CGMI ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL – Topic: THE BIRTH OF CHRIST – Church of God Mission International – 25 December 2022
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CGMI ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL
SUNDAY 25TH DECEMBER, 2022
HYMNS: S.S. & S.31 “Oh Come, All Ye Faithful”
TOPIC:
THE BIRTH OF CHRIST.
TEXT:
MATTHEW 1:18-25; LUKE 2:1-20
CENTRAL THOUGHT:
The birth of Christ speaks of God’s love for all mankind.
INTRODUCTION:
The birth of Christ which is a historical fact is the most celebrated event all over the world today. Christ came in human form to identify with and redeem mankind.
His birth was both Divine and human. Divine in that His conception was by the Holy Spirit and human in that He was carried in the womb and delivered normally as a baby by a woman. His entire life and ministry followed the pattern of a God’s-man identity.
He was fully man, yet fully God. His coming was foretold by the Prophets centuries before He was born.He was born of a virgin and totally pure and sinless. God sent His son to redeem the world. Yet, it is common for people generally to celebrate the birth of Christ at this time of the year without pondering on the significance of the Lord’s birth. The focus of this study is on the nature of Christ birth and His mission on earth.
LESSON OBJECTIVES:
The objectives of this lesson are to:
- comment on the character of Joseph;
- mention the virtues seen in Mary;
- discuss some aspects of the nature and character of the ‘man’ Jesus;
- comment on the response of some persons to the news of the Birth of Jesus;and
- identify the mission of Christ on earth.
BIBLE TRUTH:
Q1A. READ MATTHEW 1:18-19, 24-25 AND COMMENT ON THE CHARACTER OF JOSEPH.
After Joseph’s engagement to Mary but before their wedlock or any sexual relationship, Mary was found to be pregnant. Joseph had only one explanation for this condition; that Mary had been unfaithful. Under these circumstances, the law permitted two courses of action. He could expose her to shame publicly by bringing her into the open court, after which she will be stoned to death or he could divorce her privately by handing her a writ in the presence of two witnesses for the engagement to be broken. But being a just man and a man of integrity , he decided to follow the rule of law, yet not willing to disgrace her publicly. As he was pondering on these, an angel appeared to him in a dream asking him not to put Mary away but to marry her as she had not been unfaithful. The conception was purely a creative act of the Holy Spirit.
Joseph did not argue with the Angel but obeyed God by accepting Mary as his wife. Though he could not grasp its full significance, he believed and his sweet relationship with Mary was restored. He had a listening ear and a heart of obedience. He was a God-fearing man. Joseph also demonstrated obedience by traveling to Bethlehem his hometown for the purpose of Census in compliance with the directive of their political leaders.
He took care of both Mary and the child during and after birth. Thus, he was willing to take care of Mary as wife and provide the human fatherhood that Jesus needed. Through him Jesus became a descendant of David to fulfil God’s promise in 2 Samuel 7:16.
Q1b. WHAT VIRTUE CAN WE SEE IN MARY? Luke 1:26-38
Mary lived a humble and godly life to the extent that God chose her to be the instrument He will use to perform this all-important task of bringing forth the Savior to the world.Though betrothed to Joseph, she remained a virgin. Her life was marked with self control and chastity. The presentation of the Angel to Mary requires a lot of explanation. How can a virgin be found pregnant? To this the Angel said that the Holy Ghost will overshadow her and she will become pregnant. This must have raised another question in the mind of Mary but instead her faith was stirred up as she must have realized that she was dealing with the Almighty God;”That calleth those things that be not as though they were” (Rom. 4:17). She gave up her doubts and fears and submitted herself totally to God for His will. She accepted the honour and possible reproach associated with the assignment.
Also Read: Open Heaven 25 December 2022 Daily Devotional By Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Topic: DIVINE LOVE 1
Q2. WHAT DOES THE MANNER OF HIS BIRTH REVEAL ABOUT THE NATURE AND CHARACTER OF THE ‘MAN’ JESUS?Luke 2:7, Micah 5:2.
One striking thing is the simplicity that surrounded the birth of Jesus Christ.He was born where animals are kept and placed in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn and no better alternative. The town was overcrowded with travellers returning for census.
A manger is a long open bowl from which animals are fed. It will always remain a marvel that the King if Kings for whom the best palace on earth is not worthy was born in a manger.
Micah prophesied that Jesus will come out from Bethlehem which is the least among the cities of Judah (Micah 5:2).
Luke 2:1-3 shows the historical personalities and events that prevailed at the time of Jesus’ birth. To fulfil this prophecy, God used the ordinary event of Census to lead Joseph to Bethlehem. Matthew 1:19-24.
Jesus did not have a biological father and the foster father He had was a carpenter instead of being born into the family of the Kings, rulers or nobles of His time. All these go to show the humility, simplicity and selflessness that Jesus represents. This should be a challenge to us all.
Q3. COMMENT ON HOW THE FOLLOWING PERSONS RESPONDED TO THE NEWS KF CHRIST’S BIRTH
(a) WISE MEN (Matthew 2:1,9-12)
In Scripture, priests from Persia or astronomers from Babylon were often referred to as Magi or Wise Men from the East. We are not told exactly where in the East, these wise men cane from or how many they were. These were Gentiles, another indication that the mission of the Messiah was not just to the Jews. They saw an unusual star and read it correctly to mean the birth of a special King; this must have been God Himself revealing the birth of Jesus to them. Initially they entered into the palace of the King Herod but were properly directed to Bethlehem where the child was born. On getting to where Jesus was , they bowed down, worshipped and gave precious gifts to Him. Gold symbolizes His Kingship, Frankincense His priesthood and Myrrh His Death.
(b) KING HEROD (Matthew 2:3-8)
The wise men who mistakenly entered Herod’s palace told him of the birth of a king in Israel. Herod felt threatened when told of the prophecy about the birth of another ruler who will rule over the people of Israel. His lie in vs 8 described the type of person he was. His plan was to kill Jesus and not to worship Him.In fact, when the wise men did not return to him, he became furious and ordered the killing of all male children two (2) years and below but he could not kill Jesus.
(c) SHEPHERDS (Luke 2:8-20)
These shepherds were doing their normal job of watching over their flocks by night when the Angel appeared to them. It was a great privilege for them to be the first group of people outside the immediate family to hear about the birth of the Savior of the world. These shepherds were Jews while the wise men were Gentiles. This shows that the good news is for all mankind, whether Jews or Gentiles, poor or rich , literate or illiterate, white or black. Having being told where and how they could identify the Saviour; the shepherds wasted no time in making the journey from the fields into the small town. Vs 16.
The shepherds did something about the information they received. They recognized that the good news was not for them alone but for all people thus they spread the word concerning the child.
Q4a. READ THE FOLLOWING SCRIPTURES AND IDENTIFY THE MISSION OF CHRIST ON EARTH. Matthew 1:21, John 1:14, 17-18, 1 John 3:8, 1 Timothy 2:5.
The main purpose of Christ coming to this world is to save us from sin (Matt 1:21).He paid the price for our sins in full. John the Baptist testified that He was the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world (John 1:29). Christ is the perfect expression of God in human form. He testified that He had come to reveal the Father to the world. He has revealed God to us. He came to the world to destroy the works of Satan and set men free from Satan’s clutches. He has become the mediator between God and man and made grace and truth available for us all.
Luke 4:18-19 added that Jesus came to preach the gospel to the poor, heal the broken hearted and set the captives free.
Q4b. HOW BEST CAN WE CELEBRATE THE BIRTH OF CHRIST? Matthew 2:10-11,Luke 2:17
There are many like Herod for whom the season only serves to bring out the evil in their hearts. To them, it is a period of making money, drinking and getting drunk, sexual immorality, smoking and increase in all social vices.
To the believer, it should be a period of self-examination, rededication, showing love to all persons and spreading the good news. We should celebrate by sharing God’s love with others and give glory to the living God. The shepherds had set a good example in this regard. They went about everywhere telling everyone what they have heard and seen about Jesus. That is the best way to celebrate the birth of our Saviour, Lord and Master.
DAILY LIVING APPLICATION:
Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. The son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). Jesus was born to save us from sin and its consequences. What is your own response to the birth of Jesus Christ? How foolish of anyone to be running away from Him. Let Jesus be born into your heart today for Christmas without Christ is a mess.
MEMORY VERSE (Matthew 1:2)
” And she shall bring forth a son and thou shall call His name Jesus:for he shall save His people from their sins.”
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