Summer of Bible Q&A (June 25)
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Introduction
Previously:
Questions about Christianity and culture with John Bridge
Questions about creation and science with Ian Turner
Today: God, Mary and Jesus
What matters most (primary)
What do we know about Jesus?
Question #1: Who is God?
The basis of theology
God is the creator and Lord of all things
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
God is a Creator
2. God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever-present.
17 ‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.
Omnipotence
God’s power is unlimited
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.
Omniscience
God knows everything.
7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
Omnipresence
Everywhere you go, God is there
3. God is holy and righteous
3 And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
God is other
God is set-apart
7 For the Lord is righteous;
he loves righteous deeds;
the upright shall behold his face.
God defines morality
He is supremely good
God is just (justice and punishment)
4. God is loving and merciful
8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
God defines what love is
God is the perfect picture of what love is
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
God sent His Son. Why? He loves the world.
Also, the Trinity
In summary:
God is a Creator
God is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent
God is perfectly holy
God is loving
God exists within a trinity
Question #2: Why did God choose Mary?
Mary was chosen to be the mother of Jesus
God made her a part of His plan to save the world
28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”
Mary is favored
Why?
God’s grace
30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
Greek: favor = grace
“You have been ‘graced’ by God”
Mary’s blessedness “comes not from herself but from the gracious choosing of God.”
No one deserves God’s grace, Mary included
But he gives it to us anyways
And he gave it to her in a very unique way
Why unique?
2. Mary was a faithful follower of God
38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Mary as the Lord’s servant
Trusting in Him
Even through adversity and accusations
Bringing about His will
God uses the usable
But still; why used in this way?
3. Mary was an instrument for fulfilled prophecy
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
The serpent’s punishment
Mary’s offspring defeats Satan
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
The virgin birth & the power of God (miracle)
4. God cares for His creation
7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
A king born in a manger
Christ’s humble upbringing
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Mary = the humblest birth and upbringing possible
In summary:
God’s grace
Mary’s obedience
Prophetic fulfillment
Humble upbringing: the humility of Christ
Question #3: When (and how) did Jesus die?
How?
Roman crucifixion
Being nailed to a wooden cross
Left to die
“It is finished”
37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.
Unusual signs
Temple curtain tore
Darkness covered the land
Resurrected saints
When?
During the Jewish Passover
AD 30-33 (Springtime)
Began ministry around AD 29 (Luke 3:1,23)
Taught at least 3 Passovers
All Gospels: Jesus dies on “the day of Preparation” before the Sabbath (Friday of Passover week)
Friday afternoon, around 3:00PM (Matt 27:45-59)
Nisan 14-15 on Jewish calendar
Why?
To take the punishment for sin
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
Jesus died for our sins
In summary:
Jesus died by Roman crucifixion in AD 30-33 during the Springtime and the Jewish Passover, in the afternoon around 3:00PM, for the sins of the world.
Question #4: History recordings of Jesus’ death — what do we know?
Non-Christian sources:
Tacitus (AD116)
“Christus… suffered the extreme penalty [was executed] during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of our procurator, Pontius Pilatus.”
Criticizes Nero’s persecution
Josephus (AD 93)
“Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die.”
Jesus’ followers reported he was raised on the third day
Talmud (2nd-3rd Century)
“Yeshu” was executed on the eve of Passover
Summary:
Tacitus, Josephus, and the Talmud provide sufficient evidence that the crucifixion of Jesus was a historical event.
Question #5: What was Jesus’ birth date and was Easter on the exact day we celebrate?
Jesus was likely born in spring or fall
Zechariah
Served in temple in late Spring (Luke 1:8)
John the Baptist’s birth in winter
9 months later: Jesus’ birth in late summer or early fall
Birth year was likely 6-4 BC, but exact date is unknown
Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon on/after March 21
Council of Nicaea (AD 325)
Does not necessarily correspond to actual date
Summary:
Jesus’ birth and death did not happen on the days that we celebrate Christmas and Easter
Question #6: What did Jesus do for fun?
Jesus was fully human
Jesus enjoyed the fun things of life
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.
Child Jesus likely played
Weddings and feasts
Jesus’ first miracle at a wedding in Cana (John 2:1)
He enjoyed community festivities
2. Eating together
Shared meals with friends (fisherman, tax collectors, etc.)
3. Friends and family
Mary, Martha, Lazarus
Children
4. Music and worship
Sang at the last supper (Matthew 26:30)
Prayed (Luke 10:21)
5. Humor and teaching
Exaggeration and surprise in stories (e.g. camel through an eye of a needle, Luke 18:25)
A playful way to make points
Summary
Jesus had hobbies that he enjoyed
Conclusion:
What do we know about Jesus?
Jesus is God
He was born of the virgin Mary
He as crucified on Friday around 3:00PM on AD 30-33
His death (and resurrection) have non-Christian historical support
Christmas and Easter don’t correspond with the exact dates of His birth and death
Jesus was fully human, which means that he had hobbies in the same way that we do
Jesus is trustworthy
Trust Him this summer
Jesus is knowable
Grow in your knowledge of Him this summer
PRAY
