Showing our Faith in God (Luke 2:22-40)

Showing our faith – Sometimes we may go through life and wonder how can we show people our faith? How do you think we can show people visibly our faith in our God? I am going to submit to you that in hit passage in Luke, the Bible gives us four ways that we can show our faith in God to people:

1. We can show our faith in God through obedience (v.22-24)

- v.22 – After forty days, a woman who had just given birth was considered, “clean.” According to Ex. 13:2

- v.23 – By bringing Jesus to the temple Jesus' parents were showing their faith in God by obeying his Word and dedicating Jesus to the Lord.

- v.24 – They were also required to offer sacrifices. Offering a pair of doves or pigeons meant that they were not very wealthy, because a lamb was required if one could afford it.

Sometimes we should obey God even when it doesn’t make sense. Can you think of a time when obeying God will show to people your faith?

Mary and Joseph really didn’t have to do these rituals. They had the son of God as their own son. He created this law. But because they had faith in who He was, they knew it was right to obey Him and adhere to the law.

2. We can show our faith in God through patience (v.25-35)

- v.25-26 – Simeon knew the Scriptures and knew of the promised Messiah and it had been revealed to him that he would see Him.

- v.27 – The Spirit led him to the temple to see the fulfillment of God’s promise

- v.28 – Held the baby and praised God for keeping his promise

- v.29-32 – Simeon saw Christ, God’s plan of salvation that he prepared for all people – a light of revelation to the Gentiles and glory for Jews.

- v.33 – Again, we see that Jesus’ parents marveled at what was said about him. They were amazed. Again, I’m not sure they really knew to what extent Jesus would save us and them.

- v.34 – Jesus was appointed for the “fall and rising” of many in Israel. Jesus would divide those who denied or accepted him and cause many to fall who fail to believe and others to rise one day in the resurrection because they have believed in the promised Messiah. Jesus will always be a sign that is opposed.

- v.35 – a sword will pierce Mary’s soul also – What does this mean? That she will also be convicted of her sin and have to follow her own son, Jesus. Through one’s acceptance of Jesus many hearts and thoughts will be revealed as to what they really believe.

Many people fail to accept Christ because they do not have patience. Simeon never gave up hope that the promised Messiah would come and that he would see him. He showed his faith through his patience in the reliance on God’s Word.

Why do you think people get mad at other people when they drive? Is where they are going more important then where the other person is going? Patience is a Christian virtue that the world does not possess, and that few Christians possess. It is putting others, and Christ, before yourself.

Sometimes the greatest way we can show our faith and have our faith built up is through being patience in times where we don’t want to be patientt.

3. We can show our faith in God through worship (v.36-38)

- v.36 - Anna was a prophetess. Does this mean that she predicted the future? Not always…it could also mean that she spoke the truth of God in public.

- v.37 – Talk about patience…Anna had been a widow for many years. She was at the temple every day and all the time.

It isn’t an accident that someone who is constantly at church would be considered a prophet. Any person who dedicates their lives to serving God will speak good words of Truth.

- v.38 – When she was in the temple she knew immediately that the baby was Jesus the Messiah. What did she do? 1) She praised God and 2) she told others about him.

What is worship? Worship is being committed to our Lord, praising our Lord in all circumstances and telling others about Jesus.

4. We can show our faith in God through growth. (v.39-40)

Jesus grew, became strong, and filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him. Likewise, when we grow in our faith we show our faith to the world.

Obedience, patience, worship and growth: through these four actions we can show people our faith in God and his promises for our life.

God's Promises Always Bring Good News (Luke 2:1-21)

1. God arranges his promises (v.1-7)

- v.1 – every 14 years there was a census taken. It just so happened that one of these censuses were being taken about the same time that Jesus was to be born.

- v.2-3 – They took a census for two reasons: to see who existed and to see who was capable of military service. Jews weren’t subjugated to military service so Joseph was primarily going to Bethlehem to have his name marked ‘present.’

- v.4 – Joseph had to go to Bethlehem because that was his ancestors’ base town.

- v.5 – Mary was his betrothed and she was pregnant – this would not look good.

- v.6 – It was an 80-mile journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Bethlehem was a small town but many people had families from there so the town was most likely packed. Being that Mary was pregnant and probably riding on the back of a donkey, I imagine it took quite a long time to make it to Bethlehem.

- v.7 – There was no room at the inn for two reasons – 1) Because Scripture predicted it, and 2) Because Mary and Joseph were probably late getting there.

ILL: Who went to the Christmas cantata? Think about the lights, the props, the backdrops, the singing parts, the practices, the dress rehearsals. All of that had to put together and be arranged before people could watch and enjoy it.

Jeremiah 23:5-6 predicted that Jesus would be from the line of David. Micah 5:2 predicted that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. Isaiah 7:14 predicted that Jesus would be born of a virgin.

God arranges his promises of good news. He arranged how Jesus was going to be born. On the surface it looked like everything just fits together, and it does. But God has a reason for everything that he has arranged and put together. He had a reason for where Jesus was born and how he was born and he also has a plan for our lives. Even though we don’t get to see the behind-the-scenes work that God does in our lives, if we trust his guidance we’ll get to see the finished product which always is perfectly put together.

2. God announces his promises (v.8-14)

- v.8 – Shepherds were generally considered dirty people because they lived out “in the fields” and were most likely considered unclean by most orthodox Jews. They were the downtrodden, the outcasts because their job was to take care of dumb animals.

- v.9 – An angel of the Lord appeared to them while they were out in their workplace. Again, shepherd were probably the last group of people most would expect would be visited by angels.

- v.10 – The angel said ‘fear not’ so he must have been pretty astounding to look at. The news he was going to bring would be good news of great joy for all people…even shepherds.

- v.11 – Just like the prophecies predicted, Jesus would be born in Bethlehem, the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord.

- v.12 – The sign for the shepherds would be that Jesus would be a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger…not an ordinary sight.

- v.13 – At that moment a multitude of angels appeared praising God.

- v.14 – They were giving all the glory to God.

ILL: Why do people give announcements? There is important information that we don’t want you to miss. Why do we not want you to miss the important information? Because we believe that this information will benefit your life.

God announced his promise of Jesus being in a manger to the shepherds because he 1) he loved them 2) there was someone who could save them, 3) all glory goes to God for salvation. Likewise, God loves you and sent someone to save you and all the glory goes to God for salvation.

3. God fulfills his promises (v.15-20)

- v.15 – When the angels left, the angels decided to go and see this sign which the Lord had made known to them.

- v.16 – They went with haste, meaning they went quickly, and saw the baby with Mary and Joseph just as the Lord had promised.

- v.17 – When they saw Jesus the told the people there what they had been told by the angel. They wanted to let them know that God fulfilled his promise to them.

- v.18 – All who heard wondered about what they were told, perhaps choosing on whether or not to believe that God would talk to mere shepherds.

- v.19 – But Mary treasured all these things in her heart. She was probably proud, amazed, humbled.

- v.20 – When the shepherds returned the fields they praised God and glorified him for all they had seen, as it had been told him

The main reason that God fulfills his promises to us is so that we will praise him and give him the glory and increase our faith in him.

4. God reinforces his promises (v.21) – When he was circumcised, he was finally given the name that the angel had told Mary his name would be, before he was conceived in the womb, Jesus.

And the bible tells us that by this name, Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord. God will reinforce his promise when we see him at the end

The Benefits of Believing in God's Promises (Luke 1:57-80)

1. Belief in God’s promises leads us to joy (57-66) – When God declares something, it comes true.

a. Joy when we realize God’s mercy (v.57-58) – Elizabeth was a recipient of God’s mercy because she was old and didn’t think that she was able to bear children. Barren women now can go through procedures where they can have children if they were previously unable to. However, in Elizabeth’s time if a woman was barren, there was nothing she could do except have faith that God would do a miracle. Sometimes the best blessings from God come when we allow him to be merciful to us and when we are patient. We can have joy when we realize how God blesses us through his mercy.

b. Joy when we realize our mistakes (v.59-64) – The eighth day of birth was when the parents took the child and circumcised him and gave him his name. The people assumed John would be named after his father or a family name. Zechariah asked for the writing tablet, which he was probably very familiar with, and stated what John's name was going to be. When we realize our mistakes and repent and ask forgiveness, we realize joy, like Zechariah.

c. Joy when we realize God’s plan (65-66) – For the neighbors it was a reverent fear. But you can realize how joyful John’s parents were when everyone talked about that the hand of the Lord was with him. I remember after Jackson was born the doctor told me that he was smart. For the first time I realized what it felt like to be proud of my son. I had tremendous joy over this little comment about my child so I can only imagine the type of joy that John’s parents had in hearing what people were saying about their child and knowing that he was going to prepare the way for Jesus. They had joy when they realized God’s plan.

2. Belief in God’s promises leads us to praise (67-75)

a. Praise God because we are redeemed (v.67-68) – Zechariah is thanking God and these are the first words that he has uttered in 9 months. The redemption that Zechariah is talking about is the redemption from sin. What redemption is: God buying you back from a slave owner. Before we accept Christ, we are slaves to sin. Sin owns us and the only way we can break away from this owner is by Christ redeeming, or buying us back. Z was praising God because now that John was here, Jesus was soon to follow and he would redeem everyone who believes in Him.

b. Praise God because we are rescued (v.69-71) – God also rescues us when we accept Christ. This horn is a symbol for the horns of a great leader (military term) who has rescued us from our enemies. This leader is Jesus.

c. Praise God because we are able to serve (v.72-75) - The purpose of God’s rescuing us is so that we would truly serve him. The Jews couldn’t truly serve God at that time because they were being oppressed by the Roman Empire. Some Jews thought that the Christ was going to win a great war with Rome. Non-Christians cannot serve God. It’s impossible. We have to be rescued and delivered from the bondage of sin before it is possible to serve God.

3. Belief in God’s promises leads us to understanding (76-80)

a. We understand God’s forgiveness (v.76-77) – There had not been a prophet for 400 years. Now, Zechariah says that John will be the prophet of the Most High…that’s quite a prediction! Malachi 3:1, 4:5-6. John gave knowledge to his people by forgiveness of sins. John would preach that only through repentance can sinners find forgiveness.

b. We understand God’s guidance (v.78-80) – the sunrise that will visit us is God’s son coming down to the lowly earth. And by his light he gives light to those who are living in sin, sitting the darkness and cannot see. Then once we can see, his light guides our path into a way of peace. One attribute of accepting Christ is that he gives us peace in a world filled with uncertainty, anxiety, and turmoil.

All Things are Possible With God (Luke 1:1-56)

Since there are a few people in my Sunday school class that read this blog, as well as a few that are not that visit as well, I thought I'd share with you my SS class notes as I go through the Gospel of Luke. This first outline was from last week:

All Things are Possible with God

Luke 1:1-56

1. The certainty of Jesus’ life is possible to those who accept Christ (v.1-4)

a. We can accept Christ because of the many accounts (v.1) – Luke says that many have undertaken the task to compile events of Jesus’ life.

b. We can accept Christ because of the many eyewitnesses (v.2)

c. We can accept Christ because of Luke’s exactness (v.3-4) – This section of Greek is widely considered the best, most precise Greek written in entire NT. Luke was a doctor and had an eye for detail. He desired to paint as accurate a picture of Jesus’ life as there was. He was a perfectionist. I imagine he had read all of these other accounts and probably thought that they all fell short.

2. The assurance of God’s plan is possible even to those who doubt Christ (v.5-25)

a. There will be good families who doubt God’s plan (v.5-7) – In this instance it was God’s plan that John the Baptist would pave the way for Jesus. It was also God’s plan that Jesus Christ would die for sinners. There are plenty of people who seem to be from good families, who go to church who will miss God’s plan for their life, which is to be saved.

b. There will be religious people who doubt God’s plan (v.8-20) – Zechariah was from a royal lineage and in order to see which priests would burn incense they would cast lots. Sometimes a priest would go his entire life without getting his name drawn. So, you can imagine him being “troubled" when he entered the temple and was greeted by Gabriel. He probably wandered if this sort of thing was normal. Despite having an angel of God reveal to him what would happen, Zechariah did not believe that God could open his wife’s womb. Likewise, there will be people who get a Word from God but still refuse to believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and is the only way to eternal life.

c. There will be consequences when we doubt God’s plan (v.21-25) – The consequences for Zechariah’s unbelief was that he would not be able to speak until his son was born. The consequences for not believing in Christ will be eternal separation from God in Hell.

3. The promise of a Savior is possible to those who believe in Christ (v.26-45)

a. Those who believe in Christ are obedient (v.26-34) – They yield to God’s will in their lives. God’s will in Mary’s life was that she would carry God’s son. Mary did not act in unbelief like Zechariah. Mary simply asked how the conception would work out since she was a virgin. How is her statement different then Zechariah’s? Because Gabriel didn’t make her mute, the motives in her heart proceeding her question must have been evident.

b. Those who believe in Christ are humble (v.35-38) – What was Mary’s reaction after finding out that she would birth Christ? Did she go around boasting and bragging, “I’m going to be Jesus’ mother…”? No. She said she was the Lord’s servant and to let it all happen as according to his Word.

4. The salvation of all is possible to those who acknowledge Christ (v.39-56)

a. Salvation is available to those who acknowledge God’s promise (v.39-45) – Elizabeth stated how blessed Mary would be since she believed that which was spoken to her would be fulfilled. Likewise, if we acknowledge God’s promise of salvation in our life we will be blessed in this life and in the next. However we have to acknowledge this fact and that is what Baptism is - a public profession or acknowledgment.

b. Salvation is available to those who acknowledge God’s mercy (v.46-56) – The fact that we have a chance to have our sin atoned for is according to God’s grace and mercy.