The Gospel

The Gospel - NextLevel Online curriculum

Lessons

What is the gospel? In this ten session series, Dr. Aaron Wheeler of Ozark Christian College and Lincoln Seminary shows how the good news of Jesus answers every kind of bad news we face. Through four gospel faces, Guilt-Innocence (Legal), Dirty-Clean (Purity), Fear-Power (Spiritual), and Shame-Honor (Relational), you'll see how each one is rooted in Genesis 1 to 3 and carried through the Old and New Testaments. The series begins by defining the gospel and ends by discovering how the gospel defines us. Each session includes teaching, discussion questions, and a guided prayer, making it ideal for small groups, Sunday school classes, and anyone who wants to share their faith more fully.

Session 1

Introduction

What is the gospel? This opening session unpacks the word in its English and Greek roots, names three essential parts of the gospel, sin, repentance, and salvation, and introduces the four gospel faces explored in this series.

Session 2

Guilt-Innocence (Legal) Gospel, Part 1

The first gospel face presents sin as guilt before a just God and salvation as a substitute paying our debt. Trace this Legal gospel back to God's first law and its consequences in Genesis 2 and 3.

Session 3

Guilt-Innocence (Legal) Gospel, Part 2

See the Legal gospel throughout Scripture, from Leviticus and Isaiah 53 to Matthew 20 and Romans 3, and discover how God's forgiveness shapes who we are.

Session 4

Dirty-Clean (Purity) Gospel, Part 1

The second gospel face speaks to the sin we commit and the sin committed against us. Explore how sin defiled Adam and Eve and how God makes us clean.

Session 5

Dirty-Clean (Purity) Gospel, Part 2

Follow the Purity gospel through Leviticus, Zechariah, Acts, and Hebrews, and discover the hope of being made pure like Christ.

Session 6

Fear-Power (Spiritual) Gospel, Part 1

The third gospel face addresses fear and the spiritual forces at work against us. Look at the serpent in Genesis 3 and what he can and cannot do.

Session 7

Fear-Power (Spiritual) Gospel, Part 2

Discover God's power over evil from the plagues of Exodus and Elijah on Mount Carmel to Jesus casting out demons and the armor of God in Ephesians 6.

Session 8

Shame-Honor (Relational) Gospel, Part 1

The fourth gospel face explores the difference between guilt and shame, and how sin moved humanity from honor to isolation from God and one another.

Session 9

Shame-Honor (Relational) Gospel, Part 2

Trace the Relational gospel from Isaiah and Micah to 2 Corinthians 5 and the parable of the prodigal son, and receive God's gift of reconciliation.

Session 10

Conclusion

The series began by defining the gospel and ends by letting the gospel define us. Bring all four gospel faces together and learn to connect the bad news people face with the good news of Jesus.