WELCOME

Adult II Couples Class

IMMANUEL BAPTIST CHURCH

www.discoverjoy.com

QUESTION OF THE DAY

What did your

spouse give you

for Christmas last year?

Physical Spiritual Practical Church Misc

Class Announcements

Church Announcements• Benevolence Fund

• Monthly Fellowships• December (17th at

Woffords)• January• February

• Dinner Out Friday (30 Dec?)

• 5th Sunday Breakfast (29 Jan)

• Quarterly Service Project (17 Dec)• Chemo treatment center

• R.E.A.P. – “R” team (next Sunday)• Choir Rehearsal (tonight)• E-Sunday (today)• Christmas Pgm Dress Rehearsal

(10 Dec)• Youth Christmas Party (10 Dec/6-

10pm)• Special Guests-Putnam Family (11

Dec)• Blood Pressure Checks (11 Dec)• Christmas Program (11 Dec)• Christmas Dinner (14 Dec)• Business Meeting (14 Dec)• Christmas Dinner (14 Dec)• Ladies Cookie Exchange (16 Dec)• Happy Birthday Jesus Party (17

Dec)• Christmas Caroling (21 Dec)• AM Worship Service Only (25 Dec)

QUESTION OF THE DAY

What did your

spouse give you

for Christmas last year?

His Story and Israel-Deuteronomy-

IntroductionSo, what’s the big deal with Chronological Bible teaching?

Churches (including this one) are full of well meaning, God fearing, Jesus professing members who cannot provide a viable and cohesive narrative of God’s design for humanity as revealed in His Word, the Bible. The church has lost her storyline. The story is still there, but it is taught in bits and pieces making it hard for Christians form a cohesive and practical Biblical worldview.

IntroductionWhat is a worldview?

• Our worldview forms the framework from which we interpret reality and make sense of life and the world.

The Barna Research Group recently conducted a poll to assess the prevalence of the Biblical worldview among born-again, Bible believing Christians.

They asked the following questions:• Do absolute moral truths exist?• Is absolute truth defined by the Bible?• Did Jesus Christ live a sinless life?• Is God the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe, and does He still

rule it today?• Is salvation a gift from God that cannot be earned?• Is Satan real?• Is a Christian responsible for sharing his or her faith in Christ with other people?• Is the Bible accurate in all of its teachings?

IntroductionOnly nine percent of born again believers answered all of these question “yes”. Could one of the reasons for such a poor showing be the way churches and families teach the Bible? Instead of presenting the Bible as God’s story of creation and His interaction with people throughout history, we teach individual concepts and doctrines as fragments, without tying together the overall plot. The Chronolog-ical Bible teaching plan seeks to tie the entire story of the Bible together with a flow that is easier to comprehend, recall and apply to daily life.

Examine the role of Bible literacy in Israel’s history and discover the

parallels between Bible literacy and the spiritual vitality of His

people.

Objective

• Bible Literacy Provides Divine Protection

• Bible Literacy must be Actively Promoted

• Bible Literacy must be Passed On

God ensures that His Story is preserved by commanding Moses to record the storyline of humanity, the

promises of redemption, and the instructions that pertain to following

generations.Understanding what God as done in

the past prepares God’s people to live purposefully and hopefully in the

present.

Contextdeuteronomy 28, 31 & 32

The Biblical narrative begins with God creating the universe and calling it good. He gives man instructions, which he fails to follow resulting in sin and separation from God. He promises a redeemer through the seed of the woman and institutes the sacrifice as a picture of that coming redemption. He speaks to Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. Then He speaks to Moses regarding His people and gives him the responsibility of recording God’s redemptive mission thus far so that future generations may benefit.

BIBLE LITERACY MAINTAINS DIVINE PROTECTIONDeuteronomy 28 : 58 - 66

BIBLE LITERACY MAINTAINS DIVINE PROTECTIONMoses concludes the “Blessing and

Cursing” pronouncement by elevating Bible literacy

• A command to “carefully” follow God’s word• Leads the reader to “revere” the LORD

Emphasized the Real Consequences for the Nation that Fails to do so

• Generation-spanning plagues, disasters and illnesses(59)

• The diseases of Egypt(60)• Afflictions not even known at the time of writing(61)• Decimation(62)• Displacement(63)• Dilution(64)• Distress and anxiety(65)• Dread(66)

BIBLE LITERACY MAINTAINS DIVINE PROTECTION

God’s Warnings Teach the Following Truths

• People are prone to forget what God has said or done for previous generations

• God leaves nothing to chance or relative interpretation

– He provides a written account of for present generations

• He expects the current generation to live by that account and pass it on

• How can God’s people get to know God’s story?– Examining it for themselves– Memorization– Sharing it– Teaching it– Living it– Being taught– Fellowship with other believers

DISCUSSION

God speaks through the written record of His

Story

BIBLE LITERACY MUST BE ACTIVELY PROMOTEDDeuteronomy 31 : 9 - 13

BIBLE LITERACY MUST BE ACTIVELY PROMOTEDMoses Presents the Completed Copy of the

Law(9)• He gave it to the sons of Levi and the elders

– Religious AND tribal (political) leaders

• Commissioned them to regularly teach the people

– The Levitical priesthood would be responsible for promoting Biblical literacy

– The effort was to be ongoing and center around the regular observance of the Feast of Tabernacles (booths)

– The Law was to be read before all the people of Israel• Men• Women• Children (to be raised to revere the LORD)• Foreigners

BIBLE LITERACY MUST BE ACTIVELY PROMOTEDGod’s Command Teaches

the Following Truths• The priesthood had a special

responsibility to teach His Story to Israel

• Faith in and fear of God comes by hearing God’s Story

• Every generation must be taught His Story

• Hearing His Story read aloud crates opportunities for conversation, teaching and discipleship

• What other stories in contemporary culture compete with God’s story?

DISCUSSION

God acts by preserving His Story in written form

BIBLE LITERACY MUST BE PASSED ON

Deuteronomy 32 : 44 - 47

BIBLE LITERACY MUST BE PASSED ONMoses Passed the Baton of Bible Literacy

• Moses recited the song of Israel’s history with the LORD• He passes on the responsibility of Bible literacy on the

Joshua

Moses Linked Bible Literacy with the Life of Israel(46,47)

• Bible literacy and obedience are essential for the spiritual vitality of God’s people

– It must be passed on to successive generations– It is important for defining their way of life as a holy people

• Bible literacy would bring definite benefits to their children

– Enable successive generations would continue to occupy the Promised Land

– Enable stability which breeds prosperity and peace

• How can God’s people go about passing His Story on to the next generation?

• What might the enemy do to rob God’s people of their Story?

DISCUSSION

God reveals the importance of Bible literacy and its link to the spiritual and practical vitality of

His people.

ApplicationWhat does this lesson teaches us about

God, man, sin and redemption:• Without Bible literacy people cannot understand

who God is, what is wrong in this world, or appreciate what God has done to redeem mankind.

• Every generation and every people must hear His Story.• Bible Literacy Provides Divine

Protection• Bible Literacy must be Actively

Promoted• Bible Literacy must be Passed

On

NEXT WEEK!Acts 13

Romans 92 Timothy 3

HIS STORY AND THE CHURCH