God's Great Storyline

God's Great Storyline
Ephesians 1:9-10
Pastor Jeff
4/3/16

God's great story:
A story is a series of events that is connected by a plot.
Faith is acting out your belief in what is true.
Are we able to align our life with God's storyline?
4 acts: creation, fall, redemption, restoration.
In Genesis, God creates human beings to have a relationship with Him, and for Him to bless them.
Instead of trusting God, Adam and Eve think that He is withholding something good from them, and they turn from Him, leading to the Fall.
How does God work through a redemption to restore a relationship and blessing?

"he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ."
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:9-10‬ ‭NIV‬‬
http://bible.com/111/eph.1.9-10.niv

"The Lord had said to Abram, "Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you. "I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing."
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭12:1-2‬ ‭NIV‬‬
http://bible.com/111/gen.12.1-2.nivus

The promised land becomes the restoration for God's people.
But His people don't trust Him.
The tabernacle becomes the way for God to dwell in the midst of His people.
Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham.
God's work is done by the Spirit.
God dwelled in the Garden of Eden, in the tabernacle, the temple, and now...
God is dwelling in us!

1. Get the right story, and get the story right.
2. Reflect on God's great story.
- Joshua 1, proverbs.
3. Remember God's great story.
4. Retell God's great story.
5. Relate yourself to God's great story.
- interpret your life in God's story.

"All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:3-10‬ ‭NIV‬‬
http://bible.com/111/eph.2.3-10.niv