temple baptist church

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TEMPLE BAPTIST CHURCH THE GIFT

WEEK three: the announcement of Jesus’ birtH

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. 20But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23“Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” 24And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus. (Matthew 1:18-25) Have you ever heard news that made you pause and make sure you heard correctly? Maybe you said, “Come again?” thinking you misunderstood. About 400 years had passed since God had spoken to anyone and when He breaks His silence, He is announcing Jesus’ birth, the Savior that God promised He would send. Mary is a virgin, who is pregnant, and this is hard for Joseph to understand. He thinks Mary has been unfaithful to him and he is desiring to leave her. Joseph is a man of character and therefore he is looking to secretly leave her, Mary, in order to save her from public shame and embarrassment. Before Joseph could follow through with leaving, God gives him some news through an angelic messenger. This was a “come again?” moment for Joseph. God announces that He, God Himself, will come down and dwell with mankind. God not only announces that Jesus will be born but He also announces why: He will save His people from their sins. Joseph must have gone from “come again?” to “Come Quickly!” The announcement of Jesus’ birth reminds us of another announcement that Jesus made: “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” John 14:1-3 The Christmas season not only points us to the birth of Jesus, but it is also a reminder that one day Jesus is coming back for all people who have turned from their sin and trusted in Him alone for salvation. This Christmas season, remember Jesus’ birth and anticipate his return.

FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS 1. How does God’s announcement to Joseph change his mind about Mary? 2. What reason did the angel give to Joseph for the reason Jesus was to be born? 3. How does Christmas remind us of Jesus’ return?