December 06, 2009

The Savior Promised

Both Zechariah and Mary had questions when the announcement was made of a miraculous birth. Why do we struggle with believing God's promises? What can we learn about trust and faith from these stories of very real people caught up in God's awesome plan of salvation? (Luke 1:11-33)

Expectations of the Messiah

In recent years, cult messiahs have misled naive followers to their ruin and death. Jim Jones and David Koresh are examples that come to mind. No wonder the term "messiah" does not evoke the positive thoughts today that it did in biblical times. Just what is a messiah, and what sort of leader were the Jews of Jesus' time looking for? Let's explore these intriguing questions in this week's Illustrated Bible Life article, "Expectations of the Messiah."