BIG PICTURE QUESTION & ANSWER WHY WAS JESUS BORN? Jesus was born to rescue us from sin. The wise men came to worship Jesus as King. Jesus is the true King, promised in 2 Samuel 7, worthy of all our worship. Memory Verse: Read the Story:
READ THE STORY: The wise men were magi. Their study of the stars led them to Judea to find and worship Jesus, the newborn King. Before they found Jesus, though, the wise men met King Herod. God had promised the Jewish people a new king—one who would save them from their enemies. King Herod was not that king. Imagine how he felt when he heard about a new king in town. The wise men asked him, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?” (Matt. 2:2) The wise men unintentionally challenged Herod’s reign. Not only was Herod not a full Jew, he was not a descendant of King David. Herod was deeply disturbed by the news that this child had the birthright of being king. As Herod’s fury grew, he gathered his chief priests and scribes to determine where Jesus had been born. Then he lied to the wise men: “When you find Him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship Him” (Matt. 2:8). What deceitfulness! The truth was, Herod did not want to worship Jesus at all; he wanted to kill Him! The wise men continued on their journey and found Jesus. Jesus may have been about two years old when the magi found Him and worshiped Him. The Bible does not say how many magi worshiped Jesus, although three are often depicted because of their three gifts—gold, frankincense, and myrrh. God warned the wise men in a dream to avoid Herod, so they returned home by another route. The wise men came to worship Jesus as King. Jesus is the King who will rule forever, as God promised to King David in 2 Samuel 7. Jesus is the true King who is worthy of all our worship. GOSPEL APPLICATION K-5th:
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BIG PICTURE QUESTION & ANSWER WHY WAS JESUS BORN? Jesus was born to rescue us from sin. The birth of Jesus was good news! Jesus was not an ordinary baby. He is God’s Son, sent to earth from heaven. Jesus, the promised Savior, came into the world to show us what God is like and to deliver us from sin and death. Memory Verse: Read the Story:
How many times have you read or heard the narrative of Jesus’ birth? When interacting with a familiar Bible story, it is easy to simply skim over it and assume we understand all there is to know about it. Rather than taking that approach, spend time this week meditating on Luke 2:1-20. The detailed account of His conception and birth, as well as the details between those two events provide the believer with a gift of God’s grace that is far too important to gloss over. This event preceding Jesus’ ministry, death, and resurrection lays the foundation for a close and thoughtful study of the Gospels. The details around the conception and birth of Jesus provide reason for amazement and strengthen our faith. Consider the detail of Mary having been a virgin, fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14. Jesus was born in the small town of Bethlehem, fulfilling the prophecy of Micah 5:2. He was born into the family line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob— fulfilling God’s promises in Genesis 12:3; 17:19; 28:14. All of this ought to cultivate a sense of wonder at the divine intervening in the human world, and an amazement at the detail to which God worked out His plan. Additionally, recalling the details of Jesus’ birth ought to generate affirmation in the believer’s heart and mind. The uniqueness surrounding the birth of Jesus affirms His claims of being the Son of God. Finally, the birth narrative should grow the anticipation of the believer. At the end of the New Testament, the book of Revelation sheds light on the end of sin and death, the final judgment of the living and the dead, and the new heaven and the new earth. These promises can seem distant or unlikely; however, the joy and gratitude that comes from understanding Jesus’ birth narrative can cultivate confidence in and anticipation of the future promises of Jesus. Luke 2 invites us to behold our God, who— out of His great love for us—“emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity” (Phil. 2:7). Jesus came to earth to rescue sinners. The angels’ announcement to the shepherds in Luke 2:10 is also for us and for the nations: “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” GOSPEL APPLICATION K-5th:
BIG PICTURE QUESTION & ANSWER WHY WAS JESUS BORN? Jesus was born to rescue us from sin. The baby Jesus fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy, as well as other Old Testament prophecies, about the coming Savior. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus fulfilled God’s plan of redemption that God planned before the world began. Memory Verse: Read the Story:
People had been waiting a long time for Jesus. God hinted at His coming in the garden of Eden when He promised a seed to conquer the serpent. (Gen. 3:15) The prophets told of His coming hundreds of years before His birth. God was working out His plan to bring His people back to Himself. In the Bible, God sometimes used angels to communicate His message to people. Angels spoke to Abraham in Genesis 18. The Angel of the Lord spoke to Balaam in Numbers 22. Now Mary and Joseph, the earthly parents of Jesus, each received a special visit from an angel to announce the birth of God’s promised Messiah. The angel Gabriel’s announcement to Mary surprised her. By His grace, God chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus. The angel’s message revealed much about this promised child. First, He would be great in both being and nature. He would be the Son of the Most High. Jesus is the Son of God, and the Lord God promised to give Him the throne of His father David. These words fulfilled the prophecy given to David in 2 Samuel 7:12-16. He would reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom would have no end. The good news that Jesus was coming into the world was good news because of why He was coming. An angel revealed Jesus’ purpose to Joseph in Matthew 1:21, “He will save His people from their sins.” The gospel is the good news of what God has done for us through Christ. The announcement of Jesus’ birth is not the beginning of the gospel; God had been planning for this moment since before the beginning of time. (See Eph. 1:3-10.) Help your child/ren understand that God’s plan has always been to save sinners and bring them back to Himself. Jesus, whose name means “Yahweh saves,” is the culmination of that plan. GOSPEL APPLICATION K-2nd:
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December 2023
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