This week we are focusing on three importance fuses leading up to the arrival of Jesus, the long anticipated Messiah. We will look at the spiritual and cultural fuses, and then do a deeper dive on the prophetic fuse.This class will help us understand some of the most important connections from the Old Testament to the New, and specifically the emphasis on Jesus. We will see that Jesus was there in the beginning, and can be found all throughout the Old Testament, and history itself, fulfilling God’s Covenant Promise and showing us the reason for Gospel Message!
This study will help us understand the history and importance of not only the faithfulness of God through His Covenant Promise, but the love He has for His people as seen in His sovereignty over all things! We can take comfort in the fact that God never makes a mistake, and all things work together for good, for those who trust in Him! Defending our faith and developing a Biblical worldview based on our understanding of God’s Word takes time and practice, and must be part of a lifetime commitment we make to the LORD. It should form our purpose and identity in everyday life as we grow closer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, modeling Him to our family, friends and neighbors.
As Christians, it is more important than ever to know what we believe, and why we believe it, and then apply that to who we are on a consistent basis, and this can only be done if we know Jesus and what His Word teaches. All class sessions include a time for prayer and reflection, a presentation, and a Bible study section. You will find the presentation overview and Bible study questions below, with basic answers for your review and, or to use as a leader’s guide.
Watch this week’s presentation:
Presentation
Jesus Blueprint
Session Three: Who Is Jesus?
Person of Interest: The Fuses preceding Jesus
Open
Prayer Cards: Write your name on the card. Do you have anyone that you are hoping to share what you are learning with? Write that person(s) name down on your prayer card along with any other prayer request you might have and exchange with your table group at the end of the evening.
Review:
- What did we learn about the importance of eyewitness accounts for the historicity of Jesus from last week (what did you add to your list)?
- Practice the memory verse, and discuss its importance to the Gospel Message.
Memory verse:
Genesis 3:15 – The first Gospel!
(begins the Scarlet Thread)
The beginning of God’s Covenant Promise…
THE FIRST GOSPEL
“And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall [d]bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel.”
Genesis 3:15 (NASB)
From Genesis through Revelation, the Bible is all about Jesus!
PERSON OF INTEREST: THREE FUSES LEADING TO JESUS
Spiritual Fuse
Isn’t Jesus just a copycat savior like other religions have?
Jesus is unique in that He fulfilled all expectations and attributes of a savior that humanity had been hoping and looking for since the beginning, these include…
- Savior of humanity
- Supernatural in power
- Righteous in judgment
- Immortal
- Giver and taker of all life
- Offer of eternal life for followers
- From royalty
Cultural Fuse
Why did Jesus appear when He did?
God set the stage, so that it was just the right timing…
- Just the right capital punishment: Crucifixion (fulfills prophecy – Is. 53 and Ps. 22)
- Just the right era: “Pax Romana” – Rome ruled the modern world of that day in relative peace (by military force)
- Just the right language: Koine Greek
- Just the right transportation method: Roman Roads
- Just the right communication method: “Cursus publicus” – a fast and reliable postal service built to circulate information across the expansive Roman Empire
- Just the right politics: No persecution [yet] for the Gospel to initially spread
Prophetic Fuse
What does history show concerning a coming Messiah?
God gave us an unfolding plan and pictures of who would fulfill all things…
- Foreshadowing: In the Old Testament there are persons, things or events that picture Jesus – also called typologies – examples include:
- People like Isaac, Joseph, Moses, Joshua and David
- Things like the Tabernacle and its design and accessories
- Events like the serpent on Moses’ staff; Passover and specific ceremonies and animal sacrifices
Just to name a few!
- Messianic Prophecies: In the Old Testament there are over 300 places where prophecy is given concerning a promised Messiah
- God communicated to these prophets either directly, in dreams and visions or through angels
- Many of these prophecies are two-fold, meaning that they relate to things the Nation of Israel would face both eminently and futuristically
A prophecy of the Messiah and the Covenant Promise made sure:
“I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. I am the LORD, that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols. See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.” –Isaiah 42:6-9
Skeptics often say things like: “Couldn’t a group of Christians have just thought up these prophecies and then placed them in the Bible after the fact or, couldn’t Jesus have attempted on his own to fulfill these prophecies?”
Answer: NO WAY
- Dead Sea Scrolls confirm the Old Testament prophecies are not made up
- The Dead Sea Scrolls contain the entire Old Testament (except the book of Esther) and a complete copy of Isaiah, dated between 200 and 100 BC, as well as all the other prophets and prophecy passages, years before the birth of Jesus
- The Dead Sea Scrolls match our Old Testament today with over 95% accuracy (any errors are simply grammatical, spelling or word order; nothing in meaning or doctrine is affected)
- Jesus could not have planned prophecies concerning specific circumstances of his life
For example:
- Specific details of His birth
- The time in which He lived
- Specific details of His death
The Prophetic Word Confirmed
“And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star (Jesus, Messiah) rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. ” –2 Peter 1:19-21
There are over 300 incidental and specific prophecies in the Old Testament that were literally fulfilled in life and times of Jesus—how does that look mathematically?
- If even 8 of these prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus it would be equivalent to 1 chance in 10 to the 17th
- 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000!
- We can’t even come up with the number to describe the fulfillment of all 300!!!
Recommended Resource:
“Person of Interest” by J. Warner Wallace
AND JESUS FULFILLED THEM ALL!
The Importance of Bible Study
Practicing Hermeneutics
Bible Study – Homework Review
1. Reflect on the importance of “eyewitness accounts” and add two or three things to your ”Gospel Message” list.
2. Read Luke chapter two, and take a few notes, or copy sub-titles (for step 3 Context).
3. Answer a few questions to go deeper (for step 4 Interpretation):
a. What happened when Jesus was born, and why was he born there? (Use the Old Testament to go deeper if you can)
b. Who did the Angel announce the birth of Jesus to, and what did they do?
c. Who were Simeon and Anna, and what did they say and confirm about Jesus?
d. What happened at the Temple when Jesus was 12 years old; how did his parents respond and what does it say that Jesus did after that incident?
4. How do I use what I have learned? (for step 5 Application reflect on what you’ve learned, for example: Does this help me grow closer to Jesus and know Him better; share my faith with others; encourage me or give me hope for the future; answer a question I have, etc.?)
SOME BASIC ANSWERS…
Luke chapter two outline:
- The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem
- The Shepherds and the Angels announcement of the birth of Christ
- Jesus presented at the Temple
- Simeon and Anna prophecy and give praise to the LORD for the Messiah’s birth
- Jesus returns to Nazareth and grows in strength and wisdom
- The Boy Jesus in the Temple – He returns to his parents in submission
- Mary treasures all these things in her heart
Answer a few questions to go deeper:
a. What happened when Jesus was born, and why was he born there?
(Use the Old Testament to go deeper if you can)
- Caesar Augustus sent a decree out for everyone to be registered – this meant that you would have to return to your ancestral home to be counted.
- Joseph and Mary were both from the tribe of Judah and lineage of David, and therefore would have to be in Bethlehem for the census.
- Bethlehem is the prophesied town of the Messiah’s birth (Micah 5:2).
- You can go deeper into researching “Herod the Great” and the subsequent Herods that will appear in the New Testament; also, you can do a deeper dive into the Temple and its history.
b. Who did the Angel announce the birth of Jesus to, and what did they do?
- An angel of the Lord appeared to shepherds who were tending their flocks in the fields at night to announce the birth of the Messiah.
- In addition to this Angel, a multitude of the heavenly host also appeared giving praise to God.
- The Shepherds went immediately to Bethlehem and found Jesus and “made known” all that had happened, and “all” who heard it wondered.
- Verse 19: “But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart” – verse 20 “And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them”.
c. Who were Simeon and Anna, and what did they say and confirm about Jesus?
Simeon:
- Verses 25-26 tell us that he was a righteous and devout man who was waiting for the Messiah, and the Holy Spirit was upon him and had revealed to him that he would not see death before seeing the Messiah.
- He came to the Temple, via the Holy Spirit’s direction, and took Jesus into his arms and prophesied over Him (review verses 29-32).
- He also blessed Mary and Joseph, and prophesied directly to Mary that “this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through you own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed”.
Anna:
- Verse 36 tells us that Anna was a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
- She was 84 years old, having been married seven years, and a widow until this day
- She was constantly at the Temple worshiping, fasting and praying
- “At that very hour she came up and gave thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.”
d. What happened at the Temple when Jesus was 12 years old; how did his parents respond and what does it say that Jesus did after that incident?
- Jesus and His parents would go yearly to the Temple for the Passover.
- This particular year, when Jesus was twelve years old, He stayed behind, unbeknownst to His parent.
- When they discovered Him missing after a day’s journey heading home, they returned to Jerusalem to look for Him; and after three days they discovered Him in the Temple listening and asking questions of the Teachers.
- Jesus said to them “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
- His parents did not understand, but “His mother treasured up all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.”
How do I use what I have learned?
- Answers will vary…
HOMEWORK
Homework for next week:
1. Reflect on the implications of the fuse and it relates to Jesus, and add some points to your “Gospel Message” List.
2. Read Luke chapter 3 through chapter 4:15 for context, and take a few notes, or copy sub-titles.
Answer a few questions to go deeper:
a. What do you notice about the detail in John the Baptist’s time, location and ministry?
b. What was John teaching and what were the people expecting?
c. Go deeper by cross-referencing Isaiah 40:1-5 and Malachi 4:5-6 and note how this relates to John.
d. Are there people you recognize in the genealogy list of Jesus? Discuss: why do you think the genealogy is important?
3. Discuss what happened in the wilderness temptation (4:1-15) and how it might reflect back to Genesis 3.
4. How do I use what I have learned? (for step 5 Application reflect on what you’ve learned, for example: Does this help me grow closer to Jesus; share my faith with others; encourage me or give me hope for the future; answer a question I have, etc.?)
Please continue to join us each week as we study about, and through, God’s Word!
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You will not find this material in the public school curriculum even though it is based on solid evidence and grounded in research. It is ironic that following the evidence to where it leads stops at the door of our public schools as they will not let a “Divine footprint” in! Join us as we examine evidence for Christianity and learn how to become a thoughtful defender and ambassador of your faith.
Click into the resource page of this website to view many of the top Christian thinkers and apologists along with some of their work; connecting to these types of resources is essential in your Christian growth.
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Teri Dugan
TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com
1 Peter 3:15