E. Bethlehem

[Pastor Ralph]

Please share your thoughts on one or more of the questions in this lesson. 

[hanks]

1.   Why does Luke name the Roman rulers in 2:1-2? What point is he making?

For us to know that the Bible records actual history and real events, and is not a “once upon a time” story. This is real and can be dated as falling in the reign of Caesar Augustus who ruled from 27 BC until 14 AD. Herod the Great’s reign ended in 4 BC. It has been determined that Jesus was born between 6 and 4 BC. Luke is making the point that Jesus Christ is a historical person and not some made-up myth or fictious person.

2.   What is the significance of Joseph being a descendant of David? (2:4) What is the significance of Bethlehem in Messianic prophecy (Micah 5:2)?

We see that all the circumstances surrounding the birth of the Messiah are firmly in the hand of God’s providence. The Old Testament is filled with prophecies that the Messiah would be born in David's royal line (see, for example, Isa 11:1; Jer 33:15; Eze 37:24; Hos 3:5). Caesar Augustus made a decree that a census should be taken throughout his empire. To register, everyone had to go to their ancestral city. In Joseph’s case this city was Bethlehem, called the city of David since it was his place of birth. Joseph and Mary were both descendants of David. And so, it was that Joseph had to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem in Judea to register, along with Mary who was engaged to him and was with child. The Messiah was going to be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). This was predicted hundreds of years before Jesus was born. We see how God got Joseph a humble carpenter from Nazareth in the right place at the right time so that Micah’s prophecy could be fulfilled.

3.   What is the scandal in verse 5? What hardship is Mary experiencing? What about Joseph?

Mary had gone to be with Elizabeth for 3 months, but after returning to her village she must been obviously pregnant. This must have been a most difficult time for her being exposed to so much shame, gossip, and scorn. Just imagine her trying to explain this to her parents, let alone to other villagers. Joseph must have been totally confused. He knew Mary to be a godly young girl, yet she was going to have a child, even though she was a virgin. He must have wondered what to do. Break the engagement or even whether to stone her to death. To him the only possible explanation was that she had been unfaithful to him. Fortunately, an angel of the Lord appeared to him (Matt 1:19-21) and explained that the baby was miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit, and the baby would be the King, the Saviour, the Son of God - God in human flesh.

4.   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?

Being 9 months pregnant, the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem over about 120 km took them about 4 days, and must have been most difficult and uncomfortable. Especially over the hills surrounding Jerusalem. And when they came to Bethlehem there was no room for them. 

I don’t think pleasure is an indication that we are in God’s will; perhaps just the contrary. I know from personal experience my best times of growing and drawing closer to our Lord, have been when undergoing trying circumstances. I’m sure we are often tested for our own good – God preparing us for eternity. Being a Christian does not guarantee an easy life of prosperity and having all that we want. God refines us and disciplines us all for our own good. I would not have it any other way! We have to trust God in all we do and surrender all to Him. He is not opposed to pleasure for He created this world and everything in it, the good things and the bad things, for us to experience, but not to the detriment of our relationship with Him. More importantly we were created to glorify God and to delight in Him (Ps 37:4). All I know is that if we are disobedient we can find ourselves feeling miserable, and separated from our Heavenly Father. 

5.   Extra Credit: Argue for or against this proposition: "Being a consistent Christian causes more hardships than just going with the flow."

Being a consistent Christian is no guarantee that we will not experience discomfort, inconvenience, struggles, and tribulations or even worse. But of one thing we can be certain is that they will develop our perseverance; which will strengthen our faith and character, as well as deepening our trust in God. We can be sure Jesus will never leave us to face our struggles alone, with His help and that of the Holy Spirit we will overcome.

6.   To what do you attribute Messiah's birth in a stable - poor planning? (2:7) What message does the manger convey to modern-day disciples?

Just the opposite! God is sovereign and He planned His Son’s birth long before creation, in the finest detail. Just as foretold in the OT hundreds of years before. Although He is the true King, He came to earth in humble circumstances, and this was all to show that He came to serve. To die on the cross so that our sins will be forgiven and that we can spend eternity with Him. He is the perfect example of lowly service, coming into the world not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. It’s so amazing to think that the exalted Lord humbled Himself to the manger and to the cross. His greatness was manifested in the depth of His humiliation. He gave His life a ransom for many (Matt 20:28). His death satisfied all God's righteous demands against sin. It was sufficient to put away all the sins of all those who accept Him as Lord and Saviour.

7.   If our culture is enamoured with bigness and success, and humility runs across the grain, what appeal can the humble Jesus have to people today?

True Christianity demands humility and is not only necessary to enter the kingdom, it is also necessary to be great in the kingdom (Matt 20:26-27). The humble Jesus is our model. He was always obedient to the Father and so should the humble Christian be willing to put aside all selfishness and submit in obedience to God and His Word. True humility produces godliness, contentment, and security. God has promised to give grace to the humble, while He opposes the proud (Proverbs 3:34; 1 Peter 5:5). Therefore, we must confess and put away pride. If we exalt ourselves, we place ourselves in opposition to God who will, in His grace and for our own good, humble us. But if we humble ourselves, God gives us more grace and exalts us (Luke 14:11).

8.   Extra Credit: How far do you think Jesus "emptied Himself" by being born a human? What aspects of His divinity did He retain during His time in human flesh? What aspects did He lay aside?

Jesus Christ was humble, willing to “empty Himself” by giving up His rights in order to obey God and serve people.

We note that He has always existed with God, He is equal to God because He is God, yet Jesus became a man in order to fulfil God's plan of salvation for all people. He did not just have the appearance of being a man, but actually became human to identify with our sins. He did not give up His deity to become human, He was still omniscient (all-knowing), He was still omnipresent (present in all places at one and the same time), and He was still omnipotent (all powerful). What He did was to empty Himself of His positional equality with God and to veil the glory of Deity in a body of human flesh. The glory was all there, though hidden, but it did shine forth on occasions, such as on the Mount of Transfiguration. There was no moment in His life on earth when He did not possess all the attributes of God.

[Irmela]

1. Why does Luke name the Roman rulers in 2:1-2? What point is he making? He names the Roman rulers who were in power when Jesus was born, as they are mentioned in early documents ad well. Luke is pointing out that Jesus has an historical context. He is a person in history. He is not just a legend. Jesus is historical and verifiable.
2. What is the significance of Joseph being a descendant of David? (2:4)    Joseph belonged to the house and line of David and he had to go to Bethlehem ( birthplace of David) to register for the census, as was requested by Caesar Augustus.    What is the significance of Bethlehem in Messianic prophecy (Micah 5:2)?  The Messiah, from the house of Judah and the line of David, was to be born in Betlehem. Mary was due to deliver and do they would be in Bethlehem at the right time.  GOD's timing is awesomely PERFECT. He uses the weird things that man thinks of that seem so way out .... and perfects it for prophecy to be fulfilled.
3. What is the scandal in verse 5?    Mary was not yet married and she was with child.  After she returned from her cousin Elizabeth it could possibly not be hidden anymore.  What hardship is Mary experiencing? Possibly misunderstanding and rejection from her family and friends. (According to law she could have been stoned.)   At the time when they had to register, Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.                              What about Joseph?  Joseph was in a predicament as he had to go to Bethlehem for the census, this was a four days journey away. It was a difficult journey and Mary was due to deliver. Then came the question also of where to stay, while in Bethlehem. Once they arrived there, there was no place in the inn. 
4. Why do you think the journey to Bethlehem was difficult for Mary?    Mary was at the end of her pregnancy and the journey under normal circumstances took 4 days. It was difficult and tiring.                        Is pleasure an indication that we are in God's will or not?  Pleasure is definately not necessarily an indication. I would sooner say inner peace (amidst hardship) is.
5. Argue for or against this proposition: "Being a consistent Christian causes more hardships than just going with the flow." It very likely will cause more hardships. There will be times when going with the flow would mean that you rely on others and not on the Lord and then when you go against what others are doing there will be queries and you will have to stand firm (sometimes alone and not necessarily for only 1 day) and do what you feel what Christ would have you do or go where you feel Christ would have you go. It would mean losing friends.
6. To what do you attribute Messiah's birth in a stable -- poor planning? (2:7)  Definately not poor planning. Phil 2:7 actually has the answer - He stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity] so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave) ....      Not only to be born as a human being but also in a place (with the animals) where you would sooner find fugitives, slaves and servants)   Prophevies of Messiah's coming, fulfilled to the 'T'.                           What message does the manger convey to modern-day disciples?   Not to seek glory but servanthood.
7. If our culture is enamored with bigness and success, and humility runs across the grain, what appeal can the humble Jesus have to people today?   Humility is far greater than pride and even in our culture it has a far greater appeal to people. Jesus was obedient to God the Father, even to death. He gave His everything because of love. Looking at His life - there is far greater appeal to follow that, than the "stars" of today -  many of who are not good examples, yet get mans' acclaim.
8. How far do you think Jesus "emptied himself" by being born a human? He gave up everything. He was tried in like manner as we are.  He experienced the same emotions ... experienced the same physically as we do. 

[Bailey]

Bailey 12/11/20

3.  What is the scandal in verse 5?  What hardship is Mary experiencing ?  What about Joseph?    Scandal, if Mary's neighbors are like my neighbors or even growing up in the community where I lived in as a child,  She was lucky that she was not shipped off to the farm or to her grandmothers house.  To be pregnant and at her age was taboo, and not married, it's worse.  Mary helped with Elizabeth's  delivery, but I don't think she was writing notes, it came so fast because it was new to the both of them.  Now this child must grow up quick and travel with her unborn baby over rough roads, bad weather and who knows what.  I wonder during this, Jesus is sensing his mothers nervousness and I wonder if he somehow was calming to her because babies react to the mothers responses and mood.  Now poor Joseph, If he didn't know how to pray in the spirit now was the time to start.  One I don't know his age, I gather young, got a pregnant teen on a donkey, trying to make the census, it's late , they don't have no where to stay, he's freaking out because he's probably saying, "I don't know nothing about birthing no babies"?    Where is that angel now?

4.  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?  Look for all the reasons I gave in number 3, plus to ride on the back of a donkey, and I am sure Jesus was not very thrilled either, since he was about to deliver.  No one promised to any of us that the road would be easy and that it would be easy, but you got to have faith and believe he will see you through and bring you out.   I worked in a very dangerous gang neighborhood many years ago,  I was inside with several leaders trying to resolve the lines of  no shooting and killing if innocent babies.  We negotiates a cease fire for the weekend.  When I got ready to leave I could feel my heart racing and that steal small voice said, "pray".  I got to the door that leads outside there were over 500 gang members waiting for me.   Right then and there I started to Plead the blood of Jesus, Walk with me Lord.  I couldn't show no fear,  my sheriff , had a gun, I told him to be cool and tell me a joke.  In my mind I was singing I want Jesus to walk with me, to hold my Lord on the Journey .  Needless to say, I said good evening gentlemen, did my wave and got in truck and got with no trouble. Was it in God's Pleasure for this black women to live, yes it was the grace of God and my knowledge of knowing him and having a relationship with him.  My partner, wanted to call for backup,  when we sat in the car, I took his hand  and said thank God for Jesus.

7.  If our culture is enamored with bigness and success, and humility runs across the grain, what appeal can the humble Jesus have to people today?   This question comes at a time when the world in going through Covid , Some people have forgotten about the birth of Jesus and truthfully,  the love of Christ has been missing for some time now.  The church are not teaching repentance, deliverance, sin.  Some are saying its okay you will still go to heaven, there is no hell.  It's okay to destroy what doesn't belong to, but no is saying seek God's face in this storm, turn from our wicked ways and we will hear from God.  America has abandoned God and bible.

[Queen Mc Daniel]

Why does Luke name the Roman rulers in 2:1-2? What point is he making?

Luke Name the Roman rulers in 2:1-2 to establish the time of Christ’s birth. The point is that Jesus was born in history and the person in power at that time were Caesar Augustus, founder of the Roman Empire, Herod the Great (Matthew 2:1) and Quirinius , military leader and Roman consul in central Asia Minor.

What is the significance of Joseph being a descendant of David? (2:4)

The significance of Joseph being a descendant of David mean that Jesus had a legal right to be king through Joseph because his genealogies establish the Lord Jesus as the true Davidic King

What is the significance of Bethlehem in Messianic prophecy (Micah 5:2)? According to Luke, Joseph came to Bethlehem with Mary because he was of the house of David, while there Mary gave birth and according to Micah 5:2 this fulfills the Messianic prophecy of Jesus

What is the scandal in verse 5? What hardship is Mary experiencing? What about Joseph?

The scandal in verse 5 is, Mary is a young pregnant girl pledged to be married to Joseph. Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth; if Mary had stays behind she would face a scandal of being pregnant alone. The hardship Mary experience was, traveling ninety miles in her late pregnancy, but God needed them both to be in  Bethlehem at the same time, thus, trusting God even through hardship is the meaning of faith and being obedient

[AlamoIlliniRx]

the birth of Jesus teaches His Disciples life lessons.  the role of government in calling for a census which required Joseph and Mary to travel back to Bethlehem.  How compliant Joseph and Mary with the government order.  Joseph and Mary were not radicals.  they were not rebels. The Faith  that both displayed in complying with this government order to make the trip to Bethlehem is an example for His Disciples. The birth of Jesus in a barn testifies to the Faith of Mary and Joseph.  No professional medical care. No assistance at all.   Jesus Christ was born without any other human witnesses but Joseph and Mary and the angels which attended.  Angels assisted Mary and Joseph in the birth of Jesus.  This is an example for His Disciples that we can always have Faith that the LORD will provide the assistance of His angels in any emergency or trial.  While we do not ignore science, we have the Faith in Spiritual assistance and help in addition to the physical, professional expertise.

[Happy and in Love]

The birth of Christ or the coming of the Messiah was prophesied by the prophets of the Old Testament and the New Testament.  Because Luke was a physician and he focused, in my opinion, on the humanity aspects of the birth of Christ.  He reveals to us before the birth of Christ, the establishment of the Roman Empire and the power used by man to sustain and maintain such great power.  King Herod considered himself as being the mightiest of all kings and  he eliminated all who possess a threat to his throne.  

God promised David that his kingdom and throne will always be established before Him.  As we well know, God does not go back on His word.  Therefore, the significance of Joseph being a descendant of David and Bethlehem in Messianic prophesy was center in the fulfilment of God's promise to David.   From Genesis to Revelation, God uses what man considers to be the least insignificant for the most significant in fulfilling of His word. 

When a Christian is consistent in their walk with Christ, they will experience what many people, including some Christians, consider to be hardship.  But to me hardship is symbolic with desolation, destruction and destitute. We serve a God of perfect peace.  We serve a God who is sovereign. He is omniscience, omnipotent and omnipresence.  The bible teaches us that man born of a woman, days are full of trouble.  But, the good news is that Jesus had overcome the world.  And understand that we will have trials and tribulations.  We will be tested. However know that each time we stay consistent in our walk with God, the enemy's plan is frustrated. God never promised us a bed of roses but He did promise us that He will never leave us or forsake us. Plus, He promise never to put more on us than what we can bear.  We have Jesus as our Savior, our Advocate, our Intercessor and our Messiah.  He will see us through all difficulties and whenever we call on  Him, we must be patient because He will answer us  in His time.  So we should never think that our prayers goes unheard.  Sometimes, the delay in receiving our answer is because the angels have to fight with the enemy to get to us.  Nevertheless, we have to make the decision to come to Him.  He will not make the choice for us but He will never let us go.  He boasts about how He has not lost a one that God has given unto Him.   That is why it is so important to pray without ceasing and to rejoice. When you're focusing on the good, you're automatically become righteous.  God delights in our righteousness.  Righteousness brings about faith and we cannot please God without faith.    To stay in constant commune with Jesus we must have the confidence of knowing who we are and to whom we belong.  Yet, we are still flesh. We have to fight the good fight of faith all the day long- everyday.  Jesus knows this.  He supplies us with grace that is more than enough and mercies that endures forever.  He sees us through the process of sanctification, the process of transformation and the process of discipleship.  We are endowed with His Holy Spirit.  Lets listen to Him and obey.  

Recent, I received a letter which I interpret as being accusatory and offensive.  Well, I became extremely mad (only dogs get mad) and want to yield my frustration upon the sender of the letter.  I have had a very busy day of work (sign of weakness) and I came home late in the evening.  I was totally "fired up" and wanted to cause some harm.  How dare the sender accuse me.  I talked with Christ briefly aloud.  Then, I went to the phone.  The caller said to me exactly what I did not want to hear at that time.  I wanted the caller to respond in support of how I felt.  This had not been the first time I was accuse of something by the sender.  Wasn't the enemy trying to push that button to get me to react in manner not reflective of Christ.  Not mentioned, I asked God to enable me to live a life that is reflective of Him.  So, I chilled, I calmed down and that is when the Lord start speaking to me.  He had me to see the insignificancy of the attack of the enemy.  The letter had nothing to stand on.  Even so, it was not the first time I had been falsely accused.  Furthermore, it was written evidence that supports my claim of harassment.  I repented of my sin, prayed for the sender and thank God for making all things possible.   

 

[Katy]

Q1. Jesus was really born , He is not a make believe figure. By stating who was in power and ruling at the time of Jesus birth, Luke is placing Jesus within a set time frame. He is a person in history, He has a historical context. Jesus can be found also in the writings of people like Josephus,Tacitus and also in the Talmud.

Q2. Because Joseph belonged to the house of David he had to travel from where he was living  Nazareth to register in the town of his birth which was Bethlehem. God promised King David almost a thousand years before Jesus birth that he would have some one of his line on the throne. Samuel 7v16 “ Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me;your throne will be established forever.

Micah prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem Ephrathah and He would rule over Israel and that His origins are from long long ago. 
To fulfill prophecy Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem at the time Mary was ready to have her baby. It was not an accident that a census was called for at this time. 
Q3. Joseph and Mary were pledged to be married, but not married yet, and Mary was expecting a baby! There would have been gossip and Mary would have been treated as an outcast. But Joseph was looking after her following words from God about the circumstances of Mary’s pregnancy.

Q4.Mary was advanced in her pregnancy and undertook a four day journey to be in Bethlehem to sign a register because both she and Joseph were of the house of David. 
Today a journey towards the end of pregnancy would be hard but in Mary’s day it would have meant walking or riding an animal. Enough to put any women into labour. But we see no evidence of Mary complaining , she just got on with what she had to do. A great example to me. Mary was certainly in God’s will, but life was difficult for her. Even when she completed the journey, nothing improved , she had to give birth in a dirty stable with animals around her. 
An example from my life, I know I am in the Lords will being at home looking after my husband, I long to be working in countries where I could help refugees or children who have no parents, or helping girls who have been rescued from prostitution, but it is not to be and I must fully embrace where I am. But I feel there is so much need in the world and I am doing nothing about it!! I have been on three short trips. My husband needs me and I know the Lord has me here. It sounds as though I don’t want to be here but that’s not true either, I want to be in two places at once! 
Q6. Jesus emptied Himself of every privilege He had as part of the Godhead and became nothing.Philippians 2v7. He came to serve us all and He started His road of humility from the first moment of life by being born in a stable.

Jesus set an example for us to follow, to serve our fellow human beings , both when it suits us and when it doesn’t. We must not do it for praise from people but we must do it as a way to serve our Lord and Saviour. 
Q7. Bigness and success may bring satisfaction for a while but it doesn’t last. Jesus humility may bring a fresh way of living to people worn out from pursuing greatness. Also within each person God has put a desire for Him into their hearts , but many just don’t realise it is God they need/ want. Romans1v 19-20.Ecclesiastes 3v11. This is a challenge to us to take every opportunity to share Jesus with those we come in contact with.

[Old Jerry]

Why does Luke name the Roman rulers in 2:1-2? What point is he making?

 

A. I think that Luke named the Roman rulers to place Jesus’ birth in history.

 

What is the significance of Joseph being a descendant of David? (2:4) What is the significance of Bethlehem in Messianic prophecy (Micah 5:2)?

 

A. The significance of Joseph being a descendant of David is that God promised David that he would have his descendants in charge forever.

 

What is the scandal in verse 5? What hardship is Mary experiencing? What about Joseph?

 

A. The scandal in verse 5 is that Mary was pregnant and was about to have the baby. Mary’s hardship was that she was about to have a baby and had to travel and Joseph was with her to keep her comfortable.

 

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?

 

A. Mary was about to have the baby and the journey must been very uncomfortable. Comfort has nothing to do with God’s will. His will is for us to do what he has put on our heart. An example is mission trips.

 

Extra Credit: Argue for or against this proposition: "Being a consistent Christian causes more hardships than just going with the flow."

 

A. Being a Christian causes more hardships then just flowing along with the crowd because we are always having to justify ourselves.

 

To what do you attribute Messiah's birth in a stable -- poor planning? (2:7) What message does the manger convey to modern-day disciples?

 

A. I think that the Messiah’s birth in a stable was to tell us that Jesus was a man and He is like us but is also God.

 

If our culture is enamored with bigness and success, and humility runs across the grain, what appeal can the humble Jesus have to people today?

 

A. The appeal that a humble Jesus can have on us today is that we know that He also went through the same things that we did. He can stand at the right hand of God and know our problems.

 

Extra Credit: How far do you think Jesus "emptied himself" by being born a human? What aspects of his divinity did he retain during his time in human flesh? What aspects did he lay aside?

 

A. Jesus completely “emptied himself” by being born human. Some of divinity that he retained as a human was being able to perform miracles, rebuke that devil. He laid aside the aspects of being willing to die on the cross.

[Katy]

Q1.Luke is placing Jesus firmly into history. By naming the rulers of the time he is telling us exactly when and where Jesus was born and lived. These rulers can be traced and placed in the context of the history of the time, Jesus is also verified in this way.

Q2.Throughout the Old Testament there were prophecies saying that David’s line would continue, and that the Messiah would come from that line. The eleventh chapter of Isaiah tells us about this, as does Jeremiah 33v15. and others. Joseph was from this line and Jesus was His son. Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem to comply with Caesar Augustus’s order to complete a census and because of this they were In Bethlehem when it was time for the birth of Jesus. To some it may seem coincidental but we know it was God’s design to fulfill Scripture. 

[Katy]

Q3. The scandal was that Mary although pledged to be married to Joseph was not yet married but was expecting a baby. Mary is a very young girl , inexperienced in life and is now faced with the scandal of a pregnancy before marriage. Joseph must be shocked, bewildered and saddened by these events. He had decided to divorce Mary quietly until he has a dream in which he is told that this baby is of God and to marry her, Matthew 1 v 20 -21. 
Q4. Mary was about to give birth to her baby and now has to travel a four day journey on the back of a donkey. To stay behind would mean being alone to face the negative attitudes of her neighbours. Mary must have been most uncomfortable and probably well into labour by the time they reached Bethlehem. She must also have had all the normal apprehensions of a first time mum as well as the wonder and anticipation of bearing the Son of God. Pleasure is not an indicator of God’s will. Often we can be in God’s will and life can be trying and difficult, but if we are not in God’s will life would be even more difficult. When we are in God’s will, He is walking with us no matter how hard everything is at the time.We know we are not facing it alone.

Q5. Being a consistent Christian definitely causes more hardships than going with the flow. When we go with the flow we melt into the will of those around us. And go unnoticed, complying to whatever is happening. When we are consistent we don’t go with the flow we nail our colours to the mast and speak out in truth. At times this can be very hard especially if you are in company and you are the only one with Christian views, it can be so much easier to go with the flow but then you know that you have sinned and let our Saviour down. Nothing is worth those awful feelings. 
Q6. . Jesus birth in a stable was not due to bad planning. It was all planned to the last detail. It happened as it was prophesied in the Old Testament.  Jesus birth shows us His humility and nobody can say “ Well Jesus was rich and was born in a palace”. Very few people will be born in such humble circumstances. For modern day disciples the manger gives us an example of humility and the need to live simply and frugally, in this materialistic world.

Q7.Many people are involved in the race to keep up with those around them. Some are not conscious that that is what they are doing but it can become very tiring and false and impossible to keep going. Jesus in His humility offers us a healthy alternative. This alternative may seem difficult at first, mainly due to our pride. But if Jesus example is followed without compromise it leads to a far easier, healthier, and less complicated existence.

Q8.In Philippians 2v 6 -7 we are told” Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” Jesus made Himself nothing, He emptied Himself of all His power and majesty and took on human flesh and was born in the most humble of circumstances, after living in a sinful world, He who had no sin, suffered awful torture and was nailed to a cross. So Jesus was fully human but He was still able to work miracles, know what people were thinking, know what was going to happen in the future. We see that He was fully God and fully Man. 

[George L]

1. Why does Luke name the Roman rulers in 2:1-2? What point is he making? He is setting the historic time frame of occurrence.
2. What is the significance of Joseph being a descendant of David? (2:4) Messiah was to be of David’s Line. What is the significance of Bethlehem in Messianic prophecy (Micah 5:2)? The messiah was to come from Bethlehem.
3. What is the scandal in verse 5? Mary was obviously very pregnant but not yet married. What hardship is Mary experiencing? Travel at 9 months pregnant. What about Joseph? Travel, with all its Many issues of  pack for, plan for, care for.
4. Why do you think the journey to Bethlehem was difficult for Mary? Openly unmarried yet pregnant. And betrothed so must travel with her groom. Is pleasure an indication that we are in God's will or not? Sometimes, tears of joy. Sometimes the. Urden lifts, and you know success. So give God praise and glory for allowing you to serve Him. For His glory. Any examples from your life? I am sent to pray for a church being run through the refiners fire. Preparing them to grow from 40-50 to hundreds. Many things must adjust, many accept new rolls. Change is never fun. I get to intercede not speak. When I see the issue I pray the needed eyes open and ears hear the spirit. I am there that they gain faith by experiencing the hear, do, win. Not be told and have it someone else knew. I get the work out of sight. I will trust the Lord for my reward later. Seeing the people progress and mature with prayer in secret being a very effective change tool..
5. Extra Credit: Argue for or against this proposition: "Being a consistent Christian causes more hardships than just going with the flow." There are always oppositions to the Lords work. Failing to do your assignment just adds correction experiences on top of normal enemy obstructions.
6. To what do you attribute Messiah's birth in a stable -- poor planning? Perfect staging on God’s part. Drew no attention to hisa messianic level. Just poor and lowly.  (2:7) What message does the manger convey to modern-day disciples? Let us realize to God we are never very long in years.
7. If our culture is enamored with bigness and success, and humility runs across the grain, what appeal can the humble Jesus have to people today? Jesus understood the meek, lowly, needy, downtrodden. He was from a border town. Like saying Jesus was from Cedo Juarez..the poor knew he knew them. 
8. Extra Credit: How far do you think Jesus "emptied himself" by being born a human? He brought no heavenly prerogative's. What aspects of his divinity did he retain during his time in human flesh? His relationship with Father and Spirit. What aspects did he lay aside? Many aspects of God’s heart cares were visible to him. But as he stated. I only do what I see my Father do, and say what I hear him say. He laid aside all but that which Father wanted done.