In Genesis 25:27-34 Esau famously sells his birthright to Jacob, who shows himself to be one who connives for the sake of personal gain. Neither character is worthy of God's grace, but in the end Jacob will receive it. How does this work? Why does Jacob receive grace? It is not because he is worthy, since then grace would not be grace.

In Revelation 19:1-10 we see the two ends of two different women: Babylon and Jerusalem. The one is the great harlot who is judged on the last day. The other is Jerusalem, the bride of Christ, who enters into the wedding of the lamb. Such is the end point of all history, the point to which everything is moving. May it be that God would grant you to be part of that pure woman, made holy through the blood of Christ.

In Genesis 25:19-26 the Jacob narrative begins. At the beginning of each story about a patriarch in Genesis we see some form of revelation from God that governs our understanding of the whole. What is the basic message of the Jacob narrative? Salvation is by grace alone according to God's inscrutable predestination.

In Revelation 18:9-24 we read predominantly of the lamentation for Babylon. Those who loved the world and the luxurious, sensuous living it offered, lament that she has fallen. The elect, however, rejoice, for the fall of Babylon means their vindication. How would you respond to the fall of all the institutions that promote living for the pleasures of this world? Would you lament or rejoice? The answer to this question reveals the basic allegiance of your heart.

In Genesis 24:1-67 Abraham sends out his servant to find a wife for Isaac. There are a number of practical things we can learn from this about how to look for a spouse biblically. Pastor Grasso explains what these are along with the importance of pursuing a spouse in a godly way. Ultimately, the church is greatly helped when it is filled with godly couples starting families.

In Revelation 18:1-8 we read of the fall of Babylon. The message for the people of God is clear: come out of her. This is the call that always goes out in the gospel: Babylon, associated with all kinds of worldliness, will be destroyed. Those who are wise will flee to Christ for refuge.

In Genesis 24:1-67 Abraham sends his servant out to find a wife for Isaac. He is not to look for a wife for Isaac from Canaan but from Abraham's family. This story is significant in the overall narrative of Genesis because Genesis as a whole focuses on a particular lineage which ultimately culminates in the Messiah. In order for this lineage to continue, Isaac needs a wife. The servant runs into Rebekah at a well, beginning a theme that we see a number of times in the OT, ultimately culminating in Christ himself meeting the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4.

In Acts 2:14-41, in the first Apostolic sermon on the day of Pentecost, Peter proclaims the glory of Christ's Kingdom in connection with His resurrection from the dead. Through union with Christ, every believer triumphs with Christ, being seated with Him in the heavenly places, overcoming their sins in this life, and reigning with Christ in the world to come having overcome death itself in victory. Such is the hope of the gospel, and such is Christ's victory as King in His resurrection from the dead.

In Matthew 27:27-54 Christ is put to death. Everything in the narrative is ironic as Christ is mocked and humiliated for being the "King of the Jews." In reality, however, all that happens to Him, even in His death, proves His Kingship. Christ is the King who reigns from the cross.

In Revelation 17:1-18 Pastor Grasso explains the significance of Babylon, the great harlot, who rides on the beast. Babylon stands for the religious arm that persecutes the people of God in connection with the state. Surprisingly, in the end the beast will cast off this alliance and claim all power for itself in the person of the antichrist. Evil always ends up fighting against itself, and this will be true in the end as well.