This week Jacob once again trips up his older brother, as he deceives his father Isaac into giving him the firstborn's blessing. This is a story about the power of our words and the grace of God in our weakness. And most of all, it's a profound portrait of the gospel.

We are diving back in to the Story of God series, exploring the grand narrative of the Bible from the beginning. This story is the true story of the world.

We are picking up the story with Isaac and his wife Rebecca, and their two sons Hairy (Esau) and Heel (Jacob).

A suffering one is surrounded by violent enemies. He is pierced in the hands and feet. People mock him. They cast lots for his clothes. The suffering one says, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

That suffering man is David in Psalm 22.

These hyper-specific parallels to Jesus' suffering on the cross reveal what was on Jesus' mind as he died. Far from crying out in despair, Jesus knows the story is already written, that he will be vindicated, and that through his suffering all nations will turn to the Lord.

Something happened to Jesus in the days before his death: a woman named Mary poured out an entire bottle of perfume on him. Many saw it was a waste, but Jesus was so moved by it he said that wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, this story would also be told in her memory.

Jesus' plan to redeem the world involves kids. In this story from John 6, Jesus uses a boy's lunch to feed a crowd. We need adults like Andrew who will identify young disciples and bring them to Jesus. Their little lunch may not be much in the eyes of the world, but in the hands of Jesus it's everything.

Every generation has to own the task to pass on the faith to a new generation of disciples. Spiritual warfare doesn't begin at 18 years old. When the enemy wants to destroy the church, he targets the youth. It's our task as adults to stand in the gap for the kids of this church and this city, to teach them God's ways, and to tell them the great miracles he has done in our lives.

This week explore Jesus' dialogue with the Rich Young Ruler, who walked away from following Jesus. Despite material and "religious" success, there were deeper idols in his heart. In an age of consumerism, this story still confronts and inspires us today.

As we step into this accelerated season God has for our church, Joey casts vision for the future of our building. Ultimately we give because Jesus gave everything for us.

This week Joey goes deeper into gospel proclamation, spiritual formation, community, and mission.

The beating heart of any church is the gospel. The Church exists to proclaim the gospel to a lost world. Jesus invites us to be made radically new by the good news of his kingdom.