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Q4. Read Matthew 8:5-13; 21:33-44; 22:2-13; 24:14; and 28:19. What do they have in common? What relation does the visit of the wise men have to Matthew's theme of bringing the Gospel to the Gentiles? How should we be applying this mandate in our own lives? All these references speak about the Good News which is available to all mankind. The visit of the Magi to the Child- Christ confirms that the Gospel is not limited to only the Jews but everyone irrespective of tribe, nation or race qualifies We should reach out to everyone with the Gospel no matter his tribe or race

Q3. (Matthew 2:11b) Why was it appropriate for the Magi bring gifts to the Christ-child? How does the extravagance of their gifts reflect their heart attitude? What kinds of gifts are appropriate for us to bring? It was appropriate for the Magi to bring gifts to the Christ- Child because they recognised him as a king and thus did that which was usually done for kings. The extravagance of their gifts reflected their great regard and respect for a king that comes only from their heart since they did that on their own accord and willingly too. The gifts of our hearts (our selves) are what are appropriate for the King of kings.

Q2. (Matthew 2:11a) What do we learn from seeing the Magi prostrating themselves before the child Jesus? What was the significance of this for them? How can we emulate this kind of worship? We learn humility from the wise men who prostrated before the boy Jesus For the wise men, the baby must be the king of the Jesus thus it was significant and thus their worship of the boy. We should worship the Lord in humility of heart.

Q1. (Matthew 2:1-2; Numbers 24:17) What is the significance of the Star of Bethlehem that the Magi saw? Why do you think the Magi came to find the Christ-child when they saw the star? In what way was does prophecy prefigure this event? The star was significant because it was a lead that the Magi followed to the Christ-child. It was different from any other star. The Magi came to find the Christ-child when they say the star because they have heard of the prophesy of king that was to be born and be traced by way of a star What was prophesied came to pass in the birth of Baby Jesus

Q5. (Luke 2:17-20) Great joy, praise, curiosity, amazement, telling others, thoughtful meditation. Which of these responses to the Good News are present in your life? In what manner do they show themselves? If some are missing, why? What can you do to recover these responses? Present in my life in response to the Good News are: Praise, curiosity, telling others.

Q4. (Luke 2:11) What are the three titles of Jesus given by the angels? What does each mean? What does this tell us about Jesus' true identity? The three titles of Jesus given to angels are: Saviour; Christ and Lord This means Jesus is the one that saves from sin and enemy; the Messiah and master / owner- of His people.

Q5. (1:24-25) What does Joseph accepting Mary as his wife say about his character? What is the significance for prophetic fulfillment of Jesus as a Son of David that Joseph "named" the child "Jesus"? By accepting Mary as his wife as directed God through the angel demonstrated that he was obedient and God fearing. It was prophesied that the saviour would come from David's lineage. Thus by accepting to take Mary as wife and naming her child "Jesus", Joseph from the line of David became legally the father of the Lord Jesus and Jesus thus fulfilled the prophesy of being a descendant of David.

Q4. (Matthew 1:23) How did the prophetic concept of the virgin conception and the name "Immanuel" find their fullness in the birth of Jesus to Mary? The prophetic concept of the virgin and the name "Immanuel" found fullness in the birth of Lord Jesus because He was conceived by a virgin- Mary through the power of the Holy Spirit. Hiss name Immanuel meaning God with us was fulfilled because God became man, born by the virgin Mary actually lived among His people and still does even now.

Q3. (Matthew 1:21) What is the significance of the name Jesus? Why do you think the angel gave the name to both Mary (Luke 1:31) and Joseph independently? The significance of the name Jesus is that the bearer of the name saves people from sin. The angel gave the name to both Mary and Joseph so that if one forgets the other would remember.

Q2. (Matthew 1:19) What were Mary's options being pregnant and carrying a baby not her husband's? What kind of character did Joseph exhibit by deciding to divorce Mary quietly and leniently? I think Mary had the option to terminate the pregnancy when the chips were down but God's grace was available for and she could remember her pledge to God through the angel that she was the Lord's maid willing to do as He wanted. So she kept the baby. Joseph wanted to quietly divorce Mary because he was such a considerate and righteous man who though wanted to show his righteousness to prove he was not the father of the child, yet was willing to protect her from public ridicule.

Q1. What would Jesus have learned as the son of a carpenter? What experiences would this have exposed him to? Joseph learnt carpentry work by watching his stand- in father and could have gained experience in business discussion and contracts.

Q3. (Luke 2:7-8) Why do you think the message of Jesus' birth comes to shepherds, of all people? Why is Jesus born in a stable with a manger for a bed? This has to be intentional. What point is God making? The message of Jesus birth came to shepherds and Jesus was born in a manger to show his humiltiy and mission of proclaiming the Good news to the poor.

Q2. Why do you think the journey to Bethlehem was difficult for Mary? Is pleasure an indication that we are in God's will or not? Any examples from your life? Extra Credit: Argue for or against this proposition: "Being a consistent Christian causes more hardships than just going with the flow." The journey to Bethlehem was difficult for Mary because she was at a well advanced stage of her pregnancy and had to trek 4 days journey from Nazareth to reach her destination. Pleasure and absence of challenges may not necessary mean that we are in God's will. Similarly, difficulties and challenges do not necessarily mean that we are not in God's will. Being a Christian involves getting into some hardship at times and we have been warned by the Lord Himself to be prepared for this as would surely come. It however does not mean that we will not experience challenges and hardship if we just "go with the flow".

Q1. (Luke 2:1-2) Why does Luke name the rulers in 2:1-2? What point is he making? Luke named the rulers in Luke 2:1-2 to buttress the point that Jesus was not a myth but a real person who was born when the rulers mentioned were reigning. In other words, Jesus is a historic figure who can not be wished away.

Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"? The titles are appropriate to Mary because she was actually a virgin favoured and blessed by God to carry God in her her womb through the power of the Holy Spirit. Protestants hesitate to exalt Mary as "blessed among women" because they do not want to worship her as only God is worthy to be praised and worship.

Q4. (Luke 1:38) What is the essence of Mary's positive response to the angel? What can we learn from her response for our own lives? In what sense was Mary's response an "informed consent"? When we respond to God, what do we consent to? Mary told the angel that she was the Lord's servant meaning that she was willing to do whatever God asked her to do. This should be our respond to God's call to service. Mary was encouraged by the angel when he explained to her that nothing was impossible with God, so she she was well informed hence her response was an "informed consent". When we respond to God, we should responding to obey whatever God says. So help me God.

Q3. (Luke 1:35) What does the virgin conception teach us about Jesus' nature? How central is the doctrine of the virgin conception to the Christian message? Jesus is fully God conceived and born by the power of the Holy Ghost by a human, virgin Mary. The virgin conception is central to the Christian message because it clearly affirms the incarnation- God becoming man and born by a virgin to showing His divine nature.

Mary's question to God "how" was out of faith and not doubt. Zechariah's questioning God was out of doubt.

The angel announcement to Mary and who the child will be: 1. Mary will become pregnant. 2. Mary will give birth to a son. 3. The child must be given the name "Jesus," 4. The child will become a great person 5. His title will be "Son of the Most High." 6. He will inherit "the throne of his father David 7. Finally, "his kingdom will never end."

Q7. (Isaiah 44:7b) In what sense does God "bring prosperity and create disaster"? Is God the source of evil? Of trouble? Of prosperity? Of poverty? In what sense is he responsible for these? In what sense are we responsible for these things? Since we know that God is the source of both prosperity and disaster, what should we be doing? This is a difficult question and confusing. But what James says is that God is not evil and does not cause evil. That is, He is the only Being that has the ability to bring about prosperity or disaster. He is not a source of disaster but allows disaster as a punishment for our sin or to teach us or train us through the experience for our spiritual growth and maturity. We should therefore ensure that we cling unto God for peace, prosperity and general well being so as to avoid any evil such disaster,

Q6. (Isaiah 45:1-4) How can Cyrus be called by name more than a century before he was born? In what sense is Cyrus "anointed" by God? How can an unbeliever accomplish God's purposes? What does this tell us about God? About being humble in our judgments of others? God is an All knowing God who sees the end before the start of any thing and thus has the ability to have seen Cyrus hundreds of years before He came to actualise the prophesy. Cyrus is called by God, made to be a tool in His hand to accomplish a purpose hence the term "anointed" God chose to use a donkey to use against Balaam's mission to be used by Balak to curse the Israelites on their way to the promised land, He can use anything and anybody to achieve His purposes. We should respect others and do not despise them no matter their race or religion.

Q5. (Isaiah 43) This chapter tells us specific purposes that God's people have been created for. How can you fulfill your purpose to show God's glory (verse 7)? To be his witness (verses 10, 12)? To proclaim his praise (verse 21)? What are the obstacles you are facing in fulfilling these purposes? How do you benefit from fulfilling God's purpose for you? God's people are created to show His glory by living lives that bring glory to Him. We should not do things that non believers do that are sinful and disgusting, if we do, we will be dragging His name and glory into the mud. To be His witnesses is to testify to what God has done in our lives like the Israelites had the exodus experience as a testimony. We proclaim God's praise through heart originating songs and also adoring and worshipping Him for WHO He is- our creator, redeemer, saviour, healer, provider etc. The obstacles experienced in accomplishing the above purposes are the same obstacles are well documented namely struggling and fighting against: Satan who puts stumbling blocks on our way; The world that is so deceitful and full of temptations and The flesh that is weak and resists disciplining.

Q4. (Isaiah 42:18-25) According to this passage, in what ways is God's "servant" blind? Why? Who is the "servant" in this passage? How would you assess your own degree of spiritual blindness in the last 5 or 10 years? How effective is a blind servant in accomplishing his master's purposes? How effective have youbeen? God's servant is blind in the sense that God shows him things that will make him learn but he does not see them. It is our responsibility to see what God wants us to see or learn from the trials He allows us to go through. The servant in this passage are the His children, the Israelites. I have not been spiritually 'seeing' as I should and pray that God will open my spiritual eyes to see His plans for me. I am doing better this year than before. A blind servant will be ineffective as a blind cannot lead another blind person as the Lord Jesus Christ Himself said.

Q3. (Isaiah 42:6-7) What does it mean for God's people to be "a light to the nations"? In what ways are you "letting your light shine"? How well do you represent God's covenant in your everyday life? To be "light to the nations" means God's people should let their conduct reflect Christ's character of love, joy, peace, patience... etc - the fruit of the Spirit, so that non- Christians will be attracted to Him. I must confess that I need to do better than I have in letting my light shine. So help God.

Q2. (Isaiah 42:1-4) What do these verses teach us about the Messiah? What will characterize him and his actions? What does it tell us about his quest for justice? About his tenderness? If this describes our Messiah, what difference should it make in our lives, values, and demeanor? Isaiah 42:1-4 teach that the Messiah is chosen and called by God. God delight in Him and puts His Spirit on Him and He will establish His rule on the nations with justice. He (the Messiah) is so gentle that He will not have to shout. ​By calling ourselves "Christians" which means "like Christ", we ought to be gentle and ensure justice in our dealings with others particularly where we are in authority.