The Preparation – God’s Touch Felt

The Preparation. God’s Touch Felt.
Matthew 1:18-25 / Luke 1:39-56

1. Trust the promise (Matthew 1:18-25).
   1. The Promise made known: God’s Word, God’s Way, God’s Work
   2. The Promise applied:
      1. Generally: “all of this took place to fulfill what was spoken” (Matthew 1:22)
      2. Respectively: “she will give birth to a son and you are to name Him Jesus” (Matthew 1:21, 23)
2. Take joy in the promise (Luke 1:39-56)
   1. The significance of your joy builds upon the superiority of Jesus in your life. (Luke 1:39-45)
   2. The content of your joy builds upon a detail reflection of the promise. (Luke 1:46-55)

Questions for Further Discussion:

Matthew 1:18-25

1. What are the tabloid headlines this week?
2. Why is our society so drawn to gossip and scandal?
3. How do people typically react when facing embarrassing situations?
4. What happened to Mary while she and Joseph were engaged? (Matthew 1:18)
5. What do you think Joseph initially thought upon hearing this news about his bride-to-be? (Matthew 1:18-19)
6. What positive character qualities did Joseph possess? (Matthew 1:19)
7. How did Joseph plan to handle this delicate situation? (Matthew 1:19)
8. How was Joseph’s ancestry significant? (Matthew 1:20)
9. Why did Joseph change his plans to divorce Mary? (Matthew 1:20)
10. If Joseph wasn’t the actual father of Christ, who was? (Matthew 1:18, 20)
11. What did the angel command Joseph to name the child and why? (Matthew 1:21)
12. What significant mission in life would Mary’s child have? (Matthew 1:21)
13. Why is Mary’s virginal conception of Christ significant? (Matthew 1:22-23)
14. What does Immanuel mean? (Matthew 1:23)
15. How did Joseph respond to the angelic message? (Matthew 1:24)
16. How might you have responded in Mary’s situation?
17. What would have been your reaction had you been in Joseph’s situation?
18. How do you think a typical church might have handled Mary’s pre-marriage pregnancy? How about our church?
19. How do you imagine the “grapevine” treated the Mary-Joseph situation?
20. How does it feel to be the victim of unsubstantiated rumors and gossip?
21. How does it feel to know that you are innocent and yet have people attacking your character and whispering behind your back?
22. How does our desire for approval or acceptance keep us from doing the right thing?
23. What difficult, hard-to-swallow command of God do you need to obey today?
24. How will you respond the next time someone begins to tell you a juicy bit of gossip?

Luke 1:39-56

1. In what ways could we describe both Mary and Elizabeth as “blessed” women?
2. How did Elizabeth indicate that she knew what her and Mary’s pregnancies meant?
3. How would you describe the mood in Zechariah’s home during the time Mary visited?
4. Judging from Elizabeth’s experience, what is it like to be filled with the Holy Spirit?
5. How does it feel to be genuinely complimented by someone older than you?
6. What significance do you think it had for Mary that Elizabeth knew the importance of Mary’s baby?
7. What words best describe Mary’s attitude?
8. What reasons can we give for calling Mary a woman blessed by God?
9. What evidence do we have today that God is still keeping His promises?
10. How can we illustrate God’s “bringing down rulers and lifting up the humble” today?
11. What different methods have you used to tell others your experiences with God?
12. What actions of God which Mary mentioned have you observed or experienced?
13. How does God show mercy to us today?
14. In what way can you glorify the Lord and rejoice in your Savior this week?
15. What person close to you still needs to hear you express your faith?