Jesus

Part 1

Life Change Objective

 To enable you to get to know your best friend, Jesus Christ, better
than you ever have before.
 To encourage you to act on the truth that Jesus is your best friend
in one specific way.

The object of this study is simple: to get to know Jesus better. I want you
to get to know your best friend, Jesus Christ. The teaching centers around
getting to know Jesus as you would get to know anyone: by learning his
names, by understanding his life history, and by appreciating and
enjoying his personality.

Why Is This Important?

1. Knowing Jesus is life’s continuing ___________________.

2. Knowing Jesus is the believer’s continuing __________________.

For as you know him better, he will give you, through his great power,
everything you need for living a truly godly life: he even shares his own glory
and his own goodness with us!
-2 Peter 1:3 (LB)

The Names of Jesus

One of the first ways we get to know another person is by learning his
name. That’s not such a simple task when it comes to Jesus. Elwell’s
Topical Analysis of the Bible lists 184 different names for Christ in the
Bible.

Remember, a name helps you to identify someone. The names of Jesus

Christ help you to identify who he is.

A Fresh Word
A Person’s Name

In the Bible, names had more significance than we sometimes give them today. A
name was an indicator of three specifics about a person:
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 The angel told Mary: Jesus (Luke 1:31).

Jesus means “salvation of God.”

 The angels told the shepherds (Luke 2:11):

 Savior: Showing Jesus’ _____________.

 Christ: Showing Jesus’ _____________.

 Lord: Showing Jesus’ ______________.

Jesus Christ, today I want to begin a relationship with you. I don’t

want to just know about you; I want to know you personally. I
ask you to forgive me for the wrong things I’ve done. I want to
learn from you how to live. I choose today to begin to live by your
direction and guidance. I don’t even know all that that will mean,
but I’m trusting you to show me the way. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Key Personal
Perspective
The Bible does more than just list Jesus’ names; it tells us of the power of his name!

Certain names do have power. List below some of the names in our world today that
have certain power or authority or clout behind them.

1. Jesus’ name is above all names (Phil. 2:9-11).

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above
every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth
and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of
God the Father.
-Philippians 2:9-11
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2. As believers we live in his name!

We are anointed (James 5:14),

forgiven (1 John 2:12),
baptized (Acts 10:48),
and justified in his name (1 Cor. 6:11).

We assemble in his name (1 Cor. 5:4),

we bear his name (1 Peter 4:16),
believe in his name (John 1:12),
and call on his name (1 Cor. 1:2).

In his name we give thanks (Eph. 5:20),

have life (John 20:31),
preach (Acts 8:12),
speak (Acts 9:28),
and suffer (Acts 21:13; 1 Peter 4:16).

We do everything in his name (Col. 3:17).

The Details of Jesus’ Life

Jesus’ life did not begin with his birth and it did not end with his death.
We’re going to look at Jesus’ life before, during and after His time on this
earth. If you did a time line of Jesus' life his time on earth would be an
exclamation point in the middle of an eternally long line. We see it as the
larger part, and it is the most significant part for us, but in terms of real
time it is the shortest part.

What did Jesus do before he was born?

The pre-incarnate Christ

 He has always existed: he is eternal (Mic. 5:2; John 8:57-58).

 He ______________the universe (Col. 1:16)

 He ___________________to people.

The people Jesus ministered to included:

1. Hagar (Gen. 16:7-14)

The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert…Then the
angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.”
The angle added, “I will so increase your descendants that they will be too
numerous to count.”
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-Genesis 16:7, 9-10

2. Moses (Ex. 3:2-14):

The angel of the Lord appeared to him in the flames of fire from within a
bush…God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
-Exodus 3:2, 4
3. Abraham (Gen. 18:1-2; 22:11-12):

The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre…

Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby.
-Genesis 18:1-2

A Fresh Word
The Angel of the Lord

A number of times in the Old Testament when a figure called "the angel of the
Lord" appears to people. It is evident that this is more than an angel. He is
spoken
of in terms that relate more to God himself. There is no single biblical reference
regarding the identity of the angle of the Lord, but the great majority of Bible
teachers see these as appearances of Christ on earth before his human birth.
No,
he did not look just like he did as Jesus of Nazareth. He did not become a man
as
he would when he was born in Bethlehem. He simply took on the appearance of
a man.

In Genesis 16 the "angel" whom Hagar saw said that He would increase her
descendants - only God would say that. And Hagar recognizes this "angel" as
"the
God who sees me." The Bible itself refers to him as "The Lord who spoke to her.

In Exodus 3 we are told, “The angle of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire

Jesus’ life on earth

A short history

Although Jesus is eternal, we are most acquainted with the thirty-three

short years that he walked on this earth. One part of making friends with
someone is getting to know the facts about him: where he was born,
important relationships, memorable events, and so on. How do the stories
you’ve heard about the life of Jesus fit into the overall history of his life?
As we see the events of Jesus’ earthly life, we have an opportunity to get to
know him better.

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A look at Jesus’ life in six major periods

1. Jesus’ ________________

Beginning: his birth (Matthew 1-2, Luke 1:1-2:38)

Ending: Jesus in the Temple (Lk. 2:39-52)

Significant Events:
Jesus' dedication at the temple (Luke 2:22ff)

Fleeing to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-23)

Visit to the temple at age twelve (Luke 2:41-50)

“The Silent Years” of Jesus’ Life

 Jesus grew as any child should grow.

And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
-Luke 2:52

 His mother, Mary, was with him at his birth (of course! Luke 2:7), at his
death (John 19:25), to witness his resurrection, and for the beginning of the
church on the day of Pentecost (Acts 1:14; 2:1)

 His father, Joseph, probably died sometime after Jesus’ visit to the temple in
Jerusalem and before the beginning of his public ministry at age thirty.
Joseph is never mentioned after the experience in the temple, although Mary
is with Jesus numerous times. It would have been very unusual in that day
for Mary to be travelling without her husband if he were still alive.

 There were at least seven children in Jesus’ family: Jesus, four half-brothers,
and at least two half-sisters (half-brothers and half-sisters because God was
the Father of Jesus, and Joseph was the father of the others). We know this
from Matthew 13:55-56, “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s
name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t
all his sisters with us?”

 His brother Judas wrote a book in the New Testament, the book of Jude.

 His brother James also wrote one of the books in the New Testament. Guess
what it was named. Right…James! Judas and James were skeptics until they
met with Jesus after his resurrection (John 7:5; Acts 1:4; 1 Cor. 15:7). James
became a leader in the Jerusalem church (Acts 12:17; 15:13-21).
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2. Beginning of Jesus’ ________________

Four significant events mark the beginning of Jesus' public ministry at

thirty years of age:

 The ministry of John the Baptist (Mk. 1:1-8, Luke 3:1-17)

 Jesus' baptism (Matt 3:13-17, Mk 1:9-11)
 Jesus' temptation (Luke 4:1-13, Matt 4:1-11)
 Jesus’ turning water into wine (John 2:1-11)

3. Jesus’ ministry in _________________

Beginning: Cleansing the temple (John 2:13ff)

Ending: Conversation with the woman at the well (John 4:1-42)

Significant Events: Conversation with Nicodemus (John 3)

4. Jesus’ ministry in ________________

Beginning: Healing the nobleman’s son at Capernaum (John 4:46-53)

Ending:
Peter’s statement of trust (Matt. 16:13ff)
Jesus’ Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1ff; Luke 9:28ff)

Significant Events:
The Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7)
Calling of the disciples (Luke 5:1-11; Mark 2:13-14; Luke 6:12-16)
Feeding the 5,000 (Matt. 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44)

5. Jesus’ journey to __________________

Beginning: He “resolutely set out for” Jerusalem (Luke 9:51)

Ending: Mary anoints his body for burial (John 12:1ff; Matt. 26:6-13)

Significant Events:
Clashes with the Pharisees (Luke 14; Luke 16:14ff)
The resurrection of Lazarus (John 11:1ff)
Meeting with Zacchaeus in Jericho (Luke 19:1ff)

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6. Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection

Beginning: The triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Matt. 21:1-11)

Ending: The ascension into heaven (Luke 24:50-51)

Significant Events:
Cleansing the temple, The Garden of Gethsemane, trials (Luke
19:45-46; John 17-18)
Jesus Dies on the Cross (Matt 27:31-34, Luke 23:26-46)
Jesus is buried in a tomb (Mark 15:42-47; John 19:38-42
Jesus is Alive! (Matthew 28:2-15, Mark 16:1-11, Luke 23:50-56,
John 20:1-18)

Key Personal
Perspective
Jesus is part of history. In Encyclopedia Britannica, following a discussion of the
writings about Jesus outside of the New Testament, the following statement is made:
"These independent accounts prove that in ancient times even the opponents of
Christianity never doubted the historicity of Jesus, which was disputed for the first
time and on inadequate grounds by several authors at the end of the 18th, during the
19th and at the beginning of the 20th centuries.”

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in
him shall not perish but have eternal life.
-John 3:16

The eternally existent Christ

What does he look like?
All the evidence points to Jesus still existing in his
________________________ in heaven:

 He ascended to heaven in bodily form (Acts 1:9)

 He will return in bodily form (Acts 1:11)
 Stephen saw Him in bodily form in heaven (Acts 1:55-56)
 Paul indicated Jesus now has a glorious body (Phil. 3:21)
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What is he doing?

 He is _____________ at God's right hand (Eph. 1:20-22;

1 Peter 3:22)

 He is ____________ for us (Rom. 8:34)

 He is holding the _____________ together (Col 1:16-17)

 He is anxiously ________________ for us to be with Him!

(John 14:1-3, John 17:24)

Acting
on the Truth
Jesus Christ wants to be your best friend. Think of it-your best friend is ruling at
God’s right hand, is the one who holds the universe together. Let me encourage
you to enjoy the fact that he is your friend this week by choosing to act as if he is
your best friend. Here are three ways you can do that:

1. Say to yourself, “He accepts me even when I don’t feel acceptable.”

Remind yourself throughout this week that you are Jesus’ friend because
of his grace, not because you somehow deserve that friendship.

2. Talk to him-like a friend. That’s what prayer is. At least once this week
take a few minutes to tell Jesus what is happening in your life much as
you would talk to a best friend. Sure, he already knows what’s happening
to you. But it is life-changing for you to talk to him as a friend about
what you’re facing each day.

3. 3. Listen to him-like a friend. When I’m reading the Bible I’m reading
the book he gave me. This week, listen as you read. What is God saying
to you about his love for you?