God's Story

God's Story 9 - Coming of the Messiah 1

February 25, 2024 • Ray Whaley

God having completed His interaction with the Jews throughout the years covered by Tanakh, God is silent for over 400 years. After that time He speaks through the Angel Gabriel to Zechariah and then to Mary about the herald of the Messiah and the Messiah. This lesson covers what the Jews understood about the coming Messiah and what they missed from the scriptures.

God's Story 8 - Dispersion and Captivity 2

February 18, 2024 • Ray Whaley • Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel

God explained the captivity through the prophets. Jeremiah prophesied the amount of time until the captivity was complete. Ezekiel prophesied about the reasons. Daniel was given the events that would transpire both after the captivity and after the end of God's revelation to the Jews. He was even given exactly when the Messiah would come.

God's Story 8 - Dispersion and Captivity 1

February 11, 2024 • Ray Whaley • Isaiah, Jeremiah

Israel (the Northern Kingdom) never had a king that was good. They were the first to be conquered. The Assyrians defeated them and dispersed the people throughout Assyria. The southern kingdom lasted 100 years longer, but were ultimately defeated by the Babylonians.

God's Story 7 - Kings and Divided Kingdom 1

January 28, 2024 • Ray Whaley

The Jews wanted a king to be like the nations around them. Rejecting God's warning about what that would mean, God gave them Saul, then David, then Solomon. We will see that all 3 began well, but ultimately fell due to their own flaws

God's Story 7 - Kings and Divided Kingdom 2

February 4, 2024 • Ray Whaley • 1 Kings 11—16

The kingdom is divided as a result of Rehoboam's actions. The kings of both the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom are discussed

Gods Story 6 - Entering the Land

January 21, 2024 • Ray Whaley

The failure of the Jews to enter the Land as God had commanded is very instructive. Why were they unable to do it? The writer of Hebrews likens this failure to the failure of followers of Christ to enter into God's Rest.

Gods Story 5 - Giving of the Law 2

December 17, 2023 • Ray Whaley

Contrasting the Giving of the Law on Mt Sinai with the giving of the Spirit and Grace at Pentecost

Gods Story 5 - Giving of the Law 1

December 10, 2023 • Ray Whaley

What was the significance of the giving of the Law to the Jews? What, if any, relevance does it have for us? We sometimes think that because we are under the New Covenant we don't need to understand the Law, but it has much meaning to us in many ways.

Gods Story 4 - Exodus 2

December 3, 2023 • Ray Whaley • Exodus 12—15

There is a purpose to the dramatic way that God liberated Israel. It was to show forth His power and total dominance over the power of the darkness. The Jews understood the demonstration after the crossing of the Red Sea and destruction of the Egyptian army. They spontaneously declare God to be their Lord and Sovereign. God expects no less from us.

Gods Story 4 - Exodus 1

November 19, 2023 • Ray Whaley • Exodus 1—12

God's redemption of mankind is foreshadowed by His redemption of His people from slavery in Egypt. What He does to deliver them from Egypt is very illuminating of what He will ultimately do to redeem all who will believe in Him through Jesus

Gods Story 3 - Isaac and Egypt

November 12, 2023 • Ray Whaley

God's Story 2 - Abrahamic Covenant

November 5, 2023 • Ray Whaley • Genesis 4—15

After the fall of man into sin we see that sin, without restraint, grows rampantly until God decides to judge it. After saving the remnant (Noah's family), He acts to restrain sin to some degree. But He also begins to put in place the plan for redeeming man. He begins by choosing Abram and making a covenant that will result ultimately in salvation through Jesus Christ.

God's Story 1 - Creation and Fall - 2

October 29, 2023 • Ray Whaley • Genesis 3

The fall of mankind into sin had major ramifications to our understanding of who God is and how we relate to Him. In this lesson we will discuss the nature of good and evil, objective morality, and the ways that sin enslaves us rather than setting us free.

God's Story 1 - Creation and Fall - 1

October 22, 2023 • Ray Whaley • Genesis 1—2

The creation account is much more than a description of how our Universe was put into place. It has significance to the ways the Jews were to view God. It has significance to how we are to view God.