Introduction to the Bible – Week 4
Looking back on last week
New Testament
27 books:
history (the Gospels and Acts)
epistles (letters) (Romans – Jude)
prophecy (Revelation)
Overview of the Life of Jesus
Eternal Preexistence (John 1:1-3, 14)
Miraculous Birth (Matt. 1 & 2; Luke 1 & 2)
Baptism and Temptation (Mark 1)
Public Ministry
Preaches a Revolutionary Gospel
Calls Disciples
“Signs & Wonders”
Violates Religious Traditions
Associates with Outcasts
Trains His Disciples “On the Go”
His Final Week
Weeps Over the City
Confronts and Warns the Religious Establishment
Washes the Disciples’ Feet, eats the Last Supper, & Encourages His Disciples
Garden of Gethsemane
Betrayal
Arrest
Denial
“Trials”
Scourging & Crucifixion
“Father forgive them”
“My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?
“It is Finished”
“Into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit”
Temple Veil Torn
Burial, Sorrow & Doubt of the Disciples
Resurrection
Commissions the Disciples
The Gospels
Bible books:
Timeline:
What is a gospel?
“Gospel” means __________________.
Why are the Gospels important?
Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promises to _____________and _________ (Matt. 1:1).
Jesus is the ____________________ of the Bible (John 5:39; Luke 24:44).
Jesus explains ____________________________.
John 1:14
John 14:9 Jesus replied, “Philip, don’t you even yet know who I am, even after all the time I have been with you? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!
“There has been a tendency for Christians to invite others into sacred space—sometimes seeker friendly sacred space. The incarnation was remarkable precisely because God in Christ invaded secular space.” Robinson and Smith, Invading Secular Space, 12
When you read the gospels try to ask these two questions:
What does this passage tell you about the character of God?
What does this passage show you about God’s love for people?
Understanding the Gospels
Become familiar with the ___________, ___________, and ___________ of each gospel.
See the handout titled: Overview of the Four Gospels.
The theme of Luke’s Gospel: ________________
See Luke 19:10
See Luke 5:29, 30
Learn about Jesus’ ______________.
See the handout titled: The Gospels: Jesus’ Supporting Cast.
See Craig L. Blomberg, Jesus and the Gospels (Nashville: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 1997) pp. 5-71.
Parables
Definition:
Parables almost always make a single point and are designed to illicit a response.
Jesus’ parables are __________________.
He reverses expectations about wealthy, powerful, & religious people.
He actively pursues those “outside the margins.”
He calls us to “lose our self to find it.”
Jesus’ parables undermine, challenge, threaten, weaken, & destabilize our personal agenda
An example of a revolutionary parable:
“Jesus told this story to some who had great self-confidence and scorned everyone else: ‘Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a dishonest tax collector. The proud Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: “I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else, especially like that tax collector over there! For I never cheat, I don’t sin, I don’t commit adultery, I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.” But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, “O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.” I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For the proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored.’” – Luke 18:9-14
Another revolutionary parable: Luke 15
15:1, 2
Who is the parable addressed to?
What attitude is Jesus speaking to?
15:3-10
What is the emphasis?
15:11-32
Learn what you can about the historical and cultural setting of your passage.
Don’t assume your associations are the same as the original listeners!
Don’t lose the main point by trying to attach significance to every detail.
What part of the parable would have shocked this audience?
Does Jesus explain the point of the parable at the end?
Applying the main point
Understand Jesus’ teaching on the Kingdom of God.
“Jesus traveled throughout Galilee teaching in the synagogues, preaching everywhere the Good News about the Kingdom” – Matthew 4:23
The Jews’ view of the kingdom of God:
Jesus and the “Kingdom at hand”:
“And after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 15 and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” – Mark 1:14,15
The kingdom parables: contrasting “the kingdom at hand” with “the kingdom in its fullness”
Matthew 13:24-30
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The Kingdom at hand |
The Kingdom in its fullness |
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Why didn’t the disciples “get it?”
“He said to them, ‘The Son of Man is going to be betrayed. He will be killed, but three days later he will rise from the dead.’ But they didn’t understand what he was saying, and they were afraid to ask him what he meant.” – Mark 9:31,32
Between the Kingdoms: The “Church Age”
Matt. 24:14
The fundamental application of the kingdom of God is to:
Matt. 6:10, 33
Acts
Timeline: 33 – 60 A.D.
Key events:
Acts provides an account of how Jesus guided the growth of the early church through the Holy Spirit.
See 1:8
Jesus ascends to heaven.
Birth of the church at the day of Pentecost.
Rapid growth of the early church.
Counter-attack by God’s enemy: persecution, hypocrisy, division.
Gospel spreads to the Samaritans and Gentiles.
Paul’s conversion.
Paul’s missionary journeys.
Paul’s imprisonment and journey to Rome.
Assignment: Continue following the reading plan in the Bible Reading Assignment.