Quest F AI TH. Student Edition. Authors Sharon R. Berry, Ph.D. Ollie E. Gibbs, Ed.D.

Transcription

1 FaithQuest

2 Quest F AI TH Student Edition Authors Sharon R. Berry, Ph.D. Ollie E. Gibbs, Ed.D.

3 Published by LifeWay Christian School Resources 2000, 2005, 2007 Christian Academic Publications and Services, Inc. Revised 2008, Reprinted 2010, 2011 Created and Developed by Christian Academic Publications and Services, Inc. Birmingham, Alabama No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system for any purpose, except as may be expressly permitted in writing by the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed in writing to LifeWay Christian School Resources, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville TN ISBN: Item Dewey Decimal Classification: Subject Heading: CHRISTIAN LIFE/TEENAGERS/BIBLE/OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY Printed in the United States of America Student Ministry Publishing LifeWay Church Resources One LifeWay Plaza Nashville, TN For ordering or inquiries visit or write LifeWay Church Resources Customer Service, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN

4 T a b l e o f C o n t e n t s Introduction v Week 1 GOD S PLAN Week 2 THE BEGINNINGS Week 3 A CHOSEN NATION Week 4 A FAMILY BECOMES A NATION Week 5 A NATION MOVES TO EGYPT Week 6 A NATION LEAVES EGYPT Week 7 A NATION DEFINED Week 8 WANDERING IN THE WILDERNESS Week 9 A NATION RULED BY JUDGES Week 10 A NATION RULED BY A KING Week 11 A NATION RULED BY DAVID Week 12 A NATION RULED BY SOLOMON Week 13 THE NORTHERN KINGDOM Week 14 JUDGMENT TO THE NORTHERN KINGDOM Week 15 THE SOUTHERN KINGDOM Week 16 JUDGMENT TO THE SOUTHERN KINGDOM Week 17 NATION IN EXILE Week 18 A LOOK BACK LifeQuest iii

5 T a b l e o f C o n t e n t s Week 19 THE RETURN Week 20 THE SILENT YEARS Week 21 JESUS THE KING: MATTHEW Week 22 JESUS THE SERVANT: MARK Week 23 JESUS THE MAN: LUKE Week 24 JESUS THE LORD: JOHN Week 25 A FINISHED PLAN Week 26 THE CHURCH BEGINS Week 27 THE CHURCH EXPANDS Week 28 RECEIVING THE GOSPEL Week 29 EXPERIENCING THE GOSPEL Week 30 EXPLAINING THE GOSPEL Week 31 LIVING THE GOSPEL Week 32 CONFRONTING THE WORLD Week 33 SEEKING WISDOM Week 34 RESPONDING TO TRIALS Week 35 THE LORD TRIUMPHANTLY RETURNS Week 36 A LIFE OF FAITH ScriptureQuest Gossary Maps iv

6 I n t r o d u c t i o n The Bible presents one unified message God s Plan of Redemption. During the first semester you will study the Need of Redemption in the opening chapters of Genesis and the Nation through the family of Abraham. You will trace seven stages of Jewish history including the Patriarchs, the Exodus, the Conquest, the Judges, the United Kingdom, Divided Kingdom, and Exile. You will study the lives of people like Noah, Job, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Ruth, Samuel, David, Elijah, Hezekiah, Isaiah, Daniel, Esther, and many other great examples of faith. Approximately 700 years before Christ was born, Israel was conquered by the Babylonian Empire and subsequently the Persian Empire. The Northern Kingdom had been dispersed by the Assyrians, and the two Southern tribes lived in exile but were able to maintain their religious distinctives. Eventually, small contingencies were allowed to return to the Promised Land. The Books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther relate to this period of Jewish history and are the starting point for your second semester s study. You will then proceed to the next three sections of the Bible: the Person, the Explanation, and the End of Redemption. This involves the life of Christ presented in the gospels, the coming of the Holy Spirit, the phenomenal growth of the early church, letters from Paul and other church leaders and, finally, the culmination of all history in the book of Revelation. Each week you will read Scripture, focus on the works and words of God then make personal application to your own life. It s a challenging but fun course with lots of activities. You will find several unique features within the course. First is the instant message format of each chapter. While the exchanges are fictional, they present real predicaments faced by teens your age. Throughout the responses the students review Scriptures and biblically-based advice and instruction are provided. A second feature is the Family Chatroom, providing opportunities for you to interact with your parents or another significant adult as to how they handled similar predicaments and the advice they would give to teens. Another feature is the ScriptureQuest listings of five readings for each week that will take you through major passages as you survey the Old and New Testaments during the year. These appear at the end of your worktext. v

7 The IM (instant message) friends who interact each week are listed below. The four students attend a Christian school and vary in their interests and maturity. They are tech-savvy friends who study together and serve as accountability partners. IM4Him: Sarah, a high-school sophomore, lives in a highly committed Christian family. She is a serious student who has a great relationship with her older sister. 2B4Givn: Ginny is Sarah s older sister. She graduated from the same Christian school that Sarah and the others attend. Ginny is a junior attending college away from home. QTee: Megan is Sarah s best friend. Megan is fun-loving and sometimes speaks before thinking, which can be a problem at home. She enjoys playing golf. PHETI: Tyler (whose last name is Fisher and is nicknamed Fish) chose this IM name because it spells fish (Ph = f, E = i; TI = sh). Tyler likes deep-sea fishing with his dad. Gr8-1: Tim s IM displays his sense of self-confidence except about his height and athletic ability. His goal in life is to someday become a medical missionary. UthPstr: Pastor Scott is Youth Pastor at Tim s and Sarah s church. They have invited all the students to their church, so they know Pastor Scott well. They respect his judgment and include him in many discussions. vi

8 As in other courses in the QUEST series, you have some assignments to be completed on your QuestFiles at the end of each chapter. Additionally, your instructor will provide handouts, outlines, quotes, and reaction opportunities. Since all QUEST courses balance between information and application, you can expect many opportunities to relate what you learn to real-life situations. Studying the Bible without consideration for your own faith quest would be a waste of time and effort. Knowledge is for naught. It is the power of God to change your life that s really important. If you have ever wondered... What is the Bible all about? Why did Jesus have to die? Will believing this make any difference in my life? This is the year to find the answers to your questions. Begin with the simple prayer, God, show me Yourself and Your Son. If You are really there, I want to know You, and I want to follow Your plan. God has promised to teach those who conscientiously seek Him. The possibilities are endless as you determine to take ownership over what you learn during the year. More than what your instructor demands, the real value of this course will be what you put into it and get out of it. That all depends on you will you commit to letting the Lord speak to you from the pages of Scripture? Will you purposely embark on your own quest of faith, without which it s impossible to please God? Our desire is that you may have faith in His name and become faithful in His Kingdom. This is the purpose of your study as you embark on FaithQuest. May you be blessed as you consider week by week the wonderful words and works of God and His Son Jesus Christ. The Authors vii

9 Scripture quotations not otherwise marked are from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are from The Holy Bible, King James Version. Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are from The Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1978 by New York International Bible Society. Used by permission of the Zondervan Bible Publishers. Scripture quotations marked (NASB) are from The New American Standard Bible. Copyright The Lockman Foundation, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked (TLB) are from The Living Bible Copyright 1971 by Tyndale House Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (HCSB) are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible, Holman CSB, and HCSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. viii

10 G o d s P l a n Week 1 QuestFocus Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:1,6 UthPstr: Hello, Sarah. Hello, Megan. How was your first day at school? IM4Him: Hi, Pastor Scott. It sure is great to be back in school! Although I enjoyed the summer break, I wasn t able to keep up with all my friends. QTee: Right! Did you know that Melissa was named to the All-City high school softball team this summer? IM4Him: No, I didn t. And I just heard that both Doug and Angela had knee surgery. They are two of our best soccer players. I sure hope they re ready for the first games of the season. QTee: Me too! But what I really can t believe is that over half of our class got their driver s licenses this summer. It s fun to be back in school catching up on the news and all. IM4Him: Speaking of school, my first day in geometry was fine, but I m not looking forward to dissecting a fetal pig in biology. My favorite classes are history and English. QTee: Biology is going to be fun! But I wasn t quite sure what to think of our new Bible class. I know that Mr. Redish s going to be a great teacher. But because the schedule was short today, he didn t have time to tell us why the course is called FaithQuest. IM4Him: That s why I asked Pastor Scott to join us online today. I m hoping he can explain the course. I know that he and Mr. Redish have talked about it many times. FaithQuest 1

11 UthPstr: I was wondering why you two wanted me to join in this conversation. Now I understand! IM4Him: Sorry, I didn t mean to take advantage. Still, can you tell us more about FaithQuest? UthPstr: Well, you can read your worktext s introduction. But I think I can help by telling you what happened a couple of weeks ago when my wife and I celebrated our 12 th wedding anniversary. QTee: Hey! Congratulations! UthPstr: Thanks. Anyway, we were having dinner together, talking about our first year of marriage. I ll tell you a little bit about it from my journal. File Sharing We had so little money that we weren t even sure we could pay our monthly bills. Our finances were really tight for almost two years. When we were just starting to make it, we found out we were expecting our first child. That was a real surprise! Not only were we concerned about the additional financial obligations, we had no idea what it was going to be like to become parents. We spent most of our anniversary dinner discussing all of the big events in our 12 years of marriage. When we came to the end of our dinner, we realized how our lives had been a journey of faith. IM4Him: Wow! There s no way you could have known in advance what it would be like. 2

12 Week 1 UthPstr: So... think ahead to your wedding day. You receive a book with the title Our Married Life. Opening the book, you see that all of the pages are blank. Why? Because the story of your life together has not yet been written. Beginning that day your wedding day the story of your marriage begins. Of course, it s not possible to read ahead to find out what s going to happen. Yet God has given us a guidebook to help us to both understand the past and look into the future. In the Bible, God reveals His plan for mankind a plan that was set in motion long before time began, and it encompasses all of eternity. Every believer needs to understand God s big plan for mankind. That s why you re about to begin a course called FaithQuest. Now I want to ask a question: What does it mean to you to be on a quest? QTee: To me it means taking a trip like for a special purpose. IM4Him: I think of searching for something. UthPstr: Actually, both of you are right. A person on a quest is seeking answers or conducting an investigation. In your Bible class you will investigate the role of faith in both the history and future of mankind. Your trip will take you from the beginning to the end of God s Word all of it woven with a scarlet thread that ties together the entire message of the Bible. Do you get the metaphor? QTee: I think it refers to Jesus Christ. The Bible s central theme, or thread, is redemption. UthPstr: That s correct. Beginning with Genesis 3:15, God describes the plan of redemption that He had already prepared to restore mankind to a right relationship with Him. God s plan was to send a Messiah who would become the perfect sacrifice for the sins of mankind. Of course, Jesus Christ is the Savior that God sent. The thread is scarlet because it represents His blood. Right from the beginning, God required a blood sacrifice for the atonement of sins (Leviticus 17:11; Ephesians 1:7). 3

13 The books of the Old Testament provide the history and background for the promised Messiah. The books of the New Testament describe the Messiah s ministry, the impact of His ministry on the world, and what will happen when He returns in the last days. Throughout the Bible the theme of redemption clearly unfolds. IM4Him: I remember when we learned about Jesus as the scarlet thread of the Bible. But I don t really understand what this has to do with FaithQuest? UthPstr: As you journey through the pages of Scripture, you will investigate the events and lives of individuals connected to God s plan. As you study each one, you will understand their journey of faith. From Genesis to Revelation, God has called men and women to trust Him. In turn, through the faithfulness of His people God continues to accomplish His plans for history. QTee: It sounds like we are going to review the whole Bible! IM4Him: Actually, I think that s exactly what Mr. Redish said in my class today. He said that by the end of the school year we will have studied all of the Bible. UthPstr: Would you like for me to take a few minutes to review the overall structure of the Bible with you? It might help as you begin your FaithQuest. IM4Him: That s a great idea! UthPstr: Remember, first of all, that the Bible is not a random collection of books that have little or no relationship to each other. The 66 books of the Bible describe God s plan in a very logical and systematic way. The Bible is divided into two major collections: the Old Testament and the New Testament. The first consists of 39 books and the other has 27. They are arranged in such a way that they naturally present the unfolding of God s plan. 4

14 Week 1 QTee: I ve always studied particular verses or short passages. I didn t realize that the books of the Bible are arranged in a specific order. Keep going; I m making notes. UthPstr: Okay. Let s begin with the Old Testament. The Books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy are all primarily from the pen of Moses. They are all historical. They have been known as the Five Books of Moses, or the Pentateuch. Under the inspiration of God, Moses described the Creation, the Fall, the Flood, the Patriarchs, the exodus from Egypt, and the Law. The next group of books includes Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. These are also historical books. IM4Him: How are they different from the Five Books of Moses? UthPstr: The first nine (Joshua to 2 Chronicles) are records of the nation Israel s occupancy of Canaan. The last three relate to the period after Israel (the remaining two and a half tribes) was taken captive then later returned to their land. To summarize, the 17 historical books can be divided into three groups. The first five books describe history prior to entering Canaan. The next nine books focus on what happened in Canaan. The final three books tell the story of Israel after they were taken into exile then returned to Canaan. Basically, the last 12 books of history can be divided into stages: settling Canaan, life under judges, united kingdom, divided kingdom, captivity, and return. Factoid Old Testament Structure 17 History 5 Pentateuch/Before Canaan 9 In Canaan 3 Return to Canaan 5 Poetry 17 Prophecy 5 Major 12 Minor 9 During Exile 3 After Exile 39 Total 5

15 QTee: Well, you re certainly right about the first 17 books of the Old Testament. There is a very clear plan. What about the rest of the Old Testament? UthPstr: The five Books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon form the next natural group. Unlike the first 17 books, these are not historical. The focus of these five books is not on the nation of Israel, but the personal problems of the human heart. While the first 17 books were written in prose, these books were written in poetry. Thus, they are called the Books of Poetry. They express the individual experiences of the authors. IM4Him: These books really stand out from the history books. Now I see why. UthPstr: The remaining 17 books, written by the prophets, are a special group as well. They include Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. These 17 books belong together just as clearly as the 17 books of history. They are also divided into two groups. Do you know how they are divided? IM4Him: Sure, there are the 5 books of the Major Prophets and the 12 books of the Minor Prophets not because they re less important, but because they re shorter. I learned that at church years ago. UthPstr: Very good. The Major Prophets outline God s comprehensive plan for the coming Messiah. Isaiah describes the Messiah as both the suffering Savior and the sovereign King who will one day rule the entire earth. In Jeremiah, the Messiah is described as the Branch of David and the One who will ultimately restore the nation. The Book of Lamentations stands in the middle of the four prophets. It is a historical book that divides the two pre-exile prophets from the two exile prophets. In Ezekiel, the prophet looked beyond the present troubles experienced by Israel. He described the glorious reign of the Messiah in the temple of the future. The Book of Daniel, often compared with the Book of Revelation, is both historical and prophetic. Historically, Daniel told the story of Israel while they were captives in Babylon. But Daniel also looked to the end of the world. He described what will happen when the Messiah returns, destroys the governments of this world, and sets up a heavenly Kingdom. 6

16 Week 1 In the same way that the 12 historical books are divided into groups of 9 and 3, so are the Minor Prophets. The first 9 Minor Prophets all relate to Israel prior to the Exile. The final 3 books (Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi) describe conditions in Israel after the Exile. Some were written to warn the ten northern tribes, and others were written to the two and a half tribes in the south called Judah. All the books of prophecy relate to the historical periods of the Divided Kingdom and the Exile. QTee: I never realized that the prophetic books were so organized and so specific. It seems like the books really fit together. UthPstr: The organization of the Old Testament is amazing. Think about it for a moment. Over a span of about 1600 years, 40+ writers prepared books that would form the Old Testament. These writers did not live in the same place, nor did they all write to the same people. They also had different purposes for writing. Yet under God s divine direction, these books consistently provide the story of God s plan for mankind. QTee: I m impressed! But that s only the Old Testament. What about the New Testament? Factoid The writers of the New Testament completed their manuscripts within about 60 years of Jesus crucifixion. Although no original writings have survived, we have approximately 15,000 complete manuscripts or partial quotations of the New Testament today that were written or copied within the first several hundred years following Christ s death thousands more than any other writings from that era. UthPstr: Just as much consistency exists in the 27 books of the New Testament as in the Old Testament. The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) and Acts are the only historical books of the New Testament. They naturally go together because the first four tell the story of Jesus life and the fifth book (Acts) describes the results of the Great Commission and the effects of the Holy Spirit. God s plan of redemption is fully revealed in these books. It is explained in the next books called epistles. 7

17 IM4Him: I never thought about the Gospels and Acts as history books. But you re right. It s interesting that the numerical pattern is the same. UthPstr: Paul wrote the next 13 books nine addressed to Christian churches. This group includes Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians. The common theme in all of these books is Christian doctrine and its application to life. The next four books (1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon) are personal and focus on godly counsel. QTee: That certainly makes sense. I can see how all of those books relate to the church. What about the last nine books? I don t see a theme for those books. UthPstr: These are called general epistles, and a common theme runs through them. All these books speak to Jews who have become Christians and are experiencing persecution. For example, James addresses the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad. Even in Revelation, the final book of the Bible and the only prophetical book in the New Testament, God explains the events at the end of the world and Jesus second return. In the pages of Scripture, God reveals Himself to us. He lays out His plan for us. Your journey from Genesis to Revelation this year will be a quest of faith. Not only will you see how faith guided the characters of the Bible, you will grow in faith in your own life. QTee: Now I understand why this Bible course is called FaithQuest. We re on a life journey with the specific purpose of developing greater knowledge and faith in God. UthPstr: When I was in seminary I heard a pastor say, No man s education is complete if he does not know the Bible. Just remember, courses about the Bible are never as important as knowing the Bible for yourself. Don t just rely on the textbook or what your teacher says. Use this year to become acquainted with God in a very personal way. Make a commitment today to study His Word this entire school year. You will never regret it! 8

18 Week 1 IM4Him: Thanks for your help. I m really looking forward to what we re going to learn this year. QTee: Me too. Thanks for your challenge to personally read and study the Bible every day for the whole school year. I ll give it my best. God s Plan of Redemption The Need The Nation The Person The Explanation The End Genesis 1 11 Genesis 12 Malachi Matthew, Mark, Luke, John Acts Jude Revelation 9

19 Beginnings Patriarchs Moses The Law Wilderness wanderings Pentateuch Books of Moses OLD TESTAMENT Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Books of Poetry Ancient literature Songs Poetry Prayers Wise sayings Drama Job Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Solomon Books of History Joshua Judges Ruth 1 Samuel 2 Samuel 1 Kings 2 Kings 1 Chronicles 2 Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Esther Entering the Promised Land Ruled by judges Ruled by kings Saul David Solomon A divided kingdom In exile A remnant in Jerusalem Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Books of Prophecy Major Prophets Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel Daniel Minor Prophets Hosea Joel Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi Coming Messiah Warnings against... disobedience idolatry continued sin Coming judgment Coming Day of the Lord Coming Restoration 10

20 QuestFile 1.1 Week 1 Family Chatroom Interact with your parents or another adult and record their responses. 1. What is faith? 2. How can you develop faith? 3. What is the relationship between faith and faithfulness? 4. What kind of faith would you like to see me develop this year? Parent s Signature 11

21 QuestFile 1.2 A Letter to Myself What I want to accomplish on my personal faith quest is to... 12