week of 11/27

 Unit 15  Session 4

GOD'S IMAGE IN THE NATIONS

GENESIS 5 ; PSALM 139 ; LUKE 10:25-37 ; 2 CORINTHIANS 3

All people possess value, having been made in the image of God.

One key to fully comprehending the wrath and judgment of God is to grasp the nature of humanity. The Bible begins with the story of creation. Filled with many astounding details of how God formed this world and all He filled it with, it is easy to miss one colossal truth embedded within the creation narrative. When God made humankind, He did something different. Every other action was performed without one critical factor found only in the creative act of Adam and Eve, namely, God fashioned humans in His image. Both male and female were constructed to reflect Who God is, providing humankind with a unique and special status within all of God's work.

Points to consider:

✞   All people are made in the image of God.

     * What are some implications of knowing God 

        made every human being in His image?

✞   All people are valued because they are 

     made in the image of God.

     * What are some ways we can prove ourselves 

        to be good neighbors?

✞   All believers are being transformed into 

     the image of Christ.       

     * How does sin keep people from experiencing 

        freedom?

     * What are some ways we need to work on 

        beholding the glory of God in Christ?

week of 11/20

Unit 15  Session 3

GOD'S JUDGMENT THROUGH THE NATIONS

2 CHRONICLES 36

God sends judgment upon all who are obstinate against Him.

In 586 B.C., Nineveh and Assyria have been destroyed and the nation of Judah has fallen under Babylonian control for about two decades. The northern kingdom of Israel is long gone, and the kings of southern Judah have been a mixed bag. Some have followed God, but most have not. God has given Judah a very long leash with ample opportunities to repent of their unfaithfulness. Yet they have broken their covenant with Yahweh, and God's wrath has been stirred - this time against His own rebellious, obstinate people. In His righteousness, God removes His protective hand. Judah's time is up, and destruction comes swiftly through the hands of the Babylonians.

Points to consider:

✞   Obstinate people refuse God's ways.

     * What are some detestable practices of the 

        nations that tempt believers today?

✞   Obstinate people reject God's word.

     * What are some means God uses to speak to 

        us and direct us back to Him?

✞   Obstinate people experience God's judgment.       

     * How might the destruction of the temple have 

        been interpreted by the remaining people 

        of Judah?

     * How should God's promise of a remnant for 

        Judah bring hope for us in our darkest days?

week of 11/13

Unit 15  Session 2

GOD'S JUDGMENT OF THE NATIONS

NAHUM

God will punish all sin so that none may accuse Him of unrighteousness.

Over a century after Ninevah's repentant response to God's warning through Jonah, God gave Nahum a final word for the Assyrian capital. We don't know how long the city's contrition lasted, but it eventually faded. In 612 B.C., the Babylonians decimated Ninevah and - thanks to Nahum - God's people saw it coming. This book of prophecy is a record of God's message to His people suffering under the oppression of Assyria. To Ninevah, this was a severe indictment. But these words pointed the hearts of God's people to the holiness, justice, and faithfulness of the Lord, who would certainly, decidedly, and finally avenge the many wicked wrongs wrought by the Assyrians.

Points to consider:

✞   The Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.

     * Why is it good that God is a jealous God?

     * What emotions might rise to the surface 

        knowing God will punish all wrongdoing 

        one day?

✞   The Lord will be a stronghold for those who 

     take refuge in Him.

     * What are some ways we should expect to 

        experience God's care for us?

✞   The Lord will be vindicated before the nations.       

     * How should believers in Jesus respond to 

        the promise of destruction of God's enemies?

week of 11/6

Unit 15  Session 1

GOD'S HEART FOR THE NATIONS

JONAH

God loves all peoples and sends out His Word so that they might repent of their sin.

Many use the story of Jonah, a picture book favorite, as a cautionary tale of the consequences of disobedience. Yet the book of Jonah is more than a tale of a man on the run who ends up in the belly of a fish. God gave Jonah, a prophet during the rule of Jeroboam II (793 - 753 B.C.), the great honor and responsibility of declaring His words to His people. He enjoyed the role of prophet during a time of relative ease and safety. But when God called him to go and speak out against his evil enemies, Jonah bolted in an attempt to shirk the responsibility he had previously embraced.

Points to consider:

✞   A wayward prophet leads others to worship the Lord.

     * How have you seen the decisions of Christ-followers 

        positively or negatively affect unbelievers around 

        them?

✞   A stubborn prophet draws others to repent to the Lord.

     * Why might we give into the thought that some people 

        are too far gone for God to redeem?

✞   A hard-hearted prophet receives compassion from 

     the Lord.       

     * What are some difficult lessons you have had to learn 

        from the Lord?

     * How might we grow in our desire to see all people 

        repent and believe in Jesus?