The Birth of Jesus and Christmas

Believers Life Style Bible Study
December 11, 2021
The Birth of Jesus and Christmas
Luke 1:26-38, 2:1-7, 2:8-20
Presented by Michael Webb

Open It

Why do you and your family celebrate Christmas?
What gift did you purchase for Jesus on Christmas?

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

Who greeted Mary? Why? (1:26-28)
How did Mary learn of her role in Jesus’ birth? (1:26-28)
How did Mary feel when the angel appeared to her? (1:29-30)
*How did Gabriel describe the child that would be born to Mary? (1:31-33)
What title would Jesus have? (1:32)
What Old Testament personalities were part of Jesus’ royal line? (1:32-33)
Why wasn’t Mary struck dumb by the angel as Zechariah was? (1:34)
*How did Mary’s response to the angel differ from Zechariah’s? (1:34, 38)
Why did Gabriel mention Elizabeth’s pregnancy to Mary? (1:36-37)
What kind of attitude was apparent in Mary’s response to the angel’s visit? (1:38)
*What did Mary’s final statement to Gabriel show about her relationship with God? (1:38)

The Birth of Jesus

Who decreed that a census be taken of the entire Roman world? (2:1)
What historical facts did Luke provide that allow us to approximate the date of Christ’s birth? (2:1-2)
What did the Roman census require of everyone? (2:3)
*What was the purpose of Joseph and Mary’s trip to Bethlehem? (2:1-4)
What reason did Luke give for Joseph having to travel to Bethlehem for the census? (2:4)
What did Luke say about Bethlehem which indicates it was a famous place? (2:4)
What was Joseph and Mary’s marital status at the time of Jesus’ birth? (2:5)
*Why was travel especially difficult for Mary? (2:5)
What details about the birth of Jesus do we know or can we infer from Luke’s description? (2:5-7)
*What were the conditions in Bethlehem the night Jesus was born? (2:7)

The Shepherds and the Angels

At what time and place did the angels appear to the shepherds? (2:8)
How many angels did the shepherds see at first? (2:9)
How did the shepherds react when they saw the angel? (2:9)
To whom did the angel address his good news? (2:10)
*What message did the angel tell the shepherds? (2:10, 12)
Who did the angel say the newborn child really was? (2:11)
*By what symbol or sign were the shepherds supposed to identify the Christ child? (2:12)
How many angels did the shepherds hear praising God? (2:13)
*What was the immediate reaction of the shepherds after the angels left? (2:15)
After finding the Christ child, what did the shepherds do? (2:17-20)
What kind of reactions did the shepherds get when they told others what had happened that night? (2:18)
How did Mary respond to the shepherds’ visit? (2:19)

Get It

If you had been with the shepherds on the night Christ was born, what would you have done after the angels left?
In what ways did the shepherds obey God that night?
*What should be our response when we discover what God wants us to do?
What does it mean that Mary “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart”?
Of what significance is it that the shepherds went back to their flocks?
*What is the responsibility of those who “discover” the good news about Jesus?
Who needs to be told about the birth and life of Christ?

Apply It