Week 17 ~ The Kingdoms' Fall

Week of January 20, 2013

Weekly sermon theme:   The Kingdom's Fall

Weekly reading:  pages 231 ~247

2 comments:


  1. Point to ponder…
    Have you ever watched a movie and found yourself thinking, somewhere near the conclusion, “There has to be a catch. This can’t be the way the story ends?”

    This is what happens in the classic movie E.T. Near the end, the star of the show, the cute little extraterrestrial character, dies. His glowing heart stops glowing; his radiant pointer finger goes dark; his alien skin turns pasty. Our Reese’s Pieces-eating gentle hero just dies.

    Everyone knows this is wrong. You can feel it in the air. The story can’t end like this. There must be some surprise, some hope, some twist or turn coming…there must be!

    Chapter 17 of The Story is just such a moment. The Northern Kingdom of Israel will disappear forever. The Southern Kingdom of Judah will be invaded by Babylon and taken captive. The city of Jerusalem and Solomon’s temple will be destroyed.

    We read along and say, “This can’t be the end! God promised to bring people back to himself and accomplish his plan…through Israel. Isn’t there some surprise twist or turn? Is there still hope for God’s plan?”

    The answer to these questions will be examined in chapter 19 of The Story (but don’t rush ahead to find out!).

    Think of a movie you saw or a book you read in which you neared the end and things seemed to be concluding all wrong. How did events really end?

    The above is taken from The Story: Getting to the Heart of God’s Story, page 113.

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  2. Questions to consider…

    1. During the exile, God gave Ezekiel the mission of sharing his word with the Jews living in a foreign land. How does the Christian mission today resemble this situation?

    2. After the fall of Jerusalem, Jeremiah grieved for his beloved city (pgs. 201-203). What did Jeremiah believe about the Upper Story of God? What specifically can we apply to our own lives from Jeremiah’s lament and praise?

    3. What did God promise He would do for Israel in spite of their great sin, their Babylonian Exile, and their stone hears (p. 203)? What does this teacher you about God’s heart for His chosen nation?

    4. How much responsibility did the leadership in Judah bear for the people’s apostasy, and how do the themes addressed in the prophetic passages confront the church in America?

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