God the Savior Bible Study Guide plus Streaming Video

Our Freedom in Christ and Our Role in the Restoration of All Things

Randy Frazee

• Publisher: HarperChristian Resources
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9780310134947
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Studies

God goes to great lengths to rescue lost and hurting people. In this 8-session video Bible study (streaming included), enter the culmination of God's complex plan to deliver his people in the person of Jesus Christ, our Savior.

Salvation is what the story of the Bible is all about: the final goal of God's narrative. But throughout the Bible, there are two parallel dramas unfolding:

• The lower story, which describes the events from our human perspective.
• The upper story, which reveals how the events unfold from God's perspective.

The goal of the God the Savior Bible study is to introduce you to these lower and upper stories as told in the New Testament. As you read these stories—featuring characters such as Mary and Joseph, the Twelve Disciples, John the Baptist, Mary Magdalene, and the central figure, Jesus Christ—you will see how God has been weaving our lower story into the greater upper story that he has been writing.

This study guide has everything you need for a full Bible study experience, including:

• The study guide itself—with discussion and reflection questions, video notes, and Scripture readings.
• An individual access code to stream all eight video sessions online (you don't need to buy a DVD!).

Sessions include:

• Jesus' Birth and Ministry (Matthew–John)
• Jesus, the Son of God (Matthew–John)
• The Hour of Darkness (Matthew–John)
• The Resurrection (Matthew–John)
• New Beginnings (Acts 1–12)
• Paul's Mission (Acts 13–18)
• Paul's Final Days (Acts 19–28)
• The End of Time (Revelation)

The God the Savior Study Guide is part of The Story Bible Study Series: a three-part Bible study drawn from Randy Frazee's bestselling The Story, which reveals the Bible as a single, continuous narrative of God and his people.

Streaming video access code included. Access code subject to expiration after 12/31/2027. Code may be redeemed only by the recipient of this package. Code may not be transferred or sold separately from this package. Internet connection required. Void where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by law. Additional offer details inside.

Session 1

JESUS’ BIRTH AND MINISTRY

MATTHEW–JOHN

WELCOME

None of us likes to wait. We get impatient at traffic lights. We get edgy when the line at the grocery store doesn’t seem to move. We get irritated when people talk too slowly and won’t get to the point. We don’t like the inconvenience of having to wait for just a few minutes. But no amount of waiting on our part compares to what the people of Israel had endured. By the time the events of the New Testament unfold, they had been waiting 400 years for the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy that a king would reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom (Isaiah 9:7). Four hundred years is a long time to wait . . . and when their promised king did finally arrive, he was nothing like the figure from their Scriptures that they were expecting.

VIDEO TEACHING NOTES

Welcome to session one of God the Savior. If this is your first time together as a group, take a moment to introduce yourselves. Watch the video (see the streaming video access provided on the inside front cover) and use the following outline to record some of the main points. The answer key is found at the end of the session.

• Jesus’ life is filled with _________ from the beginning—illegitimate child, scandalous teaching, and a scandalous death on a Roman cross. Even his __________ would end up leading scandalous lives.

• The one in the womb of Mary has never been ________________ by the seed of a man but by the Holy Spirit. This means the ________________ has not been transmitted to the child in her womb. He had been conceived without sin.

• Immanuel means “________________.” The baby growing in Mary’s womb is none other than God himself. He is leaving the upper story to not only be with us in the ________________ but to actually become one of us.

• The only place Mary and Joseph could find to deliver God was a cave-like __________ behind one of the local Bethlehem inns. How unfortunate that the best we could do for the arrival of ___________ into our world was a birth in a barn!

• But in the upper story, God wanted Jesus to be born in a manger. To fulfill _____________, Jesus had to be born in Bethlehem in humble circumstances.

• We want all the people in our lives to see Jesus because his birth is not the __________ of a scandal but a _____________ to our scandal—to our sin.

GETTING STARTED

Begin your discussion by reciting the following key verse and key idea together as a group. Now try to state the key verse from memory. On your first attempt, use your notes if you need help. On your second attempt, try to state it completely from memory.

Key Verse: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Key Idea: Every story of Israel, including 353 Old Testament prophecies, have pointed to this day of Jesus’ birth. It begins when the Lord orchestrates an empire-wide census that moves Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem in time for the delivery. Jesus is not born of man, but of God, and is the second man to walk on earth without sin in his nature. But unlike Adam, the first man, Jesus will remain sinless. His ministry is announced by John the Baptist, who proclaims that he is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. John thus makes the connection that the Passover lamb who saved the firstborn sons of Israel from the angel of death was really a symbol foreshadowing the coming of Jesus.

GROUP DISCUSSION

Take a few minutes with your group members to discuss what you just watched and explore these concepts in Scripture.

1. What part of this week’s teaching encouraged or challenged you the most? Why?

[Your Response Here]

2. How was Jesus’ life filled with scandal in the lower story?

[Your Response Here]

3. What do you believe is the significance of Jesus being born of the Holy Spirit?

[Your Response Here]

4. What do you learn about Joseph through his encounter with the angel?

[Your Response Here]

5. Why did God, in the upper story, want Jesus to be born in a stable in Bethlehem?

[Your Response Here]

6. What is your biggest takeaway as you reflect on what you learned this week?

[Your Response Here]

CLOSING PRAYER

One of the most important things we can do together in community is to pray for each other. This is not simply a closing prayer to end your group time but a portion of time to share prayer requests and life, to review how God has answered past prayers, and to actually pray for one another. Use the space below to record prayer requests and praises. Also, make sure to pray by name for people God might add to your group—especially your neighbors.

Name	Request/Praise
[Your Response Here]	[Your Response Here]
[Your Response Here]	[Your Response Here]
[Your Response Here]	[Your Response Here]
[Your Response Here]	[Your Response Here]
[Your Response Here]	[Your Response Here]

FOR NEXT WEEK

Next week, we will look at the story of the beginning of Jesus’ surprisingly quiet entry into the public part of his earthly ministry. Before your next group meeting, be sure to read through the following personal study, complete the exercises, and memorize the key verse for the session.

VIDEO NOTES ANSWER KEY

scandal, disciples / conceived, sin nature / “God with us,” lower story / stable, God / prophecy / result, solution

PERSONAL STUDY

Every session in this guide contains a personal study to help you make meaningful connections between your life and what you are learning each week. Take some time after your group meeting each week to read through this section and complete the personal study. In total, it should take about one hour to complete. Some people like to spread it out, devoting about ten to fifteen minutes a day. Others choose one larger block of time during the week to work through it in one sitting. There is no right or wrong way to do this! Just choose a plan that best fits your needs and schedule and then allow the Scripture to take root in your hea...