Colin Smith on How to Teach Christ in the Joseph Story

On this episode of Help Me Teach the Bible, I sat down with Colin Smith, pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and preacher at Unlocking the Bible. We discussed how to teach the story of Joseph with Christ at the center, as demonstrated in Smith’s “Snapshots of a Godly Life” sermon series.

Joseph’s is the story of the loved and favored son who is hated by his brothers. Yet he is the one to whom they must come for salvation, the one to whom they must be reconciled.

Advertise on TGC

Mentioned in the discussion:

Gleanings in Genesis (full text online) by A. W. Pink

Resources on Joseph:

Sermon on Joseph by Dick Lucas

Sermons on Joseph by Alistair Begg

Free eBook by Tim Keller: ‘The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness’

Imagine a life where you don’t feel inadequate, easily offended, desperate to prove yourself, or endlessly preoccupied with how you look to others. Imagine relishing, not resenting, the success of others. Living this way isn’t far-fetched. It’s actually guaranteed to believers, as they learn to receive God’s approval, rather than striving to earn it.

In Tim Keller’s short ebook, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness: The Path To True Christian Joy, he explains how to overcome the toxic tendencies of our age一not by diluting biblical truth or denying our differences一but by rooting our identity in Christ.

TGC is offering this Keller resource for free, so you can discover the “blessed rest” that only self-forgetfulness brings.

Get access to your FREE ebook »

Nancy Guthrie (MATS, Reformed Theological Seminary) teaches the Bible at her home church, Cornerstone Presbyterian Church, in Franklin, Tennessee, as well as at conferences around the country and internationally, including through her Biblical Theology Workshop for Women. She is the author of numerous books and the host of the Help Me Teach the Bible podcast from The Gospel Coalition. She and her husband founded Respite Retreats for couples who have faced the death of a child, and they’re cohosts of the GriefShare video series.

Colin Smith (MPhil, London School of Theology) is President of Open the Bible and Pastor Emeritus of The Orchard church in northwest suburban Chicago. He can be heard daily on the radio broadcast, Open the Bible, and at openthebible.org. Colin is the author of many books, including: Fly Through the Bible, Hike Through the Bible, Heaven, How I Got Here, and Momentum: Pursuing God’s Blessings Through the Beatitudes. He is married to Karen, and they have two married sons and five granddaughters.