FIRST BAPTIST RAYTOWN

FIRST BAPTIST RAYTOWN LUKE 2:1-7; PHILIPPIANS 2:5-8 DECEMBER 22, 2013 TEACHING PLAN PREPARATION > Spend the week reading through and studying Luke 2:1-7 and Philippians 2:5-8. Consult the commentary provided and any additional study tools (such as a concordance or Bible dictionary) to enhance your preparation. > Determine which discussion points and questions will work best with your group. > Pray for Pastor Brandon, the upcoming group meeting, your teaching, your group members, and their receptivity to the lesson. HIGHLIGHTS BIBLICAL EMPHASIS: Luke 2 tells the story of Jesus birth, highlighting His identity as the Son of God, God s promised Messiah. One of the most familiar details of the Christmas story is that Jesus, the Son of God, was born in a manger because there was no room for Him in the inn. TEACHING AIM: Like the people at the inn, we tend to crowd Christ out during the Christmas season, even though He is the only reason for the season. This Christmas, make it a point to renew your commitment and surrender to Christ. 1 No Vacancy First Baptist Raytown

INTRODUCTION As your group time begins, use this section to help get the conversation going. 1 What are the worst crowds you have encountered this Christmas season? Where were you, and how was the crowd? Notes: 2 Was enduring the crowd worth it? Crowds are an inevitable part of the Christmas season. They show up everywhere from the mall to the grocery to the websites that crash on Cyber Monday. Mary and Joseph had waited nine months for their promised child to be born, but when the time finally came, they were crowded out of all the civilized birthplace options. As a result, the Son of God was born into the most humble of circumstances. UNDERSTANDING Unpack the biblical text to discover what Scripture says or means about a particular topic. In a remote corner of the Roman Empire, anticipation continued to grow. Jews in the Holy Land awaited God s promised Messiah. Though some looked for a priestly deliverer, most expected a king in David s mold a military champion who would free them from Rome s hated occupation and restore the nation to power and prominence. In God s chosen time, after years of patience, He acted. He did so, however, in a way nobody expected. > Have a volunteer read Luke 2:1-7. The simplicity of Luke s record of the Messiah s birth stands in sharp contrast to the tremendous significance of that event. Luke s record, in addition to setting the historical context, reveals God s powerful providence at work. God worked through the plans of government officials to bring Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem for Jesus birth. Read Micah 5:2. How did God use the Roman government in bringing about Jesus birth and fulfilling Micah s prophecy about the Messiah? 2 No Vacancy First Baptist Raytown

What do we learn about God s work in the world through this detail? The emperor Caesar Augustus reigned over the Roman Empire more than 40 years. His rule ended in A.D. 14. During his long reign, Caesar Augustus provided a period of calm and a permanent organization of his empire that later facilitated the spread of Christianity. Caesar Augustus decreed that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. Such a census required the entry of information including one s name, occupation, and property into the public registers. How do you think Mary and Joseph felt about the timing of the census? How are they an example of surrender and commitment to God during the time leading up to Jesus birth? Joseph joined other travelers making their way to their ancestral homes. Joseph s own town or ancestral home was Bethlehem. To make his trip, Joseph had to travel from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem in Judea. Bethlehem also was known as the town of David because David had been born there approximately one thousand years earlier. Luke carefully pointed out Joseph s, and thus Jesus, Davidic (and messianic) lineage. At this point Mary was advanced in her pregnancy, and she made the journey with Joseph. Both were acting in obedience to the will of God, which had been revealed to them from the angel (see Luke 1:26-38; Matt. 1:18-25). What stands out to you about the details surrounding Jesus birth? Pledged to Be Married (2:5) A Jewish girl generally was pledged in marriage to a man when she was about 13 years old. They were considered to belong to one another, although they did not live together, nor did they have sexual relationships during the betrothal period. About a year later the actual marriage occurred. Luke used this language in an unusual way to emphasize the virginal conception of Jesus. Joseph and Mary were pledged to each other. They were obviously traveling together as only a husband and wife would normally do. They were expecting a child, another situation normally experienced only by husband and wife. But they had not consummated the marriage with sexual relationships and so were not fully married. After Mary and Joseph s arrival in Bethlehem, the time came for the baby to be born. Mary laid her newborn Child in a manger, an animal s feeding trough, because there was no room in the inn. An inn, probably 3 No Vacancy First Baptist Raytown

an overnight lodging place for caravans, would provide primitive shelter at best. There was no room in this public place, however, because of the crowds for the census. This account of Jesus birth reflects a situation of poverty and powerlessness. The Messiah humbled Himself in ways beyond our comprehension. In his letter to the Philippians, the apostle Paul wrote a wonderful summary of the character and work of Jesus, which described His humbling act of coming to earth. From this passage we are reminded of the way we are to respond to all Jesus has done for us. > Have a volunteer read Philippians 2:5-8. With verse 5, Paul called believers to imitate Christ. He admonished Christians to have the same disposition or attitude that our Lord exhibited in His birth, life, and death. What do we learn about Jesus from Paul s description of Him? Of the words and phrases in this passage, which gives you the best idea of the attitude of Christ Paul calls us to imitate? Read Mark 10:43-45. How did Jesus describe His own attitude? In very nature God (v. 6) Paul referred to the time before Christ came to earth as a man. The term translated nature is morphe, meaning form, essence, or expression. Before Jesus became a man, He was God. He possessed the divine essence of Godhood. He was equal with God the Father and God the Spirit. Being born as a baby in Bethlehem took nothing away from His deity. It only added humanity. Being fully God, His complete and absolute deity is here carefully expressed by the apostle. What does that attitude look like when lived out in our lives? How does it change the way we relate to God and to others? Paul pointed his readers to Christ, the supreme example of the proper attitude of humble selflessness. Jesus did not view His Deity as something to be used to His advantage. Rather, Christ emptied Himself. In His incarnation, Christ was fully God and fully human; He never ceased to be God, but He displayed total commitment and surrender to the plans of the Father. Paul was referring to Christ s 4 No Vacancy First Baptist Raytown

freely choosing to leave heaven s glories for a time in selfless ministry to others. Paul stressed that Christ took on the form of a slave. He was God incarnate, yet He came to serve (Mark 10:45). What do you think it was like for Jesus to leave heaven and become human? What did He give up in doing so? What did we gain from His action? Though culture often views humility as a weakness, in what ways did Jesus humility convey and require strength? As God s Son, Christ was consistently obedient to His Heavenly Father, even when His obedience resulted in His opponents putting Him to death. Christ placed the Father s will above His own (see Mark 14:36). Christians who follow Christ s example exhibit self-sacrificial love toward other believers and willing obedience to God. With a healthy, balanced view of ourselves, we neither think too highly nor too little of ourselves. With that wholesome attitude, we can serve God and others effectively. APPLICATION Help your group identify how the truths from the Scripture passage apply directly to their lives. 1 What steps do you need to take this week to be able to focus on the goal of not crowding Christ out of Christmas? Appearance as a Man (v. 8) In the incarnation, Jesus took the form of a man and looked like any other male living in first-century Israel. He had a functioning physical body. He covered His body with clothing. He got hungry, tired, and sad. His true essence or glory was veiled as He remained fully God. Even though He appeared like us, He was not totally like us in that He did not have a sinful, fallen nature (1 John 3:5). He had to be human to face the problems we face, and He had to be a man to die for us. The thought of the God of the universe becoming human is indeed mind-boggling. The mighty and magnificent Sovereign of creation put aside His great position in heaven to take a body like yours or mine. 2 How might you remind yourself daily of the character of Christ this week? 3 Set aside 10 minutes each day this week to read this passage in Philippians 2 as a reminder of the implications of Jesus birth. How do you think your attitude might begin to change as you do so? 5 No Vacancy First Baptist Raytown

4 Has the reality of Jesus lordship penetrated all the spheres of your life? Which area of your life is stubbornly resisting the truth of His reign? What step toward surrender of that area will you take this week? Notes: P R A Y Divide up into pairs or small groups of men and women. Encourage everyone to share their prayer needs, specifically related to areas they need to practice humility and surrender as they seek to follow God. Challenge the groups to begin their prayer time by voicing statements of gratitude and praise to God for the work of Jesus on our behalf. FOLLOW UP Midway through this week, send a follow-up email to your group with some or all of the following information: > Questions to consider as they continue to reflect on what they learned this week: What is one specific way you can imitate Christ s humility and obedience this coming week? What is the most memorable or impactful way that Christ has been a part of your Christmas week? > A note of encouragement, following up on any specific prayer request mentioned during your group gathering. > The challenge to memorize Philippians 2:5-8. 6 No Vacancy First Baptist Raytown

COMMENTARY DECEMBER 22, 2013 LUKE 2:1-7 2:1-3. Luke s account of Jesus birth story is unique. Not only did he write of John the Baptist s birth, but he alone recorded the actual birth event of Jesus (2:1-7). God works in and through history to accomplish His sovereign purposes. Luke illustrated this truth with the notation of a registration that occurred in the Roman empire during the reign of Caesar Augustus (2:1-2). At the time of this registration, everyone returned to his own town to be counted. Notes: 2:4. Luke intentionally emphasized that Joseph went to register in the city of King David s birth (see 1 Sam. 17:12). The timing of the registration and the requirement for Joseph and Mary to travel to Bethlehem set Jesus birth in a definite historical context. God used that context to fulfill the long-promised event of the Messiah s being born in Bethlehem (see Mic. 5:2). 2:6-7. After Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem, the time came for her to give birth. We cannot know the event s exact timing. Jesus, conceived by a miracle of God, resembled no other child. Mary treated Jesus as any mother might minister to a newborn. The fully divine Jesus also was fully human, needing the tender care of parents. Jesus first earthly resting place also highlighted His human nature. A feeding trough used by nearby animals became Jesus first crib. PHILIPPIANS 2:5-8 These verses from Paul paint a poignant picture of the humility Christ revealed in His incarnation and His substitutionary death. Paul urged them to exchange their selfish motives for the Savior s attitude. While Christ has all cause for glorying, being God Himself, He willingly surrendered Himself for the needs of others. The Son of God did not seek His own advantage, that is, He refused to ignore others needs. The passage states that Jesus Christ made himself nothing. The result was that the Savior set aside His glory to minister grace and mercy to those who are most undeserving of such blessings. 7 No Vacancy First Baptist Raytown

COMMENTARY DECEMBER 22, 2013 The phrase Have this mind among yourselves (v. 5) commands the church to value Christ s character as a model. The key thought of verse 6 is that Jesus did not consider His own interests, thus allowing them to dominate His actions. Form (v. 6) suggests His complete deity. Equality with God indicates His co-equality with God and separate personality (the second person of the Trinity). To be used for His own advantage is capable of two connotations. It can mean to grasp (steal), but because of Jesus deity it probably means to clutch (hang on to at all costs). The phrase translated made himself nothing (v. 7) is much debated. Theologians ponder what Jesus emptied Himself of. It is certain that He did not divest Himself of deity or its attributes. Two statements accompany the verb. First, taking the form of a slave indicates that God the Son became a servant. Form indicates true servanthood, as does the word slave. Second, the likeness of men explains both emptying and servanthood. Likeness differs from form. Two statements explain the second verb humbled (v. 8). First, being found in human form provides the time of His humility. External form contrasts with the form of God (v. 6). Jesus was more than human, though He came to earth in the form of a man. Second, Jesus humility came through becoming obedient. Servants or slaves obey; Jesus obeyed God, even to the point of dying on a cross. 8 No Vacancy First Baptist Raytown