We have just celebrated Christmas, so it is only fitting to talk about the greatest gift we have ever received: Jesus Christ. Jesus, the Son of God, the King of Kings, came to earth in the most unlikely way: as a newborn baby. Even from His birth, Jesus was not accepted and invited by everyone. In fact, we learn that not many accepted Him from the moment He was born. It was actually the least likely people who made room for Him, and the people most expected to save room for Him did not. So today, we are going to dive into Jesus’ birth and answer the question: have we truly accepted Him and made room for Him in our lives?
What is your favorite gift you have ever given? Why?
Bible Study Questions
1. When you think about the Christmas story, what is surprising about the people who made room for Jesus, accepted Him, and worshiped Him?
WATCH SERMON RECAP
2. Read Luke 1:26-38. What stands out about Mary’s response?
Luke 1:26-38 26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” 29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” 34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” 35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. 37 For the word of God will never fail.” 38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
Luke 1:26-38
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”
29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. 37 For the word of God will never fail.”
38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
3. Read Luke 2:1-7. Describe the circumstances of the place Jesus was born?
Read 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.
4. Read Luke 2:8-20. What do we learn about the Shepherd’s faith based on their response?
Read Luke 2:8-20
8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.
Application
1. We see in the story of Christ’s birth some people who made room for Jesus and welcomed him and those who did not. What do you think it looks like today to make room for Jesus?
2. What often keeps you from making room for Jesus in your life?
3. What is one thing you can do this week to make room for Jesus?
One thing we can do to make room for Jesus in our lives is to tell others about Him. Think about someone you know who is far from Christ. Tell your group about them. Next, take a few minutes to pair up with one other person in your group. Tell your partner your two-minute story, and then listen to theirs. After sharing your two-minute story, take turns practicing the bridge diagram. If you need to review, you can find the Bridge Diagram and instructions for telling your two-minute story at sagebrush.church/onelife. This is one way you can prepare to share your faith with the lost people in your life.
As this Christmas season comes to a close, it is good for us to pause and consider that while we are called to make room for Jesus, He has already done everything possible to make room in Heaven for us one day. So let’s dive into Scripture for a few minutes to see what Scripture teaches about the incredible truth that Jesus stepped down from Heaven so that we would have a place in Heaven with Him one day.
Jesus came to us.
Scripture teaches that while we were far from Jesus and stuck in our sin, Jesus came to us. Let’s look to see what the Bible tells us about Jesus coming to earth.
· Read John 1:14.
o What is significant about the words “made his home among us” that Jesus talked about in this verse?
o What does it mean for someone to make themselves at home when they are at your house? How does this thought help you understand what Jesus did in John 1:14?
· Read John 14:1-3.
o What insight do these verses give us about Jesus’ willingness to make room for us in Heaven?
o What do these verses teach us about the place Jesus is preparing for us?
Jesus’s Call to Us: Make Room for Him
· Read Revelation 3:20. Jesus is the one speaking in these verses in a vision to John.
o Take a look at the way A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature defines the word “knock” in this verse: “to deliver a blow against something, strike, knock.” How does this definition help you understand the urgency behind the knocking that is taking place in this verse?
o What does this verse teach about the lengths Jesus goes to make room for us?
o In light of Jesus’s pursuit of us and the way He made room for us, how does this verse call us to respond?
Jesus’ love for each one of us is extraordinary. He loved us so much that He came to us and made a way for us to be with Him in Heaven forever. End this session praying, thanking God for this Christmas season and for Jesus’ willingness to come for us and make room for us. Ask Him to help you all make room for Him every day in return.
MONTHLY MEMORY VERSE (Available for download on Sagebrush App)
Luke 2:10 But the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people."
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