Concordia Adult Bible Class

Though nations like North Korea have rattled sabers for a long time, 2017 seemed to mark an uptick in such provocations, especially from the isolated nation. And awfully, ISIS is still wreaking havoc across the world. In a world that feels dangerous and frightening, God promises peace. But His peace can only come to us when we believe that He – and not we – has everything under control.

Sadly, scandals of infidelity and assault dominated many of the headlines of 2017. In a world that has divorced intimacy from commitment, Jesus reminds us that true intimacy must be bounded by and grounded in a marital covenant.

Hurricanes, wildfires, and even a total solar eclipse. Nature made a lot of headlines in 2017! It can seem as though nature is fickle. But we must remember that with natural disasters also come natural wonders. And even in natural disasters, we can be confident that Christ is Lord over nature. So, in storms, we fix our eyes on Him.

Mass shootings in places like Las Vegas and Sutherland Springs were major headlines in 2017. But from a place of tragedy arose a stronger community. As God’s people, we have the privilege of being a part of the ultimate community – the Church. In the Church, we rejoice in the hope we have while also sharing the burdens of those caught in tragedies, understanding that God can use tragedy to strengthen His community.

As joyful as the holiday season is supposed to be, for some, this time of year brings grief, especially if they have recently lost a loved one. Jesus too knows the pain of loss. He weeps with you in your loss. But He can also overcome your loss with His promise of everlasting life.

When families get together, conflict can abound. We can get frustrated with each other instead of celebrating with each other. James reminds us that, instead of fighting with others, we can trust in God to bring ultimate justice to all, even when we feel as though others have wronged us.

During the holidays, there are parties to attend and presents to buy and relatives to visit and too many things to do! The stress of the season can steal joy from the season. It is important that, rather than overscheduling ourselves, we take time for rest and, when we need it, be willing to ask for help.

It is easy to get so focused on the gifts of Christmas that we forget about the Gift of Christmas! Materialism is rampant not only during the holidays, but in our society, all year long. In Luke 12, Jesus tells a parable that reminds us that the earthly things we store up for ourselves are not nearly as important as the spiritual inheritance that is ours in Christ.

Sometimes, we get so caught up worrying about what we have stored up, we forget that, no matter how much or how little we may have on this earth, God has something fantastic in store for us – nothing less than a crown of righteousness. In a world that test and try our faith, we can be confident that our faith will be vindicated when Christ returns.

If we are going to store up things, what things should we be storing? Jesus invites us to store up things that are imperishable – things that last into eternity. Thus, in this life, we ought to store up God’s Word in our hearts and we ought to store up people in our lives, for these treasures last.

The first principle of stewardship is this: no matter what we may store, it ultimately belongs to God. Any store house is finally God’s house. To help us understand this, God has given us a tithe. In the tithe, we not only give to God, we give back to God, since everything we have comes from Him in the first place. When we give back to God, we learn that God continues to give us what we need and even beyond what we need.

Soli Deo Gloria explains how we should live. Everything we do should be connected to Christ. In this way, we have no spiritual life and everyday life, we only have a Christ-centered life. Do you do everything with Christ in mind?

When it comes to understanding God, it can be all too tempting to trust ourselves rather than God’s Word. We try to trust our consciences, our culture, or our comprehension. But going beyond God’s Word either allows us to create a God in our own image (Mark 7:1-13) or saddles us with burdens we cannot bear (Matthew 23:4).

They way in which we receive God’s grace is through faith. We trust that God wants to forgive and save us. If we seek to work for what God has given, we are saying that God’s work is not enough. Do we trust God’s work so completely that we do not try to add to it or augment it?

Grace is when God gives us what we do not deserve. In a culture that works on merit, that can be difficult for us to accept! Yet, even if grace goes against our cultural senses, it is a deep spiritual need – for each and every one of us.

Grace is when God gives us what we do not deserve. In a culture that works on merit, that can be difficult for us to accept! Yet, even if grace goes against our cultural senses, it is a deep spiritual need – for each and every one of us.

As recovery efforts from Hurricane Harvey get underway, insurance companies will be working overtime. One insurance company boasts, “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there!” We don’t need to work for an insurance company, however, to be a good neighbor. Jesus explains that being a good neighbor can be as simple as seeing a need and taking the time to offer your help. Everyone can be a good neighbor. Everyone can serve.

When the disciples are caught in a furious squall on the Sea of Galilee, they offer up a simple, ineloquent prayer: “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” No matter how simple the prayer, Jesus hears and helps because Jesus has been there the whole time. As we process what has happened with Hurricane Harvey, we must remember that Jesus hears and helps us when we pray because He is not only the calmer of storms, He is with us through every storm.

After all that Joseph’s brothers have done to him, when Joseph becomes second in command in Egypt, he could use his power to exact vengeance from his brothers. But instead, he eventually reconciles with his brothers. In Genesis 43, when the brothers are getting ready to go see their brother Joseph a second time, Judah offers to bear the blame if something happens to his younger brother Benjamin. How far are we willing to go to love our families?

After being thrown into a cistern, Joseph eventually winds up in prison in Egypt. But even in prison, Joseph seeks to serve God by helping others. During our worst times, do we seek to help others, or are we only focused on ourselves?