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God’s Big Picture. Tracing the Storyline of the Bible. Introduction. David and Goliath. What application would you draw from David’s actions in killing Goliath? What if I told the story like this... One young boy From Bethlehem Representing his brothers
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God’s Big Picture • Tracing the Storyline of the Bible
David and Goliath • What application would you draw from David’s actions in killing Goliath? • What if I told the story like this... • One young boy • From Bethlehem • Representing his brothers • In the place of another representative • Defeats an enemy that a whole nation could not face • After decisively defeating the enemy, his brothers participate in the victory
What do I do with... • Dietary laws • Animal sacrifices • The slaughter of the Canaanites • The Exodus • ...just examples (good or bad)? • ...just stories? 4
Other Applications • What do I say to someone who has lost someone close to them? • What do I say to someone who is struggling with depression? • What is the purpose of the church? • What is the purpose of missions? • How do we care for the poor? • What is the relation of the church to the state?
Not a book of quotes “If we want to understand any part of the Bible properly, we must consider where it fits in that great plan and how it contributes to it.” “GOD’S BIG PICTURE”, PAGE 19
Where are we going? • Know the themes of Scripture • Within any text of Scripture, know where it comes from and where it is going • Discover how each part of the Bible points to Jesus Christ and the salvation he accomplished
The Bible... • ...is one book -- not an anthology • ...is a diverse collection of writings • ...has one Author and many authors • ...has one main subject • ...is not a book of quotations
About the whole • You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me (John 5:39) • “And [Jesus] said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:25–27) • “But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,” (Acts 3:18–19)
The Theme of Scripture • ...God’s people • ...in God’s place • ...under God’s rule and blessing GOD’S KINGDOM
A Bible Overview: The Kingdom... • OT: Promises Made • Pattern • Perished • Promised • Partial • Prophesied • NT: Promises Kept • Present • Proclaimed • Perfected
The pattern of the kingdom • Chapter 1
The Power of Patterns • Why do we like patterns? • Patterns in Scripture are sometimes referred to as “typology” • A “type” points to or foreshadows the “antitype”
Limits of Typology • There must be a real, historical, and essential resemblance or analogy between the type and antitype • The type must be providentially designed to foreshadow God’s ultimate redemptive activity in Christ. This means that accidental or even thematic similarity is not enough to make a type/antitype connection • Unlike a mere symbol, which represents a general truth or idea, a type by its very nature must look forward to its specific and greater fulfillment in the anti-type Michael Lawrence, “Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church”, page 78
God - author of all creation • What did God say after creating all things? • How does this affect how we view the physical world? • When Adam and Eve sinned, who and what was affected? • Does God save us spiritually only or does he also save us physically?
God - king of creation • What is the relationship between God and nature? • Is nature divine? • Does God speak through nature?
Humans - peak of creation • Are humans animals? • How are humans different from the rest of creation? • What are the implications of saying that humans are merely animals? • What are the implications of being made in the image of God?
Rest - the goal of creation • Why did God rest on the seventh day? • Note the perfection in relationships: • God with humans • Humans with each other • Humans with creation
Questions and Discussion NEXT WEEK: CHAPTER 2, THE PERISHED KINGDOM
The perished kingdom • Chapter 2
A snake in the garden • What are some questions you have after reading Genesis 3? • Are those questions ever answered in Scripture? • Should we understand Genesis 3 literally?
Rebellion against God • How did God exercise his rule in the kingdom? • How was God’s rule usurped?
Consequences • What did Adam and Eve expect to be the consequences of their rebellion? • What were the actual consequences? • Genesis 5 contains genealogies. What could be important about a family tree?
Does man turn around? • The Flood -- waters cover the earth again, as in Genesis 1:2 • The Tower of Babel (Gen. 11) -- creating a kingdom that doesn’t have God as the king
The promised kingdom • Chapter 3
God’s Eternal Plan • Read Ephesians 1:3-6 • Note the scope of time in this passage • In light of what we’ve learned so far, what sort of questions does this passage raise?
SIN JUDGMENT GRACE Amazing Grace • Note the theme of human sin and God’s response of judgment that runs through Genesis • Where do you see God’s grace in Genesis?
What is a Covenant? • Two types: conditional and unconditional • Sealed in blood • A sign as a reminder
Examples of Covenants • Adamic • Noahic • Abrahamic • Mosaic • New Covenant
Covenant with Abraham • Read Genesis 12:1-3 • What was special about Abraham? Why him? • What was Abraham promised? • Every covenant had a sign. What was the sign of this covenant?
The Sabbath as a Sign • "You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, 'Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you. (Exo 31:13 ESV) • Every culture had laws (i.e., the ten commandments and what followed) • Israel was unique in the reason that all of life stopped on the Sabbath • In observance of God’s resting after creation • As a witness to those around them that they were in covenant with God
The Sabbath? • Note that in the Hebrew calendar (on which the Christian calendar is based), the week starts with Sunday and ends with the Sabbath or Saturday (where according to the Genesis (as described in the Bible) the Lord rested from creating the world). • In medieval times, Catholic Popes have decreed the Sunday to be the official day of rest, in order to dissociate the Christian from the Hebrew belief. • It appears that this actually happened with the Emperor Constantin (sic), who converted to Christianity but still worshipped the Sun god and therefore moved the Christian sabbath to the day of the Sun. Nowadays, the Sunday AND the Saturday are commonly considered (and used as) days of rest, usually referred to as the "week-end". • (from "perldoc Date::Calc")
Why Sunday and not Saturday? • Worshipping on Sunday has been an early church tradition even dating back to the New Testament • All four Gospels state that the Lord rose on the first day of the week, Sunday (Mat 28:1, Mark 16:2, Luke 24:1, John 20:1 • Read Colossians 2:16-22 (also Rom 14:5-6) • Also 2 Cor 3 and all of Galatians
Why Sunday and Not Saturday? • On what day of the week did Jesus die? • What do you do on the next day, the Sabbath? • What did Jesus say right before he died? When Jesus finished his work, he entered into God’s Sabbath rest. We will one day enter into God’s rest through Jesus. We trust in the finished work of Jesus. “Our Lord died on the eve of that Jewish Sabbath, at the end of one of these typical weeks of labour by which His work and its consummation were prefigured.” (Vos, “Biblical Theology”, p. 142)
The partial kingdom (Part 1) • Chapter 4
Introduction • Long chapter • We’re still in Genesis! (What does this tell you about Genesis?) • Covering 1000 years of history, from Abraham to Solomon • Adding a fourth element to the promise of the Kingdom of God: a King
Purpose of this Chapter “The aim of this chapter is to see how God’s promise of the kingdom is partially fulfilled in the history of Israel.” (pp. 59-60)
People: Abraham • Abraham is promised a great nation through his children, of which he has none. • He has a child by Hagar, but this is not the child of the promise. • “Right at this early stage we are being taught that it will take a miracle for the gospel to be fulfilled.” (p. 62) • Abraham is asked to sacrifice Isaac. • Example of Abraham’s faithfulness to believe the promises of God • Not primarily an example of obedience
People: Jacob & Esau • God preserves his people in spite of themselves • Jacob blackmails Esau and tricks Isaac • Romans 9:10-13 explains why Jacob received the promise despite his deceit
People: Joseph • Sold into slavery by his brothers • Raised to prominence in Egypt • Saves his brothers • Genesis 50:19-20
The Character of God • “Yahweh” - YHWY - Lord - I am who I am • “If we want to know who he is, we must watch him act in history on behalf of his people.” (p. 65) • “The Bible does not just tell the story of God’s work of salvation; at the same time it reveals God’s character. ... Sometimes we miss the point by asking too quickly, ‘What is it saying to me?’ A good first question to ask...is, ‘What does this tell me about God?’...The Bible is, above all, a book about God.” (p. 65)
People: Salvation by Substitution • God is teaching both the Israelites and us what it means to be saved • Salvation is by substitution • Salvation requires the shedding of blood • Example: The Israelites were to sacrifice a lamb and put the blood over their doors.
People: Salvation is by conquest • The Israelites crossed the Red Sea with Egyptians closing in. God conquered their enemies. • God revealed himself to be more powerful than human authorities.
R&B: The Law • What was life like for Adam and Eve when they were obedient under God’s law? • What was life like after they rebelled? • What does it mean that the Israelites are now given the law and the tabernacle? • “[The Law] is not intended to be the means by which anyone gets right with God. The Israelites are already God’s people through his grace.” (p. 68)