The highest level summary is this - The Old Testament shows us what we lost, and how lost we are, and that we need a savior. Strength, wealth, height, wisdom, cunning, military prowess, even devotion to God - none of these will save us. The New Testament shows us that Christ is the answer, he alone is worthy of all praise and glory and honor. It tells us of how He being God became a man, lived a sinless life, followed the Law perfectly, died -covering our sin with His blood for all eternity, and rose again to prove to us that the salvation He gives is real and complete, and then He gives instructions on how we are to live and share Him with the rest of the lost world.
There are topical guides that will outline which passages address the topics.
There are Concordances that have been crafted for many of the translations that for its paired translation will give you every occurrence of "non-trivial" words ("trivial words meaning here things like "a", "and", "the" - which would be too numerous to count and don't provide value as a "word study" nor help you find things on specific topics).
Just a Short outline:
Genesis - the book of the beginning. The first few chapters are about the creation of the world and of everything in it, and then the fall of man. Then up to chapter 10 is intermixed lineage and the ways of man post fall and how rapidly we descended away from the things of God, and God's wrath and salvation played out with the flood and salvation of Noah's family.
Then the cycle repeats. Just a short time after the flood civilization rebelled against God, and he deals with them through the Tower of Babel and the scattering of the people. Then he selects a man from among all of them to grant a special blessing: Abram. So there is a lineage connecting Noah to Abram, and in chapter 12 Abram is selected. From 12 through the end of Genesis it follows Abram (who becomes Abraham) and his descendants until they enter Egypt as highly welcomed guests. Exodus starts with a new king of Egypt who forgot how Joseph (great grandson of Abraham) saved Egypt and the "known" world from a severe famine. And how this new king imprisoned and oppressed Abraham's grandson's descendants (Jacob is the grandson also named Israel, hence the people called Israelites).
The rest of Exodus is the story of how God worked with Moses to free the Israelites and to make them a nation independent of other nations and dependent only on God. Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy deal with the giving of the law and the successes and failures of the people to obey their God and savior, and even of the failure of the leadership to stay united under God with each other. Here there many great lessons on delegation, leadership, trust, and obedience. And the Law - the written perfect will of God for His Chosen people, the nation of Israel, and the evidence that we are incapable of fulfilling the law abounds throughout, and beyond.
The rest of the Old Testament consists of prophesies, examples of faithfulness (of God to man, and some examples of man to God), praise and worship (Job and Psalms - and through out the whole of scripture), and histories.
Joshua, Judges show the faithfulness and fiathlessness of God's people, their inadequacy, and establish solid historical connections to physical places and people groups verified by archeology.
Ruth shows us that even those we deem out side of God's will can be faithful to God, so we must show grace to all. And it shows us an example of God's love for us in Boaz redeeming Ruth.
1 & 2 Samuel shows that even the priests failed before God and shows the dangers of witchcraft, pride, failing to stay in the will of God for our lives and roles, and further links the Bible to history through the various wars and conquests and the establishment of a mortal king over Israel.
1&2 Kings continues the historical anchor as well as many examples of the valor of those who trusted in God, and the deceit of those who did not, and the failure of all, to include the "man after God's own heart".
1&2 Chronicles tell much of the same from a different perspective and books of of the kings and the priests chronicles tell up to the point of Israel and Judah's captivity.
Both show how David (Man after God's own heart) and Solomon (wisest mortal to ever have lived) each failed when relying on their own understanding and power.
Ezra, Nehemiah, Ester each show the faithfulness of God even though we have failed Him numerous times, and show the re-establishment of Jerusalem - beginning to set the stage for Christ's first coming.
Proverbs is the book of wisdom written mostly by Solomon and is a good thing to read a portion of it everyday (31 chapters - read through it each month. You'll find something new every time).
Ecclesiastes is an excellent outline of how everything in life is worthless and meaningless without God.
Song of Solomon is a display of righteous and holy passion, and an example of how a husband and wife should love one another. (Again something new every time you read it).
Isaiah through the end of the Old Testament are the books of the prophets. Daniel is an easier read. Jeremiah and Ezekiel can be hard to understand - again you'll learn something new each time.
These are where the bulk of the foretelling of Christ are - but the whole of the Old Testament points to Him and our need for Him.
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are the telling of the life and ministry of Jesus from different perspectives with focus on different aspects of his deity, manhood, and ministry.
Acts tells of the early church - the faithfulness of the saints, and the failure of those who were obedient to Christ. Many, many lessons to be derived. some plainly seen, others revealed as you mature in Christ and the scripture.
Then the letters tell us how to govern ourselves, defend the faith, live for Christ and others, organize the church, settle disputes, deal with hardships. This is less story and more directly applicational.
Revelation follows some of the pattern of the other letters, but also shows us what is to come, and the hardships we must ensure and the ultimate victory we will have in Christ, but only if we are in Him.
I hope this is a sufficient start. May Jesus Christ our Lord bless you abundantly for asking and seeking.
