SCRIPTURE: Genesis 41 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Then Jesus said, “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above. (John 19:11) In this pivotal stage of history when Obama is president-elect of the United States, we are reminded that behind what we see, there is God. God is the invisible hand guiding…
Author: Norm
Jesus, the epicenter
Its cool when the Lord speaks to something I’ve been reflecting on. After writing “Jesus-shaped preaching”, I read this paragraph from Alan Hirsch’s “The Forgotten Ways”: I wish to briefly restate here what seems to be an obvious fact, but one that is often overlooked. For authentic missional Christianity, Jesus the Messiah plays an…
where He wants me to be
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 40 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him. But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.” (Mark 5:18-29) Where would you be right now if…
Jesus-shaped preaching
I am planning to change my approach to my Sunday messages. Since I began speaking in church, I’ve focused on a text, wherever it was in the Bible. But what I noticed happening was that sometimes, especially in old testament passages, Jesus was brought in as an afterthought. Recently I forgot my Jesus connection altogether –…
with me in the wilderness
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 39 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.” The Spirit then compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness, where he was tempted by Satan for forty days. He was out among the wild animals, and angels took care of him. (Mark 1:11-13) Why…
just like Judah
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 38 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham… Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar). Perez was the father of Hezron. (Matthew 1:1, 3). How does God choose to make an entrance into the world? If He were human…
consequences
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 37 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: God is setting the stage for another prediction, unknown to Joseph or his brothers (Genesis 15:13-16). The Israelites, reading this, would know where this story is going. They might even be thinking, “don’t do it, sons of Israel, don’t send Joseph to Egypt, you will regret it!”.
God loves the Sennemites
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 36 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: A long list of names. Not a passage I would turn to for inspiration. We need to ask why Moses would include this for the Israelites. It helps to remember the ‘blessing’ of Isaac to Esau (Genesis 27:39-40) where he predicts that Esau and his descendents the Edomites will not live in a…
He doesn’t give up on us
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 35 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: God renews His commitment to us again and again, despite our flaws and follies. God has chosen to live among His chosen servants, i.e. the house of God (Beth-el) is with us, in us, among us (John 14:23). The amazing this is that this is true even despite us. Jacob and his family…
God must weep
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 34 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: God must weep. Rape, deception, use of His covenant seal for evil purposes, slaughter and pillaging. This is the world that we have made. This is the world that we live in, and the world that lives in us. Even though we may not be guilty of these specific sins, we have…