Christmas Impossible 2
Christmas Impossible 2
HELPFUL INFORMATION
- Link to the Podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/5VzDVdyomvknK67fLPyF4o
Bible Study Discussion Questions: Luke 2:1-20
Subject: The Birth of Christ - God Does His Impossible Work for All to See
Learning Objective 1: God orchestrates history (including human governments and world events) to fulfill His promises
Question 1: Read Luke 2:1-5 and Micah 5:2. What problem did God’s promise create for Mary and Joseph (who lived in Nazareth), and how did Caesar Augustus’s decree—issued for purely political reasons—solve it? What does this reveal about God’s control over secular rulers?
Question 2: Read Proverbs 21:1 and Daniel 2:20-21 alongside Luke 2:1-3. According to these passages, what is God’s relationship to earthly rulers and their decisions? How should this truth affect how we view political events and government actions today?
Question 3: Read Isaiah 46:9-10. God declared through Micah that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem hundreds of years before it happened. What do these verses teach about God’s ability to accomplish His plans, and how does the fulfillment in Luke 2 demonstrate that “God’s plan is not fragile”?
Learning Objective 2: Christ came in humility so that all people could approach Him
Question 1: Read Luke 2:6-7 and Philippians 2:5-8. What are some ways that Jesus’s birth circumstances demonstrated humility (location, accommodations, first visitors). According to the Philippians passage, was this humility accidental or intentional? Why does this matter?
Question 2: Read Luke 2:12 and compare it with Luke 2:8-14. The angels gave the shepherds a “sign” to identify the Messiah. What was remarkable about this sign, and why might God have chosen such an ordinary marker rather than something spectacular like the angelic display the shepherds had just witnessed?
Question 3: Read Luke 1:51-53 (Mary’s song) and James 4:6. What pattern do you see in how God relates to the proud versus the humble? Based on how Jesus came into the world, what posture must we take to “come near” to Him, and what might that look like practically in your life?
Learning Objective 3: The gospel announcement—Savior, Christ, and Lord—addresses humanity’s deepest need for reconciliation with God
Question 1: Read Luke 2:10-11. The angel announces three titles: “Savior,” “Christ” (Messiah), and “Lord.” Using these cross-references—Romans 3:23-24 (Savior), Daniel 9:25-26 (Christ/Messiah), and Romans 10:9 (Lord)—explain what each title communicates about who Jesus is and what He came to do.
Question 2: Read Luke 2:14 and Romans 5:1-2, 10. The angels proclaimed “peace” at Jesus’s birth. According to Romans 5, what kind of peace did Jesus come to bring, and what was the previous state of humanity before this peace was made possible?
Question 3: Read Luke 2:10-11 again alongside Ephesians 2:1-5. The angel said this news “will be for all the people.” Why is the message of a “Savior” relevant to every person regardless of their background, social status, or moral track record? How does understanding your need for a Savior change how you view this Christmas story?
Learning Objective 4: Embrace the call to respond publicly to the gospel—both personally receiving it and making it known to others
Question 1: Read Luke 2:15-18. Trace the shepherds’ response: What did they do immediately after hearing the angelic announcement? What did they do after finding Jesus? What does their “haste” and their “making known” suggest about how we should respond when we encounter the truth about Christ?
Question 2: Read Luke 2:17-18 and compare with Acts 4:20 and Romans 1:16. The shepherds became the first evangelists, sharing what they had “heard and seen.” According to these passages, why is the gospel meant to be shared publicly rather than kept as private inspiration? What might hold us back from “making known” what we have experienced of Christ?
Question 3: Read Luke 2:19-20. Mary “treasured” and “pondered” while the shepherds went out “glorifying and praising God.” Both are responses to encountering Jesus. What is one concrete step you could take this week to either deepen your personal reflection on who Jesus is or to make Him known to someone in your life?