Jesus OBS Week 1 — God with Us

The power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. — Gabriel to Mary in Luke 1:35

We have a high priest who is able to understand, and since He understands we find mercy and grace when we need it. When we fall, we are not forgotten. When we stumble, we are not abandoned. Our God gets us. ~ Max Lucado

Welcome to the Jesus: The God Who Knows Your Name Online Bible Study with our long-time friend, Pastor Max Lucado!

Hi, friends! My name is Laurie McClure and I’m the editor at FaithGateway and one of your OBS leaders. Just in case you’re new to OBS and we haven’t met before, an introduction: I’m a born-and-bred Southern Californian and the beach is my happy place — letting my feet sink in the sand at the water’s edge is just about my favorite thing in the world. I’m a Jesus follower, a Bible study junkie born into a family full of preachers and Bible nerds. I love ice-cold Perrier, going to see movies, musicals, and plays (any kind of great stories), listening to live music, singing, yoga pants, and radical grace. I was married for decades and raised five kids and am now single and loving it. If you all were at my place, we’d share a big platter of caprese, hot sourdough, and iced tea with lots of lemon!

Do you know Max yet? If not, you are in for a treat! Max isn’t called “America’s Pastor” for nothin’!

The first time I met Max a friend of mine introduced us in a wholly unexpected way by telling him a little bit of my hard story. Max completely unhinged me by giving me a hug and with great kindness in his eyes he asked me a few questions, then said “You’re going to get through this…” and shared what he felt impressed from the Lord to say. He was comforting and fatherly in a way that touched me to my core. Max reflects Jesus in a beautiful way, so much so that I carry that conversation with me to me to this day with such great appreciation and gratitude. Even though I’ve never sat through a service at Max’s church, Oak Hills in San Antonio, TX, he will always be one of my pastors and I can’t wait to do this study with him and our community here at FaithGateway.

Let’s get started studying our King, Friend, Teacher, Miracle-worker, Victorious Sacrifice… Jesus!

Is it hard to imagine Jesus as a man? The same One who healed the sick, walked on water, calmed the seas, made friends with outcasts, fed thousands on a snack, raised the dead, and gave Himself up for us… also had bad breath and body odor? Maybe He snorted when He laughed. He got the hiccups, suffered fevers and illnesses, and needed to brush His hair and comb His beard. He was fully God and yet fully man!

I and the Father are one. — John 10:30

If we’re going to follow Him, we mustn’t ignore His humanity, nor the story of His life here on earth.

There’s something about keeping Jesus divine that keeps Him distant, packaged, predictable. ~ Max

This week we’re starting with Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father, his foster dad, who radically obeyed God after a wild encounter with the archangel Gabriel. We get to envision the incredulity the whole heavenly angel army and Joseph and Mary must have felt at the word that God would climb into the skin and bones of a helpless baby born in a back-water town to an unknown, poor couple.

To imagine some mother burping God on her shoulder… well, that was beyond what even an angel could imagine! ~ Max

We get to learn about that first story of Jesus and motley crew of characters, rich and poor, average and royalty, human and holy — parents, shepherds, stargazers, angels, king.

Join us as we travel the dusty roads of Jesus, God-Man in flesh and blood who knows every manner of temptation and hardship we have experienced. He knows all about stubbed toes, nights when it’s too hot to sleep, rejection, tear-stained pillows, a cashless wallet, a broken heart, hunger, exhaustion, bug bites, broken relationships, and the desire for more.

Fully God and fully man.

Immanuel. God with us.

This week in your study:

1. Watch the video for session one on our study home page and take notes in your study guide on pages 9-14 and then DON’T GO AWAY! Stick around for the conversation with our OBS community afterward!
2. Go through the study questions with your group or on your own on pages 15-18.
3. Read chapters 1-4 in the Jesus book.
4. Grab your Bible and enjoy your personal study this week on pages 19-32.
5. Join the conversations about the study and get to know fellow participants in our private Facebook group.

Scriptures this Week

John 10:30
John 1:2-3
Matthew 16:16
John 20:28
Philippians 2:7
Hebrews 4:15
John 1:14
Colossians 1:17
John 1:46
Luke 1:30-31
Luke 1:35
Luke 2:3
Matthew 2:1-2
Matthew 2:6
Matthew 2:13
Hebrews 4:15
Hebrews 2:11

Prayer for the Week

Jesus, we love You. Your incarnation is hard to wrap our minds around because You are GOD Himself, and yet fully man as well. Show us, remind us, of Your humanity, the way You relate to us wholly and completely. You came to be with us so we could know that You understand our frailty, our temptations, our weaknesses, our limitations, our hopes and desires. Thank You for putting on flesh and bone and being with us… We love You, Lord. Amen.