If genealogies are not the most engaging reading, why would Matthew begin his history of Jesus with one in Matthew 1:1-17?  Actually, genealogies can be very engaging if we find in them connections with our story.  Because Matthew wanted to connect Jesus with Jewish people, he emphasized Jesus’ descent from the patriarch Abraham and from King David.  At the same time, he included some fascinating details that connect Jesus not only with Jewish people but with all of us.

In Jonah 4, we find the most successful preacher of his day angry enough to die after his greatest triumph, because God had done in Nineveh exactly what Jonah had suspected he would do.  In this final chapter, God presented two arguments to teach Jonah about compassion, the same two arguments that still hold for us who have received God’s compassion in Christ.

In Jonah 3, we find that God did not give up on Jonah or on the people of Nineveh, which encourages us to believe that he has not given up on us either.  Upon hearing Jonah’s preaching of impending destruction, the Ninevites surprised everyone by believing God and turning from their sins to him.  According to Jesus, they became an example for later generations of what it means to repent.  God’s response to them is also an example of how he treats all who turn from sin to him with faith.

In Jonah 2, we take a break from the narrative to read a poem of thanksgiving that Jonah prayed when he was detained for three days and three nights.  It turns out that the fish that swallowed Jonah was God’s appointed means not for Jonah’s destruction but for his rescue.  By surviving his brush with death, Jonah learned an important lesson that we all must learn.

In Jonah 1, we meet the Israelite prophet who preferred to flee rather than obey the Lord’s call to do something new, surprising, and unpleasant, namely, go preach to the Ninevites, the mortal enemies of the Israelites.  However, God did not give up on Jonah, or, as we shall see, on the Ninevites, or on us.

“Priorities for Parents” – Ephesians 6:4 and Deuteronomy 6. All families develop customs that reflect their priorities. Today we look at three biblical priorities for parents to establish and maintain in their family customs so that it may go well for our children throughout their lives.

“Only Christ” from I Timothy 2:1-7.  Last week we saw that we access God’s rescuing grace by faith alone, but faith in whom or what?  The fourth essential truth coming out of the Reformation is summarized in the motto, “Christ Alone.”

“Only God’s Glory” from Ephesians 2:1-14.  In the conclusion to our Reformation Anniversary series, we ask a practical question: What is the purpose of our existence?  It turns out that we must first understand the purpose of God’s existence to find our own, and when we do, it filters down into every aspect of our lives.

From Ephesians 6:1-3, Proverbs 1:1-9, and Genesis 2:24, we put together an overall structure for parenting: the first stage of teaching first-time obedience, the second stage of teaching wisdom, and the third stage of independence. In every stage, both our children and we need to rely on God’s grace as the process exposes the bent of our hearts.

“Only Faith” from Romans 4:1-8.  If God by his sheer grace intervened in history to rescue us from all that threatens us, how do we respond in order to receive his grace and enter into a right relationship with him?  The third essential truth that came out of the Reformation is “Sola Fide” or “Only Faith.”