The Birth of
Jesus
- My family and I wish you
and your family a very Merry
Christmas!!
Bible Study Lessons from Luke
2:1-20
The Christmas
Story
1 And it came to pass in
those days, that there went out a decree from
Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was
first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be
taxed, every one into his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up
from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into
Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called
Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage
of David:)
5 To be taxed with Mary
his espoused wife, being great with child.
6 And so it was, that,
while they were there, the days were accomplished
that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth
her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling
clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there
was no room for them in the inn.
8 And there were in the
same country shepherds abiding in the field,
keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of
the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord
shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto
them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good
tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born
this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is
Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a
sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in
swaddling clothes, 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, good will toward men.
15 And it came to pass, as
the angels were gone away from them into heaven,
the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go
even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is
come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto
us.
16 And they came with
haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe
lying in a manger.
17 And when they had seen
it, they made known abroad the saying which was
told them concerning this child.
18 And all they that heard
it wondered at those things which were told them by
the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these
things, and pondered them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds
returned, glorifying and praising God for all the
things that they had heard and seen, as it was told
unto them.
This
is the Word of the Lord ... It is meant to change
the way we think, and the way we live.
Commentary
by Bob Pardue
Birth of
Christ
God is in control of history.
By God allowing the decree of Emperor Augustus,
Jesus was born in the very town prophesied for his
birth (Micah
5:2), even though
Mary and Joseph did not live there.
Joseph and Mary were both
descendants of David so the law stated that they
were to return to the town of their family to
register for the census. That town just happened to
be Bethlehem.
Prophecies are spread
throughout the Old Testament tell that the Messiah
would be born in David's royal line (see for
example, Isaiah 11:1; Jeremiah 33:15; Ezekiel
27:24; Hosea 3:5).
God's Plan
The birth of Jesus is
exciting news indeed. But, it is really novel the
way events lead up to his birth according to the
way God planned it.
Why Christ Was
Born
One more thought. Even though
the birth of Jesus is absolutely sensational it
pales in comparison to the death and resurrection
of Christ.
He came to us a helpless baby
and we celebrate the Birth of Jesus every Christmas
but it was the grown man who taught the people
about God, and the man who went to the cross to
die, and the man who rose three days later so that
His spirit could dwell among us so that we can have
eternal
life.
".. from the cradle to
the cross, from the cross to the sky
.."
Always remember that the
birth of Jesus MUST be followed by the cross
to have any meaning and Christmas is only the
beginning of the story, not the end.
Christ was born for one
reason only - to come to earth, live among us, and
then to die and rise again so that you and I might
be saved and have eternal life with God. And that
is the real Christmas story - Isn't Christ
awesome?
Love in Christ
& Merry
Christmas!!
- Bob
Christmas
Story Contents
If you have never made the
commitment to receive the love and life-changing
experience of Jesus Christ, please take a moment to
read
John 3:16 for more
information.
Verses about the Christmas story and birth
of Jesus are from KJV and Life
Application Study Bible: New International
Version
More from the Christmas Story
Luke
1:26-38 - Foretelling the Birth of
Christ
Luke
1:39-56 - Mary Visits
Elizabeth
Luke
1:57-80 - Birth of John the
Baptist
John
1: 6-9 - Who is John the
Baptist?
|
