THE KEY TO THE BIBLE, INSTRUCTOR - 3rd SESSION
GET ACQUAINTED - Describe what you enjoy doing in your spare
time.
What insights did you bring to share?
Acts 16:14, “The Lord opened her
heart [
The terms we have been
considering describe the
consequences of historical events.
We have been considering what God has
done for us. ^
In view of this, what response
is called for? v
h. Mt.18:1-4 "You will never
enter the kingdom of heaven unless you turn and become like
children" [In what way? > humility]
1
Thes.1:9
"you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true
God"
{Acts 11:21b "a great number who believed turned to
the Lord" [additional element]}
Conversion - turn (like a spy who is turned to work for the one
he formerly spied upon) Old Testament
example? Rahab; Ruth
i. Mt.4:17 "Repent for
the kingdom of heaven is at hand"
Mk.1:15 "Repent and believe in the Gospel" [second element]
{Jn.20:30-31
"These signs that Jesus did are written that you may believe that
He is the Christ, the Son of God [content], and that by believing you may have life
in His name"}
Repent - change one's mind [attitude] Old Testament example?
"Repent"
was the repeated call of the prophets to
{How does the biblical situation of our indebtedness
to God differ from that of a kidnapping?
The cause of captivity is just - offense against the
sovereign. What party sets the ransom
price? The wronged or offended party. What is the title of the one who pays the ransom?
The redeemer}
10. Where,
when, and how did God pay a ransom, forgive and justify us, accomplish
redemption, propitiation, reconciliation, and save us?
Christ
the righteous one suffered and died on the cross
Col.2:14b "this [our debt] He set aside [forgiveness], nailing it to the cross" 1 Pt.2:24 "He bore our sins in
His body on the tree" [substitution]
11. What
New Testament word encompasses the meaning of the work of Jesus Christ on our
behalf? The
Gospel of Jesus Christ
Mk.1:1 "The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son
of God"
Rom.1:16 "I am not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of
God for salvation to everyone who believes"
12. What
are the facts of the Gospel as they took place in history [historical events]? The incarnation of Jesus, perfect life (pleased His Father),
death, resurrection.
·
We
have been looking closer at what Jesus accomplished in his life, death and
resurrection. The events and
accomplishments referred to as the Gospel represent the goal toward which revelation was moving. Therefore the Gospel
of Jesus Christ is the key that unlocks all Scripture. It is in the Gospel that the glory
of God and of Christ is most clearly seen (2 Cor.4:4, 6).
[WRITE ON BOARD & discuss figurative
language] 2 Cor.4:4, 6, "The
god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the
light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ [His
divine glory is veiled], who is the image of
God." "For God who said, 'Let
light shine out of darkness, has shown in our hearts [sovereign initiative] to
give us the light of the knowledge [spiritual
life in the new creation, new birth] of the
glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ [not
fading like Moses, 3:13]."
Now, let us ask, "Why?"
The Bible speaks of actions
(what one does or doesn't do), motives
(why one does or not, what governs one's actions, moves him), attitudes (how or in what spirit one goes
about doing or not doing, see Attitude, a Bible Study http://pop.eradman.com/), and beliefs (ideas taken into
one’s heart that govern his perception).
13. What motivated
God to sacrifice Jesus for our sin? What
does God reveal about His own heart?
1 Tim.2:4 "God our Savior desires all people to be saved
and to come to the knowledge of the truth."
Tit.3:5 "He saved us according to His mercy"
Eph.2:4-5, 7-8 "God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great
love with which He loved us…that…He might show the exceeding
riches of His grace expressed in His kindness toward us in Christ
Jesus. For by grace you have been
saved through faith [means]…it [faith] is the gift [grace] of God…"
Jn.3:14-17 "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness [redemptive event], so must the Son of Man
be lifted up, that the one who believes in Him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave
[grace] His only Son, that the
one who believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His son into the world
to condemn it, but in order that through Him the world might be saved"
{Ps.136
"His mercy [love
NIV; steadfast love, ESV] endures
forever"
Rom.5:6-8 "God shows His love for us in that Christ died for us [substitution] while we were still
sinners."
1 Pt.1:3-4 "according to His great mercy, He has caused us
to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance that is imperishable,
undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you."}
Define mercy. Withholding executing the
penalty [not
satisfaction, propitiation] deserved through compassion, pity
Define grace. Doing good
and giving to the undeserving [not the righteous].
Discuss
God’s character: Ex.33:18-19; 34:5-7
[
But,
God is still angry, so Moses intercedes for the people and asks Him to forgive
their sin or blot him out of his book with along them. God answers that He will blot out the ones
who sin against Him and in the day He visits, He will visit their sin upon
them [punishment,
certain but unspecified]. The Lord shows his
continuing displeasure by sending a plague on the people.
God
tells Moses that He will send his angel to lead them to the land He promised to
Abraham and drive out its inhabitants, but that He Himself would not go up
among them, lest He destroy them (32:30-33:6). Moses again speaks to God and argues that it
is God's presence with them that distinguishes His people from all others (33:12-17). The narrative continues as
Moses'
requests to know God, that God show him His ways (33:13) and glory
(v.18). "I will make My goodness pass before you and proclaim My name 'the
Lord.' I will be gracious to whom I will
be gracious, and will show mercy to whom I will show mercy (v.19)."
[sovereignty] "the Lord God merciful [compassionate, NIV] and gracious,
longsuffering and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy [lovingkindness,
NAS; faithful love, NLT; steadfast love, ESV & NIV] 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 forth generation." Moses' response is worship (34:5-9).
God's name and reputation are at issue. God's glory
is expressed in the goodness of His heart and righteousness of
His actions.
{Ezek.18:23, 32 "Do I take pleasure in
the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign
Lord. Rather, am I not pleased
when they turn from their ways [repent] and live?" 33:11 "As I live, declares the
Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked,
but that the wicked turn from his way [repent] and live."}
14. Compare
the following New Testament assessments with regard to the relationship between
the Old Testament and Christ to what you have been taught.
He is the final word, the completion of God’s
prophetic word
Heb.1:1-2 " in times past God spoke to our forefathers many times and
in various ways by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to
us by His Son."
All prophecy to the O.T. saints have been fulfilled
to us
Acts 13:32-33 "the good news that what God promised to the fathers,
this He has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus"
The prophets promised the Gospel before Jesus came
Rom.1:1-3 " beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, God
promised the Gospel concerning His Son, who was descended from David according
to the flesh"
The promise to David was fulfilled in the
resurrection and exaltation of Christ
Acts 2:23-36 "David…being a prophet, knowing that God had sworn an
oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne… foresaw
and spoke of the resurrection of Christ…being exalted at the right hand of
God…who made Him both Lord and Christ"
The O.T. tells of salvation through faith in Jesus
Christ
2 Tim.3:15 "the sacred Scriptures able to make you wise for
salvation through faith in Jesus Christ"
The whole O.T. concerns Christ
Lk.24:25-27 "O foolish ones and slow of heart to believe all that
the prophets have spoken…beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He
explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning
Himself."
Contrast
statements about the Old Testament with statements about the New Testament in
each of the following verses and state the implications.
Heb.10:1 - O.T. "the law is
a shadow of good things to come"
N.T.
"true form of the realities" - good things have come and are not hidden
Col.2:16-17 - O.T. "food and
drink, or festival, new moon or Sabbath are shadows of
things to come" - N.T. "the substance is in Christ" - the full story has come
out
FURTHER STUDY
The Truth of the Cross by R.C. Sproul