This week we will be exploring Genesis 40 together, Dreams According to God.
Have you ever had a weird dream? Or a vivid one that was hard to forget?
In Genesis 40, Pharaoh's cupbearer and his baker, who are both in prison with Joseph, each have a unique dream that puts them in a contemplative, confused state of mind. Joseph's interpretation of their dreams sets a whole chain of events into motion that will eventually take Joseph from the pit to the palace.
But, in the meantime, Joseph will again have to wait and wonder what God is doing in his life as the cupbearer forgets about Joseph for a span of two years.
Nothing comes easy in Joseph's life!
This Sunday we will take a look at several truth principles in Genesis 40 and answer such questions as:
Does God still use dreams today?
How do we avoid our own pity party?
Where is the "land of the Hebrews"?
Why is human trafficking so evil?
How do you respond when someone forgets you?
And where is God in difficult times?
Joseph's story is a challenge and encouragement to us all.
May God strengthen us and fill us with perseverance, hope, and joy as we wait on Him!

This week we will be exploring Genesis 39 together, Conviction According to God.
Just like last week, I am changing the sermon title from what is in the study guide. Yes, Genesis 39 deals with sexual purity but the main message seems to be focused on the strength of Joseph's faith and his convictions.
Genesis 39 is a contrast to Genesis 38.
In Genesis 38, Judah cannot control himself in the face of temptation. In Genesis 39, Joseph can.
Why?
What's the difference?
Joseph knew God and he knew the devastating consequences of sin.
And, most importantly, the Lord was with him.
Joseph had aligned himself with God's purpose and God was strengthening him for the task.
Joseph was living for something bigger than himself.
And he was relying on Someone stronger than himself.
Thus, when the temptation hit, Joseph had the strength to resist.
This Sunday, we will examine the convictions of Joseph and how he resisted sin and we will remind ourselves of one of the most important truths in all of Scripture...
The Lord is with us!
We will also celebrate communion together as fellow partakers of God's grace.
May the Lord strengthen our inner person, refresh our hearts with His love, and remind us daily of His abiding presence!

This week we will be exploring Genesis 38 together, Confession According to God.
Yes, the original title was Sexual Immorality According to God. That title is what is in the study guide. And it makes a nice contrast with Genesis 39 in which we will see Joseph's commitment to sexual purity in the face of enormous temptation.
But studying Genesis 38 more, it becomes apparent that the true heart of the story is when Judah confesses his own sin. The immorality is there, but, praise God, that is not where the story ends!
This is the turning point in Judah's life.
This is what makes Judah into the man whom his brothers praise and whom God blesses.
The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
Until Shiloh comes;
And to Him shall be the obedience of the people. (Genesis 49:10)
Genesis 38 is another one of those "PG-13" chapters in the Bible. (Don't worry, I don't plan on going into the details of any of the sexual content in this chapter, except to read what the text says. I will be sensitive to "younger ears" but as a parent you will need to decide how you want to approach this passage with your children.)
The Bible does not hide the failures of its "heroes" and chief characters. And in this chapter, Judah fails in almost every way possible, as a brother, as a son, as a husband, as a father, and as a man of God. Tamar actually is the "hero" in this chapter, even though her actions are far from anything we would ever expect or endorse.
But the Bible does not tell us this story as tabloid fodder, rather its purpose is to show us the reality of sin and the beauty of grace...and to point us to the pathway forward in the midst of our guilt and our shame...
Humble, honest, self-evaluating confession.
The problem is not with God's love or His grace.
The problem is with our self-righteous, stubborn hearts.
Judah's story is a story we all need to hear as it leads us to praise the One who is both the Lion of Judah and the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
May we praise together the God whose grace is greater than all our sin!

This week we start our study through the life of Joseph. Hopefully you have picked up a study guide and are committed to diving into God's Word this fall. Joseph's story is one of the most beautiful and powerful in all of Scripture. His life models many aspects of the life of Christ and his faith through many unfair, painful trials is an encouragement to us all.
Joseph's story highlights the providence of God.
God is always at work, moving circumstances and events according to the counsel of His will. He guides human history with an unseen hand. He sovereignly guides our own lives for His glory and our good. But, let's be honest, it doesn't always look that way! Much of what happens to us (and around us) seems random, accidental, purposeless, and out of control.
Sitting in prison as a falsely convicted slave, hated by his brothers, alone and forgotten, Joseph could have thought the same thing. But God was at work in ways that Joseph could not have imagined.
This Sunday we will be exploring Genesis 37 together, Hatred & Envy According to God.
Joseph's story does not start off well. He suffers the loss of his mother at a young age. And, though his dad dotes all over him, the rest of his family cannot stand him. He is a spoiled brat in many ways. And his own brothers envy and hate him.
In one of the most shocking scenes in Scripture, his brothers attack him, throw him like garbage into a pit, and plot his death. Then in an ironic display of "mercy" in their eyes, they decide to sell him into slavery to make a little cash off his demise.
The dysfunction of Jacob's family is on full display in Genesis 37. And these are the people who are supposed to be the vehicles of redemption in the world!
Yet even in their dysfunction, disdain for each other, and determination to counteract the will of God, they end up moving God's plan closer to fulfillment.
We will examine this story on Sunday and consider the state of our own hearts as we live in this world and relate to one another.
May God's glory, power, sovereignty, and grace strengthen our hearts and teach us to live boldly, wisely, and humbly in this present age!

This week we will be exploring Genesis 35 together, Rededication According to God.
Jacob's life is filled with ups and downs. One victory in his life seems to be followed immediately by a failure. Right after he wrestles with God and reconciles with his brother, Esau, he finds himself in a place of complacency, hanging out in Shechem longer than he should and exposing his family to great danger.
God finally has to wake Jacob up and tell him to get out of Shechem and go to Bethel.
In modern words, God would be telling him, "Get out of your complacent, apathethic, self-pitying, half-hearted commitment to Me and do what I have called you to do!"
We all need this reminder.
Complacency is easy. Half-hearted commitment comes naturally. Mindless, passionless apathy seems to always invite us into its comfortable doldrums.
But God calls us to more.
He calls us to wake up! He calls us to set aside our idols! He calls us to remember who we are! He calls us to remember Who He is!
God calls us to live for Him no matter what happens around us.
The world likes to lull us to sleep and conform us to its image.
May we have the courage and strength to get out of Shechem and go to Bethel, the house of God!
This Sunday we will also celebrate communion together as fellow partakers of God's grace and members of His body!

This Sunday, September 7 (9am, 10:45am), we will have a special guest speaker for our Genesis series, Dr. Terry Mortenson of Answers in Genesis.
Dr. Mortenson has a Ph.D. in the history of geology from Coventry University in the UK. He has taught on creation and evolution issues for over 50 years in 37 different countries. It will be an encouragement to have Dr. Mortenson with us this coming weekend to address some of the controversies surrounding the book of Genesis and how science supports the Bible.
This Sunday morning, Dr. Mortenson will be speaking in both worship services on the topic, Creation vs Evolution: Does It Matter?
Dr. Mortenson will have six more sessions while he is here at CBC. Here is the schedule for this coming Sunday and Monday (September 7-8).
Origin of Species: Was Darwin Right? (Sunday, 6pm)
Ape-Men, Adam, and the Gospel (Sunday, 7:30pm)
Seven C's of History (for children, Monday, 9am)
How to Think about Origins (for teens, Monday, 10:30am)
Millions of Years: The Idea's Unscientific Origin and Its Catastrophic Consequences (Monday, 6pm)
Noah's Flood: Washing Away Millions of Years (Monday, 7:30pm)
The Monday morning sessions are open to all children, teens, and adults who are able to attend.
We are not sure of the number of people who may be coming to CBC for these sessions. Please be patient with our limited space and, if you are able, please park towards the rear of our property or on the other side of our youth building to allow some of our visitors to park toward the front. We plan to have overflow seating in our CBC Cafe area if needed.
May God fill our hearts with awe as we consider the reality, majesty, and beauty of His creation!

This week we will explore Genesis 33 together, Reconciliation According to God.

Here are four basic truths that I have learned in life:
Relationships are essential.
Conflict is inevitable.
Ongoing conflict is miserable.
Reconciliation is beautiful.
Let's face it...relationships are hard! It is nice to talk about love, fellowship, forgiveness, and reconciliation but they are so hard to live out in our daily relationships.

We can irritate one another, disagree with one another, argue with one another, and even hurt one another.

Jacob and Esau have been fighting since they were in the womb. They were different personalities with different interests going in different directions. And, unfortunately, their parents took sides which made their conflict with each other even more magnified.

For twenty years, Jacob and Esau never talked with each other. They lived separate lives. They pursued different goals.

But as Jacob heads back to Canaan, he is motivated to seek peace with Esau. Perhaps he is motivated primarily by fear...but he is also changing in his character and he knows that this ongoing conflict with Esau needs to be resolved. Especially since Esau at one point had wanted to kill him!

Things are tense. Jacob sends a message of peace. He receives the news that Esau is coming with 400 men. Jacob is tied down with a large company of women, children, and flocks. There is no escape. They are going to face each other face-to-face again.

What will happen? Will Esau execute his plan of vengeance? Will Jacob try to run? Will there be a cold reception? Will there be a fight? Will there be a war? Will there be a slaughter?

What happens is not necessarily what anyone expected, particularly Jacob.

Esau runs full speed to Jacob and embraces him with the love of a brother.

They both break down in tears.

It is a beautiful scene of restitution, restoration, and reconciliation.

But, at the same time, is not the movie type ending. Esau and Jacob still have their issues. They still have their differences. They are still headed in different directions. And Jacob has to navigate a precarious situation with every step with his brother.

There are so many principles to learn in this passage about relationships, about forgiveness, about reconciliation, about practical wisdom. We will explore these principles on Sunday.

May God fill our hearts with His grace, wisdom, and peace so that we can relate to one another with the unity of the Spirit and the love of Jesus Christ!