Miracles and Deliverance

Lesson 3

Lesson Text—Luke 1:26-29

Luke 1:26-2926 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

Lesson Text—Luke 1:26-29

28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

Lesson Text—Luke 1:30-33

Luke 1:30-3330 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

Lesson Text—Luke 1:30-33

32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Lesson Text—Luke 1:34-36

Luke 1:34-3634 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Lesson Text—Luke 1:34-36

36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.

Lesson Text—Luke 1:37-38

Luke 1:37-3837 For with God nothing shall be impossible.38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

Focus Verse—Isaiah 7:14

Isaiah 7:14Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,

and shall call his name Immanuel.

Focus Thought

God fulfilled the promise of

our redemption through the

miraculous birth of His Son.

Galatians 4:4, AMP A promised Son! The promise certainly would be fulfilled in Bethlehem’s lowly manger, but long before the child was conceived in Mary’s womb, the birth of the Son of God was conceived in the mind and heart of God. It was uppermost in the Almighty’s thinking and pivotal to His plan of redemption for mankind. The prophets did not overemphasize this birth, and the Old Testament types did not exaggerate its importance.

Introduction

Galatians 4:4, AMP The angels were awestricken and wondered at the dealings of God with mankind (I Peter 1:12). They could understand that “the law was given by Moses,” but the fulfillment of the Incarnation was vastly different, for “grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).

God had waited eagerly to fulfill the promise of a Son. The conditions had to be exactly right. The timing had to be perfect.

Galatians 4:4, AMP

“But when the proper time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born

subject to [the regulations of] the Law”

(Galatians 4:4, AMP).

Galatians 4:4, AMP What longings God must have

experienced to redeem His most cherished creation! The Lord could have destroyed Adam and Eve in the garden or the entire human race during the Flood or at Babel. Instead, He kept reaching out for the heart of mankind. God knew His love would make a way for mankind’s ultimate redemption. He knew that He could bring mankind back from sin and into fellowship with Himself. It would take a miracle, but God was willing to create it.

Galatians 4:4, AMP It would require paying an unprecedented price, but He would pay it. What the Lord did was far beyond comparison and far beyond comprehension: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Galatians 4:4, AMP As we study the birth of our

Savior we can only try to grasp the meaning of such statements as, “The Word was made flesh” (John 1:14). United within the baby born in Bethlehem was both a divine nature and a human nature. The incredible truth was that the incarnate God had come to dwell among His creation.

I. Abraham’s Promised SonAbraham’s

Promised SonIsaac provided a prophetic

picture of God’s “only begotten Son” (John 3:16), and he represented all that his father Abraham hoped for. Ishmael, Abraham’s son by the Egyptian handmaid Hagar, was typical of that which is born of the flesh; he could never be the son of promise. It was Isaac who was miraculously born and counted as the true heir of his father’s covenant with Jehovah.

I. Abraham’s Promised SonSignificantly, God told Abraham, “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah” (Genesis 22:2). Abraham had to pass down the inheritance through Sarah’s son rather than through any other. (See Genesis 25:5; John 3:35.)

Genesis 25:5 “And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac” (Genesis

25:5).

“The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand”

(John 3:35).

A. The Promise Came with a Possibility

A. The Promise Came with a Possibility

Abram had to cleanse himself of the dusty flecks of doubt and disappointment that tried to layer themselves over his heart. It was all too obvious that Sarai had become discouraged. Abram had shared with his beautiful wife the vision and promise from God—that a child, an heir, would be born of his “own bowels” (Genesis 15:4), and that his seed would be as numerous as the stars of the skies.

Transparency 1

Only eight people survivedby divine intervention.

John 3:35 The promise that the land of

Canaan would be his had been specific and unmistakably clear. However, ten years had passed in the land of Canaan, and still “Abram’s wife bare him no children” (Genesis 16:1).

It was customary in those days for a barren woman to bring her maid to her husband that a child might be raised up in the wife’s name. It was entirely natural, but that in itself was the problem. It was neither a spiritual plan nor the will of God. (See Romans 8:7, AMP.)

Romans 8:7, AMP

“[That is] because the mind of the flesh [with its carnal

thoughts and purposes] is hostile to God” (Romans 8:7,

AMP).

Romans 8:7, AMP If there were tremendous

possibilities in what God had promised, then there certainly were incredible pressures to do things in one’s own way. God had spoken powerfully to Abram, but he “hearkened to the voice of Sarai” (Genesis 16:2). She was probably well-intentioned; he was surely ill-advised.

B. The Promise Came with a Plan

B. The Promise Came with a Plan

What great things happen when we simply follow the original plan of God for our lives! The Lord may have to encourage us when we struggle to maintain our faith in His Word. Whatever we have to do, whatever effort we need to make, we cannot afford to lose sight of our heavenly vision.

B. The Promise Came with a Plan

Abram needed encouragement when he was ninety-nine years old. The Lord appeared to him, reaffirming His covenant promises and changing his name to Abraham, which means “father of a multitude.” Moreover, to further indicate the great things He had in mind for the future, God changed Sarai’s name to Sarah, meaning “princess,” for she would be the mother of nations, and kings would be her descendants (Genesis 17:16).

B. The Promise Came with a Plan

The Lord’s plan for Abraham was all about his relationship with his son Isaac. What a beautiful picture the Almighty was drawing for us of a father’s great love and sacrifice! It was all so intensely vital. It was all so relevant to the plan of salvation that God would complete through His incarnation.

Jehovah swore by an oath that in Abraham and his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 18:18; 22:18; 26:4).

B. The Promise Came with a Plan

Of course, God’s plan was to establish the nation of Israel, and this in itself was a tremendous blessing. Beyond that, however, was an inheritance that would come down to the church through Abraham. By faith, we are his spiritual descendants. Paul the apostle declared, “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29). Canaan, the natural inheritance promised to the Jews, is a type of the spiritual inheritance promised to believers.

C. The Promise Came with a Test

C. The Promise Came with a Test

“And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou

lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the

mountains which I will tell thee of” (Genesis 22:2).

Genesis 22:2 The land of Moriah included all

the mountains of Jerusalem, and was approximately a three-day journey from Gerar where Abraham lived. The patriarch knew beyond a shadow of doubt that God had called him there, and that was sufficient reason for him to obey the Lord. Abraham did not need an explanation or even explicit directions.

Genesis 22:2 His obedient reaction was an amazing testimony to his faith: “And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him” (Genesis 22:3). Moriah was to become a sacred place and a place of sacrifice. It was here at Araunah’s threshing floor that David would present his costly offering to the Almighty.

Genesis 22:2 It was here, at the same spot where his father had built an altar, that Solomon would build the house of the Lord (II Samuel 24:18: II Chronicles 3:1). Golgotha, just outside Jerusalem, was certainly nearby, and it was here that the only begotten Son of God would give His life.

Genesis 22:1 in The Amplified Bible states, “God tested and proved Abraham.” Most of us would like to have an angel speak to us on a Mount Moriah, but not many of us would want the awful journey required to go there.

Genesis 22:2 Most of us would like to have God’s miraculous intervention in our lives, but few of us would want to hold the knife poised ready to kill our Isaac.

Who knows what thoughts may have passed through Abraham’s mind as he took his journey? We do know, as he walked, he was trusting the Lord and believing Him for a miracle. “My son,” he told Isaac, “God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:8).

Genesis 22:2 The writer of the Book of Hebrews declared that Abraham was expecting Isaac to be resurrected: “Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead” (Hebrews 11:19).

Although none of us knows what thoughts may have been in the mind of Abraham, the Lord knew. The story of Isaac at Moriah was typical of what would happen to God’s own Son many years later at Calvary, but with some terrific differences. There was no ram in the thicket for Jesus, for He was the Lamb.

Genesis 22:2 There was no angel to stay the hands of His executioners; the Romans literally drove the nails into His body. Isaac came to the very doors of death, but Christ entered in (Hebrews 2:9).

II. The Promised SonThe Promised SonHow personally God wants to

deal with His people! In the Garden of Eden, He came looking for Adam and Eve until He found them. The Lord walked with Enoch until He took him. In an Egyptian jail, He was with Joseph through all the young man’s trials. At Sinai, the Almighty spoke to Moses face-to-face. As the nation of Israel journeyed through the wilderness, God dwelt with His people in the midst of the camp.

Genesis 22:2 Yet the Lord longed for even more, desiring a closer relationship with those whom He loved. He would come to us in the least threatening manner possible, in a way that—for a time—would conceal His awesome identity. He would come humbly, unobtrusively, as a mere babe in a stable filled with animals.

Genesis 22:2 The prophet Isaiah, hundreds of years before it took place, told of this miraculous birth: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

A. God with Us A. God with Us

We must not miss this truth: it was God who came into our world at Bethlehem’s manger. Quoting Isaiah 7:14, Matthew wrote, “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Matthew 1:23).

II Corinthians 5:19 Over the centuries in our world many misconceptions have arisen as to who this baby really was, but the Bible has always been clear. He that was born was God with us in flesh (I Timothy 3:16); He that was born was God with us in His fullness (Colossians 2:9). This was the Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, coming into our world to touch all mankind.

II Corinthians 5:19 The Gospel of John emphatically declares, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

The life of Jesus Christ would truly be inexplicable except for the scriptural teachings regarding His miraculous conception and birth.

II Corinthians 5:19 The angel Gabriel had told the virgin Mary, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). Mary was not “the mother of God”; she was simply a virtuous and obedient maiden who gave birth to the One who was God in human flesh—the One who would demonstrate Himself to be the Savior of the world.

II Corinthians 5:19 Christ was born of a woman (Galatians 4:4), and yet He was also “the only begotten of the Father” (John 1:14). Humanity was fused with divinity. The flesh was the veil that hid the glory of the Almighty from the eyes of the world (Hebrews 10:20). (See II Corinthians 5:19.)

B. God for Us B. God for Us

How many of us have struggled with the emotional pain that comes from guilt? Guilt causes many people to suffer terrible depression, and for some individuals guilt simply becomes overpowering. There is so much to condemn us. We were born with a sinful nature that betrays our best intentions, and we have all become transgressors of God’s law (Romans 3:23). The devil accuses the best of us, and our own conscience often indicts us.

B. God for Us Even Paul the apostle strove to be free from this bondage. “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24).

There is, however, a glorious deliverance that can come through Jesus Christ. “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17). What an offer the Almighty presents to us all! He has offered to transform our lives.

B. God for Us He has offered to make us new creations through His Son: “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (II Corinthians 5:21). The Savior is “for us,” interceding for His people as a great high priest (Hebrews 9:24). Jesus took our place on the cross, and now He takes our part “at the right hand of God”—the highest position in heaven. (See Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25.)

C. God in Us C. God in Us

For a time, a bottle thrown into deep water—especially if it has a narrow neck—may bob and float on the surface. It may drift back and forth with the ebb and flow of the water, but eventually the container, swamped by an oncoming wave, will sink out of sight.

We should stay in the presence of God and flow with His Spirit. When we keep our hearts open and obedient, the Lord will fill our vessels.

C. God in Us He has promised to baptize us, immersing us in His Spirit. The Lord wants to satisfy us with an abundance of His power and of His blessing. Then, and only then, will our lives be “hid with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).

When we are filled with the Holy Ghost, we receive a confidence and a boldness that we have never experienced before. It is one thing to have God with us, but it is quite another thing to have God in us.

C. God in Us As wonderful as His bodily presence was to His disciples, Christ promised them something even better. “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you” (John 16:7).

C. God in Us The Lord Jesus had spoken to

His disciples face-to-face, rubbing shoulders with them, but in the future He wanted to dwell in them by means of His Spirit. “I will not leave you comfortless,” He told them, “I will come to you” (John 14:18). The Holy Ghost is none other than the Spirit of the departed Savior, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).

III. The Savior of the WorldThe Savior of the World

Salvation does not come through philosophy, meditation, religious ritual, or moral behavior. It can come only through the man Christ Jesus. His birth, His life, His death, and His resurrection provide the only means by which we can be saved.

A. Once Offered for Sin A. Once Offered for Sin Pontius Pilate felt that as Christ

stood before him in a judgment hall that he himself was in control (John 19:10). The Jewish mob, those who had cried aloud for the death of Jesus, believed their demonstration before the Roman governor had ruled the day. The Roman soldiers, prodding the condemned Galilean toward Golgotha, were sure they held their prisoner’s life within their hands. They all were wrong, for what was happening was in the preordained plan of God.

A. Once Offered for Sin The Son of God was in the process of giving Himself for the sins of the world. He had authority over His own death and His own resurrection. Jesus had previously told His disciples, “I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again” (John 10:17-18).

A. Once Offered for Sin What was happening just outside

Jerusalem’s walls was an incredible display of God’s love for mankind: “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many” (Hebrews 9:28). The Greek word harpax means “one time, once for all.” There was no need for any further sin offerings after Golgotha, no need for any further sacrifices. The death of Jesus Christ on the cross was sufficient, and it fully satisfied God’s righteous demands for atonement. “Now once in the end of the world” Christ had “appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 9:26).

A. Once Offered for Sin The idea of the phrase “to put

away sin” was that sin was to be “removed, cancelled, and done away with.” Unlike the high priest, Christ did not need to enter into the Holy of Holies every year with the blood of an animal. His sacrifice, the sacrifice of Himself, was complete. His blood was of infinitely greater value than that of all the animals that had been slain under the Mosaic law.

B. Resurrected from the Dead B. Resurrected from the

Dead The Resurrection was the turning

point in the lives of Christ’s disciples. As a result of the Crucifixion, they had been scattered, disillusioned, and discouraged. Cleopas and another follower had expressed the deep disappointment felt by them all when these two travelers on the road to Emmaus said, “We trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel” (Luke 24:21).

B. Resurrected from the Dead Their trust had been crushed at the cross, their confidence smothered under the heavy hands of religious bigotry and Roman imperialism.

Proverbs 13:12

“Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the

desire cometh, it is a tree of life” (Proverbs 13:12).

Proverbs 13:12 What must it have been like when Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene at the tomb? What must Simon have thought as he saw the resurrected Christ? (See Luke 24:34; I Corinthians 15:5.) What, indeed, would any of us have experienced had we been in the area of Jerusalem when He appeared to His disciples? On one occasion in the city, Christ’s followers were terrified and thought they were seeing a ghost. In the wonder of it all they struggled to believe even when the Lord showed them His nail-pierced hands and feet.

Proverbs 13:12 Only when He ate a piece of broiled fish and honeycomb in their presence were they convinced.

Proverbs 13:12 The Resurrection was conclusive

proof that Jesus was the Son of God. It was the decisive evidence that confirmed His unique relationship with the Father. On the Day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter boldly proclaimed, “This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses” (Acts 2:32). As far as the disciples were concerned, the case was closed. They had seen the living Lord face-to-face, and they were determined to tell everyone who would listen. (See Acts 4:33.)

C. The Savior of the World C. The Savior of the

World

“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that

which was lost” (Luke 19:10).

Luke 19:10 In the Old Testament, God

delivered His people from their enemies and from certain calamitous events. In the New Testament, the concept of salvation expanded into something far greater. Mankind now can be saved from sin, the deadly enemy that lies within his own heart. Jesus Christ is the great intermediary, the go-between, who reconciles us to the Almighty: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (I Timothy 2:5).

Luke 19:10 No wonder the angel told the shepherds that he was bringing them “good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people” (Luke 2:10). Heaven itself was proclaiming an astounding message of deliverance to these lowly keepers of the flock. An event was occurring that would bring hope to a lost and sin-sick world. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).

Luke 19:10 No wonder devout Simeon

praised God when he saw the Christ child, for the Holy Ghost had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. Holding the promised child in his arms, Simeon prayed, “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: for mine eyes have seen thy salvation” (Luke 2:29-30).

Luke 19:10 Conclusion

A remarkable comparison can be made between Isaac, the well-beloved son, and the greater Son who would be born in Bethlehem’s manger. Abraham received a promise that his seed would be as the stars of the heavens. Christ has become “the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29). The birth of a son to Abraham was the fulfillment of a longstanding promise.

Luke 19:10 Christ’s birth was prophesied hundreds of years before it took place. Death and resurrection were typified in Isaac on Mount Moriah; they were fulfilled in Christ at Calvary.

God has always wanted to have a close relationship with mankind. He has always wanted to “dwell in the midst” of His people—whether it was with Israel in the wilderness or whether it was in the church of the twenty-first century. Because of His deep concern for mankind’s lost condition, God came in flesh.

Luke 19:10 He came to dwell in the Son of God who was born of a virgin—a miracle of mercy and grace. An act of unprecedented love, God gave us His only begotten Son to save us and to redeem us back to Himself.