BONUS MAKING PLANS FOR CHRISTMAS

BONUS MAKING PLANS FOR CHRISTMAS 132 BONUS SESSION

When important plans change, how do you react? BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 133

THE POINT Following God s plan for Christmas will change your life. THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE At this point in December, most of us already have plans in place for Christmas. YY We ve planned where we are going to see family or who is coming to see us. YY We ve planned how we will spend the time off from school for the holidays. YY We ve bought gifts or planned what we will buy in the next few days. Plans can change quickly though. A storm or delayed flights keeps us from seeing the people we hoped to see. A change in a parent's job could alter what can be done as far as gift-giving. And for some of us, reminders of loved ones who ve passed away can overshadow any Christmas plans. I hope your plans for Christmas are good this year. But as you celebrate, remember: Christmas is really about a change of plans in the heart. As we look at the life of Joseph, we discover a man whose life was drastically changed by God s plan to bring Jesus to us. And God s plan was to bring a greatly needed change for all of us. Mary and Joseph traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem, which is approximately 80 miles.1 134 BONUS SESSION

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY? Matthew 1:18-25 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. 18 So her husband Joseph, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly. 19 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. 20 She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins. 21 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 22 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. 23 When Joseph got up from sleeping, he did as the Lord s angel had commanded him. He married her 24 The Setting Mary was engaged to Joseph, a relationship as binding as a fully consummated marriage. It was during this time that Mary became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Joseph could have ended their betrothal and avoided further scandal, but he was obedient to the word spoken to him in a dream: Mary s pregnancy was from God and Joseph was to remain with Mary. but did not know her intimately until she gave birth to a son. And he named Him Jesus. 25 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 135

THE POINT Following God s plan for Christmas will change your life. MATTHEW 1:18-19 When someone Joseph was probably like most men about to get married: envisioning a future of marital bliss with his wife and a life well-lived with their future children. But then Mary, his fiancée, turned up pregnant. Joseph and Mary had not yet consummated their marriage, so Joseph knew he was not the father. lets you down, Mary was engaged to Joseph, which meant she was already legally bound or betrothed to Joseph. Jews in that time actually committed their marriage vows to one another at their betrothal, and it took a divorce to end the commitment. The custom of the day usually involved about one year of betrothal, and after that time the bride and groom took up residence together and consummated their marriage. It was during this time that Mary and Joseph were engaged that Mary became pregnant. how do you act around him or her? The birth of Christ is prophesied in Isaiah 7:14. The Old Testament law gave Joseph the right to have Mary stoned to death for her apparent infidelity (Deut. 22:13-29). Verse 19 lets us know that Joseph was a gentle and fair-minded man who did not want to pursue this harsh course of action allowed by the law. Our journey on God s path will have many twists and turns. Maybe you are caught in a difficult or unusual predicament and wonder where God is in your situation. You can rest assured that He knows your circumstances. He is never caught unaware. In fact, He is orchestrating everything that happens in your life so that it will ultimately bring Him glory and illustrate His adventurous plan for you. When we follow God s plan, however, we will have to make adjustments in our own plans. 136 BONUS SESSION

MATTHEW 1:20-23 As Joseph pondered all this an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream. Up to this point, Joseph only had Mary s explanation and his own human perspective on this issue. He needed to hear from God; he needed God s perspective. The angel told him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife. God had everything in control. 73% of adults say they believe Jesus was born of a virgin.2 God s adventurous plan also contained a divine observation: The Holy Spirit was responsible for Mary's pregnancy. This was a game-changer! What had previously appeared to be disastrous was actually divine. Joseph was being schooled in the doctrine of the virgin birth foretold in Isaiah 7:14. The doctrine of the virgin birth is directly tied to the doctrine of salvation. If Jesus were conceived like all other children, then He could not be God. Why did God work in this way? He loves us and wants to bless our lives with abundance. At Christmas, our focus is on gifts, but God s plan at Christmas was to give us the greatest gift: Himself. Even the names the angel spoke to Joseph reflect God s goodness and abundance to us. YY Jesus. The angel told Joseph he was to name the child Jesus because He will save His people from their sins. Jesus comes from the Hebrew name rendered Joshua, meaning Jehovah is salvation. How does knowing God is involved, personal, YY Immanuel. Immanuel means God with us. Immanuel and always with you identifies Jesus as God. The name Immanuel points to Jesus as an involved, personal God. change your life? An Unexpected Christmas What is one unexpected thing you can do for others this Christmas? Record it in the space provided. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 137

THE POINT Following God s plan for Christmas will change your life. MATTHEW 1:24-25 There are multiple King Herods in the Bible. Herod the Great, sought to kill Jesus in Matthew 2 by slaughtering all the infant boys in Bethlehem.3 Can you imagine the amazement and joy that now flooded Joseph s soul? Not only had his trust in Mary and her word been validated, and not only could he restore his confidence and relationship with her, but the angel had also announced they were a part of God s abundant plan for humanity. That didn t mean Joseph s life would now be problem free or that he would never have another fear (Matt. 2:13-15,19-23), but now he knew a divine plan was at work. But Joseph still had to act on God s plan. If Joseph had stuck with his own human reasoning, he never would have taken Mary to be his wife. If Joseph had walked away from Mary and divorced her, he might have been culturally correct, but he would have been out of God s will. The plan was not what Joseph had originally envisioned, but He trusted God and obeyed. The angel revealed to Joseph all he needed to know in that moment: YY Joseph did not know about the difficulty of traveling to Bethlehem with a pregnant wife. YY Joseph did not know his young son s life would be Share This threatened by King Herod, and he would have to take his family to Egypt for safety. YY Joseph didn t know how people might whisper and treat his wife and son for years to come. He didn t have the full picture, but he acted on what he knew. When we don't have the full picture of God's plan, how can we respond to unexpected changes in our lives? 138 BONUS SESSION

"Put simply, if we get the Christmas story wrong, we get the Gospel wrong." 4 A L M O H L E R APPLY IT A Promise How will God s plan for Christmas make a difference in your life? YY Seek God s plan. God s plan includes you. Though Scripture, He reveals His plan and direction for daily living. Read God s Word on a daily basis. YY Submit to God s plan. Following God s plan can bring adventure. He will lead you, bless you, and give you an abundant life, but that only comes as you surrender to Him. YY Share God s plan. You likely know people who see Christmas as a festive holiday but nothing more. Introduce them to the story of Jesus and the plan God has for them because of Jesus birth, life, death, and resurrection. Fulfilled In order to bring about salvation, God had to become one of us. The name Immanuel is a very important reminder of God s faithfulness to His people to bring about their salvation. To read the Essential Connection student devotion, "A Promise Fulfilled," visit BibleStudiesForLife.com/articles or scan this QR code. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 139

LIVE IT OUT THE CHRISTMAS STORY Isaiah 7:14 Read the two Gospel accounts of Jesus' birth in Matthew and Luke. In the space below, create a timeline of the events leading up to His birth and into His early childhood. Share the timeline with your friends and family as you celebrate Christmas this year. 140 BONUS SESSION

LIVE IT OUT GIFTED TO SERVE 1 Peter 4:8-10 We think a lot about gifts during the Christmas season. God gave us the ultimate gift of salvation through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of His Son. He has also gifted each of personally with talents and blessings that we are to use to love and serve one another. In the space below, list ways you can serve your community during this Christmas season. YY YY YY YY A tip: hhask your family to serve with you. Suggest to your parents to make serving the community an annual tradition, sharing Christ's love as we celebrate His birth. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 141

REFERENCES UNIT 2, SESSION 1 1. U.S. Abortion Statistics, ABORT73.com, [cited July 9, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://www.abort73.com. 2. When was the 4D ultrasound invented? Answer Bag, [cited July 9, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://www.answerbag.com. 3. Pro-Life America, [cited May 8, 2014]. Available from the Internet: www.prolife.com.; Medline Plus Fetal Development, [cited May 8, 2014]. Available from the Internet: www.nlm.nih.gov. 4. Induced Abortion in the United States, Guttmacher Institute, February 2014 [cited April 16, 2014]. Available from the Internet: www.guttmacher.org. 5. Vincent A. Gallagher, The Truth Cost of Low Prices: The Violence of Globalization (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Book, 2006), 96. UNIT 2, SESSION 5 1. Gay Marriage Pros and Cons, ProCon.org, [cited July 9, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://gaymarriage.procon.org. 2. Stephanie Goldberg, Is Hollywood gay enough? CNN, [cited July 9, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://www.cnn.com. 3. Susan Donaldson James, Gay Americans Make Up 4 Percent of Population, ABC News, [cited July 9, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://abcnews.go.com. 4. Justin McCarthy, Americans Views on Origins of Homosexuality Remain Split, Gallup, [cited July 9, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://www.gallup.com. 5. Get Help, Living Hope Ministries, [cited May 5, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://livehope.org/audience/churches. UNIT 2, SESSION 2 1. Poverty Facts, National Poverty Center, [cited July 9, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://www.npc.umich.edu. 2. Richest Countries in the World, Maps of the World, [cited July 9, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://www.mapsofworld.com. 3. 2014 Poverty Guidelines, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, [cited July 9, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://aspe.hhs.gov. 4. Homelessness / Poverty Stats, Statistic Brain, [cited July 9, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://www.statisticbrain.com. 5. Mother Teresa Quotes Goodreads.com, [cited May 5, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://www.brainyquote.com. UNIT 2, SESSION 6 1. Statistics, Pure Hope, [cited July 9, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://purehope.net. 2. Pornography Statistics (2014 edition), [cited May 13, 2014]. Available from the Internet: www.covenanteyes.com. 3. Statistics, http://purehope.net. 4. Pornography Statistics, www.covenanteyes.com. 5. Statistics, http://purehope.net. 6. Ibid. 7. William M. Struthers, The Effects of Porn on the Male Brain, Christian Research Journal, volume 34, number 05 (2011), [cited May 5, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://www.equip.org. UNIT 2, SESSION 3 1. Common cold, Mayo Clinic, [cited July 9, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://www.mayoclinic.org. 2. Calling in sick? This country beats everyone, CNBC, [cited July 9, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://www.cnbc.com. 3. Total Hospitals, The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, [cited July 9, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://kff.org. 4. Sickness, ThinkExist.com, cited May 5, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://thinkexist.com. BONUS UNIT 1. Nazareth to Bethlehem, CatholicIreland.net, [cited July 9, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://www.catholicireland.net. 2. Most Americans believe in Jesus virgin birth, Pew Research Center, [cited July 9, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://www.pewresearch.org. 3. Who are the various Herods mentioned in the Bible? GotQuestions.org, [cited July 9, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://www.gotquestions.org. 4. Al Mohler, Where Does the Story of Christmas Begin? AlbertMohler.com, 21 December 2009, [cited May 5, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://www.albertmohler.com. UNIT 2, SESSION 4 1. Sexual Risk Behavior: HIV, STD, & Teen Pregnancy Prevention, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, [cited July 9, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://www.cdc.gov. 2. Jon Walker, Study: 85 Percent of Films Have Sexual Content, Pastors.com, [cited July 9, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://pastors.com. 3. MYTH VS. FACT, stayteen.org, [cited July 9, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://stayteen.org. 4. Clayton King, Pure By Position, ClaytonKing.com, [cited May 5, 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://www.claytonking.com/blog.