People of the Bible: Jesus

Jesus is the most important and most unique person to have ever lived. The Bible says that Jesus was God, but he was also man. How can this be? Well Jesus, who is God, decided to subject himself into humanity to help us see God. He became a person like us to point us towards eternal life. Without being God, Jesus would not have been able to do this. But without becoming human, Jesus would not be able to relate to the people he came to save.

It is a complicated thought, one that we cannot quite wrap our minds around. However, the Bible makes it clear that Jesus was fully God and fully Man. He came as God in human form to relate to us and show us the way to the Father.

Although Jesus only lived into his mid-30’s, he lived a full life. The Bible mostly focuses on the last 3 years of his life. During this time Jesus was preaching and teaching the Word of God to his followers. He performed many miracles through his vast power. He walked on water, he healed people, he even raised people back from the dead. He had all the power of God because he was God. The people around Jesus were often astonished at the things he was able to do.

The biggest flex of his strength and power actually came through something most people would see as weak. Jesus decided to give himself up for us. He died on a cross for all of humanity’s sins. The Bible tells us that at any time Jesus could have called upon ten thousand angels to save him from the cross, but he knew we needed saving. After his death, Jesus was laid in a tomb, but 3 days later he was raised from the dead and eventually ascended back into his heavenly home.

Many people know these stories about Jesus because this is what the Bible focuses on. The authors of the gospels wanted people to know that Jesus was the Messiah so they pointed to his power as evidence. But Jesus was also a person just like we are. The Bible tells us that Jesus ate, slept, and enjoyed hanging out with his friends.

The Bible does not tell us specifically, but it is also safe to say that Jesus would have had a fairly normal childhood. He would have helped his parents around the house. He would have played with other children his age. He experienced life just like we do. That means he experienced all the bad things as well. He knew what it was like to be sad, to be hurt, to be lonely. He was tempted just like we are. We can look to Jesus to see how we should live our life because he went through everything we go through. Jesus left his perfect home and entered into this broken world so he could relate to us and help us live for God.

Key Takeaways:

• Jesus was fully God and fully man

• He is powerful

• He is like us

• Everyone needs Jesus!

Parents, 3treesKIDS will also be learning about Jesus this Sunday, both in-person and online.

Be sure to check out their lesson at www.3trees.com/kids.

To find service times and locations, visit https://www.3trees.com/planyourvisit.

Intro to the New Testament

The New Testament picks up where the Old Testament left off, with the promise of a Savior. However, this time it wasn’t a promise to come, but a promise that had already been fulfilled. The New Testament is about God’s son, Jesus, and how he came into the world as a man, lived a perfect life, died for all our sins, and was resurrected to offer us eternal salvation.

Like the Old Testament, the New Testament is broken up into sections:

• The Gospels (Matthew - John)

• Acts

• The Epistles (Romans - Jude)

• Revelation

The Gospels are about the life of Jesus. Written by Jesus’s followers, these books walk us through what Jesus did while he was on earth. Everything Jesus did is recorded in these books. All the miracles and healings, and even his death and resurrection! There are four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and they all tell this story from slightly different perspectives. Each gives us immense insight into his life and shows us many of the words Jesus spoke to them and others.

The book of Acts comes directly after the gospels and it tells us about what Jesus’s disciples did after Jesus ascended into Heaven. The disciples walked in Jesus’s footsteps by preaching about the Kingdom of God and Jesus’s miraculous resurrection. They also performed many miracles and healings along with experiencing God in new ways. The church was born in the book of Acts!

The Epistles or the Letters were written by Jesus’s followers. These books were intended to teach Christians what it meant to follow Jesus and how to do that in a God-honoring way. These books are full of encouragement, but they are also full of correction. No one is perfect, we all mess up and that’s why these books are so important. They light the way for all of God’s people and show us how to live like Jesus.

The last book of the New Testament stands in a category of its own. The book of Revelation is just that. It is a revelation of the things that will come in the future of the church and the world. Revelation is written by John the apostle (one of Jesus’s closest disciples). In this book, John describes a vision that God gave him about the end of the world. The Here we are reminded that Jesus died and went to heaven, but he is coming back. And when Jesus comes back he will bring all of his followers into heaven with him.

Overall the entire Bible is about Jesus and his role in saving humanity. The New Testament shows us plainly what Jesus has done for us and it encourages us to accept everything he has done for us and to live a life worthy of his calling.

Key Takeaways:

• Jesus is the son of God

• Jesus is our Savior

• Everyone Needs Jesus!

Parents, 3treesKIDS will also be learning about the New Testament of the Bible this Sunday, both in-person and online.

Be sure to check out their lesson at www.3trees.com/kids.

To find service times and locations, visit https://www.3trees.com/planyourvisit.

Old Testament Recap

The Old Testament is generally divided into 4 sections.

• Pentateuch (Genesis-Deuteronomy)

• Historical Books (Joshua-Esther)

• Wisdom and Poetry (Job-Song of Songs)

• Prophets (Isaiah-Malachi)

The Old Testament is ultimately a book about God and how He has interacted with humanity and how He promises to do so moving forward. The Old Testament starts in Genesis with creation. God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them. Then we follow the story of God and his chosen people.

Starting with one couple (Abraham and Sarah) God over several generations develops a people group that will eventually be known as the Israelites. While they were in slavery God calls them out to the nation of Israel, a place to call home. We follow their story from slavery to redemption with a world of events in between.

The Pentateuch meaning “law” was given to the Israelites through their first leader, Moses. It is here that we can see the rules and regulations God gave the people (and us) for living God honoring lives. It is here that we see things like the 10 commandments come into place (Exodus 20).

The Historical Books give us an in depth look at some of the heroes of the faith. People like Samson, Samuel, David, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther are all highlighted in this section. We get a close up picture of how these men and women served God. But the Historical books give us the bad things as well. We see evil kings, and the people of Israel start to turn their backs on God.

The Wisdom and Poetry section serve as a break in the historical account for the Old Testament. Books like Psalms, Proverbs, and others give readers practical ways to live a life full of wisdom and in close relationship with God. The Psalms especially walk us through almost every human emotion possible and how God can enter all those emotions with us to give us comfort and a sense of direction.

Lastly we have the Prophets which are broken up into the Major and Minor prophets. The Major Prophets are much longer books while the Minor Prophets are much shorter. Each prophet had a unique message from God but each revolved around restoration for people who come to God and destruction for people that ignore Him.

Eventually God’s people are exiled because they stopped listening to God. Once God got their attention again, he restored them to their home land of Israel. But God had further restoration in mind.

Throughout the Old Testament a Savior or Messiah is talked about. It would be through this Messiah that complete restoration would take place. Many characters showed pieces of what that Savior would be like, but the true Savior would pull it all together and be even more than what the people expected.

That Savior is Jesus, and his birth marks the beginning of the New Testament.

Key Takeaways:

• God is Creator

• God love for his people

• God restoration & forgiveness

Parents, 3treesKIDS will also be learning about the Old Testament of the Bible this Sunday, both in-person and online.

Be sure to check out their lesson at www.3trees.com/kids.

To find service times and locations, visit https://www.3trees.com/planyourvisit.