1.

Verses 1-4 refer to “the things that have been fulfilled.”  What are these things? (Acts 1:1-5; Mark 1:1) Why is it important for a student to be certain of them? (John 20:31; 1 Cor 15:2)

** They are all about Jesus Christ, the Savior and the Lord, the one who would lead us from the way of darkness to the way of light, life, and love.

** It is through knowing Jesus correctly and surely that salvation from the power of sin and death comes. 

2. 

Read verses 5-6.  Although Herod was a king, Luke makes only a passing remark about him.  However, he writes in detail about a certain priestly couple. Why? 

** The author (Luke) knows that it is not only the political kings who play politics, but it is through those who put trust in the Lord and obey His commands that ultimate solutions to man’s fundamental problems (such as sin and death) come to the people in the dying world. 

3.

Compare the couple’s problem in verse 7 with what the angel said in verse 13.  What does this tell us about the way they handled their problem?  What can we learn from them?

** This comparison shows us that the right way to handle the problems we have in life (such as barrenness, both physically and spiritually) is to have absolute faith in the total goodness of God with whom nothing is impossible. 

They did not doubt God’s love for them. Rather, by faith in God who is totally good and good all the time, they kept praying to the Lord that the Lord would fulfill his good purpose even using their life-problem of childlessness. 

** 1) Absolute faith in God who is the source of every good and perfect gift for all who trust in Him. James 1:17. 

2) Problems are opportunities to experience God’s goodness. They are testing stones to test whether or not your faith is genuine.

4.

Verses 8-9 indicate that worshipers in the Temple were praying regularly in the way prescribed by the Lord.  Why did He command the Israelites to do this? (Exodus 19:5-6; 25:22,40)  What does this show us about the kind of people the Lord uses to fulfill His redemptive purpose?

** The reason (and purpose) in giving them the temple system was to establish a fellowship between God the Father and his children. The purpose of this fellowship was for God to establish the Israelites as a source of blessing for all peoples on earth, so that as they remain in the fellowship with the Lord the Lord would pour His blessings on all in and through them. 

** 1) The one who believes in the Lord.

2) The one who worships Him.

3) The one who prays to Him for His will to be done. 

Zechariah and Elizabeth, along with other people worshiping and praying, serve as a role model, a model citizen (in God’s kingdom) sent to this world to share God’s blessings among those who live in sin and darkness.

5.

Read verses 11-17.  Think about the news the angel shared with Zechariah.  What does this tell us about: 1) the power of prayer; and 2) how John would bring joy to many? 

** It represents the force that moves the wheel of God’s redemptive history. It was neither the military powers of Roman Emperors nor the talking power of the politicians, but the quiet words of prayer offered to the Lord by the righteous such as Zechariah and Elizabeth, that moved the throne of God to bring salvation to dying souls. 

** John would bring joy to many by:

himself living a holy life filled with the Holy Spirit; and

leading people to repent and believe in the Lord to come.

6.

Verses 18-22 describe how Zechariah became mute.  Why was Zechariah trained like this? 

** The angel did this to perfect the faith and obedience of Zechariah. Zechariah was to be the father of John the Baptist, so through this kind of painful training, the Lord disciplined him to be a man worthy of the blessing, that is, the receiving of the son, John, who is to go before the Lord. 

7.

Read verses 23-25. What does Elizabeth’s testimony tell us about how blessed it is to believe in the Lord to the very end?

** It is blessed in that:

Elizabeth learned by experience that God is living;

The blessing God grants to a believer, a blessing which is not only for himself but for all peoples on earth. 

The end