scripture Passage: Memory Verses: L UKE 4: L UKE 4 :

Transcription

1 LESSON 2 mission revealed Jesus Baptism, Temptation, and Ministry Launch To gain a clearer picture of Jesus earthly ministry and its central message of the gospel. Jesus compassionate ministry included teaching the good news of repentance and salvation. The ministry of Jesus went beyond the Jewish religious people to include the poor, hurting, lost, and marginalized. That students would understand the central message of Jesus teaching as the gospel, the good news that through Jesus sinners can achieve peace and righteousness from God. Background Passage: scripture Passage: Memory Verses: L UKE 4: L UKE 4 : L UKE 4: Who is this man? Jesus the boy So it begins Hometown boy makes good A polarizing Messiah The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord s favor. page 20 mission revealed

2 PREPARING TO TEACH Begin your lesson preparation with prayer, asking God to give you His insight into the Scriptures and topic of this lesson. Read the background passage, Luke 4:1-30, and then the seven verses from the chapter that make up the focal passage, Luke 4: Make notes on the focal passage in the context of Luke 4. Finally, read the Venture Up Travelogue and respond to the questions. In this way, you gain unique insights into how those you teach may have prepared. These actions also equip you for reviewing the online teaching plan and making good decisions about what you might want to include or delete, and actions to add based on your knowledge of your group. Finally, you will want to study additional resources (commentary, Bible dictionary, Bible handbook, mystudybible.com) as you prepare. Spend a few moments writing a short (one or two sentences) description of who Jesus is to you at this point in your life. You may want to return to your description as you plan to teach, changing your words as you gain additional insights. Prepare to present your description as you discuss the first lesson point, Who is this Man? Likewise, prepare to share a personal mountaintop-to-valley experience of your own during So It Begins. TEACHING SUGGESTIONS WHO IS THIS MAN? Draw from the Travelogue and other resources to overview events in Luke 4:1-15. Point out the question from the Venture Up Travelogue (p. 20), Who is Jesus of Nazareth? Emphasize this question remains a point of debate more than 2,000 years after His birth and death. Ask: What are some ways believers and nonbelievers today answer this question? Why is it such a key question more than 2,000 years after Jesus time on earth? Call on a volunteer to read aloud Luke 4:1. Comment that as Jesus was led into the wilderness He was described as full of the Holy Spirit. Call on volunteers to respond to the following page 2 1 mission revealed

3 questions: What does it mean to be full of the Holy Spirit? How did being full of the Holy Spirit equip Jesus to deal with the Devil s temptations? How can believers be full of the Holy Spirit? Point out that because believers are gifted with a personal relationship with Christ, the question we should ask ourselves regularly is this: Who is Jesus to me? Note that as believers grow spiritually and become more like their Savior, their response to the question may change. Pose this question to the group: Who is Jesus to you at this point in your life? Share the response you wrote in preparing this lesson, then call on volunteers to respond. Invite comments on any ways their responses might have changed over time and what factors led to the changes. JESUS THE BOY Point out that we know little about Jesus life and relationships as a child. Call on volunteers to draw from their responses to the Travelogue question (p. 21): What do you imagine Jesus to have been like as a boy? Call for a volunteer to read aloud Luke 2: Invite other volunteers to describe what we learn in these verses about Jesus at age 12. Ask for another volunteer to read aloud Luke 2:52 and comment on insights gained here about the young Jesus. Draw from the Travelogue and other resources to make the point that, while we don t know many details of Jesus childhood, we know all we need to know that when it came time, He was ready for His earthly mission. Emphasize that, in the same way, God calls each believer today to be on mission, and He equips us to carry out the mission He gives us. Call on one or two volunteers to describe ways God has equipped them for a specific mission or, in general, to be on mission for Him. page 2 2 mission revealed

4 Teaching Option If you know of a group member with a particularly encouraging testimony of how God equipped him or her, or if the members of the group seem reluctant to share such information, consider enlisting in advance one or two people for this time. Call on the enlistees at the appropriate time. SO IT BEGINS Ask adults to read silently Luke 3:21-22, Jesus baptism that launched His mission. Ask: What do these verses tell us about Jesus readiness for mission? Point out that just as God affirmed His beloved Son, so He affirms believers who carry on His mission today. Lecture briefly on the fact that Jesus went from the spiritual mountaintop of baptism and affirmation by His Father to a low point of entering the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil. Compare Jesus experience to that of many believers. On the mountaintop we may believe we can accomplish anything for God, but then Satan barrages our lives with temptations he knows we will find attractive and that distract us from our mission. Also, the Holy Spirit may lead us to a valley where we experience a dose of reality to guide us to depend even more on God. Describe an instance when you experienced a spiritual mountaintop before dropping into a valley. Invite other volunteers in the group to describe similar mountaintop-tovalley experiences. Call attention to Luke 4:13, emphasizing in particular that the Devil departed from Jesus for a time. Comment that, in the same way, the Evil One comes to us at our most vulnerable moments. And, while he might periodically leave us alone, it is only for a time. Call on a volunteer to read Luke 4: Ask: How would you describe Jesus initial mission experiences? Emphasize that we see that Jesus was preaching and teaching in the power of the Holy Spirit and people were responding quite favorably to Him. page 23 mission revealed

5 HOMETOWN BOY MAKES GOOD Comment that it is not uncommon to see on the city limits sign of a town the name of some person from that town who has succeeded to some degree in sports, politics, business, or some other field. Call on volunteers to mention names they have seen on such signs. Teaching Option If your town or a nearby community has such a hometown hero and accompanying sign, take a picture of the sign and display it at this time. Ask: Why does our town have a sign claiming to be [add person s name] s hometown? Point out that, because of the recent acclaim Jesus had received regarding His ministry in Galilee, the synagogue likely was filled with family, friends, and others who had heard about this hometown boy. Call on a volunteer to read aloud Luke 4: Call attention to the significance of the phrase, as usual, in the second sentence. Point out that Jesus read verses from Isaiah 61, verses that prophesied the mission of the coming Messiah. Note that this week s Memory Verses are verses Urge adults to memorize these as a continuing reminder of Jesus mission as well as that of believers today. Ask learners to call out points from this passage that described the Messiah s mission. Record on the marker board or a tear sheet. Points should include: freedom from sin, physical healing, help for the oppressed, the arrival of the Messiah. Discuss responses from the question on page 24 of the Travelogue about how these verses summarize Jesus mission and ministry. Draw from the Travelogue (p. 26) to describe characteristics of Christian beliefs and behavior that stand in contrast to the world. Direct attention to this statement from the Travelogue (p. 26): The one character flaw that has, and will continue, to keep people from Christ is not greed. It s not lust. It s not lying or stealing or killing. It s pride. Call on volunteers to state their agreement page 2 4 mission revealed

6 or disagreement with this sentence. Ask: How does pride keep people from trusting Jesus Christ as their Savior? How may pride keep a believer from viewing people in need with Christlike compassion? A POLARIZING MESSIAH Ask learners to read silently Luke 4:20-21 and be prepared to identify possible reactions among the people to Jesus statement that He was the fulfillment of the prophecy. Record group members responses on the marker board or tear sheets. Read aloud Luke 4:22. Ask: What was behind the question of the people, Isn t this Joseph s son? Briefly describe events from Luke 4:23-27 and read aloud Luke 4: Discuss the attitude change about Jesus from hometown boy made good to a target for murder. Ask: Why was Jesus such a polarizing figure? Is Jesus still a polarizing figure? Explain your answer. CONCLUSION Create small groups of three or four persons and give each group one of the following set of questions to discuss and report a summary of their discussion to the whole study group. If you have more than three groups, give the same assignment to more than one group. If you have few participants, you may wish to choose one topic to discuss with the entire group. 1. Terrorists How do you believe God views persons who are active in terrorist groups such as ISIS? How can believers who have knowledge of their cruelty pray for their salvation? How can believers overcome their own feelings about ISIS to reach out to terrorists, including ISIS, with the good news of the gospel? 2. Domestic Violence How do you believe God views people who have engaged in sexual assault of family members and others? What should be the stance of believers on the issue of sexual violence? How can believers, including those page 25 mission revealed

7 who are victims, overcome their feelings about this issue to reach out to people who have engaged in sexual assault? 3. Angry People Why do you believe so many people in today s world are filled with anger? How can believers help brothers and sisters in Christ to deal with their anger? How can believers reach out to those with angry hearts and minds with the good news of the gospel? After groups report, close with a time of prayer, asking God to help all participants grow in their willingness and ability to carry out the mandates of Luke 4: FOLLOW THROUGH Send an or card to each participant this week. Encourage them to evaluate themselves as on-mission Christians and to ask God to guide them to become more involved in mission for Christ. Challenge adults to memorize Luke 4:18-19 to increase their focus of being on mission for Christ. Ask God to help you see your own biases that make it difficult to view individuals or people groups with compassion. Ask Him to help you change your attitudes and become a stronger example for your small group. As appropriate, prepare to share with group members what God reveals to you and what adjustments you make. page 2 6 mission revealed