Storyline Adventist Church

The series finale! In our final installment we see Jacob broken (literally) and remade as God’s covenant man. On his way home, while fearing Esau, another encouraging encounter with Yahweh, like the one at Bethel, solidifies his calling and identity as Abraham and Issac’s heir to the great promise of land and descendants. And following Jacob’s night of intense combat, Israel is born! Jacob’s story is not over, but he is, at last, God’s man!

Jacob’s life of struggle continues. By this time, we are not surprised. His sister-wives and many children, and especially their feuding, are adding to his struggle. Furthermore, Laban’s consistent dishonesty and manipulation drive Jacob to a difficult but unavoidable decision: he must leave Padan Aram and return to his homeland, though risking death at the hands of Esau! Incredibly, through this giant and relatable mess, the children of Israel are on the verge of becoming a nation…

Jacob finds himself, freshly encouraged by the promises of Yahweh, arriving in the land of the eastern people. Things start well enough, but quickly take an unexpected turn for the worse. Jacob the deceiver finds himself on the receiving end of a cruel deception. Of course, we’ve all been lied to and we’ve all lied, so, once again, there’s a great deal here to learn and apply for us.

We’ve all heard the saying, “between a rock and a hard place.” More than just hearing it, we’ve all been there! Jacob was also there, big time. In fact, his situation was so dark and difficult that he had to use a rock for a pillow! Here’s another well-known saying that applies well to this part of Jacob’s story, “it’s always darkest before the dawn.” In the darkest part of Jacob’s story, Yahweh shows up in a profoundly revelatory way. The story of “Jacob’s ladder” is actually the story of “Jesus’ ladder,” as we will see in this presentation.

Jacob’s life contains many of the best-known stories in all of Scripture, and this study looks at one of them: Jacob’s deception of his aging and visually-imparied father, Isaac, under the enthusiastic advisement of his mother, Rebekah. Jacob’s choice to trick his father and deceitfully secure the coveted blessing will change his life forever. For the modern reader, there’s a great deal to learn and personally apply from this ancient story.

Two brothers, two personalities, two nations, one pot of stew. In this well-known story of conflict, Jacob secures the long-treasured birthright from his elder brother, but has he really obtained it? Does he even understand it? The Bible says that, “Esau despised his birthright” (Genesis 25:34). This is true, but as we’ll see in this study, so did Jacob!

Of all the patriarchs in Genesis, Jacob’s life was characterized by conflict and struggle. In this eight-part series we’ll take an in-depth look at the conflicts and struggles of Jacob’s long, and often sad, life. Though it is an ancient story, there is so much here for us, its modern readers. We will be inspired, encouraged, challenged, and warned. Like Jacob himself, we will not leave these experiences unchanged. The series begins… and so does the struggle…

If you take a deep dive into Galatians 3, you’ll discover some stunning truths: the gospel has always been more about God’s promises to us and less about our promises to Him; Jesus is the hero of the story; and, through Jesus becoming “a curse,” the whole world has been reconciled. Every nation, tribe, and people have a seat at God’s table.

Many imagine the judgment as God on a massive throne with a big red button He pushes to send people to hell. But there’s actually beauty in the judgment. We don’t have to be afraid: God isn’t waiting to pounce on us. He respects our free will. We can rejoice in the judgment because it means God is righting wrongs on our behalf. Lastly, the judgment isn’t fair, because it is rigged in our favor.

Augustine said, “Love God and do as you please.” Is that idea heresy or truth? The answer is found in Paul’s story of the woman in Romans 7. When we are drawn to Christ out of love, we will do as we please and it will be glorious obedience in Christ.

Explore the background of one of the most famous Bible promises: Galatians 2:20. The account of Paul rebuking Peter for refusing to eat with the gentiles teaches us that the law—back then and now—can’t save us. We can’t even rely on our own faith to save us but only on the faithfulness of Jesus.

The crucifixion was a dark event, but the resurrection, with all its joy and glory, contains a beautiful truism: God didn’t raise Jesus from the dead simply because He’s God and He could. Sin causes death and love gives life. Jesus died with God’s love fully intact, so the resurrection was inevitable. The good news is that you can receive resurrection life too, right now.

One of the most profound truths in the universe is the fact that God is all powerful and all knowing, but He can still suffer, cry, and even sob uncontrollably. In the suffering of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, He identified Himself with the sin and shame of the world. Because Jesus chose to suffer as we suffer, we are brought closer to God than angels will ever be.

Is it good news that there is a God? You might be tempted to say yes right away, but the truth is that it depends. What kind of a God are we talking about? Jesus deliberately made choices to publicly love people when it was not politically, religiously, or socially wise to do so. So, is it good news that there is a God? Yes, because He looks like Jesus.

Can God try something new? God became a man when God had never been a man before. Our familiarity with the incarnation often robs us of the wonder we can and should feel for such a mysterious event. When we take a deep dive into the meaning of God becoming flesh, we find we have a Savior who breathes stars and also weeps. He is literally like us for eternity.

Going to a library might lead you to believe there are millions of stories in the world, but perhaps there’s really only one story being told by human history. It’s called the myth of redemptive violence: to win in life, you must be stronger, fight harder, and move faster. Good guys conquer bad guys with more force and violence. But then Jesus comes along and tells a completely different story: the way to move up in the world is to go down, the way to lead is to serve, and the way to conquer is through sacrifice.

We tend to think of righteousness in terms of personal, moral piety, but that’s not how the biblical authors understood it. Righteousness toward God means healed social relations and righting wrongs with people. The story of Cornelius and Peter illustrates that, for the church to embrace God’s covenant, we must participate in the breaking down of social, political, and racial walls.

Father Abraham had many sons, but why do we care? The biblical authors were obsessed with the story of Abraham and his family. In fact, you can’t really understand what’s happening in the New Testament if you don’t understand the story of Abraham. When we study his story, we find God’s call for Abraham (and for us today) was never regional or exclusive but always global and inclusive—for everyone.

The Bible is all about...babies? God’s original plan for humans centered on us growing, flourishing, and populating the world. But Adam and Eve sinned, and it was both a moral and governmental fall. God’s answer? He promised to send a Baby—the Baby—who would grow up to become a Man and win back the world, not as God but as God in man, to give it back to man.

Imagine a jar positioned directly under a waterfall. What happens? The jar is continually filling and overflowing at the same time. This is the rich image communicated in the Greek word perisseuo. Jesus is the waterfall and you are the jar.