thepearlturtle

Hello Everyone, My name is Brenda, and I live in Nova Scotia, Canada, with my wonderful husband Byron. I love Jesus Christ with all of my heart, mind, and strength, and I am really excited about doing this Bible study and getting to know and interact with each of you. God bless you, and may you be blessed by this study!

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? I would have to say that all of them are present in my life. Great joy is present when I think of how my life used to be so filled with despair before I knew the Lord Jesus! Praise fills my heart when I think of the wonderful love and unconditional acceptance He showers upon me, and for the amazing Truth that He has forgiven my sins past, present, and future! Curiosity fills me when I awaken each day to see what the Lord is going to do in my life today! And amazement that the Lord has so totally transformed my life from one in which I lived in abject terror of my own shadow to one in which I cannot wait to awaken to each new day now fills my life. I am excited about telling others about the Love of the Lord, and what He can do for them if they will only accept Him into their hearts! And thoughtful meditation is one response to the Good News, to the Word of God, that inspires me to go deeper and deeper in my relationship with Christ Jesus every day!

Q4. (Luke 2:11) What are the three titles of Jesus given by the angels? The three titles for Jesus given by the angels were (1) Christ meaning anointed; (2) the Greek christos, which means "Messiah", and (3) kurios, meaning "owner, lord, master, or any person of high authority. The implications of these names are that Jesus is the anonted of God, chosen by Him, and that He is the One long-expected Messiah coming to save the Israelited from their years of captivity; finally, as kurios, or Lord, He is the All-Powrful Ruler who the Jewish people have been looking for to bring them out of their captivity and oppression.

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? I think the message of Jesus' birth cames to shepherds because Jesus came to save the lost, and shepherds were the lowliest of people in His day. Jesus was born in a stable to show His identification with the lowest conditions of humanity, that He did not simply relate to kings and nobility, but to all of humanity. There was no one beyond Jesus' reach; He truly is the Saviour of all mankind, and He came to live among us all! Amen! Alleluia!

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." I believe the journey to Bethlehem was difficult for Mary because the Lord wanted to prepare her for the difficulty of being the Mother of the Saviour of the world, who would eventually be crucified. The Lord wanted to show Mary how to follow His voice and listen to Him in painful times, for she would face many. This would also enable her to teach her Son, Jesus, to listen to the voice of His Father. Pleasure is definitely not an indication that we are in the will of God. Many times when I have been walking in the will of God I have suffered greatly, and there have been other times of great joy in my life when I know I have been out of God's will. God gives rain on the good and on the evil. I believe that being a consistent Christian can cause more hardships than going with the flow in that the enemy is going to come against us as consistent Christians in order to take us out. However, I also believe that the reward of being blessed by God is much richer, and being close to the heart of the Lord enables us to endure trials in a manner that makes the suffering more joyful than the so-called "enjoyment" of doing our own thing would give us. I have endured many trials while following the Lord on a consistent basis, and the road has not been easy, but there is nothing I would trade for the awesome treasure and beauty of walking closely and intimately with my Lord Jesus.

Q1. (Luke 2:1-2) Why does Luke name the rulers in 2:1-2? What point is he making? I believe the point Luke was making is that Jesus is a real, historical figure, not just a mythical, magical character, but the Living Son of God, the Messiah, and by naming the rulers in Luke 2:1-2, Luke can set Jesus' life in a legitimate, determinable time frame in history.

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"? In accepting Mary as his wife, Joseph demonstrated the following character traits: courage; integrity; obedience to the Lord; willingness to follow the will of the Lord and not the will of his fellow man; honesty; genuineness; strength; maturity; holiness; prudence. In regard to prophetic fulfillment, in naming his son "Jesus", the significance is that Joseph was bringing to fulfillment the prophecy that Jesus would be in the bloodline of King David and that King David's throne would be continued, and also the name means "the Lord saves", so in naming his child "Jesus", Joseph was allowing the prophecy that the Lord would save His people to be fulfilled in the Person of Christ Jesus.

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 conception and the name "Immanuel" find their fullness in the birth of Jesus to Mary in that "Immanuel" means "God with us" and Jesus is the Son of God, and fully God. He came and lived among His people, and He came as the Saviour and Messiah to save His people from their sins - and all of us who will believe in His name. This is a foreshadowing prophecy, in that it has a future aspect to it as well, in that Jesus will come again for all of us who believe in Him and He will receive us into His heavenly Kingdom at the end of the age. Again, He will be our eternal Saviour dwelling with us, and we will live with Him forever. This fulfilled the prophecy in the Scriptures for a Messiah that the Jews were looking for at the time of Jesus' birth [Jesus also called Immanuel] and it also will fulfill the Scriptures given in the book of Revelation and others regarding Jesus' glorious return for us, His bride, the church.

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 it means "the Lord saves." This told both Mary and Joseph that the baby that the angel of the Lord spoke to them about was going to be the Saviour of the world, the coming Messiah. I believe that the angel gave the name to both Mary and Joseph independently so that Joseph would be the one to name the baby as the earthly father of the babe, as well as to help him in believing that Jesus is the Son of God and not the son of another man. I believe that the name was given to Mary independently to help her comprehend the miracle of a virgin conception and to assist her in her decision of saying, "Let Your will be done." Both of these people were very godly and, as a result, giving them this information helped them to make the decisions necessary to bring Jesus into the world with them as His parents, for they were both focused on doing the will of God at all costs.

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 it means "the Lord saves." This told both Mary and Joseph that the baby that the angel of the Lord spoke to them about was going to be the Saviour of the world, the coming Messiah. I believe that the angel gave the name to both Mary and Joseph independently so that Joseph would be the one to name the baby as the earthly father of the babe, as well as to help him in believing that Jesus is the Son of God and not the son of another man. I believe that the name was given to Mary independently to help her comprehend the miracle of a virgin conception and to assist her in her decision of saying, "Let Your will be done." Both of these people were very godly and, as a result, giving them this information helped them to make the decisions necessary to bring Jesus into the world with them as His parents, for they were both focused on doing the will of God at all costs.

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? Mary did not have many options carrying a baby that was not her husband's. In a culture as strict as hers, she was open to being stoned for adultery and shunned, and her only real option for self-support was prostitution. In deciding to divorce Mary quietly and leniently, Joseph showed that He was a godly, compassionate, and merciful man who was filled with the Holy Spirit of God his Father. He also displayed a lack of cruelty and Pharisaical judgment that many in his society were prone to possessing.

Q1. What would Jesus have learned as the son of a carpenter? As the son of a carpenter, Jesus would have learned how to build things, including the church, from the foundation up; He would have learned the art of relationships and fairness in business, as well as honour in completing what He sets out to do - how to keep commitments by watching His father, Joseph take on contracts and complete them. Jesus would have also learned the importance of attention to detail and how to meet individual needs, as His dad would have taken personal orders and filled them to the specification of the customer. He also would have learned that there is a certain way to do things, an order in which things have to be done in order for them to turn out properly, and that if one "cheats" on the correct way to do a job, then one does not end up with good quality. He would have learned a strong work ethic and honour and integrity, as well as mercy and compassion from being the Son of Joseph. What experiences would this have exposed him to? The experiences this would have exposed Him to would be accurate measurement, working with His hands and with tools, customer relations, assessing the worth of products, time management, the ability to maintain a schedule, the ability to manage a household, family relationships, building foundations in structures and relationships, organizational skills, and experience with co-operating with people through pricing and making deals and contracts.

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 "Blessed Virgin Mary" is appropriate for Mary in that she was a virgin when she conceived our Saviour and she was declared blessed by God Himself; the title "Mother of God" is appropriate for Mary in that she both carried and gave birth to and raised the Lord Jesus, caring for Him until He was old enough to be on His own as a human man. I believe that we are sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women" because there is such a tendency to fear exalting anyone or anything above the level of Jesus, and we fear that we will worship Mary instead of Jesus. There is a tendency in our society to fear honouring anyone lest we see them as prideful, but if we see them as they truly are in the eyes of God, then that is not pride but humility. To see ourselves for less than who we are in the eyes of the Lord is false pride, and not humility at all. We need to give each and every one of us our proper place as special and unique creations of the Almighty God, holy and dearly loved by Him, so much so that He sent His only Son to die for us, and not be afraid to see ourselves as loved and special. To see Mary as highly exalted above women does not demean us in any way, nor does it take away from the glory of God; it is only an expression of the Truth of the Scriptures. As the willing mother of God, our Heavenly Father chose to give Mary special honour, and we need to respect and honour His Word and do the same. We also need to recognize what she teaches us on the importance of obedience to the Lord.

Mary had a pure heart that desired to please God and her question was one of wonder, not one of doubting that God could accomplish the miracle in her. She was willing to be used by Him in any way that He desired her to be used. Zechariah's question was a question of definite unbelief, where he did not believe in the possibility of Elizabeth's pregnancy in her old age and in his old age, so he was disciplined for his lack of faith. I know that, while I desire to have the faith of Mary, I am more likely to have the unbelief of Zechariah. It is my prayer that I be always open to the move of God in my life and that I always be willing to be used of Him in whatever way He desires. May I respond to Him as Mary did: "Let it be done to me as You have said." Amen!

The Angel's announcement said the following things about the Child and who He was to become: The Child is to be called Jesus, and He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end, and He will be called the Son of God.