Genesis Explained: A Bible Study

One sin. That's all it took.

In our day, sin is treated casually - as a marketing device (think 'Sin City').

But one sin is all it took for man to be thrown out of the garden, and for chaos to sweep the created realm.

This tells us two things: 1) sin must be really bad, and 2) God must be really holy.

Questions That We'll Answer:

A) What 'tool' did the serpent use to attack Eve in the garden?

B) What is the purpose of the fiery swo...

That didn't take long, did it?

You might have thought Genesis 4 couldn't go worse than Genesis 3 - that mankind would have learned its lesson. 

Surely man would do better! Surely he'd turn away from sin!

However, before Genesis 4 was over, a blood soaked corpse proved otherwise.

Questions That We'll Answer:

A) Why did Cain kill his brother? And what was wrong with his sacrifice?

B) Why did God warn Cain that 'sin lay at his do...

Here's the wrong question to ask:

How did all the animals fit in the ark? 

The most crucial question of Genesis 6 is NOT about the animals. Not at all.

Rather, it is this: why was an ark needed in the first place?

In other words, why was God willing to flood the entire globe, only six chapters after creating it? Seems drastic.

So why did God do it, and what does it tell us about the future?

Questions That We'll Answer:

A) In w...

God told the people to go outward. 

Instead, they went upward.

"Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth" God told the people. But they said no - in their minds, it was safer and smarter to stay in one place. And so, they built a formidable 'tower' in Genesis 11.

In today's study we'll read about that tower (and God's response).

Questions That We'll Answer:

A) Why was God angered by the building of this tower?

B) Why did ...

God made Abraham mind-boggling promises.

And Abraham believed Him.

In Genesis 12, Abraham was introduced with little fanfare. He was a man from a pagan family and a pagan background.

And yet, God was going to make this nobody a series of incredible promises - promises that Abraham believed in, and then acted accordingly.

Questions That We'll Answer:

A) What were these amazing promises? And how many were there?

B) Who are the true c...

In Genesis 18 made a promise so outrageous that Sarah laughed.

The promises that He has made you are even bigger.

God has promised to save and sanctify you, to wipe away all your tears, and to dwell with you in Paradise for eternity. Now those are promises!

But how can we be sure they apply to us (and that they will be fulfilled)?

That will be the focus of today's study.

Questions That We'll Answer:

1) Who were the three men that a...

Sodom and Gomorrah.

In the Bible, they are the poster children for God's wrath.

In Genesis 19, we come across a cautionary tale.

Specifically, Genesis 19 describes the destruction of two cities.

The destruction was horrific. It was severe. And yet, in Matthew 10, Jesus says that destruction is nothing compared to future events.

What did He mean?

Questions That We'll Answer:

1) What was the sin (or sins) of Sodom and Gomorrah?

...

In Genesis 22, God told Abraham to sacrifice his son.

Why?

For many, this event is one of the most confusing in all of Scripture - why would God tell Abraham to sacrifice Isaac? What was His purpose?

And moments later, why would He tell Abraham to stay his knife?

In today's study, we will study this difficult and heartrending event.

Questions That We'll Answer:

1) What was God's purpose here? Was He testing Abraham?

2) What did Abr...

Abraham. Isaac. Jacob.

These men, the 'patriarchs' of the Old Testament, shaped the entire narrative of our faith.

But they were also sinners. Big, big sinners.

In today's sermon, we'll see that the patriarchs needed God's grace every bit as much as we do. And God gave it to them! This grace is seen in every part of Genesis 25.

Questions That We'll Answer:

A) In what way are the patriarchs the 'Mt. Rushmore' of the OT?

B) Why them?...

Jacob must have been a rotten kid!

In spite of God's direction, and although his other son was a numskull, Isaac did not want Jacob to receive his blessing.

If it were up to Isaac, it would be Esau who would carry the family line forward.

Jacob was not an option.

However, God's decree would not be thwarted, would it?

That will be the focus in today's study of Genesis 27.

Questions That We'll Answer:

A) Why did Isaac prefer Esau? Wh...

In Genesis 28, Jacob dreamed of a ladder.

The ladder reached from Heaven to Earth.

So, what was this dream all about?

For centuries, no one knew. For centuries, it remained a mystery.

But then, in the first chapter of John, the answer was finally provided.

Join us as we consider 'Jacob's Ladder' in today's study of Genesis.

Questions That We'll Answer:

A) Why was Jacob all alone, using a rock for a pillow?

B) What was the nature of...

In Genesis 32, Jacob was preparing for a fight.

Jacob was no stranger to conflict, but this time was different.

In Genesis 32, as darkness closed in, he prepared for a confrontation with his brother Esau. However, the figure who grabbed him that night was not who he expected.

Questions That We'll Answer:

A) Who was it that Jacob wrestled with in Genesis 32?

B) What was the point of this wrestling match?

C) How was Ja...

Joseph's story started poorly.

Within moments of being introduced in Scripture, Joseph was thrown into a pit by his brothers. And not long after, he found himself in prison.

So, where was God when calamity struck?

That will be the focus of today's study in Genesis 37.

Questions That We'll Answer:

A) Why did Joseph's brothers hate him so much?

B) Why did God allow Joseph to face so many hardships?

C) Where is God when our ...

In Genesis 40, Joseph was in prison.

Now, he did not deserve to be there. He'd done nothing wrong.

And he must have wondered what part his shackles played in God's plans.

Hadn't God given him a dream of a great and glorious future?

Well, in today's text, two other men would have dreams - and their interpretation would play a huge role in Joseph's story.

Questions That We'll Answer:

A) What were the dreams of the Butler and Baker al...

They meant it for evil. But God used it for good.

In Genesis 45, Joseph's brothers stood before him - brothers that had once sold him off to slave traders, and then told their father that he was dead. They had acted wickedly!

And in a 'twist of fate,' their lives were now in his hands.

But was it really a 'twist of fate?'

Was their encounter just an amazing coincidence?

That will be the focus of today's study.

Questions That...

Genesis started in a GARDEN.

It ended in a COFFIN.

In Genesis 1, things were looking great. God had created the world, and said that all He had created was good. But soon, things got dark.

Following mankind's first sin (in Genesis 3), a roller coaster of depravity followed. In Genesis 4, Cain killed his brother, and things didn't improve through the end of the book.

In today's sermon, we will consider Genesis 50 (the final words o...