Grace Community Church Midweek Teaching

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for." (Heb 11:1) At the end of his life, we come to the place where Jacob's faith is commended and recorded in the New Testament. Without reservation he blesses Joseph's younger son ahead of the firstborn and worships God. He makes arrangements for his body to be 'buried with my...

The long tense back and forth with these brothers finally comes to a good and satisfying end! Twice now Joseph has wept privately, but this time he weeps publically and declares to his brothers; "I am Joseph!" He invites them to move in closely and they embrace one another through tears. And then they talk! When Joseph was a teenager living at home his brothers hated him so much they couldn't even...

Through a series of tasks Joseph's brothers reveal who they are now, thirteen years later, and how far he can trust them. In order for true reconciliation in this family there must be sincere forgiveness on one side and repentance demonstrated by humble confession of sin and change in behaviour on the other side. All of which takes time as trust is built and wounds are healed. Judah's charactor se...

After being forgotten in prison for two years, Joseph finds himself standing before Pharoah, an extremely powerful man thought to be descended from the gods. And yet when Joseph stands before him he does not seek to advance his own interests or take any glory for himself. Instead he gives all glory to the true God and gives council for the help of others. God gives Joseph wisdom with a plan to pre...

God's presence with Joseph in Egypt is having an impact on his conduct and charactor. He resists multiple advances from a powerful woman and suffers greatly for it. Somehow away from his family Joseph is able to break some unhealthy patterns of deciet and develop a true relationship with his God. In this pagan land of Egypt we are told repeatedly that God is with him there. At the same time Joseph...

Long ago Jacob deceived his father Isaac with a robe and food from a slaughtered goat. Now his sons deceive him with a coat and blood from a slaughtered goat. Jacob's family knows the true and living God, yet their sin patterns seem at times to be much stronger than their faith. Over the course of this story we will begin to recognize a contrast between two of the brothers. Young and immature Jose...

Jacob’s detour in Shechem costs his family dearly with the rape of his daughter and the retribution his sons enact. After Jacob’s remarkable encounter with God, we are told of one of the lowest points in his family and that his household has acquired many foreign gods. How can that be? We might prefer the narrator to leave out horrific and faithless moments in the lives of God’s people, but that w...

Jacob has prayed and sought God’s help. He has planned and sought to appease Esau with gifts. He has protected his family and separated himself from them. He’s done all he knows to do to deal with the problem at hand. And God’s response to Jacob? He wrestles with him all night long as tho they are equally matched, and then with a mere touch, God clobbers him!1 What in the world!?! God prepares Jac...

When Jacob left home, he fled from Esau to Laban afraid, alone, and owning nothing. Now he flees from Laban to Esau, still afraid but no longer alone and with great wealth. During his time with Laban, he has been cheated, deceived, and taken advantage of. Jacob has also continued using his learned pattern of deception to get what he wants. But God has kept His promise to be with Jacob, to give him...

Just because things go our way or we give God credit and praise, does not mean that we are interpreting things correctly. God’s design for marriage is one man and one woman. God’s design for his people is honesty, integrity, and seeking Him above all else. Jacob grew up in a competitive and divided family and creates for himself a competitive and divided family. And yet – God is at work within the...

After a disastrous outcome of his deceit, Jacob runs away from home. Will the promised blessing be lost? Jacob has no family or land–he has nothing! All throughout Genesis we have seen many examples of God coming down to those who are not seeking Him, calling out to Him, or reaching up to Him and this plot point of Jacob’s life is no different. God comes to Jacob in a dream showing access to His p...

When we want something really badly it can be a struggle to release our desire in trust to God. It is not uncommon to resort to manipulation, deceit, striving, and grasping at what we can to control outcomes and to accomplish our will. Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Esau all have their own desires for who gets the blessing and their own plans for bringing it about. Not only does this family demonstr...

God has promised a multitude of children through Abraham and Isaac and yet both Sarah and Rebekah struggled with infertility. Meanwhile Ishmael seems to have no trouble bearing children. Like his father before him, Isaac faces a famine and common sense says to leave the land of promise and head to Egypt. Crops, herds, wells, quarrels, clans, and kings are all a part of Isaac’s story. Whatever we a...

The promises to Abraham involved both land and descendants and went well beyond his own lifetime. As his time on this earth is nearing its end, these last recorded stories from his life reveal a practical side of faith. We read of decisions made and actions taken based on an understanding of God’s character and promises rather than direct instruction from God’s voice. God gives practical help and...

This text is difficult on many levels. Human sacrifice was a common practice among the pagan gods of the land, but Abraham had come to believe that God was different. Additionally God had said that the promised blessing and nation was with Isaac specifically. Abraham had already let Ishmael go – now he was to not just let Isaac go live somewhere else, but to actually end his life? The Creator and...

Abraham stood and saw the smoke of God’s judgment over two prominent cities - we can only speculate what his thoughts and emotions might have been. Did he forget what God had said before all this destruction happened? Did he know Lot had been spared? And then….laughter of disbelief becomes laughter of wonder. Abraham and Sarah have a moment in time of deep joy and satisfaction, worship and obedien...

God said that the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah were exceedingly grave. If we didn’t take God’s word for it, the details given in this chapter of the evil all around affecting everyone are convincing. Lot escaped the destruction, but he lost everything. His wife lost her life and his daughters lost any moral compass or a right understanding of God’s ways. Sin matters to God. It’s consequences are rea...

The conversations that take place in this chapter seem almost casual, like two old friends talking. One conversation is about miraculous life, the other about destruction and death. We also see here a contrast in the timing of the fulfillment of these two events. On the one hand we have years upon years upon years of waiting, then this final reassurance, yet still another whole year to wait for th...

Things are about to get really messy, but God is not surprised and Abram cannot thwart or prevent God’s redemption plan as it has never been dependent on Abram – it has always been dependent on God alone. Still, sin always hurts people and Abram and Sarai’s actions, while culturally normal, are sinful. It is good to heed that warning while also maintaining the wonder of how Great and Profound God’...

God continues to reveal Himself to Abram over time as he goes along. It has been years since Abram left home, and while he has amassed much wealth and his household has grown - he still has no children and owns no land. What did God’s promises mean? How long will they take to come true? What continued hardships will this journey with God entail and how will Abram endure it all? God visits Abram an...

After his brief stint in Egypt, Abram returns to where he started and calls on the name of the Lord. What follows is quarreling and strife in his family, years of war among the kings in the area, a rebellion and the capture of his nephew who had ended up on the loosing side. Abram mounts an army from his own household and three of his allies, rescues Lot, and then is visited by a mysterious king/p...

The first 11 chapters of Genesis cover thousands of years and the whole earth while the rest of Genesis will cover few hundred years and zero in on one individual and his descendants. What is the author implying about the significance of this particular family? Matthew chapter 1 gives us a clue - revealing to us a plan that went way beyond Abraham and his children. Eve’s promised seed who would cr...

This chapter reveals once again how desperately we need God’s intervention. We see here the people’s; “Come, let us make; Come let us build…” contrasted with God’s; “Come, let us go down and disperse….” Left alone we choose our own way, we seek to glorify ourselves, to stay put and establish our own mini kingdoms. Without the ‘But Gods’ of our lives we would not, could not, follow Him or obey His...

Due to Technical Difficulties, we were unable to record this teaching. We apologize for this, we know it's a bummer that those who were unable to attend in person will miss out. We hope with the study guide you are still able to connect with a friend to share what you learned in this passage. ....... After the flood the earth and everything in it has significantly changed. Adam’s loving supremacy...

This account of God’s judgment is jarring as the concept of His wrath can seem offensive. That is until your son’s bike gets stolen and then it is deeply comforting. In all seriousness, this is one of the most heart wrenching and sad chapters in scripture. The entire human race has reached the point of no return. No hope. No thoughts of love or kindness or goodness or beauty. Enmity – that is, act...