Unit1_Session1_PersonalStudyGuide

7/30/2019 Unit1_Session1_PersonalStudyGuide

1/16

FALL 2012: Personal Study GuideEd StetzerGeneral EditorTrevin WaxManaging Editor


2/16

C O N T E N T S

The God Who SpeaksIntroduction 6

Session 1: The God Who Speaks 8

Session 2: God is Not Hiding 16

Session 3: God is Not Mute 24

Our Fallen Responseto Gods WordIntroduction 34

Session 4: In God We Trust 36

Session 5: Gods Law For Lie 44

Session 6: Numb to the Word 5 2

Christs Perfect Responseto Gods WordIntroduction 60

Session 7: Jesus: The Faithul Son 62

Session 8: Jesus: The Faithul

Teacher 70

Session 9: Jesus: The FaithulServant 78

Our Redeemed Responseto Gods WordIntroduction 86

Session 10: Trusting the God

Who Speaks 88

Session 11: Submitting to the GodWho Speaks 96

Session 12: Understanding How God

Speaks 104

Session 13: Listening Together to the

Voice o God 112

In-ClassUnit 1: Session 1 12

Unit 1: Session 2 20













3/16

A D V I S O R Y C O U N C I L

Tese Christian leaders were part of a team who consulted on the creation of Te Gospel Project.

James MacDonald

Senior Pastor at Harvest BibleChapel, Chicago, IL

Daniel Akin

President o Southeastern BaptistTeological Seminary, WakeForest, NC

J.D. Greear

Pastor at Te Summit Church,Raleigh, NC

Eric Mason

Pastor o Epiphany Fellowship,Philadelphia, PA

Kimberly Thornbury

Dean o Students at UnionUniversity, Jackson, N

Jay Noh

Director o Missional Leadershipand Mobilization, ChicagoBaptist Association

Joe Thorn

Pastor o Redeemer Fellowship,St. Charles, IL

Juan Sanchez

Pastor o High Pointe BaptistChurch, Austin, X

Collin Hansen

Editorial director, Te GospelCoalition / editor-at-large,Christianity oday

THE GOSPEL PROJECT FOR STUDENTSPERSONAL STUDY GUIDE, FALL 2012

VOLUME 1, NUMBER 1

PRODUCTION AND MINISTRY TEAM

EDITORIAL PROJECT LEADER: Chad Jordan

CONTENT EDITOR: Chad Jordan

SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGN SPECIALIST: Edward A Craword

GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Charles Long

CONTRACT GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Susan Maywald

PRODUCTION EDITOR: Scott Latta

STUDENT MINISTRY SPECIALIST: Paul Turner

Send questions/comments to: Content Editor, The Gospel

Project or Students, One LieWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234-

0174; or make comments on the Web at www.lieway.com

MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL

DIRECTOR, STUDENT MINISTRY PUBLISHING: Je Pratt

DIRECTOR, STUDENT MINISTRY: Ben Trueblood

DIRECTOR, SUNDAY SCHOOL: David Francis

Printed in the United States o America

The Gospel Project for Students (ISSN 1939-0742; Item 005508013) is

published quarterly by LieWay Christian Resources, One LieWay Plaza,

Nashville, TN 37234, Thom S. Rainer, President.

2012 LieWay Christian Resources.

For ordering or inquiries, visit www.lifeway.com or write LieWay

Church Resources Customer Service, One LieWay Plaza, Nashville,

TN 37234-0113. For subscriptions or subscription address changes,

e-mailsubscrib [email protected], ax (615) 251-5818, or write to the above

address. For bulk shipments mailed quarterly to one address, e-mail

[email protected],ax (615) 251-5933, or write to the

above address.

We believe that the Bible has God or its author; salvation or its end;

and truth, without any mixture o error, or its matter and that all

Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. To review LieWays doctrinal

guideline, please visit www.lifeway.com/doctrinalguideline .

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken rom the

Holman Christian Standard Bible, copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003,

2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Scripture quota -

tions marked (NIV) are rom the Holy Bible, New International Version,copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New

Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission o Tyndale House

Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved.


4/16

FALL 2012

A W O R D F R O M T H E E D I T O R S

THEOLOGY IS THE STUDY OF GOD But

unlike academic disciplines where the

acquiring o knowledge is viewed as a good

thing in and o itsel, studying truth aboutGod has a specic purpose: that we might

know the God who has shown us grace in the

person o Jesus Christ and that we might make

Him known Theology, in the Christian sense,

is knowledge about God that leads us into

deeper knowledge o God The gospel is what

makes possible this knowledge, and a lie o

mission is to be the outcome

The Gospel Project is a curriculum now three

years in the making Churches have expressed

their desire or a theologically driven

curriculum that is biblical and accessible Thedevelopment o this new curriculum has taken

place with the input rom an advisory council

(see names on the previous page) and insights

oered rom churches willing to test the

material I am excited to see a new curriculum

that will assist small communities within

the church to include a solid theological and

missional ocus in their discipleship process

Theology, gospel, and mission Our goal has

been to incorporate each o these important

elements in The Gospel Project As we learnmore about the grand narrative that the

Scriptures tell, we see Christs death and

resurrection as the ocal point o the story line

The good news o Jesus then empowers us

Gods peopleto live on mission, representing

Christ to those around us and proclaiming His

name to the world

Ed Stetzer

ED STETZER, GENERAL EDITOR

Dr Ed Stetzer is President o LieWay Research

and author o numerous books including, Lostand Found: The Younger Unchurched and the

Churches that Reach Them Ed is a contributing

editor or Christianity Today, a columnist or

Outreach Magazine, a visiting

proessor at two prominent

seminaries, and is requently

cited or interviewed in news

outlets such as USA Todayand

CNN He and his amily reside

outside o Nashville, TN

CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY is a clamor o

competing voices From the TV to the Internet

to the social media that foods our cellular

devices, we are awash in inormation But inthe midst o all the noise, God still speaks He

has revealed Himsel in the world around us, in

His written Word, and most ully in the Living

Wordthe person o Jesus Christ

In this quarter we look in detail at the truth

that the God who made us has chosen to

reveal Himsel to us Along the way, well learn

about how we have rebelled and continue to

resist Gods revelation Then well see how

JesusGods Word in fesh and bloodhas

come to obey God perectly and to suer the

consequences o our disobedience As Godsredeemed people, we are now enabled to

take a posture o humble submission to the

authoritative, inspired, and perect Word o

God, even as we open this Word to the world

Our prayer is that the words in these lessons

will draw you deeper into the inspired Word

o God that continues to speak to us today

May you hear the voice o Christ and aithully

ollow the King!

Trevin Wax

TREVIN WAX, MANAGING EDITOR

Trevin Wax is managing editor o The Gospel

Project A ormer missionary and pastor,

Wax is a contributor to Christianity Todayand

other publications His most recent books

are Countereit Gospels (Moody, 2011) and

Holy Subversion (Crossway,

2010) He blogs daily at

Kingdom People


5/16

4 TGP Personal Study Guide

H O W T O U S E T H I S S T U D Y

1. GET STARTED.

Te goal o these pages is toprovide you an overview o

where the study is headingthis week. Tis intro page isollowed by three devotionalreadings. Tese readingsare provided to assist you inpreparing your heart duringthe week as well as providing

you a place to launch intostudying these Scriptures.ake plenty o time to readthrough these and allow aew minutes to reect over

what you have read. Use thePause and Reect section atthe bottom o each devotionalto help you process what youhave just read.

READYYOURHEART

4FALL 20124 T G P P e rs o na l St ud y G ui d e

Gen.1:1-3 InthebeginningGodcreatedtheheavensandtheearth.Nowtheearthwasormlessandempty,darknesscoveredthesuraceo thewaterydepths,andthe

Spirito Godwas hoveringover thesurace othe waters.Then Godsaid, Letthere belight,andtherewaslight.

IMAGINE YOURFAVORITEHANGOUT, likea local pizzaparloror burgerjointThinkaboutallthedetailsthatgo intomakingittheplaceyouknowandlove:musicplayed,decoration,closingtime,employees,costo menu items,typeo soda, itemson themenu,etcThelistcouldgo onandon andon

Whohasthenalsayinall othesemanydecisions?Theownerothe restaurantHeorshehasthenalauthorityoverallaspectsotheplacebecauseheor sheeitherbuiltorpurchasedit Asthe creatorandsustainerothatestablishment,they getto bethe onewhoultimatelydecideswhatthisweeksspecialisandwho willbeworkingwhichshitsEverythingthathappensintheirrestaurantissubjecttotheirauthorityAsthecustomer,canyou reallycomplainaboutthe decorationsor menuitems?Youcanchoose nottoeatthere,butyoucantreallycomplainbecausetherestaurantisntyours

Letsnowprojectthisconceptona globallevelWhohasultimateauthorityovertheentireworld? Thatwouldbe God,the creatorandsustainero theentireuniverseTheBibleclearly statesthatGodcreatedthe heavensandtheearth Hecreatedall thelightwe seesimplyby saying,lettherebe lightHecreatedthesun,themoon,thestars,theoceans,the continents,theplants,theanimals,and allo mankindsimplybyspeakingtheminto existenceThe samepower usedor speakingthe entireuniverseintoexistenceis nowusedtoshapetheuniverseorHispurposesAsthecreatorandsustainerotheworld, theGod whospeakshas theultimateauthority

HAS AUTHORITY

PAUSE AND REFLECT

WhyisitimportanttorealizeGodsauthority?WhatimpactdoesGodsauthorityhaveinyourlie?DoyoundyourseldisagreeingwithwhatGod

haschosenorallowedtohappen?Ratherthandisagreeing,whatwouldbea betterresponse?

SESSION 1

THE GOD WHO SPEAKS

IMAGINE YOUR SIGHT and hearing being taken fromyou. Now imagine not being able to communicate

with the world around you. How would you learn

who you were? What you were supposed to do? The

story of Helen Keller reminds us of the importanceof communication and the importance of someone

intervening on our behalf. Until a teacher came along

and taught Helen how to communicate, she lived intotal darkness, isolated from her world. Spiritually we

are in the same position as Helen Keller was as a child.

Fortunately, God stepped in and made Himself known.

Our eyes are now open and our lives can have purpose.God, in His love for us, has communicated with us and

created a way for us to have a relationship with Him.

4FALL 20124 T GP P e rs on al S tu d y Gu i de

READY YOUR HEART READY YOUR HEART

Ex.3:2-6ThentheAngelothe Lordappearedto himina ameore withinabush.AsMoses looked,he sawthat thebush wason rebut wasnot consumed.So Mosesthought:I mustgooverandlook atthisremarkablesight.Whyisntthebushburning

up?WhentheLordsawthathe hadgoneoverto look,Godcalledouttohimrom the

bush,Moses, Moses!Here Iam, heanswered. Do notcome closer,He said.Takeyoursandals ofyour eet,o rthe placewhere youare standingis holyground. Then

Hecontinued,I amtheGod oyourather,theGodoAbraham,theGodo Isaac,and

theGodo Jacob.Moseshidhisacebecausehewasaraidtolook atGod.

ONEOF THEFINALSCENES inthe classicmovie TheWizardo Oz nds Dorothy,theTin Man, theLion,and theScarecrowbringing thebroomromthe WickedWitcho theWest tothegreatandpowerul WizardoOz They aretreated toahugespectacleo smoke andreDuringthis grand display,Totowanderso anddiscoversagreattruth:theWizardoOzisnotapowerulperson,butratheratinyoldmanspeakingintoamicrophoneandpullingleversandbuttonsInsteadobeingall-powerul,hewasinactpowerlessandhidden,araidpeoplewouldlearnthetruth

ThisistheexactoppositeohowGodworksRatherthanhidingbehindacurtain,Hehas madeHimselully knownHe isthe creatoro theuniverse,and HewantspeopletoknowwhoHeisina personalway

Thestoryo Mosesandtheburningbushis justoneo manyinstanceswe seeo Godrevealing Himselto HispeopleThe Bibleis ullo other examplesTheseexamplesstartinthebooko GenesisasHe createdtheheavensandtheearth,andcontinueallthewaythroughthebooko Revelationasthe BiblesaysthatthegraceotheLordJesusbewithallthesaints(Rev22:21)BecauseoHisimmenseloveorus,GodmerciullyrevealsHimselto alloHiscreation

PAUSE AND REFLECT

WhydidtheWizardoOznotwantto berevealed? Whydoes Godcontinuously revelHimsel? InwhatwayshasGodrevealedHimselinyourlie?

THE CURTAIN IS OPEN

Gen.1:27-30SoGod createdman inHis ownimage; Hecreated himin theimage oGod;Hecreatedthemmaleandemale.Godblessedthem,andGodsaidtothem,Be

ruitul,multiply,llthe earth,andsubdueit.Rulethesh othesea,thebirdso the

sky,and everycreature thatcrawls onthe earth.God alsosaid, Look,I havegiven youeveryseed-bearingplantonthesuraceothe entireearth,andeverytreewhoseruit

containsseed.Thisoodwillbeoryou,orallthe wildlieotheearth,oreverybirdo

thesky,andoreverycreaturethatcrawlsontheeartheverythinghavingthebreatholieinit.I havegiveneverygreenplantorood.Anditwasso.

BADNEWS: youjustlost youriPhone andwithit yourability tocommunicateandsurviveThe ollowingtwoscenariosare waysyoumay replaceit

Scenario1: You know itis goingto cost yousomethingso youapproach yourparents witha proposalYou explain youwill takeon several householdchores,includingall yardwork,orthe summerIn exchangeorthis work,youwillearn therequiredmoneyto payor yourlielineto theoutsideworldyouriPhone

Scenario2:Yourdadoundyoustaringoutto spaceandeventuallyrealizedyourhelplesssituationBeinga lovingather,hestopsbythe store,picksup abrandnewphone, andgives it to youthat evening Overwhelmed by loveand gratitude, youdecidetostepupand takeonmorechoresaroundthehouseYouevenvolunteertopainttheencethatdesperatelyneedsitandyouwanttocontinuallyshowyourloveandgratitudeso youjoyullymow thelawneach weekwithoutbeing asked

Noticethatinboth situations,theendresultis thesame:youget anewiPhone, theencegetspainted,andtheyardgetsmowedButthemannerinwhichtheendcameaboutis completelydierentThesecondscenarioissimilartohowthingsworkwithGodThereisnothingwecaneverdotoearnHisavorButhelovesandcaresorussomuchthattheBiblesaysthatHeblessesus(Gen1:28)It isevenmoreevidentwhenHesentHisonlyson todieon ourbehal,so thatwe mayhaveeverlastinglie(John3:16)Thepointis,GoddoesnotgiveustasksinordertoearnHisblessingsHegivesusHisblessings,whichinturnoughttomotiveustoworshipandobeyHim!

RESPONDING TO HIS BLESSING

PAUSE AND REFLECT

WhydoesntGodactinamannersimilartoscenario1?WhydosomanypeoplethinkGodworkslikethe

atherinscenario1?Howdoesseeingscenario2afectyourthoughtsabout

Godand Hiscommands?


6/16

FALL 2012

The God Who Speaks...Fromthebeginningotimeandin thepageso

Scripture,GodrevealsHimselasa Godwhospeaks.HisspeechisademonstrationoHispower,grace,and

authority.Becauseothistruth,thereisnothingmore

importantinliethanhearingromGodandobeying

Hisvoice.TodaywewilllearnmoreaboutthisGodwhospeaksandwhatHisspeakingmeanstous.

Godcreatedusoutofmercy.Hehasspokentousoutomercy.HebecameoneousoutoHismercy.AndHecallsustoHimseloutoHismercy.Just asAnneSu llivanbrokethroughtoHelen Keller,theHolySpiritopenstheeyesoourheartsowecanseeHisgoodnessandHisgloryandrespondwithgratitude.

Whatdowelearn aboutGodthroughtheactthat HerevealedHimselto us

anddesires arelationshipwithus?

Deismteachesthat Godcreatedtheworld, muchlikea clockmaker putstogether a clock. But thentheDeistgodnolonger intervenesinour aairs. Deistsbelievethat Godcaresverylittleabout what happensinthisworld. Heletstheclock begintotick, andthenhestepsback and becomesuninvolved.

IyouweretoholdtoaDeistviewoGodsrevelation,howwouldthat aectyourlie? Howwouldit aectyourviewotheBible?

When you cometo knowingGod, the initiativelies on Hisside. IHe does not show Himsel, nothingyou can do willenableyou tofndHim.C. S. Lewis(1898-1963)

Gives Us Tasks.IitistruethatGodhasspoken,then

thereisnothinggreaterwecandothanlisten

towhatourCreatorhas said.

Whatmightbesomeothereasons

peopledontwanttobelievethat

Godhasspoken?

InGenesis1:27-30,Godtoldthe frst

humans,AdamandEve, whatHe

expectedothem. Noticetheprogression:

Godcreated(authority);thenHeblessed

(mercy).Finally,Hegavetasks.

ConclusionGoddoesnotspeaktoussothatwemightkeepHimcompanyorthatwemightmerelyberiends.HespeakstousandlavishesthegraceoHissalvationuponussothatwemightthengettoworkaccomplishingallthatHehascalledustodo.TheGodwhospeaksistheGodwhogivestasks.GodcommunicatesHiscommands,andthenHebreathesHisSpiritintoourhearts,enablingustolearn,live,andlove.

Is Merciful.MercyisattheheartoGodsrevelationtous. Noticewhoinitiatedtheconversation.Godis theOnewhocametoMoses.He merciullyrevealedHimselandthenidentifedHimselastheGodo Mosesoreathers.

The truth that God speaks iswhatseparatesHimromallidols.IntheOldTestament,weseerequentshowdownsbetweenthetrueGodoIsraelandthealsegodsopaganpeoples.InPsalm115:3-5,weread:OurGodisinheavenanddoeswhateverHepleases.Theiridolsaresilverandgold,madebyhumanhands.Theyhavemouthsbutcannotspeak,eyes,butcannotsee.Thecontrastisclear.GodisSpirit.Hehasnophysicalmouth,andyetHespeaks.Theidols,ontheotherhand,arephysical.Theyhavemouthsbutaresilent.Godalonehas

authority.GodistheGodwho speaks.

Has Authority.TherewasnothingbutnothingnessuntilGodmadeHisintentionsknown.WithjusttwowordsspokenbyGod,

lightcameintoexistence.Godcreatedbyspeaking.He

spoketheworldintoexistence.AndtheresultoHis

speakingdemonstrateshowpowerulHisspeechis.Howdoestheimpactofawordof

encouragementor criticismchangedependinguponwhosaysit?

Wordshavenoauthorityinthemselves.Wordsareonly

powerulwhenspokenbysomeonewithpower.Listpeoplewhosewordscarrymeaningbothculturally

andtoyoupersonally. Whydoyouthinkitisimportantthatweunder-standthisprogression?Whatmighthappenwhenweseekto under-standthetaskapartromGodsblessing?

The power o God exercised through His wordelicited this reaction rom the writer o Hebrews:

For the word o God is living and efective andsharper than any double-edged sword, penetratingas ar as the separation o soul and spirit, joins andmarrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts othe heart (Heb. 4:12).

HowdoesourbeliethatGodhasspokenafectourviewoScripture?Theworldwelivein?Ourday-to-daybehavior?

WhenwecometounderstandthataccomplishingourtaskismadepossibleonlybecauseoGodsinitialblessingograce,thenthereisnothingGodcantaskous. ThereisnothingHeowesus.We oweHimeverythingourverylives.

HasGodspokentoyouthroughHisWordinthepastew months?WhatScripturepassages hasGodusedtospeaktoyou?

Whatblessings haveyoureceivedromGodinthepastew months?

WhattaskshasGodpresentedtoyouasaresulto theseblessings?

2. DISCUSS IT.

Tis section is or you touse during your group time.Spend a ew minutes beoreclass scanning these pagesto help prepare you or thediscussion time. During yourgroup time, speak up. Tisstudy is designed to teach youbiblical truth and allow you to

process those truths together.Discussion time works best

when there is discussion.

3. KEEP GOING.

Tere is a lot to learn andprocess with each o theselessons. Tere is a goodchance you may misssomething during thediscussion or you may runout o time when your groupmeets to nish the study. Usethese pages to look back at

what you learned and alsoto catch up on anything you

missed during the discussion.5FALL 20125 T GP P er s on a l S tu d y G u id e

ENCORE

1. HAS AUTHORITY (GEN. 1:1-3).

Words change things. When a pastor stan ds next to a gushing groom and a beaming bride andsays, I now pronounce you husband and wie, their status changes. Tey become united beoreGod and Gods people. Tey are ushered into the union o holy matrimony. Te spoken wordchanged them orever because it was spoken with authority. But words have no authority inthemselves. Words are only powerul when spoken by someone with power.

Responding to the powerul nature o Gods speech, the psalmist praised God or Hiscreative authority: Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all you shining stars. Praise Him,highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens. Let them praise the name o Yahweh, or Hecommanded, and they were created (Ps. 148:3-5). Notice the progression: God commanded,and the universe was created.

Words matter. Words carry weight. And the weightiest words are those uttered by the mostglorious (the weightiest) Being in the universe. His words matter because o who He is.

2. IS MERCIFUL (EX. 3:2-6).

We have no right to demand an audience with God. God is not accountable to us; we areaccountable to Him. God would have been ully just and righteous to create this world and leaveit to natural processes, never to intervene, never to communicate with His human creatures,and never to involve Himsel with our human plight. Tere is nothing about our existence thatorces God to be a God who reveals Himsel. And yet God speaks. Te very act that we arecreated is a result o Gods grace.

He created us to ellowship with Him, to join in the love song the three Persons o the rinitysing to one another. Out o gracenot necessityGod has created this world. He has spoken,and thereore, we exist. It is also an act o grace that God would reveal Himsel to us personally.God was under no obligation to pull back the curtain and let us see aspects o His character andevidences o His power. He could have spoken the world into existence and then never spokenagain, leaving us in ignorance about our Creator and our purpose.

Here we see the good news o the gospel! Te gospel is the story o a God who issues a callto helpless sinners. In our blindness and deaness, we are imprisoned by our own sinulness.We cannot see the goodness o God until He gives us new eyes. We cannot hear the voice oGod until He opens our ears. Like Helen Keller, we struggle to make sense o the world arounduswhy we are here and where we are going.

But Godout o sheer gracechose to enter our world o darkness through the person oJesus Christ. In His perect lie and sacricial deat h, Jesus revealed God to us. He showed usGods character. He demonstrated the love at the heart o the Fathers authority.

THE GOD WHO SPEAKS 3. GIVES US TASKS (GEN 1:27-30).I it is true that God has spoken, then there is nothing greater we can do than listen to what ourCreator has said. Once we recognize the authority o the God who speaks and the mercy romwhich He speaks, we are then responsible to lovingly and willing ly obey Gods commands. Tecommand has been issued. What will our response be?

In Genesis 1:27-30, God told the rst humans, Adam and Eve, what He expected o them.Notice the progression again: God created (authority); then He blessed (mercy). Finally, Hegave tasks. Out o His authority, God created Adam and Eve. Out o His mercy, He blessedthem. Ten Gods mercy led to His tasking Adam and Eve with cultivating His good creation.oo many times, we get the order backwards. We begin with the tasks o the Christian lieand seek to receive Gods blessing as a result o our obedience. But the gospel turns theseexpectations upside down. God rst blesses His children. Only then does He task them withruling wisely over the earth.

When we begin with the task rather than the blessing, we cut ourselves of rom the verypower that is necessary to ulll the tasks God has given us. Te blessing o the gospelthe gito undeserved graceshould motivate and drive our obedience. As we embrace the gospel, thegospel then empowers our love or God and or our neighbor.

When we begin with our obedience instead o Gods blessing, we invert the gospel. We begin tothink that we can somehow put God in our debt. I we only do enough good works, maybe Godwill bless us. Tis is humanitys utile attempt at keeping control. Wed rather think that Godowes us. As long as we think someone owes us, we maintain a sense o control.

Gracein contrastis scary! When we come to understand that accomplishing our task ismade possible only because o Gods initial blessing o grace, then there is nothing God cant asko us. Tere is nothing He owes us. We owe Him everythingour very lives.

CONCLUSION

Ater An ne Sulliva n was able to co mmunicate with He len Keller, s he began to te ach herhow to communicate with others. Anne did not speak to Helen in order to become merely acompanion to her. Anne saw Helens potential or communication. Helen Keller became anauthor and activist in later years. Te power o that initial moment o communication led toplaces no one would have imagined.

So it is with us. God does not speak to us so that we might keep Him company or that wemight merely be riends. He speaks to us and lavishes the grace o His salvation upon us so thatwe might then get to work accomplishing all that He has called us to do. Te God who speaks isthe God who gives tasks. God communicates His commands, and then He breathes His Spiritinto our hearts, enabling us to learn, live, and love.

Visit GospelProjectcom or more resources (podcasts, devotionals,and other articles) related to this material


7/16



8/16

FALL 2012

UNIT 1

The God Who Speaks

IN HE 1998 FILM Te ruman Show, Jim Carrey plays ruman Burbank, a generally cheerulinsurance adjuster in a cozy island town whose days run like clockworkuntil the day a stage lightalls out o the heavens and crashes near his car. As ruman begins paying attention to the worldaround him, he discovers little by little that he is the unwitting star o a reality television show. Hebegins looking back through his lie and at the world around him, and he sees that the clues toreality were there all along.

Te ruman Showis just a movie, o course, but it is still a good metaphor or how billions o

people live their lives in this world every day. Tey go about their routines, sometimes suspectingthe world around them is trying to tell them something about itsel and whats outside o itbut ailing over and over again to put those clues together. Meanwhile, billions o other peoplesee the signs in daily lie (the suns rising, the seas swelling, the changing o the seasons, theclockwork o the solar system, the intricacies o DNA) as i they are peeks behind the stage. Te

world is telling us something; we just know it! Its telling us something about itsel, about us,and about whats behind it all.

But what? What is it saying?

What are some o the hints and clues we see in creation that point us to the

existence o a Creator? Conversely, what are some o the aspects o creationthat cause some people to believe that no Creator exists?


9/16


SESSION 1

THE GOD WHO SPEAKS

IMAGINE YOUR SIGHT and hearing being taken from

you. Now imagine not being able to communicate

with the world around you. How would you learn

who you were? What you were supposed to do? The

story of Helen Keller reminds us of the importance

of communication and the importance of someone

intervening on our behalf. Until a teacher came alongand taught Helen how to communicate, she lived in

total darkness, isolated from her world. Spiritually we

are in the same position Helen Keller was as a child.

Fortunately, God stepped in and made Himself known.

Our eyes are now open and our lives can have purpose.

God, in His love for us, has communicated with us and

created a way for us to have a relationship with Him.


10/16

READY YOUR HEART

FALL 2012

Gen. 1:1-3 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth wasormless and empty, darkness covered the surace o the watery depths, and the Spirit o

God was hovering over the surace o the waters. Then God said, Let there be light, and

there was light.

IMAGINE YOUR FAVORITE HANGOUT,like a local pizza parlor or burger joint Think aboutall the details that go into making it the place you know and love: music played, decoration,

closing time, employees, cost o menu items, type o soda, items on the menu, etc The listcould go on and on and on

Who has the nal say in all o these many decisions? The owner o the restaurant Heor she has the nal authority over all aspects o the place because he or she either built or

purchased it As the creator and sustainer o that establishment, they get to be the onewho ultimately decides what this weeks special is and who will be working which shitsEverything that happens in their restaurant is subject to their authority As the customer,

can you really complain about the decorations or menu items? You can choose not to eatthere, but you cant really complain because the restaurant isnt yours

Lets now project this concept on a global level Who has ultimate authority over theentire world? That would be God, the creator and sustainer o the entire universe The

Bible clearly states that God created the heavens and the earth He created all the lightwe see simply by saying, Let there be light He created the sun, the moon, the stars, the

oceans, the continents, the plants, the animals, and all o mankind simply by speakingthem into existence The same power used or speaking the entire universe into existence

is now used to shape the universe or His purposes As the creator and sustainer o theworld, the God who speaks has the ultimate authority

HAS AUTHORITY

PAUSE AND REFLECT Why is it important to realize Gods authority? What impact does Gods authority have in your lie?

Do you nd yoursel disagreeing with what God haschosen or allowed to happen? Rather than disagreeing,what would be a better response?


11/16


READY YOUR HEART

Ex. 3:2-6 Then the Angel o the Lord appeared to him in a ame o re within a bush.As Moses looked, he saw that the bush was on re but was not consumed. So Moses

thought: I must go over and look at this remarkable sight. Why isnt the bush burning

up? When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him rom the

bush, Moses, Moses! Here I am, he answered. Do not come closer, He said. Take

your sandals of your eet, or the place where you are standing is holy ground. Then He

continued, I am the God o your ather, the God o Abraham, the God o Isaac, and the

God o Jacob. Moses hid his ace because he was araid to look at God.

ONE OF THE FINAL SCENES in the classic movie The Wizard o Oz nds Dorothy, theTin Man, the Lion, and the Scarecrow bringing the broom rom the Wicked Witch o the

West to the great and powerul Wizard o Oz They are treated to a huge spectacle osmoke and re During this grand display, Toto wanders o and discovers a great truth:the Wizard o Oz is not a powerul person, but rather a tiny old man speaking into a

microphone and pulling levers and buttons Instead o being all-powerul, he was inact powerless and hidden, araid people would learn the truth

This is the exact opposite o how God works Rather than hiding behind a curtain,He has made Himsel ully known He is the creator o the universe, and He wantspeople to know who He is in a personal way

The story o Moses and the burning bush is just one o many instances we seeo God revealing Himsel to His people The Bible is ull o other examples These

examples start in the book o Genesis as He created the heavens and the earth, and

continue all the way through the book o Revelation as the Bible says that the grace othe Lord Jesus be with all the saints (Rev 22:21) Because o His immense love or us,God merciully reveals Himsel to all o His creation

PAUSE AND REFLECT Why did the Wizard o Oz not want to be revealed? Why does God continuously reveal Himsel? In what ways has God revealed Himsel in your lie?

THE CURTAIN IS OPEN


12/16

FALL 2012

READY YOUR HEART

Gen. 1:27-30 So God created man in His own image; He created him in the image oGod; He created them male and emale. God blessed them, and God said to them, Be

ruitul, multiply, ll the earth, and subdue it. Rule the sh o the sea, the birds o the sky,

and every creature that crawls on the earth. God also said, Look, I have given you every

seed-bearing plant on the surace o the entire earth, and every tree whose ruit contains

seed. This ood will be or you, or all the wildlie o the earth, or every bird o the sky, and

or every creature that crawls on the eartheverything having the breath o lie in it. I have

given every green plant or ood. And it was so.

BAD NEWS: you just lost your iPhone and with it your ability to communicate andsurvive The ollowing two scenarios are ways you may replace it

Scenario 1: You know it is going to cost you something so you approach your parentswith a proposal You explain you will take on several household chores, including allyardwork, or the summer In exchange or this work, you will earn the required money

to pay or your lieline to the outside worldyour iPhoneScenario 2: Your dad ound you staring out to space and eventually realized your

helpless situation Being a loving ather, he stops by the store, picks up a brand newphone, and gives it to you that evening Overwhelmed by love and gratitude, you decide

to step up and take on more chores around the house You even volunteer to paintthe ence that desperately needs it and you want to continually show your love and

gratitude so you joyully mow the lawn each week without being askedNotice that in both situations, the end result is the same: you get a new iPhone, the

ence gets painted, and the yard gets mowed But the manner in which the end cameabout is completely dierent The second scenario is similar to how things work withGod There is nothing we can ever do to earn His avor But he loves and cares or us so

much that the Bible says that He blesses us (Gen 1:28) It was even more evident whenHe sent His only son to die on our behal, so that we may have everlasting lie (John 3:16)

The point is, God does not give us tasks in order to earn His blessings He gives us Hisblessings, which in turn ought to motive us to worship and obey Him!

RESPONDING TO HIS BLESSING

PAUSE AND REFLECT Why doesnt God act in a manner similar to scenario 1? Why do so many people think God works like the ather

in scenario 1? How does seeing scenario 2 afect your thoughts about

God and His commands?


13/16

The God Who Speaks...From the beginning o time and in the pages o

Scripture, God reveals Himsel as a God who speaks.

His speech is a demonstration o His power, grace, and

authority. Because o this truth, there is nothing more

important in lie than hearing rom God and obeying

His voice. Today we will learn more about this God whospeaks and what His speaking means to us.

The truth that God speaks is whatseparates Him rom all idols. In the Old Testament, wesee requent showdowns between the true God o Israeland the alse gods o pagan peoples. In Psalm 115:3-5, weread: Our God is in heaven and does whatever He pleases.Their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands. Theyhave mouths but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. Thecontrast is clear. God is Spirit. He has no physical mouth,and yet He speaks. The idols, on the other hand, are physical.They have mouths but are silent. God alone has authority.

God is the God who speaks.

Has Authority.There was nothing but nothingness until God made His

intentions known. With just two words spoken by God,

light came into existence. God created by speaking. He

spoke the world into existence. And the result o His

speaking demonstrates how powerul His speech is.How does the impact of a word of

encouragement or criticism changedepending upon who says it?

Words have no authority in themselves. Words are only

powerul when spoken by someone with power. List

people whose words carry meaning both culturally

and to you personally.

The power o Godexercised through His wordelicited this reaction rom the writer o Hebrews:

For the word o God is living and efective andsharper than any double-edged sword, penetratingas ar as the separation o soul and spirit, joints andmarrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts othe heart (Heb. 4:12).

How doesour beliethat God hasspoken afecour view oScripture?The world welive in? Ourday-to-daybehavior?


14/16

God created us out of mercy.He has spoken to us out o mercy.He became one o us out o His mercy.And He calls us to Himsel out o Hismercy. Just as Anne Sullivan brokethrough to Helen Keller, the Holy Spirit

opens the eyes o our heart so wecan see His goodness and His glory andrespond with gratitude.

What do we learn about God throughthe act that He revealed Himsel tous and desires a relationship with us?

Deism teaches that God created the world, much likea clockmaker puts together a clock. But then the Deistgod no longer intervenes in our aairs. Deists believe thatGod cares very little about what happens in this world. Helets the clock begin to tick, and then he steps back andbecomes uninvolved.

I you were to hold to a Deist view o Gods revelation,

how would that aect your lie? How would it aectyour view o the Bible?

When you come to knowing God, the initiative lies on Hisside. I He does not show Himsel, nothing you can do willenable you to fnd Him.C. S. Lewis (1898-1963)

Gives Us Tasks.I it is true that God has spoken, thenthere is nothing greater we can do than

listen to what our Creator has said.What might be some o the reasonspeople dont want to believe thatGod has spoken?

In Genesis 1:27-30, God told the frsthumans, Adam and Eve, what Heexpected o them. Notice the progression:God created (authority); then He blessed(mercy). Finally, He gave tasks.

Conclusion God does notspeak to us so that we might keep Himcompany or that we might merely beriends. He speaks to us and lavishes thegrace o His salvation upon us so that wemight then get to work accomplishing allthat He has called us to do. The God whospeaks is the God who gives tasks. Godcommunicates His commands, and thenHe breathes His Spirit into our hearts,enabling us to learn, live, and love.

Is Merciful.Mercy is at the heart o Godsrevelation to us. Notice who initiatedthe conversation. God is the One who

came to Moses. He merciully revealeHimsel and then identifed Himsel athe God o Moses oreathers.

Why do you think it isimportant that we undstand this progression?What might happen

when we seek to under-stand the task apartrom Gods blessing?

When we come tounderstand thataccomplishing our taskis made possible onlybecause o Gods initialblessing o grace, thenthere is nothing God cantask o us. There is nothingHe owes us. We owe Himeverythingour very lives.

Has God spoken to youthrough His Word in thpast ew months? WhaScripture passages hasGod used to speak to yo

What blessings have yoreceived rom God in thpast ew months?

What tasks has Godpresented to you as aresult o these blessing


15/16


ENCORE

1. HAS AUTHORITY (GEN. 1:1-3).

Words change things. When a pastor stands next to a gushing groom and a beaming bride and says,I now pronounce you husband and wie, their status changes. Tey become united beore Godand Gods people. Tey are ushered into the union o holy matrimony. Te spoken word changedthem orever because it was spoken with authority. But words have no authority in themselves.

Words are only powerul when spoken by someone with power.Responding to the powerul nature o Gods speech, the psalmist praised God or His creative

authority: Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all you shining stars. Praise Him, highestheavens, and you waters above the heavens. Let them praise the name o Yahweh, or He

commanded, and they were created (Ps. 148:3-5). Notice the progression: God commanded, andthe universe was created.

Words matter. Words carry weight. And the weightiest words are those uttered by the mostglorious (the weightiest) Being in the universe. His words matter because o who He is.

2. IS MERCIFUL (EX. 3:2-6).

We have no right to demand an audience with God. God is not accountable to us; we areaccountable to Him. God would have been ully just and righteous to create this world and leave itto natural processes, never to intervene, never to communicate with His human creatures, and neverto involve Himsel with our human plight. Tere is nothing about our existence that orces God tobe a God who reveals Himsel. And yet God speaks. Te very act that we are created is a result oGods grace.

He created us to ellowship with Him, to join in the love song the three Persons o the rinitysing to one another. Out o gracenot necessityGod has created this world. He has spoken, andthereore, we exist. It is also an act o grace that God would reveal Himsel to us personally. God wasunder no obligation to pull back the curtain and let us see aspects o His character and evidences oHis power. He could have spoken the world into existence and then never spoken again, leaving usin ignorance about our Creator and our purpose.

Here we see the good news o the gospel! Te gospel is the story o a God who issues a call tohelpless sinners. In our blindness and deaness, we are imprisoned by our own sinulness. We cannot

see the goodness o God until He gives us new eyes. We cannot hear the voice o God until Heopens our ears. Like Helen Keller, we struggle to make sense o the world around uswhy we arehere and where we are going.

But Godout o sheer gracechose to enter our world o darkness through the person o JesusChrist. In His perect lie and sacricial death, Jesus revealed God to us. He showed us Godscharacter. He demonstrated the love at the heart o the Fathers authority.

THE GOD WHO SPEAKS


16/16

1FALL 2012

3. GIVES US TASKS (GEN 1:27-30).

I it is true that God has spoken, then there is nothing greater we can do than listen to what ourCreator has said. Once we recognize the authority o the God who speaks and the mercy rom whichHe speaks, we are then responsible to lovingly and willingly obey Gods commands. Te commandhas been issued. What will our response be?

In Genesis 1:27-30, God told the rst humans, Adam and Eve, what He expected o them. Noticethe progression again: God created (authority); then He blessed (mercy). Finally, He gave tasks.Out o His authority, God created Adam and Eve. Out o His mercy, He blessed them. Ten Godsmercy led to His tasking Adam and Eve with cultivating His good creation. oo many times, we getthe order backwards. We begin with the tasks o the Christian lie and seek to receive Gods blessingas a result o our obedience. But the gospel turns these expectations upside down. God rst blessesHis children. Only then does He task them with ruling wisely over the earth.

When we begin with the task rather than the blessing, we cut ourselves of rom the very powerthat is necessary to ulll the tasks God has given us. Te blessing o the gospelthe git o

undeserved graceshould motivate and drive our obedience. As we embrace the gospel, the gospelthen empowers our love or God and or our neighbor.

When we begin with our obedience instead o Gods blessing, we invert the gospel. We begin tothink that we can somehow put God in our debt. I we only do enough good works, maybe God

will bless us. Tis is humanitys utile attempt at keeping control. Wed rather think that God owesus. As long as we think someone owes us, we maintain a sense o control.

Gracein contrastis scary! When we come to understand that accomplishing our task is madepossible only because o Gods initial blessing o grace, then there is nothing God cant ask o us.Tere is nothing He owes us. We owe Him everythingour very lives.

CONCLUSIONAter Anne Sullivan was able to communicate with Helen Keller, she began to teach her how tocommunicate with others. Anne did not speak to Helen in order to become merely a companionto her. Anne saw Helens potential or communication. Helen Keller became an author andactivist in later years. Te power o that initial moment o communication led to places no one

would have imagined.So it is with us. God does not speak to us so that we might keep Him company or that we might

merely be riends. He speaks to us and lavishes the grace o His salvation upon us so that we mightthen get to work accomplishing all that He has called us to do. Te God who speaks is the God whogives tasks. God communicates His commands, and then He breathes His Spirit into our hearts,

enabling us to learn, live, and love.

Documents

Unit1_Session1_PersonalStudyGuide