A Voice After 400 Years of Silence
In Sunday School, we have officially wrapped up our time in the first half of Genesis and will move back over to the New Testament for the next 6 months (Explore the BIble will study Matthew 1-13 this quarter, and Acts next quarter). The Christmas season has consumed our culture once again, and as we enter this season, Explore the Bible has provided us the opportunity to walk through the gospel of Matthew! We will have the chance to spend the next several weeks looking at the beginning of Jesus's life on earth!
Walking through Genesis with the College and Career class, we identified that Genesis 3:15 makes reference to a seed from man that will come to rescue us from sin and crush the serpent's head. With each person introduced in Genesis after that point, we began asking the question, "Is this the promised seed?" We found out that several of the main men introduced in Genesis almost qualified, but ultimately failed to fulfill the promise. Were they blessed from God? Yes! Were they seen as righteous in His eyes? Yes! Did they live a sinless life of faith? No! Next candidate please. This week we get one week closer to finally revealing the identity of this promised seed from Genesis 3:15. Each of the Old Testament candidates served as examples pointing us to the coming Messiah. Their positive attributes would point us to better knowing how to recognize the coming Messiah. Their faults would point us to areas that the Messiah would be able to overcome in living a perfect life. Remember, as we begin to teach on John the Baptist this week that God had been silent for 400 years prior to this. 400 years!! Several very important elements to walk away with from this lesson:
Dealing with proclaiming a message of repentance that will not be popular or easy and may illicit a negative reaction.
Understanding how our actions and words impact the Kingdom. As Pastor Eric mentioned yesterday, we are the only example of Jesus some people get. "He has told you what is good and what it is the LORD requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God." - Micah 6:8
I love the challenges to Obey the Text given to us this week. We are asked to:
List ways God is working in the lives of people in your community. Discuss actions the group needs to take to point others to Christ.
Reflect on your commitment to Christ. Make sure you are depending on Him and not your own merit for your salvation. Review the information on the inside front cover as a part of your reflection.
Identify the names of people in your life who need to be told about Christ. How can you give them the opportunity to trust Him? Pray for an opportunity to share with them the truths found in this study.
Are you or someone you know not currently engaged in a small group studying the Bible? Now is a great time to join us at Old Fort Baptist Church as we enter a new quarter of studying the Bible.
