– The Bible Series –
TOUR . DIG IN . UNSHAKABLE . UNLOCK
*WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Jerod, Alex, and Alicia stared at 1,000 jigsaw puzzle pieces on the table. They thought putting this puzzle together would be fun, but then they realized that they didn’t have the box top. Without a big picture of what the whole puzzle is supposed to look like, it was hard to know how the individual pieces fit together. They decided to watch a movie instead.
- How does having the box top of a puzzle make it easier to understand how the pieces fit together?
- If the Bible had a key that would help you see how the different parts fit together, would you want to know about it?
*WHAT DOES GOD SAY ABOUT THIS?
Today we are going to take a look at how Jesus is the key to opening up the deeper meaning of the Bible. The Bible is not just a collection of random stories, but is actually one big story about God’s rescue plan to save his people. At the center of that story is Jesus, the hero. The Old Testament points forward to him and the New Testament points back to him. Let’s take a look at some passages in the Bible to see if we can find him in them.
1. Read Genesis 1:1, Colossians 1:15–17, and John 1:3–4. What part did Jesus take in the Creation?
2. Read Genesis 12:1–3. What is at the core of God’s promise to Abram (Abraham)?
3. Galatians 3:6–9. What do these verses say about how God will bless all nations through Abraham?
4. King David was one of the greatest kings in Israel’s history.
- In 2 Samuel 7:12–13, what does God promise David?
- One thousand years later, an angel speaks to Mary (Jesus’ mom) about her son in Luke 1:31–33. What light does this shine on God’s promise to David?
5. When Isaiah 53:10–12 was written, people had hope because this prophecy was promising a savior, and the people needed one! However, they didn’t know who this person would be. Hundreds of years later, Jesus’ friend John wrote 1 John 4:9–10. How do these verses from 1 John help us better understand the Isaiah passage?
6. Read Isaiah 50:6. How does the story about Jesus in Matthew 26:65–67 help explain what is said in Isaiah?
READ: The entire Old Testament sets the stage for Jesus. From God’s promise to Abraham that he would bless the whole world through him, to David pointing to the King of Kings to come (Jesus), to the prophets giving all kinds of details about this “coming savior,” it all points to Jesus.
The New Testament explains how Jesus pays for our sins and is important to our everyday lives. He puts our current trials into perspective because we can know that he will return one day, making every wrong right and bringing us to God forever. Jesus is the hero of the Bible and is the key that helps us understand what the Bible is really about.
*HOW DO WE APPLY THIS TO OUR LIVES?
7. Having the right key will open doors. How would it change your understanding of the Bible if you asked, “How does this passage point to Jesus?” whenever you read the Bible?
8. How does it change the way you see hard circumstances if you understand that Jesus is the hero (not you or me)?
9. If one of your friends asked you what the Bible was about, what would you say?
What ideas do you have that could improve this study? Are there creative things you do to bring this topic home to your students? Please share with the community clicking the FEEDBACK button or leaving a comment below.
