Class Lesson January 19, 2025

 The Whole Story Series

Welcome to the second lesson in our year series through the Bible.

 

The beginning… The place where all good stories start. Genesis 1:1 talks about the beginning of all things, all things except for one thing, God. In the beginning we find God, the God who already was when all other things were not. In Genesis 1, the eternal God begins to create. God creates all things. He orders all things. He sets all things in motion. When all His work in creating comes to completion, He surveys the whole of His work and makes a summary statement, “It is very good.”

 

That very good status lasts about one page in most Bibles. When we turn the page to leave chapters one and two and begin chapter three, everything begins to fall apart. A talking snake, later identified as Satan himself (Revelation 12:1), enters the garden and begins to wreak havoc. Satan causes Adam and Eve to question God’s word and doubt God’s goodness. Ultimately, Adam and Eve made the most consequential decision in human history; they determined they would be better off if they were in charge and rebelled against God’s command. In short, Adam and Eve sinned. In their sin, Adam and Eve introduced sin into the world, and we’ve all been sinning ever since.

 

This is a truly catastrophic scene. God’s perfect design reflected in His creation is defaced in a moment of the creature’s self-exaltation instigated by creation’s greatest enemy, Satan.  All is lost, or so it would seem. However, there is hope even in this scene of damage. God is not done with humanity despite their rebellion and sin. God promises a Savior who will crush humanity’s enemy even as He explains the curse and consequences of humanity’s sin. God foreshadows a Savior who covers our sins and shame. This is evident as God refused to let Adam and Eve leave the garden naked until He clothed them with skins. Jesus is here, even at the beginning of the book.

 

Bottom Line:

God alone can redeem what we have broken.

 

Sermon Recap:

Genesis 1-3 is the explanation for the world around us. If we understand these three chapters of the Bible, we can understand why the world is the way it is.

The foundations of the Christian worldview are seen in Genesis chapters 1-2.

There is a God who is, was, always was, and always will be.

He created all things, and all things were created good.

God created all things, so God gets to say how all things work.

The first sin originates in the heart of man and woman when they determine to do things their way and see autonomy from the God whom they are totally dependent on.

Though sin has broken the world we live in; God has not left us alone. In the brokenness of Genesis 3 we see two promises of redemption for the people of God. God promises a Savior (Gen. 3:15), and God covers our shame (Gen. 3:21).

 

Genesis 3:1-22

The Fall

3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

14 So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly, and you will eat dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

16 To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”

17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” 20 Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.

21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”

 

 

Discussion Questions

God's Design: The Goodness of Creation

Question: In Genesis 1:31, God declares His creation “very good.” How does this statement reflect God's perfect design and intention for the world? How should this shape our view of the natural world and human life today?

Reference: Genesis 1:31 – “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.”

 

God's Design: The Role of Humanity

Question: Genesis 1:26-28 describes humanity being made in God’s image and given dominion over creation. What does being made in God’s image mean for our identity and purpose? How does this inform a Christian worldview of work, stewardship, and relationships?

Reference: Genesis 1:26-28 – “Let us make mankind in Our image, in Our likeness, so that they may rule over…”

 

Satan’s Deception: Twisting God's Word

Question: In Genesis 3:1-5, the serpent questions God’s command and character, saying, “Did God really say...?” How does this pattern of deception reveal Satan’s strategy to lead humanity into sin? How can we guard against such tactics today?

Reference: Genesis 3:1-5 – “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.

 

Man’s Redemption: God’s Pursuit of the Sinner

Question: After Adam and Eve sinned, they hid from God, yet He sought them out (Genesis 3:8-9). What does this teach us about God’s grace and His desire for relationship even when we fail? How does this foreshadow Christ's redemptive work?

Reference: Genesis 3:8-9 – “But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’”

 

Man’s Redemption: The Promise of the Gospel

Question: Genesis 3:15 contains the first promise of a Savior, saying the seed of the woman will crush the serpent’s head. How does this verse point forward to Jesus Christ and the ultimate victory over sin and Satan? How does this shape our hope as Christians?

Reference: Genesis 3:15 – “He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel.”

 

END

Class Lesson January 12, 2012

New Series - Through the Bible

Welcome to the first Sunday in our year in the Bible. This is a year long reading plan through the Bible as well. I hope you will use the daily reading plan for your devotional time every morning.

Our first weekly study is starting in a place many might find odd: Luke’s account of Jesus' resurrection. In a journey through the Bible, you might have expected that we would start at a more logical place, like the beginning - Genesis 1. Don’t worry; we will get there. We are looking at a text that will help us understand the Bible better as we read it and walk through it together. 

Luke 24 finds two men walking home after a horrible weekend in Jerusalem. These two men were Jesus’s followers, but all their hopes had been dashed over the weekend as they saw Christ arrested, tried, and ultimately crucified on the cross. Jesus was dead. The hope of a better day was dead, too, or so they thought. 

As these men walk home, the resurrected Savior shows up and begins a conversation with them about the events that had unfolded in Jerusalem. These men have no idea who they are talking to and begin to let their despondency show. Their Savior had suffered and died, and now they are sulking. In this conversation, Jesus begins to reveal himself to show the disciples that things aren't quite what they seem. Yes, He suffered. Yes, He died. However, now He is alive, and all that happened to Him was necessary according to the plan of God. 

To explain how His arrest, crucifixion, and resurrection were necessary, Jesus turns to the Old Testament to show how everything previously written pointed to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus's explanation of the Bible in Luke 24 tells us that if we read the Bible correctly, we see that the Bible, every verse, every chapter, and every book is a book about Jesus.

We start our year in the Bible in Luke 24 because the goal is not just to read the Bible this year but to understand the Bible this year. To understand the Bible, you don’t need to start with Genesis 1; you need to start with Jesus. When we start with Jesus, we find the one who was already there in the beginning and created all things. When we start with Jesus, we find the key to understanding the whole Bible.

 

Read the Bible with Upstate Church this year, but remember, start where we are starting this Sunday, with Jesus.

 

Bottom Line: We read the Bible to encounter Jesus!

Scripture Reveals Who Jesus Is

Scripture Reveals Who We Are

Scripture Reveals Our Need for Community

 

Sermon Recap

• Christians do not read the Bible as if it were just another book about just another topic! We read the Bible as God's revelation about His Son, Jesus Christ.
• The disciples on the road to Emmaus are in crippling despair, but it’s in moments of hopelessness that Jesus works best.
• In Luke 24, Jesus teaches us how to read the Bible. We are to read every word to see how it points us to Jesus Christ.
• If the entire Bible is about Jesus, then we know that the Son of God being killed on the cross and rising again on the third day was God’s plan all along!

 

 

 

Luke 24:13-35

13 That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” 25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. 28 So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29 but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So, he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” 33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Lk 24:13–35.

 

Discussion Questions

"What things?" (Luke 24:19)

When Jesus asks the disciples about their conversation, He invites them to express their doubts and struggles. How does Jesus' question encourage authenticity in our own relationship with Him and others? How can we create a space in this group for honest dialogue about our faith and struggles?

 

"But we had hoped..." (Luke 24:21)

The disciple’s express disappointment and shattered expectations about who they thought Jesus would be. What are some ways we experience unmet expectations in our walk with God? How can we learn to trust God's plan even when it looks different from our own?

 

"Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" (Luke 24:26)

Jesus reframes their understanding of His suffering by pointing them to Scripture. How does this passage challenge us to view suffering considering God’s greater redemptive plan? How can we rely on God’s Word for clarity when we face confusion or hardship?

 

"Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road?" (Luke 24:32)

The disciples reflect on how their hearts were stirred as Jesus explained the Scriptures. When have you experienced a similar moment where God’s Word brought clarity, conviction, or comfort? How can we cultivate a deeper hunger for the Scriptures in our daily lives?

 

"Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread." (Luke 24:35)

The disciples share how Jesus revealed Himself through the Word and a shared meal. How does this encourage us to see Jesus in both the study of Scripture and in fellowship with others? How can we be intentional about sharing how God is working in our lives to encourage others?

 

After you read Luke 24:13-35, make observations about the text.

What is God teaching us in the passage?

What does this reveal about who God is, what God has done, and how I should respond?

Which part of the text was most meaningful to you and why?

What do you need help understanding about this passage?

 

END

Teacher Notes:

TO UNDERSTAND the Bible, you don’t need to start with Genesis; you need to start with Jesus. In Jesus, we find the One who was already there in the beginning and created all things. When we start with Jesus, we find the key to understanding the whole Bible.

We are starting in Luke 24 because the goal is not just to read the Bible but to understand the Bible.

Class Lesson for January 5, 2025

 Stand Alone Lesson 

This lesson explores the Israelites' miraculous crossing of the Jordan River under Joshua's leadership, emphasizing God's faithfulness, His power in overcoming impossible obstacles, and the importance of remembering His works. We’ll see how this passage foreshadows salvation through Christ and invites us to live with faith and worshipful remembrance.

How has your walk with God been this year? 

What needs to change for you in 2025?

The New Year is a time to consider our priorities. Obedience to God should be the priority for every Christian, not only in the new year but throughout life!

Let's read our Scripture for this lesson:

Joshua 3:7-4:24

7 And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. 8 Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”

9 Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. 10 This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. 11 See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. 12 Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord — the Lord of all the earth — set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”

14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

 

4:1 When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, 3 and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.”

4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, 5 and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, 6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”

8 So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the Lord had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. 9 Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.

10 Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything the Lord had commanded Joshua was done by the people, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried over, 11 and as soon as all of them had crossed, the ark of the Lord and the priests came to the other side while the people watched. 12 The men of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over, ready for battle, in front of the Israelites, as Moses had directed them. 13 About forty thousand armed for battle crossed over before the Lord to the plains of Jericho for war.

14 That day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him all the days of his life, just as they had stood in awe of Moses. 15 Then the Lord said to Joshua, 16 “Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant law to come up out of the Jordan.” 17 So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.” 18 And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before.

19 On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. 20 And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. 21 He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. 24 He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.”

What was the significance of the Jordan crossing?

The Israelites’ crossing of the Jordan River on dry land was of tremendous significance to the Israelites. Joshua explained the significance of this event before it took place, stating, “This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord — the Lord of all the earth — set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap” (Joshua 3:10–13). Their miraculous crossing affirmed God’s presence with them and His promise to remove their enemies from the land.

Why did the Israelites build a memorial? Joshua said, “When your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever” (Joshua 4:6–7). The memorial was to serve as a lasting sign of God’s work among the Israelites.

The conclusion of this event offers an additional insight into its significance and the reason for the memorial. Joshua 4:23–24 says, “The Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.” First, a comparison is made with the crossing that took place at the Red Sea under the leadership of Moses. This emphasis on God’s miraculous provision was an ongoing sign to the people of Israel. Second, there was an emphasis on the power of God. The miracle was done “so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful.” No other god could compare in power. The gods of Israel’s enemies were created things that had no ability to move water and provide dry passage across a river. Third, the result of the miracle was that the Israelites would fear the Lord forever. The idea was that this miracle would leave the people in such awe that they and their descendants would talk about it and live in the fear of God and worship Him as a result.

God showed His power and presence in the crossing of the Jordan, and the memorial set up by His people served as a reminder of His might and why the Israelites should fear the Lord. Both the act and its memorial worked to point to God’s glory, presence, and strength, which would empower the Israelites as they took possession of their land in the days ahead. Still today, a look at this powerful miracle reveals the greatness of God, and our only appropriate response — to worship and serve Him.

Discussion Questions:

1. How does this passage demonstrate God’s faithfulness to His promises?                                                                                                                    
2. What parallels do you see between the crossing of the Jordan and the Red Sea? Why is it significant that God repeats this type of miracle?                                                                                                                           
3. What does the Ark of the Covenant symbolize in this story? How does it point us to Jesus?                                                                                                           
4. Why did God instruct Israel to set up a memorial of stones? How can we practically "set up memorials" to remember God’s faithfulness today?                                                                                                                    
5. How has God led you through a seemingly "impossible" situation in the past? What was your response?

A. Trust God with Your Obstacles

Reflect on a situation in your life that feels impossible. Pray and trust that God’s power can overcome it.

 

B. Remember and Proclaim God’s Works

Consider how you can "set up a memorial" in your life — journaling answered prayers, sharing testimonies, or creating physical reminders of God’s faithfulness.

 

C. Live Out Faith in God’s Power

Take a step of faith this week, like the priests stepping into the Jordan. Trust God to act as you obey Him.

Memory Verse: "The hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever." — Joshua 4:24

As 2024 ends, this is a good opportunity to remember God’s faithfulness to you in the past 12 months and to consider where He is leading you in 2025!

END

Teacher Notes:

Joshua 3:7-4:24