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A Strange Prediction Gabriel Announces More Good News!

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A Strange Prediction Gabriel Announces More Good News! A Walk Through the Bible 6.1 YOU ARE HERE S D S BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY A strange prediction God had been silent for a number of years, as we learned last week. In to- day’s lesson, from Matthew and Luke, we will learn that He broke His silence one day when an angel talked to a priest named Zechariah, who was offering incense to God. His wife, Elizabeth, was unable to have children, and both Zechariah and Elizabeth were older. The angel told him that his wife would have a son named John. His purpose in life would be to prepare the people for the Lord. Back in those days, when a royal person go ahead of him to prepare the people. It was about to enter a city, someone would sounds like a King is about to appear! Zechariah asked the angel how he could believe this since he and his wife were so old. The angel answered, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be ful- filled in their time” (Luke 1:19-20 ESV). Sure enough, when Zechariah finally left the temple, he was unable to speak. Soon, Elizabeth discovered that she was going to have a baby! Gabriel announces more good news! God sent Gabriel to Galilee to a young virgin named Mary, who was en- gaged to be married to Joseph. He told her that God was with her. He told her that she was going to have a baby boy, who would be named Jesus. He also said, “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign 1 A Walk Through the Bible 6.1 over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:32-33 ESV). This confused Mary, who told the angel that this was impossible, since she was not married. The angel assured her that the Holy Spirit would come upon her. She answered him, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38 ESV). What a wonderful statement! She had just set, she said she was God’s servant, and been told that her life was going to be she accepted, with grace, God’s plan for completely changed. Instead of getting up- her life. Just as the angel predicted, Mary became pregnant, even though she was not married and was a virgin. When Joseph learned that she was going to have a baby, he assumed that she had cheated on him, so he was going to end the engagement. But an angel came to him and told him that her baby was conceived by the Holy Spirit. He told Joseph: “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21 ESV). A baby is born! Mary visited Elizabeth, and when she came in, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she blessed Mary. Mary praised God. At the right time, Elizabeth had a baby, a son. Everyone came to see the child and rejoiced with them! When they had the naming party, everyone thought he would be named Zechariah, after his father. Elizabeth told them that the child would be named John. Her friends and family argued with her! They pointed out that there was no one in the family named John. They His name went to Zechariah and asked him about the name. He took a tablet (remember, he could not speak!) and wrote, “His is John name is John.” Immediately, he was able to speak again! Obedient parents Joseph obeyed the angel and married Mary, but he kept himself from her 2 A Walk Through the Bible 6.1 until after she had given birth. The Roman king, Augustus, had ordered a cen- sus to be taken. This required everyone to return to his or her home town. Jo- seph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem because Joseph was from the tribe of Judah and was from the family of David. She gave birth to Jesus there. They put the child in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. Wise men went to King Herod to ask where the King of the Jews was. They wanted to worship Him. Herod got very disturbed at this. Why would this disturb Herod? Because tition! When he sensed a threat to his he’s the king! He doesn’t want any compe- power, he reacted very strongly. Herod asked his advisors where this king was to be born. They told him what the Bible says in Micah 5:2: “But you, O Bethlehem, Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days” (ESV). So, Herod called the wise men to him and told them to search for the child in Bethlehem. He asked them to come back and tell him where the child was so he could worship, too. A bright star led them to the baby, and they worshiped Him. But, God warned them in a dream not to report back to Herod. Another warning An angel appeared to Joseph and told him to take his family to Egypt be- cause Herod was searching for them. Joseph obeyed the warning, and the family began its journey. In response, Herod killed every male child aged two and under. The people of the nation wept and mourned over all the needless deaths of the innocent children. This sounds familiar... The birth of Jesus fulfilled what was prophesied many years before. 3 A Walk Through the Bible 6.1 Micah 5:2: He would be born in Bethlehem and be from the tribe of Judah. Isaiah 7:14: He would be born to a virgin. Jeremiah 31:15: Women would be mourning over the death of their children. Hosea11:1: He would live in Egypt for a time. Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1: A messenger would go before Him. Notice that Jesus had no control over these things! A baby can’t plan where or to whom he should be born! They are acts of God! What kind of child was He? We are told very little of Jesus’ childhood. The Bible tells us of one inci- dent when He was 12 years old. He got separated from His parents, and when they found Him, He was in the Temple courts listening to the teachers and asking them questions. Okay, but so what? Why should the birth of one baby more than 2,000 years ago in a different part of the world be important to you? This baby is the Son of God. He could have stayed in Heaven with God, but He will- ingly came to earth, to be born as a helpless little baby to a young couple. Jesus obeyed God, and Mary obeyed God, and Joseph obeyed God. God is pleased when His people obey Him. The end of the matter Let’s review what we’ve studied today. An angel named Gabriel told the priest Zechariah that his wife, Elizabeth, would have a baby boy named John. Zechariah questioned this news, and Gabriel told him that he would be unable to speak until his words came true. Gabriel told Mary, a young virgin, that she would have a baby from the Holy Spirit, and his name would be Jesus. Mary’s fiancé, Joseph, was going to end their engagement, but an angel told him that the baby was from God. 4 A Walk Through the Bible 6.1 Joseph believed the angel and married Mary. The king ordered a census, so everyone had to return to his home town. Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem. It was time for Mary to give birth, and there was no room in the inn. Mary had her baby, Jesus, in a manger. Wise men went to Herod to ask where the newborn king was. Herod asked his advisors about what the wise men said, and they told him what the Bible said about this. The wise men went to worship Jesus, and when they left, an angel told them not to return to Herod. When Herod realized he couldn’t find the baby, he ordered all male babies under the age of two to be killed. Joseph and Mary were warned by an angel, and they moved to Egypt. Jesus, as a young boy, listened to the teaching in the Temple. If you learn nothing else, get this! Jesus is the Son of God, and His birth fulfilled prophecy! 5 A Walk Through the Bible 6.1 Let’s learn it! 1. Which priest had a visit from an angel? _____________________________ 2. What was his wife’s name? _______________________________________ 3. What problem did they have? ____________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 4. According to Gabriel, what was the child’s name and purpose in life? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ 5. Gabriel gave good news to what young virgin? _______________________ 6. Who did Gabriel say would be the father of her child? ________________ __________________________________________________________________ 7.
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