Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for May 26, 2024
But God Meant It for Good
Genesis 50:15-26
“The hand of providence has been chopped off altogether and with the amputation we are left to grope alone in a hostile, or even worse, indifferent universe.” (R. C. Sproul)
1. Background
• The Family Gathered to Egypt (47)
• Jacob Blesses Joseph’s Sons (48)
• Jacob Blesses His Sons (49)
• Joseph and His Brothers Bury Jacob in Canaan (50:1-14)
2. Joseph’s Brothers Fear Retaliation (50:15)
• fears/anxieties resurface
• Jacob had lived for 17 years in Egypt (see 47:28)
3. Joseph’s Brothers Relay a Message Attributed to Jacob (50:16-17)
4. Joseph’s Gracious and Assuring Response (50:18-26)
• sold, slandered and snubbed
• deepened and not deadened by life’s extremities
• clarity about his “place” and God’s “place”
• compassion without minimizing sin: “…evil against me…”
• compassion grounded in grace: “…but God meant it for good…”
• expressing confidence in future “visitation” (connection to Christ)
5. So What?
• Embracing the principle of God’s providence enables you to extend His grace to others.
• “As long as the cross stands in history, no one who knows its meaning will be able to pronounce a limitation on God’s providence.” (Boice)
• If you believe God is in control…
• “Every joy or trial falleth from above, traced upon our dial by the Sun of Love; We may trust Him fully, all for us to do; They who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true.” (Havergal)
Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for May 19, 2024
Guest Speaker: Dan Darling
Director of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at SWBTS and Assistant Professor of Faith and Culture at Texas Baptist College, Ft. Worth, Texas
The Transfiguration
Mark 9:2-13
1. A Divine Jesus
2. A Dangerous Jesus
3. A Delivering Jesus
Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for May 12, 2024
Livin’ the Dream
Genesis 41:1-57
1. Background
• following Joseph’s “prison ministry” (40:1-23)
• forgotten by man but remembered by God
• two years later…
2. Pharaoh’s Dreams 1-8
• cows and grain
• troubled spirit and inability to interpret
3. Cupbearer’s Remembrance 9-13
• imprisonment and dreams
• identification of Joseph and recollection of accurate interpretation
4. Joseph’s Interpretation of Dreams 14-36
• Joseph is summoned and acknowledges his God
• Pharaoh relates his dreams
• 7 years of plenty and 7 years of famine
• fixed by God
• Joseph’s wise counsel
5. Joseph’s Elevation 37-57
• recognition of Joseph’s giftedness
• endowed with authority: “God speaks and lives”
• administrates grain storage at age 30
• births of Manasseh and Ephraim
• all the earth comes to Egypt and Joseph
6. So What?
• Because God sovereignly directs the destinies of nations in order to protect and provide for His own people, declare His power and depend on it.
• “He who is aware of God is humble and fearless at the same time. Even a king is nothing compared to God” (A. Ross) (Prov. 21:1)
• “Joseph acts out of confidence in the character of God.” (B. Waltke)
• connection to Christ: Heb. 12:1-3
• “Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; the clouds ye so much dread are big with mercy, and shall break in blessings on your head. Blind unbelief is sure to err, and scan His work in vain; God is His own interpreter, and He will make it plain.” (W. Cowper)
Dr. McKellar’s Lesson for May 5, 2024
But the Lord Was with Joseph
Genesis 39:1-23
1. Blessed with God’s Presence 1-6a
• continuation from 37:36
• the LORD’S presence with Joseph
• favor in the sight of Potiphar
2. Propositioned by Mrs. Potiphar 6b-10
• Joseph’s form and appearance: away/advancing/attractive
• proposition and refusal
• Joseph’s perspective
• the persistence of Mrs. Potiphar: powerful/punctual/persistent
3. Falsely Accused 11-18
• the problem intensified
• Joseph flees
• Mrs. Potiphar accuses
4. Imprisoned but Not Abandoned 19-23
• Potiphar’s anger
• Joseph imprisoned: elevation/temptation/incarceration
• the LORD’S presence with Joseph
5. So What?
• When assaulted by the ticking bomb of temptation, arm yourself with an awareness of God’s presence and a superior satisfaction in Him.
• “The joy of the Lord will arm us against the assaults of our spiritual enemies and put our mouths out of taste for those pleasures with which the tempter baits his hooks.” (M. Henry)
• “Jesus is all the world to me, and true to Him I’ll be; Oh, how could I this Friend deny, when He’s so true to me…” (W. Thompson)
