We are in a series we are calling “Sword Sharpening” and we are looking at how to make the most out of your time with the Bible. This week we are going to start talking about the storyline of the Bible.
John 1:1-5 (NIV)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
I like to refer to the storyline of the Bible as His Story. I love that He invites us into His Story. He is the noun and we are adjectives. In order to live the full and abundant life we are called to, on a broken planet, in a fallen world, we need to be shaped and formed by His Story. We need to know how His Story fits together from beginning to end. If we don’t know how His Story is put together, we really can’t understand the good news, the gospel of Jesus. Without the whole story, sharing the gospel of Christ’s death and resurrection is like coming into a movie theater at the most important moment but not knowing how we got to this place in the story.
You might be able to put together bits and pieces of the story, but you won’t grasp the full significance of what is going on without having some understanding of the backstory. For the purpose of our Sword Sharpening series, we are going to break His Story down into eight sections. We are going to give each section a Kingdom of God heading to help us try and remember the main point of the section.
1) Kingdom Revealed (Genesis 1 – 2)
2) Kingdom Rebellion (Genesis 3 – 11)
3) Kingdom Covenant (Genesis 12 – 50)
4) Kingdom Foreshadowed (Exodus – 2 Kings)
5) Kingdom Coming (1 Chronicles – Malachi)
6) Kingdom Incarnate (Matthew – John)
7) Kingdom Tension (Acts – Revelation 20)
8) Kingdom Consummated (Revelation 21 – 22)
Revelation 21:1-5 (NIV)
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
Over the next eight weeks we will dig a little deeper into each section. How amazing it is to be a part of His Story!
Steve Lawes is a Church Consultant and also provides coaching for pastors, churches, ministries and church planters.
