Back to Genesis 9-22

Sermon Notes

Generational Curses - Part 1

Sunday 4 January 2026 Pastor Craig Ledbetter Genesis 9
Download Audio

I. Introduction (Exodus 20:4,5)

A. Generational curses

B. What are they?

  1. Hardships passed down through families
  2. Family patterns of sin
  3. Idolatry curses generations
    • Ireland’s idolatry
    • Passed down through Catholic religion for generations
    • Statues, rosaries, prayers to Mary, prayers to saints
    • All idolatry
    • And it has a hold on people

C. They are real

  1. You can see them in families
  2. Alcoholism runs in families
  3. Abuse runs in families
  4. Poverty runs in families

D. Generational Curses are hard to live under

  1. You feel like you cannot escape
  2. Like your destiny is already set
  3. You feel trapped
  4. You feel like giving up

E. But every curse can be broken!

  1. That is what the gospel is about
  2. Jesus took the curse upon Himself
  3. Gal 3:13 “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree”
  4. He broke the power of sin and death
  5. He gives us a new nature
  6. And He gives us the power to live differently

II. Message

A. The Three Sons of Noah (Gen 9:18,19)

“And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.” - Genesis 9:18,19

B. Noah Plants a Vineyard (Gen 9:20)

“And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard” - Genesis 9:20

  1. Grape growing takes 3-5 years before you get a harvest
  2. So Noah intentionally set out to grow grapes
  3. This was a deliberate decision
  4. He knew what wine was before the flood
  5. He chose to grow grapes anyway

C. A Father’s Failure (Gen 9:21-23)

  1. A Private Failure

    “And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.” - Genesis 9:21

    • There are two kinds of wine in the Bible
    • Fresh new wine (grape juice, not fermented)
    • Fermented old wine (intoxicating)
    • Noah drank the fermented kind
    • Fermentation is a process: a. Yeast occurs naturally on grape skins b. When grapes are crushed, yeast begins converting sugars to alcohol c. Left alone, grape juice becomes wine within days d. The longer it ferments, the stronger it gets e. Noah knew what he was doing f. He chose to get drunk
    • He became intoxicated
    • He stripped off his clothes
    • He was lying naked in his tent
    • What a sight!
    • He didn’t seek to get drunk — like trying different mushrooms!
    • A failure of wisdom

  2. A Spreading Failure

    • Ham saw his father’s nakedness
    • He was attracted to it

    • “Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!” - Habakkuk 2:15,16

    • He was drawn to his father’s nakedness
    • He did not turn away
    • He did not cover his father
    • He went and told his brothers

  3. A Right Reaction

    • Shem and Japheth took a garment
    • They walked backwards into the tent
    • They covered their father
    • They never saw his nakedness
    • This is modesty
    • This is honour
    • This is the right response to another’s failure

D. Noah’s Pronouncements (Gen 9:24-27)

  1. When Noah woke up, he knew what had happened
  2. He pronounced a curse on Canaan — Ham’s son
  3. Why Canaan and not Ham? Because Canaan was already showing the same sinful tendencies as his father
  4. The Canaanites became servants — Joshua conquered them
  5. But the curse could be broken:
    • Uriah the Hittite was a Canaanite — honourable man
    • Rahab was a Canaanite — saved by faith, in the lineage of Christ
    • Ruth was a Moabite — in the lineage of Christ
  6. He pronounced blessing on Shem
  7. He pronounced blessing on Japheth

E. The Death of Noah (Gen 9:28,29)

“And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.” - Genesis 9:28,29

  1. Noah lived 350 years after the flood
  2. He lived to be 950 years old
  3. He actually met Abraham!
  4. Despite his failure, he was a great man of faith

  5. “For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.” - Ecclesiastes 7:20

  6. The blood of Jesus covers our sins

  7. “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us” - Galatians 3:13

III. Conclusion

A. Parents can affect generations

  • Jonathan Edwards — godly man, preacher
  • Thousands of his descendants became pastors, missionaries, doctors, lawyers, senators, educators
  • Max Jukes — ungodly man
  • Hundreds of his descendants became criminals, prostitutes, drunkards, and paupers
  • What you do today affects those who come after you

B. Some things you may have to just live with

  1. Physical weaknesses passed down
  2. Tendencies and vulnerabilities
  3. Family histories that shape you

C. But spiritual and emotional servanthood can be broken

“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” - John 8:36

D. Don’t try to blame every sin on generational curse

  1. You have your own sin nature
  2. You make your own choices
  3. Don’t live as a victim

E. Don’t live in your past or failures

  1. God has a future for you
  2. Your past does not define you
  3. Christ can break every chain
  4. Call on the Lord Jesus Christ today
Back to Genesis 9-22