Lesson 1 - Outline
| I. | Luke 2 is a familiar passage of Scripture.
There were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. | |
| A. | Most people think that the angels were proclaiming that Jesus’ arrival would stop division, end strife, and usher in a new era of peace on earth. | |
| B. | That’s not what Luke 2:13-14 is saying. | |
| C. | You simply cannot defend the position that Jesus came to bring peace among people.
Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom…all these are the beginning of sorrows. | |
| II. | The angels were announcing, “Peace. Good will toward men from God!” | |
| A. | Prior to the advent of the Lord Jesus Christ, God was at war against man’s sins. | |
| B. | His wrath came upon people because of the sin in their lives. | |
| C. | Jesus ended the war between God and man—He made all the difference! | |
| D. | Yet most people still think of God as being angry at their sins. | |
| III. | The Gospel is the nearly-too-good-to-be-true news that God isn’t angry with you, that He loves you, and that He wants to extend all of His blessings toward you. | |
| A. | It’s the goodness of God that leads people to repentance (Rom. 2:4). | |
| B. | God is just, but Jesus paid the price. | |
| C. | Jesus totally changed the way God deals with mankind. | |
| IV. | The anger and wrath of God have been atoned and appeased.
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation. | |
| A. | Reconcile simply means “to make friendly” or “to bring back into harmony.” | |
| B. | God’s wrath was placed upon His Son, and He isn’t angry with us anymore! | |
| C. | The reason Christianity isn’t having a greater impact on our world today is because we aren’t preaching this message. | |
| D. | The power of God for you and me to receive salvation—forgiveness of sins, healing, prosperity, and deliverance—is released through the Gospel, the nearly-too-good-to-be-true news, of Jesus Christ.
I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. | |
| V. | God was in Christ not holding man’s sins against them.
God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. | |
| A. | Jesus—both by His life and message—declared, “God isn’t mad at you anymore. Your sins aren’t a problem!” | |
| B. | Anyone who takes what I’m sharing and says “This is awesome. I love it! Now I can go live in sin” needs to be born again.
Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. | |
| C. | If you are truly born again and have the hope of being like Jesus, then you’re looking for a way to overcome sin—not indulge it! | |
| D. | When the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins, His sacrifice forever satisfied the wrath of God. | |
| E. | Sin isn’t the issue! | |
