Bible Study - Tough Questions (4) - Is JESUS GOD? - Luke 1:26-35 - December 22, 2019
Bible
Study – Tough Questions (4) – Is JESUS GOD? – December 22, 2019
This
is lesson four (4) in our series entitles “Answers to Tough Questions.”
Our
focus scripture is Luke 1:26-35.
Everything
about JESUS’ birth points to HIS divinity.
Addition - John 14:8-11:
Jesus Reveals the Father
8 “Lord,” said Philip, “show us the Father, and
that’s enough for us.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been among you all this time and you
do not know me, Philip? The one who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father
is in me? The words I
speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who lives in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in
me. Otherwise, believe[d] because of the works themselves.
Also read Romans 5:6-20:
Also read Romans 5:6-20:
Those Declared Righteous Are Reconciled
6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For rarely will someone die for a just person—though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. 8 But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 How much more then, since we have now been declared righteous by his blood, will we be saved through him from wrath. 10 For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation.
Death through Adam and Life through Christ
12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all people, because all sinned.[d] 13 In fact, sin was in the world before the law, but sin is not charged to a person’s account when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam’s transgression. He is a type of the Coming One.
15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man’s trespass the many died, how much more have the grace of God and the gift which comes through the grace of the one man Jesus Christ overflowed to the many. 16 And the gift is not like the one man’s sin, because from one sin came the judgment, resulting in condemnation, but from many trespasses came the gift, resulting in justification.[e] 17 Since by the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
18 So then, as through one trespass there is condemnation for everyone, so also through one righteous act there is justification leading to life for everyone. 19 For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 The law came along to multiply the trespass. But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
GOD’S plan to offer redemption to mankind began in the Garden of Eden after Eve and Adam sinned. Consider Genesis 3:8-15:
Sin’s Consequences
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of
the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the
evening breeze,[c] and they hid from the Lord God among
the trees of the garden. 9 So the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
11 Then he asked, “Who told you that
you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat
from?”
12 The man replied, “The woman you
gave to be with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate.”
13 So the Lord God asked the woman, “What is
this you have done?”
And
the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
14 So the Lord God said to the serpent:
Because you have done this,
you are cursed more than any livestock
and more than any wild animal.
You will move on your belly
and eat dust all the days of your life.
15 I will put hostility between you (Satan) and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring (JESUS).
He will strike your head,
and you (Satan) will strike his (JESUS) heel.
you are cursed more than any livestock
and more than any wild animal.
You will move on your belly
and eat dust all the days of your life.
15 I will put hostility between you (Satan) and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring (JESUS).
He will strike your head,
and you (Satan) will strike his (JESUS) heel.
Since sin came into the world
through Adam, a sinless human had to pay the sin debt, in full, by the shedding
of HIS physical blood. And that sinless 100% human was and is JESUS,
yet 100% GOD. JESUS willingly gave HIS sinless life so that all who
place their faith in HIM will have eternal life through the miracle of
Spiritual rebirth.
JESUS was 100% human because HE
had to have physical life in order to give it to pay, in full, for sin by the
shedding of HIS blood. Life is in the blood.
Why, the shedding of blood? In
Hebrews 9:19-29:
19 For when every command had been proclaimed
by Moses to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves
and goats,[d] along with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and
sprinkled the scroll itself and all the people, 20 saying, This
is the blood of the covenant that God has ordained for you.[e] 21 In the same way, he sprinkled the
tabernacle and all the articles of worship with blood. 22 According
to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the
shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
23 Therefore, it was necessary for
the copies of the things in the heavens to be purified with these sacrifices,
but the heavenly things themselves to be purified with better sacrifices than
these. 24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands
(only a model[f] of the true one) but into heaven itself, so that he
might now appear in the presence of God for us. 25 He did not
do this to offer himself many times, as the high priest enters the sanctuary
yearly with the blood of another. 26 Otherwise, he would have
had to suffer many times since the foundation of the world. But now he has
appeared one time, at the end of the ages, for the removal of sin by the
sacrifice of himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for people
to die once—and after this, judgment— 28 so
also Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a
second time, not to bear sin, but[g] to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
Let’s
explore! Is JESUS GOD?
Consider
John 5:5
5 Now, Father, glorify me in your presence with
that glory I
had with you before the world existed.
Let’s read Luke 1:26-29:
Gabriel
Predicts Jesus’s Birth
26 In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was
sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to
a virgin engaged[c]
to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And
the angel came to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with
you.”[d]
29 But she was deeply troubled by this statement,
wondering what kind of greeting this could be.
Who is the angel Gabriel? Luke 1:19:
19 The angel answered him, “I am
Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and
tell you this good news.
Gabriel
was sent by GOD to a virgin named Mary. GOD chose Mary. When was Mary chosen?
What does GOD’S Word reveal to us in Ephesians 1:4? Ephesians 1:4 - 4 For he chose us in him,
before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before
him.[c]
What does “favor” mean? It means “grace.”
Nazareth carries the idea of “Branch.”
Let’s read Luke 1:30-33:
30 Then
the angel told her: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
31 Now listen: You will conceive and give birth to a
son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great
and will be called the Son of the Most High and the Lord God will give him the
throne of his father David. 33 He will reign over the
house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.”
The
Angel Gabriel told Mary “Do not be afraid.” In that day, it was general
knowledge that seeing an angel of the LORD meant something significant was
about to take place. It could mean death. Gabriel wanted to quickly put Mary’s
mind at ease because he had Good News for her.
In
that time period the young girls between the ages 13-15 often wondered if they
would be the one to give birth to GOD’S Promised Messiah. The angel Gabriel
gave Mary the Good News. We can only speculate how this news was received by
the Virgin Mary. She knew how babies came about and she quickly had a very
important question for Gabriel, as we read on ----
Let’s read Luke 1:34-35:
35 The
angel replied to her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the
Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy one to be born will be
called the Son of God.
What
was Mary’s reaction to this news? Since she was a virgin her question implied
that she planned to remain a virgin until she married Joseph. She wanted to
know. So, she asked the angel Gabriel a very good question, “How can this be,
since I have not had sexual relations with a man?”
Gabriel
explained the process to Mary. The birth of JESUS is a miracle and guess what?
A person’s Spiritual rebirth is a miracle and the birth of JESUS is a
foreshadow of the Spiritual rebirth of every person who places his or her faith
in JESUS as his or her Savior. The Holy Spirit energized the egg of Mary and
JESUS, 100% GOD and 100% human was conceived and remained in Mary’s womb for 9
months and was born in the flesh.
When
a person places his or her faith in JESUS, the miracle of Spiritual rebirth
takes place in an instant. The born-again Christian instantly becomes GOD’s Son
or Daughter, has eternal life, citizenship in Heaven, indwelt by the Holy
Spirit, equipped with one or more Spiritual gifts and the list goes on.
Once
a person accepts JESUS as his or her Savior and is Spiritually Born into GOD’S
Family that fact never changes. Once born-again Spiritually through faith in
JESUS, that person is eternally secure. Therefore, a person could ask, “Why not
get your fire insurance, so-to-speak, by making a profession of faith in JESUS
and then living like the world?”
Keep
in mind that there will be rewards in Heaven and Heaven is eternal compared to
earth time; eternity never ends. So those who obediently serve GOD upon earth
will enjoy the rewards GOD provides for eternity. What are these rewards?
Let’s consider 1 Corinthians 2:9 Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
9 But as it is written,
What no eye has seen, no ear has
heard,
and no human heart has conceived—
God has prepared these things for those who love him.[a]
and no human heart has conceived—
God has prepared these things for those who love him.[a]
No
human eye has seen, no ear has heard and no human heart has conceived in their
wildest imagination what GOD has prepared for those who love HIM. WOW!!!
Consider
what the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:7-17:
7 So then neither the one who plants nor the
one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 Now
he who plants and he who waters are one,[b] and each will receive his own reward according to his
own labor. 9 For we are God’s coworkers.[c] You are God’s field, God’s building.
Let’s Segway to 2 Corinthians 5:1-5:
Our Future after Death
5 For we know that if our earthly tent (earth
suit or human body) we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an
eternal dwelling in the heavens, not made with hands. 2 Indeed,
we groan in this tent, desiring to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 since,
when we have taken it off,[a] we will not be found naked. 4 Indeed,
we groan while we are in this tent, burdened as we are, because we do not want
to be unclothed but clothed, so that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now
the one who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as
a down payment.
Now
let’s go back to our 1 Corinthians 3 scripture:
10 According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have
laid a foundation as a skilled master builder,[d] and another builds on it. But each one is to be careful
how he builds on it. 11 For no one can lay any other foundation
than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ.
Faith
in JESUS is the foundation that born-again Christians build upon. GOD made us
with the freedom to choose. Born-again Christians have the freedom to choose
the materials they use to build upon their faith in JESUS. We get notions based
upon what we think pleases GOD and we build with materials that will not pass
the test of fire. Let’s explore!
12 If anyone builds on the
foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13 each
one’s work will become obvious. For the day will disclose it, because it
will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. 14 If
anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If
anyone’s work is burned up, he will experience[e] loss, but he himself will be saved—but only as
through fire.
Pay
close attention to verse 15. If a born-again Christian builds upon the
foundation of JESUS using materials that will be burned up, the born-again
Christian will be secure in Heaven but without lasting rewards. Salvation is
eternal. Being in Heaven will be glorious compared to the alternative, Hell.
16 Don’t you yourselves know that
you are God’s temple and that the Spirit of God lives in you? 17 If
anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy,
and that is what you are.
The
Apostle Paul admonishes born-again Christians to realize and understand that
they are GOD’S temple and represent GOD and HIS salvation through faith in
JESUS to others. Therefore, live as directed by the indwelling Holy Spirit and
not according to the whims of the flesh (ego being one). The flesh builds with
materials that will not pass the test of fire. Yet, the person who has placed
his or her faith in JESUS will survive – “but he himself will be saved—but
only as through fire.”
What
does 2 Corinthians 5:5 reveal to born-again Christian –
5 Now
the one who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as
a down payment.
GOD is also preparing a special Spiritual
body which born-again Christians have in Heaven. This special body is being fashioned
by GOD. It will be the Spiritual body all born-again Christians will have
while they wait for the return of JESUS to earth. They will not be found
naked. As you recall, after Adam and Eve sinned, they saw that they were naked.
Sin exposes. Salvation cleanses and restores purity. At the second coming of JESUS for all
born-again Christians will receive their Glorified bodies, which will
be like JESUS’ Glorified body Total Control – read about the body JESUS had
after HIS resurrection.
Consider 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18:
The Comfort of Christ’s Coming
13 We do not want you to be
uninformed, brothers and sisters, concerning those who are asleep, so that you
will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. 14 For
if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way, through Jesus, God
will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For we say this to you by a word from the
Lord: We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming will certainly not precede
those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord
himself will descend from heaven with a shout,[e] with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of
God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then
we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in
the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
18 Therefore
encourage[f] one another with these words.
Every human lives in a miracle; the
human body. The best is yet to come for those who place their faith in JESUS
and obediently serve HIM as led by the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Was JESUS GOD?
Let’s consider - John 1:14 Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
14 The Word became flesh and dwelt[a] among us. We
observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son[b] from the Father,
full of grace and truth.
Yes,
JESUS is GOD! Accept HIM as your Savior now. Why now? Because eternity is but
one heartbeat away.
Blessings!!!
posted by Bible Study | 4:43 PM
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