We just finished celebrating Christmas over the weekend. This is always a busy time of year. Amidst all of the planning, shopping, cooking, baking, and preparing, it can be easy to forget to take time to celebrate the greatest gift we have ever been given: Jesus. This week, as we recover from the chaos that Christmas can bring, we are going to focus our minds and hearts on Jesus and His gift of eternal life through Him.
BREAK THE ICE
What was your favorite gift that you gave this year?
SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS
Bible Study Questions
1. What traditions do you and your family celebrate to remember the gift of Jesus?
WATCH SERMON RECAP
2. Read Luke 2:1-7. What is surprising about the circumstances Jesus was born into?
Luke 2:1-7
"At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5 He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7 She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them."
"At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5 He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child.
6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7 She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them."
3. Read Colossians 1:21-22. What was life like before Christ? Describe the gift of life that we have in Jesus based on these verses.
Colossians 1:21-22
"This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. 22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault."
4. Read 2 Corinthians 5:16-21. What is the result of being a "New Creation?"
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
"So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ."
"So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ."
Application
1. Why is getting a new start so important for followers of Jesus?
2. Describe a time that you experienced God's forgiveness?
3. How are we as followers of Jesus supposed to respond to God's gift of Jesus?
MOVING FORWARD
Jesus really is the greatest gift we have ever and ever will receive. It is too good to keep to ourselves. Pair up into groups of two or three and practice sharing your two-minute story of the difference Christ has made in your life. When you are all finished, pray together. Ask God to give you opportunities to share your stories this week with those who are far from Christ. As we start the new year, be bold and courageous in sharing your faith!
GOING DEEPER
Jesus came and changed everything. He came with a purpose. Scripture makes it clear that He came to become a sacrifice to rescue us from our sins. That is why, when John the Baptist saw him walking one day, he said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Today, we are going to slow down and consider why Jesus came and why He is the perfect, final sacrifice. We are going to spend the next few minutes to behold the Lamb of God.
We Need a Savior:
We have needed a Savior since the beginning of time. From the time sin entered the world with Adam and Eve, we needed to be rescued from sin. We also needed to be reconciled, or be made right, with God.
1. Individually read Genesis 2:1-24 and Romans 3:23.
2. Describe Adam and Eve’s relationship with God before sin entered the world.
3. Describe the impact of sin when it entered the world.
4. How did humanity’s relationship with God change as a result of sin?
Reconciliation Before Jesus:
Sin separated us from God. It destroyed the relationship we have with him. Although our sin broke God’s heart, He, in His kindness, made a way for people to turn to Him and receive forgiveness of sins. Ultimately, He would send His own Son, Jesus, to become the sacrifice for our sins, but until the time Jesus came, people offered animal sacrifices for their sin. It was a picture of what was to come when Jesus became the perfect, final, and ultimate sacrifice for our sins.
1. Read Leviticus 4:27-35 and Hebrews 9:22.
2. Describe the requirements when making a sin offering.
3. Why is the shedding of blood required?
4. How was the sacrificial system in the Old Testament a picture of what was to come with Jesus?
Jesus, the Final Sacrifice:
At just the right time, Jesus came to earth became the sacrifice that our sin required. He came, lived a perfect life and took on our sin by dying a criminal’s death on a cross. His death meant our restoration and reconciliation with God. Because of His death, if we place our faith in Him, we can have forgiveness, eternal life, and a restored relationship with God.
1. Read Hebrews 10:1-10.
2. Compare the old sacrificial system with Jesus’ sacrifice.
3. How was Jesus’ sacrifice infinitely better thank Jesus’ sacrifice?
4. Look at verse 10. What was God’s will, and how did Jesus make this possible?
Jesus truly is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. There is no greater news. Let’s be like John the Baptist who used his life to point people directly to Jesus and share the same message. One of the ways that we can spread this message is by inviting people to come to a weekend service with us. Who is someone you can invite to join you for church? Share that person with your group and commit to inviting them this week!
MONTHLY MEMORY VERSE (Available for download on Sagebrush App)
“Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” Luke 2:14
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