Luke 2:10 NIV84 “But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.’”
Three reasons Jesus’ birth is good news:
I. God became a
.
Noel: “Love incarnate, love divine, star and angels gave the sign. Bow to babe on bended knee, Savior of humanity.”
Matthew 1:23 (NIV84) “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him “Immanuel” - which means, “God with us.”
A. Jesus became the
Colossians 1:15-16 (LB) “Jesus Christ is the exact likeness of the un-seen God. He existed before God made anything at all, and in fact, Christ Himself is the Creator who made everything”
John 1:14 (NIV84) “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”
Notes:
II. God became our
.
Noel: “Son of God and Son of man, there before the world began, Born to suffer, born to save, Born to raise us from the grave.”
A. Jesus was born to suffer and
Mark 8:31 (ESV) “And [Jesus] began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again
B. Jesus was the
John 1:29 (NIV84) The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
Hebrews 9:22 (NIV84) “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”
Notes:
III. God became our
.
Noel: “Christ the everlasting Lord, He shall reign forevermore; The story of amazing love! The light of the world, given for us.”
A. Jesus died & rose to
Romans 3:24 (NIV84) “[We are] justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
John 1:12 (NIV84) “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
B. Have you
Romans 6:23 (NIV84) “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV84) “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Notes:
Discussion Questions:
1. What does it mean for God to become man, and why is this significant in the Christian faith?
2. How does the concept of Jesus as “God with skin on” shape our understanding of His earthly ministry and presence among us?
3. Why is it important that Jesus came as a baby rather than in a more intimidat-ing form?
4. What is the significance of Jesus being described as the perfect Lamb of God? How does this sacrifice influence our view of salvation?
5. How does Jesus’ resurrection from the grave impact your understanding of redemption and eternal life?
6. In what ways can we live out the truth that Jesus came to redeem us and offer salvation in our daily lives?