The Story of the world (and Us) according to the Bible (3)

The Story of the World (and Us) According to the Bible (3)Restoration Begins

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Creation Disaster! Restoration Someone A New Restoration Begun Special Community Completed

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In the beginningGods plan:GodAnd God saw that everything was very good!Adam, EveLet us make human beings in our image. Let them take care of the garden for us.

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But then Adam and Eve decided not to listen to GodGod

Gods life wasnt shared with the world. Death began to squeeze the life out of us.Evil & violence spread everywhere. Adam, Eve

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Consequences of the Great RejectionThe Bible paints a picture of us leaving Gods presence where life is foundand moving toward death.

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The rhythm of death was heard: And he died, and he died, and he diedConsequences of the Great RejectionCreated to live, now we die.

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Questions about the Great Rejection:1. Can the move toward death be reversed?2. What will God do to lure us back to his side of life?

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God decides to try againGod came to Abraham and said, Leave your country and your people and go to a new land.I will make you into a great nation.The list of people ended with Abraham and his wife Sarah who could have no children. They had no life within them to pass on.

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Gods New PartnershipGodPartnership: I will be your God, you will be my people.Through you all the nations will be blessed.

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The PartnershipGods 10 Rules for the Partnership:You are to have no other gods but meYou must not make any images of meDo not try exploit me for your own use Remember the 7th dayHonor your parentsNo murderNo adulteryNo stealingNo false witnessing No desiring what others have

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The PartnershipThe people agree: Everything the Lord has said, we will do!The partnership was celebrated with the leaders of the people eating a meal in the presence of God.

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The Partnership In every partnership, success depends on each side doing its part. God had said, I will be your God, meaning that he would protect and defend his people, watch over them, and bless them.

Sometimes it didnt seem that God was doing what he said he would do.

The book of Psalms wrestles with that issueJob in the Old Testament and Jesus in the New Testament wrestle with this issue, too.

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The Partnership The people promised to live for God and to allow his life, his compassion, his truth and his justice to flow through them to one another and to all peoples.

Did they do that?

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No!

GodThey broke the partnership; they acted like all the other nations.They didnt bring Gods life to the world.

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The Partnership: broken Finally, God withdrew his support from his people and they were defeated by enemy armies. Their capital city, Jerusalem was destroyed and many of them were taken captive. The partnership seemed to be over. God sent messenger after messenger to his people, urging them to come back to him and to the partnership, but they refused.

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The Partnership: broken But what about Gods desire to bring life back to his creation and to all people? Was God giving up on his plan?Thankfully not! God decided to try once more: A new day is coming, God said. I will set up a new partnership with my people. I will put my rules in their minds and in their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people.

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A New PartnershipThis time God would send someone special to act as his partner:

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on himthe Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lordand he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

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A New PartnershipBecause the Spirit of the Lord is on him,

He will not judge things only by how they look.

He wont make decisions based simply on what people say.

He will always do what is right when he decides about those who are in need.

He will put godliness on as if it were his belt.

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A New PartnershipWith this someone special in charge,Wolves will live with lambs; leopards will lie down with goats; calves and lions will eat together and little children will lead them around.

As the oceans are full of water, so will the earth be filled with the knowledge of the Lord.

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Someone SpecialThis Someone Special that God promised to send was given many names: The MessiahThe Son of (King) David The Servant of GodThe Son of GodThe Son of ManThe name that Jesus most often chose to refer to himself was The Son of Man.

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Someone SpecialThe Son of Man title comes from the Old Testament book of Daniel.Daniel had a vision in which he saw 4 beasts. These beasts represented 4 governments or kingdoms that cruelly oppressed people.Then Daniel saw someone like a son of man. To this son of man (rather than to the beasts!) God gave authority, glory and sovereign power over all the earth. This Son of Man will rule over us forever.

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Someone SpecialSo the people waited for God to send to them that someone special. As they waited they debated how they should prepare themselves for his coming.The Pharisees said that everyone must become pure and everyone must keep all the laws of God. Jews must not associate with no-Jews. The Sadducees said that everyone must participate in the rituals, feasts, and worship of the great Temple in Jerusalem.

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Someone SpecialThe Zealots were revolutionaries and said that everyone should be prepared to fight for the Lord against their Roman occupiers.The Essenes said that everyone must leave the corrupt cities and go to the desert to form separate, pure communities.When the Someone Special came, were they ready to receive him?

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The Promised New Partnership

Anyone who believes in him will not really die, but will have eternal life. John 3:16God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son.

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