Who is the King of your life?

It's the beginning of Holy week, and in preparation of remembering the death and celebrating the resurrection of our Savior we come to a familiar story of Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem where He proclaimed Himself Messiah and King of Israel. But just as many of the first century Jews had become stuck in the routines and traditions of Passover, many of us today can become numb to the power of the gospel when we become stuck in the routines and traditions of Easter.

Join us today as we read from John 12 and see Jesus Christ ride into Jerusalem the week before the Passover celebrations. We'll define and discuss the differences between religious legalism and true religion before God, and we'll see the differences in the crowds who were following Jesus and the crowds who were merely watching Jesus. And through it all we'll ask ourselves what we do when the King rides into our routines, our comfort zones, and our lives.

Who do you serve?

In our modern culture where the idea of volunteering means helping out if and when it's convenient for us, have we lost touch with what the Bible means when it calls us to serve God with our whole lives? This week we look at what Joshua meant when he encouraged the Israelites to serve the Lord when they entered the Promised Land. We'll compare and contrast the ideas of biblically serving God with the modern notion of volunteerism and ask ourselves, in this life where everyone is serving something, whom do we serve.

Are you ready to die?

Since death entered creation at the fall of man in Genesis 3, men and women of faith have had to wrestle with how to live by faith in the light of death. As Jacob came to the end of his life, after he blesses his sons, he makes one final request to be buried with his fathers in the land God promised to his fathers and his children. But what will Jacob's death mean for Joseph and his brothers in light of their past? And what legacy of faith will Joseph leave at the end of his own life?

This week we finish our journey through the book of Genesis, and read through the account of the end of life for Jacob and Joseph. We'll see the legacy of faith that both men left behind them in light of their own deaths, and learn how death is not the end for the people who place their faith in the promises of God. And we'll ask ourselves, with such great promises from God, are we living in light of this temporary world or in light of eternity?

God's plan is a plan of blessing!

When God created man and woman, he blessed them. And when God called Abraham, he promised blessing on his offspring and on the whole world through his offspring. As Abraham's grandson, Jacob approaches the end of this life, he calls his sons to him to bless them, and in his blessing, he prophesies about the future of the twelve tribes of Israel.

This week we continue reading Genesis 49, and hear the remainder of Jacob's blessings to his sons. We'll study together how each blessing both described who each son was and what would become of each of the twelve tribes of Israel. And we'll see what each blessing teaches us about how to live our lives according to the eternal plan of God, a plan of life and blessing!

What do the dying words of man who lived 4000 years ago have to do with us today?

Jacob's life was full of ups and downs, blessing and heart break, trials and victories. At the end of his life, his twelve sons came to him to hear his last words. After such a long life, what parting words does Jacob have for his sons and the twelve tribes that would come from them to make up the future nation of Israel?

This week we begin reading Genesis 49, and hear the last words of Jacob to his sons. We'll look at Jacob's words to his first four sons, and see how he both describes who his sons were and what the future of their tribes would be. And we'll see how God can still work his redemptive purpose through the lives of imperfect men and hear how Jacob prophesied about the reign of the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ.

What lessons are we leaving for our children?

Many years after being reunited with his father, Joseph hears word that Jacob's health is failing and the end of his life is near. So Joseph hurries to this father's bedside with his two sons, seeking a blessing from Jacob. But after many years of struggles and trials, what final words does Jacob have to pass on?

This week we read through Genesis 48, and see Jacob bless the sons of Joseph. We'll break down Jacob's words to Joseph and his sons to discover what Jacob now finds most important and the end of his life, and we'll look at the significance of Jacob crossing his hands when blessing Joseph's sons. And then we'll examine our own lives to see what kind of legacy we are leaving for the next generation.

Is it possible to be prosperous without being ruled by riches?

Jacob and Joseph have finally been reunited! Jacob has made the move with all of his family down into Egypt to survive the severe famine. But as pharaoh's dreams had foretold, there are still 5 years left before the famine will end. How can this Hebrew family of shepherds survive in Egypt without assimilating into Egyptian culture and pagan worship?

This week we read through Genesis 47, and see the legacy Joseph will leave in Egypt. We'll see how Joseph shrewdly introduces his father to the pharaoh so that his family will be saved from the famine. Then we'll look at the overview of the last five years of the famine in Egypt and see how Joseph shrewdly saves the lives of all of Egypt while setting up systems of prosperity that would outlast his own lifetime. And we'll learn for ourselves how we can be prosperous without prosperity becoming our god.

What's the first thing you do when facing a big decision?

Jacob has received great news: his beloved son Joseph is alive and a ruler in Egypt! And with the severe famine in the land, Joseph has invited his father and the whole family to live in Egypt where food is abundant. But going to Egypt will mean leaving the promised land, an action that has not gone well in the past for Abraham and the sons of the promise. With a great desire to see Joseph again, what will Jacob do next?

This week we read through Genesis 46, and see how the growth of Jacob's faith has changed his life. We'll see God reaffirm his promise to Jacob to grow his family into a great nation and we'll witness the sweet reunion of Jacob and Joseph. And as we examine how God was guiding Jacob in light of a future he could not see, we'll learn how the same God guides us today guides us when we seek Him first in all our decisions.

Are you finding it hard to hope after years of disappointment?

Jacob did too. While his sons had reconciled back in Egypt, Jacob remained in Canaan, in the middle of a great famine, uncertain whether any of his sons would return to him. When they finally do return with news that Joseph is alive, will Jacob respond in doubt, or find the faith to hope again?

This week we finish reading through Genesis 45, and see how God was providing for Jacob even in the middle of mourning and famine. We'll see how God worked through the Pharoah to fulfill His promise to Abraham and how God's abundant grace allowed Jacob to take the next step of faith that would lead him to once again live out the name Israel--God wins. And we'll learn together how to see the work of grace in our own lives that can spark the hope that we lost long ago.

What's the sound of reconciliation?

Joseph has tested his brothers and found out how they have changed in the twenty years since they sold him away to Egypt. As Judah offers himself to take the punishment in place of Benjamin, Joseph can no longer keep his true identity from his brothers. When all the truth comes to light, will Jacob's sons finally be reunited in true brotherhood?

This week we begin reading through Genesis 45, and see the culmination of Joseph's plans to test the hearts of his brothers. We'll study how Joseph internalized the truth of trusting in a sovereign God and see how that allowed him to live out forgiveness toward his brothers. We'll learn the three steps Joseph takes to reconcile with his brothers, and we'll see how Joseph is a picture of how God longs to be reconciled to us today. This is what reconciliation sounds like!