Learning and Growing in God

Genesis - Promise

("Do What You Say You Will Do")

• God Made a Covenant with Abraham
• God promised him as many decendants as the stars in the sky and the land of Cannan
• God told him to leave his home and be obedient to him
• Trust that God keeps his promises and has a plan for you

Exodus - Miracle

("Extranordinary Event; Supernatural")

• Isralites - God's chosen people and decendants of Abraham
• Were in captivity in Egypt 
• God sent Moses to set them free
• Performed an amazing miracle - Parted the Red Sea
• Nothing can stop God's plan

Commandments - Rules/Laws

("Instructions for living in a Godly way/a Godly life")

• Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
• Ten Commandments
• Given to Moses at Mt. Sini
• The first four are about how to love God; five through ten are about how to love others
• God made a covenant with Abraham

Judges - Obedience

(to obey; to follow the commands or guidance of)

• Gideon was an "unlikely hero".  He was an ordinary man (weakest & least important in the family).  
• He doubted he was chosen by God (he asked God for a sign)
• Gideon was obedient to God; Obedience to God leads to good things
• When we obey God, he can do great things through us

Ruth - Faithful

(Remaining loyal; steadfast)

• Ruth was loyal and steadfast
• Ruth stayed with Naomi after her husband died (Ruth was Naomi's daughter-in-law)
• Ruth met Boaz after moving to a new land with Naomi
• Ruth learned about God; she was blessed with a family and the lineage of Jesus
• God blessed Ruth because of her faithful heart

Samuel - InnerPerson

(God looks at us at our heart)

• God looks at the inner person; at the heart
• Israel needed a new king
• Samuel (a prophet) was the religious leader and was commanded by God to find a new king
• He went to the house of Jesse; he chose David
• David was chosen because he had a pure heart and wanted to please God
• Take care of the inside as well as the outside

Kings - Positive Influence

 (to effect (casue) the behavior of) 

• kings discussess three kinds of kings - good, ok, and bad
• Azariah was an okay king.  He did what was right in God's eyes but he didn't remove the high places
• Ahaz was a bad king.  He was disobedient to God; worshipped fake gods; and was a negative influence
• Hezekiah was a good king.  He removed the high places, remianed faithful, and was successful in everything he did
• We can be a blessing (for ourselves) and for others for God

Chronicles - Victory

(Defeating the enemy)

• King Jenoshapat was a good king
• Asked God for help when he needed to battle their enemy
• God told the people "do not be afraid", the battle belongs to the lord
• The people only had to be obedient to God to be successful.  They gained the victory
• We want to win the battle according to God's will in our lives

Nehemiah - Forgiveness

(God will forgive us when we repent)

• The Israelites were in captivity in Babylon because of a cycle of following God and then turning away from God
• God delivers them from bondage and they are allowed to go home to Jerusalem
• They find the city runied; when Nehemiah hears, he is very sad
• He asks the king, after praying, to go home to rebuild; letters for safe passage; and wood for rebuilding
• Nehemiah is successful in rebuilding Jerusalem and repairing he people's relationship with God

(Queen) Esther - Bravery

(God has a purpose for us when we are brave and stand up for what we believe in - anything is possible)

• God has a purpose for us and we want to always choose to do the right thing
• Queen Esther became the new Queen with help from Mordecai
• Hamon devised an evil plan to kill all the Jews
• Modecai asked Esther to stand up to the king to save the Jews
• She agreed to go before the king, even if she would lose her life
• God was with her; her life was spared and the king agreed to not kill the Jews

Job - God is in Control

(When bad things happen; try to remain faithful and trust in God)

• Job was perfect and upright.  He had a very good life
• Satan was allowed to test Job
• He lost his livestock, his children, and his health got very bad
• In spite of everything, he still reamined faithful to God
• God restored him to a righteous place and gave him twice as much as what he had before
• When bad things happen; remain faithful to God

Psalm - Sing God's Praises

(serve God with gladness and singing)

• Serve God with gladness and singing
• When we go to God, we don't always just have to bring him our prolblems.  We want to sing his praises too!
• God created us!  We are made in his image
• Enter his gates with thanksgiving and praise
• God is good and his mercey is forever.  Anything is possible with God!

Proverbs through Ecclesiastes -- Wisdom

(Teaches us wisdom and encourages us to continue to seek wisdom)

• Written by Soloman - considered to be the wisest man/king
• He could have asked for anything; He asked God for wisdom 
• God blessed him with wisdom and other earthly blessings
• Wisdom is the ability to use information in the most practical and pleasing way to God.  Most beneficial for the most amount of people

Song of Soloman - Love

(A Love Story)

• Written by Soloman
• It is a love story/poem
• Stresses the importance of love between a husband and his wife
• Marriage is a gift from God for a man and a woman
• As we grow in God, we should do so based on love

Isaiah - Savior/Redemption

(Unto us a child is born)

• Isaiah is a prophet sent by God to deliever a message to the people
• He told the people they would be judged
• He also told them that a savior would also be born and bring peace and reign forever
• Jesus was sent (in the New Testament) as a child and a Savior

Jeremiah through Lamentations - Consequences & Punishment

("The Weeping Prophet" - Punishment for Sin)

• Jeremiah was a prophet that had to deliver some very bad news to the Israelites
• He told them that they would be punished for their sins and it came true!  They lost their home
• Sin has conquences - they can be minor or they can major
• God is always willing to forgive us and bring us back into a right and righteous relationship with him

Ezekiel - Forgiveness & Restoration

(Valley of the Dry Bones)

• Ezekiel was a prophet told by God to prophesy to some dry bones
• When he did, the bones came to life
• This was a picture of the forgiveness God offered the Israelites (and to us)
• God forgive us when we are sorry!

Daniel - Unfaithfulness

(in the lion's den)

• Daniel had been exiled (taken away from his home)
• However he was favored by the king - which made other people jealous
• They set him up because he would not stop praying to God! So, he had to spend the night in a lion's den
• God protected him and the lions did not harm him
• As a result, God was glorified and Daniel was saved

Hosea - God Saves

(Nothing can separate us from God)

• God told Hosea to marry Gomer, an unfaithful woman
• Symbolic of Israels unfaithfulness to God
• First child - Jezereel (God would punish the Israelite kingdom)
• Second child - Lo Ruhamah "not loved" (there would be a time period when God would not show his love)
• Third child - Lo Ammi "not my people" (Separation; God told them, you are no longer my people and I am no longer your God)
• Like Hose's marriage, God would rescue, redeem, and forgive them

Joel and Amos - Punishment and Forgiveness

(Learning from our Mistakes)

• There are consequences when we disobey; at this time, Israel was politically strong but spritually weak - moral darkness
• They would be struck down and destroyed; The wouldn't be able to hide from God.  He would destory their kingdom and they would be taken into exile
• God wouldn't punish them forever.  He would bring them home and make them a great nation again
• Like parents will always love their children; God will always love us!

Obadiah - Let God Judge -- Judgement

(Don't Judge Others)

• Obadiah gave the people of Edom a warning
• The warning was that God would destroy them for their violence and judgement against the Israelites
• The Edomites took pleasure in Israel's downfall.  As a result, they would suffer the same consequences
• Don't delight in other's misfortune; stay attentive to your own "walk" with God
• God still defended his people in spite of their punishment