Concordia Adult Bible Class

Jesus has come to bring peace. But before He brings peace, He has peace. He is peacefully sleeping in the back of a boat while His disciples are terrified by a storm. But on that storm He pronounces a command: “Quiet! Be still” (Mark 4:39)! Over what areas of your life does Jesus need to pronounce a similar command?

The apostles encountered much persecution as they spread the gospel, especially from jealous Jews. Yet, immediately following the persecution they encounter in Acts 13, we read, “The disciples were filled with joy in the Holy Spirit” (Acts 13:52). How can we have joy even when life is at its worst?

The love of a mother is unique. For many, the love of their mothers is steadfast, unconditional, and forgiving. In this way, a mother’s love mirrors God’s love. At the head of the fruit of the Spirit is love. Why is this at the head? Because “if I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1).

If you parent a young child, you’ve probably been told by more than one person: “They grow up so fast.” And it’s true! In the short time that you have to raise your family, how do you leave a legacy? Jehoshaphat left a spiritual legacy by encouraging families to stand before the Lord (verse 13). But his father also left him a legacy of faith: “He walked in the ways of his father Asa and did not stray from them; he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD” (2 Chroniciles 20:20). How do we leave a positive legacy for our families?

As if raising a family wasn’t difficult enough in and of itself, families face many crosswinds that make things even more difficult: in-laws, divorces, blended families, custody battles, financial hardships, and on and on the list goes. In this message, we look at the hardships that Noami faced with her family and then discuss what God’s Word has to say about some of the hardships we face.

The average sitcom is 22 minutes. In 22 minutes, parents in a sitcom family must have a problem with their kids, confront the problem, struggle through the problem, and fix the problem. Family problems in real life are not so easily fixable. How do you parent for the long haul? How do you struggle through disagreements with each other and make hard decisions on how to raise and discipline your kids? The preacher of Hebrews reminds us that raising kids takes time, and we often don’t see the fruits of our hard fought battles until “later on” (verse 11).

Before there were cities, before there was pop culture, before there were wars, before there was poverty, before there was even sin, there was the family. God brought Adam and Eve together as husband and wife and encouraged them to have children. This is home base for all of society. This is where it all begins. In a world where the value of family is being questioned, how can we winsomely hold the concept of family – and, more importantly, our own family – sacred?

Pastor Bill Tucker & Pastor Zach McIntosh answer questions from Bible Class attendees live and unrehearsed!

What do you do when you you’ve experienced a terrible tragedy or loss and you feel like you will never be able to smile again? Paul, himself in the middle of a very difficult time as he languishes in prison, is able to write, “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4). We can learn from Paul’s joy as we seek to be joyful!

Even people who seem to have strong faith sometimes doubt. This was the case even with John the Baptist. John the Baptist wondered out loud if Jesus was the Messiah. Perhaps you struggle with doubt and you wonder if you can ever be forgiven for your doubt. Jesus spoke to John’s doubts lovingly. He speaks to our doubts in the same way.

In and of themselves, desires are good things. They are given to us by God. But when we desire something God has given in a way that goes against what God has commanded, disaster results. Just ask Adam and Eve. How do we desire well? And how do we recover from mismanaged desires?

One of the saddest parenting stories in the Bible is that of David and Absalom. Years of neglectful parenting finally resulted in Absalom’s rebellion and death. By the time David sees what has happened, it is too late. What can we do as parents today to escape regrets tomorrow? And how do we deal with regrets for past mistakes we have made as parents?

Marriage is meant to be a beautiful picture of how Christ loves His Church. Because of sin, however, this picture can be distorted and, tragically, sometimes even destroyed. How do we recover the picture of love God desires and has designed for our marriages? Paul answers, “Be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).

The first section of the book of Judges has been focused on outside threats to Israel: threats from the Midianites and the Moabites and the Canaanites and the Philistines. The final part of the book of Judges focuses on the threats from within Israel. In the words of the famous Pogo comic strip: “We have met the enemy and he is us.” Micah undermines his faith by keeping an idol that sets off a chain of tragic events. In what ways are you undermining your own life?

Samson was a man of great talent. He had strength and he had political savvy. But he did not have any character. He fell into sin again and again. Even the most talented people crash and burn if they do not have the character to support their talents. In what ways do you fall short in your character?