8/18/13 WHERE IT ALL BEGAN: Jesus' Birth

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where it all began

Lesson 1: Jesus’ Birth

August 18, 2013

For the next couple of weeks, we are going to look at passages of Scripture that talk about how Jesus’ life on Earth began—his birth and his teenage years. This may surprise you, but the more closely we examine these verses from the Bible, the more we can see parallels with our own lives—truths about the way God wants to interact with each of us and reveal his plan, purpose, and mission for our lives.

Read LUKE 1:26-38 (NLT)

26In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

29Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30“Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32He 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. 33And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

34Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

35The 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. 36What’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. 37For nothing is impossible with God.”

38Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

“Favored.” “The Lord is with you.” “Don’t be afraid.” Through an angelic messenger, God delivered these words to Mary when he invited her into the great story of redemption and salvation by carrying Jesus in her womb. Mary’s response was initially confusion and concern—for very understandable reasons. Still, she listened to the angel and responded in faith by saying, “I am the Lord’s servant.”

Even though she did not understand the full magnitude of what she was saying yes to and even though nothing like this had ever happened before, Mary trusted God. And she believed that all things are possible with God. Mary received the truth the angel spoke about her identity and believed that what was said would come true.

Jesus had the most incredible conception and birth in history. As we discuss this passage together, we’ll discover some amazing moments from Jesus’ birth and the earliest moments of his life on Earth. Let’s see what God reveals to us about Jesus’ birth and how it makes a difference in our lives.

1. God used a teenager to birth the Savior of the world

  • When have you been asked to do something that was unexpected—and was beyond what you thought you could handle? What did you learn from the experience?
  • What does Jesus’ unique conception and birth say about who God is?
  • One of the ways Jesus is described in the Bible is “Immanuel,” a Hebrew word that means “God is with us.” How have you experienced “God with you” in your life?

Mary was an unexpected choice to carry and birth Jesus. But God wanted to communicate a message about how he sees us as his children. Scripture says Mary was “highly favored” by God, and you are, too! You weren’t chosen as one of Jesus’ earthly parents, but if you’re a follower of Christ, you have the opportunity to share the good news of Jesus to the people around you—and God has a plan, a purpose, and a mission for your life.

2. Mary responded with an obedient attitude

  • What do you find most amazing or surprising or encouraging about Mary’s response to the angel’s message? Why?
  • Mary ultimately said she was the Lord’s servant. What do you think it means to be God’s servant?
  • When have you experienced the rewards of obedience to God?
  • Talk about what obedience means for you—how is God calling you to obey in some area of your life?

One of the greatest miracles in the Bible was the birth of Jesus—but this miracle needed Mary’s obedience. She had faith and trust in what God promised her. She cared more about obedience to God than about her reputation or whether other people would believe what the angel had told her. Our obedient attitude is a way of demonstrating our trust and faith in God’s plan, purpose, and mission for our lives.

3. Jesus’ birth demonstrated God’s power

  • What are specific ways you have seen God’s power demonstrated in your life and in other people’s lives?
  • The angel Gabriel told Mary, “For nothing is impossible with God”—what does that mean for your life, too?
  • What else does this passage reveal about God’s power and about who Jesus would be to this world and to us?

The angel told Mary that she wasn’t the only person to experience the miraculous—her relative Elizabeth was pregnant, even though she was considered too old to have a child. For God, human limitations are no limitations at all.

ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION

  • Read Luke 1:39-55. Mary’s response to the angel’s message and to Elizabeth’s declaration was worship. Why is worship the proper response in that kind of situation?

  • When do you find yourself naturally and easily worshipping and thanking God?

  • What does this passage reveal about God’s character and God’s interaction with humanity?

  • Read Luke 2:1-20. This is a familiar passage that describes Jesus’ incredible birth. As much as possible, imagine that you’re hearing these words for the first time. Which detail is the most surprising? amazing? life-altering? encouraging? comforting? Why?

APPLICATION

· Where do you most want or need to experience God in your life right now? Pray together that you would experience Immanuel right now.

  • What step of obedience is God asking you to take? How can we encourage one another toward lives of more consistent obedience?

  • What is a creative, unusual, or different way you can reread the account of the birth of Jesus (Luke 1–2) this week? How can you make this familiar Scripture become fresh and alive and engaging?

SUMMARY

Jesus’ birth reveals the unlikely way God became flesh into the world. The lesson will gave us a look into Mary’s role in the miraculous birth of the Christ child and how we have the opportunity to respond to God’s call in our lives with faith-filled obedience.

FOR KEEPS [MEMORY VERSE]

But Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often (Luke 2:19 NLT).

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