Session 2- “God’s Word: What It Is and Why It Matters”Pt 1 ?

“Alright guys, welcome back! Last time we talked about the Gospel — the good news that Jesus died and rose again so that we can be forgiven, rescued, and given eternal life.

Quick review: What is the Gospel? (Good news!

Why is it good news? (Jesus dying and rising to rescue us from sin.)

Now, if that’s true, how do we actually grow in that new life? How do we know who God is, what He wants, and how He helps us in everyday life?

The Bible is the #1 way God speaks to us today. He does not speak to us through an audible voice, or maybe it is better to say that it is very rare forn God to speak audibly to people..

But God primarily speaks to us through the Bible. But here’s the thing: the Bible isn’t just one book — it’s a whole library of 66 books written over 1,500 years by about 40 different authors.

Yet together it tells one story — God’s story of rescuing His people through Jesus.” Every verse, every book, points to Jesus.

Hook / Illustration

“Question for you: Have you ever gotten a text from someone really important — maybe a best friend, a parent, or even a crush? What do you do?

You don’t just ignore it. You open it right away, and sometimes you read it over and over.

The Bible is like God’s message to us. It’s not just old words on a page. It’s His voice, His heart, His truth — written so we can know Him and live anchored in Him.”

Transition to Hook #2

“But here’s something that makes the Bible even cooler or i guess different — it’s not all written in the same way. Think about it: when you read a text message, a comic book, and a history textbook, you don’t read them the same way. You read each one differently because each one has a purpose.

Scripture Reading

(Have a few youth read these aloud):

2 Timothy 3:16–17 NASB 2020

All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work.

Psalm 119:105 NASB 2020

Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

Hebrews 4:12 NASB 2020

For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Ask: “What stands out to you in these verses?”

What stands out in these verses?

2 Timothy 3:16–17 → The Bible isn’t just human words. It’s God-breathed. That means when you open it, you’re actually hearing God’s voice. And it’s not just for “church stuff” — it equips us for every good work in life.

Psalm 119:105 → God’s Word is like a flashlight in the dark. Life can feel confusing or scary, but the Bible shows us the path, step by step.

Hebrews 4:12 → The Bible is alive. It’s not dusty, dead words — it cuts right into our hearts, shows us where we’re wrong, and helps us live differently.

Summary for youth:

The Bible is from God (not just people).

The Bible is our guide (light on our path).

The Bible is alive and powerful (it changes us on the inside).

“The Bible is God’s living Word, breathed out by Him to guide our steps, shine light in the dark, and change our hearts so we can live for Him.”

The Bible is however made bup of different kinds of literature. But all of it is God’s Word, and all of it points to Jesus.”

And so today i want to really look at what is really inside this book, and so we are going to do a massive overview of thye whole bible.

1. What the Bible is (God-breathed, one story pointing to Jesus).

A. One Book, Two Testaments

The Bible has two main parts:

Old Testament — before Jesus’ birth (39 books).

New Testament — after Jesus’ birth (27 books).

Written in three diffeenrt languages, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek

Roughly 40 authors contributed to the 66 books of the Bible.

These authors came from diverse backgrounds—shepherds, kings, prophets, fishermen, doctors, tax collectors, and more.

2. How it’s structured (OT/NT, categories, genres).

The Law / Torah (Genesis–Deuteronomy)

“These are the first 5 books of the Bible, written by Moses. They talk about the very beginning of everything.

Genesis tells how God created the world, Ad Exodus is about Moses leading God’s people out of slavery in Egypt and receiving the Ten Commandments.

Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy explain God’s rules for His people, and how they were supposed to live differently from the nations around them.

God shows us who He is here — powerful, holy, and loving — and He sets apart His special people, Israel.”

Illustration: “These books are like the ‘origin story’ in a superhero movie. Every superhero movie tells how the hero came to be, what shaped them, and why they matter. Genesis through Deuteronomy are God’s ‘origin story’ for His people.”

History (Joshua–Esther)

“After the Law comes the history section. These books tell the story of Israel becoming a nation.

Joshua leads God’s people into the Promised Land.

Judges shows leaders rising and falling — some obey God, many don’t.

1 & 2 Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles tell about kings like Saul, David, and Solomon, and then many others (some good, most bad).

Eventually the people stop listening to God, and enemies take them into exile. But later, God brings them back (Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther).

This whole section shows how faithful God is, even when His people fail Him again and again.”

Illustration: “Think of this as the ‘timeline’ — like a long season of a TV show with lots of drama, battles, and plot twists. You meet heroes like David, but also villains like Ahab and Jezebel.”

Poetry & Wisdom (Job–Song of Songs)

“These books are different — they’re not straight history, they’re songs, prayers, and wise sayings.

Psalms is basically Israel’s playlist — songs for every mood: joy, fear, sadness, praise.

Proverbs is like a giant collection of wise one-liners about life.

Ecclesiastes is a rather sad book, and it wrestles with the meaning of life.

Song of Songs is a love poem about marriage and romance. Would reccomend you guys doent read that one until you are married.

Job tells the story of a man who suffered deeply but learned to trust God anyway.

These weren’t written in order like history. They happened during the history timeline — for example, David wrote many Psalms while he was king.”

Illustration: “Think of these as Israel’s ‘Spotify playlist’ and their ‘quote book.’ If you’ve ever had a favorite song or quote that gets you through a tough time — that’s what these books were for God’s people.”

Major Prophets (Isaiah–Daniel)

“The prophets were God’s messengers. When Israel started ignoring God and sinning, God sent prophets to warn them, encourage them, and point them to Jesus who was coming.

Isaiah is full of prophecies about the Messiah — Isaiah 53 even describes Jesus’ suffering 700 years before He was born.

Jeremiah told people to repent, and he also wrote Lamentations when he saw Jerusalem destroyed.

Ezekiel and Daniel spoke God’s messages while Israel was in exile.

They weren’t popular — prophets usually got ignored, laughed at, or even killed. But they faithfully spoke what God said.”

Illustration: “Prophets are like God’s megaphone. Imagine God saying, ‘You’re not listening to Me — so I’m going to make it louder.’ That’s what prophets did.”

Minor Prophets (Hosea–Malachi)

“These are shorter prophetic books, but don’t let the word ‘minor’ fool you — their messages were powerful.

Hosea’s life was a living picture of God’s love for unfaithful Israel.

Jonah ran from God and ended up in a fish.

Micah and Zechariah pointed to the coming Messiah.

Malachi was the last prophet before 400 years of silence.

These prophets kept saying the same thing: ‘Turn back to God.’”

Illustration: “Think of these like short but powerful text notifications from God. They may be short, but they grab your attention.”

After Malachi, there were 400 years of silence. No prophets, no new words from God. People waited. And then — finally — Jesus came.

3. Categories of the New Testament

Gospels (Matthew–John)

“The Gospels are four biographies of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. They’re the heart of the Bible.

Matthew and John were Jesus’ disciples — they saw it all.

Mark traveled with Paul and Peter — his Gospel is fast-paced.

Luke was a doctor and historian — The most detailed and careful account of Jesus life.

Each Gospel is like a different angle on the same event. Together, they help us really see who Jesus is.”

Illustration: “Think of it like watching a basketball game from four different camera angles. You’re seeing the same thing, but each angle gives you new details.”

History (Acts)

“Acts is the history of how the church began. It was written by Luke, as the sequel to his Gospel. If your read ther book of Luke, the book of Acts is basically a continuation of that Book.

Lots of people think the main character of the book of Acts is Peter (in chapters 1–12) or Paul (in chapters 13–28). And it’s true, the book focuses heavily on them.

Howvere the real main character of Acts is the Holy Spirit.

It’s the story of how the good news of Jesus spread from a small group in Jerusalem to the whole world throiugh the power of the Holy Spirit.

Illustration: “Think ‘Season 2’ of the Gospel story — Jesus rises, and now His followers carry His mission everywhere.”

Paul’s Letters (Romans–Philemon)

“These are letters written by Paul to churches and people.

Here’s the crazy thing… Paul didn’t start out as a Christian. His name used to be Saul, and he hated Christians. He arrested them and tried to destroy the church. But then Jesus appeared to him, and everything changed.

After that, Paul spent his life traveling and planting churches. His letters explain what the Gospel means for real life — forgiveness, unity, holiness, love.

He wrote to places like Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi, Colossae, and Thessalonica — which is where those books get their names.” (Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philipians, Collossians, and thessalonians)

General Letters (Hebrews–Jude)

“These are letters written by other leaders.

Hebrews (author unknown, but one of the most hard to read books in the whole Bible. It is all about Jesus as our great High Priest).

James (Jesus’ half-brother, very practical: ‘faith without works is dead’).

Peter’s letters (encouraging believers who were suffering).

John’s letters (reminding us God is love and to walk in the truth).

Jude (another half-brother of Jesus, warning against false teachers).

These letters remind Christians to stand firm, love God, and keep the faith.”

Illustration: “Think of these as messages from the ‘other pastors’ of the early church — leaders writing to encourage and guide.”

Revelation

“Revelation is the last book. It’s a vision God gave to John while he was exiled on an island.

It’s full of images and symbols, but the main message is clear: Jesus wins. He’s coming back as King to judge the world and make all things new.

This book gives us hope — no matter how crazy or hard life gets, God is still in control.”

Illustration: “It’s like the final episode that shows how the whole story ends. And spoiler alert: Jesus wins.”

How to think about reading it (different genres, not in strict order).

“So now we’ve seen how the Bible is divided into categories — Law, History, Poetry, Prophets in the Old Testament, and then Gospels, History, Letters, and Revelation in the New Testament.

But here’s something really important to understand: the Bible isn’t just divided by categories — it’s also written in different styles.we

Think about Netflix or YouTube — there are different genres: comedy, documentaries, dramas, action movies. You don’t watch them the same way. The Bible is like that too. Some parts are stories, some are songs, some are wise sayings, some are prophecy, and some are letters. Knowing what kind of writing you’re reading helps it make way more sense.

And another thing: the Bible isn’t laid out in exact order like a timeline from start to finish. It’s grouped by type of writing, not by when it happened.

For example, Job is one of the oldest stories in the Bible, but it shows up way later in the ‘Poetry’ section. Or think about the prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Hosea — they actually lived during the time of Israel’s kings (1 & 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles), but their books are grouped together later in the ‘Prophets’ section.

So as we read, we need to remember: the Bible is more like a library shelf organized by genre, not a straight history book. If you know the type of writing and where it fits, you won’t get lost.”

knowing what kind you’re reading helps you understand it better.”

1. Law

Example: Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy.

Instructions for God’s people — how to live holy and different.

Illustration: Like the rules of a sports game. They show what’s allowed and what isn’t so everyone can play well.

2. Narratives (Stories)

Example: Genesis, Exodus, Joshua, Acts.

These tell stories with characters, settings, and events.

They show how God works in real people’s lives.

Illustration: Narratives are like your favorite movie or TV series — real people, real struggles, big lessons.

3. Poetry & Songs

Example: Psalms, Song of Songs.

Uses metaphors, word pictures, and emotions.

Illustration: These are like music playlists. Songs that express joy, sadness, anger, or trust.

4. Wisdom Literature

Example: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Job.

Short sayings, reflections on life, tough questions about suffering.

Illustration: Like inspirational quotes or advice from a wise grandparent.

5. Prophecy

Example: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Malachi.

God’s messengers speaking His words — sometimes warning, sometimes comforting, often pointing to the future and to Jesus.

Illustration: Prophets are like God’s news reporters — telling people what’s really happening and what’s coming.

6. Letters (Epistles)

Example: Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians.

Written to churches and individuals, teaching how to follow Jesus.

Illustration: Think of these as text messages or emails from church leaders encouraging believers.

7. Apocalyptic / Visions

Example: Daniel, Revelation.

Filled with symbols, visions, and pictures of God’s victory.

Illustration: Like watching a movie trailer for the end of the world — dramatic, sometimes strange, but always showing that God wins.

The Bible Is Not in Order Like a Timeline

“One mistake people make is thinking the Bible is written from start to finish in order — like a history book. While lots of the bible is..It’s not. It’s grouped by categories of writing, not by strict time.

For example, Job is one of the oldest stories in the Bible — it may have happened around the time of Genesis. But in your Bible, it’s way later, in the ‘Poetry’ section.

The Prophets (like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea) actually lived during the time of the kings — you’ll find them in the ‘Prophets’ section, but they overlap with the stories in 1 & 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles.

So when you read the prophets, picture them stepping into the story of Israel’s kings and saying, ‘Hey! You’ve forgotten God — turn back before it’s too late!’

Summary: The Bible is more like a library shelf organized by genre than a straight timeline. If you know what section you’re in, you won’t get lost.”

And so why do you think it is important to know the differnt types of writinh in the Bible,

Well because each type of book reads differnt, next week we will talk more about how to read the Bible.

But are there any questions about today?

Did you guys write in your papers? remeber Marketplace will be open book, so basically im giving you free answers to get lots of belinda bucks? Do you want to go throuhg the sheets together?

Go through the sheets

Pray