Class Lesson December 30, 2012

Well, Christmas is over – now what?

The tree is put away. The decorations packed. No more music in the stores. No more hustle and bustle. Christmas is supposed to bring peace on earth, and good will toward men. So, what's the problem? 

Why is there so much emptiness or loneliness after the Christmas season is over?  

Why can’t something that is supposed to fill us keep us full?

I. GOD GIVES LIFE – JOHN 10:7-10
7 So Jesus said again, “I assure you: I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.


Sheep are defenseless, frightened easily, and tasty to predators. Why do sheep need a shepherd? In what ways are people – and more specifically, Christians – similar to sheep?




What characteristics make a leader shepherd-like?



What is the significance of the door to a pen? How does it help the sheep inside? How does that parallel with Jesus’ role in our lives?




In what ways do life in a pasture (10:9) for sheep represent abundant life (10:10) for people? Name three ways your life is abundant?




II. OUR GOD CARES – JOHN 10:11-13
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them. 13 This happens because he is a hired man and doesn’t care about the sheep.

How can you tell that someone or something is good, in the way Jesus depicts good?


According to this passage, what makes a shepherd good? Does laying down one’s life necessarily mean dying an earthly death? Who are some good earthly shepherds you’ve been led by? How do you shepherd others?

Why doesn’t the hired man protect the sheep? Why does Jesus care about you? What does John 15:9-10 add? What does God, your Shepherd, show you about love and life? What generates shepherd-like love in you?


In what ways can Jesus provide for you like no one else can?



III. OUR SHEPHERD KNOWS US – JOHN 10:14-16
14 “I am the good shepherd. I know My own sheep, and they know Me, 15 as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 But I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd.


What are some of the ways our actions, attitudes, work, and play show we know Jesus? How do you recognize His voice better now than a few years ago? Why?



What is the difference in hearing and listening? Based on that, why did Jesus use a word for listening instead of hearing in verse 16?


What does the Shepherd’s voice sound like?

Prayer of Commitment 

Lord, You are my Shepherd. I want, neither do I need, none other. Thank you for walking daily with me. I will follow where You lead. Amen.

This has been a great series of lessons on the names of God. It would be good for everyone to go back and watch the intro video from time to time to remind you of the names and attributes of our YHWH - Jehovah!

Happy New Year to everyone and may the many blessings God has given to each of us this year carry us into the new year with a new devotion and dependence on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

In His Love,

David & Susan

   

Class Lesson December 23, 2012

Hey Gang,

During Christmas we celebrate the birth of a baby, but not just any baby. If Jesus was only a baby in a manger we miss the meaning of His birth. His birth represents the arrival of God Himself having come to earth. Isaiah prophesied about the birth of a son centuries before Jesus’ birth. The names attributed to this child identify ultimate fulfillment as coming in Jesus. Matthew’s story of the birth of Jesus begins with Joseph being told that the child to be born to Mary was the work of God and fulfilled the promise declared in Isaiah 7:14. God came to earth as Jesus, our Savior and Immanuel. These two names tell us that He saves us and is with us.




What was your most memorable Christmas as a child or as an adult? When did you first begin to transition Christmas from the secular to the Spiritual? What do you enjoy most about the Christmas season? How do you and your family focus attention on the birth of Jesus during this time of year?





What do you say to the person that says, “I have too much going on at Christmas to take time to ponder Jesus’ coming?”

• Luke 2:19 But Mary treasured up these things and pondered them in her heart. 
• By this time, the Christmas season has been in full swing for several weeks. For most adults, this means a host of activities: shopping, parties, traveling. How do we honor our God in each of these settings? The significance of Christmas is something more than the birth of a baby long ago; it is the arrival of God Himself. God came to be with us. He’s right next to you showing you what to do, how to do it, and how to keep your attitude just right. Let His power work through you.
• There is a true story about a couple that was celebrating the birth of their first child and they held a gathering at their home for their friends and family. In the busyness of the evening, they laid the newborn on the bed to rest while all the guests were all arriving. As everyone arrived, they took their coats and put them in a room out of the way. When the time came to bring out the newborn child, they were horrified to discover that they had placed all the guests’ coats on top of the child on the bed. The very reason for the celebration had been accidentally and tragically smothered by the busyness of the event.

There is no one in history that has been given more names or titles than Jesus Christ. If you've read through the Bible carefully then you know what I mean. Throughout the Bible there are over 100 names and titles given to Jesus. And whether He is called "Bright Morning Star, Wonderful Counselor, the Root of Jesse, the Alpha and the Omega, or the Lamb of God", each of these names and titles is rich with meaning. They all say something significant about who Jesus is.



However, there is no name more significant than "Immanuel". This name, which Matthew refers to in his Gospel (Matthew 1:23), was first given to Jesus by the prophet Isaiah 700 years before His birth (Isaiah 7:14). And this very special Christmas name, as Matthew tells us, means "God with us." Jesus Christ is Immanuel, "God with us," and I'd like to share why this is so meaningful at Christmas time.

Immanuel (or Emmanuel or Imanu'el, is Hebrew meaning "God is with us") is a symbolic name which appears in chapters 7 and 8 of the Book of Isaiah as part of a prophecy assuring king Ahaz of Judah of God's protection against enemy kings; it is quoted in the Gospel of Matthew as a sign verifying the divine status of Jesus.

I. GOD CAME TO US – ISAIAH 9:6-7

6 For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 7 The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this.


Isaiah 9:6-7 is one of the most delightful passages in the Bible. It was important then; it's important now; it makes every Christmas more special. The Israelites were reaping effects of their long-term disobedience: God was allowing their enemies to defeat them. However, Isaiah 9 is full of hope for this nation in desperation - and for our nation too!

God would "bring glory and honor," and "on those living in the land of darkness, a light has dawned." To God's people watching their nation crumble and fall, these prophecies gave hope to carry them through the coming centuries of oppression.




What do you say to the person that says, “I know the Christmas story and it’s good for the kids?”

• That little baby was more than just a good story – He changed everything!
• I know the Christmas story, but now that I know Jesus is with me, I probably should change my attitude.

The God of the universe has come to be with you in Jesus. What is your first impression of that reality?

• It should be amazing that God has come to us; we don’t have to seek Him because He has come to us – stunning; exciting; hard to put in words.
• God came in Jesus not just for our Christmas adoration, but for our eternal praise.

What do you learn about God from baby Jesus? What do you learn about God from adult Jesus?

• Baby Jesus grew to be adult Jesus who modeled for us how to love God and serve Him in day-to-day life. Watching His life shows us how to live and love, work and serve.
• God came to us because of His love for us.
• God wants us to know Him and love Him.
• God reveals Himself through Jesus.
• Jesus’ power over everything (LORD of Hosts) means He is God.

II. JESUS IS GOD – MATTHEW 1:18-21

18 The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After His mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 So her husband Joseph, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly. 20 But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”


Sadly for Mary, the conception of baby Jesus, though actually miraculous, would not have been perceived as wonderful by her friends and family. They would have seen her pregnancy as scandalous. Her explanation that she had become pregnant through the Holy Spirit would have been received as lunacy. Her family likely thought she was crazy or lying. They would have thought she had been obviously unfaithful to her betrothed. They may not have accused Joseph, for he was a righteous man.



Why do you think God chose this order of events surrounding the birth of the Messiah? What might Mary have thought? Why do you suppose they trusted and obeyed God?

• God could have allowed Mary to become pregnant with the Christ child after she had been intimate with Joseph, but this order proved that God alone was the Father of the Messiah. Through others in her town may have doubted her purity, Mary knew for certain that the Child was not the son of Joseph but conceived through the Holy Spirit.

What do you learn about Joseph in 1:18-21?

• It’s OK to feel embarrassed, hurt, betrayed, angry, and more. But we must act upon what really happened. And we must do so in the ways God would guide us to do.
• Joseph chose to be kind and compassionate.

How is God leading you to step away from expectations of people around you and obey Him regardless of what others think? How can you courageously support someone who is doing this?

How might your service to those people demonstrate the value of righteous behavior? How might it demonstrate that God Himself is with us?




III. GOD IS WITH US – MATTHEW 1:22-25

22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name Him Immanuel, which is translated “God is with us.” 24 When Joseph got up from sleeping, he did as the Lord’s angel had commanded him. He married her 25 but did not know her intimately until she gave birth to a son. And he named Him Jesus.


Each of the four Gospel writers - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John - had a different target audience for their writings. Mark wrote to Romans who valued great deeds, and he focused on Jesus' miracles and sufferings. Luke wrote to the Greeks who strove for perfection and he stressed that Jesus was the perfect man. John's goal was to help the entire world know Jesus - that He is God and came to earth in the flesh. But Matthew had in mind the Jews. He focused on the fact that Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament - prophecies that the Jews treasured.




Why do you think God went to the trouble to have Isaiah prophesy about the Messiah 700 years before His birth?

• God had instructed people to abide by His Word. They were not always obedient, but there were always devout Jews who studied His Word and taught it to others. By prophesying the Messiah. God gave hope to the Israelites at the time it was spoken and for many generations.
• It also proved that He had planned for this child long before He was born.

How did Joseph reflect 1 John 5:2-3? What command of God does He particularly want you to obey during the Christmas week?

• Joseph proved first that he loved and was obedient to God in marrying Mary. He had everything to lose by obeying God, but he chose to live by faith instead of fear.
• The way we treat our spouses, our adult kids, our relatives, during this Christmas shows much of what we believe about God. Name what to do.
• We can show God’s love to those in stores, in restaurants, in fast food places, in our neighborhoods, and in our churches. 

Why for so many people, is Christmas such a great holiday, but it’s over quickly and it doesn’t really affect their daily life or their salvation?

• We should use this Christmas season to show that Jesus is more than just a sweet inspiration.
• We should see Christmas as more than a cute baby; it’s about a Counselor, Mighty God, Father, and Prince of Peace who shows us what to do, when to do it, and how to do it.

There is a story about a Pastor who fell asleep in his study one Christmas morning and he dreamed of a world into which Christ had never been born. In his dream he found himself walking through the rooms of his home, but something had changed, something was very different. There were no stockings hung by the fireplace, there was no Christmas tree, no wreaths of holly. Nor was there any manger scene of the Christ Child to warm the heart. Then he walked outside and saw that there were no church steeples pointing to Heaven. He came back in and sat down in his study, but something was different - every book about the Savior was gone. Suddenly, a ring came at the door and a small boy in tears begged the Pastor to come quickly to help his mother. Why he asked, and the little boy said, because she is dying. He rushed out with the boy and when he reached the home he sat down beside the mother, held her hand, and tried to comfort her with some of God’s promises from the Bible, but when he opened the Bible it ended at Malachi. What had happened? There was no Gospel; there was no promise of hope and salvation. What could he say, what comfort could he give, how could he help? The mother died and as he stood with her family by her grave, he tried to offer them some comfort, but what could he say? What words of consolation could he give them? There was no message of a glorious resurrection, no reunion in Heaven, only “dust to dust, ashes to ashes,” and one long eternal farewell. Suddenly, he realized what had happened, Christ had not come, He had not been born and he burst into tears and he cried out in utter despair. Then suddenly, he woke-up and heard the church choir singing in his church close by: “O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem; Come and behold Him, born the King of Angels, O come let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord.”

And a great feeling of joy and praise welled up inside of him as he realized it had all been a bad dream. Christ had been born. And the words given to the shepherds came to his mind, “Behold, I bring you good tiding of great joy, which shall be to all people, for unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” The world and everything as you know it would be quite different if Christ had not been born.


Is He with you? God gave Jesus the name Immanuel, which means, "God is with us." But is He? Is God in your life? Does He guide your thoughts and your attitudes? Do you seek His face before any other? Have you committed to His way regardless of the difficulty?

Prayer of Commitment

Dear Father, the greatest truth of the season is that through Jesus, You, O God, are with us. Hallelujah! Amen.

Well class, Christmas is almost here! I hope that you will take these remaining days to ponder the full meaning of Jesus' coming - for you!


See you on Sunday!


In His Love,


David & Susan