Discovery Church: Grand Rapids

Thanksgiving is the day we focus on giving thanks to God. We bless Him for the many good things He has given us--can we also give thanks when we find ourselves in difficult times?Psalm 42Watch the full service: https://youtu.be/WqqD57cBNCU

When God give us direction of a direction—be it a moral choice, a command to obey, a place to live or work or go to school, or a new venture within the kingdom of God—when God gives direction of a specific direction to take, God accomplishes His purposes and God gives His blessing when we make that adjustment and choose to follow Him.Genesis 31:13; 35:1, 5-7Watch the full service on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/oYRzS6VxEZY

Genesis 32:22-32Jacob wrestled and struggled during his life, first in the womb with Esau and later with God. His conniving was seeking something that only God can give, which God gives freely. God blesses Jacob, gives him a new identity, and through Jacob God’s blessing reaches out to the world through Jacob’s descendant—King Jesus. Verse: Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” (Genesis 32:28)Watch the full service on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/qE_sUPu6I9Q

Genesis 28:10-22At an insignificant place, Jacob encounters God directly in a dream. God promises to fulfill His covenantal promise to Abraham by working through Jacob, and, God promises to care for Jacob wherever he goes. Jacob is assured that he has God’s watchful eye and listening ear not only where he had the vision, which Jacob named Bethel, but wherever he would go. Verse: I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. (Genesis 28:15)Watch the full service on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/mj_U5vNdCXE

Genesis 25:29-34; 27:5-10After humanity’s fall in the Garden of Eden, God chose to rescue humanity by focusing on one family to reach the world—the family that would come through Abraham. Through Abraham’s line will come Jesus—the Messiah King. Jacob, Abraham’s grandson, has a role to play in this. He is a conniver who steals the family birthright that God already promised to him. Still, God is greater than sin and is able to work His plan of humanity’s salvation through Jacob’s bad choices. God will not be stopped.Watch the full service on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/kfq8kTnhFJg

This week begins a new series on the story of Jacob.Genesis 25:20-34Genesis begins with humanity deciding to rebel against God through sin. God chooses to rescue and redeem fallen humanity by focusing on one family through whom He will bring hope and salvation—Abraham. Jacob, a grandson of Abraham, is part of that plan. An imperfect Jacob will reap what he sows, but his longing for God shows that God uses imperfect people in His big plan to bless and rescue humanity, and in His smaller plan for each of us. Verse: When the time came for Rebekah to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. The first to come out was red and hairy; so they named him Esau. After this, his brother Jacob came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel. (Genesis 25:24-26)Watch the full service on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/P1_pSixxsnY