The Greatest Story Ever Told
October 4, 2021
Lesson 1 in a 5 week series
Would you consider yourself more of a movie buff or a novel reader? Or perhaps, you’ll just take a good Netflix binge sesh when you’re in the mood to be entertained, thankyouverymuch. I get it - one thing I know for sure is that we are all suckers for a good story.
Some of you, like myself, may have grown up in church. You have heard the Bible’s epic tales, and can repeat them in your sleep: whole bodies of water parting so that God’s children could pass through to safety; a giant being slain by a few small pebbles; a man being swallowed by a whale and living to tell the tale; Jesus healing the sick and raising the dead.. But did you ever realize that these stories don’t stand alone? Each book of the Bible works together to show us one complete story line, and it’s The Greatest Story Ever Told. The fancy term for this concept is called the Metanarrative.
Here’s a little trivia for you: the Bible contains 66 books, written by 40 different authors, over a span of 1,500+ years, and penned on 3 different continents. One might think that there is no way all of these authors over such a long period of time could have colluded together to write this Grand Story. Especially in a time where their post was delivered via camel-back and there was no World Wide Web. Well, you would be right to think that. The Bible is a miraculous piece of literature not because of man’s ability to compile it, but because the Holy Spirit inspired the authors to write each word of God’s Story in order to progress His theme. But more on that later.. (Yes, this is my shameless plug for you to join me back for Theology Thursday ;-) ).
Each book in the Bible tells a piece of the Grand Story. Despite the different human authors, each book contains a consistent thread that weaves them all together, with the main theme being the reign and rule of Christ. If we neglect to see the Bible through this lens of a continuous Grand Story, we miss out on fully grasping what is going on in all those tissue-thin pages sandwiched inside of that beautiful leather cover.
Interestingly enough, the beginning of God’s Story is similar to most stories ever written: we are introduced to the main character. In the story of the Bible, you may be shocked to realize that God is actually the main character, not humanity (although we do have a tendency to make things all about us). Remember this: You are a character in God’s story - not the other-way-around. God exists as Creator and Sustainer who, from before the foundations of the earth, set His plan in motion. It doesn’t take long in this storyline for there to be a problem presented that the Main Character has to resolve. Does this plot line remind you of most every movie you have ever seen? God’s story originated this recurring theme: creation, rebellion, redemption, restoration.
In the beginning of Genesis, we see God as the Creator of everything, including humanity. This is our origin story. Creation is the way things were in the beginning.
Adam & Eve rebelled against Him. The Rebellion is how things got broken.
God wasn’t caught off guard by this choice His creation made, He knew this would happen (because God is omniscient) and knew what plan He would set in motion to fix it. Before the foundations of the world were even established, God worked out a plan to redeem all the brokenness. He revealed that plan to us in full detail when He sent his Son, Jesus to die as a sacrifice to pay for our sin. Because our debt has been paid by Jesus’ blood on the cross, we live on mission with God. Redemption is how things are fixed.
Eventually, all who believe in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will be restored after He returns at his second coming and banishes the Enemy to hell. He will remove all the bitter pain and hardships and heal the brokenness. Our souls will find restoration. The heavens and the earth will be recreated and perfected even better than in the Garden. Arguably, the most amazing part of this whole story is that we will have the privilege of being in His presence fully and knowing Him fully (just as we are fully known). This is our destiny. Restoration is how things will look once they are fixed.
The Metanarrative doesn’t just span the stories we find in Scripture, it spans through all time, including now: 2021. It’s the overarching story of the whole world that brings context and meaning to our lives. It explains our purpose and our callings. The Metanarrative unites all the individual stories throughout all of time under one title. If you have ever longed to be a part of something bigger than yourself.. remember that you are. Our stories all fit into this overarching Metanarrative.
Jesus, has come and offered us a solution to the problem of sin. We are awaiting future restoration of all things. In the mean time, you and I fit smack dab in the middle of those two phases: redemption & restoration. As believers, we need to understand God’s plan because that’s where we find our purpose. Where we land on the timeline, our purpose is to spread the Gospel. We are called to live on mission. Our life vision should be to fulfill the Great Commission.
“Whatever you do, find the God-centered, Christ-exalting, Bible-saturated passion of your life, and find your way to say it and live it and die for it. And you will make a difference that lasts. You will not waste your life.” - John Piper
In our postmodern world, you will hear that everyone has their own truth, and therefore everyone’s stories stand alone. Everyone can forge their own path and purpose. This cannot be so if we believe that God set His plan into motion with His end-goal being restoration.
Every good story has restoration at the end - a happy ending. I call the Bible The Greatest Story Ever Told because it’s a story of final and complete restoration - once and for all. We are all familiar with the sting of the fall - the sting of sin. We can’t and shouldn’t stay there - living in it and dwelling on it. We can have redemption here and now. We can look forward to the promise of restoration in a future glorified and re-created world.
I can’t wait to dive deeper into this theme of the Bible, and to walk through the different chapters with you over the next 5 weeks. Will you commit to come back and join me?
Reflection:
This area is set aside for some personal reflection - grab a pen and notebook and spend some time in Ephesians 1:3-14. I’ll list some reflection questions for you to think through. I’d love for you to comment with something you learned! And for kicks, why don’t you let us know how you prefer to consume stories. Movies, books, shows? And which one is your fave?
The first step in going to the Word is prayer. Invite the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom which is a gift that he will give in abundance each time you ask! Spend a minute in prayer.
What is something you see about God in this passage? It can be something new he has illuminated or something you have previously known, but maybe you see it a little clearer. If you are feeling ambitious, why don’t you start a running list in your notebook, and add to it each time you read Scripture?
How do you see the Grand Storyline presented in these verses? You should recognize by now that I have an affinity for lists - make a bulleted list of how God has worked and continues to work through mankind.
Let’s take some time to reflect on the role of the Holy Spirit that we see in verses 13-14. Do you make it a constant practice of remembering that you have the presence of the Holy Spirit within you? His presence with us is a “downpayment” of the full presence of God we will experience in his restored kingdom. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead resides in you, if you are a believer in the gospel. Why is this important for us, and are you utilizing His presence?
Are you living like all of this is true? Are you living with God’s mission in mind or your mission in mind? Are you living in despair over the broken world, or in hope over the future you know is awaiting you?
