase throughout scripture. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Joseph's like, "I'm about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob."

Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, "God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here." In this message to them, Joseph kind of brings out two things I want to highlight to you. Joseph is convinced that God will fulfill the covenant promises that he gave to Abraham to possess the land. Back in uh chapter 15, chapter 17, God assures Abraham, I'm giving you this land. Your descendants will have this land. They will be a nation in this land.

And Jacob had assured Joseph of of this promise near his his Jacob's own death in chapter 48 21.

Then Israel, that's Jacob, said to Joseph, "Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers." So, Joseph to his brothers is basically just mirroring in words what his dad had already said to him. the the promise that his dad said to him, he told his brothers, he's passing it down. Additionally, surely J uh Joseph had heard God's words from Genesis chapter 15 um verses 13 to 14 when God said this.

Then the Lord said to Abram, that's Abraham, know for certain that your offspring will be sojourers in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there and they will be afflicted for 400 years. That's what's about to happen to the people of God in Egypt.

All the way back in chapter 15, God told Abraham that was going to happen. Surely Joseph heard this. Verse 14, God told Abram, "But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions." So God already told Abram, "Look, your your your your descendants, they're going to be in the land. They're going to be servants for 400 years, but I'm going to bring them out. They're going to actually come out with possessions."

Surely that had been passed down. Joseph knew this. And so he passes it along to his brothers that God's going to bring him out of the land. He comforts and assures his brothers that though he is about to die, don't miss this. Joseph is the link between Pharaoh and the generosity and kindness that has been shown to his brothers in Egypt. Remember Egyptians weren't too fond of Hebrews.

Joseph is that link. Joseph comforts and assures his brothers that though he is about to die, God would visit them and take them to the land that he had promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Maybe to address the fears of what would happen to them in Egypt after he was gone. If Joseph's gone, how are we going to be treated? Will we still have the same kindness? What comfort his words must have been to the people many generations after? If you right there in the first page of Exodus, we're not starting Exodus. Don't worry. But but look at at verse 8 in chapter 1. Now there arose a new king over Egypt who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, "Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply.

And if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land. Therefore, they set task masters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens they built for Pharaoh's store cities, Pitham and Ramsy's. There was a a Pharaoh that didn't know Joseph and made the people of God slaves. So surely these words that Joseph gave his brothers that they hopefully passed down to their generations after them would hear these words and know these words and say, "Yes, maybe we are slaves now, but God is going to visit us and he will take us from here to the land that he promised us." God's promises in to us are a comfort in times of loss. Joseph is dying. God's promises to us are a comfort in times of loss. God God's promises to us are comfort in in fear of the future.

What's going to happen? God's promises are a comfort to us in times of oppression, times of hardship. And Joseph had heard God's promises passed down to him. And he assures his brothers that they would not be destroyed. Nor were they to assume that Egypt was their forever home. They weren't to set their hearts upon Egypt as their home. God would visit them and bring them from Egypt to Canaan. Matthew Henry, I love what he says here. He says, quote, "Thus we, thus must we comfort others with the same comforts with which we ourselves have been comforted of God and encourage them to rest on those promises which have been our support." If you've been encouraged by God, tell somebody else. If God's word has comforted you and and ministered to you and and taught you and changed, go tell it to somebody else. That's our job.

And also in this message, Joseph makes them swear that when God visits them to deliver them to Canaan that they'll take his bones from Egypt to Canaan with them. Interesting. Unlike Jacob, Jacob says, "I'm going to die. Go bury me in Canaan like now." And they do. But Joseph's like, "I'm going to die, but don't bury me over there yet. Leave me here in Egypt. But when God delivers you, take my body with you. Bury me there. And during the Exodus from Egypt, Moses takes Joseph's bones with them. Exodus 13:19. And Joseph is eventually buried at Sheckchum. Joshua 24:32. See, Joseph believed in the covenant promises of God. Though listen, this is crazy to me. He had lived in Egypt for 93 of his 110 years, but he hadn't become an Egyptian.

He knew he was one of God's people, that Egypt was not his home. He was such a faithful man to the to the covenant God that he wanted to be forever identified with God's chosen covenant people that he wanted his body taken from Egypt to be buried in Canaan, the land of promise that he believed would be theirs. What faith? Hebrews 11:22. Of all the things that the he writer of Hebrews could have could have said to demonstrate Joseph's faith, and there's a lot. I mean, all the way from chapter 37 to to 50, we see Joseph and just demonstrations of his faith are just all over the place. But the writer of Hebrews chooses this to demonstrate Joseph's faith. Hebrews 11:22, "By faith, Joseph at the end of his life made mention of the Exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones." The writer of Hebrews like, "You want to see Joseph's faith?" He wanted to be buried. in Canaan.

He wanted those coming through the Exodus to be to carry his bones and bury him in Canaan. And so by making his brothers swear to take his bones when God visited them and brought them up to Canaan and Joseph is declaring his great faith in the promises of God. Warren Wearsby says this quote, "True faith always leads to obedient action." And he references James 2. Joseph knew what he believed and where he belonged. Therefore, he didn't want his coffin to remain in Egypt when God delivered his people. End quote. So, after so many trials in his life, Joseph remained faithful to the end. in command to Pharaoh. Pharaoh. Joseph. Dude was respected in all of Egypt. He had sway. He had power. He had influence. My man could have said, "I want to be buried in that tomb. I want to be buried in that ornate tomb. I want I want this type of like c, you know, uh com uh memorial. I just want this to he he could have said that being buried as one of the most powerful men in Egypt and remembered as one of the most powerful men in Egypt was important to him.

He could have said, "I want to be buried here where I spent most of my life and where I had most of my influence." He could have if wealth and power and prestige were his priorities, but they weren't. He said, "Just leave me here, but when you go, you take me there because I want to be remembered that wealth and prestige and power are not my priorities, but my faith in the promises of God and being one of his people. That's what I want to be remembered by. And so after so long in pagan Egypt, 93 years in pagan Egypt with false religion all around him, away from his family in great wealth and power and no doubt many temptations with possibly no one to encourage his faith. Joseph stayed faithful and he died in great faith wanting to be identified with the people of God in the land that God had promised them. Wow.

His identity and his people's hope weren't rooted in Egypt, but in Canaan. His heart wasn't in Egypt, but in Canaan. So, like Joseph, most of us, hear this. This is great application for us this morning. like Joseph. Most of us are not completely detached from secular pressures and influences. We live in the world. We're not detached from from every from from this worldly system and worldly ways and worldly people. We're not detached from that. And Jesus didn't even necessarily want that. He he said, "God, don't take them out of the world, but but don't let them be not of the world." Right? So we're not detached from secular pressures, worldly influences. And Joseph shows us . There are some times where you need to separate from certain situations in the world. Okay, Joseph an an excuse to just go plunge yourself into the world and not worry about its influences. Separate, detach in certain time. But but we can't do that all the time.

But but Joseph teaches us we don't have to conform to the world. We don't have to become like the world. All throughout his life in Egypt, he had kids, right? He named them Hebrew names because he remembered God. He was faithful to God. Secular influences and adversity don't have to destroy our faith. But our faith can grow and remain steadfast even there. The same pressures that Joseph faced are used by some people to excuse their unfaithfulness. I've just gone through so much. It's just I mean my life's just been a a constant Eeyore existence, right? I've just I've just it's just been so hard. God don't love me anymore. And I'm just sad. And you know what? I'm just going to go do what I want to do. Sorry.

Some people excuse their unfaithfulness because of the trials in their life. Joseph could have gone, you know, Joseph, remember, he didn't have his family around him. He didn't have a lot of Christian, you know, godly people around him. And some of us are like, you know what, I don't got any godly people in my life. I mean, you know, they separate themselves from church and they don't intentionally get involved in a church. They don't tend to think about that. But but but not having, you know, people around them, they're like, I just don't have anybody to encourage me. It's just, you know, whatever. or I just, you know, I mean, the people who live around me, this is just what they do in order to fit in. That's what I got to do.

So many people that profess Christ use all kind of excuses to live like the world, not Joseph. and it shouldn't be us. So unlike Jacob who back in chapter 47 and earlier in chapter 50, Joseph doesn't focus on being buried immediately in Canaan, but he wants to wait until God delivers his people to be buried there. Derek Kitner says, quote, "No funeral procession like Jacob's was set out for Canaan. the matter could bide God's time and a better exodus." End quote. That's good. He was waiting for God to deliver his people. And so, why did he want it this way? Why didn't he say, "Go ahead and bury me over there?" I don't exactly know. I've got a sneaky suspicion though that his unburied coffin in Egypt would do for the generations of Hebrew people that come after him, whether they were enslaved in Egypt or wandering in the wilderness after the Exodus. I mean, somebody carried that coffin through the Red Sea.

Somebody's job was to let's go Joe, you know, and wandering through the wilderness. Whether they were enslaved in Egypt or wandering in the wilderness, those generations after Joseph's death would remind them of Joseph's faith and his assurance that God would give his people the promised land. And that the reason this coffin wasn't buried yet was because Joseph believed that and he wanted his body carried to his homeland when God fulfilled his promises to them. That coffin would scream to them. God will give you the land. Trust him. God can be trusted to keep his covenant promises. Hebrews 11:1. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. You see, biblical faith is not what some people call faith.

Like, some people have a weird idea of faith. You know, it's not like a wish. It's not like a hope that's not founded on something like like the Gamecocks are going to win a national championship. We got no reality by which to base that on yet, right? Worldly faith sometimes is just a wish. is a hope. It's a mental gymnastics thing that says it's not a reality, but I want to create that reality in my future. Therefore, I'm going to believe it in the present. And because I believe it in the present, it's going to create the reality in the future. That's not biblical faith. Biblical faith is a certain hope based on the promises of God, the revealed promises of God in his word. Even in the face of trials, adversity, pain, struggle, and after Joseph died, the generations after him would face many trials. But Joseph was given them reason to trust God even then.

And it's the same with us. Biblical faith in the promises of God. Not just a wish, not just a hope, not trying to create a future reality. No. What did God say? And am I going to believe it? Am I going to stand on it? Am I going to walk in it? Trials reveal the genuiness of our faith. 1 Peter 1. Again, faith is not a wish on a wing and a prayer thrown to the wind, hope left to chance. No. Biblical faith is reliance upon the word of God, trusting its validity and his faithfulness to fulfill his promises to us even in our toughest of times. That's good, ain't it? If the Hebrew people were tempted to settle in Egypt, Joseph's coffin said this to them, "Nope, this isn't your home." If they despared of their struggles and their hardships, his coffin cried out, "God will fulfill his promises. Hope is coming." Y'all, for us, it's not Joseph's coffin.

But it's the empty tomb of the risen Christ that calls out to us that this world is not our home, but that God has promised a glorious future ahead for his people. Christ has risen from the dead, never to die again. And we who are in him will too be raised to receive resurrected bodies, never to die again. 1 Corinthians 15 talks about that. 1 Corinthians 6:14 says, "And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power." Philippians 3:20-21 says, "But our citizenship is in where? Heaven. And from it we await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, his resurrected body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. Y'all look, Christ is coming again.

He's coming again. It's a promise. It's a sure promise you can stand on today. He's coming again. And when he comes again, he's going to gather his people to take them us to be with him in the presence of God to enjoy eternal life. Not in an earthly Canaan, but in the heavenly Canaan, in the new heavens and the new earth. Second Peter 3 talks about, Revelation talks about the new heavens and the new earth. When creation is redeemed from the curse and there's a new heaven and a new earth, believers that that that that Christ comes again to gather and and give them brand new bodies. Bodies that will never die, that are that are fit for eternity, that are fit to live forever, will will live with God in the presence of God in eternal life in the new heavens and the new earth. That's his promise.

As Joseph died declaring that God will visit his people to rescue them to Canaan, God has declared that he will coming of Christ and rescue us to our glorious resurrection and inheritance into eternal life. These are promises of God that keep us hopeful and faithful in this sinful world. When we face hardship, when we face struggle, when we face temptation to conform to the ways of the world, the hope of our future home, the sure, the certain sure of it, helps us get through that struggle and it helps us say no to temptation because I'm a person on my way there and I'm living for the values of there. We don't live as our as if our identity and our hope are in this world. Joseph didn't. His identity was not in Egypt.

It was in Canaan. Our identity is not here. It's in heaven. It's where our citizenship is. We don't live as if our identity and hope are in this world defeated. We don't live defeated by our suffering. We don't adopt the ways of the sinful world. We live as those in God's kingdom. We endure present struggles. We live for his kingdom's righteousness now as we hope in our glorious promised future. Amen. compared to to to Jacob's life. Jacob lived and his dad, Joseph's dad lived 147 years. Chapter 47:28. Joseph lived a shorter life than his dad. 110 years. But he spent his life faithful to God. He pointed to faith in God and identifying with the people of God in his life and in his death. He believed God would deliver his people.

The fancy Egyptian tomb meant nothing to him. He wanted to be counted as one of God's faithful people, not a worldly Egyptian, buried in the land God promised them. And in his instructions about what to do with his body, Joseph showed that his values were godly and not worldly. So, like Joseph, you and I, we're going to die one day unless Christ comes back first. And if we're alive when Christ comes back, that's going to be pretty cool because we're not going to immediately go with him, right? We're going to watch him raise the dead, unite their souls with their brand new bodies, and then we will be transformed and get in our new bodies, and we will all be together with the Lord. But if that day doesn't come before you die, you're going to die.

No matter how long our lives though, we can live today as one of God's people. That we can die pointing others to faith in God. We can die like Joseph. Our legacy that we leave those behind us should be one of godliness, not worldliness. I just want to tell you this. This Bible right here is Anna's Bible. It says Anna right there. And I may have told you this. I'm not sure if I have. But on my desk, I've got four Bibles. I got to get one for Jacob. Uh just hadn't done it yet. But I rotate Bibles every every Sunday. I preach from a different Bible. After Anna's, if I don't get a Bible for Jacob this this week, then I'll preach from Joshua's Bible. And then the next week I'll preach from Joseph's. And then the next week I'll preach from Norah's. And the next week I'll preach from Anna's. Why do I do that?

Because I want my kids to know after I die, they get their Bible to know that their dad valued the word of God and the place of the word of God that they need to have in their life. The legacy that we leave those behind us should be one of faith and not worldliness. Godliness, not worldliness. While valuable a financial inheritance that you leave behind, it's infinitely less valuable than the than an inheritance of faith left behind. And Joseph's coffin called out to those after him to trust in the promises of God. Our witness, y'all, is not over when we're laid in a coffin. May we live today that the memory of our lives will bear witness to faith in God's promises that those behind us will believe him, trust him, and worship him.

Joseph didn't want to be remembered as a person of the world, but a person of God. So that brings us to the end of our passage. I got a little more though because I want to remember Genesis here before we go. Genesis ends with the words. It's interesting, isn't it? The last words of Genesis are a coffin in Egypt. Remember how Genesis started in the beginning, God. And then we've got, you know, in those first chapters, God creating life. There's hope. There's life. There's God's power. And the end of the book is a coffin in Egypt. A book that began with God's creation ends in man's coffin. A book that began with God's creation of life ends in the reality of man's death. God's good design of life was corrupted by sin in the garden and had now brought death.

When Adam and Eve sinned that very first time, sin was introduced. And as a result of sin, death is now in our our our our world. Matthew Henry says this, quote, "Thus the book of Genesis, which began with the origin of light and life, ends with nothing but death and darkness. So sad a change has sin made." End quote.

But even as sin entered the world and brought death, God promised hope. all the way back in Genesis chapter 3 after Adam and Eve had sinned and after they had hidden from God and now they're they see that their sin they're ashame they they see that they've sinned now they're ashamed of their nakedness and and and and and God is starts to pronounce the curses because of their sin and he starts with the one who tempted them to sin he starts with Satan and he says This I, this is God, I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring.

He He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel. God had a plan to defeat the enemy and the death that Satan had caused to enter God's good design for life. God would have a people, the offspring of the woman, he calls it here, who would have a God-given disposition of enmity towards Satan. A god-given disposition disposition of enmity towards Satan and his people. And from the woman's line, physical line of descendants would be one single he one single offspring who would have enmity with Satan and would crush his head as he bruises his the offsprings heal, defeating Satan and the death that he brought into the world. And so what Genesis does is he Genesis chronicles the people of God. Listen, the the the offspring of the woman. Genesis Chronicles, the people of God whom he, you hear these words, sovereignly chose.

It's not like there was, you know, people came up and said, "Pick me, pick me, pick me." No, God sovereignly chose a people, his pleasure, his will, his purpose. Genesis chronicles the people of God whom he sovereignly chose to bring that one offspring to bless the world and bring salvation from all that Satan has done. of all that we've learned in Genesis, that one theme is a huge theme. God created life. Satan came and corrupted it through sin. And now death reigns. But God said one's coming who's going to defeat the enemy. And he's going to come from a people. And let me tell you about who those people are. A people that I have chosen. The line from which this offspring, Jesus, we know who that is, right? The line from which this offspring would come went from Adam to Seth to Enosh to Kenan to Mahalel to Jared to Enoch to Methuselah. Oh guy to Lamek to Noah to Shim all the way down to Terara who had a son named Abram.

And from no merit of his own, Abram was likely a pagan worshipper. God sovereignly chose Abram to be the recipient of his covenant promises to make from him a nation that would bring salvation blessing to the world. Chapter 37:0037 minutes12:es 1 to3. Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I, not you, Abram, I will make of you a great nation. and I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and him who dishonors you I will curse. Don't miss this. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Probably pagan worshiping Abram is like, "Okay, I believe it.

and he trusted in God's covenant promises and he obeyed him and he left and he went to this land and then from him God chose Abram's son Isaac. He didn't choose the firstborn which would have been natural. He chose Isaac, not Ishmael. And then God chose Isaac's son, Jacob, not the firstborn, Esau. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God chose to be the ones through whom these covenant promises passed. And from Jacob came 12 sons. And as God had done before, he passed over firstborn Reuben. Look, this is God's choice, not man's, not the way man did it. Wasn't firstborn. God chose not the firstborn. and he passed over Reuben and he chose Joseph to have the double blessing and he chose Judah to have the preeminence.

And it's from the royal line, the royal tribe of Judah that would come the king of all kings, the lion of the tribe of Judah, Jesus, the Messiah, the promised offspring who would crush Satan's head. It's going to be on the screen. Hebrews Hebrews chapter 2. Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he Jesus himself likewise partook of the same things. [snorts] Jesus, the eternal son of God, the eternal God in the you know God before he became flesh, pre-existent, never a beginning, never an end. took on human flesh. He became he he wrapped human flesh on himself. God created a miracle in the womb of Mary by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. And Jesus, the eternal God, was placed in Mary's womb to to develop like a human just like us.

It's a mystery, I know, but it's God's work. Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise parttook of the same things. That through death he couldn't die if he wasn't a human, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. Jesus came and when he died, what he was doing through his death, he could only die if he was a human. He's fully and truly God, but he's also fully and truly human. And because he's fully and truly human, he could die. And when he died, he was delivering those of us, all of us who because of Adam and Eve's sin, passed down through all the generations from them to us today who experience death and are and are in slavery to sin and death. He wanted to defeat Satan's works on the cross when he died, Jesus, so that he could rescue us and deliver us. For surely it's not angels. Verse 16, for surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. That's interesting. Therefore, he had to be made like his brothers in every respect so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God to make, here's my word, propitiation for the sins of the people.

For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. So what's Jesus do? How does he defeat Satan? How does he defeat the works of Satan that began in the garden? And this this sent creation and mankind into death and destruction and hopelessness and hell. The eternal God put on human flesh. And though the Jewish leaders and the Roman governor and leaders might have thought, soldiers might have thought that they were performing some type of worldly, you know, action to minimize Jesus who was gathering influence with the people. What God was doing through just like he did with Joseph. He he worked through the evil of man to put Jesus on the cross because on the cross for whatever earthly people were looking at it like God said I'm putting him there because when he dies what I'm doing is I'm taking my chosen covenant people past, present, future, all of them. And I'm putting their sin on the son and I'm going to punish their sin in him.

You and I deserve hell for our sin. And all of us are sinners. Our sin is an eternal offense against the eternal God. And we deserve eternal hell, his wrath, because he's holy. He's righteous. But God said, "I got a people that I don't want to give my wrath to. I want to give my pleasure to. I want to give my life to. I want to give my favor and my grace to. I want to give them an inheritance. I want to give them a heavenly Canaan. I want to give them the new heavens and the new earth. They will inherit the earth. But I got to do something about their sin. So I'm sending my savior, my son, their savior. And on him, I'm going to put their sin, and I'm going to expend all of my wrath and all of my anger against their sin because I'm a just God. I have to punish sin, and I'm going to pour it out on him. He's going to die. He's going to pay for it. It's going to be finished. He's going to be buried. And then I'm going to raise him from the dead.

Sin will have been defeated. death will have been defeated. He's going to rise from the dead. That all all who are my people who turn from their sin, who have a God-given disposition against Satan, whom I work in, whom I come and I choose, whom I draw, John 6, to myself, those people whom I draw to myself, I'm going to give a God-given disposition against Satan to. And they're going to turn from their sin. They're going to hate their sin. They're going to want their sin forgiven. and they're going to put their faith just like Abraham did and the in what Christ has done that he has paid for our sin and I am going to forgive their sin because Christ has already paid for it. And just like when Abraham believed God and God credited it to him as righteousness, when we believe on Christ, God credits Jesus's righteousness to us.

We who are unrighteous, who don't deserve righteousness, he gives to us the righteousness of Christ. And sin is then defeated in our life. Death is defeated in our life. Eternal life is ours. and the work of the enemy in the garden has been crushed. And in Genesis, we've got pictures of what Jesus did for us. I can't go through these a whole a whole lot, but when Adam and Eve sinned and God met him, where are you? You know, we were shamed, so we hid. What' God do? He killed an animal. He sacrificed an animal to cover their shame and gave them loin cloths. He sacrificed an animal [clears throat] to cover the shame that came from their sin. Does that sound like what Christ did when we go to the ark?

Judgment all around. But those in the ark were saved from the wrath of God. Jesus is the ark that we trust in and in whom we live and and are saved from the wrath of God. Abraham sacrificing Isaac. Remember that in Genesis 22. a father sacrificing his son. But then God stopped Abram and he said no. And he provided a ram that was stuck in a thicket as a substitute for Isaac's death. Jesus is our substitute.

Joseph's story, my goodness, that he is a type of C. He has shows us Christ that that God used the evil of men to bring about his sovereign purpose. That's just we see the gospel all in Genesis. That's a few. [snorts] But from before the foundation of the world, God had a plan. He had a plan to bring redemption to fallen mankind.

and he sovereignly chose Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to produce his chosen covenant people to receive his covenant promises and through whom the Savior would come. And though and though we might not be in the physical line of Abraham, we too can become God's covenant people in Christ, recipients of his salvation blessing in Christ as we believe by faith just like Abraham did. Romans 4 talks about that. as we believe by faith in the covenant promises of salvation and forgiveness and righteousness and eternal life offered in Christ through faith in him and not our works. That's what God wrestling Jacob was all about. Right? Jacob was a man who depended on himself so much in his life, his scheme and his working to get what he wanted.

God comes essentially I don't like I don't like the the headline whatever that says Jacob wrestles with God. I don't like that because that's not how it happened. Jacob didn't pick that fight. God did. God came to Jacob that night and he wrestled him and Jacob wrestled him all night. And he wouldn't give in. He wouldn't submit. Daybreak was coming. God said, "Okay, it's over." Boom. And he touched his hip. And what did Jacob do when he realized that he could not win against God? But he submitted and he clung to him and he says,"I will not let go unless you bless me." He was about to face Esau. He was scared. That whole story where my son gets his name from, that whole story is about us realizing that we can't do it on our own. For us to be saved, we need the blessing of God. We've got to cling to Christ and say, "Without you, I have no blessing.

Without you, I have no hope." It's not something that I can do in my self-will and my works and all my energy and just make myself pleasing to you. No, I need you to bless me. We need Christ. And so by clinging to Christ for salvation, blessing through faith, Galatians 3:29 says that we become Abraham's spiritual offspring. We might not be in a physical line, but we're his spiritual offspring. We're heirs of God's covenant promises in Christ. We're chosen by God's pleasure just like Abraham by no merit of our own. I'm almost done, but I'm going to read you Ephesians chapter [snorts] 1 verses 3-14 because if you're a Christian, this is your story. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

He knew you guys, gals, if you're a Christian, he knew you before you even born, before the world was even created. He chose you just like he did Abraham by his sovereign will. In love, he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through who? Jesus Christ. According to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, not you. Look what I did. I trusted Jesus. Well, yeah, you did. Good. We need to put faith in Christ. But you trusted Jesus cuz he he he picked you. He chose you. He came to you. He drew He drew you to himself to the purpose to the praise of his glorious grace with which he has blessed us in the beloved. In [snorts] him Jesus we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace which he lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time. Here we go. to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him, we have obtained an inheritance of which the earthly Canaan for the for the early Israelites, that's just a picture of the inheritance that we have in Christ. In him, we've obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things to the counsel of his will. So that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of whose glory? his in him. You also when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation and believed in him, there's faith, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of his glory.

You got the spirit of God right now. And just like God gave Joseph and Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, the people a promise that they're going to inherit the land, he's given us a promise that we'll inherit an eternal life through Christ. He's going to raise us. He's going to give us new bodies and give us the earth. Give us the new heavens and the new earth and eternal life with him. We've got that promise. And just like Joseph and and all the the Israelites had that promise of a Canaan coming, we have a promise of an eternal life coming. And in Christ on that day, we become victors over Satan, over sin, and over death. Romans 16:20 with the promise of an eternal life and an inheritance in Christ.

Genesis began with God's good design for life. But Genesis ends with the reminder of sin's tragic consequences. Death, a coffin in Egypt. But praise be to God. He has worked to bring new life through Christ. Life where Satan is defeated, sin is defeated, and death is defeated. Praise God that he has worked to restore life eternal for his chosen covenant people. Life that'll never end as his resurrected people live forever in the glory of his presence in the new creation, the new heavens and the new earth. And though Genesis ends with a coffin in Egypt, a somber reminder to us of what sin has caused, it ends with a note of hope as well. Because that coffin was a reminder of Joseph's faith, faith in the promises of God to be fulfilled.

And as God's covenant people, us covenant people in Christ, living in a world of death, we too hope in the sure promises of God that are to come. Eternal life, restored, Eden restored, his people and creation redeemed through Christ as he intended it to be and as he intends it to be. All for the eternal glory of God. Glory to his name. Amen. Oh, we did it, y'all. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, God. Thank you for the the truth that is in this glorious book of Genesis. Thank you for this the the the truth that over these two and whatever years you have walked us through and you have taught us through and you've discipled us in the the challenge you've given us the the conviction you've given us but also the hope the guidance that you've given us Lord thank you for how all of your word points to the savior and so father I just want to give you glory for the work that you have done, are doing, and will do in your chosen covenant people.

That we might be a people who live by the book and who live in this world of death with a hope of eternal life and that we share that hope with those around us that they may have that hope as well. And I pray that in Christ's name. Amen.

Don’t Get Comfortable Here… This World Is Not Your Home

Fri, 22 May 2026 20:19:26 GMT

Trusting God’s Promises While Living as Sojourners in This World

Genesis 47:13-31 | Joseph's Administration and Oath - Ken Addison, Teaching Pastor.

What do you hold on to when life feels uncertain, painful, or temporary? In Genesis 47, famine covers the land, people are desperate for survival, and Jacob nears the end of his life. Yet through hardship, God is still fulfilling His promises. This message reminds us that God provides for His people, calls us to faithful living, and points our hearts toward a greater home that is still to come.

Sermon Summary

Genesis 47 shows the severity of the famine in Egypt and Canaan as people desperately seek food in order to survive. Joseph wisely administers the resources of Egypt during the famine, gathering money, livestock, land, and eventually the service of the people in exchange for grain. Yet the passage does not portray Joseph as harsh or exploitative. Instead, he acts with wisdom, justice, and generosity. Even while serving Pharaoh’s interests, Joseph maintains righteous character and faithfully represents the character of God before the world.

The sermon emphasizes humanity’s dependence upon God for daily provision. Just as the people of Egypt depended upon grain to live, we depend completely upon God for every good thing. The message continually points listeners back to gratitude, faithful worship, and lives that match the gospel we proclaim. Joseph becomes an example of someone who blessed the world while maintaining integrity and faithfulness to God.

The focus then shifts to Jacob and the growing nation of Israel in Egypt. Though God’s promises seemed delayed, God was still at work multiplying His people in unexpected ways. Jacob’s desire to be buried in Canaan revealed his faith that Egypt was not his true home and that God would fulfill His covenant promises. Even at the end of his life, Jacob worshiped in faith and looked ahead to the promises of God.

Ultimately, the sermon points to Jesus Christ as the greater Savior. Joseph saved people from physical starvation, but Jesus saves sinners from spiritual death. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, believers receive peace with God and the promise of an eternal inheritance in the true promised land—the new heavens and new earth. Christians are called to live as faithful sojourners whose hope is not in this world, but in the eternal kingdom of Christ.

Key Takeaways

God is the ultimate provider of every daily need and blessing.
Joseph demonstrated wisdom, integrity, justice, and generosity during a national crisis.
Christians are called to bless the world while reflecting the character of God.
God’s promises may seem delayed, but He is always faithful to fulfill them.
Jacob’s desire to be buried in Canaan showed his faith that Egypt was not his true home.
Believers are citizens of a greater kingdom and should live with eternal priorities.
Jesus Christ saves sinners from spiritual death and gives eternal peace with God.

Scripture References

Discussion & Reflection Questions

How does the famine in Genesis 47 remind us of our dependence upon God for daily provision?
What stands out to you about Joseph’s character and leadership during a difficult season?
In what ways can Christians bless the world while still remaining faithful to God’s truth?
Why was Jacob so determined to be buried in Canaan instead of Egypt?
What does it look like to live as a “sojourner” whose true citizenship is in heaven?

Gospel Connection

Joseph saved people from physical starvation during the famine, but this passage ultimately points us to Jesus Christ, the greater Savior. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus provides salvation from sin and eternal death. Because Christ took the wrath sinners deserved, all who repent and trust in Him are forgiven, declared righteous, and given an eternal inheritance with God forever. Like Jacob, believers live looking toward a better country and a greater promised land that Christ has secured for His people.

SERMON TRANSCRIPT - Genesis 47:13-31 | Joseph's Administration and Oath

Joseph has brought his whole family into Egypt. Joseph and Jacob are finally reunited after 20 years, 22 years or more even of being apart. Jacob thinking Joseph was dead, but now he’s alive. And now they have reunited. They’ve come together and Pharaoh has given his family the land of Goshen, a very fertile land probably eastern Nile Delta region to settle in.

Jacob comes before Pharaoh. He blesses him and then Joseph settles his brothers. In verse 11, it says, “Then Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt in the best of the land, and Joseph provided for his family there.”

So, what we’re going to get to today is Joseph’s administration during the famine. His family has settled in Goshen, and now we’re going to see just how Joseph dealt with the starving people who were suffering in the famine. And it’s going to give us some good truth, some good teaching today.

So, if you’ll stand with me, we’re going to start in verse 13. We’ll read the word of God together. Chapter 47, verse 13 to the end of the chapter.

“Now, there was no food in all the land, for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished by reason of the famine. And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan in exchange for the grain that they bought. And Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.

And when the money was all spent in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, ‘Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? For our money is gone.’

And Joseph answered, ‘Give your livestock, and I will give you food in exchange for your livestock if your money is gone.’

So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the herds, and the donkeys. He supplied them with food in exchange for all their livestock that year.

And when that year was ended, they came to him the following year and said to him, ‘We will not hide from my lord that our money is all spent. The herds of livestock are my lord’s. There’s nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our land. Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we with our land will be servants to Pharaoh. And give us seed that we may live and not die and that the land may not be desolate.’

So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. For all the Egyptians sold their fields because the famine was severe on them. The land became Pharaoh’s. As for the people, he made servants of them from one end of Egypt to the other. Only the land of the priests he did not buy. For the priests had a fixed allowance from Pharaoh and lived on the allowance that Pharaoh gave them. Therefore, they did not sell their land.

Then Joseph said to the people, ‘Behold, I have this day bought you and your land for Pharaoh. Now here is seed for you and you shall sow the land. And at the harvest you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh and four fifths shall be your own as seed for the field and as food for yourselves and your households and as food for your little ones.’

And they said, ‘You have saved our lives. May it please my lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh.’

So Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt, and it stands to this day that Pharaoh should have the fifth. The land of the priests alone did not become Pharaoh’s.

Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, and they gained possessions in it and were fruitful and multiplied greatly. And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt 17 years. So the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were 147 years.

And when the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, ‘If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh and promise to deal kindly and truly with me. Do not bury me in Egypt, but let me lie with my fathers. Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burying place.’

He answered, ‘I will do as you have said.’

And he said, ‘Swear to me.’

And he swore to him.

Then Israel bowed himself upon the head of his bed.”

This is God’s word, man. It’s good. You can have a seat.

The famine was severe in Egypt and Canaan. There was no food in the land. People were languishing, wasting away. You can imagine no food.

This reminds us of our great dependence upon God for our daily provision. I think sometimes in our country, we don’t really come face to face with just how dependent we are upon God for our daily provision, even to eat.

Because if He withheld rain, the domino effect for us, we’d be in a great lack of food, a great lack of resources. It would just all fall apart.

Psalm chapter 65 verses 9 through 13 says:

“You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it. You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers and blessing its growth. You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance. The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.”

Especially in that day, the awareness of dependence upon God for rain to live, for flocks to have grass to graze in, for crops to grow, they were very aware of that. And it is not different today. We need God’s provision from the heavens for our daily provision.

Jesus’s prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread,” is just as applicable today as it was then. We need God, and we should constantly thank God for our daily provision and not just be thankful that we’ve got a McDonald’s on the corner. We’re thankful to God because it all comes from Him.

Joseph gathered up all the money in Egypt from the people in exchange for grain. The Hebrew word for gathered up is the same used for gleaning crops, the last bit of corn and wheat left in the fields, just gathering up what’s left.

The people gathered up all their money. I think about lifting up the couch cushions and just gathering up all that’s left or looking on the floorboard of the car or the cup holder of the car or the ashtray in the car if you still have one of those. Just gathering up every coin that’s left and giving it to Joseph in exchange for food.

There was no money left in Egypt. It was all gone. But righteous and honest Joseph didn’t keep any of this money for himself. He brought it, the Scriptures say, into Pharaoh’s house.

But the famine persisted. There was no more money in the land. The people were desperate. The Egyptians didn’t want to die, so they asked Joseph to give them food. Joseph proposed they give their livestock as payment for food, and they did.

One commentator asked whether the livestock were lean and emaciated like Pharaoh’s dream, with nothing to graze on and therefore becoming useless to the people, making it easier for them to give them up. But they did give them up, and Joseph gave them grain.

The grain from the sale of the livestock sustained them another year. But the famine continued, and they needed more food. With no money and no livestock left with which to purchase food, they offered all they had left to Pharaoh — their land and themselves to be his servants.

They also asked for seed so they could plant and keep the land productive. Without livestock and crops, the land was useless to them and likely easier to part with. Likewise, being an alive servant is better than being dead.

From Pharaoh’s perspective, without seeding the land and having servants to work it, the land would also be useless to him. So this proposal worked out for everyone, and Joseph agreed to it.

In exchange for food to sustain them, Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh and made servants of the Egyptians. But he didn’t buy the priests’ land because they already had provision from Pharaoh.

Then Joseph said to the people, “Behold, I have this day bought you and your land for Pharaoh. Now here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land. And at the harvest you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four fifths shall be your own.”

The land and the people were now the property of Pharaoh, but Joseph showed incredible wisdom to provide for the people justly. Pharaoh received twenty percent of the harvest, but eighty percent went back to the people to provide seed for planting and food for their families.

Kenneth Matthews says, “The arrangement is close to tenant farming, meaning that the farmer has access to the land and its produce and makes an agreed return to the owner. Moreover, the one-fifth tax leaving four-fifths to the workers is generous compared to what is known elsewhere in the ancient Near East.”

We would love a twenty-percent flat tax, would we not?

The people were incredibly grateful, telling Joseph that he had saved their lives.

In our country and our context, what Joseph did might cause us some uneasiness, thinking Joseph may have exploited the people in a time of great need and gained governmental control. But we’ve got to remember a few things.

First, the people themselves asked to sell their land and themselves to be servants. This was common in ancient times for destitute people trying to survive.

Second, Joseph only imposed a twenty-percent tax. Someone trying to exploit others would likely impose much more. The people still had more than enough to survive and provide for their families.

Third, the people were grateful because Joseph had saved their lives. They didn’t see him as a harsh taskmaster but as a savior who preserved them from starvation.

The sermon emphasized that this passage is not promoting slavery, nor does the Bible promote slavery. The Bible often addresses sinful systems by changing hearts and relationships rather than overthrowing governments politically. Paul, for example, taught masters and slaves to view one another differently in Christ, planting seeds that would eventually destroy the institution from within.

Nor is this passage advocating for giving government absolute power. Power often corrupts. Joseph was unique in his righteousness and wisdom.

Joseph served Pharaoh’s interests and the interests of the people. Once again, Abraham’s family blessed the world. This was a partial fulfillment of God’s covenant promises to Abraham that his family would bless the nations.

And while Joseph blessed the world, he maintained righteous character. He honestly brought all the money into Pharaoh’s house. He didn’t embezzle anything for himself. He represented the character of God as he served others.

Christians are to be a blessing to the world in many ways — helping the poor, shining the light, advocating for righteousness, and ultimately proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. The question is whether our lives display the character of God as we seek to bless the world.

Does your life match what you believe, what you proclaim, and what you say you believe? Do you proclaim Christ while gossiping, complaining, stealing, or living contrary to the message you preach? Joseph’s life matched his testimony.

Then the passage shifts to the final section.

“Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, and they gained possessions in it and were fruitful and multiplied greatly.”

A nation was forming. Israel as a nation in seed form. Jacob’s family was multiplying according to God’s promise.

God’s command to be fruitful and multiply was not only a creation ordinance but part of His covenant promises to Abraham’s descendants. God was growing His people.

Sometimes God’s promises seem delayed, but their fulfillment is coming. God often works in unexpected ways. Who would have expected God to multiply His people in a pagan land while they were slaves?

Could it be that during hardship God is doing His best work in and through our lives?

Jacob lived seventeen years in Goshen before dying at the age of 147. Interestingly, Joseph had been seventeen years old when he was sold into slavery. For seventeen years Jacob cared for Joseph, and for the last seventeen years of Jacob’s life Joseph cared for his father.

As Jacob neared death, he asked Joseph to bury him in Canaan and not in Egypt. Joseph promised to do so.

The act of putting the hand under the thigh had appeared earlier in Genesis when Abraham made his servant swear not to take a Canaanite wife for Isaac. It may have simply been a customary sign of taking an oath, a sign of submission, or perhaps a reminder of God’s covenant promises connected to circumcision and posterity.

Maybe Jacob was reminding Joseph that God had promised their descendants the land of Canaan and that Egypt was not their permanent home.

God had promised to bring His people back into Canaan. Though Jacob himself would die in Egypt, he believed that his descendants would inherit the promised land.

Egypt was not his home.

By requesting burial in Canaan, Jacob was displaying great faith in God’s covenant promises at the end of his life.

Hebrews 11:21 sheds light on this moment:

“By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff.”

Very likely Jacob was bowing in thankful worship to God for all His covenant faithfulness.

What a beautiful picture — a man with such turmoil and spiritual failure throughout life ending life in faith and worship.

May that be true of us as well. As we grow older and life fades, may our worship and faith rise louder and clearer.

Ligon Duncan says Jacob wanted the symbolism of his burial in Canaan to stand as a testimony to his descendants that their hope was not in Egypt but in the promises of God.

Warren Wiersbe says Jacob’s desire was that his funeral would be a clear witness that he was not an idol-worshiping Egyptian but a believer in the true and living God.

What kind of witness will our lives leave behind?

What we value, pursue, spend our energy on, and treasure will testify about what we believed and how worthy we believed God to be.

Jacob found comfort knowing that though he would die, he would rest among God’s people in the promised land.

Likewise, believers today find comfort knowing that when we die we will be in the true promised land, forever with God in the new heavens and new earth because of what Christ has done.

First Peter chapter 1 verses 3 through 5 says:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.”

All of us are born sinners deserving wrath and judgment. But God sent His Son Jesus, who was perfectly righteous, to bear the punishment for sin on the cross. Christ was buried, and on the third day He rose from the dead, a full and sufficient Savior for all who turn from their sin and trust in Him.

Those who trust in Christ are forgiven, declared righteous, and given an eternal inheritance with God forever.

Joseph saved people from physical starvation, but Jesus saves us from spiritual starvation and sin. He is the bread of life.

Like the grateful Egyptians who were thankful to Joseph for saving them, believers are grateful to Christ who has nourished not only our bodies but our souls.

As distinct sojourners on this temporary earth, we fix our attention upon the glory of our heavenly home.

There is a contrast in the passage between the Egyptians languishing in famine and God’s people flourishing in Goshen. Likewise, there will be an eternal distinction between those who belong to Christ and those who do not.

Joseph could preserve Jacob from starvation, but he could not stop Jacob from dying. We all will die.

Are you ready to die? Are you at peace with God?

Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Through repentance and faith in Christ we can die in peace, hope, and joy knowing we are reconciled to God.

Believers should spend their lives pouring the gospel into the lives of others so they too can be at peace with God forever.

No matter how good the last seventeen years of Jacob’s life were in Egypt, Egypt was never his home. Nothing in this world compares to what is to come for believers.

May we not be enamored with the treasures of this temporary world. May we live as citizens of heaven, distinct sojourners on our way to our eternal home.

May we live for the values and purposes of heaven and faithfully serve our eternal King until the day we see Him face to face.

Glory to His name. Amen.

VBS 2023 In the Books

Wed, 12 Jul 2023 19:13:00 GMT

Impacting Young Lives with the Good News of Jesus

Vacation Bible School was a tremendous success! Over the course of three days, we had the privilege of welcoming numerous children from our congregation and the local community. It was an incredible opportunity for us to share the good news of the gospel with these young hearts and engage in meaningful conversations with their parents. Participation and attendance were great, and energy was exciting.

I want to personally express my heartfelt gratitude to all the dedicated workers, teachers, and helpers who played a vital role in making this event possible. Your commitment and enthusiasm were truly inspiring, and I am grateful for your time and your contribution. This could not happen without you. Your attention to the children and the purpose of sharing Jesus was amazing. Also, thanks to those of you who spent time talking to the parents and adults that hung around during each evening. Many community families were in attendance, and I appreciate you getting to know them and for making them feel welcome.

Furthermore, I would like to extend a special thank you to Helen Bradley and Pastor Ken for their exceptional leadership and tireless efforts in organizing and coordinating this remarkable VBS event. Their dedication and passion for spreading the love of Christ were evident in every aspect of the program.

Our theme this year was "Meeting Jesus." Pastor Ken taught three specific stories of people meeting Jesus in scripture. Those encounters demonstrated Jesus' power to forgive sin. The gospel message was clearly communicated to the children that our greatest need is to be saved of our sin by trusting in Jesus as our Savior. The small group leaders unpacked each story with discussion and questions. Several of the children responded to an invitation to learn more about following Jesus. Here is a prayer point for you - We have invited those kids to join us this coming Sunday evening to continue that conversation. Be in prayer for that.

We were blessed to have had the opportunity to create lasting memories, build relationships, and impact lives through VBS this week. Thank you again to everyone involved, and we look forward to next year as we continue this journey of faith and outreach together.

A Thankful Journey

cameron@beulahbaptist.com (Cameron DeBrew) — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 15:49:54 GMT

Looking Back on 30 Years

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for the wonderful weekend you prepared in recognizing my 30-year anniversary at Beulah. It was such a special day for me and my family. Thank you for all the planning, the decorations, the power point, the delicious meal, the sweet fellowship, the “special guests”, and yes, even the entertainment. It was all so meaningful.

As I think about the days of late 1992 when I was finishing up my time inn seminary and looking for a church to serve, I remember very clearly the phone calls I had with J Thompson who was the pastor at aa church in Hopkins, SC. A place I had never heard of and literally a place that I could not find on a map. (Yes, we used maps in 1992). Pastor J was a voice in the wilderness for us as we sought God’s next step in our journey. We had several phone conversations with Pastor J, we spoke to the search committee a couple of times, and we arranged for personal interview. All of that went well and Beulah brought Donna and I down to Hopkins to have some more conversations, pray together, meet some of the congregation, and ultimately present me to the church for consideration as their Minister of Music and Education. Those days and conversations, and faces are crystal clear in my mind all these years later.

That congregation took a chance on me, a 28-year-old, newly graduated, inexperienced minister. They loved us, accepted us, encouraged us, and fed us. We did not know a single person in the community, but we were accepted as family. They became our parents, our grandparents, and our babysitters. They taught us about the church, the community, and the surrounding area. They taught us about life, they taught us about marriage, and they taught us about being a parent. They guided and grew me spiritually. I had the opportunity to be a part of their personal and family celebrations and I also had the opportunity to grieve with them and cry with them. All that grew me as a pastor. Many of those faces are no longer with us. All those wonderful people that invest greatly in this church and in my life. I miss them dearly and wish that they could have been present to celebrate this milestone with us.

To this congregation, you revealed a calling in my life that I did not know existed. You saw something in me that I did not know was there. Through your prayers and willingness to follow God wherever He led, you saw that God had kept Ken and I here on staff for so many years. You were willing to think outside of the box in leadership structure and present me with the opportunity to be your Lead Pastor. Those days, and those conversations were life altering for me. I am writing this article sitting in a chair that I never considered and behind a desk that I never sought after. It was NEVER in my plan to be serving in the capacity that you have called me to serve. You have been patient with me, you have been gracious, loving, and supportive. I am very grateful to you and for you. God has certainly used you to influence the path of my life.

Like the children’s story about the little train that could, here we are 30 years later pushing every day in every decision to know Jesus and make Him known, (toot-toot).

I love you all so much. Sunday was a monumental day for me, and my family and I believe it was a monumental day for our congregation. God is to be celebrated for His goodness and His grace on this congregation for so many years. I am looking forward to the coming days and years.

BBQ and Missions

Tue, 25 Apr 2023 17:51:40 GMT

BBQ and Missions

There is a lot going on in the life of Beulah this coming month. May brings spring fever, yard work, school coming to an end, Mother’s Day, proms, graduations, and so many other things. We are looking forward to the opportunity to leverage these events and activities to advance the kingdom by presenting and representing the good news of the gospel in all our “extra” activities.

We will be highlighting Mother’s Day, Baby Dedication, and Graduation during the next few weeks and we will be hosting a familiar event with a new purpose. On May 27 we will have our First Annual Missions Fundraiser BBQ. This is shaping up to be an extremely exciting and impactful event. As you know, we as a congregation are blessed to have many Ministry Partners, both local and international, that are working daily to evangelize, disciple, and meet the needs of people throughout the world. We are so blessed to be able to come alongside them in their work by praying specifically for them, by financially supporting them, and by physically assisting them.

We also have several Community Partners that are important to the overall health of the Lower Richland community. Working with these partners allows us to be a part of the education, safety, well-being, and direction of our community, and most importantly, it gives us the opportunity to build relationships with our community and to engage the gospel message to our friends, family, and neighbors.

The Missions Fundraiser BBQ will be an opportunity for us as a congregation to raise money to continue our work and support of these great partners, That day you will definitely enjoy some delicious BBQ, but you will also have the opportunity to meet several of our partners and hear the important work that they are doing and work that we are supporting, There will be a Missions Fair where our partners will interact with you and provide updates and information on their specific ministries. It is an amazing opportunity to have so many of our partners together at one time on our campus.

I encourage you to make plans to attend this event and to invite your friends and neighbors to also attend. I mean everyone wants to eat BBQ on Memorial Day weekend, right? I also encourage you to pray concerning your financial contribution and involvement to this effort. The funds raised will be used exclusively to support these partners and the incredible work that they will do throughout the year 2023.

I am looking forward to seeing you and your family at this event on Saturday, May 27. 11:00am – 2:00pm

Pastor Cameron

Listed below are our current Ministry and Community partners. Look through the list and see the variety of ways this congregation is partnered in fulfilling the Great Commission. Click the links to learn more about each partner and discover specific ways to pray for each one.

Our Ministry Partners include:
Set Free Alliance, Robby & Chrissy (South-Asia), Brian & Cathy Hutchens (Texas), Hans & Brandy Ostrem (FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes)- Canada), Pastor James Roy (Bangladesh), Alex & Bethany Tandon (South Africa), A Moment of Hope, Christian Adoption Services , BCM @ USC , Benedict BCM , Operation Christmas Child , Columbia Metro Association , North American Mission Board , and the International Mission Board .

Our Community Partners include:
Camp Cole
Richland District One Schools
Local Schools – Horrell Hill Elementary, Hopkins Elementary, Southeast Middle, Hopkins Middle, and Lower Richland High School

Spring Cleaning and Newness of Life

Wed, 29 Mar 2023 16:34:56 GMT

Your life – my life needs a spring cleaning.

Why is it around this time every year we feel an urge to clean? We seem to be hardwired to start cleaning up our yards and our homes just as the weather gets warmer and the grass gets greener. We get rid of the old and replace it with the new? New bushes, new paint, new clothes. The former things are replaced, maybe as a sign that we are longing for what is coming. We are anticipating Spring. Warmer weather, vacations, planting a garden. There is excitement and our lives are altered to prepare. There is a sense of urgency because we know that the newness of Spring is coming.

We are currently in the process of changing our Church Management Software and in order to bring our existing data into the new system, we are having to clean it up. We are having to look through every line and entry to see if it is good data or if it is outdated. We certainly do not want to bring old, out of date, inaccurate data into the new system.

If you are still reading, this is where I turn from this pleasant conversation and start meddling in your spiritual life. When is the last time you spent any time looking through your life to see what belonged and what did not belong? My guess is that it has been awhile. The things that are in our Christian lives that do not belong are kind of like the stuff cluttering your closets. We know that it is there, but we have just gotten used to it. It serves no purpose and is only taking up space.

As we celebrate the resurrection of Christ in the coming weeks, let me remind you as a believer what scripture says about the junk in your life.

2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

Romans 6:4
"We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life."

Isaiah 43:19
"Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."

1 Peter 1:3
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”

As believers, we are raised to walk in newness of life. Newness requires space to grow, it requires full faith in the hope of Christ. When you are in Christ, you are given a new identity. You are no longer your own, you belong to Christ. Here is what God declares about you:

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." 1 Peter 2:9-10

Robert B. Kruschwitz gives this perspective: “Christ’s resurrection guides us into “newness of life,” which is life here and now, but with a new, eschatological dimension. We examine everything we feel, think, and do from a new perspective that takes our present bodies, our resurrectional bodies, and Christ’s body (which is the Church) ever more seriously.”

Are you walking in newness of life? Is your full identity in Christ’s death and resurrection? Are you striving to continually identify and evaluate the worldly labels and identities that you are holding on to so tightly? Your life – my life needs a spring cleaning. We are hoarding junk in our lives that is in contradiction to the new life that Christ has called us to.

Pastor Cameron

Raised to Walk in Newness of Life: Robert B. Kruschwitz; Copyright © 2014 Institute for Faith and Learning at Baylor University

Pray Like Daniel

Tue, 28 Feb 2023 17:43:42 GMT

Cry out in anguish that the truth of the gospel be revealed.

With Easter only a few weeks away, I want to encourage you to earnestly pray for our families, our community, and our world to cling to the salvation that is only available to us through the good news of Jesus! As I write this, I am also preparing for our Wednesday evening Bible study. In Daniel Chapter 9 , there is a beautiful payer of confession, petition, and praise. It is Daniel pouring out his heart to God on the behalf of the sinful, unrepentant Jewish people. Not only for the sins and rebellion of the Jewish people but also for his own sinfulness. This is a prelude to the prayer that Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane prior to His arrest and crucifixion. It was Jesus pouring out in anguish and passion a night-long prayer on behalf of not just the Jewish people, or for Himself, but for all the peoples of the world. Just listen to the language of the prayer Daniel prays starting in verse 16: “O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. 17 Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. 19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”

Do your prayers sound like this? I must admit that mine do not. I typically find myself praying very selfish prayers that will improve my circumstances, or my health, or my financial situation. Daniel prays scripture. He says back to God the things that God has revealed about Himself and the promises that He has made with His people, Israel. This is how we should pray. We should be so consumed and familiar with God's word that it is natural for us to say back to God what He has already said. To speak the characteristics of God and the will of God for His people reminds us of the sovereignty of God.

I ask you to cry out in anguish for your families, for your neighborhoods, for your community, your state, your country, and the world that the truth of the gospel be revealed. Pray for repentance and for faithfulness. Pray that God would be patient, merciful, and gracious to His people, but with the overriding theme: Not my will, Lord, but Yours be done.

Pastor Cameron

Seek First the Kingdom

Thu, 20 Jan 2022 19:40:16 GMT

As believers, we are all called to advance the Kingdom. We are all called to “labor in the harvest.”

Seems like the older I get; the faster time passes. Is that true for you? I cannot believe that we are in the year 2022, but here we are. I am excited about the coming year for our congregation as we seek to engage our community and our world with the Good News of Jesus Christ. For the first time in 15 years, we are headed into a new year without debt! I am so encouraged that our 2022 budget reflects this congregation’s heart for evangelism, discipleship, and ministry.

Our 2022 calendar is already beginning to fill up with many ministry opportunities throughout our community, and many mission opportunities here at home and around the world. We are looking forward to continuing to come alongside of our many ministry partners and our community partner. We are also excited about the addition of several new partnerships that will begin this year.

God has poised this congregation to engage this community with the hope of the Gospel like never before. Jesus says in Matthew 9:37-38 “Then he (Jesus) said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; ³⁸ therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” We cannot approach this new year convincing ourselves that this world will not respond to the truth of the Gospel. Nor can we convince ourselves that we do not have a responsibility on the work. We do, personally and corporately. As believers, we are all called to advance the Kingdom. We are all called to “labor in the harvest.” The good news is that the harvest is not only ready, but also “plentiful”. That means that God has already gone before us changing people’s hearts so that they will respond to the saving power of the Gospel. Our work is not in vain. It will produce lasting results. This verse is saying to me that the church is not seeing the harvest God is providing because we as a church are not laboring in the fields to gather the harvest. The harvest is there, and it is ripe, and it is plentiful.

My prayer for you and for this congregation is that we continue to keep our focus and our gaze on Jesus and Jesus alone. That we “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness...” I truly believe that if we do, God will use us in ways that we cannot even imagine.

May God bless us as we enter this new year with anticipation and with obedience. I love you all and it is a great pleasure to serve alongside of you in the harvest.

Beyond Sunday

How To Read the Bible and Actually Live It Out

Simple Steps to Help God’s Word Shape Your Heart and Your Actions.

What if God Is Working Through Your Pain? | Genesis 50:15–21

What if God Is Working Through Your Pain? How God Uses Hurt, Betrayal, and Brokenness for Good

Summary

Key Takeaways

Life Application

Gospel Connection

Scripture References

Genesis Ends With a Coffin - But Also Hope! | Genesis 50:22-26

Genesis Ends With a Coffin - But Also Hope! Why Joseph’s Final Request Still Points Us to Christ

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Discussion & Reflection Questions

Gospel Connection

Scripture References

Sermon Transcript - Genesis 50:22-26 | The Death of Faithful Joseph - Ken Addison, Teaching Pastor ﻿

Don’t Get Comfortable Here… This World Is Not Your Home

Trusting God’s Promises While Living as Sojourners in This World

Genesis 47:13-31 | Joseph's Administration and Oath - Ken Addison, Teaching Pastor.

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Scripture References

Discussion & Reflection Questions

Gospel Connection

SERMON TRANSCRIPT - Genesis 47:13-31 | Joseph's Administration and Oath

VBS 2023 In the Books

Impacting Young Lives with the Good News of Jesus

A Thankful Journey

Looking Back on 30 Years

BBQ and Missions

BBQ and Missions

Spring Cleaning and Newness of Life

Your life – my life needs a spring cleaning.

Pray Like Daniel

Cry out in anguish that the truth of the gospel be revealed.

Seek First the Kingdom

As believers, we are all called to advance the Kingdom. We are all called to “labor in the harvest.”

Simple Steps to Help God’s Word
Shape Your Heart and Your Actions.

What if God Is Working
Through Your Pain?

How God Uses Hurt, Betrayal,
and Brokenness for Good

Sermon Transcript - Genesis 50:22-26 | The Death of Faithful Joseph - Ken Addison, Teaching Pastor