Bible
Lessons from Genesis
27 lessons
In the BeginningGod Makes EverythingGenesis 1:1-2:3; Genesis 2:4-23God made everything, and everything He made shows how great and good He is.Old TestamentFreeWorship
Seeing God's WorldThe Big StoryGenesis 1:1, 31; Genesis 3:1-24; Revelation 21:1-5; Romans 11:36The Bible is one true story from beginning to end. God made a good world, sin broke it, Jesus came to rescue us, and one day He will make all things new. Because we know how the story ends, we can trust God in every chapter of our lives.Old TestamentTrust
Seeing God's WorldMade in God’s ImageGenesis 1:26-31; Psalm 139:1-18; James 3:9-10God made people in His own image, male and female, different from everything else He made. David praised God because he was "fearfully and wonderfully made." Every person's worth comes from God, so we thank Him for how He made us and treat every person with respect.Old TestamentThankfulness
In the BeginningThe First Sin and God’s PromiseGenesis 3:1-24Sin broke God's good world, but God came looking for His people and promised a Rescuer.Old TestamentHope
Big Feelings: Taking Them to GodBig Feelings: AngerGenesis 4:1-16; Ephesians 4:26-27; James 1:19-20; Hebrews 12:24Cain and Abel were brothers. When God was pleased with Abel's offering but not Cain's, Cain became very angry. Before Cain did anything, God came to him and asked, "Why are you angry?" God warned him that sin was waiting at the door like a wild animal, but Cain could rule over it. Cain didn't listen, and his anger led him to hurt his brother. Anger is a big feeling we can take to God. We can be angry without sinning when we stop at the door and let God help us.Old TestamentSelf-control
In the BeginningNoah and the FloodGenesis 6:5-9:17God judged a world full of evil, but He made a way to be saved and kept His promise to Noah.Old TestamentFaithfulness
With Building BricksNoah and the Flood: FaithGenesis 6:9-9:17; Hebrews 11:7; 1 Peter 3:20-21God warned Noah about a flood no one could see yet. Noah believed God and built the ark just as God said, and God kept him and his family safe inside. Faith means trusting what God says before we see it.Old TestamentFaith
With Building BricksThe Tower of Babel: ObedienceGenesis 9:1; Genesis 11:1-9; John 6:38After the flood, God told Noah's family to spread out and fill the earth. But years later, people stayed together in one place and said, "Let's build a tower up to the sky, so we will not be scattered." They used baked bricks and tar to build a city and a tower. God saw what they were doing. He mixed up their language so they could not understand each other, and they had to stop building. Then God spread them out over the whole earth, just as He had planned. Obedience means doing what God says, because His plan is good.Old TestamentObedience
In the BeginningThe Tower of BabelGenesis 11:1-9; Genesis 12:1-3People tried to make themselves great without God, but God brought their tower down and began His own plan to bless every nation.Old TestamentHumility
In the BeginningGod Calls AbramGenesis 12:1-9; Genesis 15:1-6God called Abram to leave home and trust His promise, and Abram believed God.Old TestamentFaith
You Choose First: Abram and LotGenesis 13:1-18; Genesis 12:7; Philippians 2:3-8; Galatians 3:16Abram and his nephew Lot had so many sheep, goats and cattle that the land couldn't hold them both, and their herdsmen started fighting. Abram, the older man God had made a promise to, could have taken the best land. Instead he said, "Let there be no fighting between us. You choose first." Lot looked out, saw the green, well-watered Jordan plain and took it for himself. Then God told Abram to look north, south, east and west – "All the land that you see, I will give to you." We can be generous and let others go first, because God has promised to take care of us.Old TestamentGenerosity
God Made Sarah Laugh: Isaac Is BornGenesis 18:1-15; Genesis 21:1-7One hot day, three visitors came to Abraham's tent. One of them was the LORD. He said that in a year, Sarah would have a son. Sarah was about ninety years old, and she laughed to herself. "Is anything too difficult for the LORD?" God asked. A year later, Isaac was born, just as God promised. His name means "he laughs." Sarah said, "God has made me laugh!" God keeps His promises, and He fills His people with joy.Old TestamentJoy
Big Feelings: Taking Them to GodBig Feelings: SadnessGenesis 21:8-21; Genesis 16:7-13; Psalm 34:18; John 4:13-14Hagar and her son Ishmael had to leave Abraham's family. They wandered in the desert until their water ran out. Hagar sat down and cried. But God heard! He called to her, "Don't be afraid." Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. Years before, Hagar had called God "the God who sees me." Sadness is a big feeling we can take to God. He sees us, hears us and comes close when we're hurting.Old TestamentCompassion
In the BeginningGod Provides a LambGenesis 22:1-19God tested Abraham, then provided a substitute in Isaac's place, a picture of Jesus, the Lamb God provides for us.Old TestamentTrust
Before He Finished Praying: Rebekah at the WellGenesis 24:1-67Abraham sent his oldest servant on a long journey to find a wife for his son Isaac from his relatives. When the servant reached the town with his ten camels, he prayed by the spring, "LORD, show kindness to my master." He asked God to show him the right young woman, one who would offer water to him and his camels too. Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out. She gave him a drink and hurried to water all ten camels. The servant bowed and worshiped God, who had led him all the way. God is kind and keeps His promises, and He helps us be kind too.Old TestamentKindness
Fruit of the SpiritFruit of the Spirit: PatienceGenesis 26:12-33; Proverbs 15:18; Ephesians 4:2Isaac's servants dug wells, and the herdsmen of Gerar fought over them again and again. Isaac didn't fight back. He moved on and kept digging until God made room for him, and in the end his enemies came asking for peace. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit. God is patient with us, so His Spirit helps us stay calm and kind with others.Old TestamentPatience
In the BeginningJacob and EsauGenesis 27:1-45; Genesis 28:10-22; Genesis 33:1-11Jacob lied and cheated, but God kept His promise to him anyway, because God's grace is bigger than our sin.Old TestamentHonesty
Big Feelings: Taking Them to GodBig Feelings: WorryGenesis 32:3-21; Genesis 33:1-11; Philippians 4:6-7; Luke 15:20Jacob was going home after twenty years, and his brother Esau was coming to meet him with 400 men. Jacob was "greatly afraid and distressed." He made worried plans. But then he prayed. He thanked God, reminded himself of God's promises and asked for help. And when Esau came, he ran to Jacob and hugged him! Worry is a big feeling we can take to God. When we pray with thanks, God gives His peace to guard our hearts.Old TestamentPeace
In the BeginningJoseph Goes to EgyptGenesis 37:1-36; Genesis 39:1-23Joseph's brothers sold him and he was thrown in prison, but the LORD was with Joseph every step of the way.Old TestamentPerseverance
In the BeginningJoseph Forgives His BrothersGenesis 41:1-45:15; Genesis 50:15-21God turned the evil Joseph's brothers did into good, and Joseph forgave them, a picture of how Jesus forgives us.Old TestamentForgiveness
With Building BricksJoseph Stores the GrainGenesis 41:1-57; Genesis 50:20; Acts 7:9-10; James 1:5Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, had two strange dreams – seven fat cows eaten by seven skinny cows, and seven full heads of grain swallowed by seven thin ones. No one could explain them. Joseph was brought out of prison, and he said, "I cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh an answer." God showed that seven years of plenty would come, then seven years of famine. Joseph wisely planned to store a fifth of the grain in the good years. Pharaoh put him in charge, and when the famine came, people from all over the earth came to Joseph for food. True wisdom comes from God, and He gives it to all who ask.Old TestamentWisdom
With Building BricksDavid and Goliath: Faith1 Samuel 17:32-51; 2 Corinthians 5:7; Genesis 3:15The giant Goliath dared Israel's army to fight him, and every soldier was afraid. But a young shepherd named David said, "I will fight him." David told King Saul, "The LORD saved me from the lion and the bear. He will save me from this giant too." David took no armor, only his sling and five smooth stones. He ran at Goliath in the name of the LORD. God guided one stone, and the giant fell. Faith means believing God and acting on it, because we know what He has already done.Old TestamentFaith
Forgiven So Much: The Unforgiving ServantMatthew 18:21-35; Genesis 4:24; Colossians 2:13-14; Ephesians 4:32Peter asked Jesus, "How many times should I forgive? Seven times?" Jesus said, "Not seven times, but seventy-seven times!" Then He told a story. A servant owed a king ten thousand talents, a debt so huge he could never pay it. He begged for more time, and the king had compassion and canceled the whole debt. But that servant found a man who owed him a hundred denarii, grabbed him and threw him in prison. The king was furious – "Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had on you?" Forgiveness means letting go of what others owe us, because God has forgiven us so much more.New TestamentForgiveness
Seeing God's WorldMade for RelationshipsMatthew 22:34-40; Genesis 2:18-24; 1 John 4:19-21When someone asked Jesus for the greatest commandment, He gave two that belong together – love God with everything, and love your neighbor as yourself. From the beginning God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone." We were made for relationship with God and with each other.New TestamentLove