| NASHVILLE (BP) -- This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curriculum and additional resources for all age groups. This week's Bible study is adapted from The Gospel Project curriculum. Bible Passages: Isaiah 6:8-13; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Joel 2:12-13; 2 Chronicles 36:15-21 Discussion Questions: What relationships do you have that need to be restored? In what ways can we as Christians bear testimony to our restored relationship with God? To God's plan to restore the world? Food for Thought: Destruction vs. Restoration What comes to your mind when you hear the word restoration? Some people might think about a marriage that was crumbling but then was restored. Others might think of the devastation that a natural disaster causes and the restoration that is needed to rebuild a community. Restoration is not natural for humans. From the moment Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of Eden, humans have spent the majority of their energy destroying, not restoring. Solomon was correct: "There is certainly no righteous man on the earth who does good and never sins" (Ecclesiastes 7:20). Paul agreed: "There is no one righteous, not even one" (Romans 3:10). War, murder, torture, hatred, greed, lust, idolatry. Humans have proven themselves to be continually capable of all these sins and more. In fact, these evils come quite naturally for us. Continued... |