JOHN S BIRTH FORETOLD

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1 SESSION 1 Unit 1 The Savior Comes Session Outcome To believe that God acts to accomplish His will through those who are open and obedient to Him. December 2 JOHN S BIRTH FORETOLD God miraculously sets into motion the fulfillment of Israel s hope. Customize: is the password to access expanded teaching helps at SundayTeacher.com. Discover: See Illustrated Bible Life for an insightful look at the history and duties of Israel s priests, and verse-by-verse commentary on the Scripture passage. THE WORD LUKE 1:5-25 KEY VERSE In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old. 8 Once when Zechariah s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. 18 Zechariah asked the angel, How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years. 4 Unit 1: The Savior Comes

2 Last Week: We saw the need to reaffirm our faith and mark times of commitment as a way of holding steady in our Christian walk. 7 This Week: We will see that God works in and through the lives of faithful people. Notes: ENGAGE THE WORD Luke s Preface 1:1-4 A RIGHTEOUS COUPLE EMPTY ARMS December 2, 2018 (First Sunday in Advent) Session 1 19 The angel said to him, I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time. 21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak. 23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 The Lord has done this for me, she said. In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people. As we journey through the early stages of Jesus life, Luke gives careful attention to historical detail. He locates his gospel in place, time, and with reference to key persons. Take time to notice the ways in which God was at work in the people s lives. Think about how God is active now as we obey God s promptings. Luke 1:5-10 Luke s gospel begins in the time of Herod. Herod the Great ruled from 37 to 4 BC. We only think of him as great because of his political power and significant buildings in Israel associated with him. Herod was an evil man and was responsible for the slaughter of the innocents after the Magi s visit to Jerusalem looking for the King of the Jews (Matthew 2:1-23). Luke begins with a birth announcement to Zechariah, a priest of the division of Abijah (Nehemiah 12:4, 17; 1 Chronicles 24:10). Zechariah and his wife were both very old and childless. But Luke reports a miraculous conception. Their child, John the Baptist, would herald the ministry of Jesus. 5

3 8 December 2, 2018 Watch: Dr. Roger Hahn introduces this quarter s focus on stories from Luke. Listen: Zechariah s duties as a priest in the temple is the focus of this week s Illustrated Bible Life podcast on SundayTeacher.com. Notes: Think About It Zechariah and Elizabeth are described as godly and devout (Luke 1:5-6). Their story begins with them being old and unable to have a child. Yet, God will do what seemed impossible -bless them with a son. From their lives we can see that God is the God of the possible! GOD S MESSENGER GOD S PLAN SILENCED BY DOUBT YET IN SILENCE GOD SPEAKS 6 Unit 1: The Savior Comes Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in the sight of God. The word righteous and related words right, righteousness, and just appear more than 300 times in the Bible. However, only three other persons in Luke s writings are called righteous. Simeon, who spoke words of celebration over the infant Jesus (Luke 2:25). A prominent Gentile, Cornelius, a Roman, is a righteous man (Acts 10:22). Most significantly, Jesus, while dying on the cross, is declared righteous (Luke 23:47). Luke 1:11-17 To this praying family God sent a heavenly messenger. The encounter brought fear, though the angel quickly provided reassurance Do not be afraid. Prayer, a frequent theme in Luke, figures importantly in the story. The prayers of Zechariah and his wife will be answered. The angel promises the aged couple will have a son to be named John. He will bring joy and delight to many and be great in the sight of the Lord, experiencing the fullness of the Holy Spirit while still in his mother s womb. A family waiting, hoping, and praying for a child, parallels the yearning of a nation/people waiting, hoping, and praying for a deliverer, the Messiah. While John was not the Messiah, he had a crucial role to call people back to God. He would prepare the way for God s Messiah in the spirit and power of Elijah (v.17; see Malachi 4:5-6). This Elijah connection appears also in Matthew 17:9-13 and Mark 9:9-13. John s ministry draws on Isaiah 40:3 (see Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4; and John 1:23). Luke 1:18-25 Zechariah questioned God s messenger, reminding the angel of the couples advanced years. The angel, Gabriel, sought to communicate good news clearly to Zechariah. But because Zechariah did not receive Gabriel s words with clear faith, Zechariah became

4 Discover: 9 Because priests appear so prominently in Luke s gospel, it is helpful to understand what they did. This week s Illustrated Bible Life article, A Priest s Duty, sheds light on the origins of the Hebrew priesthood, the role of priests in the New Testament era, and the nature of priestly life in the first century. Notes: Did You Know? Several places in the Bible the inability to conceive, or also success at becoming pregnant, was understood as something that was God s doing. Individuals whose stories are similar to that of Elizabeth include Sarah (Genesis 16:2), Rebekah (Genesis 25:21), Rachel (Genesis 30:23), and Hannah (1 Samuel 1:1-18). Session 1 mute until the birth of the promised child. How quickly doubt can creep in, even when the message comes from God. Zechariah s doubt led to his silence; yet in the silence God was still speaking. The event would be at an appointed time a time with significance. The temple vision delayed Zechariah s return to the worshipers outside. God s angel had spoken important words to Zechariah, but he was, ironically, now unable to speak. Zechariah served his rotation (there were many priestly descendants who qualified for a time of service ) and returned home. Soon, it seems, Elizabeth became pregnant. The long delay came quickly as God worked in the lives of this godly couple. Elizabeth took a quiet approach to her pregnancy, opting for seclusion. God had shown favor to her. She reflected a rather typical Hebraic view that children are a heritage from God (Psalm 127:3). What had been a matter of disgrace she now considered evidence of God s grace. God often surprises us, always doing more beneath the surface than we can see on top. REFLECT In what ways can you open yourself up through faithfulness for God s use today? RICK L. WILLIAMSON is retired professor of Biblical Literature at Mount Vernon Nazarene University, Mount Vernon, OH. He is the author of the New Beacon Bible Commentary on 1, 2, & 3 John. December 2, 2018 (First Sunday in Advent) 7

5 10 December 2, 2018 Discussion Guide Connect to My Experience In the 1984 movie, The Karate Kid, the karate student s (Daniel) teacher made him perform chores around the house like waxing the car, painting the fence, and painting the house. Even though these appeared on the surface to be nothing more than common chores, Daniel was surprised to discover that the movements he learned were the foundation of his karate training. M Have you ever tried to do something new (a job, a new phase of life such as parenting, a new skill) and realized that your previous experience had prepared you more than you realized? Invite the group to share examples from their life. M Has there been a time when you were asked to do something that at the time seemed unimportant, but in the end had a significant impact on your life? Invite the group to share examples from their life. Transition: Zechariah s years of faithful service in the temple put him in the right place to receive a surprising visit from an angel of God and resulted in a significant role in the coming of the Savior. Connect to the Word Invite someone to read Luke 1:5-10, then discuss the following, Zechariah and Elizabeth remained righteous and faithful to perform their duties despite their inability to have children. M Have you or someone you know ever gone through a time of questioning God s goodness when life did not go as you hoped or thought it should? If so, what did you learn from that experience? M In difficult times like these, where do people find encouragement? Despite trials and setbacks, how do believers stay on the path of faithfulness? One of God s covenant promises to those who served Him was descendants -children. Notice Zechariah and his wife are childless, even though they are righteous before God. God chose to fulfill His promises on His timetable. M What circumstances might we experience that would lead to feelings of disappointment and loss of expectancy of God s intervention? M Why is it important for us to put our faith and trust in God s timing rather than our own? M What words of encouragement can we speak into the lives of those who might feel discouraged spiritually or are close to giving up on God? Invite someone to read Luke 1:11-17, then discuss, God sent the angel Gabriel to appear to Zechariah, and Zechariah was startled and gripped with fear. This is the first of several angelic messages to people in Luke. The angel s first words are, don t be afraid. This is consistent throughout the angelic appearances. M Zechariah experienced the fear of being visited by an angel. In what ways can other types of fear grip our lives, keeping us from experiencing what God has for us? M What ways can we overcome those fears? (Prayer, Scripture, Christian counseling, talking to a mature believer) M The angel visited Zechariah unexpectedly. Share a time when God showed up

6 Insight God works in and through the lives of faithful people, even if the timing seems a bit off. Zechariah and Elizabeth spent their whole adult lives living with the shame of being barren; yet when the time came, they were blessed to be the parents of a major prophet. God can and does redeem the time we think might be lost. in your life in a way that surprised you. What did you learn from that experience? According to Gabriel, John would be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. Surely this promise and description exceeded Zechariah s wildest imagination. In Luke s gospel, the Holy Spirit is presented as a major mover and motivator, working in and through the lives of God s people (and God s Son) to accomplish God s purposes. M Share a time when God worked in your life and exceeded anything you could imagine for yourself, either in the past or now. What did you learn from that experience? 11 Invite someone to read Luke 1:18-25, then discuss the following, Even in the presence of an angel, Zechariah was skeptical of God s ability to fulfill His promises. M What are situations or circumstance that might cause people to become skeptical of God s ability to fulfill His promises? How does faith and trust help us overcome our skepticism? M Zechariah s child was not just for him and Elizabeth, but for all the people of Israel. How might it change our prayers if we practiced bringing our requests before God in view of our whole community of faith and not just asking for what will benefit us personally? Connect to My Life and the World We all go through seasons of disappointment, through seasons of doubt, and through seasons of joy and celebration. We should remember that God s plan might seem scary or confusing; however, we must allow God to help us move through the fear and the questions to obedience. M How can this group become a place where we can share our stories of disappointment, doubt, fear, and joy together? What might make it hard for us to share those stories? Spend some time now or this week connecting with an individual or group to listen to one another s stories. M What practices or disciplines of the faith help you to keep going when life isn t going as it should? List some practices of your own or even some that you ve heard others talk about. As a group, consider doing something together, such as a fast or praying at a specific time of day. Share your experiences. Zechariah and Elizabeth were open to God s working in their lives, which in turn impacted the lives of others. God s plan for our lives always involves other people -the community. God s plan for redeeming the world goes beyond simply Jesus and me. God s grace should always be moving through our lives on its way to others. M In what ways can we allow the redeeming grace of God to move in and through our lives this week? Sessions 1-7 are written by Marissa Coblentz Marissa is the co-pastor, with her husband, of Countryside Church of the Nazarene. She has two kids and is a graduate of Olivet Nazarene University and Nazarene Theological Seminary.