Posts from 2022 (Page 2)

Click/tap to download the handout With this lesson we consider the forty-day period immediately following the baptism of Jesus in which he experienced intense temptation. The event is recorded in Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, and Luke 4:1-13. THE DETAILS The Setting Following his baptism, Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness (Matt. 4:1). This is probably the Judean wilderness not far from the Jordan River where he had been baptized. Mark 1:12 says the Spirit “drove” him there.…

Click/tap to download the handout With this lesson we consider the momentous event that launched the three-year public ministry of Jesus – his baptism. Some events of Jesus’ life are recorded by only one gospel writer. But this one (and a few others) is recorded by all four – adding, no doubt, to its significance. From this event arise several significant questions. Let’s consider some of them. THE DETAILS The details of Jesus’ baptism are recorded in Matthew 3:13-17, Mark…

Click/tap to download the handout Paul wrote that Jesus appeared on the scene of history “in the fullness of time” (Gal. 4:4), that is, when the time was right. The life and work of Jesus happened on God’s perfect schedule (Acts 2:23). It was customary in those days for the arrival of kings and dignitaries to be announced by a herald, or crier. John the Baptist would be that voice for the arrival of Jesus as he officially began his…

Click/tap to download the handout Between the birth narratives and the beginning of his public ministry at age 30 (Luke 3:23), only one event in the life of Jesus is recorded (Luke 2:41-52). But from that event come some important lessons. The application points come from a sermon I heard many years ago by Dan Winkler. THE STORY Mary and Joseph traveled to Jerusalem every year for the Passover celebration (Luke 2:41; Deut. 16:1-6). Luke records one such trip, when…

Click/tap to download the handout The one part of the life of Jesus that most people have some familiarity with is his birth (though some things traditionally believed are not found in scripture). What sometimes is lost in the remembrance of the facts are the lessons we can learn from the facts. The birth narratives in Matthew and Luke contain more than information. They brim with application. THE STORY The announcement to Mary (Luke 1:26-56). Gabriel visits Mary, a virgin…

Click/tap to download the handout The proper place to begin a study of the life of Jesus is BEFORE his birth. Without a proper understanding of the deity of Christ, we will not fully understand his humanity. One of the most powerful and thorough pieces of literature on the deity of our Lord is the prologue of John’s gospel account (1:1-18). The main points of the following outline are from Merrill Tenney, John: The Gospel of Belief, pp. 63-74. THE…

Click/tap to download the handout The word “gospel” means “good news.” When we use that word to refer to the good news of salvation delivered by Jesus and his apostles, it is singular. There is one gospel (Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 15:1-4; Phil. 1:27). But “gospel” may also refer to a literary genre: a selective record of historical events in the life of Jesus designed to create and build faith (cf. John 20:30-31; Luke 1:3-4). In this sense, there are…

Click/tap to download the handout The word “gospel” means “good news.” When we use that word to refer to the good news of salvation delivered by Jesus and his apostles, it is singular. There is one gospel (Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 15:1-4; Phil. 1:27). But “gospel” may also refer to a literary genre: a selective record of historical events in the life of Jesus designed to create and build faith (cf. John 20:30-31; Luke 1:3-4). In this sense, there are…

Click/tap to download the handout Jesus did not spend 33 years living in a vacuum. He lived in the real world of the first century Roman Empire. He entered a world of politics, economics, and religion. Without an understanding of that historical context, our study of the Bible will always leave us scratching our heads. THE SECULAR SETTING Between the time of the Babylonian conquest to the birth of Jesus, the Jewish people had been under the rule of others…