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Luke 1 | The Upward Way | Bible Study with A. Z. Adams — Transcript

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0:00Someone may ask, [music] why are there
0:02four different versions of basically the
0:05same story? And the reason is because
0:10each of these [music] writers is not
0:12only a second, third, and fourth witness
0:14to the same events, which is powerful,
0:18but they're also capturing a different
0:22angle and perspective on events
0:25that has a [music] specific purpose.
0:28Matthew
0:30was written as the Jewish [music]
0:32gospel. He is deeply immersed in the
0:35Jewish tradition and he's able to relate
0:38the events of [music] Jesus best to
0:40those fully familiar and saturated in
0:43the Jewish tradition. So that's his
0:46emphasis. See how Jewish Jesus was. See
0:49how [music] consistent he was with the
0:51Old Testament.
0:53Mark is the gospel as it would have been
0:57told by the apostle Peter um written by
1:00Mark but as it's full of action and
1:03obedience and faith and immediacy.
1:07Mark is the shortest. It's blunt. It
1:10gets to the point and it makes the
1:12strongest points. Well,
1:14Luke is the only book in the entire
1:17Bible not written by a Jewish believer.
1:21It's written by a gentile. Luke is a
1:24highly educated,
1:26well-written
1:28uh author who is likely commissioned by
1:32a Roman nobleman or politician
1:37to give a study of this new movement
1:40called Christianity.
1:42So Luke is completely different. He is
1:46coming at the story [music] from the
1:48view of an outsider and he's trying to
1:51show us and help us relate to the events
1:54and miracle of Jesus from a non-Jewish
1:58perspective. So he's going to emphasize
2:02stories that the others don't tell. He's
2:04going to tell the story of the good
2:06Samaritan. It doesn't show up in the
2:08other gospels. He's going to tell the
2:10story of the prodigal son. Does not show
2:13up in the other gospels. [music] the
2:15story of the road to Emmas. He's going
2:17to give us so many critical stories.
2:21Luke takes pride in being very
2:23evidence-based.
2:25So, this is this is even potentially a
2:28brief. [music] His his writing might
2:31have been testimony in a court case.
2:33It's possible it was even going to be
2:36used in the Apostle Paul's court case in
2:38the defense of his life. So he's not
2:41writing uh from the same vantage point.
2:44He's writing as a gentile very
2:47evidence-based and he's giving us this
2:49insight into the miracle and phenomenon
2:53of Christianity. It would have been
2:55written probably around 59 AD. So if
2:59Jesus was uh Jesus had been dead uh for
3:02probably about 30 years somewhere in
3:04that vicinity and he is able to go and
3:07get eyewitness testimony of the people
3:10who were there and he's very specific
3:13about his methodology.
3:15It's of all the four gospels Luke's
3:19Greek grammar and style is the most
3:22elevated. It's the most fluently
3:25beautifully written. Some people say
3:28it's the most beautiful book ever
3:29written, but it's certainly in the most
3:32beautiful book ever written, and that's
3:33the Bible. Luke chapter 1, verse one.
3:38In as much as many have undertaken to
3:42compile an account of the things
3:45accomplished among us, just as they were
3:49handed down to us by those who from the
3:51beginning were eyewitnesses and servants
3:54of the word, it seemed fitting for me as
3:58well, having investigated everything
4:01carefully from the beginning, to write
4:04it out for you in consecutive order.
4:07most excellent Theophilos,
4:10so that you may know the exact truth
4:14about the things you have been taught.
4:18So he's writing this account to someone
4:20whom he calls most excellent
4:23Theophilles. Now, Theophilles is just a
4:26Greek word that means lover of God. It
4:29may not be a proper name. It may be a
4:31term that he's using to avoid using
4:34someone's proper name. But the fact that
4:36he uses most excellent means that that
4:41would be like um the term that they
4:43would give to the governor. So they
4:45would say most excellent Felix. So to
4:48say most excellent means that this is a
4:51person and Theophilus is quite likely
4:54his name. He's quite likely a
4:57politician, but he is someone in a place
4:59of a lot of power. So, it could be a
5:02grippa. He could be writing to a grippa
5:05uh or someone similar, some official in
5:08the Roman state, but he also could be
5:12just referring to him as a lover of God.
5:14But the prefix most excellent means that
5:18it's probably a specific person bearing
5:21specific office. But listen to what he
5:23says. He acknowledges that others have
5:27written these things down, but he says
5:29he's going to do it, too. He's relying
5:32on eyewitnesses
5:35and he is investigating it everything
5:38carefully from the beginning to write it
5:41out in consecutive order. So he's saying
5:45his is going to be a little different.
5:47His approach is going to be a little
5:49different. Not more true, not less true,
5:52just a different angle. that that starts
5:55to fill in the fullness of God's picture
5:58of what happened in Jesus Christ.
6:03So that's his introduction. It's very
6:06short. It's just four verses and he gets
6:08right into it. In the days of Herod,
6:11king of Judea, there was a priest named
6:14Zachcharias
6:15of the division of Abijah. and he had a
6:19wife from the daughters of Aaron, and
6:21her name was Elizabeth.
6:24They were both righteous in the sight of
6:26God, walking blamelessly in all the
6:30commandments and requirements of the
6:32Lord.
6:33But they had no child because Elizabeth
6:38was barren, and they were both advanced
6:41in years.
6:43Now it happened that while he was
6:46performing his priestly service before
6:49God in the appointed order of his
6:51division, according to the custom of the
6:54priestly office, he was chosen by Lot to
6:59enter the temple of the Lord and burn
7:01incense.
7:03And the whole multitude of the people
7:06were in prayer outside at the hour of
7:09the incense offering.
7:12and an angel of the Lord appeared to him
7:15[clears throat] standing to the right of
7:17the altar of incense.
7:20Notice how detailed this is. He starts
7:23off by giving their names,
7:26what family line they're from, telling
7:28us that they are of the priestly line.
7:31And he's telling us they were righteous
7:34people who kept the commandments of God.
7:36But they had a problem. Just like
7:38Abraham and Sarah, they were barren and
7:40they were old. And so then he commences
7:44to tell us that
7:47Zachcharias is of the division of
7:50Abijah. So that's telling us which
7:52priestly line he served in. So the
7:56Levites were the priests, but within the
7:58Levites there were various families and
8:00they took turns serving these special
8:04acts of worship at the temple. And then
8:06within the family, someone would be
8:09chosen by lot, which means they would
8:12they would draw straws. They'd put their
8:14names in a hat and pick one. And
8:16whoever's name was chosen, he would be
8:19appointed to go offer the incense before
8:22the altar of the Lord while the entire
8:24multitude worshiped outside. And so here
8:28we have this old man and his wife is
8:31barren and he is picked to go stand
8:35before the altar of the Lord in the
8:37temple in Jerusalem because his family
8:40has been picked among all the tribe of
8:43Levi and his name has been picked. What
8:46a coincidence.
8:48And the whole multitude of the people
8:50were praying outside at the hour of the
8:52incense offering.
8:54and an angel of the Lord appeared to
8:56him. Listen to how detailed Luke is
8:59standing to the right of the altar of
9:02incense. He talked to someone who knew
9:05this story. That's what he says at the
9:08beginning. I I went to those who were
9:10eyewitnesses and I investigated
9:12everything thoroughly.
9:15Zachcharias
9:17was troubled when he saw the angel and
9:21fear gripped him.
9:24So he's praying but he is not expecting
9:26a visible manifestation of the God to
9:29whom he is praying. So when the angel
9:31shows up he does not feel relief. He
9:34does not feel joy. He feels fear. The
9:37word is terror grabbed him.
9:41Fear gripped him. But the angel said to
9:44him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias,
9:48for your petition has been heard, and
9:51your wife Elizabeth will bear a son, and
9:54you will give him the name John."
10:00This is typical of many times when
10:03people met the Lord in in the appearance
10:06of an angel. They're almost always
10:07afraid, and the angel almost always
10:10tells them not to be afraid.
10:13But it's powerful to think that when we
10:16find the answer to our prayer, it scares
10:19us half to death.
10:22The angel says, "Your prayer has been
10:24answered. Your wife will give birth to a
10:26son, and you will give him the name John
10:30Yohan.
10:32grace of God.
10:35You will have joy and gladness,
10:39and many will rejoice at his birth,
10:43for he will be great in the sight of the
10:45Lord.
10:47And he will drink no wine or liquor, and
10:51will be filled with the Holy Spirit
10:53while yet in his mother's womb. And he
10:56will turn many of the sons of Israel
10:59back to the Lord their God.
11:02It is he who will go as a forerunner
11:06before him in the spirit and power of
11:09Elijah
11:11to turn the hearts of the fathers back
11:14to the children and the disobedient to
11:18the attitude of the righteous so as to
11:22make ready a people prepared for the
11:24Lord.
11:27What a promise.
11:29Isn't it ironic
11:31that the messenger of God who's going to
11:35turn the hearts of dads back to their
11:37sons and the hearts of sons to their
11:39fathers, that messenger is coming to a
11:43couple who are old enough to be
11:44grandparents who are barren and
11:46childless in their old age. But God's
11:51going to use them
11:53to rekindle the love and the connection
11:55that's been lost between generations.
12:00And he says he's going to
12:03turn the disobedient back to the
12:05attitude of the righteous, showing us
12:08that disobedience is a heart condition
12:12more than a an action issue.
12:16Zachchariah said to the angel, "How will
12:20I know this for certain?
12:23for I am an old man and my wife is
12:25advanced in years.
12:29The angel answered and said to him, I am
12:33Gabriel who stands in the presence of
12:36God, and I have been sent to speak to
12:39you and to bring you this good news. And
12:43behold, you shall be silent and unable
12:46to speak until the day when these things
12:50take place because you did not believe
12:53my words, which will be fulfilled in
12:56their proper time.
12:59The angel is offended at Zachcharias's
13:02unbelief.
13:04Zachcharias is hearing something
13:06wonderful and he says, "How will I know
13:09that these things will be fulfilled for
13:12certain? Give me some confirmation." The
13:16angel is offended and he says, "I am the
13:18one who stands in the presence of God."
13:20And here's the sign. Your carnal mind,
13:25your carnal mouth, your carnal doubts
13:28are going to be silenced. I'm going to
13:30put a zipper on all that unbelief. until
13:33it happens. That's the sign. Shut the
13:37unbelief off.
13:41The people were waiting for Zacharias
13:43and were wondering at his delay in the
13:46temple. But when he came out, he was
13:49unable to speak to them. And they
13:52realized that he had seen a vision in
13:54the temple. And he kept making signs to
13:57them and remained mute.
14:01When the days of his priestly service
14:03were ended, he went back home. After
14:06these days, Elizabeth, his wife, became
14:09pregnant, and she kept herself in
14:11seclusion for 5 months, saying, "This is
14:15the way the Lord has dealt with me in
14:17the days when he looked with favor upon
14:20me to take away my disgrace among men."
14:25So, she's not a young woman, but she
14:28hides, but she rejoices. And she says,
14:31"This is how God has treated me. After
14:34all my years of living with reproach,
14:37he's going to take away my reproach, my
14:39embarrassment. It's very, very much like
14:42what happened with the birth of Isaac.
14:44And it also is a supernatural birth.
14:48And it is prototypical
14:51that the old traditions
14:54of the faith,
14:56the priestly line that Zecharias and
14:59Elizabeth represented, the old
15:01traditions of Judaism are going to give
15:04birth to a young son, a new thing.
15:07That's the metaphor that's emerging
15:09here. Now in the sixth month, the angel
15:13Gabriel was sent from God to a city in
15:18Galilee called Nazareth
15:22to a virgin engaged to a man whose name
15:25was Joseph [snorts] of the descendants
15:28of David. And the virgin's name was
15:31Mary.
15:33And coming in, he said to her,
15:35"Greetings, favored one. The Lord is
15:38with you.
15:42But she was very perplexed at this
15:45statement and kept pondering what kind
15:48of salutation this was.
15:52So we have a single girl who's a fiance
15:54of a man and all of the sudden an angel
15:58shows up in the room and just says,
16:01"Greetings, favored one.
16:04The Lord is with you." But it says she's
16:07trying to figure out what kind of
16:09greeting this was. Now, this sort of
16:12detail
16:14about what Mary was thinking could have
16:18only come from Mary. That means Luke
16:22would have gone and talked to Mary in
16:24all likelihood and got this story
16:26straight from her because he went to
16:29those who were eyewitnesses.
16:31You can just picture the Greek doctor
16:34Luke making detailed notes as he sits
16:38there and talks to Mary, who's very old
16:42by now.
16:45The angel said to her, "Do not be
16:48afraid, Mary, for you have found favor
16:51with God. You have found grace with God.
16:54And behold, you will conceive in your
16:57womb and bear a son, and you shall name
17:00him Jesus, Yeshua.
17:04He will be great and will be called the
17:07son of the most high. And the Lord God
17:10will give him the throne of his father
17:12David.
17:13And he will reign over the house of
17:15Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have
17:20no end.
17:22So this is incredible.
17:26We see this some of the same themes as
17:28with Elizabeth. She's called highly
17:31favored one which means graced of God.
17:34He tells her, "You have found favor with
17:37the Lord." Grace. Remember what John
17:39meant? The name John, Johannan, grace of
17:42God. So grace is the theme in both of
17:46these appearances.
17:48you will conceive a son
17:51and he will be called the son of the
17:53most high. So this son is going to be
17:56called son of the most high but he's
17:58going to inherit the throne of David. So
18:01the promises and covenant of kingship
18:05that David represented
18:07Jesus is going to continue. So his life
18:10is going to be defined as a king and he
18:14will reign over the house or family of
18:17Jacob.
18:18So he's going to save the covenant of
18:21Israel. Just like with Matthew, we have
18:24the Davidic emphasis and we have the
18:28covenant with Israel emphasized.
18:31Jesus is coming to continue the promises
18:35made to the Israel family. Jacob is
18:38Israel later in his life. If we want
18:41Jesus to reign in our lives, we have to
18:44become part of the house of Jacob
18:46because that's where he's reigning.
18:48Mary said to the angel, "How can or
18:51literally how will this be since I am a
18:55virgin?"
18:57Zachcharias, when he talks to the same
18:59angel, he asks, "How can you prove to me
19:03that this is certainly going to happen?"
19:06Mary when she asks the angel she says
19:09how will this be?
19:12I trust that this is going to be I just
19:14want to know how because I'm a virgin.
19:18I've never been with a man. So I want to
19:20understand how this can happen.
19:23She is assuming that it's going to
19:25happen but wants to understand the
19:27process. He is doubting whether it's
19:29going to happen and wants proof. The
19:32angel is angry at Zachcharias's
19:34question, and he is very kind and
19:36accommodating to Mary's question.
19:40Mary said to the angel, "How can but
19:42literally, how will this be since I am a
19:45virgin?" The angel answered and said to
19:47her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon
19:50you." This is how this will be. The Holy
19:53Spirit will come upon you and the power
19:56of the most high will overshadow you.
19:59And for that reason, the holy child
20:02shall be called the son of God.
20:06And behold, even your relative Elizabeth
20:09has also conceived a son in her old age,
20:14and she who was called barren is now in
20:17her sixth month.
20:20For nothing will be impossible with God.
20:24And Mary said, "Behold the bonds slave
20:29of the Lord. May it be done to me
20:32according to your word."
20:34And the angel departed from her.
20:38So the angel basically says to her, "We
20:41are in a new situation. The Holy Spirit
20:44is at work. And when the Holy Spirit's
20:47at work, nothing is impossible.
20:50your relative who should be too old to
20:52have a kid is having a kid and she's
20:55already 6 months along. And Mary's
20:58response is, "Behold," which means,
21:01"Look at me. Consider me the bonds slave
21:05of the Lord. May it be done to me
21:08according to your word."
21:12Now, at this time, Mary arose
21:16that very time. She didn't sit around
21:19and wonder about it. She got up and she
21:21went to the other person that she had
21:23heard about who was also encountering
21:25strange things. Now at this time Mary
21:28arose and went in a hurry to the hill
21:31country to a city of Judah
21:35and entered the house of Zacharias and
21:38greeted Elizabeth.
21:41When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting,
21:44the baby leaped in her womb, and
21:47Elizabeth was filled with the Holy
21:49Spirit,
21:51and she cried out with a loud voice,
21:55"Blessed are you among women, and
21:58blessed is the fruit of your womb.
22:01And how has it happened to me that the
22:05mother of my Lord would come to me? For
22:08behold, when the sound of your greeting
22:11reached my ears, the baby leaped in my
22:14womb for joy. And [clears throat]
22:16blessed is she who believed that there
22:20would be a fulfillment of what had been
22:23spoken to her by the Lord.
22:26Again, who would have known these
22:29details of what happened between two
22:32expectant women in a town and a house in
22:35the hill country of Judah except Mary,
22:38which means Luke went and talked to old
22:42Mary before she died and got her story.
22:47And Mary said, "My soul exalts the Lord,
22:53and my spirit has rejoiced in God, my
22:56Savior, for he has had regard for the
23:00humble state of his bonds slave. And
23:04behold, from this time on all
23:07generations will count me blessed.
23:10For the mighty one has done great things
23:13for me,
23:15and holy is his name,
23:18and his mercy is upon generation after
23:21generation toward those who fear him. He
23:25has done mighty deeds with his arm. He
23:28has scattered those who were proud in
23:31the thoughts of their hearts.
23:34He has brought down rulers from their
23:37thrones
23:38and has exalted those who were humble.
23:42He has filled the hungry with good
23:45things and sent away the rich
23:48empty-handed.
23:50He has given help to Israel, his
23:53servant, in remembrance of his mercy, as
23:57he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and
24:00his descendants forever. And Mary stayed
24:03with her about three months and then
24:06returned to her home.
24:11What a prophecy. What a prophecy.
24:14Celebrating power from weakness, riches
24:17from poverty, strength from frailty.
24:22What a what a promise. What a praise to
24:25God of what he had done. Mary was not
24:29still full of fear. She had encountered
24:31God, and she had met with someone else
24:34who had also encountered him, and her
24:36trepidation and uncertainty had already
24:38turned to jubilation and praise.
24:43Now the time had come for Elizabeth to
24:45give birth, and she gave birth to a son.
24:48Her neighbors and her relatives heard
24:51that the Lord had displayed his great
24:53mercy toward her, and they were
24:55rejoicing with her.
24:58And it happened that on the eighth day
25:01they came to circumcise the child, and
25:04they were going to call him Zachcharias
25:06after his father.
25:09But his mother answered and said, "No,
25:11indeed, but he shall be called John,
25:15grace of God."
25:18And they said to her, "There is no one
25:20among your relatives who is called by
25:22that name."
25:24And they made signs to his father as to
25:27what he wanted him called. And he asked
25:29for a tablet and wrote as follows.
25:33His name is John. And they were all
25:37astonished.
25:39And at once his mouth was opened and his
25:43tongue loosed, and he began to speak in
25:46praise of God.
25:49The man who doubted was not able to
25:52speak. But the man who was able to name
25:55the miracle the grace of God, Yohanan,
26:00that man was able to speak [music] again
26:03in praise of what God was doing. Fear
26:06came on all those living around them and
26:09all these matters were being talked
26:11about in all the hill country of Judea.
26:15All who heard them kept [music] them in
26:17mind, saying, "What then will this child
26:21turn out to be? For the hand of the Lord
26:25was certainly with him."
26:27And his father Zachcharias was filled
26:30with the Holy Spirit and prophesied,
26:32[music] saying, "Blessed be the Lord God
26:35of Israel.
26:37For he has visited us and accomplished
26:40redemption for [music] his people, and
26:43has raised up a horn of salvation for us
26:46in the house of David his servant, as he
26:49spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets
26:51from of old.
26:54salvation from our enemies and from the
26:56hand of all who hate us.
26:59To show mercy toward our fathers,
27:04and to remember his holy covenant, the
27:07oath which he swore to Abraham our
27:10father, to grant us that we being
27:13rescued from the hand of our enemies,
27:15might serve him without fear in holiness
27:18and righteousness [music]
27:20before him all our days.
27:23And you child will be called the prophet
27:25of the most high. For you will go on
27:28before the Lord to prepare his ways, to
27:32give to [music] his people the knowledge
27:34of salvation by the forgiveness of their
27:37sins because of the tender [music] mercy
27:41of our God,
27:43with which the sunrise from on high will
27:46visit us, to shine upon those [music]
27:50who sit in darkness and the shadow of
27:52death, to guide our feet into the way of
27:57peace.
28:00And the child continued to grow and to
28:04become strong in spirit. And he lived in
28:07the deserts until the day of his public
28:10appearance [music] in Israel.

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