I am so excited about this series…and this weeks message.  I have never preached a message on the whole Bible!  It is going to be fun.  You might not think this sounds fun…you may think it sounds really long.  Here is why this is going to be fun…the Bible, when read and understood as a “whole” is a meta-narrative or a master story.  It is an epic that explains everything!  The Bible gives us a real picture of where we came from, why we are here, why we are in the condition we are in, our purpose while we are here, and the reality of the future.  Did you realize the Bible provides us with all of this vital information?

The Bible presents us three key realities:
1) The reality of God, not a generic God, but this God, as revealed in his Word.  We come to know his character in the Old Testament and meet him personally in the New Testament in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ.

2) The Bible is a particular story, this story, the ultimate story that tells us from where we came, why we are here, and where we are going.  Jesus is the climax of this story and we are still anxiously waiting the conclusion.

3)  The Bible is about a particular people, this people, the nation of Israel in the Old Testament, a people of promise who are to be a light to the nations.  Through Christ, we have become a part of this people of promise (Gal.3:2-8) as the church and our mission is the same as that of Israel’s, to be a light to the nations, expanding the rule and reign of Christ to every tribe, tongue, and nation by the proclamation of the Gospel in both proclamation and deed.

This grand story of the Bible is the story of reality, of how things really are.  This is why I am so excited about this message and series of messages.  If we catch the story, we will understand more about who we are and what we are called to do as the people of God.

Now on reading Genesis…Next week I will be preaching on the book of Genesis.  It would be great for you to read along this coming week and have chewed on the text before you come to church on Sunday.  Don’t read it to understand every minute detail.  Read it like you would a novel, a story.  Try to see the character of God and how he relates to His creation, even after the fall.  Read it in a way that puts God at the center.  It is so easy to read Scripture as a self-help book, putting ourselves as the primary purpose of the story…remember, this is God’s story that he has invited us to partake.  His word is authoritative because it provides us with the parameters by which we live, He gives us permission to be a part of his story.  Read it along with me and lets see what God unpacks for us each week.