Merry Christmas everyone!
12-26-21
What are some things you got for Christmas?
Why did we share gifts?
What was the gift of God?
On Christmas Eve we talked about Jesus’s birth so let’s talk about that for a bit?
Who were Mary and Joseph?
Where was Jesus born?
Why?
Was it fancy?
What was the town they were in?
When Jesus was born did Mary put a onesie on Him?
Did he have a crib?
We talked about the word prophecy. What is a Prophecy?
Angels And Shepherds Luke 2:8-20
Glory in the Highest
8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.
ATTENTION GRABBER!
Happy Birthday, Jesus!
the significance of birthdays, celebrating the fact that we are thankful for their presence in our lives.
This is why we celebrate Jesus’ birthday.
Today we are going to see how God has provided salvation for us through His Son, Jesus.
Have you ever stayed up late at night, heard a noise, and wondered where that noise was coming from?
This morning, we will learn about some shepherds who heard “good news of great joy” while they were watching their sheep at night.
Why do you suppose this good news was so important?
In today’s lesson, we are going to find out.
8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
Who knows where Mary and Joseph were when Jesus was born?
They were in Bethlehem, which means “house of bread.”
Jesus called himself the “bread of life” in John 6:35.
Where did Mary lay, Jesus, after he was born? She laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.
The manger was actually a feeding trough for large animals. Often, shepherds would lay newborn lambs in a manger filled with hay.
Jesus, the Lamb of God, was born and laid in a manger! On the night of Jesus’ birth, there were shepherds watching their sheep in the fields of Bethlehem.
Suddenly, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord was shining all around them.
These were just ordinary shepherds, but God chose to reveal the glory of His Son’s coming to them first.
Sometimes we might think that we have to have a lot of talents and abilities to be used by the Lord.
These shepherds were just regular people who God used to worship Jesus at His birth.
God can also use us when we let Him.
We need to keep our focus on Him and allow Him to use our lives like He did the shepherds.
Sometimes, like the shepherds, we might be afraid, but God is in control of all things.
We do not need to be afraid of anything.
This angel (which means “messenger”) had a very special message.
Can anyone guess what the good news was all about?
Why did He tell a bunch of shepherds?
11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
God knew the exact time Jesus was to be born to save us from sin and death.
God chose the exact time for us to be born because He has a unique plan for each of our lives.
Did you know that God knew you before you were even born? Psalm 139:15-16 tells us “My body was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
He knows every thought you have even before you think it. He created all things,
the sky above,
the animals,
and the mountains –
everything for His good pleasure.
He knows what you will do tomorrow and even five years from now.
It is amazing to know that God is our salvation.
He loves us and sent His Son, Jesus, to save us from death and Hell.
He wants us to have everlasting life with Him. The angel uses three titles for Jesus:
1) Savior, which means “deliverer,” is also used when Jesus returns to receive the Church to Himself.
2) Christ, which means “Anointed One” or “Messiah.”
3) Lord, which means “Yahweh” or “God.” In the Jewish custom and culture, a newborn baby was washed, rubbed with salt in the belief that it hardened the skin, and then wrapped tightly, limb by limb, with “swaddling clothes” to insure the child would grow straight.
Swaddling Clothes
Pick one child to be wrapped in “swaddling clothes.” Have a few other children wrap the “swaddled” child with toilet tissue, starting with the arms and moving on to his entire body.
Ask the “swaddled” child if he feels warm and secure; then, let him break free from the “clothes.” Have all of the participating children dispose of the tissue before resuming the lesson.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.”
Suddenly, out of heaven, came an entire troop of angels singing praises in honor of God.
They declared “Glory to God in the Highest.” The angels were praising God for His wonderful Salvation, Jesus.
They sang and worshiped God like we did this morning.
They thanked God and worshipped Him because He is worthy of our praises.
If the whole host of angels is so quick to give glory to God, we need to praise Him for His excellent gift of Salvation!
God did not bring salvation to angels; He brought salvation to any person who would receive His great and precious promise of salvation. Jesus is our salvation.
What are some ways we can glorify and praise God?
The angels sang, “Peace, goodwill toward men!”
The only way to have peace is salvation, and we know that Jesus is our salvation.
To have peace we need Jesus in our lives.
We can receive the salvation that Jesus brought by doing what?
believing that Jesus shed his blood on the cross, gave His life for us, was buried, and rose from the grave three days later.
Jesus paid the full price for us to be forgiven of our sins.
We receive God's salvation through Jesus, freely, by the grace of God.
We need to have Jesus as the “Lord” of our lives to go to heaven.
When God is in control of our lives, we experience His peace.
John 14:27 tells us, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.”
Soon after the angels proclaimed praises to God, they ascended to heaven.
The shepherds were excited and full of joy because they heard Jesus was born and had come to save them from sin and death.
They wanted to see God’s promised Messiah; the child praised by angels in heaven; so, they went straight to Bethlehem where they found the baby Jesus lying in a manger.
.” 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.
The shepherds went to see the newborn baby, and when they saw everything, the angel said was true, they were full of joy!
The shepherds were so excited about the good news that they shared the good news that the angels had brought them with everyone.
They knew that God had provided salvation for everyone that special night because Jesus was born.
When we hear good news about Jesus, should we tell others?
Jesus told his disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations.”
He came to save the world from sin and death. All you have to do is believe in Him.
After they had made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this child, they returned to watching their sheep.
The Bible says they were “glorifying and praising God.” They went back celebrating and honoring God.
We need to remember to celebrate the precious gift of Jesus, not a few times a year but every day.
One way we can do that is by praying.
PRAYER
Comments