NASHVILLE (BP) – This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with Lifeway Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, Lifeway publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.
This week’s Bible study is adapted from The Gospel Project curriculum.
Bible Passage: Luke 1:5-17
Discussion Questions:
- What recent event initially seemed like a matter of luck, but now you can see in it God’s providential hand?
- Which preparation of God stirs within you the most gratitude?
- What can you do to help prepare others to accept the message of the good news of Jesus Christ?
Food for Thought:
A well-known adage for survivalists is “Be prepared.” Preparation is key for emergency situations or simply for things we hope to accomplish. No one knows that better than God Himself who, throughout the Bible, prepared His people for the future.
Throughout the Old Testament, God was preparing the people for a future Messiah and Savior who would bring peace, hope, victory and life for all God’s people. And as the Old Testament transitions into the New, Luke starts his Gospel with the story of the messenger who would proclaim the coming of Jesus the Messiah, and prepare the way for Him.
Luke 1 introduces a priest and his wife, Zechariah and Elizabeth, both righteous. Elizabeth was barren, and both she and Zechariah were old. But God had been preparing them to be parents of an important messenger. In Luke 1:9, Zechariah was sovereignly chosen by lot to enter the holy of holies. He wasn’t lucky; God was preparing for something. An angel, then, appeared to Zechariah and told him that he and Elizabeth would have a son, and they would name him John.
God’s gift of a son for Zechariah and Elizabeth would be a gift to all humanity. Their son would be a “joy and delight” (v. 14), and “he will be great in the sight of the Lord” (v. 15). John would be “filled with the Holy Spirit” (v. 15) and would “turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God” (v. 16). He would “make ready for the Lord a prepared people” (v. 17).
For what would the people be prepared? The coming of Jesus, His ministry, and His kingdom. For those who chose to trust in Jesus, their hearts would be prepared to repent and believe through John the Baptist’s message. And who prepared us for John? Malachi did, 400 years earlier when he foretold of this messenger (Malachi 3:1-6).
God is in the work of preparing His people. He is not abrupt in His ways, but has planned all along to send a Savior for His people. That includes sending messengers to prepare the way to ready hearts to receive Him. God had been preparing all of us to hear the message of the Gospel. He did that for you and me, and He does that for those who still have yet to trust Him.
May we all take the opportunity to prepare hearts to hear the Gospel through testimonies and acts of love, that all may have an opportunity to be part of God’s family and kingdom.
The Gospel Project
The Gospel Project is a chronological, Christ-centered study for kids, students and adults. The Bible is not a collection of stories. It is one story of God’s plan to rescue His people from sin and death. It is the story of redemption, the gospel message of Jesus Christ. More information can be found at Lifeway.com/gospelproject.
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