This document discusses the themes found in epic stories and applies them to the biblical story of God's plan to save humanity. It notes that epic stories often involve things not being as they seem, an underlying battle, and an unlikely hero playing a key role. The biblical story contains these elements: Satan rebelled against God and now wages war to destroy God's creation, and God sent his son Jesus, unexpectedly, to save humanity from sin and death. The document explores the biblical accounts of creation, the fall of man, God's work to redeem humanity, and Jesus' birth and mission to restore relationship between God and humanity.

2. • All the good, huge, epic stories hit you don’t they? Why? What
are some of them you love?
• In most, there are 3 common themes:
– Things are not what they seem;
– A battle is under way;
– An unlikely hero has a crucial role to play
• This week’s epic story is no different!!

4. Disclaimer:
• God loves us – His creation!
– His creation is good,
– but a rebellion took place that changed God’s
original direction
– An enemy emerges and seeks to destroy all that
is good – constantly wars with God…
• The Creator God thought there was some
good in this world worth fighting
for…so…let’s start at the beginning…

5. In the Beginning
• Setting the stage
– Humans created for fellowship &
relationship with the Lord God
Almighty
– God put His spirit in them
initially.
• There was connection!
• The relationship was
unbroken!
– Just One Rule: Don’t eat
from the Tree of the
Knowledge of Good &
Evil (Genesis 2:16-17)

6. • Was a created being – an angel named
Lucifer.
• Was beautiful & fearsome creature –
thought so highly of himself that he decided to
assume command.
– Led a rebellion in heaven, trying to overthrow
God & His armies. FAIL. Cast out. He and 1/3
of angels (now demons) wander the earth…
• AKA – father of lies; devil; enemy; evil one;
ruler of darkness; the god of this age; thief;
Satan
• His mission: The thief comes only to steal &
kill & destroy
• His limitations: Still has to report to God; not
omnipresent
• Satan hates God, God’s creation &
everything God loves
– God loves us
– Therefore, Satan hates us.
• How does he fight against us?
– Darkness, destruction, deception, division,
distraction

7. Slithering into the
Garden…
• Satan twisted God’s
words…
• Got Eve to believe
the lie…
• Adam, silent, stood
idly by
• As a result, all
descendents are “in
Adam”, and in Adam
all die.

8. The Curse
• Adam & Eve “Did evil in the
sight of the Lord”
• The price/punishment for
disobedience =
death…physical & spiritual
– God took His life out of
them
– Banished from the Garden
– You were born enslaved/in
bondage thanks to this event
• You are born dead
(spiritually)
• God started to work behind
the scenes then to
redeem/rescue mankind…

9. Now What?? The Task At Hand - The Chasm
• God longs for the intimate relationship with mankind that He had in the
Garden of Eden.
• The Problem: We can’t have that relationship in our current sinful state…we
are broken; the relationship is fractured by sin…
– Sinful mankind can’t re-enter perfect & holy relationship with God (certainly not on
their own), unless a blood ransom is paid to “buy back” the relationship.
• God’s love for us motivates Him to radical action!

10. • “In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God.
• He was in the beginning with God.
• All things came into being through Him, and
apart from Him nothing came into being that
has come into being…
• …And (then) the Word became flesh and
dwelt among us…”

11. WHAT? WHY????
The Wild Plan…
• Jesus EMPTIED Himself (Phil 2:7);
• then does time as a man/creature
– (Creator becomes creature);
• so that He could rescue us;
• so that we could be FILLED with the Holy
Spirit
• and have our relationship restored.
• …so, Jesus is sent >>>>>>

12. The Nativity Story
(in the seen…) Luke 2:1-40
• “Christmas is full of cozy thoughts: a
sleeping Jesus, wide-eyed shepherds,
a soft-faced Mary. The nativity
sentiment is warm, the emotion is joy,
and the feeling is peace. Such is the
picture in the Gospels of Matthew and
Luke…”

13. • “In John’s book of Revelation,
however, he offers another perspective.
From his perspective, the birth of Jesus
stirs more excitement; it stirs evil.
• Pulling back the curtain of the skies, he
reveals a bloody war in the heavens.
John sees a woman, ready to give birth.
He sees a dragon, ready to bring death.

14. • The woman is beautiful and the dragon
ugly. The dragon lunges at the
newborn child, but he is too late. The
child and the mother are granted safety
and then “there is a war in heaven.
Michael and his angels fought against
the dragon, and the dragon and his
angels fought back.”

15. • WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN???
– The enemy didn’t want this to happen b/c he knew that it was
SO out of the box, that it might just work…
– SO HE WAS FIGHTING HARD TO FOIL GOD’S AWESOME
PLAN!
• The Secret Mission – John Eldredge
– “The coming of Jesus of Nazareth was far more like the
opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan. A dangerous mission,
a great invasion, a daring raid into enemy territory, to save the
free world, but also to save one man.”
– God Himself – the King of all creation – takes on human flesh
and enters our Story as one of us. He sets aside His glory,
clothes Himself with humility, and sneaks into the enemy
camp, under cover of night, to whisper words of love to his
own:

17. • THE greatest journey ever made (and greatest story
ever told) was the journey God took in becoming
man for our salvation.
– All great stories borrow from this one!!
• Jesus emptied Himself; put on an “earth suit”
(became a man) – why?
• To repair the relationship and enable us to be filled
with the Holy Spirit.