Genesis Studies
Sermons and studies from the book of Genesis, as preached from the pulpit of Brackenhurst Baptist Church.
Knowing Evil (Genesis 3:1–21)
John C. Maxwell is an American prosperity preacher whose ministry largely focuses on success in leadership. He once wrote, “Life is a matter of choices, and every choice...
Simple Obedience (Genesis 3:1–13)
Sometimes obedience to the commands of Christ can seem like the most complicated thing in the world. Genesis, and the account of Adam's fall, shed some light on why this is...
Accepted by God (Genesis 4:1–8)
A new year is often a time for new resolve. That is great. I have noticed a lot more people out running. parkruns, I am sure, have increased attendance worldwide. No doubt,...
Victory Loves Preparation (Genesis 14:1–24)
It has been said that “combat is reflective of life, only amplified and intensified.” That being the case, Genesis 14 records the first ever special operations combat in...
The Quest for the Historical Adam (Genesis 1–3)
Was Adam really a historical person, and can we trust the biblical story of...
Choose Life (Genesis 9:1–16)
When people hear my accent these days, one of the first things they want to know is what I think of Donald Trump being the President of the United States. I typically try to change the subject! But seriously, what subtly underlies the question is a far more important...
God Sees the Unwanted (Genesis 16:7-14)
In our text for this study, I want to make the assertion that God sees the unwanted. As I do so, I want to ask, do you? The story of Ishmael is a tragic one in so many ways. It is a story unbelief, adultery, family division, rejection, and being an outcast. It is a...
Sarcophagi (Genesis 50:22-26)
This is our 105th—and last—study in the first book of the Bible, the book of Genesis. As we saw in our preceding study, Joseph called together his family (brothers, nephews) at the end of his life and gives them some dying instruction, just as Jacob had done on his...
A Coffin in Egypt (Genesis 50:22-26)
We have come to the closing verses in the book of Genesis and our penultimate consideration of this wonderful book. It is our 104th study, and we will conclude our consideration of the Bible’s opening record with our 105th. The book of Genesis is, literally, “the book...
A Story of Grace (Genesis 50:15-21)
After all the time that we have spent in our study of Joseph I think that we would agree that he was an amazing man. He was the kind of believer that we would all desire to emulate. He lived a God-centred life and the result was that the world, literally, was blessed....
Gathered to His People (Genesis 49:28-50:14)
We are quickly nearing the end of our study in the book of Genesis. As we have seen, Genesis is divided into several sections, each marked with the phrase “this is the generation of.” That phrase was found regarding Jacob in 37:2, and thus it is since chapter 37 that...
Christ-Centred Blessings VI (Genesis 49:27)
The local church is made up of all types of people of various shapes and sizes. She is made up of those with different temperaments, differing gifts and talents, differing strengths and weaknesses. Yet in all of her diversity she is united in the cause of God’s...
Christ-Centred Blessings V (Genesis 49:22-26)
Commenting on the prophecy made regarding Joseph in Genesis 49:22-26, the great Baptist preacher of a bygone era, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, wrote, Dear friends, we long to have many converts; we count that church happy to which God adds daily of such as are being...
Christ-Centred Blessings IV (Genesis 49:20-21, 27)
Recently, in our Family Bible Hour class, we were reminded from Romans 15 that the things written in the Old Testament were recorded “for our learning that we might have hope” (Romans 15:4). The Old Testament is a covenantal testimony of God’s faithfulness to His...
Christ-Centred-Blessings III (Genesis 49:19)
We have spent two studies thus far considering the deathbed prophecies of Jacob regarding the future twelve tribes of Israel. Though it was initially my intention to spend only a study or two in this chapter we have taken longer as we have observed that each prophecy...
Christ-Centred Blessings II (Genesis 49:13-19)
In our most recent study we began to expound the death bed blessings/prophecies concerning the twelve sons (and tribes) of Israel. As we noted, this is the first time in Scripture that this now familiar title was used in Scripture (v.28). These predictions concerning...
Christ-Centred Blessings (Genesis 49:1-12)
Genesis 49 is a vital piece of recorded history when one considers God’s story of redemption. It is a prophecy of the future of the nation of Israel, the people through whom the Lord Jesus Christ would come. Amazingly, it is an account of the human heritage with whom...
The Value of Vision (Genesis 48:13-22)
Genesis 48 is a wonderful account of a believing man dying well. Jacob had come to the end of his days and was evidently a man of faith. He had no words of bitterness or regret. He was not woeful, but worshipful. He was grateful, insightful, faithful and thus hopeful....
Finishing Well II (Genesis 48:8-22)
Generations ago people used to speak of believers “dying well.” This is a wonderful concept and one that needs to be revived in our day. What does it mean to “die well”? It means that when you die there are not a lot of loose ends left for others to try to make sense...
Finishing Well (Genesis 48:1-7)
The story of Jacob has been the focal point of our studies for more than 20 chapters thus far. What we have seen has not always been flattering. From the womb, he struggled to usurp the right of inheritance from his brother. Later, he took advantage of the famished...
Fruitful in Famine (Genesis 47:13-31)
“Christianity is not something that requires ideal conditions to survive. It thrives best in the hardship. In our hardships God’s strength is made perfect in weakness, and godliness springs like a root from dry ground.” James Montgomery Boice wrote those words in...
God’s Relocations (Genesis 46:1-27)
One need not be a believer for very long to realise that the Christian life is one of various tensions, particularly with reference to the ebbs and flows in our life. We read of God’s promises and then His providences seem to contradict those very words. We find...
In, Yet Not of, the World (Genesis 46:28-47:12)
As we have studied the life of Joseph, we have noted that God raised him up as a saviour of his family. Though he initially had no idea what God was doing behind the scenes (in his various trials) he eventually came to the self-conscious conviction that God had sent...
Favour in Famine (Genesis 45:25-28)
The past six to eight months have become increasingly disturbing for many South Africans. Crime, including the most violent kinds, seems to be out of control. Recently, the residents of Brackenhurst were awoken at 4:00 am by the sound of an explosion, followed soon...
Renewal (Genesis 45:16-28)
As we saw in our last study, Genesis 45 records the wonderful story of Joseph’s self revelation to his brothers, with the result of a blessed reconciliation with them. After some 22 years of separation and estrangement the Lord wrought a gracious and glorious work of...
Joseph: A Lesson in Forgiveness (Genesis 45:1-15)
Are you a victim or are you a villain? That is a very serious and sober question that needs to be answered honestly. And it is a question that is not always easy to answer, for it often depends on which day it is asked! As I read and study the life of Joseph I find...
Coming Clean (Genesis 44:1-34)
As we have become increasingly (and joyfully) aware in recent times and in recent studies, the Lord Jesus has saved us, and is saving us, to make us holy. He is, in a phrase, cleaning us up. The apostle Paul saw this as the goal of Jesus for His church when he wrote,...
The Motif of Mercy (Genesis 43:1-34)
Christian, God loves you. As your heavenly Father He is committed to fulfilling His plan concerning you and He will allow nothing to hinder that plan. And even when you rebel against His all wise will, “he will have his way at last, if not at first” (Meyer). So we see...
A Guilty Conscience (Genesis 42:1-38)
I once saw a billboard which read, “A clear conscience makes a great pillow.” How true that is. When the restless burden of a guilty conscience has been removed we feel freer and sleep sounder. This reminds me of a story of the story I read about a man who had cheated...
Godly Character (Genesis 41:46-57)
I’m sure that most reading this would agree that, were the story of Joseph not recorded in Scripture, we might be justified in thinking that it just sounds too good to be true. And yet we know, because the story is contained within the pages of God’s Word, that it is...