The Coming of Jesus

Lesson 1
Memory Text Luke 1:37 (NKJV)

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For with God nothing will be impossible.

Q1: Who spoke these words and to whom? What seemed impossible at the time?
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1. The angel Gabriel spoke to Mary.

2. Mary had asked how she can have a son seeing that she is a virgin?
3. Gabriel gives her the answer that the Holy Spirit will produce the baby she is to carry.
4. Here is Lukes explanation of the incarnation.
Luke 1:35 (NKJV)
o 35 And the angel answered and said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the
Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of
God.

Q2: What does Gabriel tell us about the incarnation?

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He tells us that Jesus is unique. He is the God-man.

Mary is His mother, but God is His Father.
It was through the work of the HS that Jesus was conceived.
She will bear the Holy One who will be called the Son of God.
Here we see that Jesus was different from you and me from His very conception.
He took on humanity without taking on our sinful propensities.
He was the Holy One from His birth.

Q3: If nothing is impossible for God, why is the world in such a mess?
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1. While God has the power to do all things, all things that He does need to fit into His character and plan for His
creation.
2. The argument of the existence of evil is often used against Christians.
3. The atheist David Hume put it succinctly in these words?
Is he willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then is he impotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then is he
malevolent. Is he both able and willing? whence then is evil?

Q4: How would you answer Hume?

o 1. God has both the power and the will to prevent evil and He is working out His plan to rid the universe of sin
and evil.
o 2. This plan has been made much more difficult by the fact that he created mankind with the freedom of choice.
o 3. This was necessary because God is love. He created us to reflect His image and to love Him in return.
o 4. But love cannot be forced. Love can only be rendered by one who is free to choose to love or not to love, to
obey or disobey.
o 5. By giving us the freedom of choice, He took the risk that we would use our freedom to choose evil and
rebellion.
o 6. Sadly enough, thats what happened.
o 7. So Gods plan is to allow the Great Controversy to play out so that we can all see the bitter fruit of sin and
rebellion.
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8. Then when Jesus returns we will have a new earth wherein dwells righteousness.
9. We will still be free to rebel, but we will choose not to because we have seen the consequences of rebellion.
10 Last Monday we were studying Marks account of the experience of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Mark 14:36 (NKJV)
o 36 And He said, Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me;
nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.
11. Of course, the Father had the power to take away the cup that Jesus was about to drink.
12. But He could not do that and save us at the same time.

13. He had the power but not the will, so He had to answer No to His Sons prayer.

Lukes Gospel
Q1: Who was Luke? (Col 4:14, 2 Tim 4:11)
o 1. We get a few clues about Luke from the letters of Paul.
o 2. Paul refers to Luke as the beloved physician.
o 3. We know that Luke was a traveling companion of Paul.
o 4. Paul wrote 2 Tim from a prison in Rome.
o 5. Nero was the emperor and Paul knew that his life was about to be ended.
o 6. Paul mentions in 2 Tim several who have left him there in Rome.
o 7. But Luke remained faithful as a friend when others left.
o 8. Most scholars believe Luke was a Gentile convert to Christianity.
o 9. He was an educated man with a wonderful command of the Greek language.
o 10. Antioch and Philippi have been suggested as home towns for him.
o 11. So Luke was not an apostle, but he became a close associate of the apostles, especially Paul.
Q2: What was his purpose in writing his gospel?
[See notes on linked slide]
Q3: How did Luke introduce his gospel and acknowledge his sources? (Luke 1:1-4)
o 1. He is setting down for Theophilus and other readers an orderly account so that they may know the exact truth
about the things they have been taught.
o 2. How was the truth taught before the gospels were written?
o 3. They had to be transmitted orally.
o 4. People would hear the apostles preaching and they would pass it along to others.
o 5. You can imaging the confusion that could result from such a situation.
o 6. We tend to take the Bible for granted today.
o 7. Can you imagine if all we had to go by was what some preacher told us?
o 8. Thank God that He inspired these men to write it down so that we can read it, study it, memorize it, and be
sure we know the truth!!
Q4: What other book of the Bible did he write? (Acts 1:1)
o 1. Luke also wrote the book of Acts to the same man, Theophilus.
o 2. The importance of these two books cannot be over emphasized.
o 3. They give us the origin and early history of the Christian church.
John the Baptist
Q1: What was unusual about John the Baptists birth?
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He is one of several miracle babies in the Bible.

Elizabeth was barren and well past the age of child bearing.
Luke gives a detained account of Zachariahs encounter with Gabriel in the temple.
Zachariah is struck dumb and cannot speak.
And, according to Gabriels word, Elizabeth gets pregnant.

Q2: What do you think Gods purpose was in striking Zachariah dumb?
o 1. Zachariah asked for a sign when he asked Gabriel How can I be sure of this?
o 2. This was a sign that God gave to him like Gideons fleece.
o 3. It was proof to all who saw it that God was involved in the birth of this boy.
o 4. Zachariah was unable to speak for 9 months and 8 days.
o 5. At Johns circumcision, he wrote on a tablet, His name is John, and he was then able to speak and praise
God.
o 6. Luke records Zachariahs song of praise and prophecy.

Q3: In Gabriels instructions, what Spirit would fill John from birth and what spirits should never touch his
lips?

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Luke 1:15 (NKJV)

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For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled
with the Holy Spirit, even from his mothers womb.
1. Johns work was to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
2. What do we need to make ready a people prepared for the Lord in these last days?
3. We need to be filled with the HS each day.
4. We would also do well to simplify our lives as John did.
5. Our bodies are the temple of the HS and our minds should not be clouded by any intoxicating drink or drugs.

Born on Time
Q1: What OT prophecies did the birth of Jesus fulfill? [Link]
[See linked slides]
Q2: How did God get Joseph and Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem just in time? (Luke 2:1-3)
o 1. God used a pagan emperor to pass a decree that forced Joseph to return to his home town of Bethlehem.
o 2. He was engaged to Mary, so she went with him.
o 3. She delivers just as they find a place in the stable to spend the night.
o 4. This is just how Isaiah describe the way God fulfills prophecy.
o 5. In prophecy, God tells us in advance what He is going to do.
o 6. Then God himself steps in and acts to bring it about.
Isaiah 48:3 (NIV)
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I foretold the former things long ago, my mouth announced them and I made them known; then suddenly
I acted, and they came to pass.
Isaiah 46:10-11New International Version (NIV)
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I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, My purpose
will stand, and I will do all that I please.
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From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said,
that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do.
7. God doesnt just look into a crystal ball and tell you what is going to happen.
8. He tells you what His plan is through prophecy.
9. Then He steps into history and brings it about.
10. Thats why Jesus was born right on time, because God stepped into history and made it happen.
11. He summoned a man from far country, Caesar Augustus, and used him to get Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem
just in time.

Q3: What value do you see in the historical details Luke provides on the census decreed by Caesar Augustus?
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1. These are facts that can be checked in secular history.

2. All through his writings, Luke provides these historical details on times and places and names of rulers.
3. These details provide authenticity to his accounts.
4. We can check these names and places through archaeology.
5. We know Caesar Augustus and Quirinius from secular history.
6. If Luke is accurate in these historical details, we can be confident that he is also accurate in the big picture he
presents.
7. His writing shows that Jesus was a real historical person that lived in a particular place and time.
8. Jesus was not some mythical figure. This is God stepping into human history as a real man.

Miracles and Mysteries

Q1: Secular humanists scoff at the idea of the virgin birth because they require a naturalistic explanation for
everything. What convinces you that there is a God who, at times, supernaturally intervenes in His creation?
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1. We have many reasons to believe.

2. The two anchors of my faith are fulfilled Bible prophecy and the miracle of creation.
3. Fulfilled Bible prophecy tells me that the Bible is no ordinary book.
4. It is the best objective evidence we have that the Bible is Gods word and reveals a picture of the true God.
5. Fulfilled Bible prophecy tells us that scripture can be trusted.
6. If we can trust the Bible as Gods word, we can also trust the miracles that the Bible records.
7. The uniqueness of the Bible can also be seen in its unity, its confirmation by archaeology, its careful
transmission, the wealth of manuscripts that support it, and its ability to change lives.
8. My second anchor is creation.
9. The fact that we exist rather than nothing existing is a miracle.
10. Creation required the supernatural intervention of God.
11. The first two laws of thermodynamics are perhaps the most general and useful laws in all of science.
12. The first law states that matter and energy can neither be created or destroyed by natural processes.
13. So how did all the matter and energy of the universe get here in the first place?
14. It has to get here by a supernatural act of the Creator of the universe.
15. The second law says that energy flows from a higher temperature to a lower one.
16. The universe is radiating heat to outer space and cooling off.
17. So in order for the heavenly bodies to be hot in the first place, they had to be heated up by supernatural
processes.
18. The law of biogenesis says that life comes only from life.
19. There is no way that the specified complexity of living organisms could arise by chance.
20. The law of cause and effect says the universe must have a cause.
21. All of the good science is on the side of creation.

Q2: What kind of a future is faced by those who deny the possibility of miracles?
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Those who deny the possibility of miracles must also deny the existence of God.
If God exists then miracles are possible, because He can supersede the laws of nature that He ordained.
Those who deny miracles, deny not only the virgin birth but the resurrection as well.
If there is no resurrection, there is no hope.
For those who deny God, life has no purpose, it has no meaning, it has no future, there is no hope.
To them we are a highly improbable accident speeding toward oblivion.

Witnesses
What name did Gabriel say Jesus should have and why? (Matt 1:21)
21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people
from their sins.

What did Gabriel tell Mary about the baby she would have? (Luke 1:32-33,35)
32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the
throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His
kingdom there will be no end.
35 therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

What was the angels witness to the shepherds in the field? (Luke 2:10-11)

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Then the angel said to them, Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy
which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is
Christ the Lord.
Q1: What key words would you pick out as good news?
1. All people. This good news is not just for the Jews but for all people.
2. Savior. Someone has been born who will save us from our sins.
3. Christ the Lord. Christ is Messiah in Hebrew meaning anointed one.
4. Finally, the Messiah has been born.

What additional witness did Simeon give in the temple? (Luke 2:30-32)
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation
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Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, 32 A light to bring revelation to the
Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.

[See Linked Slides]

1. Note these names and titles given to Jesus at His birth.
2. This was no ordinary birth.
3. This was no ordinary man.
4. Luke is very careful to record what the eyewitnesses told him
5. Jesus is the Son of God. He is Immanuel, God with us!
Summary
Luke was a missionary companion of the apostle Paul who referred to Luke as the beloved physician.
Luke was a Gentile Christian who wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles.
His attention to historical details imbues his writing with authenticity and believability.
He frankly admits that he was not an eyewitness of Jesus, but that he carefully reconstructed the life of
Christ from those who were.
Both John the Baptist and Jesus were miracle babies: John because Elizabeth was barren and old, and
Jesus because of the virgin birth.
Those who deny the possibility of miracles have no adequate explanation for the miracle of creation, no
answer for the meaning of life, and no hope for the future.
In the birth of Jesus we see God intervening in human affairs to bring to pass what has been prophesied
from ancient times.
Luke records the witness of angels and men at the birth of Jesus: He is called Savior, Christ (Messiah),
Lord, Jesus (Joshua the Lord saves), Son of the Highest, Holy One, and Son of God.
He is a Savior for all people including the Gentiles.
Seeing how God has intervened in human history through the incarnation, will you trust Him today to
bring His plan of salvation to completion when Jesus returns for us?