"Puzzle" Introduction

Introduction: Aunt Joanie was an avid puzzler. She loved to work on puzzles. I know that some of you enjoy doing puzzles. Has anyone here ever put one of those mammoth puzzles together without having the box for a picture? How long would it take to do something like that? Do you think it is possible? Doing puzzles is made possible by knowing what it was meant to look like. You need to know what you’re aiming for.

The Bible can be like a puzzle in the same sense. In order to understand any individual part of the Bible if you grasp the whole picture you will know how the smaller parts fit together. They will become less confusing and more readily understood. That is one of our aims in this series…to gain a Biblical overview. Granted it will take a year but if you do the math it isn’t too serious a time commitment. 52 sermons = “52 hours” which is about 2 and 1/6th days time.

One of the first questions we need to answer to gain this overview is “why?” Why do we have the Bible or why does the Bible exist? The Bible exists because God breathed it into existence. The Holy Spirit inspired individuals to record the very Word of God. Why did God do this? He did this in order to reveal Himself specifically. He has revealed Himself generally by what we see…creation. His specifically reveals Himself, His nature, His character, His very being in the pages of His Word. Why would He do this? He does this for His own glory. To be known as God…because He is God.

So then another question that leads us directly into His Word is “how?” How did God reveal Himself in the pages of His Word? It is a question of context. Did He reveal Himself as a really Big Fish in a Sea community? No. Did He reveal Himself as the Principal of a school where the student learns and is tested about Him? No. He revealed Himself as the Ruler of a Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is the context of the revelation of His glory. [That is the box]

One final question before we take our first step into this year long journey through God’s Word. Is there a main/central figure in this Kingdom? Yes. God is the central figure. The Bible is not a collection of Books about us or creation or the devil or spiritual growth. The Bible is a collection of Books about God. And the most specific way in which He reveals Himself is when He comes in human flesh…God reveals Himself most specifically in the person of Jesus Christ. In the Gospel of Luke 24.13-32 when Jesus meets up with two disciples on there way to Emmaus He begins to explain throughout all of God’s Word the things concerning Himself. {Luke 24.27 Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.} [That is the picture on the box]