FALL 2014: Leader Guide HCSB. Ed Stetzer General Editor Trevin Wax Managing Editor

Transcription

1 FALL 2014: Leader Guide HCSB Ed Stetzer General Editor Trevin Wax Managing Editor

2 A Word from the Editors Ed Stetzer General Editor The Gospel Project President, LifeWay Research Jesus taught His disciples in the Sermon on the Mount to pray like this: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven (Matt. 6:9-10, KJV). Sounds innocuous enough, but is it really? To the ears of any self-conscious authority on this planet, Jesus model prayer would be the sound of sedition Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done. Furthermore, to any honest heart, this prayer should challenge the core of our being, for who wholeheartedly asks to be ruled? What is the nature of this kingdom that we ask to come? That s the focus of this study of The Gospel Project The Story of God s Kingdom. Tracing the theme of God s kingdom through the Scriptures, we will see as clearly as possible what it is we are asking for, or better yet, who we are asking for. Because when you get a kingdom, you are going to get a king. And if you want God s kingdom, then you must expect the coming of God s King. Jesus said God s kingdom His kingdom is not of this world yet, but there will come a day, and it has already started, when all wrongs will be set right and all injustices will meet with justice. We as Jesus followers live now as kingdom citizens in a world not our own, proclaiming His coming and calling others to His side, but we pray for the day Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Trevin Wax Managing Editor The Gospel Project Author of multiple books, including Gospel-Centered Teaching, Counterfeit Gospels, and Clear Winter Nights: A Young Man s Journey into Truth, Doubt, and What Comes After The story of Scripture is a story of war a cosmic battle between a good King who loves His broken creation and the Evil One whose kingdom is marked by rebellion and suffering. Miss the drama between these two kingdoms the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness and you miss a major part of the tension of the Bible. But wait, there s more. This battle of kingdoms isn t just the story of our world; it s your story, and mine. There is a battle for our souls. What kind of people will we be? Whose kingdom will we belong to? We will worship; we will bow down; it s in our nature as human beings to live under someone or something s authority. The question is who gets our loyalty? Will we bow the knee before the King of kings, or will we pursue our own kingdoms and live as if we are in charge? In this issue of The Gospel Project, we take a journey through the story line of Scripture once again, this time looking at the theme of God s kingdom. I pray this study reveals the hidden idols of your heart, magnifies the greatness of King Jesus, and transforms you into a herald of the returning King. May God make us a people who live under the lordship of Christ and speak of His excellency to those around us who have not yet bent the knee. The King has a mission, and we are His messengers. EDITORS

3 About the Writers The Gospel Project Adult Leader Guide HCSB Volume 3, Number 1 Fall 2014 Eric Geiger Vice President, Church Resources Ed Stetzer General Editor Trevin Wax Managing Editor Daniel Davis Content Editor Josh Hayes Content and Production Editor Philip Nation Director, Adult Ministry Publishing Faith Whatley Director, Adult Ministry Send questions/comments to: Managing Editor, The Gospel Project: Adult Leader Guide, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN ; or make comments on the Web at Unit 1: Kendell Easley is a professor of biblical studies at Union University, in Memphis, Tennessee, and is the director of the Master of Christian Studies and Doctor of Ministry programs for Union s Stephen Olford Center. He has written ongoing curriculum for more than 20 years. Kendell is married to Nancy, and they have one married young adult son. Unit 2: Halim Suh and his wife, Angela, have three kids and live in Austin, Texas, where he is pastor of teaching and theology at The Austin Stone Community Church. He is the author (with Matt Carter) of two Threads studies: Creation Unraveled and Creation Restored. Halim has a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Unit 3: Jason C Dukes is married to Jen, and they have six children. He helped start WestpointChurch.org and ReproducingChurches.com and now pastors First Baptist Church, Booneville, Mississippi. He s the author of Live Sent and Beyond My Church, and he periodically blogs at SENTkids.com. Printed in the United States of America The Gospel Project : Adult Leader Guide HCSB (ISSN ; Item ) is published quarterly by LifeWay Christian Resources, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234, Thom S. Rainer, President LifeWay Christian Resources. For ordering or inquiries, visit or write LifeWay Church Resources Customer Service, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN For subscriptions or subscription address changes, subscribe@lifeway.com, fax (615) , or write to the above address. For bulk shipments mailed quarterly to one address, orderentry@lifeway.com, fax (615) , or write to the above address. We believe that the Bible has God for its author; salvation for its end; and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter and that all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. To review LifeWay s doctrinal guideline, please visit Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. All Scripture quotations marked (MSG) are taken from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved. WRITERS

4 Table of Contents Suggested for the week of Unit 1: The King and His Kingdom September 7 7 Session 1 The King of All: God, the King of Heaven and Earth, Is Worthy to Be Praised September Session 2 The Rebellion of Heaven: Pride Leads to Rebellion and Judgment September Session 3 The Kingdom on Earth: God Planned for People to Live in His World Under His Loving Rule September Session 4 The Rebellion on Earth: Rejection of God s Good Rule Throws All of Creation into Turmoil Unit 2: Longing for the King October 5 55 Session 5 And There Was No King : We Need Deliverance from Ourselves October Session 6 Looking for a King: We Are Inclined to Settle for Lesser Saviors October Session 7 A Glimpse of the King: We Need a Chosen King Who Honors God and Fights for His People October Session 8 The Promise of the King: We Must Cultivate a Hunger for the Right King Unit 3: The Kingdom Comes November Session 9 The King s Presence: The Upside-Down Nature of Christ s Kingdom November Session 10 Kingdom Power: The Power of the Kingdom Comes Through Sacrifice November Session 11 Kingdom Proclamation: The Message of the Kingdom Spreads Through Bold Messengers November Session 12 Kingdom People: The Church Is a Sign and Instrument of the Kingdom November Session 13 Kingdom Perfection: Jesus Will Return as Conquering King to Make Everything Right

5 How to Use The Gospel Project Tips from Trevin on how to best use this Leader Guide Welcome to The Gospel Project! Think about the awesome responsibility we have every week to guide people through Bible study so they have an encounter with the living Christ. I hope The Gospel Project will provide you with the tools and resources you need as you prayerfully seek to apply the truth of the gospel to the people God has placed in your group. Here are some things to remember as you use this Leader Guide: Pray. Pray for your group. Don t lead in your own strength. Adapt. You know the style of your group. If more discussion-oriented, then encourage participants to read the lesson ahead of time. Use the For Further Discussion questions in the Teaching Plan to facilitate discussion that stays grounded in the lesson. If you take a more master-teacher approach, then spend time mastering the Expanded Lesson Content. Select the questions that make the most strategic sense for moving the lesson along. Cut. If it seems to you that the lessons for The Gospel Project provide too much material for one session, you re right. We chose to deliver more than you need and to include the bulk of the lesson in the Personal Study Guide so you don t feel pressed to get all the content delivered in the session time itself. Refer your group members to the Personal Study Guide. Personalize. Take the truths in The Gospel Project and enhance them. Add personal stories. Ask penetrating questions that go to the heart of the people you know and love. Encourage preparation. Challenge your group to read through the lesson each week on their own to prepare for the group gathering. Resource yourself (encourage your group to take advantage of these resources too). Make use of the additional resources suggested at the end of each lesson. Read a suggested chapter or section in a book. Learn from the Tip of the Week to grow as a teacher and a group in spiritual maturity. Visit gospelproject.com/blog for the following: Read online articles and blog posts related to the overall study theme. Listen to a brief video as I point out the highlights to focus on for the upcoming lesson. Visit gospelproject.com/additionalresources to easily access these resources: Read online articles and blog posts related to the lesson content. Listen to helpful podcasts from pastors and church leaders. Download suggestions for interactive teaching helps to aid in your teaching. Download parental resources for talking with children and students about their Gospel Project experiences and joining the family together in discipleship. Overflow. Remember The Gospel Project is not just a curriculum. WE are the project. The gospel is working on us. Don t prepare simply for the content you re going to deliver. Let the truths of God s Word soak in as you study. A great leader is not a dispenser of information but an overflowing river of gospel passion. Let God work on your heart first, and then pray that He will change the hearts of the people He has entrusted to your care. 6 Leader Guide Fall 2014

6 SESSION 1 The King of All God, the King of Heaven and Earth, Is Worthy to Be Praised Summary and Goal Before the world existed, God was always there Father, Son, and Spirit united in love and glory forever. In love, God created everything in heaven and on earth for His glory. As Creator, He is worthy to receive praise from everything in heaven and on earth. The mission of God s people today is driven by a vision of His power and love, both of which He displayed in the creation of the universe. Steps to Prepare 1. Read the main passages for this lesson, recording your insights and questions: --Job 38:5-7 --Psalm Study the Expanded Lesson Content (pp ). --Determine what elements of this lesson are most applicable to your particular group. --Consider ways to personalize the lesson content for you and your class. 3. Review the Teaching Plan (pp. 8-9). --Refine the lesson plan based on your group s particular needs. --Adjust the plan if necessary. 4. Pray for the Lord s guidance as you lead your group through this material. Lesson Outline 1. God is to be praised in the highest heavens (Ps. 148:1-6). 2. God is to be praised by everything on earth (Ps. 148:7-14). 3. God was praised by angels as He created the world (Job 38:5-7). Session 1 7

7 Teaching Plan The King of All Session 1 For Further Discussion Discuss a time when you received praise because of an achievement? Was it in sports or music or academic success? How did the praise make you feel? Embarrassed, awkward, joyful? Why? For Further Discussion What are some circumstances that cause people to wonder about the reason for their existence? What are some goals people pursue in life? For Further Discussion Are the people you know more inclined to worship nature or ignore it altogether? How does the Christian understanding of creation guard against both of those mistakes? Begin with the illustration of the Oscars or awards given for great achievement. Something in all of us longs to give praise where praise is due (leader p. 10; personal study guide [PSG] p. 8). Think of a time you praised someone else who really deserved it. What had they accomplished? What emotions did you feel as you praised that person? Connect our desire to worship to the purpose for our existence praising God the King. Explain the purpose of this volume (tracing the story of the kingdom through the Scriptures), and summarize this lesson (leader pp ; PSG pp. 8-9). 1. God is to be praised in the highest heavens. Before you read Psalm 148:1-6, put the passage in the context of why God created the world. He desired admiration and praise, for only when we praise Him do we find our fullest joy (leader p. 11). As you read these verses, encourage your group to notice how the place of praise shifts from verse to verse (leader p. 12; PSG p. 9). Explain the ancient view of the heavens in three dimensions: God s dwelling place, our outer universe, and the skies above us (leader pp ; PSG p. 10). In what ways do the sun, moon, and stars bring praise to God? Highlight the power of God s word in creating the heavens (leader p. 13). How does the creation of entities in the three heavens show God s power? In your experience, what elements in each of the three heavens especially display the majesty of their Creator? 2. God is to be praised by everything on earth. Transition to the next part of the passage, Psalm 148:7-14, encouraging your group to look for echoes of the Genesis 1 creation account as you read (leader p. 13; PSG p. 11).* 8 Leader Guide Fall 2014

8 * Consider dividing your members into three groups. Ask each group to read the passage for themselves and to take one day of creation (Day 3, Day 5, Day 6) and find the connections. The groups can record their conclusions in the Personal Study Guide and report to the whole group (PSG p. 11). Walk through verses 7-10, showing how all living things are called to give praise to God (leader p. 14). What elements of God s majesty do you see displayed in the earthly part of creation? How does observing these elements help us in witnessing to others about God s greatness and love? Highlight the truth of verses 11-12, that all kinds of people are called to praise God. Then point out the reasons the psalmist gave for praising God. Those of us who have received salvation have even more reasons to praise Him (leader pp ; PSG p. 12). What is the connection between our worship and our witness? How can observing the universe s praise encourage us to praise God? 3. God was praised by angels as He created the world. Use the example from The Magician s Nephew to make the point that the earth s creation took place in front of a heavenly audience (leader p. 15). Then introduce Job 38:5-7, explain the context, and read these verses that show angels were present at the creation (leader pp ; PSG pp ). For Further Discussion What are some ways we may fail to give God praise for His creation? For Further Discussion The word angel can also be translated messenger. What does the delivery of messages have to do with angelic beings? Why do you think God tasks us (instead of angels) with taking the gospel to the nations? For Further Discussion What actions can we engage in to shine a light on God s greatness? What images come to mind when you think of angels? How do these images correspond to the biblical teaching about angels? Highlight the scriptural understanding of angelic beings by working through the truths presented in the lesson (leader pp ; PSG pp ). What are some ways our culture misrepresents angels? What role do angels play in the mission of God? Conclusion Lift up God as King, worthy of all praise. Reiterate our salvation in Christ and connect this to our mission (leader p. 17; PSG p. 15). What difference would it make in your life if you acted fully on your belief in the truth that God is the King of heaven and earth, worthy of all your praise? Apply the truths of this lesson with His Mission, Your Mission (PSG p. 16). See sidebar for direction. His Mission, Your Mission Lead your group through Live on Mission (PSG p. 16).... Optional: Read the quote by Millard J. Erickson (leader p. 17; PSG p. 16), and ask the following questions: How should we speak of angels in comparison to Jesus? (Jesus is the King whom angels praise and serve, Heb. 1.) What can we learn from angels in how we praise and serve God? Session 1 9

9 Expanded Lesson Content The King of All Session 1 Voices from Church History You are matchless, O Lord. So our praise of You must rise above our humanity You awaken in us a delight at praising You. You made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it finds its place of rest in You. 1 Augustine ( ) Opening Illustration and Introduction And the Oscar goes to The audience, filled with Hollywood s royalty decked out in its finest attire, holds its collective breath. The speaker pauses dramatically. The winner pretends to be surprised, struts to the podium, and thanks everyone involved in this remarkable outcome. This scene plays out many times a year with other awards shows, and next year, the cycle repeats. Last year s praiseworthy actor begins to fade as new kings and queens of Hollywood are crowned. Something in all of us longs to give praise where praise is due. (We love to receive praise as well.) The trouble is praise for human success is so fleeting. Even the most celebrated films eventually make their way to the bargain bin in a supermarket. It s the same with sports. Rarely do you find someone who remembers the winner of the past few World Series or World Cup events, much less the winning teams of 20 years ago. Think of a time you praised someone else who really deserved it. What had they accomplished? What emotions did you feel as you praised that person? What should we learn from this desire to praise? What does this tendency toward worship tell us? Perhaps it s a clue to reminds us that Someone does deserve praise, not for temporary success that fades but for goodness and beauty and truth that is everlasting. What if that Someone wants us to know Him? What if He invites us to join with others in offering praise forever? What if it s true that the one reason the main reason we are alive is to offer praise? 10 Leader Guide Fall 2014

10 In this volume, we will trace the story of God s kingdom through the Scriptures. This is the story of a Creator worthy of praise, of an enemy bent on destroying the world, of sinful humans redirecting their praise in all the wrong places, of a King stepping into the chaos to restore His fallen world, and of a people redeemed and set free to live with and for the King forever. Lesson Summary In this session, we will look to Genesis, but we will ground our study in the Psalms. We will see that before the world existed, God was always there Father, Son, and Spirit united in love and glory forever. In love, God created everything in heaven and on earth for His glory. As Creator, He is worthy to receive praise from everything in heaven and on earth. The mission of God s people today is driven by a vision of His power and love, both of which He displayed in the creation of the universe. 1. God is to be praised in the highest heavens (Ps. 148:1-6). Many people imagine that God alone before the creation of the universe was lonely. This cannot be true, however. God has always been, and He has always lived in the perfect community of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This family, existing beyond limits of time and space, had no needs at all no dysfunction, no lonesomeness. Everything was perfect. Then, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1). Theologians and philosophers have speculated on why He would do such a thing. Thoughtful people have often asked, Why am I here? In an attempt to discover an answer, go back to the awards show we mentioned earlier. Why do we engage in elaborate efforts to applaud great work? Why do we insist on displaying awesome paintings in museums rather than hiding them in closets? Why do we develop special medals and awards for persons who have excelled at doing good? Quite simply, the answer is that the beautiful (and the good and the great and the true) deserves widespread recognition, just as a generous donor might be honored for her work in establishing a health clinic for the poor in her neighborhood. Greatness deserves recognition. Because God is truly the greatest, He deserves the greatest praise. It was a good thing for God s greatness and goodness and love to be admired and praised, and that s why He created the world. (Who else could plan the celebration?) While some may think it was selfish of God to desire praise, we know that such a desire is not a bad thing for God anymore than it is selfish for a wonderful musician to look forward to and even enjoy applause as he shares his art. One goal of a performer is that his listeners will experience pleasure, and in this he is pleased. As we praise God, we are filled with joy, and He is pleased. Scriptures of Praise Psalm 19:1: The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands. Isaiah 6:1-3: In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and His robe filled the temple. Seraphim were standing above Him; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts; His glory fills the whole earth. Isaiah 43:6b-7: Bring My sons from far away, and My daughters from the ends of the earth everyone called by My name and created for My glory. I have formed him; indeed, I have made him. Revelation 4:6,8: Four living creatures covered with eyes in front and in back were in the middle and around the throne Each of the four living creatures had six wings; they were covered with eyes around and inside. Day and night they never stop, saying: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God, the Almighty, who was, who is, and who is coming. Revelation 5:11-12: Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels around the throne, and also of the living creatures and of the elders. Their number was countless thousands, plus thousands of thousands. They said with a loud voice: The Lamb who was slaughtered is worthy to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing! Session 1 11

11 Further Commentary The word hallelujah is a compound Hebrew word from hallelu (an imperative verb form meaning praise ) and yah (a shortened form of Yahweh, the covenant name of God revealed in the Old Testament, traditionally translated the Lord ). Thus, properly translated, hallelujah means praise Yahweh! 2 Interestingly, the English tradition of not translating hallelujah has precedent in the New Testament, where the spelling alleluia appeared in the Greek original (see Rev. 19:1,3,4,6). Because hallelujah is still usually left untranslated, wherever Christians gather around the world for praise, we all understand each other with our hallelujahs. Voices from Church History Be praised, my Lord, through all Your creatures, especially through my lord Brother Sun, who brings the day; and You give light through him. And he is beautiful and radiant in all his splendor! Of You, Most High, he bears the likeness. 3 Francis of Assisi (circa ) For this study, we will use the lens of Psalm 148 to give us a picture of God the King as the One worthy to be praised. Consider the first part of this gorgeous hymn penned by an unknown Israelite poet: 1 Hallelujah! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the heights. 2 Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His hosts. 3 Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all you shining stars. 4 Praise Him, highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens. 5 Let them praise the name of Yahweh, for He commanded, and they were created. 6 He set them in position forever and ever; He gave an order that will never pass away. This psalm follows the pattern of the Genesis 1 account of creation by showing first the heavens and then moving to the earth. In the first six verses, the writer draws us upward to the heavens as they are urged to declare their praise. As the passage begins, we see a reference to the heavens and the heights that part of the creation ordinarily beyond human grasp. In ancient days, people identified three heavens. The first (atmospheric) heaven is the sky of birds and clouds and wind and rain. The second (planetary) is the sky of sun and moon and planets and stars. The third (supernatural) is the dwelling place of God and angels (see 2 Cor. 12:2-4). Third Heaven (God s Dwelling) This psalm gives attention to all three heavens, beginning with the highest heaven and moving downward. Verse 2 recalls that the angels (heavenly messengers) and the hosts (heavenly armies) of the Lord were designed to praise their Maker. As they fulfilled their God-ordained responsibilities communicating messages and engaging in spiritual warfare they brought Him praise. Second Heaven (Space) Next, the writer moves to the second heaven, that of the sun and moon and shining stars (v. 3). In the Genesis account of creation, these were made on the fourth day (Gen. 1:16-19). No less than the angels, the sun, moon, and stars were created to extol the One who made them. Sadly, human beings have often mistaken these creations for deities. Sun worship and moon worship or honoring the planets as gods mocks the Lord of heaven who made them. In our fallen state, we humans all too often turn our penchant for praise into idolatry. In what ways do the sun, moon, and stars bring praise to God? 12 Leader Guide Fall 2014

12 First Heaven (Sky) Every line of Psalm 148:1-4 begins with the Hebrew hallelu ( praise ). In verse 4 the waters in the heavens are called on to praise Him. Clouds and rain and hail and snow call forth God s praises. (From a meteorological perspective, we understand that such atmospheric waters are above the heavens in the sense that they farther up than we can reach out and touch.) Heaven Created by God s Word After challenging the inhabitants of the first, second, and third heavens to praise God, the writer reminded them of their beginning: He commanded, and they were created (v. 5). This verse wonderfully recalls the way Genesis 1 repeats the refrain God said, Let there be and there was The word of God has always been powerful. When He created, He determined also to sustain His creation. He set the heavens in order in a way that He preserves them, putting them in their position forever. What we often have called the laws of nature are actually God s word continuing to have force in every aspect of time and space. How does the creation of entities in the three heavens show God s power? In your experience, what elements in each of the three heavens especially display the majesty of their Creator? 2. God is to be praised by everything on earth (Ps. 148:7-14). The second half of Psalm 148 opens with a call for the earthly portion of God s creation to praise Him. Notice that the imperative verb praise extends throughout the rest of the psalm to include all earthly beings, whether animate or inanimate. Observe also a correlation between these verses and the days of creation in Genesis 1. 7 Praise the Lord from the earth, all sea monsters and ocean depths, 8 lightning and hail, snow and cloud, powerful wind that executes His command, 9 mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, 10 wild animals and all cattle, creatures that crawl and flying birds, 11 kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all judges of the earth, 12 young men as well as young women, old and young together. 13 Let them praise the name of Yahweh, for His name alone is exalted. His majesty covers heaven and earth. 14 He has raised up a horn for His people, resulting in praise to all His godly ones, to the Israelites, the people close to Him. Hallelujah! Voices from the Church Creation draws us to look at something beyond ourselves and marvel at it. All of creation has been given to us so that we behold the awesome God who has made it all and made it all good. 4 Matt Chandler Further Commentary The psalmist contrasted the three levels of heaven (vv. 5-6) with three levels of the earth. Even sea monsters are called on to praise God (69:34). The elements of nature perform at God s command (103:20; 104:4). The psalmist hinted at the creation account in these verses, using peculiar expressions typical of Genesis 1. The list of people represents descending social status. All people are united in worship (Rom. 10:12; Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:11). Prophets, priests, and other temple personnel were not mentioned, perhaps because they were the ones who were calling all others to praise God. 5 Kevin Warstler and Sherri Klouda, HCSB Study Bible Session 1 13

13 Voices from Church History Oh, but surely, everything that comes from the hand of such a Master-artist as God has something in it of himself! There are lovely spots on this fair globe which ought to make even a blasphemer devout. There are things that God has made which overwhelm with a sense of his Omnipotence: how can men see them, and doubt the existence of the Deity? 6 Charles Spurgeon ( ) Further Commentary The kingship of God is eternal (Ps. 29:10). His kingdom is above time, just as He is. While the kingdom of God is eternal, it also passes through different periods of time in which its operation may vary. From before the time of the creation and until Adam s fall into sin, God s reign was complete. This era would have been the first period of God s kingdom and reign. 7 Van McClain Biblical Illustrator On the fifth day of creation, God filled the seas with living creatures (Gen. 1:20-23). There were sea monsters and creatures in the ocean depths, hidden from human eyes, whose purpose even in the abyss was to praise their Maker (Ps. 148:7). On that same day, He made the birds and winged creatures that would share the atmosphere with lightning, hail, snow, cloud, and winds all of them just as visible to the ancients as to us. What the psalmist knew (and we modern people easily forget) is that God designed weather phenomena to accomplish His purposes; therefore, even the weather gives Him glory. As each element does its thing, it executes His command. Weather is not random or impersonal after all. Vegetation was made on the third day of creation (Gen. 1:11-13). The mountains and all hills also appeared that day (Ps. 148:9). We have to wonder what caused the psalmist to think of fruit trees and all cedars as especially worthy of praising God. Perhaps they represent the thousands of different kinds of plants. In verse 10, the psalmist noted groups within the animal kingdom created to praise God. He mentioned three categories, corresponding to broad divisions in the animal world: wildlife, domestic animals, and reptiles (see the sixth day of creation in Gen. 1:24-25). The psalmist concluded the animals by mentioning flying birds, which belong to the fifth day of creation. Perhaps they came last because birds singing can so easily be understood as voices lifted in praise to the Maker. What elements of God s majesty do you see displayed in the earthly part of creation? How does observing these elements help us in witnessing to others about God s greatness and love? Verses describe a kaleidoscope of human diversity humans made in the image of God all of whom are called to praise Him. It includes those with power ( kings, princes, and judges ). It includes ordinary individuals ( all peoples ). It includes all age groups. It includes male and female. All are exhorted to praise Yahweh. As we have seen, the psalmist first urged the heavens to praise God. That passage ended with an explanation of how and why the heavens were to praise Him (vv. 5-6). So it is with the second part of the psalm. After exhorting earth in all its facets to offer hallelujahs, all these are given an explanation multiple explanations, in fact of why they should praise Him (vv ). Watch how the psalmist moved beyond the mere fact of creation to the reasons for worship: Earth is to praise the name of Yahweh because God has the most exalted name and reputation in the universe. Among other things, name stands for character and reputation. 14 Leader Guide Fall 2014

14 Earth is to praise Him because of His majesty in all the earth. The grandeur of earth, and therefore its Creator, can be seen in every crevice in the world. Like a blanket, His creative splendor covers everything. Earth is to praise Him because He has raised up a horn for His people. The horn, a biblical symbol of strength and power, probably stands for salvation, both from sin and from enemies. Don t miss this. The people especially called to praise God are those who have received His wonderful salvation! His people, all His godly ones, the people close to Him understand His love and power the best. Therefore, they are exhorted to praise. No wonder the psalmist concluded with a final Hallelujah! We who have received His salvation have as an integral part of our mission to display the glory of God s love and power. What is the connection between our worship and our witness? How can observing the universe s praise encourage us to praise God? 3. God was praised by angels as He created the world (Job 38:5-7). In his series of children s fiction books called The Chronicles of Narnia, C. S. Lewis imagined what another world was like. He accounted for its creation by telling what some English children, including the boy Digory, saw at the beginning of Narnia. The Magician s Nephew describes the heavens bursting into song as Aslan (the lion-like Christ figure) sings them into existence: The voice [of Aslan] was suddenly joined by other voices; more voices than you could possibly count. They were in harmony with it, but far higher up the scale: cold, tingling, silvery voices The new stars and the new voices began at exactly the same time. If you had seen and heard it as Digory did, you would have felt quite certain that it was the First Voice, the deep one, which had made them appear and made them sing. 8 Lewis was on the mark. At the beginning of creation, God first lavished creative energy on His heavenly home and its inhabitants. This is what we have called earlier in this study the third heaven. Why create the angelic beings before He created other intelligent life? At least part of the answer is that in this way God made it possible for an adoring audience to observe the rest of His creative acts and to praise Him for them. We can find evidence for this in an astonishing passage in Job 38: 5 Who fixed its dimensions? Certainly you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? 6 What supports its foundations? Or who laid its cornerstone 7 while the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Further Commentary Sons of God refers to a category of beings in a special relationship with God, but different groups are so identified in Scripture. In Job, the sons of God are angels. In Genesis 6:4, notoriously difficult to understand, sons of God has been understood either as angels or as godly men. The ancient people of Israel were collectively referred to as God s son (Ex. 4:22-23; Hos. 11:1). As God s adopted children, believers in Jesus are sons of God (Matt. 5:9; Gal. 3:26). Jesus is uniquely the Son of God, who has always existed in the Trinity with the Father and the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:1; Rom. 1:3). All sons of God, including Jesus (the Son of God), are continually to extol the greatness of God the Father. 9 Session 1 15

15 Further Commentary The Book of Job is about a man whom God allowed to be tested by Satan. He loses everything. Job 3 37 contains the dialogue between Job and his companions as they pondered what was going on in Job s misfortune and why the innocent suffer. Job raised his questions to God. God gave the final word and eventually restored all that Job had lost. Voices from the Church Just as millions of angels participated in the dazzling show when the morning stars sang together at creation, so will the innumerable hosts of heaven help bring to pass God s prophetic declarations throughout time and into eternity. 10 Billy Graham These verses come near the beginning of God s response to Job, a man who had greatly suffered and who had called out to God for answers. God began with a series of rhetorical questions designed to bring Job (and us, the readers) to an awareness of God the King the Sovereign Lord who is the greatest, always right and beautiful and good. The answers are obvious once the questions are asked. God s laying out of the earth did not occur in a vacuum. The observers were the morning stars and the sons of God. Because these phrases occur in parallel lines of poetry, both likely refer to angelic beings. (In Job 1:6; 2:1, sons of God are intelligent heavenly beings in God s presence. Job 3:9 is the only other passage in the Bible to mention morning stars [plural]. People call the planets Venus and Mars morning stars because they shine brightly just before dawn.) God s heavenly court was watching Him as He created the earth with its kaleidoscope of staggering beauty. Their response? They sang together and shouted for joy. They praised the One who had created them because this fulfilled God s purpose in calling them forth. What images come to mind when you think of angels? How do these images correspond to the biblical teaching about angels? Scripture provides significant information about angels: Angels are personal spirit beings created by God. Personal means they have intellect, emotions, and will; they can have a relationship with God. Spirit beings means their primary mode of existence is not bodily (as we understand it). They are ordinarily invisible to human beings (2 Kings 6:17). Angels have both wisdom and strength. They do not know everything and are not all-powerful. As God s messengers, they carry out His commands (Ps. 91:11). The number of angels is fixed but huge. Angels (a general term) exist in many different orders, such as the cherubim and winged seraphim (Gen. 3:24; Isa. 6:2; Rev. 5:11). The host of heaven or heavenly host refers to angels who are God s warriors. One of His names is the Lord of hosts, or Yahweh Sabaoth (1 Sam. 17:45; Luke 2:13; Jas. 5:4). Angels are presented as male (and when they are visible to humans, they look like human men). They are incapable of sexual intimacy or reproduction as humans are (Matt. 22:30). Some angels are assigned by God as ministering spirits to serve God s people (Heb. 1:14). Like the rest of God s creation, angels exist to bring glory and praise to God. Revelation 5 6 portrays angels as worshiping both God on His throne and the Lamb of God. 16 Leader Guide Fall 2014

16 Think about the holy angels who shouted the angelic version of hallelujah as they watched God the King create the universe, the world, and everything in them. They have praised Him eternally since: Day and night they never stop, saying: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God, the Almighty, who was, who is, and who is coming (Rev. 4:8). What are some ways our culture misrepresents angels? What role do angels play in the mission of God? Conclusion And the greatest is No question about it, God the King of heaven and earth is the greatest. He is the most beautiful, the most righteous, the most everything good and pure. He created the heavens in all their complexity, visible and invisible, so that they would praise Him. This began with the angels, who praised Him as He created and filled the earth. But He also created the earth, including humanity, so that His praise will resound eternally. Because Jesus followers have been made alive to this reality, we are driven by the vision of God s power and love on display in the creation of the universe. What a privilege it is to praise the One who made us for His glory. Our mission is to spread the fame of His name. Voices from the Church The angels praise and service of God give us an example of how we are to conduct ourselves now and what our activity will be in the life beyond in God s presence. 12 Millard J. Erickson What difference would it make in your life if you acted fully on your belief in the truth that God is the King of heaven and earth, worthy of all your praise? Hymn of Response You are God: we praise you; You are the Lord: we acclaim you; You are the eternal Father: All creation worships you. To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. The glorious company of apostles praise you. The noble fellowship of prophets praise you. The white-robed army of martyrs praise you. Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you; Father, of majesty unbounded, your true and only Son, worthy of all worship, and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide. You, Christ, are the king of glory, the eternal Son of the Father. When you became man to set us free you did not shun the Virgin s womb. You overcame the sting of death and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. You are seated at God s right hand in glory. We believe that you will come and be our judge. Come then, Lord, and help your people, bought with the price of your own blood, and bring us with your saints to glory everlasting. 11 You Are God from The Book of Common Prayer Session 1 17

17 Additional Resources The King of All References 1. Augustine, The Confessions of St. Augustine: Modern English Version (New York: Revell, 2005), Chad Brand, Charles Draper, and Archie England, gen. eds., Hallelujah, in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Nashville: B&H, 2003), Francis of Assisi, quoted in A Great and Terrible Love, by Mark Galli (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2009), Matt Chandler and Jared Wilson, The Explicit Gospel (Wheaton: Crossway, 2012), Kevin Warstler and Sherri Klouda, HCSB Study Bible (Nashville: B&H, 2010), 1018, n. 148:7; n. 148:8; n. 148:9-10; n. 148: Charles H. Spurgeon, God Rejoicing in the New Creation, The Spurgeon Archive [online], 5 July 1891 [cited 10 December 2013]. Available from the Internet: 7. Van McClain, God as King in Ancient Israel, Biblical Illustrator (Winter ): C. S. Lewis, The Magician s Nephew (New York: HarperCollins, 1994), Adapted from Sons of God, by Francis Kimmitt, and Son of God, by David S. Dockery, in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, gen. eds. Chad Brand, Charles Draper, Archie England, 1519 and 1516, respectively. 10. Billy Graham, in Billy Graham in Quotes, ed. Franklin Graham (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2011), You Are God, canticle 21 from The Book of Common Prayer (New York: Episcopal Church Publishing, 1979). 12. Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1998), 475. For helps on how to get started using The Gospel Project, ideas on how to better lead groups, or additional ideas for leading a specific session, visit: Study Material --For a poetic look at the creation of the world, see chapter 1 from The Singer by Calvin Miller -- The Agents of God: Angels Chapter 6 by Peter R. Shemm Jr. from A Theology for the Church edited by Daniel L. Akin -- The Canticle of the Sun Poem by Francis of Assisi; find a link to this poem at gospelproject.com/additionalresources -- What Do Angels Look Like? Article by Billy Graham; find a link to this article at gospelproject.com/additionalresources -- God Rejoicing in the New Creation Sermon by Charles Spurgeon; find a link to this sermon at gospelproject.com/additionalresources --Previous Biblical Illustrator articles, including God as King in Ancient Israel, can be purchased, along with other articles for this quarter, at Look for Bundles: The Gospel Project. Sermon Podcast Daniel Montgomery: A Call to Worship Find a link to this at gospelproject.com/additionalresources Tip of the Week His Mission, Your Mission The Gospel Project aims not to fill our heads with theological truth but to fuel our hearts with passion to join God on His mission to bring people to Himself. To this end, each session in the Personal Study Guide now concludes with His Mission, Your Mission to help you, the teacher, lead your group to respond as a missionaries. Specifically, Live on Mission provides mission-oriented questions and directions related to each point in the lesson. These will help your group apply the truths they have learned in ways appropriate for your context. Telling the story of the Bible is impossible without leading to mission, as the gospel reveals the heart of our missionary God and His desire to save people of every tribe, tongue, and nation. 18 Leader Guide Fall 2014

18 SESSION 2 The Rebellion of Heaven Pride Leads to Rebellion and Judgment Summary and Goal At some point after God created the world, Satan, one of God s angels grew proud in his heart and rebelled against God s authority. In response, God cast Satan and the rebel angels out of His presence and promised one day to destroy them forever. Although the Bible does not present many details about this heavenly rebellion, we do see a picture of pride going before destruction and the nature of sin. Steps to Prepare 1. Read the main passages for this lesson, recording your insights and questions: --Isaiah 14: Ezekiel 28: Study the Expanded Lesson Content (pp ). --Determine what elements of this lesson are most applicable to your particular group. --Consider ways to personalize the lesson content for you and your class. 3. Review the Teaching Plan (pp ). --Refine the lesson plan based on your group s particular needs. --Adjust the plan if necessary. 4. Pray for the Lord s guidance as you lead your group through this material. Lesson Outline 1. Satan was an angel created to bring glory to God (Ezek. 28:11-15). 2. Satan grew proud and rebelled against God (Isa. 14:13-14; Ezek. 28:17-19). 3. Satan was judged by God and cast out of God s presence (Isa. 14:12,15; Ezek. 28:16). Session 2 19

19 Teaching Plan The Rebellion of Heaven Session 2 For Further Discussion What are some ways people explain the origin of evil? For Further Discussion What are some gifts God has given you? How are you using these gifts in service to God or in service to furthering your own name? For Further Discussion Based on Ezekiel 28, God cannot be thought of as the author of evil. Why is it wrong to believe that He is the source of evil? Introduce the Lesson Begin with the example of the Force in Star Wars to open a discussion of the nature of evil and where it comes from (leader p. 22; personal study guide [PSG] p. 17). Consider writing on a board the multiple-choice options for the origin of evil to give your group a sense of other viewpoints (leader p. 22). If a child were to ask you, Where did Satan come from? and, Why did God create Satan? how would you respond? What should we do when the Bible does not give us all the answers we want about a particular topic? Recap the main point from the previous session (leader p. 23), and then introduce the topic for this lesson the initial rebellion of Satan against the good rule of God (leader p. 23; PSG p. 17). 1. Satan was an angel created to bring glory to God. Introduce the mysterious serpent that showed up in Genesis 3, and then ask the question Where did this mysterious being come from? Use the teaching of Genesis 1 3 to infer the timeline of Satan s fall. Then read Ezekiel 28:11-15, encouraging your group to note how this passage might refer to both an earthly king and the heavenly rebellion (leader pp ; PSG pp ). First, explain Ezekiel 28:11-15 in its original context, noting the significance of Tyre and God s blessing of the king with precious gifts. Then highlight how Bible scholars have seen in this passage a further reference to Satan (leader p. 24; PSG p. 19). Why might it be easier for persons with abundant wisdom or beauty or wealth to be tempted to pride? What gifts from God are we humans inclined to take credit for? Again, show how the passage refers first to the religious activity of the king of Tyre and then alludes to Satan, who took his position of prominence and desired glory for himself (leader pp ; PSG p. 20). Why might someone in a position of religious or spiritual leadership be tempted with pride more easily than others? 20 Leader Guide Fall 2014

20 2. Satan grew proud and rebelled against God. Read Isaiah 14:13-14, the fall of the king of Babylon and Satan. Have your group circle the five I will statements (leader p. 25; PSG p. 20). Connect these statements to the truth that pride comes before destruction (leader p. 26). Make a list of sins and trace their connection back to pride. What is the connection between idolatry and pride? Return to Ezekiel 28:17-19, where God promises punishment against the king of Tyre, and by extension, Satan (leader pp ; PSG pp ). What can remind today s rulers and tycoons and the powerful of the world that their moment is fleeting? How can you combat pride? 3. Satan was judged by God and cast out of God s presence. Because of our inborn sense of justice, we want God to deal with evil. Read Ezekiel 28:16 to see how God responded to the pride of the king of Tyre (and Satan) expulsion from God s presence. Then read Isaiah 14:12,15 and note the same punishment destruction and expulsion (leader pp ; PSG pp ). Have you personally experienced what you consider to be divine judgment against your pride a high-and-mighty morning star suddenly being cut down? Did you sense God s wrath or God s mercy in this action? Review some of the Bible s teaching about Satan, emphasizing the good news that Jesus death was the decisive blow against Satan and his forces (leader p. 29; PSG pp ). How does the coming final judgment against Satan and sin make us bolder in our mission to the lost to proclaim the King of God s kingdom? Conclusion There are two major takeaways from this session: First, Satan is not the only being to become prideful; he was only the first. Second, God will not be thwarted by Satan s evil schemes. His kingdom will prevail through Jesus Christ (leader p. 29; PSG p. 24). How does the biblical teaching about the origin of Satan and evil help us make sense of suffering? How do Jesus incarnation, death, and resurrection overcome Satan and evil? Apply the truths of this lesson with His Mission, Your Mission (PSG p. 25). See sidebar for direction. For Further Discussion Read the quote of Satan from John Milton s Paradise Lost (leader p. 26; PSG p. 20). Does the voice of Satan (imagined by Milton) ring true to you? In what ways does pride manifest itself in our actions? For Further Discussion Why is it wrong to believe God is powerless to stop evil? For Further Discussion In what ways did Christ counteract and oppose the work of Satan? How is the humility of Christ opposed to the pride of Satan? His Mission, Your Mission Lead your group through Live on Mission (PSG p. 25).... Optional: Read Philippians 2:5-8 (PSG p. 25), and ask the following questions: In what ways did Jesus demonstrate humility over against pride? (His incarnation and obedience even to death on a cross) How can Christians follow in the humble steps of Christ Jesus? Session 2 21

21 Expanded Lesson Content The Rebellion of Heaven Session 2 Lucasfilm/20th Century Fox / The Kobal Collection Opening Illustration and Introduction The Force from Star Wars has entered popular culture in a big way. It s become an informal way to think about the energy for both good and evil that holds everything together. In the Star Wars movies, good guys (the Jedi) use the Force only for good, but bad guys (the Sith) use the dark side of the Force. If this were true, what would we make of the idea that evil has always been? Imagine you re taking Philosophy 101 in college. How would you respond to this multiple-choice question: What is your belief about the origin of evil? A. There is no such thing as real evil in the universe. Evil is only an illusion. B. Evil has always coexisted alongside good. The universe has two eternal opposing forces, like yin-yang in Taoism or the Force in Star Wars. C. In the beginning there was only good and God, but sometime before He created the earth, God created evil as a thing lesser than Himself but still able to oppose Him. D. Evil is not a thing per se but the absence of good. God created all things good but allowed His creatures to choose freely the non-good (evil). All four views and others besides have been proposed by philosophies and religions through the ages. The fourth, while not explicitly articulated this way in Scripture, was laid out by the early church father Augustine, especially in his Confessions and The City of God. Many Christians through the centuries have found Augustine s view compelling. If a child were to ask you, Where did Satan come from? and, Why did God create Satan? how would you respond? What should we do when the Bible does not give us all the answers we want about a particular topic? 22 Leader Guide Fall 2014

22 Lesson Summary In the previous session, we saw that God deserves utmost praise for who He is and how He reigns over the universe. He created angels who celebrated His handiwork as He made heaven and earth. In this session, we see how God s good rule first came under attack. At some point after God created the world, Satan, one of God s angels grew proud in his heart and rebelled against God s authority. In response, God cast Satan and the rebel angels out of His presence and promised one day to destroy them forever. Although the Bible does not present many details about this heavenly rebellion, we do see a picture of pride going before destruction and the nature of sin. 1. Satan was an angel created to bring glory to God (Ezek. 28:11-15). At the end of the creation account, we read that God saw all that He had made, and it was very good (Gen. 1:31). Yet in the account of humankind s fall into sin two chapters later, we find a mysterious being present the serpent (later described as the accuser, or Satan ). Through his cunning and questioning, the serpent led our first parents into sin (Gen. 3:1-7). (More on that in an upcoming lesson.) The question before us now is Where did this mysterious being come from? Since the Bible teaches that God created everything, we believe Satan himself began as part of God s creation of the heavens. He was included in the heavenly host God created to praise Him (Ps. 148:1-2). He was probably among the angelic beings who sang together and shouted for joy when the earth was formed (Job 38:7). He was created to bring glory to God. Bible scholars have inferred from Genesis 1 3 a timeline of Satan s existence: (1) God created all things. (2) As an angel, Satan was created before the earth was created. (3) As an angel, Satan probably glorified God at the earth s creation. (4) Everything, including Satan, was created good. (5) Sometime between Satan s creation and the garden of Eden scene (Gen. 3), Satan went from being good to being a tempter. Many have turned to an extraordinary part of Ezekiel s prophecy for more clues about the origin of Satan and evil. Here is what Ezekiel 28:11-15 says: 11 The word of the Lord came to me: 12 Son of man, lament for the king of Tyre and say to him: This is what the Lord God says: You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every kind of precious stone covered you: carnelian, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and emerald. Your mountings and settings were crafted in gold; they were prepared on the day you were created. Further Commentary Was the serpent in Eden really Satan inhabiting a creature? The Genesis account uses serpent, but not Satan. Satan means accuser in Hebrew. In the Old Testament, this name appears rarely and in only three books, in which he is an accuser: 1 Chronicles 21:1; Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7; Zechariah 3:1-2. The New Testament develops Satan vocabulary more completely. Devil (Greek for slanderer ) appears only in the New Testament. Revelation 20:2 notes that the serpent equals the Devil and Satan. Further, it should be clarified that there is only one Devil while the Bible speaks of many demons other created supernatural beings who followed the Devil in his rebellion against God. Further Commentary Though the context is an oracle against the king of Tyre, many believe that this anointed cherub should ultimately be identified as Satan himself. In that case the passage would have double reference. As an angel, Satan had continuous and unhindered access to the glorious presence of God before he rebelled. 1 Mark F. Rooker, HCSB Study Bible Session 2 23

23 Voices from Church History [The Devil] was not made wicked in nature but was good, and made for good ends, and received from his Creator no trace whatever of evil in himself. But he did not sustain the brightness and the honour which the Creator had bestowed on him, and of his free choice was changed from what was in harmony to what was at variance with his nature, and became roused against God Who created him, and determined to rise in rebellion against Him. 2 John of Damascus (circa ) Voices from Church History This angel was both by creation good and by choice corrupt none else than the very author of sin who was denoted in the person of a sinful man: he was once irreproachable, at the time of his creation, formed for good by God and associated with God, good with the Good; but afterwards of his own accord removed to evil. 3 Tertullian (circa ) 14 You were an anointed guardian cherub, for I had appointed you. You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked among the fiery stones. 15 From the day you were created you were blameless in your ways until wickedness was found in you. Ezekiel prophesied for some twenty years during the first part of the Jews Babylonian captivity (around b.c.). His stunning visions taught God s people about Yahweh s sovereign plan over them so that they will know that I am Yahweh (Ezek. 28:23). He spoke of God s present judgment on evil, but he also predicted remote future events in which God s kingdom would be expressed in righteousness. In Ezekiel s time, Tyre was a major seaport located on an island just off the coast of Phoenicia (modern-day Lebanon). It was wealthy, and its ruler was arrogant and self-sufficient. Ezekiel 27 lamented Tyre as a city and prophesied its doom. Ezekiel 28 turned attention from the city itself to its king. Chapters together are classic Hebrew poetry, filled with exalted language. They refer primarily to the king of Tyre as a rebel against God. But not far below the surface, Bible scholars have long recognized that the king of Tyre was a human example of the first rebel against God Satan. Note how the human king (as well as Satan) was created to bring glory to God: There was nothing lacking in wisdom or beauty (v. 12). There was nothing lacking in placement (v. 13). Tyre was in an ideal location in the Mediterranean. And of course, Eden, the garden of God, is a reminder of the place in the biblical narrative where the serpent (aka Satan) first appeared. There was nothing lacking in wealth and splendor (v. 13). The precious stones mentioned are a kaleidoscope of jewels, not all of which can be identified with certainty. Why might it be easier for persons with abundant wisdom or beauty or wealth to be tempted to pride? What gifts from God are we humans inclined to take credit for? Verse 14 continues recounting the privileges of Tyre s king. The reference to a guardian cherub is curious. A pair of carved, winged cherubim was placed over the ark of the covenant in the Israelite tabernacle and later in the Jerusalem temple (Ex. 37:6-9; 1 Kings 6:23-28). Further, the precious stones listed in verse 13 recall one of the garments worn by Israel s high priest a breastpiece with 12 jewels representing the 12 tribes of Israel (Ex. 28:15-21). Moreover, when a permanent temple was finally built in the time of Solomon, it could very well have been called the holy mountain of God. 24 Leader Guide Fall 2014

24 It is hard to understand the direct correlation between what is stated in verse 14 and the (pagan) king of Tyre who was likely a priest in his idolatrous religion. The words make more sense if we see an allusion to Satan in the imagery. The clues point to his function as a kind of angelic priest before God, appointed to lead praise and worship in ways we can t begin to imagine. The expression about walking among the fiery stones suggests God s own throne room, a description with which Ezekiel began his book (Ezek. 1:25-28; see also Ex. 24:17). If these suggestions are on target, then in creating Satan, God bestowed on him a place of prominence close to the preeminence of God Himself. This story does not end well, however. It is bitter to read the words you were blameless in your ways until (v. 15). Until is the deadly word here, and the implications are laid out in the next few verses of Ezekiel. Why might someone in a position of religious or spiritual leadership be tempted with pride more easily than others? 2. Satan grew proud and rebelled against God (Isa. 14:13-14; Ezek. 28:17-19). In addition to Ezekiel s portrait, many Bible scholars find an allusion to Satan behind the imagery of Isaiah 14. This great prophet of the eighth century b.c. before Ezekiel s time brought a Book of Judgment (Isa. 1 39) against the idolatrous people of Judah and then a Book of Comfort (Isa ). Along the way Isaiah predicted the future downfall of the king of Babylon. Just as Ezekiel s words first addressed the king of Tyre but also provide insight into Satan s situation, so Isaiah s words have application to Satan. Consider Isaiah 14:13-14: 13 You said to yourself: I will ascend to the heavens; I will set up my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of the gods assembly, in the remotest parts of the North. 14 I will ascend above the highest clouds; I will make myself like the Most High. Further Commentary The Hebrew verb satan means to oppose or to act as an adversary or accuser As a fallen angel, Satan accused Job before God (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7), Joshua before the Angel of the Lord (Zech. 3:1-2), and stood against Israel, inciting David to take a census of Israel (1 Chron. 21:1). The helel of Isaiah 14:12 (lit. shining one ) is translated morning star (NIV) or Day Star (ESV) or Lucifer (NKJV) and is rightly understood by many as a reference to Satan. 4 Peter Schemm Jr. Note that I will is repeated so aggressively. We see that the desire to challenge God as King to seek to replace Him as Lord of the universe is truly awful. Babylon s king thought he could set up an empire to rival God s. Not so. Nor could Satan. Consider the self-assertions: Session 2 25

25 Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven 5 Satan, in Paradise Lost by John Milton ( ) I will ascend. Instead of humbling himself before God, he exalted himself. I will set up my throne. God allows sub-kings under His rule. But in what brazen way could one assert himself to be above the stars? I will sit. His desire is to remain in his lofty position. I will ascend. This repeats the first I will. I will make myself like the Most High. Here we get to the essence of where pride can take someone: I want to be like God. Throughout the ages, theologians and poets have pondered what may have happened to lead Satan down the path from pride to rebellion. In English literature, there is nothing more profoundly suggestive than John Milton s Paradise Lost. This massive poem depicts the pattern of revolt against God, both by Satan and his hosts as well as our first parents. Before Milton, the ancient Greek philosophers understood the danger of pride (hubris, they called it) overconfidence in one s own person or abilities. Before that, Israel s Book of Proverbs had warned, Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall (Prov. 16:18). Make a list of sins and trace their connection back to pride. What is the connection between idolatry and pride? Satan s pride led to his rebellion against the one and only true King of all things. This pride seems to have grown from his taking credit for qualities he wrongly assumed originated in himself. We can speculate that the descent of Satan went something like this: God created Satan, bestowing on him wonderful qualities and abilities. Satan began to take credit for what God had given him. This pride led to a loss of wisdom. Pride and a loss of wisdom led him to challenge God s rule and rebel. This sequence is borne out when we return to Ezekiel. Again, the primary reference is to the king of Tyre, but we can see a double referent in how these words also apply to Satan. Here is what Yahweh proclaimed, recorded in Ezekiel 28:17-19: 17 Your heart became proud because of your beauty; For the sake of your splendor you corrupted your wisdom. So I threw you down to the earth; I made you a spectacle before kings. 18 You profaned your sanctuaries by the magnitude of your iniquities in your dishonest trade. So I made fire come from within you, and it consumed you. I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of everyone watching you. 19 All those who know you among the nations are appalled at you. You have become an object of horror and will never exist again. 26 Leader Guide Fall 2014

26 In the case of the king of Tyre, the Lord disdained him because he assumed that his beauty and splendor were of his own making (v. 17). To be sure, the Phoenicians had worked hard to attain their place of prominence as an international trading center in the Mediterranean basin. But they failed to acknowledge God as the source of their resources. Their punishment was to be cast from such a lofty perch down to the earth. Indeed, Tyre lost its place of prominence. So it was with Satan. Jesus Himself said, I watched Satan fall from heaven like a lightning flash (Luke 10:18). Verse 18 speaks of rebellion against God in terms of the king of Tyre/Satan having profaned your sanctuaries, proceeding from the magnitude of your iniquities. Small sins unchecked lead to great sins, which lead to great profanity against everything holy. The divine judgment pronounced against the king of Tyre (such as God s I reduced you to ashes on the ground and [you] will never exist again ) has not yet been extended against the city itself. The island city of Tyre has seen its ups and downs, but it remains to this day as a Lebanese port. Jesus Himself visited Tyre, and the apostle Paul found comfort in the Christians of Tyre (Mark 7:24; Acts 21:3-6). All human kings and kingdoms are fleeting. The most arrogant and seemingly invincible of empires have all crumbled into dust. Satan s demise, as we shall see, resulted in his being cast out of God s presence. He has not yet met his final doom. Ultimately, he and all his workers and works will be thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur tormented day and night forever and ever (Rev. 20:10). Further Commentary Sometime between Genesis 1:31 (everything was very good ) and 3:1-5 (the temptation), Satan rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven, bringing many evil angels under the same judgment (Isa. 14:12-15; Ezek. 28:11-19; Matt. 25:41; Luke 10:18). Some of them were bound until the final day of judgment (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6). Some are presently bound but will be released during the end times (Rev. 9:14). Others actively oppose God and work evil continually in the world (Eph. 6:11-12). Why some evil angels are bound and others are free to oppose God we are not told in Scripture. There is no indication in Scripture that evil angels can be redeemed from their fallen condition. 6 Peter Schemm Jr. What can remind today s rulers and tycoons and the powerful of the world that their moment is fleeting? How can you combat pride? 3. Satan was judged by God and cast out of God s presence (Ezek. 28:16; Isa. 14:12,15). What is a great and wonderful king to do when he finds a rebel among his subjects? Our inborn sense of justice cries out for the king to deal with the evil in his midst. Our eternal God is perfectly righteous and holy. He does not tolerate sin in His presence. Thus, Satan was cast out of God s presence. Again, the Bible is not as explicit as we might wish on this point, but there is enough to let us speculate about the bare facts. Some Bible scholars believe the following words from John in the Book of Revelation apply to the initial rebellion: Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels also fought, but he could not prevail, and there was no place for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was thrown out the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the one who deceives the whole world. He was thrown to earth, and his angels with him (Rev. 12:7-9). Session 2 27

27 Further Commentary Jesus humility contrasted with Satan s pride. As we have seen, Satan (a created being) took credit for what God had given him. In his pride, he rebelled against God. Consider that Jesus took the opposite approach. He was uncreated. He had it all by virtue of who He was. Yet He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even to death on a cross (Phil. 2:7-8). Just imagine it war broke out in heaven, the very heavens that were the first object of God s loving creative plan. And somehow in God s plan, He has permitted Satan to roam, for a while, on the earth deceiving humanity and opposing Him. Here s the way the future fall of the king of Tyre (and behind that, the past fall of Satan) is described in Ezekiel 28:16: 16 Through the abundance of your trade, you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I expelled you in disgrace from the mountain of God, and banished you, guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. The verbs expelled and banished are strong. Isaiah helps us further understand the judgment that fell on Satan. Here is Isaiah 14:12,15: 12 Shining morning star, how you have fallen from the heavens! You destroyer of nations, you have been cut down to the ground 15 But you will be brought down to Sheol into the deepest regions of the Pit. This passage implies a two-stage judgment process. The king of Babylon/Satan is likened to a shining morning star perhaps the planet Venus seen at dawn, a glorious sight to ancient peoples. The first part of the judgment was to be cast from the heavens and therefore cut down to the ground. The second step in the divine judgment was to be brought down from the earth to Sheol, or the deepest regions of the Pit. ( Sheol and the Pit were Hebrew terms referring to the grave or the afterlife.) In the case of the king of Babylon, we can see an example of the first step of judgment in the account of King Nebuchadnezzar s divine punishment by a season of mental incapacity (Dan. 4). Further, the second step of judgment against Babylon s king is told in Daniel 5. King Belshazzar was overthrown and the entire Babylonian enterprise came to nothing. Have you personally experienced what you consider to be divine judgment against your pride a high-and-mighty morning star suddenly being cut down? Did you sense God s wrath or God s mercy in this action? 28 Leader Guide Fall 2014

28 We do not know why God allows Satan a measure of freedom between the time he was cast from heaven and the time he will be cast into hell forever. Yet from Scripture, the following points may be made for our knowledge, wisdom, and encouragement: In the Old Testament, Satan is the tempter of humanity and the accuser. Jesus noted that he was a murderer from the beginning and a liar and the father of liars (John 8:44). One reason for Jesus incarnation, life, death, and resurrection was to further judge Satan. He was revealed for this purpose: to destroy the Devil s works (1 John 3:8). Jesus death was the decisive blow against Satan and his forces. God disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; He triumphed over them by [Jesus] (Col. 2:15). Satan and his forces are still potent antagonists against believers. Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour (1 Pet. 5:8). Believers equipped with the armor of God need not fear the Devil. We can stand against the tactics of the Devil (Eph. 6:11). How does the coming final judgment against Satan and sin make us bolder in our mission to the lost to proclaim the King of God s kingdom? Conclusion The Bible does not answer all our questions about Satan. But two things we can take with us from this study. First is the sober reminder that Satan is not the only being to find that pride leads to rebellion and judgment he is merely the first. This study challenges us to examine our own hearts both past and present to identify and repent of any hint of pride, which is taking credit for what God has blessed us with or desiring to be independent of God. Second is the joyful reminder that God has never been thwarted by Satan s evil schemes. Before God even created the heavens or Satan himself, He planned to interpose Himself as the solution. He determined to come to the world He permitted to fall and execute a plan for a Savior He devised before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4). The result is that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Phil. 2:10-11). Satan s puny revolt against heaven will, in God s good time, give way to the final triumph of God s beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev ). Voices from Church History The one thing [Satan] tempts to is putting myself as master instead of God. 7 Oswald Chambers ( ) Further Commentary The Old Testament writers seldom mentioned demonic beings. They referred directly to Satan three times (Job 1 2; 1 Chron. 21:1; Zech. 3:1-2). Moses song declared how God s rebellious people sacrificed to demons to gods they had not known (Deut. 32:17). According to the Greek translation, the psalmist also identified demons (idols in Hebrew) with the gods of pagan idolatry (Ps. 96:5). Centuries later the apostle Paul would also identify pagan gods as demons (1 Cor. 10:19-21). 8 Sharon H. Gritz, Biblical Illustrator How does the biblical teaching about the origin of Satan and evil help us make sense of suffering? How do Jesus incarnation, death, and resurrection overcome Satan and evil? Session 2 29

29 Additional Resources The Rebellion of Heaven References 1. Mark F. Rooker, HCSB Study Bible (Nashville: B&H, 2010), 1395, n. 28: John of Damascus, Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, vol. 9, eds. Philip Schaff and Henry Wace (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1899, reprinted 2004), Tertullian, Tertullianus Against Marcion, Book II, in Ante-Nicene Christian Library, vol. 7, eds. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson (Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1878), Peter Schemm Jr., The Agents of God: Angels, in A Theology for the Church, ed. Daniel L. Akin (Nashville: B&H, 2007), John Milton, Paradise Lost (New York: Oxford University Press, reissue 2008), Peter Schemm Jr., The Agents of God: Angels, in A Theology for the Church, ed. Daniel L. Akin, Oswald Chambers, in The Quotable Oswald Chambers, comp. and ed. David McCasland (Grand Rapids: Discovery House, 2008), Sharon H. Gritz, Demons: A First-Century Understanding, Biblical Illustrator (Fall 2009): 29. For helps on how to get started using The Gospel Project, ideas on how to better lead groups, or additional ideas for leading a specific session, visit: Study Material -- God s Special Agents: Angels Chapter 21 from Christian Theology by Millard J. Erickson -- Tough Questions About Evil Chapter 2 by Ronald Rhodes from Who Made God? edited by Ravi Zacharias and Norman Geisler -- The Mystery of Evil Chapter 1 from The God I Don t Understand by Christopher J. Wright -- Where Did the Devil Come From? Article by Billy Graham; find a link to this article at gospelproject.com/additionalresources -- Satan Article by Sam Storms; find a link to this article at gospelproject.com/additionalresources --Previous Biblical Illustrator articles, including Evil : The Meaning, can be purchased, along with other articles for this quarter, at Look for Bundles: The Gospel Project. Video Ravi Zacharias: How Can a Good God Allow Evil in the World? Find a link to this at gospelproject.com/additionalresources Tip of the Week The Gospel Project Apps If you are interested in an enhanced version of The Gospel Project for your group members or yourself as the teacher, consider The Gospel Project for Adults app (available for both ipad and Android tablets). Each issue features the Personal Study Guide, the Leader Guide teaching plan, additional content, as well as interactive features that provide a memorable, visual experience for the truths of God s Word. New issues are available every quarter for $4.99 each as an in-app purchase via the free viewer: The Gospel Project for Adults app. 30 Leader Guide Fall 2014 Also available are The Gospel Project for Students app and The Gospel Project for Kids Family App.

30 SESSION 3 The Kingdom on Earth God Planned for People to Live in His World Under His Loving Rule Summary and Goal In the beginning, the original royal family the first parents of our human race were God s people living in God s place under God s loving rule. Eventually, something happened to disrupt this beauty (more on that later), but for now we will focus on the lovely beginning when God s kingdom was established on earth. We will see that God s good purpose all along has been for people to live in His world under His loving rule. Steps to Prepare 1. Read the main passages for this lesson, recording your insights and questions: --Genesis 1:27-31; 2: Psalm Study the Expanded Lesson Content (pp ). --Determine what elements of this lesson are most applicable to your particular group. --Consider ways to personalize the lesson content for you and your class. 3. Review the Teaching Plan (pp ). --Refine the lesson plan based on your group s particular needs. --Adjust the plan if necessary. 4. Pray for the Lord s guidance as you lead your group through this material. Lesson Outline 1. God s Royal Place (Gen. 2:8-15) 2. God s Royal People (Gen. 1:27-31; 2:15-17) 3. God s Loving Rule (Ps. 95) Session 3 31

31 Teaching Plan The Kingdom on Earth Session 3 For Further Discussion What is your perception of the garden of Eden? Would you want to live there? Why or why not? For Further Discussion God did not tempt Adam and Eve by placing the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden (Jas. 1:13). How, then, was the presence of the tree a good thing? Introduce the Lesson Use the analogy of a fairy tale to show that happily ever after is our heart s desire, though it always eludes us (leader p. 34; personal study guide [PSG] p. 26). What image do the words once upon a time bring to mind? What would and they lived happily ever after look like for you? Summarize the once upon a time of Eden, when Adam and Eve were living in God s place under God s loving rule. Our hearts long for God s kingdom established on earth, and one day we will experience this again and forevermore (leader p. 35; PSG p. 27). 1. God s Royal Place Read Genesis 2:8-15 aloud. Ask your group to listen for details that describe the garden of Eden. Show how the garden provided abundantly and gave the first couple the opportunity to be creative (leader pp ; PSG pp ). What is the most perfect place you ve encountered? Why did you like it so much? Discuss what the planting of the garden of Eden says about God. First, God is faithful, as seen in His covenant name used in this passage. Second, God expects obedience, shown through His command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (leader p. 36; PSG p. 28). Why do you think a longing for paradise is embedded in the hearts of men and women? What does this desire tell us about God s original design for humanity? 2. God s Royal People Note that the center of biblical teaching about the origin of humankind is that God created humans in His image (leader p. 37). Read aloud Genesis 1:27-31; 2: Ask your group to listen for this emphasis (leader p. 37; PSG p. 29). 32 Leader Guide Fall 2014

32 Discuss what the spittin image of God from Genesis 1:27-31 might mean (leader p. 38) and what Scripture is clear it means (leader pp ; PSG p. 30). How can recognizing the brokenness of planet earth through human sin and mismanagement point us back to the goodness of the Creator? How do you fulfill your responsibility as ruler over earth s creatures and resources? Next, use Genesis 2:15-17 to show God s placement of His royal people in His royal place with a royal purpose to work and watch over it. God also presented them with a moral choice, a test for the first royal couple obey the command or face the consequence (leader pp ; PSG pp ). How is God s goodness seen in placing humans in a perfect place and then asking them to work? How is God s goodness seen in giving humankind the moral ability to obey or disobey Him? 3. God s Loving Rule Set the context for Psalm 95 (leader p. 39), then read it aloud, asking your group to listen for the how and why of worship for the Creator God. Discuss the how and why through the two parts of verses 1-7 (leader pp ; PSG pp ). For Further Discussion In what ways do you resemble your parents? In appearance? Mannerisms? Likes and dislikes? Jobs and hobbies? Faith? How might these thoughts inform your understanding of the image of God? For Further Discussion How important is posture in the context of worship? If you saw someone bow down in a worship service, what would you think? How might Psalm 95:1-7 influence your pattern of thought on the matter of posture in worship? How would you describe your perspective of worship? Why do you participate in worship of the Creator God? Next, use verses 7b-11 to show how far removed from Eden we are. Explain the Old Testament references in this passage and the emphasis on today as the day to repent of sin (leader pp ; PSG p. 33). Foreshadow the next lesson to show that a restoration is coming (leader p. 41). What does the connection between Genesis 3:22 and Revelation 22:2-3 communicate about the Bible as a whole? In what ways does Jesus fulfill the reality of God s people, God s place, and God s rule? Conclusion The first coming of Jesus moves the story of God s kingdom forward. Eden is gone, but He has established the church as His people in this place to point others to Him for the glory of God (leader p. 41; PSG p. 33). In what ways is the church already God s people in God s place under God s rule? In what ways is the church waiting for this to become a reality? Apply the truths of this lesson with His Mission, Your Mission (PSG p. 34). See sidebar for direction. His Mission, Your Mission Lead your group through Live on Mission (PSG p. 34).... Optional: Read the quote by Martin Luther (leader p. 37; PSG p. 34), and ask the following questions: How can obedience be both worship to God and an act of mission in the world? What are some specific circumstances when your obedience to God can serve as a pulpit for proclaiming Christ? Session 3 33

33 Expanded Lesson Content The Kingdom on Earth Session 3 Voices from the Culture We all long for [Eden], and we are constantly glimpsing it: our whole nature at its best and least corrupted, its gentlest and most human, is still soaked with the sense of exile. 1 J. R. R. Tolkien ( ) Voices from the Church God is the Ruler of His mighty creation. There is no reason to despair, because He holds in His hands the whole world, while His Spirit is able to fill the void in man s heart. 2 Billy Graham Opening Illustration and Introduction Once upon a time, there was a handsome prince. He married the most beautiful girl in the kingdom. After two years, the prince s wife gave birth to a new prince, who would one day become king. The royal family waved to adoring subjects as they traveled to the palace where they would raise their son and serve the monarch. And they lived happily ever after Many a child s fairy tale sounds like the story above (without the typical conflict): a royal couple in a palace lovingly submitting to a wise monarch. Yet this story has recently played out in real space-and-time history, not just in dreams and imagination. On July 22, 2013, the Duchess of Cambridge (formerly Kate Middleton) gave birth to George Alexander Louis, Prince of Cambridge. The baby s father, Prince William, drove his family in a luxury automobile to London s Kensington Palace the next day. The two princes (father William and baby George) will one day sit on the British throne occupied by Queen Elizabeth II for more than 60 years. But wait, you may well ask, what about and they lived happily ever after? After all, in the real world, this does not happen. Even the fairy tales always have conflict. Many will recall that Prince William lost his mother, Princess Diana, in a fiery car crash in Paris in The British royal family has been rocked with social scandals. And who knows what difficulties lie ahead for this young family? As human beings, we long for happily ever after, but it always eludes us. What image do the words once upon a time bring to mind? What would and they lived happily ever after look like for you? 34 Leader Guide Fall 2014

34 Lesson Summary In many ways these studies around the theme The Story of God s Kingdom are all about how the great King is lovingly working in real space-and-time history. He is moving from the long-ago, but authentic, once upon a time to the final and they lived happily ever after. This session focuses our attention on the original royal family the first parents of our human race. In the beginning, they were God s people living in God s place under God s loving rule. Eventually, something happened to disrupt this beauty (more on that later), but for now we will focus on the lovely beginning when God s kingdom was established on earth. We will see that God s good purpose all along has been for people to live in His world under His loving rule. 1. God s Royal Place (Gen. 2:8-15) Our recent study of Psalm 148 showed that God created the heavens first, and then the heavenly creatures praised Him. Next, God created the earth, and as the King, He designed earthly creatures to honor Him as their Creator. The creation account is famously told in Genesis 1. Then, like a movie scene that zooms in on the most important part of the action, the inspired writer described the creation of humankind and the home in which the people were placed (Gen. 1:26 2:25). Here s the way Genesis 2:8-15 describes that place the garden of Eden: 8 The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there He placed the man He had formed. 9 The Lord God caused to grow out of the ground every tree pleasing in appearance and good for food, including the tree of life in the middle of the garden, as well as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river went out from Eden to water the garden. From there it divided and became the source of four rivers. 11 The name of the first is Pishon, which flows through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 Gold from that land is pure; bdellium and onyx are also there. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon, which flows through the entire land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris, which runs east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it. Well-meaning Bible scholars have tried for centuries to pinpoint the geographical location of Eden. After all, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers were well known to early civilizations as part of the Fertile Crescent. But the Pishon and Gihon rivers could never be identified, nor could the land of Havilah. Perhaps it is best to conclude that our ability to identify the exact location of Eden vanished beneath the waters of the flood (see Gen. 6 8). Voices from the Church What is the Kingdom of God? The New Testament has a great deal to say about the Kingdom but we may best understand this concept in terms of the relationship of ruler to subjects. That is, there is a king who rules, a people who are ruled, and a sphere where this rule is recognized as taking place. Put in another way, the Kingdom of God involves: (a) God s people (b) in God s place (c) under God s rule. Given this basic analysis, it is clear that the fact that the term Kingdom of God does not occur in the Old Testament is unimportant. The basic idea is woven through the whole of Scripture. 3 Graeme Goldsworthy Further Commentary The name Eden, which would have conveyed the sense of luxury, pleasure, probably denotes a region much greater than the garden itself. God formed the man in the land (see vv. 5-7), and then put him in the garden (cf. v. 15). The earliest translation into Greek (the Septuagint) used the word paradeisos (from which comes the English term paradise ) to translate the Hebrew term for garden, on the understanding that it resembled a royal park. 4 T. Desmond Alexander, ESV Study Bible Session 3 35

35 Further Commentary The tree of life is mentioned in three Bible books: Genesis, Proverbs, and Revelation. In Genesis and Revelation, it is a literal tree, and eating its fruit symbolizes possession of everlasting life. In Eden, the tree of life was placed there by God (Gen. 2:9). Only after Adam and Eve s disobedience was access to the tree of life barred, symbolizing the loss of eternal life (3:22-24). In Revelation s description of humanity s final home the holy city, new Jerusalem the tree of life shows up again, here in the garden-like center of the city with the fully restored people of God enjoying full access to its fruit and leaves (Rev. 22:2,14,19; see also 2:7). The tree of life in Revelation 22 is as literal as everything else depicted in that chapter. In Proverbs, the tree of life is not literal but rather symbolizes other virtues such as wisdom in Proverbs 3:18. (See also Prov. 11:30; 13:12; 15:4.) 5 Voices from the Church In the garden of Eden, we see the world as God designed it to be. God s people, Adam and Eve, live in God s place, the garden, under his rule as they submit to his word. And to be under God s rule in the Bible is always to enjoy his blessing; it is the best way to live. God s original creation shows us a model of his kingdom as it was meant to be. 6 Vaughan Roberts We will receive greater benefit by looking at the other descriptions of Eden in the biblical account of God the King preparing a perfect place for the human beings created in His image. The whole earth was very good when God finished His creative work. Thus, for Him to add to it a garden with every tree pleasing in appearance and good for food means that this was a perfect paradise indeed. There was abundance, more than enough for the human couple. Everything they could possibly need was provided. And what s more, God created humanity with the ability and desire to make useful and beautiful things. God meant for people to create culture artifacts showing that humans made in His image could make things as their Creator did. Thus, the Lord put wonderful raw materials within reach, including pure gold as well as bdellium, likely an aromatic gum, and onyx, a semiprecious stone (Gen. 2:12). Further, the garden itself was designed for human hands. God placed the man in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it (2:15). In other words, God s perfect place was designed for the human touch. What is the most perfect place you ve encountered? Why did you like it so much? If the things we create say something about us, what does the planting of the garden of Eden say about God? First, God is faithful. A compound form of God s name is used in Genesis 2. In English, Lord God represents the Hebrew Yahweh Elohim, that is, the covenant name of God in Israel (Ex. 3:14-15) plus the term ordinarily translated God or Deity. For the ancient Israelites, there could be no question that when God created humanity and planted the garden, He was expressing His covenant faithfulness to the man and the woman. Second, God expects obedience. God placed two special trees in the middle of the garden the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. There was nothing magical or chemical about these trees, as if eating the fruit of either would result in a certain physical effect (as when someone touches poison ivy leaves and gets a terrible rash). Rather, God s intention in His loving rule was to give His people the opportunity to make morally meaningful choices. Obedience to God (choosing the tree of life) would result in blessing; disobedience (choosing the tree of the knowledge of good and evil) would result in death (Gen. 2:17). Why do you think a longing for paradise is embedded in the hearts of men and women? What does this desire tell us about God s original design for humanity? 36 Leader Guide Fall 2014

36 2. God s Royal People (Gen. 1:27-31; 2:15-17) I don t know whether you have given much attention to questions such as How old is the universe? or How long ago did humankind first appear on the earth? Although I have studied these matters to a degree, I have not resolved them in my own mind. Sometimes I laugh to myself and pray joyfully, Dear Lord, thank You that You have let me be a professor of New Testament. That way I haven t had to make hard decisions regarding the dating of events in Genesis! Amen. More often, though, I have realized that the center of biblical teaching about the origin of humankind in both the Old and New Testaments is that God created man and woman in His image rather than when He did so. Jesus Himself saw the time of creation issue this way: He who created them in the beginning made them male and female (Matt. 19:4). Jesus simply affirmed that creation was according to God s plan in the beginning. And I m okay with that. So consider these two short passages from Genesis 1 2 that speak to the nature of humankind as created: 27 So God created man in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female. 28 God blessed them, and God said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth. 29 God also said, Look, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the surface of the entire earth and every tree whose fruit contains seed. This food will be for you, 30 for all the wildlife of the earth, for every bird of the sky, and for every creature that crawls on the earth everything having the breath of life in it. I have given every green plant for food. And it was so. 31 God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. Evening came and then morning: the sixth day... 2:15 The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die. As a child, I used to hear the phrase spittin image, usually as a compliment when a little boy looked and acted a lot like his father: That Davey, he s just the spittin image of Big Dave. I ve discovered that a possible origin of this phrase is a contraction of spirit and image. 7 With that in mind, the Bible teaches that God created humans as His spittin image. God breathed the breath of life into the man and established humanity in His image. Voices from Church History This tree of the knowledge of good and evil was Adam s church, altar, and pulpit. Here he was to yield to God the obedience he owed, give recognition to the Word and will of God, give thanks to God, and call upon God for aid against temptation Therefore let us learn that some external form of worship and a definite work of obedience were necessary for man, who was created to have all the other living creatures under his control, to know his Creator, and to thank Him. 8 Martin Luther ( ) Further Commentary Essentially, dominion means the authority to govern. All human dominion stems from God, who exercises absolute dominion over all things (Dan. 4:3). The biblical teaching is that God grants political authority to some persons to govern other persons (Rom. 13:1). This is meant for the good of the governed (Rom. 13:4). In a parallel sense, human dominion over the earth, with its creatures and natural resources, was meant for the good of the planet. Humans are God s stewards in caring for the earth, and we will render an account to Him. However, just as abusive political rulers turn dominion into domination, so sinful human beings often turn dominion of earth into sinful domination. 9 Session 3 37

37 Further Commentary Below the surface, this dominion imago Dei motif stands in contrast to ancient pagan religious belief that only ruling kings enjoyed royal standing before the gods and men, as evidenced by their dominion which they presumed to exercise on behalf of their deities. In contrast the biblical picture of imago Dei means that all human beings, not just kings, possess special royal status as God s appointed stewards over the earth. By virtue of mankind s ruling over the rest of God s creatures and earth, every member of the human race somehow represents and reflects the sovereign Lord of creation. 10 Jerry Johnson Further Commentary As a being created in God s image, Adam, like God, was to be a worker. Without the taint of sin, work was an undiluted blessing. The verb translated here as work literally means serve. Adam s second task in the garden was to watch over it. The verb is used elsewhere to refer to the action of God toward His people (Ps. 121:3-4) or the work of a military guard (Song of Sg. 5:7). 11 Robert D. Bergen, HCSB Study Bible Theological discussions, debates, and writings have pondered what exactly it means that humanity alone was created in the image of God (imago Dei, to use the standard Latin phrase). Sometimes the explanation has revolved around the notion that God gave humans personhood intellect, emotions, and will. Some have focused on the ancient custom of rulers setting up statues or images of themselves to show the reality of their reign in distant provinces (think of the gigantic statues of the pharaohs that have survived in contemporary Egypt). Still others have focused on the idea that an image is a representative as well as a representation. For example, for my little pet schnauzer Pepper, I m the image of God to him. He can t know God in any direct way, but he can know me. Thus, I in some sense represent God to him. I represent God to all non-human creatures. And indeed, the Genesis account shows that God subjected the lower earthly creation to the governance of humanity (Gen. 1:28). While the debate over the meaning of the image of God continues, Scripture is clear that as those created in God s image, the glory of God s royal people is characterized by the following: Male and female best reflect God together. However badly the genders have treated each other, it is surely only when the two genders work together, whether in marriage or in broader culture, that the image of God is most fully expressed in us (1:27). Humanity is under the blessing of God to increase the human population. Someone has observed that be fruitful and multiply is the only command of God that human beings have ever completely and willingly obeyed (1:28)! Humankind is under the blessing of God to manage subdue and rule the rest of the earthly creatures, those in the sky and in the sea and on the earth. This stewardship of earth s rich resources extends also to plant life (1:28-29). Humanity s rule under God was to spread from Eden through the rest of the planet. In the command to fill the earth, the people were to tend to and use every seed-bearing plant and tree on the surface of the entire earth (1:28-29). How can recognizing the brokenness of planet earth through human sin and mismanagement point us back to the goodness of the Creator? How do you fulfill your responsibility as ruler over earth s creatures and resources? Genesis 2:15-17 describes God s placement of His royal people in the perfect place He planted. We see that even in Eden, there was work to be done. Work it and watch over it (2:15) was a divine directive preceding the entrance of sin into the world. Therefore, meaningful human life includes work! 38 Leader Guide Fall 2014

38 God also placed Adam and Eve in a context in which moral decisions choosing between good and evil; deciding between obeying God and disobeying Him mattered and had consequences. They were free to eat from any tree they chose (2:16), just as a king and queen might. I imagine they enjoyed fruit salad every meal! But God set up a single decision as a test for the first royal couple. He warned that if they failed the test, there would be a severe negative consequence. We can describe it this way: Command: Do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Consequence: If you do eat, you will certainly die on that day. God s commands are like that, whether we like it or not. Disobedience brings negative consequences. Sometimes the consequences appear in the natural order of sowing and reaping (for example, the child who disobeys his or her parents and refuses to eat will suffer the natural consequence of experiencing hunger). Sometimes the consequences will not appear until the final judgment. This is a serious matter, but for the sake of this present study, we must press on to God s loving rule in creation. (We will address the issue of our rebellion and its consequences in the next session.) How is God s goodness seen in placing humans in a perfect place and then asking them to work? How is God s goodness seen in giving humankind the moral ability to obey or disobey Him? 3. God s Loving Rule (Ps. 95) So far, we have seen God s royal place and His royal people. Now we turn to God s loving rule in creation as seen in Psalm 95. Verses 1-7 of this psalm could almost have been a song of Adam and Eve in the garden as they celebrated life under God s love and rule. David likely composed this wonderful psalm (see Heb. 4:7), and how well it fits the time of Solomon, when God s people (Israel) were living in God s place (especially Jerusalem, with the glorious temple) under God s rule (the king of the Davidic dynasty, in fulfillment of the Lord s covenant with David). In the midst of a golden era for the people of Israel, Psalm 95 is clear in its call to worship the Creator God, who rules over His people with power and goodness: 1 Come, let us shout joyfully to the Lord, shout triumphantly to the rock of our salvation! 2 Let us enter His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout triumphantly to Him in song. 3 For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods. 4 The depths of the earth are in His hand, and the mountain peaks are His. Voices from Church History You should also learn here that God s law is not to be evaluated by the things it regulates, for it often seems to circle around common sorts of things, as here, where it is concerned with the fruit of a tree, with eating and drinking, with sexual relations. The prudence of the flesh, when it considers such things in themselves, regards them as trivial. But pay attention to what the goal is, namely, obedience, so that God s wisdom may be preferred to our own. 12 Peter Martyr Vermigli ( ) Voices from Church History The image of God is a spiritual essence of the invisible God. It is his eternal wisdom, power, righteousness and eternal life. This is Jesus Christ, who is the pure image of his heavenly Father. He is the splendor of God s majesty and the undefiled mirror of God s divine glory The first human beings, Adam and Eve, were created according to this image of God. They were made in God s own likeness, given great understanding and recognition of God and all creatures. They also had great righteousness and holiness. They loved God and were blessed with a godly and innocent life in Paradise and eternal life in heaven. 13 Dirk Philips ( ) Session 3 39

39 Further Commentary The members of the congregation singing these verses invite one another to the great privilege of worshiping the Lord, the great God, the great King above all gods God is King over creation: it is his, he made it, and he rules over it all (it is in his hand, i.e., under his authority). The marvel of being Israel is that such a majestic King has pledged himself to his people, making them the sheep of his hand It is no surprise, then, that worship offered to him would be both exuberant (sing, make a joyful noise, thanksgiving, songs of praise) with astonished wonder, and humble (bow down, kneel) before such majesty. The whole person, body and soul, must offer this worship. 14 C. John Collins, ESV Study Bible 5 The sea is His; He made it. His hands formed the dry land. 6 Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. 7 For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the sheep under His care. Today, if you hear His voice: 8 Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, as on that day at Massah in the wilderness 9 where your fathers tested Me; they tried Me, though they had seen what I did. 10 For 40 years I was disgusted with that generation; I said, They are a people whose hearts go astray; they do not know My ways. 11 So I swore in My anger, They will not enter My rest. This psalm is organized into two roughly equal parts, each beginning with Come, let us (vv. 1,6). In both cases, these words are an exhortation to praise Yahweh for His greatness, specifically as Creator and loving Ruler. First, in each part, we see how we are to praise God. Verses 1-2 tell us that praise is verbal we are to shout triumphantly and sing with thanksgiving. Verse 6 shows us that praise involves our whole selves to bow down and kneel in worship. Genuine praise to God includes our words and our literal posture. Second, we see why we are to praise God. The exhortation of each part of Psalm 95 continues by extolling God s greatness. This great King is the Creator of all things the depths of the earth, the mountain peaks in the sky, the sea, and the land, God created them all (vv. 3-5). Our God is also a loving Ruler for His people shepherding and caring for the people of His pasture (v. 7). How would you describe your perspective of worship? Why do you participate in worship of the Creator God? Though God s loving rule over creation has been evident from the beginning, the last few verses of Psalm 95 remind us that sin has indeed entered the world, and there have been terrible consequences. Adam and Eve in the garden could not have sensed the sorrow of these verses, but we most certainly can, and so can the world around us, though they may not know why. 40 Leader Guide Fall 2014

40 In verses 7b-11, the psalmist was recalling incidents of the Israelites grumbling in the wilderness (see Ex. 17:1-7; Num. 20:2-13) and ultimately where they rebelled against God s loving rule and faced tragic consequences for 40 years (Num. 14:21-35). The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews, quite strikingly, picked up this passage as a challenge to the Christians to whom he was writing (Heb. 3:7 4:13). Believers of today are likewise to heed this reminder that sin always has consequences. As we will see in the next session, access to the tree of life in God s royal place was barred once the man and the woman sinned: He [and she] must not reach out, and also take from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever (Gen. 3:22). But this was not the end of God s loving rule. The story of the Bible from the curse forward to the new heavens and new earth is the story of the King s redeeming love. We live between the curse and the final reversal foretold in Revelation 22:2-3: The tree of life was on both sides of the river and there will no longer be any curse. Then, indeed, we will experience perfectly God s people in God s place under God s loving rule. What does the connection between Genesis 3:22 and Revelation 22:2-3 communicate about the Bible as a whole? In what ways does Jesus fulfill the reality of God s people, God s place, and God s rule? Voices from Church History [Psalm 95] is in its original a truly Hebrew song, directed both in its exhortation and warning to the Jewish people, but we have the warrant of the Holy Spirit in the epistle to the Hebrews [3:7 4:13] for using its appeals and entreaties when pleading with Gentile believers. It is a psalm of invitation to worship. It has about it a ring like that of church bells, and like the bells it sounds both merrily and solemnly, at first ringing out a lively peal, and then dropping into a funeral knell as if tolling at the funeral of the generation which perished in the wilderness. 15 Charles Spurgeon ( ) Conclusion The ideal of Once upon a time in human history came to a crashing end in the garden of Eden. But that did not put an end to God s plan for His kingdom on earth. Human kings and kingdoms come and go. Who can say whether the British child Prince George will ever sit on the throne of his ancestors? But there is One who will rule His Father s throne forever and ever. Jesus came for the express purpose of moving the story of God s kingdom forward. His first message after His baptism was The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near (Mark 1:15). As the King of God s kingdom, He has established the church. Believers are already the people of God and comprise the temple of God under the rule of the Christ of God (1 Pet. 2:5,10,21). Our purpose is to point people to the Christ that they too may glorify God on the day of visitation (v. 12). In what ways is the church already God s people in God s place under God s rule? In what ways is the church waiting for this to become a reality? Session 3 41

41 Additional Resources The Kingdom on Earth References 1. J. R. R. Tolkien, in The Letters of J. R. R Tolkien, ed. Humphrey Carpenter (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000, Billy Graham, in Billy Graham in Quotes, ed. Franklin Graham (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2011), Graeme Goldsworthy, Gospel and Kingdom (Milton Keynes, UK: Paternoster, 1981), T. Desmond Alexander, ESV Study Bible (Wheaton: Crossway, 2008), 53, n. 2: Adapted from Tree of Life, by Billy K. Smith, in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, gen. eds. Chad Brand, Charles Draper, Archie England (Nashville: B&H, 2003), Vaughan Roberts, God s Big Picture (Downers Grove: IVP, 2002), Urban Dictionary, Spitting Image [online; cited 28 January 2014]. Available from the Internet: 8. Martin Luther, Lectures on Genesis, 2:9, in Genesis 1 11, ed. John L. Thompson, vol. I in Reformation Commentary on Scripture: Old Testament (Downers Grove: IVP, 2012), Adapted from Dominion, in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, gen. eds. Chad Brand, Charles Draper, and Archie England, Jerry Johnson, Image of God, in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, gen. eds. Chad Brand, Charles Draper, Archie England, Robert D. Bergen, HCSB Study Bible (Nashville: B&H, 2010), 11, n. 2: Peter Martyr Vermigli, Commentary on Genesis, 2:16, in Genesis 1 11, ed. John L. Thompson, vol. I in Reformation Commentary on Scripture: Old Testament, Dirk Philips, Concerning Spiritual Restitution, in Early Anabaptist Spirituality: Selected Writings, trans. and ed. Daniel Liechty (New York: Paulist, 1994), C. John Collins, ESV Study Bible, 1059, n. 95:1-7a. 15. Charles H. Spurgeon, Psalm 95, in The Treasury of David, The Spurgeon Archive [online; cited 12 December 2013]. Available from the Internet: For helps on how to get started using The Gospel Project, ideas on how to better lead groups, or additional ideas for leading a specific session, visit: Study Material -- The Pattern of the Kingdom Chapter 1 from God s Big Picture by Vaughan Roberts -- The Story Begins Episode 1, Act 1 from Telling God s Story by Preben Vang and Terry G. Carter -- God Establishes His Kingdom: Creation Act 1 from The Drama of Scripture by Craig G. Bartholomew and Michael W. Goheen -- Psalm 95 From The Treasury of David by Charles H. Spurgeon; find a link to this exposition at gospelproject.com/additionalresources --Previous Biblical Illustrator articles, including To Have Dominion: The Meaning, can be purchased, along with other articles for this quarter, at Look for Bundles: The Gospel Project. Sermon Podcasts Ted Traylor: Open on Thanksgiving Juan Sanchez: What Is Man That You Are Mindful of Him? Find links to these at gospelproject.com/additionalresources Tip of the Week Arrive Early It s always a good idea to arrive early not just to prepare the room before the first member or guest arrives but to pray. Picture a leader standing in an empty room, arranged for people who have yet to arrive, asking God to provide direction for leading the group experience. The leader envisions the faces of the men or women who will be engaged in Bible study and prays about the needs they will carry into that room. The teacher also asks for clarity and the ability to communicate in a way that honors God. People can easily be impressed when we present a thoughtful lesson. But those same people can be transformed when we teach through the power of prayer. 42 Leader Guide Fall 2014

42 SESSION 4 The Rebellion on Earth Rejection of God s Good Rule Throws All of Creation into Turmoil Summary and Goal Paradise is lost when human beings rebel against God. Because of their rejection of God s good rule, the first humans are exiled from the garden of Eden. The good relationship between the King, His people, and the rest of creation is thrown into turmoil because of Adam and Eve s attempt to dethrone God. But God promises to reestablish His kingdom through a future King who will undo the curse that came as a result of sin. Steps to Prepare 1. Read the main passage for this lesson, recording your insights and questions: --Genesis 3 2. Study the Expanded Lesson Content (pp ). --Determine what elements of this lesson are most applicable to your particular group. --Consider ways to personalize the lesson content for you and your class. 3. Review the Teaching Plan (pp ). --Refine the lesson plan based on your group s particular needs. --Adjust the plan if necessary. 4. Pray for the Lord s guidance as you lead your group through this material. Lesson Outline 1. The royal couple refuses God s loving rule (Gen. 3:1-6). 2. The royal couple s rebellion causes a rupture in their relationship (Gen. 3:7-13). 3. God exiles the royal couple from His kingdom (Gen. 3:14-24). Session 4 43

43 Teaching Plan The Rebellion on Earth Session 4 For Further Discussion What words would you use to describe sin? How are these descriptions on display in the story of Adam and Eve? For Further Discussion How does it help us resist temptation to see that Jesus succeeded against Satan even though Adam and Eve failed? For Further Discussion What are some ways we distort God s Word? What s the difference between distorting God s Word and denying God s Word? Introduce the Lesson Begin with the image of a clenched fist and its symbol of revolution. Discuss the difference between just and unjust revolutions; then make a connection to the rebellion described at the beginning of the Bible (leader p. 46; personal study guide [PSG] p. 35). What examples of rebellion just or unjust have you witnessed? When have you ever participated openly in an act of rebellion? Summarize the lesson (leader p. 47; PSG p. 36). 1. The royal couple refuses God s loving rule. Briefly summarize the previous session, and then introduce Genesis 3:1-6, where Adam and Eve reject God s instruction (leader p. 47). Walk through the progression of the temptation scene, showing how Eve was deceived by the serpent s denial of God s word. Highlight how the first humans betrayed the true King and chose to go their own way (leader pp ; PSG pp ). Why is this story of rebellion against God so important for understanding the rest of the Bible? What are some ways you and I reject God s rule and dethrone Him in our lives? Divide the group into threes or fours to work through the chart comparing the original temptation and Jesus, filling in the blanks (answers bolded in the leader). Emphasize that Jesus succeeded where Adam and Eve failed (leader p. 48; PSG p. 37). 2. The royal couple s rebellion causes a rupture in their relationship. As you read Genesis 3:7-13, encourage your group to look for signs of ruptured relationships. Explain how Adam and Eve s sin resulted in the following (leader pp ; PSG pp ): Personal dysfunction (they felt shame) Relational dysfunction (they blamed each other) A broken relationship with God (they hid and used fig leaves as a covering) 44 Leader Guide Fall 2014

44 What fig leaves have you used to cover what s lacking in your personal spiritual life? To where have you run trying to hide from God or from other persons? Discuss the meaning of the four questions God asked Adam and Eve (leader p. 50): Where are you? Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from? What is this you have done? Connect this story to our own experience of sinful turning from God (leader p. 50; PSG p. 39). What are the signs that our relationship with God has been broken? What brokenness in the world causes you to mourn? 3. God exiles the royal couple from His kingdom. As you read Genesis 3:14-19, encourage your group to underline all the consequences of sin that are mentioned in this passage. Walk through the specific curses placed on the serpent, the woman, and the man. Death is the final result of sin (leader pp ; PSG pp ). What current examples show God s judgment on sin still continues? Why must we recognize God as the Judge who does what is right, even when this means punishment on people? Read Genesis 3:20-24, and highlight the grace shown to Adam and Eve as they were exiled from the garden (leader p. 53; PSG pp ). How do the last verses in Genesis 3 give us hope? How does Genesis 3 serve as an introduction to the rest of the Bible? Conclusion Recap the session and point to the coming King who will crush the head of the serpent (leader p. 53; PSG p. 42). How is our mission in the world connected to the story of Adam and Eve s sin? What happens when we fail to understand the seriousness of sin in our lives and its implications for our mission? Apply the truths of this lesson with His Mission, Your Mission (PSG p. 43). See sidebar for direction. For Further Discussion Discuss the Voices from the Church quote from Billy Graham (leader p. 50; PSG p. 39). Do you tend to think of sin as a revolt or in other terms? For Further Discussion How is our understanding of salvation affected by our view of sin and God s judgment? What are some ways we may be tempted to soften or minimize the reality of our sin? For Further Discussion What are some examples of times in your life when you were forced to answer the question Did God really say? How did you respond to the temptation not to trust God? His Mission, Your Mission Lead your group through Live on Mission (PSG p. 43).... Optional: Read the quote by Dirk Phillips (leader p. 52; PSG p. 43), and ask the following questions: What effects of the fall do you see on a regular basis in the lives of others? How does the appearing of Jesus give hope for reversing those effects? Session 4 45

45 Expanded Lesson Content The Rebellion on Earth Session 4 Voices from Church History It is when man through selfish ambition seeks to be God in his own life and will that he sins. Sin is dethroning God and enthroning self. 1 Herschel Hobbs ( ) Opening Illustration and Introduction A raised, clenched fist. It s become a universal symbol of rebellion against the status quo. Recall political rebellions you ve heard about. For example, in 2011, the Arab Spring launched revolutions in a number of Arab countries, forcing many rulers from power. A bit further back were the Revolutions of 1989, overthrowing communist dictatorships in Central and Eastern Europe. Even the once-mighty USSR dissolved in Of course, the story of the United States includes the American Revolution, a rebellion against rule by England. Although we usually think of rebellions in a military or political sense, there are rebellions of other kinds as well. For example, the Protestant Reformation of the 16 th century may be seen as a religious rebellion against the authority of the papacy. Martin Luther, in essence, raised his fist against the injustice (and religious errors) that he perceived in his day. Even today, the term Protestant necessarily includes the notion of protest. Sometimes we learn about rebellions that later history deems unjust, such as the Civil War in the United States in the 1860s or Jeroboam s revolt against King Rehoboam (2 Chron. 10). Or to speak individually, teenagers often rebel against the best of parents. The earliest unjustified rebellion occurred at the beginning of human history the revolt of Adam and Eve against their righteous, loving God. Our first parents raised their fists against Him, and their descendants have proven to be like their ancestors. We too live as rebels against God, until He graciously overcomes our hostility against Him. What examples of rebellion just or unjust have you witnessed? When have you ever participated openly in an act of rebellion? 46 Leader Guide Fall 2014

46 Lesson Summary In this session, we will see how paradise is lost when human beings rebel against God. Because of their rejection of God s good rule, the first humans are exiled from the garden of Eden. The good relationship between the King, His people, and the rest of creation is thrown into turmoil because of Adam and Eve s attempt to dethrone God. But God promises to reestablish His kingdom through a future King who will undo the curse that came as a result of sin. 1. The royal couple refuses God s loving rule (Gen. 3:1-6). In the previous session, we saw God s people in God s place under God s loving rule. The Genesis account of the fall of humanity into sin is terse. It does not answer all our questions, but it gives us enough to know that Adam and Eve brought guilt and shame on themselves because of their willful disobedience against God. Here s the account in Genesis 3: 1 Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, Did God really say, You can t eat from any tree in the garden? 2 The woman said to the serpent, We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. 3 But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die. 4 No! You will not die, the serpent said to the woman. 5 In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. 6 Then the woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Let s look at how this scene played out. Notice the progression: The serpent s initial question to Eve. Genesis is silent as to how the serpent allowed Satan access to the garden. We are not told whether Eve was surprised by a talking animal nor why Adam was silent. (We should assume Adam was present; see v. 6.) We are given a bare-bones scenario. The serpent s question was to cause doubt about what God s word and intention had been. The question implied God was being harsh: Here you are in a garden full of luscious fruit trees, and He s trying to deny you the benefit of them. Of course, God had done no such thing. Eve s distortion of God s word. Eve had it partially right. God had commanded them not to eat fruit from one particular tree: You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die (Gen. 2:16-17). But God never said anything about touching the fruit. John Milton ( ), one of the great poets of the English language, rose to prominence because of his profound poem about the fall of the human race. Paradise Lost (first published in 1667, a few decades after the King James Version of the Bible) shows insightful understanding of the nature of God, Satan, humankind, and salvation. Milton has helped many people grasp the seriousness of sin and understand what our first parents lost by their rebellion. Here s the famous beginning of Paradise Lost. Note that even in the first lines he highlighted the role of Christ the Redeemer: Of Man s first disobedience, and the fruit Of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste Brought death into the world, and all our woe, With loss of Eden, till one greater Man Restore us, and regain the blissful seat. 2 Further Commentary There is irony in the serpent s temptation. Of all the created order, only humanity was created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27). Neither the serpent (an earthly animals) nor Satan (a heavenly creature) bore God s image. Thus, the man and woman were already like God. The serpent s promise is akin to promising a star football quarterback that he will become an athlete. Second, God had meant for humans in His image to rule the earth (Gen. 1:28); instead, they became traitors. They decided to submit to a creature rather than to the Creator. Session 4 47

47 Voices from the Church The serpent declares, You will not certainly die. The first doctrine to be denied, according to the Bible, is the doctrine of judgment. In many disputes about God and religion, this pattern often repeats itself, because if you can get rid of that one teaching, then rebellion has no adverse consequences, and so you are free to do anything. 3 D. A. Carson The serpent s denial of God s word. Next, the serpent flat out contradicted God, and the woman should have fled its presence at that point. You will not die was a big lie indeed, and every human death proves the serpent was a liar. The pattern is inescapable: questioning God s Word can lead to distorting God s Word, which in turn can lead to denial of His Word. The serpent s maligning God s motives. What reason could the woman have had to suppose that God was withholding something good from her, that she had been forcibly kept from a desirable experience? How could she possibly think that knowing evil (by personal experience) was desirable? The serpent s biggest hook was the falsehood, You will be like God. In many ways, that is the essence of every sin we want to be little gods rather than submit to the one true God. Sadly, Satan s lie worked the first time, and he has enjoyed limitless success with the same lie ever since. We still fall for it today. The serpent was twisting God s loving, royal decree in order to usurp His rule. Satan wanted other creatures of God to join in his earlier rebellion. We see in Adam and Eve s eating of the forbidden fruit a betrayal of the true King and choosing another, a false king. In their betrayal, they lost their own place in God s kingdom as royal subjects under Him. Adam forfeited many aspects of his reign (as the curse makes clear). Satan gained a measure of rule over the affairs of humankind. (See the apostle Paul s statement in 2 Cor. 4:4: The god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel. ) Verse 6 marks the sad turning point. Temptation gave way to sin; the woman succumbed. Her husband succumbed as well, apparently more readily than the woman. His act was conscious rebellion against God, and at that point he rejected his responsibility as both keeper of the garden and protector of his wife. Why is this story of rebellion against God so important for understanding the rest of the Bible? What are some ways you and I reject God s rule and dethrone Him in our lives? Note the striking parallel suggested between the original temptation in Genesis 3:1-6 and the temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4:1-11: The Original Temptation Jesus Temptation Person tempted Adam and Eve Jesus, the last Adam Place of temptation Eden, a perfect garden The wilderness of Judea Temptation of the eyes Fruit was delightful The kingdoms were glorious Temptation of the appetite Fruit was good for food Stones to bread Temptation of reputation Fruit would make one wise He could leap unharmed Resource used in temptation Human reasoning God s Word: It is written Result of temptation Succumbed: sin & death Resisted: obedience to God The royal couple refused God s loving rule; the Messiah King refused to abandon God s loving rule. 48 Leader Guide Fall 2014

48 2. The royal couple s rebellion causes a rupture in their relationship (Gen. 3:7-13). The passage immediately following the temptation and the fall is as sparse as the account of the temptation itself. Yet it is highly suggestive of the way sin splits person from self, person from person, and person from God. Here s Genesis 3:7-13: 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid themselves from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 So the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, Where are you? 10 And he said, I heard You in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid. 11 Then He asked, Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from? 12 Then the man replied, The woman You gave to be with me she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate. 13 So the Lord God asked the woman, What is this you have done? And the woman said, It was the serpent. He deceived me, and I ate. Note first how sin results in personal dysfunction. Previously, both the man and his wife were naked, yet felt no shame (Gen. 2:25). They had been at complete peace with who they were. Once they rebelled against God, shame entered their awareness. The serpent had promised eyes opened to good and evil. That had come true in the most terrible way. Before, they had experienced wholeness and no lack; now they experienced fragmentation and lack, a lack they instantly tried to remedy with fig-leaf cover-ups. Of course, their fig leaves might cover their physical lack, but as an attempt to hide from God or each other, this was a failure. Adam also experienced fear for the first time: I heard You in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked. This suggests an awareness of personal guilt. Shame and guilt had entered the world of humanity, and we have all (rightly) suffered from these evil twins. Note also how sin results in relational dysfunction. Previously, Adam and Eve had enjoyed complete harmony with each other. Now selfishness took over their interpersonal relationship. Adam was quick to blame both God and Eve for what had happened: The woman You gave to be with me. Eve was quick to pass the blame as well: It was the serpent. Here is the first blame game in human history, and we have all learned to play the game quite well. When we are personally threatened (whether due to some fault in ourselves or not), we usually try to shift responsibility from ourselves. Further Commentary God took the initiative in reaching out to sinful humanity. This pattern humanity sinning, then God seeking out sinners becomes the primary theme of the rest of the Bible. Its ultimate expression is found in Jesus Christ, who came to seek and to save people alienated from God because of their sin (Luke 19:10); in Him God once again walked on the earth in search of sinners. The all-knowing God asked Adam, Where are you? for Adam s benefit, to encourage Adam to face his sin. When Adam heard God, he was afraid. Rather than walking with God as righteous men of later generations would do (Enoch, 5:22; Noah, 6:9), Adam hid from Him. 4 Robert D. Bergen, HCSB Study Bible Session 4 49

49 Voices from the Church Sin is a revolt against God. 5 Billy Graham Voices from Church History [Adam,] you have forsaken eternal life. You have entombed yourself in the ways of sin and death. 6 Ambrose (circa ) Now, most importantly, watch how sin results in a broken relationship with God. We saw in Adam and Eve s rebellion a choice to follow a creature s wishes rather than the Creator s command (3:6). This choice led to an unraveling of their relationship with God. Whatever else their shame and guilt involved, it was treason against the King. Their first attempt at hiding from God was a pathetic fig-leaf garment (3:7). Their second attempt was to run and hide from God when He approached them. Their third attempt was to shift blame to others. What fig leaves have you used to cover what s lacking in your personal spiritual life? To where have you run trying to hide from God or from other persons? God unveiled His character by asking hard questions; He also asked questions to reveal just how far the humans had strayed. For each question, God knew the answer, of course. He was using questions both to display His righteousness and to get the humans to acknowledge their sins. Here are His questions, along with a few thoughts about each: Where are you? God s main concern was not where they were literally but spiritually. He was prompting them to acknowledge that they were not where they were supposed to be in relationship with Him. For each of us, recognition that we are not where we should be in reference to God is an important first step back to Him. Adam s answer revealed fear and therefore a breach in his previously unspotted relationship with God. Who told you that you were naked? Adam had no answer. For us, the question might be paraphrased, How did you come to know you had a lack? As we diagnose our own sins, we need to be sure we are basing our insights on God and His Word, not our own impressions or what others tell us about ourselves. Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from? Adam could have said, Yes, Lord, and then shut up. God meant for him to admit his sinful action; instead, he played the blame game. In the end, he did admit that he had disobeyed God. What is this you have done? This is the only question directed to Eve. Like the previous question, it was meant to prompt confession of sin. And Eve too admitted her sin. Adam and Eve s story is historical, and it is also the story of every human. We have all seen too many instances in which sin causes human dignity to turn into shame. We all know that rebellion against the true King has ruptured our relationship with Him. We, like Adam and Eve, hide from God as well as from each other. What are the signs that our relationship with God has been broken? What brokenness in the world causes you to mourn? 50 Leader Guide Fall 2014

50 3. God exiles the royal couple from His kingdom (Gen. 3:14-24). The rest of Genesis 3 declares God s curse on the serpent, the woman, and the man. Then they are banished from the garden. Yet a note of hope is included amid the judgment God promises the coming of the seed (descendant) of the woman, who will at last crush the serpent. Here is Genesis 3:14-19: 14 Then the Lord God said to the serpent: Because you have done this, you are cursed more than any livestock and more than any wild animal. You will move on your belly and eat dust all the days of your life. 15 I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel. 16 He said to the woman: I will intensify your labor pains; you will bear children in anguish. Your desire will be for your husband, yet he will rule over you. 17 And He said to Adam, Because you listened to your wife s voice and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, Do not eat from it : The ground is cursed because of you. You will eat from it by means of painful labor 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 You will eat bread by the sweat of your brow until you return to the ground, since you were taken from it. For you are dust, and you will return to dust. The serpent s curse. The serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals (Gen. 3:1); now God declared it cursed more than any wild animal. Verse 14 is a curse on this specific beast rather than on all snakes or reptiles. In verse 15, however, the reference is not to a wild animal but a specific future judgment against Satan. Satan would continue for a season to inflict his poison: you will strike his heel. But in the end, a descendant of the woman would strike [Satan s] head. The judgment on Satan would result in his final demise; the judgment on humanity, however, would play out differently. Further Commentary Though accountability began with God s confrontation of Adam, judgment began with the serpent. Because of the serpent s key role (being used of Satan) in bringing sin into the human experience, it would be permanently consigned to the position of ultimate shame, under the foot. Just as conquered kings were made to lie on the ground under the foot of their conquerors (Josh. 10:24), so now the serpent would live under the feet of humanity. 7 Robert D. Bergen, HCSB Study Bible Further Commentary The Protoevangelium (Latin, First Gospel, Gen. 3:15) Bible students have long recognized Genesis 3:15 as the first divine prophecy of deliverance from sin. The respected commentator Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, put it this way: A gracious promise is here made of Christ, as the deliverer of fallen man from the power of Satan. Though what was said was addressed to the serpent, yet it was said in the hearing of our first parents, who, doubtless, took the hints of grace here given them, and saw a door of hope opened to them, else the following sentence upon themselves would have overwhelmed them. Here was the dawning of the gospel day. No sooner was the wound given than the remedy was provided and revealed. 8 Session 4 51

51 Voices from Church History The world given to us to be our garden becomes a wilderness with which we have to fight. 9 Lesslie Newbigin ( ) Voices from Church History Because human beings did not remain in this original state of creation and lost the image of God through their disobedience, human beings had to be recreated by God through Jesus Christ. That is why the son of God was promised to Adam. This son appeared to all people and destroyed the work of the devil. 10 Dirk Philips ( ) The woman s curse. Eve and all her female descendants were judged by God. The female role as a mother begins with painful labor and delivery. Her role as a wife will be difficult. Whereas Adam and Eve had previously enjoyed perfect relational harmony, now there would be ongoing stress. Yes, the woman (and women in general) will continue to have strong desires for her husband. In some cases, these desires may even include domineering over the man. Marriage will not be easy. In the end, the man (and husbands in general) will tend to dominate his wife rather than nurture, protect, and serve her, as God s intention had been. In other words, sin damages marriage. Left in their self-centeredness, a husband and wife will experience ongoing conflict. The man s curse. Work had been God s intention for humankind before sin entered the world (Gen. 2:15). The rule over the earth that God had given to humanity, both over the plants and over the animals (Gen. 1:28-30), was now damaged. Now work would be painful labor. Instead of a pleasant garden with fruit trees to tend, Adam would find uncooperative ground. Weeds and thorns would proliferate. Work would be exhausting. There would be no choice except to toil to produce enough food to live. We might call this the final dysfunction Adam and Eve s relationship with the rest of creation was thrown into disarray. (I have imagined Adam s fear and grief the first time a previously docile tiger viciously snapped at Eve. Now he would have to protect her from the wild animals.) Perhaps Adam and Eve felt they had avoided death, the worst punishment God had threatened if they disobeyed Him. They were still alive. But no, God pronounced that death would come. Adam would eventually be returned to the ground from which he had come (Gen. 5:5). So it remains true today. The death rate has not changed from Adam till us for every birth, there is a death. (Yet in the coming of the last Adam, death has been reversed by His resurrection, which will be extended to all who are in Him.) What current examples show God s judgment on sin still continues? Why must we recognize God as the Judge who does what is right, even when this means punishment on people? God had pronounced sentence on the serpent, the woman, and the man. Now the text goes on to show God s exile of His royal people from His kingdom. Here is Genesis 3:20-24: 52 Leader Guide Fall 2014

52 20 Adam named his wife Eve because she was the mother of all the living. 21 The Lord God made clothing out of skins for Adam and his wife, and He clothed them. 22 The Lord God said, Since man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil, he must not reach out, take from the tree of life, eat, and live forever. 23 So the Lord God sent him away from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove man out and stationed the cherubim and the flaming, whirling sword east of the garden of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life. These verses show that all of Adam s descendants are born outside of Eden. We were born outside the kingdom of God. The text is clear that all living humans have descended from them. Thankfully, in this judgment account, there is mercy. God did not strike Adam and Eve dead that day. Instead of killing them, He killed animals in their place, providing a divine covering for their lack. (This provides a hint of the importance of blood-offerings that would be prescribed in the sacrificial system in the law of Moses.) God banished our first parents from access to the tree of life. He did not destroy the tree. He knew that one day the tree of life would become available to the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve once again. How do the last verses in Genesis 3 give us hope? How does Genesis 3 serve as an introduction to the rest of the Bible? Conclusion Adam and Eve raised their fists in rebellion against their true King. As a result, paradise was lost. Because of their rejection of God s good rule, the first humans were exiled from the garden of Eden. All their perfect relationships were turned into turmoil: their relationship with their King, their relationship with each other, and their relationship with the rest of creation all were spoiled. However, even as God cursed the serpent, the woman, the man, and the ground, He promised to reestablish His kingdom. There would come a King who would undo the curse that came as a result of sin. This promise points the way forward to the rest of the biblical story line. Abraham and Sarah. Moses and the exodus. David and his coming Son. These are the story of God s kingdom moving forward toward its final expression. This story is our story. And the story continues in and through what God is doing in us today. Further Commentary God s words of judgment on the serpent, woman, and man are immediately followed by two observations that possibly convey a sense of hope. First, the man names his wife Eve (v. 20), which means life-giver Second, God clothes the couple (v. 21). While this final action recognizes that the human couple is now ashamed of their nakedness in God s presence, as a gesture it suggests that God still cares for these, his creatures. Because God provides garments to clothe Adam and Eve, thus requiring the death of an animal to cover their nakedness, many see a parallel here related to (1) the system of animal sacrifices to atone for sin later instituted by God through the leadership of Moses in Israel, and (2) the eventual sacrificial death of Christ as an atonement for sin. 11 T. Desmond Alexander, ESV Study Bible Voices from the Church Human rebellion against God disrupts the natural order of everything. This is why a whole gospel must be explicitly about the restoration of God s image bearers and also about the restoration of the entire theater of his glory, the entire cosmos. 12 Matt Chandler How is our mission in the world connected to the story of Adam and Eve s sin? What happens when we fail to understand the seriousness of sin in our lives and its implications for our mission? Session 4 53

53 Additional Resources The Rebellion on Earth References 1. Herschel Hobbs, The Baptist Faith and Message (Nashville: Convention Press, 1971, revised 1996), John Milton, Paradise Lost, in Oxford World Classics (New York: Oxford University Press, reissue 2008), D. A. Carson, The God Who Is There (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2010), Robert D. Bergen, HCSB Study Bible (Nashville: B&H, 2010), 12-13, n. 3:9; n. 3: Billy Graham, in Billy Graham in Quotes, ed. Franklin Graham (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2011), Ambrose, Paradise, 14.70, quoted in Genesis 1 11, ed. Andrew Loueth, vol. I in Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: Old Testament (Downers Grove: IVP, 2001), Robert D. Bergen, HCSB Study Bible, 13, n. 3: Matthew Henry, A Commentary on the Whole Bible, vol. 1 (Old Tappan, NJ: Revell), Lesslie Newbigin, A Walk Through the Bible (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1999), Dirk Philips, Concerning Spiritual Restitution, in Early Anabaptist Spirituality: Selected Writings, trans. and ed. Daniel Liechty (New York: Paulist Press, 1994), T. Desmond Alexander, ESV Study Bible (Wheaton: Crossway, 2008), 57, n. 3: Matt Chandler and Jared Wilson, The Explicit Gospel (Wheaton: Crossway, 2012), 111. For helps on how to get started using The Gospel Project, ideas on how to better lead groups, or additional ideas for leading a specific session, visit: Study Material -- The Perished Kingdom Chapter 2 from God s Big Picture by Vaughan Roberts -- Humans Reject God s Plan Episode 1, Act 2 from Telling God s Story by Preben Vang and Terry G. Carter -- Rebellion in the Kingdom: Fall Act 2 from The Drama of Scripture by Craig G. Bartholomew and Michael W. Goheen -- Sin and Evil Quotations compiled by Richard A. Kauffman; find a link to this article at gospelproject.com/additionalresources --Previous Biblical Illustrator articles, including The First Evangel, can be purchased, along with other articles for this quarter, at Look for Bundles: The Gospel Project. Sermon Podcasts David Landrith: The Gospel According to Genesis David Platt: God s Story, Our Story Find links to these at gospelproject.com/additionalresources Tip of the Week How Do I Organize Care Groups? (Part 1) Keep care groups small. Limit them to no more than six members and the ministry leader. Include a mix of active and inactive members in each group. Don t give someone all the inactive members to contact. If care groups are part of a coed class, organize the care groups by gender. Relationships need to be built with every individual in the class. If groups are organized by couples, all too often one spouse is neglected. Include members-in-service. These are members who teach or work in another Bible study group. Don t forget anyone. 54 Leader Guide Fall 2014