The Historical Jesus

Christ: God. Creator. Man. Prophet. Savior. King.

“If Jesus is the answer, what is the ques-tion?”

— Anonymous graffiti artists

“How you begin a story and how you end a story determines the story you are telling.”

-ROB BELL

Where does the Bible begin and where does it end?

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Genesis 1-2Creation

Genesis 12-1 Kings 11

The mission of Abraham and his children

Genesis 3The Fall

1 Kings 11-Malachi

The failure and judgement of

Israel

Genesis 4-6

Moral Entropy

Matthew-John

The foundation of a new Israel

Genesis 7-9

Judgement

Acts-Revelation 19

The mission of the new Israel

The Bible from a 30,000 foot

view

Genesis 10-11

Further Rebellion

Revelation 20-Eternity

New Creation

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The Father, Son and Spirit create the universe and gives Adam and

Eve a mission.

Genesis 2:15

The Trinity The Father

The Son

The Spirit

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But God has a plan. Not just a plan, but THE plan.

Then the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all animals, domestic and wild. You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust as long as you live.  And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

Genesis 3:14-15

They Fail!

In the meantime... humankind devolves into violent chaos.

(Genesis 4-6)

God responds with the judgment of the flood (Gen. 7-9) and commissions Noah to carry on

where Adam & Eve failed. 

BUT Noah and his

family also fail Genesis 10-11. See especially

Genesis 9:1

So, God elects Abraham and commissions a new nation (Gen. 12)

What is the mission of that nation?

EXODUS 19:6 PRIESTS TO WHOM?

TO BLESS THE NATIONS (GENESIS 12:1-3)

THE HEBREW WORD “TO BLESS” (BARACH) MEANS “TO INVOKE DIVINE FAVOR.”

How is that done?

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE “A LIGHT TO THE NATIONS?”

LIGHT (OR) IN HEBREW WAS A METAPHOR FOR ENLIGHT-

ENED

Isaiah 42:6

Why?Think of where God placed Israel?

Think of what it took to travel through it?

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-1 KINGS 11-MALACHI

But Israel failed!

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Yet, God announced His plan in Genesis 3. So, why Israel? Why not send Jesus

immediately?

THE GOD

Jesus arrives but to do what? 

Matthew-John

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Why does Jesus call 12 disciples? What does He commission them to do?

(Matt. 28:16-20)

What is our

mission as a

church? 

What is our eternal

destination? (Rev. 20).

Why is the “new heavens and new

earth” important? 

HEAVEN AND EARTH

Theologian Jurgen Moltmann in Theology

of Hope offers that Christian hope for the future is power for the

present. 

How are we to use that power? What does it mean

for the New Israel to “b-less the world”, be a “K-ingdom of priests” and

serve as a “light to the nations”?

Do you see the parallels between Israel and the church?

The mission is still largely the same 

Please Don’t Hesitate.

QUESTIONS?

For Your Precious Time and Attention.

THANK YOU

Next week—The Birth of the Messiah.  Who was Herod? Why was He born to a virgin? Why was their “no room in the inn”? Who were the “three wise men?” What was the deal with the star in the east? What was the Israel Jesus

was born into like? What did they expect from a Messiah?