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- How did God punish the ten tribes of Israel?
-God sent the Assyrians to conquer the ten tribes of Israel, and the Assyrians made them their slaves.
- After God punished the ten tribes of Israel, how did God punish the two tribes of Judah?
-God sent the Babylonians to conquer the two tribes of Judah, and the Babylonians made them their slaves.
- How did the Babylonians destroy the city of Jerusalem?
-They set fire to the temple.
-They burned down all of Jerusalem.
-They broke down the wall surrounding the city.
- What did the people of Judah do when they returned to Jerusalem?
-They rebuilt the temple.
-They rebuilt the city of Jerusalem.
-They rebuilt the wall surrounding the city of Jerusalem.
- What was the new name for the people of Judah who returned to Jerusalem?
-The Jews.
- What two other peoples did God send to conquer the Jews?
-The Greeks and the Romans.
- Who did the Romans worship?
-They worshipped many images.
-They also worshipped their king, Caesar.
- Who were the scribes?
-The scribes were the Jewish leaders who wrote down God’s words.
- Who were the Pharisees?
-The Pharisees were the Jewish leaders who taught God’s words.
- Who were the Sadducees?
-The Sadducees were the Jewish leaders who were rich and guarded the temple.
- What were the synagogues?
-The synagogues were the houses where the Jews met to read and discuss the writings of Moses.
- At that time, were there any Jews who believed in God?
-Yes.
-There were a few who did believe in God.
-God sent many prophets to speak to the Jews.
-One of the last prophets that God sent to speak to the Jews was Malachi.
-Malachi told the Jews that God had not forgotten them, and would send the Savior.
-After Malachi died, God did not speak to the Jews for 400 years.
-While most of the Jews did not believe in God, a few of them were waiting for God to send the Savior.
-Two of the Jews who were waiting for God to send the Savior were Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth.
Let’s read Luke 1:5-6
5-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 upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly.
-Zechariah was a priest, and both Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth believed in God.
-But Zechariah and his wife had a problem.
Let’s read Luke 1:7
7-But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.
-What was Zechariah and Elizabeth’s problem?
-They had no children.
-Why did they have no children?
-Because Elizabeth was barren.
-Because Zechariah and Elizabeth were both very old.
-Because Zechariah was a priest, his work was to serve in the temple in Jerusalem.
Let’s read Luke 1:8-10
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 worshippers were praying outside.
-On the day that Zechariah went into the Holy Room of the temple to burn incense to God, something happened to him.
-What happened to Zechariah when he was in the temple?
-An angel of God appeared to Zechariah.
Let’s read Luke 1:11-14
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 give him the name John.
14-He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth.”
-What did the angel say to Zechariah?
-The angel said that God was going to give Zechariah a son, and that his name was going to be John.
-What then did the angel say about the son that God was going to give to Zechariah?
Let’s read Luke 1:15-17
15-The angel said, “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 from birth.
16-Many of the people of Israel will he bring back 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 fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous–to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
-The angel said that Zechariah’s son, John, would prepare the people for the coming Savior.
-What did the angel call the coming Savior?
-The Lord.
-Who is the Lord?
-God.
-The angel said that the coming Savior would be the Lord, God Himself.
-After this, Zechariah’s wife Elizabeth became pregnant.
Let’s read Luke 1:24-25
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.”
-Later, God sent an angel to a virgin named Mary.
Let’s read Luke 1:26-31
26-In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,
27-to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
28-The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29-Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
30-But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.
31-You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.”
-What did the angel tell Mary?
-The angel told Mary that God had chosen her to give birth to the coming Savior.
-Had God forgotten His promise to send the Savior?
-No.
-Why did God remember His promise to send the Savior?
-Because God loves all people.
-Because God wants to save all people from sin, death, and Satan.
-Why did God choose Mary?
-Was Mary a child of Adam and Eve?
-Yes.
-Was Mary born into sin like all people?
-Yes.
-Why did God choose Mary?
-Because Mary believed in God.
-Because Mary was waiting for God to send the Savior.
-What was to be the Name of Mary’s Son?
-Jesus.
-What does the Name “Jesus” mean?
-The Name “Jesus” means Savior or Deliverer.
-What else did the angel say about Mary’s Son, the coming Savior?
Let’s read Luke 1:32a
32-The angel said, “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.”
-The angel said that Mary’s Son would be the Son of the Most High.
-What did the angel mean that Mary’s Son would be the Son of the Most High?
-Mary’s Son would be the Son of God.
-How would Mary’s Son be the Son of God?
-Did God give birth to a son?
-No.
-Do you remember that God is One, yet He is three Persons?
-God is God the Father, God the Savior, and God the Holy Spirit.
-God the Father and God the Holy Spirit were sending God the Savior to earth as a Son of God and as a Son of man.
-Was Mary’s Son to be God or man?
-Mary’s Son would be both fully God and fully man.
-What else did the angel say about Mary’s Son, the coming Savior?
Let’s read Luke 1:32b-33
32-The angel said, “The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,
33-and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”
-The angel said that Mary’s Son, the coming Savior, would be a descendant of King David.
-Why did the Savior have to be born of the line of David?
-Because God had promised David that the Savior would be one of his descendants.
-Because the coming Savior would be King David’s descendant, God would make Him king over Israel and king forever.
-What did Mary then ask the angel?
Let’s read Luke 1:34
34-“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
-What was Mary’s question?
-Mary asked how she was able to have a son if she was still a virgin.
-What did the angel reply?
Let’s read Luke 1:35
35-The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.”
-What did the angel reply?
-The angel said that God the Holy Spirit would perform a miracle, and that Mary would become pregnant.
-Mary’s Son was to be born without the seed of a human father or mother.
-Why was Mary’s Son to be born without the seed of a human father and mother?
-So that He would be born without the sin of Adam and Eve.
-So that He would be born perfect without sin.
-Because God the Son would be born as a human but without sin, He would not have the seed of a human father or mother.
-Mary’s Son would be the seed of God alone.
-What then did the angel say to Mary?
Let’s read Luke 1:36-37
36-The angel said, “Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month.
37-For nothing is impossible with God.”
-Here is what the angel said:
-Just as it was impossible for Elizabeth, a very old, barren woman to have a child, but that God had given her a son.
-So it was also impossible for Mary, a virgin, to have a child, but that God had also given her a son.
-God can do anything.
-Nothing is impossible with God.
-What did Mary then reply?
Let’s read Luke 1:38
38-“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
-Because Mary believed in God, God chose her to be the mother of Jesus, the coming Savior.
-Was Jesus to be the promised Savior?
-Yes.
-Was Jesus to be the Savior whom God first promised to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden?
-Yes.
-Was Jesus to be the Savior whom God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and to all people?
-Yes.