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CHRONOLOGICAL BIBLE  
.::.   TEACHING STUDIES   .::.

 

Lesson #7     Birth Announcements

BIRTH OF JOHN

REVIEW

SELECT VERSES

Luke 1:5-38, 57-64

TOPIC OVERVIEW

God used His prophet Malachi to tell about another prophet whom God would send to the people.  This prophet was named John and he would come to prepare the way for the promised Deliverer.  Malachi also reminded the Jews that this Deliverer was coming to save them.  The time was now approaching for the fulfillment of God’s promise to send a saviour for the world.

LESSON

GOD FORETELLS THE BIRTH OF JOHN

A.   Zechariah and Elizabeth          Luke 1:5-14, 18-25

1.   Zechariah was a priest.

2.   He and his wife Elizabeth trusted God and observed His commands.

3.   They had no children and were both elderly.

4.   An angel from God promised Zechariah a son and told him to give him the name John.

5.   Beacause he doubted the angel’s word, he was left unable to speak until the day his son was born.

 

B.   John the Promised Messenger            Luke 1:15-17

1.   God knew all that John would accomplish even before it happened.  God knows everything!

2.   Four hundred years before he was born, God used a prophet to tell about the coming of John.  Malachi 3:1.

3.   John was to prepare the people for the coming Deliverer and would turn many hearts back to “The Lord” along the way.

C.   Elizabeth’s Pregnancy Luke 1:24,25

1.   Elizabeth became pregnant just as the angel had promised, even though she had been barren into old age.

2.   Likewise, Abraham and Sarah had earlier conceived a son in their old age.  With God, nothing is impossible!

3.   She knew her pregnancy was made possible by God and she was very thankful to Him for His goodness.

GOD FORETELLS THE BIRTH OF JESUS

A.   Mary Is Promised a Son                                   Luke 1:26-31

1.   Mary was a virgin pledged to be married a man named Joseph.

2.   She was an ordinary woman who trusted God and found favor with Him, but she was still a sinner.  Luke 1:47

3.   God sent an angel to tell Mary that God had chosen her to be the mother of the Deliverer.

4.   She was to give Him the name “Jesus,” which means Saviour.

B.   Jesus, the Promised Deliverer Luke 1:32-38

1.   He was the son of Mary and the Son of God.

2.   Isaiah the prophet had spoken about Jesus hundreds of years before He was born.  Isaiah 9:6,7.

3.   As the Son of God, He had many names; As a man His name was Jesus.

4.   Jesus was both fully God and fully man!

5.   He was a descendant of King David.  This fulfilled the promise God made to David around one thousand years earlier.  II Samuel 7.

6.   Mary wondered how she as a virgin could be pregnant.  The angel told her that the Holy Spirit would perform this miracle.

7.   Since Jesus would have no human father, he would be born without sin.  Jesus’ father was God, who is perfect and holy and without sin.

8.   It is impossible for a virgin to to have a child just as it was impossible for Zechariah and Elizabeth to have a child at their advanced age.  Nevertheless, God can do anything!  He created the heavens and the earth from nothing, made man from the dust of the ground and gives life to every person.

9.   Mary trusted God and accepted the role of Jesus’ mother.

THE BIRTH OF JOHN

A.   Elizabeth Gives Birth to a Son                         Luke 1:57-64

1.   Just as the angel had promised, Elizabeth had a son.

2.   Her friends and relatives tried to persuade her to name the child after his father which was an accepted practice of the day.

3.   Zechariah and Elizabeth, however, refused to do this and instead named the boy John as the angel had instructed them.

4.   Immediately upon confirming the name John for his son, Zechariah was able to speak again and he praised God.  This again happened just as the angel had promised.  God can be trusted to keep His word.

TOPIC WRAP UP

1.   Who was to prepare the way for the promised Deliverer?

2.   What was so amazing about the birth of John?

3.   Why did Jesus have to be born of a virgin?

4.   Why did God choose Mary to be the mother of Jesus?

5.   What did Mary name her son and what does it mean?

6.   How could Jesus be born of a virgin?

7.   What does the birth of Jesus tell us about God?

8.   What happened to Zechariah after his son was born?

 

The Birth of Jesus

REVIEW

SELECT  VERSES

Matthew 1:1,2,16-25; 2:1-23;  Luke 2:40,52

LESSON  OVERVIEW

Almost everyone in America has heard of the “Christmas Story,” or if not, most people have heard at the very least that the baby Jesus was born in a manger.  However, few realize that this baby was God Himself, come in human form, to save mankind from sin.  As the story of Jesus’ birth unfolds, God demonstrates in amazing detail the fulfillment of His promises as revealed to us by His prophets.  Jesus, the sinless and perfect Son of God, was to play the key role in God’s plan for restoring the broken relationship between God and man.

LESSON

I.    JESUS   -   HIS  BIRTH

      A.   The  Genealogy  of  Jesus.     Matthew 1:1,2,16,17

1.   As was promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David, Jesus would be from their family line.

2.   Joseph was referred as the husband of Mary but not as the father of Jesus (v16).

3.   Although Jesus was not the physical son of Joseph, the genealogy shows that Jesus was the legal son of Joseph and therefore a descendant of David  (Isaiah 9:7).

B.   Joseph’s  Dilemma      Matthew 1:18-25

1.   Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph.

2.   Joseph discovered that Mary was pregnant.  According to Jewish Law, Joseph could have had her judged publicly and stoned to death.  But because he loved her, Joseph decided to quietly break off their engagement.

3.   God sent an angel to speak to Joseph in a dream.  The angel told Joseph to take Mary as his wife since the Holy Spirit was responsible for her pregnancy.  The baby was to be named “Jesus” because He was coming into the world to save people from their sins.

4.   The prophets had said that the promised Saviour would be “born of a virgin.”   (Isaiah 7:14).

5.   Jesus, who was God the Son, was coming to earth as a little baby.

6.   Joseph obeyed God and took Mary home as his wife.

C.   Wise  Men  Look for  Jesus

1.   Jesus was born in Bethlehem just as the prophet Micah had predicted many years earlier.  (Micah 5:2)

2.   Wise men came to Jerusalem in search of baby Jesus.

I.    JESUS   -   PROTECTED  FROM  HEROD

A.    King  Herod     Matthew 2:3-8

1.   Herod was fearful of this baby born “King of the Jews!”  He felt that his position as King was threatened.

2.   He gathered the Chief Priests and scholars together to find out from them where Jesus was to be born.

3.   Herod talked with the wise men and then sent them to Bethlehem in search of the child.  They were to report back to him after they found where Jesus was being kept.

B.   The  Wise  Men            Matthew 2:9-12

1.   They followed the star to the place where the child was in Bethlehem.

2.   The wise men knew who this child was because when they saw Him they worshipped Him.  Jesus is God and therefore worthy of our worship.

3.   They offered the child gifts of gold, incense and myrrh.

4.   Using a dream, God warned them not to return to Herod so they went back to their own country by a different route.

C.   Flight  to  Egypt           Matthew 2:13-18

1.   Once again, an angel spoke to Joseph in a dream.  Joseph was instructed to take Jesus and Mary to Egypt; there the child would be safe from Herod’s evil plan to kill Him.

2.   Just as Hosea prophesied much earlier, Jesus was taken to Egypt.  (Hosea 11:1)

3.   God knew all along what Herod would do.  It is clear that Satan was working behind the scenes.  He knows who Jesus is and wants Him destroyed.

4.   Nothing can stop God’s plan to save His people from their own sinfulness.

5.   Herod, in his anger over being outsmarted, had all the boys 2 years old and under in Bethlehem and its vicinity killed.

D.   Return  to  Nazareth    Matthew 2:19-23

1.   When Herod was dead, God sent an angel to tell Joseph to take his family out of Egypt and back into the land of Israel.

2.   They settled in Galilee, in a town called Nazareth.

E.   Jesus  Grew  into  Manhood    Luke 2:40,52

1.   Even though Jesus was God, He also was a real human being.  He grew and matured like any other boy.

2.   Jesus grew strong and was filled with wisdom.

3.   Isaiah described what His wisdom would entail many years earlier.  (Isaiah 11:2)

4.   His character as a man was the character of God.  He was sinless, righteous, merciful, completely loving and kind.  Is it any wonder He found favor with both God and men?

WRAP  UP

1.   Why were Mary and Joseph told to name the baby Jesus?

2.   What does the name Emmanuel mean?

3.   In what town was Jesus born?

4.   Why did the wise men worship the baby Jesus?

5.   Why did Herod try to kill Jesus?

6.   Who else had an interest in seeing Jesus killed?

7.   What method did God use to speak to Joseph and the wise men?

8.   Jesus eventually returned from Egypt.  Has anything like this happened before?

9.   What made Jesus different from the other boys and girls?

Jesus Baptized by John

REVIEW

SELECTED  VERSES

Matthew 3:1-17:  John 1:24-27, 29-37

LESSON  OVERVIEW

We have witnessed God’s faithfulness to keep His promises.  John and Jesus were born just as it was foretold many years earlier.  John was sent by God to prepare the Jews for the coming Deliverer and to turn many hearts back to God in the process.  He came with a message of repentance.  People need to see themselves as they really are, sinners in need of a Saviour, who we now know to be Jesus.  We will see what happens when John comes face to face with the one he has come to prepare the way for, that is Jesus.

LESSON

JOHN’S MESSAGE TO THE PEOPLE:  REPENT!

A.   John the Baptist           Matthew 3:1-6

1.   John preached to the Jews that they must repent.

            Repentance involves a change of attitude toward God and toward one’s sin.  Remember what we learned back at the Garden of Eden.  God hates sin and the consequences of sin is death.  God also gave the Ten Commandments to show us that we are sinners and helpless to meet His standard of conduct.  Repentance involves acknowledging our own sinfulness before Him and trusting that He alone can save us from our sinful condition.

2.   Isaiah the prophet had spoken about John hundreds of years before he was born  (Isaiah 40:3).

3.   John lived a simple life possessing very little.

4.   Many Jews believed John’s message and came to him to be baptized.

            Their baptism was a visible action which showed true repentance and belief in God’s truth as spoken through John.  Baptism did not save them from their sins!  It is merely a sign to show others that a person believes God’s Word and that he/she is trusting in God alone to save them.

5.   Many came to John to be baptized in the Jordan River.

B.   John’s Words of Warning        Matthew 3:7-10

1.   John warns the Pharisees and Sadducees to repent.

            a.)  Pharisees were a legalistic group of Jews who added some of their own rules to God’s Word.  They kept themselves separate from others and did not think they were sinners like other people.

            b.)  Sadducees were more worldly and politically motivated than the Pharisees.  They accepted only the first five books of the Old Testament as being God’s Word.  They did not believe in the existence of angels or spirits nor did they believe in the resurrection of the dead.

2.   The Pharisees and Sadducees were proud and would not admit they were sinners.  This is why John spoke so harshly to them.

            “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”  (v8)

3.   These Jews thought that God would accept them because they were Abraham’s descendants.  John was very blunt with them.  He told them that by themselves they had nothing to boast about.

4.   God can do anything He desires.  He could even make children for Abraham out of stones if he wanted.

C.   John’s Words About the Deliverer       Matthew 3:11,12; John 1:24-27

1.   John recognized that his position was far inferior to that of the Deliverer.

2.   He stated that he wasn’t even worthy to be the servant who would remove the Deliverer’s sandals.

JOHN BAPTIZES JESUS

A.   Jesus and John at the Jordan River    Matthew 3:13-16

1.   Jesus came to be baptized by John.

            There were several reasons for His baptism:

            a.) The baptism publically showed He was consecrated to God and officially approved by Him.  (v16,17)

            b.) At Jesus’ baptism, John publically announced the arrival of the Son of God.  (John 1: 31-34)

            c.) By His baptism Jesus completely identified Himself with man’s sin, even though He was born perfect and needed no repentance or cleansing from sin.

            d.) His baptism was an example to His followers and showed everyone that He obeyed God’s commands.

2.   Immediately after Jesus was baptized the Holy Spirit descended from heaven and rested upon Him.  The Spirit would enable Jesus to do everything God had planned for Him to do.

B.   God Speaks from Heaven.       Matthew  3:17

1.   God the Father called Jesus His Son.  Jesus was a man but He was also the Son of God.

2.   God loved Jesus and was pleased with Him.  Jesus was the only man who did everything that pleased God.

C.   Jesus, the Lamb of God           John 1:29-37

1.   When John saw Jesus he referred to Him as the “Lamb of God.”

2.   John did not know who the Deliverer would be; when he saw the Spirit descend from heaven and rest on Jesus, he knew at that moment that Jesus was surely the Son of God , the Saviour of the world.

Note: Did you notice that in this story all three persons of the Godhead are displayed.  God the Father spoke from heaven to God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit descended from heaven to rest on Jesus.

WRAP  UP

1.   What was John’s message to the Jews?

2.   What does it mean to repent?

3.   What kind of life did John lead?

4.   Does baptism save us from our sins?

5.   What does baptism symbolize?

6.   Who were the Pharisees?  Sadducees?

7.   Why did John speak so harshly to some of the religious leaders?

8.   Why was Jesus baptized?

9.   How did God respond to Jesus’ baptism?

10.  How do we see the Triune nature of God displayed in this story?