"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And ... He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."  Philippians 2:5-11

The life of Jesus did not begin at His birth in Bethlehem. He existed in eternity past. He had no beginning. There was no time when He did not exist. He was the Creator in Genesis 1 and 2. In Old Testament history, He appeared as the Angel of the Lord. He delivered and defended Israel. He was born in Bethlehem ... lived in Egypt for a short time as a young child ... and then moved to Nazareth in Galilee. He lived there with His family, making annual trips with them to Jerusalem for the Passover.

At about age 30 Jesus began His ministry ... in four geographic segments. John the Baptist baptized Him in the Jordan River. Then the Spirit led Him into the desert to be tempted by Satan for 40 days. In the first months, Jesus ministered in Judea and Galilee. There He met His first disciples . . . performed His first miracle . . . and cleansed the temple for the first time. Jesus' popularity increased during His Galilean ministry . . . but opposition and hostility also increased. He taught, performed miracles, and healed. He chose and began to minister with His disciples. His ministry expanded into the regions north and east of Galilee . . . where He was transfigured on Mt. Hermon. In the last months Jesus' ministry centered in Judea and Perea.

The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem marked the beginning of the week of the cross and declared that He was King of the Jews. Monday and Tuesday were public days. He cleansed the temple, cursed the barren fig tree, denounced the Scribes and Pharisees, and prophesied about His return. Later that week He spent a day alone with His disciples. He washed their feet before the Last Supper, taught them, and prayed for them. Jesus went to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was arrested there. After three Jewish and three Roman trials, He was condemned to be crucified. They nailed Him to a cross. He died and was buried in a borrowed tomb. He rose from the dead on the third day. For forty days after His resurrection, Jesus appeared ten or more times . . . to the women, to His disciples, and to His followers. He ascended into heaven where He ministers for us now as we wait for His return.

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THE LIFE OF CHRIST 1    PAGES: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14    
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Disciplemaking 1, copyright 2003, is available free from www.MyDisciplemaker.org where you can study online or print free copies. You may copy this course, any any part of it, for free or at-cost distribution ... without change to the content ... and with this copyright policy attached. Published by www.ActsOneEight.org. Bible Quotations are from the NASB unless noted.