THE EARLY LIFE OF JESUS
PURPOSE
Jesus was born in an obscure village known as Bethlehem. He grew up in still another village called Nazareth, where He worked as a carpenter until He was thirty years of age. Then for three years He was a wandering preacher.
He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a house. He did not go to college. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where He was born. He did none of the things one usually associates with greatness. He had no credentials but himself.
He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against Him. His friends ran away. He was turned over to His enemies, and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While He was dying His executioners gambled for His clothing, the only property He had on earth. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.
Almost 2000 years have come and gone. Today He remains the central figure of the human race, and the leader of mankind’s progress. All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man on this planet so much as that of Jesus Christ!
We are going to study the life of Jesus Christ.
In this first lesson, we will look at His early life.
OPENER
Tell us something about your early life that we may not be aware of?
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1.
THE PREEXISTANCE OF JESUS.
According to (John 1:2), where was Jesus in the beginning?
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n Jesus was with God in the beginning. The life of the Lord Jesus did not begin, as does the life of all other persons, at the moment of conception. He came into the world from a preexistent state.
n Jesus said in John 8:58 that “before Abraham was born, I am!”
n Not only did Jesus say that He existed before Abraham; He also applied God’s holy name (I am—Exodus 3:14) to himself. Jesus is not a created being, for He is eternal.
n Jesus was active in the creation:
& (John 1:3) “Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made...”
& (Col. 1:16) “For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him.”
& (Heb. 1:2) “but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe.”
n God the Father is the designer, and His Son, Jesus, is the intermediate agent in creation.
2.
THE PHYSICAL BIRTH OF JESUS.
From (Luke 1:34-35), how was the Lord conceived?
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n Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit. He did not have a natural father. The birth of Jesus to a virgin is a miracle that many people find hard to believe. These 3 facts can aid our faith: (1) Luke was a medical doctor, and he knew perfectly well how babies are made. It would have been just as hard for him to believe in a virgin birth as it is for us, and yet he reports it as fact. (2) Luke was a painstaking researcher who based his Gospel on eyewitness accounts. Tradition holds that he talked with Mary about the events he recorded in the first two chapters. This is Mary’s story, not a fictional invention. (3) Christians and Jews, who worship God as the Creator of the universe, should believe that God has the power to create a child in a virgin’s womb.
God used Mary, a young, poor, female to aid in the birth of the Savior. How does that encourage you knowing that God uses ordinary people to accomplish His will?
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n God used Mary. Mary was young, poor, female—all characteristics that, to the people of her day, would make her seem unusable by God for any major task. But God chose Mary for one of the most important acts of obedience He has ever demanded of anyone. You may feel that your ability, experience, or education makes you an unlikely candidate for God’s service. Don’t limit God’s choices. He can use you if you trust Him.
Explain a time when God used you to accomplish His will.
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Micah the prophet in (Micah 5:2-5) predicted the Messiah would be born in what city?
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