What Jesus Did

In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named ###. She was engaged to be married to a man named ###, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, "Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!"
Confused and disturbed, ### tried to think what the angel could mean.

—Luke 1:26-29 NLT

Key Thought​

When we were children, many of us imagined ourselves in special circumstances doing...

 

Soon [after the angel told Zechariah that he and his wife would have a child,] Elizabeth became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. "How kind the Lord is!" she exclaimed. "He has taken away my disgrace of having no children."

—Luke 1:24-25 NLT

Key Thought​

God's passion is to take away our disgrace — the disgrace of our failure, our misfortune, and our sin, and yes, even the disgrace of circumstances. Elizabeth's being childless was a circumstance beyond her...

 

[While ### was being visited by the angel Gabriel], the people were waiting for ### to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long. When he finally did come out, he couldn't speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures and his silence that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary.
When ###'s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home.

—Luke 1:21-23 NLT

Key Thought​

In the first two chapters of Luke, God announced great news through...

 

Zechariah said to the angel, "How can I be sure [we will have a child]? I'm an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years."
Then the angel said, "I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! But now, since you didn't believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time."

—Luke 1:18-20 NLT

Key Thought​

I would like to...

 

[The angel said to Zechariah, "###] will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly."

—Luke 1:17 NLT

Key Thought​

Israel looked forward to the return of Elijah, the prophet who was to precede the Messiah. [1] Since Elijah didn't die but went straight to God, the Israelites believed he...

 

[The angel said to Zechariah,] "You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at [###'s] birth, for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God."

—Luke 1:14-16 NLT

Key Thought​

###'s birth to Zechariah and Elizabeth brought joy to their village, their relatives, and especially to his parents in...

 

While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. But the angel said, "Don't be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John."

—Luke 1:11-13 NLT

Key Thought​

God swept up Zechariah in the fulfillment of divine promises — fulfillment that occurred with the coming of the...

 

One day ### was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.

—Luke 1:8-10 NLT

Key Thought​

In ###'s day, the number of priests was so large that a priest often served God all of his life and never got to enter the sanctuary and burn incense before the Lord. But God chose for this...

 

When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God's eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord's commandments and regulations. They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.

—Luke 1:5-7 NLT

Key Thought​

Sometimes, when things aren't going as well as we...

 

[The people who wrote previously about Jesus] used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples. Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write an accurate account for you, most honorable ###, so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught.

—Luke 1:2-4 NLT

Key Thought​

Luke tells us he is thorough and careful in his work recording the story of Jesus for us. His gospel is the longest and fullest...