The Gospels

1. The Gospels Chapter 8: The Life of Christ in Surround Sound

2. Memory Verse John 20:30-31 - Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

3. Memory Verse Practice John 20:30-31 - Jesus performed many other  in the presence of his , which are not recorded in this .31 But these are written that you may that Jesus is the , the Son of , and that by believing you may have in his name.

4. Intro to The gospels • It is only through Jesus Christ that mankind can be restored to a relationship with God. • Gospel is taken from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning “good news.” • The story of Christ—that man’s relationship with God can be restored through Him—is “good news” indeed.

5. Jesus: The Bridge between the testaments

6. Messiah’s Secret Identity Revealed • Jesus was born of a virgin. -In a nonsexual way, the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary, the mother of Jesus. -Jesus grew up in Nazareth, where his earthly father, joseph, was a carpenter. • Jesus performed supernatural miracles. • Jesus claimed to be the true messiah.

7. Messiah’s Secret Identity Revealed 4. Jesus was a teacher with a radical message. -The Jews tried to live by the Ten Commandments, but Jesus said that they followed the “letter” of the law while ignoring its “spirit.” Ex: “Thou Shalt not kill” also means that you should avoid anger and hatred. (Matthew 5:25-26) -One of His favorite teaching techniques was the parable—a story lesson which conveys spiritual truth from everyday life. (Ex: Good Samaritan, Prodigal Son) 5. Jesus lived a sinless life. -Even though Jesus was fully human, He was also fully God. He was “tempted in every way, just as we are” but never sinned in thought, word, or deed.

8. Messiah’s Secret Identity Revealed 6. Jesus was acclaimed by the people as the messiah. • Jesus was crucified even though He did nothing wrong. • Jesus came back to life after being buried for three days. -This event, referred to as “the resurrection,” is the greatest proof that Jesus was the messiah as he claimed to be. 9. Jesus floated back up to heaven.

9. Memory Verse John 20:30-31 - Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

10. Memory Verse Practice John 20:30-31 - Jesus performed many other  in the presence of his , which are not recorded in this .31 But these are written that you may that Jesus is the , the Son of , and that by believing you may have in his name.

11. Memory Verse Practice 20:30-31 - performed many other  in the of his , which are not in this .31 But these are that you may that is the , the of , and that by you may have in his .

12. Twelve Ordinary Men • Jesus found 12 ordinary men who would help change the world forever. • The word disciple means “learner” or “follower.” • The Inner Circle: Three of the disciples were closer to Jesus than the others. • Simon Peter • James • John

13. Details to know about Simon Peter • Peter was a fisherman by trade and the brother of Andrew. • Peter is the guy who walked on water, cut off the ear of a soldier who arrested Jesus, denied Jesus three times, later repented, and became one of the leaders of the early church. • Jesus once called him “Satan” when Peter tried to talk Him out of going to the cross. • Jesus called Peter the “rock” upon which He would build His church.

14. Details to know about James • James was in a fishing partnership with his younger brother, John, and with Peter and his brother Andrew. • He offered to die in place of Jesus. • He was the first of the disciples to be killed.

15. Details to know about john • Called “the disciple Jesus loved,” John was the only disciple present at the crucifixion of Jesus. • John did end up seeing visions of heaven and the throne of Jesus as he wrote the Book of Revelation.

16. Details to know about Matthew • Matthew was the despised tax collector who left his lucrative (and corrupt) profession to follow Jesus. • He hosted a Banquet in his home so that his “fellow tax collectors and other guests” could meet Him.

17. Details to know about Judas Iscariot • Even though Judas gave himself over to Satan early on and allowed Satan to actually enter into him, Jesus knew exactly what Judas was doing, and Jesus allowed him to do it. • Judas later betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver and then hanged himself.

18. Matthew’s Gospel: Jesus the Messiah • Starting with the patriarch Abraham, Matthew follows the bloodline through 42 generations of Israel’s history to Jesus. • Jesus is the promised Messiah, descendant of Abraham and David, who was predicted by the Old Testament prophets. • Matthew, a Jewish Tax collector, was a disciple. He wrote his Gospel to prove to his fellow Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.

19. Fulfilled Predictions about the Messiah • He had the Messiah’s virgin birth. • He had the Messiah’s birthplace. • He was born in the unlikely hick town of Bethlehem. • He had the Messiah’s acclamation. • He had the Messiah’s publicity agent. • Jesus had an older cousin called “John the Baptist.” He fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah by preparing the way for Jesus. • He had the Messiah’s holiness.

20. Fulfilled Predictions about the Messiah Cont’d • He had the Messiah’s wisdom. • He had the Messiah’s rejection. • He had the Messiah’s sacrificial death. • He had the Messiah’s ultimate proof. • The Book of Matthew ends with the story of Jesus coming back to life after three days in the tomb. It was then that He gave a final challenge (called the “Great Commission”) to His followers.

21. The Great Commission (Jesus’ Most Famous Speech) “I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” -Matthew 28:18-19

22. Journal #8 Read Matthew chapter 5. Which of these teachings of Jesus do you find the hardest to understand? Which of these teachings do you find the hardest to live out? Why?

23. Mark’s Gospel: Jesus the Servant • No doubt Peter was Mark’s source of the eyewitness reports of events and lessons from the life of Jesus (since John Mark, the author of Mark, was too young to be one of the 12 disciples. • The Gospel of Mark was written to Romans. The Roman mind liked to get to the “bottom line” as quickly as possible. Consequently, Mark’s Gospel is the shortest of the four.

24. Luke’s Gospel: Jesus the Son of Man • The Gospel according to Luke emphasizes the human side of Christ’s nature. • Many people consider Luke’s version to be the most comprehensive Gospel. • Luke wanted to show that Jesus, although perfect, was completely human. As a man, Christ new the struggles that we face in our daily lives.

25. Journal #9 The Gospel of Luke emphasizes Christ’s humanity. Although he was just as human as us, he lived a perfect life. Does this make you have a higher or lower view of Jesus? Why? How might Jesus’ humanity encourage you to live a more godly life?

26. John’s Gospel: Jesus the Son of God • John refers to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved”). So it should be no surprise that his Gospel has a more personal touch. • In addition to the “I am” verses above, Jesus is declared to be the “Lamb of God.” This is a very symbolic statement because a lamb was sacrificed every day in the temple, and the prophet Isaiah had compared the Messiah to a sacrificial lamb.

27. Small Group Discussion Question Review the seven “I am” statements that Jesus made about Himself. Which one is the most meaningful to you? Why? (Question 7, page 228)

28. Journal # 10 Which of the four Gospels do you relate to best? Explain why? (Question 5, p. 228) (Hint: Think about the subheadings of each one from the book.)

29. Elements of Trustworthy Witness testimony • They display perspective • They are personal and show individual preferences, bias, and language • They will agree on some points • Later statements fill in the gaps

30. An Altercation at UCA

31. How does this apply to the Bible? • How do the Biblical authors display perspective? • How do the Biblical authors show personality? • What points do the Biblical authors agree on? • Which Biblical author wrote latest? Did he fill in the gaps?