Many of our college students from LifeWay are in finals week right now. They are collecting all the information from the class notes and all their readings from the year, and they are sitting at a desk or a computer and having the lay out the mounds of information they have learned over the whole semester to prove how well they know the subject.
Well, this coming Sunday morning, May 2, I am finishing the year of teaching that we began back in September. We called it the year of “The Book of Jesus” at LifeWay, from September to May. We are now at the end of the year. In all my years of being part of the life of a church, I don’t remember ever taking a test of knowledge—well, maybe in one of our TAG groups, but certainly never from a sermon. I have wondered…why not?
- Maybe we don’t want to push people that hard.
- Maybe we don’t expect much out of people. We might just expect people to come in, sit down, listen to a sermon, and then, after dropping off a financial offering, just leave and go home.
- Maybe it seems too school-like.
But I’ve wondered about this, because in actuality, life itself is a daily test for all of us. We are—daily, hourly, weekly—put to the test by life and all its challenges. And one of the great reasons why we teach from the Bible is that through the Bible, God is giving us help to know how to not only survive in this broken world, but to thrive.
If that’s so, why wouldn’t we want to be tested to make sure we understand the truths of God’s Word?
On Sunday morning as I wrap up the messages in this school-year-long series, I am actually going to test you, to make sure we have come to some understanding and practical application of what we’ve learned this year about why the entirety of the Bible is all about Jesus.
Review: “The Book of Jesus” Key terms
Below are some of the key words that I want you to make sure you know and apply.
- Holy God
- Image Bearers
- Shattered
- Rescue
- Covenant
- Sacrifice
- Remember
- The Messiah
- The promise of the Messiah
- The picture of the Messiah
- The arrival of the Messiah
- The lineage of the Messiah (John 1)
Review: Jesus’ Life, Work and impact
Then, when you think through the stories of Jesus’ actual life as we studied out of primarily the book of John this winter and spring, try to connect the stories to the theological points listed above:
- Jesus’ baptism, temptation, and calling of his disciples (John 1 & Matthew 4)
- Jesus the miracle worker (John 2)
- Jesus speaks with Nicodemus (John 3)
- Jesus meets the woman at the well (John 4)
- Jesus heals the paralyzed (John 5)
- Jesus feeds 5000 (John 6)
- Jesus speaks of being a disciple (John 6)
- Jesus begins the “I am” statements (beginning in John 8 and beyond)
- Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11)
Review: Holy Week
Then, the incredible Holy Week story of the Messiah, and how he fulfills all the above-stated truths:
- John 12-19
Review: THe Resurrection
Then the resurrection of this Jesus the Savior:
- The completion of the Messiah’s work (John 20-21)
review: Two Fundamental Points
Finally, the two theological points on which we have hung our hats:
- He restored his image in us…
- …to reveal his image to the world.
Review: Our memory verse for the year
Colossians 1:15
Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
If you know this list and can describe the core truths that God is showing us, then you can move on to Year 2, which officially will begin in September.
See you Sunday morning at 10 a.m. through one of our 3 doors to LifeWay Church:
- 1: Watch online in your own home
- 2: Join a small group and stream the service together
- 3: Come to church and join us inside the building (remember to register!)
