January 23, 2020
Last night we carried on with our series of “The Story of the Bible” with our last week in the OT! That’s right, we’ve done 13 weeks in the OT… and we’re finally moving into the New Testament! But, it’s been really good. I really want for the students to see that the OT is not irrelevant, etc… it’s in fact very relevant for understanding the foundation of why Jesus had to come!
We looked at two particular prophets last night: Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. At the point in time when they were prophesying, the Kingdom of Israel had split, and there was very little worship of God amongst God’s people. God used the prophets to speak His very words, both of judgement, and of future blessing for His people despite their idolatry. The two sections we looked at were Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Ezekiel 36:26-29 in which the prophets speak of how God will one day write His law on His people’s hearts, cleansing them, and putting His very Spirit inside of them. After comparing these texts, making observations, and asking questions, we noted that the Israelites needed new hearts. It was because of the fact that they could not follow God’s law that God would have to write His law on their hearts, and cleanse them Himself.
The big thing to note is that the story of the Bible is all about God dealing with the problem of sin so that we could be in right relationship with God once again (just like in the garden). The Holy Spirit’s dwelling inside of believers is confirmation that we are indeed clean, because He cannot dwell inside sinners. That’s beautiful news, and it’s made a reality because of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross! Even though the Israelites were far from God, He still carried through on His promises to them. He is faithful, even when His people are not. Praise be to God that faithfulness is one of His many awesome attributes!
Here’s some questions for follow up with your students:
- Why do people need the Holy Spirit? What does this say about humanity?
- Who has the Spirit of God? (Everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior!)
- According to Ezekiel 36:26-29, what does the Spirit do in the life of believers?
- How have you seen the Spirit working in your life, and in the lives of those around you?