On Sunday, December 6, 2015 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon entitled “Righteous Christmas pt 1” based on Luke 1:30-33 and Matthew 1:20-21. Below you will find questions for personal reflection or group discussion based on this sermon. As always, you can access the sermon audio from this message at http://wildwoodchurch.org/listen
Discussion Questions:
- Pray
- Read Luke 1:30-33 and Matthew 1:20-21
- The angel encourages Joseph and Mary to not be afraid. Put yourself in Joseph and Mary’s shoes. What did they have to be afraid of that prompted the angel’s encouragement?
- In the song “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” there is a line “the hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight.” In what way does Jesus replace our fears with hope?
- For obvious reasons, Mary felt as though giving birth to Jesus was impossible for her, yet what was impossible for humans is totally possible for God. What are some things in your life that seem impossible right now? How does Jesus birth encourage you of what the Spirit of God can do in your life?
- The angel tells Joseph that his son (Jesus) would be the One who would save His people from their sin. Based on what you know from the rest of the account of Jesus’s life, how does Jesus save people from their sins?
- Is Jesus your savior? How does remembering that help make your Christmas season that much more special?
- In this morning’s message, I mentioned several reasons why the days of King David were the “glory days” of the nation of Israel. What were some of the reasons mentioned?
- Is there a season of your Christian life that you consider to be your “glory days” (a time in youth group, summer camp, a mission trip, etc.)?
- By pointing out that Jesus was to sit on David’s throne forever, the angel was pointing the nation of Israel toward their future, not just keeping them thinking about their past. What about Jesus’s rule on the earth encourages you most about the future? Do you regularly think about the fact that if our faith is in Christ, our future is always brighter than our past?
- Any particular applications you took from today’s message?
To view these questions in pdf format, click here.