Luke: My Father's House
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Luke 2:39-52 This account, found only in Luke's gospel, recalls Jesus as a twelve-year-old boy. It is the only story we have of Christ between His infancy and the beginning of His public ministry. What is revealed in this account is the union of humanity and divinity in one person. The humanity of Jesus is on display, not only in the fact that Jesus was twelve years old, but also in Luke's description of Jesus. "And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom" (Lk 2:40). "And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and...
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Psalm 19: Better Than Gold
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Psalm 19:7-11 Our day is a day in which changes have profoundly affected the way life is viewed and the way it is lived. We have witnessed not only radical changes in communication and technology, but changes in values. A clear, unambiguous standard of what is right and wrong has eroded before our eyes. Fewer and fewer people still believe in absolute truth. What is needed is a return to the principles of the Bible. These principles are both absolute and eternal. Even as Christians, we need a fresh commitment to the notion that the Word of...
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Luke: Simeon and Anna
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Luke 2:22-35 How refreshing it is to have the gospels deliver to us the accounts of the life of Christ in all His excellencies. Here, in Luke 2, we have another scene of the birth of our Savior. The whole meaning of Christ, in concise form, is found in the declarations of Simeon, an old man in the temple. He took Jesus in his arms and declared, "Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace . . . for my eyes have seen your salvation" (Luke 2:29,30). Simeon's remarks precisely bring into focus the purpose of Jesus' coming. Though there are...
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Luke: A Savior Who Is Christ, The Lord
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Luke 2:1-14 Perhaps the best-known biblical passage recording the birth of Christ is found in Luke 2. Matthew has some other details concerning His birth, but this account (indeed, this entire chapter) occurs only in Luke. Here we have Joseph and Mary traveling to Bethlehem, due to a Roman census. According to Micah 5:2, the Jewish Messiah would come from Bethlehem. This empire-wide census depicts the sovereign providence of God, who is orchestrating the birth of Jesus, down to the details. An angel appears to a group of shepherds, proclaiming not...
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Luke: Benedictus Dominus
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Luke 1:67-80 Much like Mary's song of praise, upon hearing about the child she would bear, so Zechariah has a song of praise after his son is born. We might expect that Zechariah's expressions would center on his beloved son. He does mention the boy (Lk 1:76), but the focus of this blessed exaltation of praise is on the Lord God and the One whom He will send. The word 'salvation' is mentioned three times in this declaration (Lk 1:69,71,77). The song may be divided into two sections. First, Luke 1:68-75 refers to a future national 'salvation' in which...
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Luke: Mary's Song - The Grace of God
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Luke 1:46-55 Mary’s exultation in God in this wonderful poem is both passionate and insightful. And we have the same God. Even though for her to bear the Messiah is a unique event, it is possible for us to know the same awe and joy that she experienced. For us to feel what Mary felt we must see with the eyes of our soul, what she saw, and we must deeply know the God that she knew. It is significant that Mary’s song does not focus on herself The Center of these statements is the person of God, namely what He is like and what He has done. In the birth of Christ Mary sees...
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Luke: Mary's Song - The Majesty of God
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Luke 1:46-55 To a wide-eyed 5-year-old, the celebration of the birth of Christ means lights and toys and brightly-wrapped boxes under a living room tree. To a retailer it means increased sales and profits. To a busy housewife Christmas is a fatiguing schedule of shopping, decorating, and cooking. But to Mary, Jesus' mother, the promised birth of the Messiah was an occasion for an impassioned declaration of unbridled joy. Her joy is firmly founded on the character and works of God. In her prayers of thanksgiving, Mary unashamedly proclaims what He is...
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Luke: The Child Will Be Called The Son Of God
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Luke 1:34-38 One of the foundational things to be said about Jesus is that He was/is the Son of God. The angel declared this wonder to Mary. "And the angel answered her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy - the Son of God'" (Lk 1:35). Simon Peter declared this wonder when Jesus asked what the disciples thought about His identity. "Simon Peter replied, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God'" (Mt 16:16). The ramifications of this...
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Luke: The Virgin's Name Was Mary
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Luke 1:26-38 Matthew and Luke both record that Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus, but only Luke writes about the conversation between the angel Gabriel and Mary. This account parallels, in many ways, the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist. Among other significant truths revealed in this passage, is the staggering fact that Mary would give birth to a son without a human father. Though many would discount the importance of the doctrine of the virgin birth of Christ, it is not a peripheral doctrine. Why is the doctrine of the virgin birth of...
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Luke: Yahweh Remembers
Bethel Baptist Church
Scripture Reading: Luke 1:5-25 In his recounting the life of Christ, Luke begins with the announcement, not of the birth of Christ, but of John the Baptist. John would be the prophesied herald of the Messiah. In the first two chapters of his gospel, Luke draws a connection between John and Christ, by means of alternating accounts of each man. This literary devise emphasizes the wonder of the coming of the Son of God into the world. First, there is the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist ... then there is the announcement of the birth of Christ. Next, there is...
info_outlineScripture Reading: Luke 1:46-55
Mary’s exultation in God in this wonderful poem is both passionate and insightful. And we have the same God. Even though for her to bear the Messiah is a unique event, it is possible for us to know the same awe and joy that she experienced. For us to feel what Mary felt we must see with the eyes of our soul, what she saw, and we must deeply know the God that she knew.
It is significant that Mary’s song does not focus on herself The Center of these statements is the person of God, namely what He is like and what He has done. In the birth of Christ Mary sees God’s power and holiness (Lk 1:49), mercy (Lk 1:50), and faithfulness (LK 1:54,55). These are some of God’s perfections.
But Mary also revels in God’s actions. In her being chosen to be the mother of the Messiah, she sees an illustration of God exalting Himself by confounding the wisdom and pride of men. To lift Himself up as supreme above the folly of human hearts, God often does things in such a way as to make it unmistakable that it is His hand.
“. . . he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones . . . and the rich he has sent away empty” (Lk 1:51,52,53). By sending His Son to be born as a baby … to a poor, unknown woman … in a small, obscure village … in a manger … God exalts Himself and shatters human pride. The gospel is seen here in summary form. “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (Jam 4:6). “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:3). Only the broken receive Christ and live … the rest are scattered and brought down.