Scripture Snapshots:
What Does All This Mean For Me?
Series 1 Lesson 10
This lesson series began with a REALITY CHECK that asked you to consider how you make your choices in life. You and I make our choices based on what we believe in our hearts. Those beliefs vary from person to person. And the reality is that each choice builds on the next one to make up our lives.
So, from the time that you are born until the time you die, life is a series of choices. Make good choices, live well. Make poor choices, suffer the consequences. Look around and you’ll see people who have made good choices and bad ones. That’s reality.
Another reality is that the Bible tells you and me the right way to live our lives. God, our Creator, knows what’s best for us and He has given the Bible to show us the right way. The Bible gives instructions to follow … examples to learn from … promises to believe. The Bible gives you and me the answers to all of life’s uncertainties!
You and I can trust the Bible to have all the right answers because it is God’s Word. The Bible claims to be God’s Word more than 2500 times. Jesus also clearly taught that the Bible was God’s Word. Down through history, many people have tried to destroy the Bible, but they could not. God has preserved it for you and me. The Bible gives us many accurate details about history, science, human relationships, and future events. But the most important thing the Bible tells us about is God’s plan for saving mankind by salvation through His one and only Son Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6).
The Bible clearly shows us this plan as we read through the Bible and see how He worked in the lives of people. Let’s do a quick review of the “Bird’s Eye View”:
CREATION – In 6 days, God created the world and everything in it. He created with order and intelligence. He made the first man and woman. God called His Creation “very good”.
CLEANSING – The very first people chose to disobey God and sin entered the world. The perfect relationship that people had with God was now broken. Over generations many people were born … all were born sinners. The world became very wicked. God cleansed the world with a worldwide Flood. He provided a way of escape through Noah and the Ark. Only 8 people chose to enter the Ark to be saved.
CONFUSION – After the Flood, God told the people to spread out across the earth to raise their families. They did not. So, at the Tower of Babel, God turned their one language into many languages. After this confusion, the people finally moved out to settle the whole earth. The population grew large.
CALL – God personally called Abraham to obey and follow Him. God promised to make Abraham’s family into a large nation, and He did … they became the Jewish people. God promised that someday they would have a land of their own and they do … Israel. God also promised Abraham that the Savior of the world would come from his family line, and He did … Jesus the Messiah was born just as promised.
COMMANDMENTS – God gave the Jewish people laws to live by. The most famous of these laws are the 10 Commandments. Today these laws are still good for us. When followed, they help us to live in peace and order. But no one can earn their way to Heaven … that is why God promised us a way of Salvation through Jesus the Son of God.
CONQUEST – The Jewish people grew to large numbers just as God promised. They had good times and bad. An enemy (the Egyptians) became afraid of the Jews and made them slaves for over 400 years. God provided a way of escape through Moses. Moses led the people toward the Promised Land. But the Jewish people didn’t trust God so He told them they had to wander in the Wilderness for 40 years before they would be allowed to enter the Promised Land. Once they finally got there, God helped the Jews conquer their enemies and successfully settle their rightful Land.
COMPROMISE (Judges, Ruth)
The Jewish people had no king, and everyone did pretty much what they wanted to do (Judges 17:6 & 21:25). They forgot about God and began to worship idols (false gods). They lived just like the ungodly people who were living around them. Even today you and I can be badly affected by the people around us. The Bible says that we shouldn’t be fooled … bad companions ruin good character (I Corinthians 15:33). We need to make sure that we follow God with our choices and behavior.
CROWNS (I & II Samuel, I & II Kings, I & II Chronicles, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes)
The Jews also looked around them and saw that the surrounding nations all had a human king to rule them. Even though God was their King and He always did what was best for them, the people demanded that God give them a human king too. God gave them what they demanded. Over time, the nation had some good kings that led them to worship God. They also had many bad kings who led them to worship idols and sin against God.
CORRUPTION – Many years of following bad kings corrupted their belief system and their entire way of life. They lived sinful lives without regard for God. People and times were very bad.
CAPTIVITY (Isaiah through Malachi, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther)
God still loved His people, and He couldn’t let them get away with following false gods and living sinfully. God warned them many times, but they did not obey and turn back to God. So, God sent enemy kings and armies to defeat them and take them away as captives. For many years they were slaves in a foreign land.
We can learn from their example … follow God and live a good life for Him or … don’t follow God and live a life of trouble & heartbreak. You have to choose one way or the other.
Now this brings us to the end of the Old Testament.. God was silent for the 400 years between the Old and New Testaments. He did not speak with the people in any way… and nothing is written. BUT finally, the silence was broken! BIG things were happening …
CHRIST (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)
Jesus was born in Bethlehem, just as the Old Testament prophet Micah had predicted about 700 years earlier. He did many miracles and taught God’s truth.
When Jesus was 33 years old, Jewish leaders had Him killed on the cross. This was all according to God’s plan to save us. Jesus, as God’s Son, was perfect yet He took the punishment for all of the sins of the world by dying on the cross. This was foretold in Genesis 3:15 and predicted throughout the Old Testament. In fact, there were over 300 prophecies about Jesus. Jesus told His disciples that this terrible, yet wonderful thing would happen in Matthew 20:17-19.
CHURCH (Acts & the Epistles)
Jesus did not stay dead, but He came back to life again on the third day. He then stayed on Earth for 40 days and was seen by hundreds of people. This was to show His followers that He was truly alive (I Corinthians 15:3-8). He is still alive today! He is still at work in our lives! And all those who receive Jesus as their Savior also have the Holy Spirit living in them and they are part of God’s Church.
COMING AGAIN (Revelation)
One day Jesus will come back for His Church. He wants those who love and follow Him to be with Him in Heaven. God’s desire for a relationship with people goes all the way back to Creation and the Garden of Eden. God created us to fellowship with Him and to enjoy His presence. The reason Jesus hasn’t come back already is that He wants to give unbelievers as much time as possible to believe, repent, and turn to the truth. (2 Peter 3:9).
… God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. I John 4:9b
…the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. I John 4:14b
Jesus said, I have come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10
Again, ALL these things were written in the Bible to show us
God’s plan to send His only Son Jesus to be the Savior of the world …
that means your Savior.
Do you have a personal relationship with God because you’ve asked Jesus to be your Savior? Are you living for HIM?