Henry: Welcome to Immerse: the daily bible reading experience.
Day one.
Intro 1: Luke Acts: Introduction to Messiah.
The final quarter of the Bible describes the fifth covenant
that God made with humanity.
This covenant flows directly from the ones that came before it.
But at the same time, it presents such a contrast to those old covenants that our
Bibles are divided into two testaments.
Another word for covenant to express this difference.
The First Testament comprising three quarters of the Bible, describes the
life of God's people, Abraham and his descendants, the ancient nation of Israel
under the first four covenants made with Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David.
The New Testament centers on the story of Jesus the Messiah, the culmination
of the First Testament's long history.
The work of Jesus resolves all the narrative threads of the Bible as he
fulfills God's intentions for Israel, for humanity, and for creation.
The prophets of Israel had said that a new covenant of a different kind
was on its way as Jeremiah put it.
The day is coming says the Lord.
When I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah,
this covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors.
I will put my instructions deep within them and I will
write them on their hearts.
And Isaiah announced.
People from many nations will come and say, come let us go up to the mountain
of the Lord, to the house of Jacob's God.
There.
He will teach us his ways and we will walk in his paths.
This would fulfill God's covenant promise to Abraham.
All the families on Earth will be blessed through you.
All these things that the prophets foretold are fulfilled in the
life and ministry of Jesus.
In Him.
God came to earth as a human being, both to show and to teach his ultimate
intentions for humanity and creation.
Jesus explained and lived out the deepest meaning of the scriptures
and their story of God's people.
He also offered himself as the ultimate sacrifice, both to bring peace
between God and humanity and to make peace between all people possible.
The story of Jesus is told from four different perspectives In the Bible, books
known as gospels, gospel means good news.
All four authors desired to portray the vastly rich and meaningful story
of Jesus from a perspective that would resonate with their original audiences.
Luke and Mark are written primarily to Gentiles non-Jews who are less familiar
with the history and traditions of Israel.
Luke is actually the first part of a two-part work, along with
the Book of Acts, which tells the story of Jesus' earliest followers.
The Gospels of Matthew and John are likely written to Jews who are
familiar with Israel's previous story.
The other books of the New Testament, mostly letters are also written to
these different groups in this edition.
Books of the New Testament that aren't gospels are grouped with the
gospel that shares a similar audience.
Paul's letters were sent to Greek speaking followers of Jesus who
were mostly Gentiles and thus are Fittingly grouped with Luke Acts.
Luke often traveled with Paul to share the good news.
We present Paul's letters here in the likely order that they were written based
largely on the Apostle Peter's memoirs.
Mark's gospel is grouped with the letters that Peter sent from Rome,
and a similar letter from Jude.
Like the Gospel of Matthew, the books of Hebrews and James
address, Jewish believers.
So these three books are grouped together.
Finally, the writings of John the Gospel.
Three letters and Revelation are grouped together as they were originally
addressed to the same communities.
The Book of Revelation is unique among the New Testament books in its
historical setting and literary genre.
Nevertheless, like all the other books of the New Testament, It's
a revelation from Jesus Christ and its content centers on him.
It is placed last in this edition because it provides a fitting conclusion, not
only to the New Testament, but also to the entire story of the Bible.
As the Book of Revelation draws to a close, God brings his
purposes for humanity and creation to their final culmination in
a new heaven and a new earth.
We are left with the grand promise.
That all will be made new in Christ.
This fresh arrangement of the books highlights the depth of the New
Testament's fourfold witness to Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, who fulfills
all the longings and promises of the collected scriptures can be viewed
here through the rich variety of lenses provided by the books of the new Covenant
immersed in Luke Acts.
The longest story in the New Testament, one that fills a quarter of its pages
was originally addressed to one person.
The author dedicates this two volume series covering the life
of Jesus and the early church to the most honorable Theophilus.
This Greek name shows that he was a Gentile, non-Jewish, and his title
suggests he was likely a Roman official.
This history of the early Christian movement was written in the mid
sixties ad right around the time when the Roman government first
became hostile to Jesus followers.
Theophilus may have been facing pressure to forsake his allegiance to Jesus.
At the same time, some Jewish believers were questioning the place of Gentiles in
a movement devoted to a Jewish Messiah.
So Theophilus would no doubt welcome the reassurance that what he'd
heard about Jesus was genuine, and that the good news really was
intended for Gentiles like himself.
Luke was in a unique position to answer these questions.
He had worked closely with Paul, who brought the message of Jesus
to Gentiles living throughout much of the Roman empire.
Luke was able to tell important parts of the story from firsthand experience,
and since he was educated and literate.
He could also research and record the movement's history.
The good news of Jesus invited Jews and Gentiles to unite
into a single new family.
So believers from all backgrounds benefited from Luke's account of
God's story of salvation for the whole world, which had come to surprising
fulfillment in Jesus, the first volume.
Luke begins with a prologue about the remarkable circumstances surrounding
Jesus' birth and early days.
From its start, the story shows how Jesus was sent as both the long promised king of
Israel and the savior of the whole world.
After the introduction, Luke is divided into three main parts.
The first section describes Jesus early ministry in Israel's northern
region of Galilee, where he announces the good news of the kingdom of God.
Luke then portrays Jesus, taking the journey south toward Jerusalem.
Where he fulfills his calling and destiny along the way.
Jesus continues to show how the coming of God's reign on earth means freedom for
the oppressed and a welcome for outsiders.
The third section shows Jesus' mission coming to its climax in
Israel's ancient capital of Jerusalem.
During the Jewish Passover Festival, his enemies conspired to have
him executed on a Roman cross.
But Jesus then rises from the dead with royal authority winning God's
great battle against sin and death.
The second volume acts describes how the first community of Jesus followers
brought the message about him to all nations in six different phases.
The good news about Jesus breaks through some significant barrier as it advances.
Each phase ends with a version of the summary statement.
God's message continued to spread the number of believers greatly increased.
Phase one, the message breaks through a linguistic barrier as the Jerusalem
community welcomes Greek speakers.
Phase two, the message breaks through a geographic barrier by
spreading into Judea and Samaria.
Phase three.
A significant religious and ethnic barrier is broken when
the community welcomes Gentiles.
Phase four, another geographic barrier is broken when the good news moves into Asia.
Minor phase five, yet another geographic barrier is broken.
When the good news spreads into Greece, the cultural center of the
ancient Mediterranean world, phase six.
The good news about Jesus, the Messiah reaches all the way to
Rome, the very heart of the empire.
In this way, Luke Acts completes its twofold movement.
First, Jesus went to Jerusalem to complete his great work through his
suffering, death and resurrection.
Second, the persecution of his followers brought the good news
about Jesus from Jerusalem to Rome.
In this combined story, it is revealed that Jesus is Israel's promised
King and the world's true ruler.
Volume one of Luke acts, the gospel.
According to Luke,
many people have set out to write accounts about the events that
have been fulfilled among us.
They 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
Theophilus, so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught.
When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah.
He was a member of the priestly order of Aja 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.
One day, Zechariah 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.
While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him standing
to the right of the incense altar.
Zachariah 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.
You will have great joy and gladness and many will rejoice at his 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.
He will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God.
He 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 Zechariah said to the angel,
how can I be sure this will happen?
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.
Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah 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 Zechariah's week of service in the temple was over, he returned home.
Soon afterward, his wife 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.
In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel
Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee to a virgin named Mary.
She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.
Gabriel appeared to her and said, greetings favored woman.
The Lord is with you, confused and disturbed.
Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.
Don't be afraid.
Mary the angel told her, for you have found favor with God, you
will conceive and give birth to a son and you will name him Jesus.
He will be very great and will be called the son of the most high.
The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David, that
he will reign over Israel forever.
His kingdom will never end.
Mary.
Ask the angel.
How can this happen?
I am a virgin.
The angel replied, the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of
the most high will overshadow you.
So the baby to be born will be holy and he will be called the son of God.
What's more your relative?
Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age.
People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and
is now in her sixth month For the word of God will never fail.
Mary responded, I am the Lord servant.
May everything you have said about me come true.
And then the angel left her.
A few days later, Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea to
the town where Zechariah lived.
She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth at the sound of Mary's greeting.
Elizabeth's child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to marry.
God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed.
Why am I so honored that the mother of my Lord should visit me?
When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy.
You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.
Mary responded.
Oh, how my soul praises the Lord, how my spirit rejoices and God, my savior, for
he took notice of his lowly servant girl.
And from now on, all generations will call me.
Blessed for the mighty one is holy, and he has done great things for me.
He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him.
His mighty arm has done tremendous things.
He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.
He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands.
He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful for He
made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.
Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home.
When it was time for Elizabeth's baby to be born, she gave birth to a son, and
when her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very merciful
to her, everyone rejoiced with her.
When the baby was eight days old, they all came for the circumcision ceremony.
They wanted to name him Zechariah after his father, but Elizabeth
said, no, his name is John.
What they exclaimed, there was no one at all your family by that name, so
they used gestures to ask the baby's father what he wanted to name him.
He motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone's surprise,
he wrote, his name is John.
He instantly, Zechariah could speak again and he began praising God.
Awe fell upon the whole neighborhood and the news of what had happened,
spread throughout the Judean Hills.
Everyone who heard about it reflected on these events and asked What
will this child turn out to be?
For?
The hand of the Lord was surely upon him in a special way.
Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit
and gave this prophecy, praised the Lord, the God of Israel.
Because he has visited and redeemed his people, he has sent us a mighty savior
from the royal line of his servant David.
Just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago, now we will be saved
from our enemies and from all who hate us.
He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred
covenant, the covenant he swore with an oath to our ancestor Abraham.
We have been rescued from our enemies so we can serve God without fear in holiness
and righteousness for as long as we live.
And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the most high.
Because you will prepare the way for the Lord.
You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their
sins, because of God's tender mercy.
The morning light from heaven.
It's about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.
John grew up and became strong in spirit, and he lived in the wilderness until
he began his public ministry to Israel.
This concludes today's Immer reading experience.
Thank you for joining us.