The Historical Books: God is Faithful in His Story - A Survey of the Bible

The Historical Books: God is Faithful in His Story - A Survey of the Bible

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Message Slides

Reading Historical Narratives - David M. Howard

Introduction to Historical Narratives - David M. Howard

Themes in Historical Narratives - David M. Howard


Introduction:  My Favorite Assignment as a Professor


•  Genesis - Creator -

•  Exodus - Redeemer

•  Leviticus - Holy

•  Numbers  - Unstoppable

•  Deuteronomy - Serious

•  Joshua- Faithful

•  Judges - Relentless

•  Ruth - Hesed

•  1 & 2 Samuel - Unifier

•  1 & 2 Kings - Disunifier

•  1 & 2 Chronicles - Present

•  Ezra  - Brilliant

•  Nehemiah - Protector

•  Esther  - Hidden


•  Genesis - In the Beginning
•  Exodus - Exit
•  Leviticus  - Offerings and Feast
•  Numbers - Wanders
•  Deuteronomy - Second Law
•  Joshua - General
•  Judges - Cycles
•  Ruth - Love Story
•  1 Samuel - Saul
•  2 Samuel - David
•  1 Kings - Solomon/Split
•  2 Kings - Exile
•  1 Chronicles - Editorial on David
•  2 Chronicles - Editorial on Judah
•  Ezra - Temple/People
•  Nehemiah - Walls
•  Esther - Queen in Persia

•  What is the message of the Historical Books?
                                                         Conviction: So What?

•  What should we believe?   

- God is faithful in spite of our unfaithfulness.

- God has the plan to restore His rule, and He will make it happen.

- God has an unfolding story to redeem His chosen people.

•  How should we behave?

- Remain faithful to God in order to be a willing participant in His Story.

- Courageously trust God no matter where you find yourself.

- Determine to live your life as a part of God’s story.

•  Where does this fit? 
- The unfolding of God’s story to bring Himself glory, honor, and worship.

- The narrative clarification of our own inability to save ourselves.


Next Steps
• 
Thoughtfully consider how your life would change if you fully embraced the reality that you are a part of God’s story rather than Him being a part of your story.

•  Make a single, solid commitment to be faithful to God in a new way in the next six weeks.  Share your commitment with a  friend and ask them to hold you accountable with real consequences.

•  Thank God daily for His faithfulness, especially in light of our habitual unfaithfulness.

This Week’s Growth Guide
God’s Word is both central and critical to your spiritual growth. We invite you to utilize the Growth Guide during the week to further your application of the Truth from the message.

•. Monday - Genesis 1:1-2:3
•. Tuesday - Leviticus 26:1-46
•. Wednesday - 2 Samuel 7:1-29
Thursday - 2 Chronicles 5:1-14
•. Friday - Nehemiah 9:1-38

Home Church
Our Home Churches meet weekly to facilitate quicker relational depth, study the same passage taught
Sunday to help apply Scripture in the context of community, and pray with one another.  Home Church helps our body seek God’s best for one another.

Home Church Questions

•   Read Leviticus 26:1-46

•   Was there anything new or insightful in this message?

•   Was there anything you know you can or should immediately apply?

•   What did you struggle with in this message?  What did not make sense or caused you to evaluate your own life more deeply?

•   How would your life personally or the life of your family be different if you fully live out the truths in this message?

•   Can you, as a group, reconstruct the chronology of the Old Testament? Give it a try.

•   What historical book has been your favorite?  Your least favorite? Most inspiring?

•   What historical book has been most misunderstood by you in the past (or misunderstood by Ken in the present)?

•   What truth about God stands out to you most clearly in the historical books?

•   What truth about man stands out to you most clearly in the historical books?

•   In your encounter with the historical books of the Old Testament, how do they prepare the way for the coming of Jesus to redeem, restore, and rule?

Finances

Weekly Budget      31,390
Giving For 04/02   23,452
Giving For 04/09   37,611
YTD Budget       1,286,979
Giving                 1,334,584
OVER/(UNDER)       47,605

Fellowship Women’s Brunch
Ladies, plan to join us on April 29, 10:00  a.m. here at Fellowship for the Fellowship Women’s Brunch.  Child care by RSVP to Shanna at 501-336-0332. Be sure and grab a card from one of the team in the Atrium this morning.

New to Fellowship?
We are so glad that you joined the Fellowship Family to worship this morning.  If you are joining us for the first time or have been checking us out for a few weeks, we are excited you are here and would love to meet you.  Please fill out the “Connect Card” and bring it to the Connection Center in the Atrium, we would love to say “hi” and give you a gift.

Fellowship on the Lawn |  April 30 |  4:30 p.m.
Join us for Fellowship on the Lawn. Bring your camp chairs, blankets,  and tents to enjoy time in community with the entire Fellowship Family. The kids will be able to play on the playground, and there will be two different inflatables, one for older elementary kids and one for the younger ones.  There will be four food trucks: offering adult meals from $8-12 and kid meals from $5-7 complete with a main course, side, and drink.  The food trucks will be ready to serve at 4:30 p.m.  Grab some friends and join us for Fellowship on the Lawn.

Mother’s Day Baby Dedications  | May 14 | Both Services
The dedication of babies is a special time for parents to commit before their family and friends to bring up their children in the ways of the Lord. We will have a special Mother’s Day baby dedication on Sunday, May 8 (both services).  Contact Lisa Gerdes at lgerdes@fellowshipconway.org if you would like to have your baby dedicated during one of the services.

Fellowship Kids VBS
We’re taking a journey back to ancient Babylon - where you’ll talk to Daniel and find out what it was like to be a captive in a strange country.  Plan to join us Monday, July 17-Friday, July 21, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. for (current) grades Kindergarten through 4th-grade students.  Register at fellowshipconway.org/register. We are also looking for volunteers available for VBS to help point our kids to the Lord in various ways. Please email Heather at hmckinney@fellowshipconway.org if you are willing to serve.

Stoby’s Pancake Breakfast
Join the Czech Team Sunday, May 21, from 8-1 for unlimited pancakes and sausage. The cost is $6/person, and carry-out is available. Tickets will be available in the coming weeks. Plan now to join us for breakfast.

Summer Kids Volunteer
We are looking for summer session volunteers for Fellowship Kids. This is a great opportunity to invest in the future leaders of the faith as they explore who Jesus is and what that means for their lives. We know summer is full of vacations and traveling and that all volunteers will miss occasionally. That is OK! We have a place for you. The summer session is June 4-Aug 13. Please let Heather know if you are interested in hearing more - hmckinney@fellowshipconway.org.