Bible: What's in it?

Introduction

What’s in it?

The Bible has been described in many ways. (Manual for life, Manual for the next life, Book of Doctrine, Love letter from God to Man, Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth, etc) Are these correct? Yes and No.

When we look at what’s in the Bible we will see all of these and more. we see an incredible flow of History through the eyes of Men and God. The Bible is a unique book in that it is a collection of writings from many different authors over a span of 1500 years. The collection has a historical flow from creation into our future. There is a consistency withing the Bible that we see a connection between all the writings into one unfolding story.

Derouchie, Jason S. “Jesus’ Bible: An Overview.” What the Old Testament Authors Really Cared about: A Survey of Jesus’ Bible. Ed. Jason S. DeRouchie. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2013. 30. Print.

all quotes in this sermon are from this book.

Facts about what’s in the Bible. (K.I.N.G.D.O.M.)

K - KICKOFF AND REBELLION

Creation, fall, and flood (ca. ? B.C.)(Genesis 2:4-11:9)

Creation

God created the World and Man in His Image.

Fall

Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the tree God commanded them not to through the influence of Satan.

Genesis 3:15 (ESV)

15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

Sin and Judgment

People continue to live in sin and the hearts of people grow in wickedness.

God sends Judgment on the earth with the Flood saving Noah and his family.

I - INSTRUMENT OF BLESSING

Patriarchs (ca. 2100–1850 B.C.)(Genesis 11:10-50:26)

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob

Genesis 12:1–3 (ESV)

1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

God called Abraham and established a covenant relationship with him and his children.

God promises to bless the world through Abraham’s descendent.

Israel in Egypt

God informs Abraham that his descendants would be in slavery, and He would deliver them. (Gen 15:13-14)

Through the life of Joseph the descendents of Abraham all moved to Egypt.

N - NATION REDEEMED AND COMMISSIONED

Exodus, Sinai, and wilderness (ca. 1450–1400 B.C.)(Exodus - Deuteronomy)

Exodus

Exodus 3:7–8 (ESV)

7 Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

God through plagues and miracles delivered the Israelites from slavery and brought the to Mount Sinai.

Mount Sinai

God establishes a Covenant relationship with the Israelite people with a Law, Tabernacle, and rules for worship.

Wilderness

Israelites wander in the wilderness for 40 years before entering into the Promised land.

G - GOVERNMENT IN THE PROMISED LAND

Conquest and kingdoms (united and divided) (ca. 1400–600 B.C.)(Judges - Kings)

Conquest

Under the leadership of Joshua, God lead the Israelites to conquer the promised land.

After the conquest, The land was divided up for the 12 tribes of Israel.

United Kingdom

Under the Kings of Saul, David, and Solomon

Jerusalem became the central city where the Temple was built.

God promises to David that he would have a king on the thrown forever.

Divided Kingdom

After a civil war the nation of Israel split into 2 nations. Israel, Northern 10 tribes. Judea, Southern 2 tribes.

Israel had no kings that honored God, Judea has some good and some bad kings.

The Nation of Israel was living in defiance and worshiping other gods. God continued to send Prophets to call the people to repent and return to Him.

“In all, one principle governed God’s actions during the united and divided kingdoms: “Those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed” (1 Sam. 2:30). Whether dealing with barren woman or priest, prophet or king, shepherd or warrior, Israelite or foreigner, God acted for his glory (Josh. 24:14; 1 Sam. 2:1–10; 6:5–6, 19–20; 12:20–22; 15:22–23; 17:46; 1 Kings 8:43; 18:36–39; 2 Kings 19:19, 34).” (Derouchie, Jason S. “Jesus’ Bible: An Overview.” What the Old Testament Authors Really Cared about: A Survey of Jesus’ Bible. Ed. Jason S. DeRouchie. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2013. 37. Print.)

D - DISPERSION AND RETURN

Exile and initial restoration (ca. 600–400 B.C.)(Daniel - Chronicles)

Israel - Assyrians 722 BC

Judea - Babylon 586 BC

Return - 538 BC

“Yahweh cast Israel from the Promised Land because of their failure to live for him (2 Kings 17:7; 2 Chron. 36:16), but he also promised that, in the latter days, “the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed” and that “one like a son of man” would receive “dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him” (Dan 2:44; 7:13–14).” (Derouchie, Jason S. “Jesus’ Bible: An Overview.” What the Old Testament Authors Really Cared about: A Survey of Jesus’ Bible. Ed. Jason S. DeRouchie. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2013. 37. Print.)

God is sending the punishment of the Exile, but also sending messages of his restoration.

O - OVERLAP OF THE AGES

Christ’s work and the church age (ca. 4 B.C.–A.D. ?)(Matthew - Jude)

“But when the fullness of time had come” (Gal. 4:4)

God sent His Son to be the deliverer of Israel and the Whole World, fulfill the Law, and Provide salvation to all who would come to Him.

“One of the mysterious parts of God’s kingdom program was the way Jesus’ first coming was as suffering servant, and only in his second coming would he show himself fully as conquering king. In his initial appearing, he proclaimed “the year of the LORD’s favor,” and only later would he bring “the day of vengeance of our God” (Isa. 61:2; cf. Luke 4:19).” (Derouchie, Jason S. “Jesus’ Bible: An Overview.” What the Old Testament Authors Really Cared about: A Survey of Jesus’ Bible. Ed. Jason S. DeRouchie. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2013. 38. Print.)

Hebrews 9:28 (ESV)

28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Already, Not yet.

“Today we rest in an overlap of the ages, with Christ having delivered us from “the present evil age” (Gal. 1:4) yet only in a way that lets us taste “the powers of the age to come” (Heb. 6:5).” (Derouchie, Jason S. “Jesus’ Bible: An Overview.” What the Old Testament Authors Really Cared about: A Survey of Jesus’ Bible. Ed. Jason S. DeRouchie. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2013. 38–39. Print.)

M - MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

Christ’s return and kingdom consummation (ca. A.D. ?–eternity)(Revelation)

Final Judgment

There is a day when God will bring final judgment for the sins of men.

2 Peter 3:7 (ESV)

7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

Consummate the eternal Kingdom

“In this day, those ransomed “from every tribe and language and people and nation” will celebrate eternally in the presence of God, declaring, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Rev. 5:9; 7:10). Here all rest will be realized, pleasures perfected, the curse conquered, and Jesus exalted and treasured forevermore (21:3–4; 22:3–4).” (Derouchie, Jason S. “Jesus’ Bible: An Overview.” What the Old Testament Authors Really Cared about: A Survey of Jesus’ Bible. Ed. Jason S. DeRouchie. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2013. 40. Print.)

Heart about what’s in the Bible. (Redemption)

God’s Nature

Holy, Righteous, and Just. Loving, Merciful, and Gracious.

Exodus 34:6–7 (ESV)

6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

Humanity

Created in the Image of God, Given freewill to chose to obey or defy God. We choose to defy and go our own way.

Freewill

Choice to love or hate, obey or defy.

Choice to love or leave in any relationship.

Isaiah 53:6 (ESV)

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

God offers salvation.

Judgment comes because of our sin.

If we remain in our sin we will be judged for our sin.

We cannot save ourselves from that judgment.

God will save.

God is willing to pay the penalty for our sins.

John 10:14–18 (ESV)

14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

We receive that forgiveness through Faith in God

John 3:16 (ESV)

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

God is patient with mankind.

God was patient with the Israelites by sending the prophets and waiting before the exile.

Romans 3:23–26 (ESV)

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

God is patient with the world today.

2 Peter 3:9 (ESV)

9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Eternity based upon our choice.

In Christ - with God

Apart from Christ - Separated from God

Takeaways

“Stated succinctly, the message of the Christian Scriptures can be synthesized as God’s kingdom through covenant for his glory in Christ. Or, put another way, the Bible’s call is for Jew and Gentile alike to magnify God as the supreme Savior, Sovereign, and Satisfier of the world through Messiah Jesus. The Old Testament provides the foundation for this message; the New Testament supplies the fulfillment.” (Derouchie, Jason S. “Jesus’ Bible: An Overview.” What the Old Testament Authors Really Cared about: A Survey of Jesus’ Bible. Ed. Jason S. DeRouchie. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2013. 51. Print.)

The Bible is an incredible book of God’s revelation and interaction with men throughout history to accomplish His will of redemption through His Son Jesus Christ.