Concordia Adult Bible Class

Every family is broken. Just ask Joseph. His brothers hate him so much that they throw him into a cistern and almost leave him for dead. When our families are filled with brokenness and acrimony, we must seek reconciliation and forgiveness.

The summer of 2017 has been an amazing summer for spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ both at home and afar. Our mission teams from Alaska, Oklahoma, and Texas share stories and testimonies about the work God did, and continues to do.

When Jacob falls in love with his uncle’s daughter, Rachel, he is willing to do anything to get her. Love drives us to do many things. This is why we can be thankful that God’s love for us drove Him to do the ultimate thing – to sacrifice His Son for our salvation.

From the womb, two brothers, Jacob and Esau, feud with each other. When we feud with others, how are we to handle these feuds? Our desire to love others must always be stronger than our desire to triumph over others.

God makes an unthinkable request of Abraham – to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. But a human sacrifice can never atone for human sins. God Himself must provide the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world.

Sodom and Gomorrah were the epitome of wickedness in the ancient world. Yet, in spite of their wickedness, Abraham argues for God’s grace. When we see wickedness, how do we argue? Do you we argue for judgment or grace?

God continues to seek new beginnings in a world filled with old sin. He makes a promise to Abraham to, from him, bring forth a new nation that will be a beacon of righteousness in a world darkened by sin. He also shows us how righteousness ultimately comes about – by faith.

Noah brings a new beginning, but humanity quickly falls back into its old ways as it seeks to usurp God’s position by building a tall tower. This tower demonstrates both the folly and the danger of human ambition. Human ambition is filled with folly because, of course, no one can build a tower to the heavens. But human ambition is also filled with danger because it cannot compete with God’s perfect commands.

As man’s wickedness increases, God’s justice against sin is finally rendered in the form of a flood. But out of disaster emerges a man chosen by God to bring forth a new beginning – Noah. As “new creations” (2 Corinthians 5:17), we too are called to bring forth new beginnings in a world that is filled with sin.

The effects of Adam and Eve’s fall into sin quickly become apparent in the story of Cain and Abel. Hatred and death quickly have their way. But in the face of evil, God both exacts justice and gives grace. He forces Cain to wander the earth, but he also protects Cain’s life even though he has taken his brother’s life.

God’s good creation was quickly corrupted by a bad decision. If Genesis 1 describes the best of times, Genesis 3 ushers in the worst of times and sets up a tension for the rest of the book, for the rest of the Bible, and for all of history. We live in this tension, however, with hope, for God has promised to swallow up the worst of times in His Son.

How did all we see get here? This is the question that Genesis 1 answers. The great promise of this chapter, however, lies not in how everything got here, but in what everything that God created is: it is good.

So often, we think of heaven being a place that is far away. But the story of Jacob's encounter with a ladder that leads to heaven teaches us that heaven is not as far away as we think. Indeed, the promise of Scripture is that, on the Last Day, heaven will come to earth: "I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband' (Revelation 21:2). On Memorial Day weekend, we remember those who have given their lives in service to our country, but we also find our hope in the truth that their heaven is as close as our Savior, who will one day return for all who trust in Him.

When Nineveh repents, Jonah is angry. Jonah does not want God to show his enemies grace. Is there an enemy for whom you do not want God’s grace? God’s grace not only forgives us, it calls us to forgive others.

When Jonah finally makes it to Nineveh, he preaches a terrible sermon. There is no promise of grace. There is no reference to Scripture. There is only a declaration of judgment. But through Jonah’s terrible sermon, God works amazing conversion. Mothers can often feel as though their best efforts are inadequate. On Mother’s Day, we celebrate how even in our inadequacy, God’s faithfulness and work shines through.

When Jonah is in the belly of a big fish, he offers a prayer to God. But even though there are flashes of brilliance in his prayer, Jonah does not seem to understand the mission God has given him and how this mission will call upon him to act selflessly. Do you struggle with praying for what is right when you would rather pray for what is selfish?

Jonah may be running from God, but God is also running after him. God sends a storm after him. Though we may not like to think about it, there is a day of reckoning for sin. But though this day of reckoning may seem difficult, it is for our good.

The story of Jonah opens with the prophet running from God because He has called him to preach to a group of people he hates. Everyone has something that unsettles them. What causes you to run?

It is easy to become turned in ourselves – on our accomplishments, our importance, and our needs. Scripture calls us, however, to humble ourselves – to let go of our pride and get honest about our sin.

There are a whole host of false beliefs into which our world buys. “All faiths lead the same God.” “God would never want me to be unhappy.” “What I desire is who I am.” James says that false teachings are dangerous. In this message, we confront some of our culture’s most prevalent false teachings and deconstruct them with the truth of Scripture.