12-5-21
Luke 1:26-38
The Birth of Jesus Foretold
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
ATTENTION GRABBER!
“Getting To Know You”
Pair each child up with another child they do not know very well. Have them ask as many questions of each other as they can in a 5 minute period. You may need to give the younger children sample questions.
For example, “How old are you?”
“What's your favorite color?”
“How many brothers and sisters do you have?” etc.
When time is up, regain the attention of your class with the attention-getting signal. Have each child introduce his partner to the class, revealing as much information as he learned during the interview time.
Tell the class that you will refer to this activity later on in the lesson.
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,
It was the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy.
The angel Gabriel told Zacharias that he and Elizabeth would have a son who would be used by God to announce the messiah.
This baby was to be John the Baptist, who would point the way to Jesus.
God now sends this same angel, Gabriel, to another place, a little town called Nazareth.
Nazareth was not the nicest of towns. In fact, it was known for its sin.
Why do you think God would want His angel of good news to go there?
27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth to bring a message to Mary.
Even though she lived in a city that wasn’t very nice, she was faithful to the Lord and willing to obey and be used by Him.
Mary was a girl who lived a life very much like ours.
She cried and laughed; she had hopes and dreams just like us.
She was at an exciting place in her life.
She was engaged to a young man named Joseph.
They were promised to each other as husband and wife. They were not yet married, but being engaged was a very serious thing, more serious than when people are engaged today.
They did not live together yet as a family, but this time of engagement was a time (usually a year) for growing as friends and developing the important and strong emotional bonds of a husband and wife.
28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
The angel told Mary to be happy because she was a highly favored young girl.
She must have had a beautiful heart, a heart that did what was pleasing to God.
She was about to receive the greatest blessing a young girl could have.
God has a plan and a purpose for each of our lives, and He desires to use us to do His will.
If we are like Mary, we desire to please God and offer our lives to be His instruments.
God will do wonderful works in and through us.
Explain that
Mary was “chosen” by the Lord, but she was still a servant and did not expect any special treatment.
Jesus taught in Matthew 20:27-28, “And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
Mary was not used to angels appearing.
She was very surprised and even afraid!
She probably wondered what this visit meant.
What would you think if all of a sudden you saw an angel before you?
Did you know the bible tells us angels are real
Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.
30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
The angel tells Mary not to be afraid of him or his message.
God was giving Mary a very special honor.
The Jewish girls of Mary’s day all hoped and dreamed and desired to be the mother of the Messiah.
They longed to be the one God would use as His chosen girl to give birth to the Christ.
Now, here is the angel to tell Mary that it is she!
She was the chosen girl!
Gabriel told Mary she would have a son.
He told her what name her baby should be called.
What was it? (Jesus).
Gabriel told her about her son.
What were some of the things he said?
1. He would be great.
2. He would be called the Son of the Highest.
3. He would be given the throne of David.
4. He would rule His people forever.
5. His kingdom would have no end.
Mary may not have fully realized what Jesus would do, but when Gabriel spoke to her, she understood that her son, Jesus, would be the prophesied Messiah, (the coming one) who came to save His people.
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
Mary was different than Zacharias in her response to the angel’s news. He had doubted because it seemed impossible to him that he and Elizabeth could have a baby.
It was equally impossible for Mary to have a baby.
She was not married and had never had a relationship with a man that would make having a baby possible.
Yet, even though it looked impossible, Mary knew that God i s worthy of our trust.
Mary does not ask her question out of doubt, like Zacharias, but in faith.
She asked how this wonderful thing would come to be.
She did not say, “if this can be,” but instead, she asked, “how can this be?”
She was not rebuked for her question, as Zacharias was, because she asked a question in faith not doubt.
God had said it would happen; Mary believed it would.
Why is it a good thing to trust God and His word?
We need to trust God when He calls us to do something for Him, even if it seems strange or impossible.
Can God do the impossible?
Let us be like Mary in our response to God the next time He asks us to do something for Him.
Trust Illustration
Set a chair in the middle of the room.
Have a couple of volunteers sit in the chair one at a time.
Ask the children the following questions:
1. Why did you sit in the chair?
2. Did you trust that I was asking you to do something safe?
3. Did you trust that the chair would hold you?
4. Have you ever had a chair collapse when you sat on it?
Sometimes it is hard to trust in God. But we do not have to be afraid.
God will always give us the strength we need.
2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’”
It is when we are weakest but continue to trust in God that His strength is made perfect in us to do what He asks.
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
The coming birth of Mary’s Son, Jesus Christ, was to be a miracle.
The Holy Spirit would actually place baby Jesus in Mary’s womb.
Why do you think it was so important that God place Jesus in Mary instead of Him being born like every other baby?
Every person born into this world is a sinner.
The sin nature is passed on from parents to children.
It has happened this way ever since Adam.
We know from the Bible that Jesus was without sin.
The only way for this to happen is for Him to be born a different way than every other person.
Another reason Jesus’ miraculous birth was so important was to fulfill the Old Testament prophecies which said the messiah would be born to a young girl who had never had a relationship with a man.
Reference: Isaiah 7:14
Fulfillment: Matthew 1:22-23; Luke 1:31-35
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel
God wanted to bring His son into the world in a wonderful way to bring Him glory and honor, to prove Himself faithful, and show that
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
What did Mary say regarding all this amazing news?
She said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.”
Mary said yes to God!
She submitted to God’s plan for her. She did not doubt or argue with God about it.
She just accepted what God wanted her to do.
Is it important to say yes to God?
If we do not, we can miss out on some pretty awesome blessings.
When we are obedient, God is able to bless our lives.
Let us remember to always tell the Lord, YES!
submit to God, even when the circumstances seem scary, always turns out for our benefit.
Mary submitted to her part in God’s great plan.
She called herself God’s slave, not by force but a willing slave for God.
She was willing to do anything for Him. She didn’t say, “First, tell me what will happen.
I need to know all the details before I will say yes to you.”
She put all her plans, all her young dreams in the Lord’s hands and trusted Him.
Mary said yes and left the rest to God.
She didn't know how all of it would work out, but she knew that God is worthy of our trust.
Her life would not be without difficulty and hardship.
Her “yes” to the Lord did not mean everything would be easy, but she knew it was better to say yes to Him and experience some difficulty than to say no and live with the consequences.
Mary’s “yes” would mean resistance from people.
Sometimes people do not understand why we would do what God wants.
It would mean difficult travel and uncomfortable conditions for Mary.
Life would be simple and poor.
She'd have to live in a strange land for a while as King Herod hunted for her baby to kill him.
She’d have tears and sorrow at times.
She would have to see her baby grow up and die a cruel death on a Roman cross, but she knew that God's plan was perfect and that it was best.
The world needed a savior and Mary was chosen to be His mother. There were many things she did not know; so she held on to what she did know.
“Getting To Know You” (Part 2)
Refer to the pre-class game to explain that we get to know one another by spending time together and asking questions about one another.
You need to know someone before you can trust him or her.
What do we know about God?
The answers you are looking for will include
“He made everything,”
“He is love,”
“He is faithful,”
and “He is worthy of our trust.”
How do we get to know God?
1)Read and know His word.
2) Pray to Him.
3) Obey what He says.
4) accept Him into your heart as Lord and Savior.
MEMORY VERSE
LUKE 1:37 “For with God nothing will be impossible.”
PRAYER
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