Bible Study - MATTHEW KING AND KINGDOM - The Star that Leads to the Son;
Sermon-Based Bible Study – December 19, 2021
- What is something God has done for you that you are thankful for, or are celebrating? How have you experienced God’s love and faithfulness this week?
- Where are you experiencing stress, anxiety or discouragement? How would you like to see God move in your life or in the life of someone close to you?
- What did you hear in this week’s sermon that was new or particularly interesting? Did anything stand out to you as puzzling or troubling?
- Read Matthew 2:1-12 a couple of times. What was it about the Magi that caused such a disturbance? Which characters in this story do you resonate with the most, Herod, the Magi, the Religious Leaders? Why?
- In Luke 2:8-20 we learn that: on the night Jesus was born angels appeared to shepherds; told them the messiah had been born; the shepherds visited the Christ child; and then told others about their experience. Do you think the shepherds told Herod and/or the religious leaders about what they had seen and heard? Why might they have kept the news from Herod?
- Herod’s response to the birth of Christ wasn’t joy – it was anxiety and fear. The religious leaders’ response to the birth of Christ seems to be apathy. How would you describe the response of the Magi to the birth of Christ?
- Read John 5:39. In what way does this verse summarize the response of the religious leaders to the Magi and the birth of Christ? Have you ever been so consumed with the things that point to Jesus that you missed Him?
- When you think about the way the Magi respond to finding Jesus, what stands out to you as particularly interesting?
- Christ means King or Anointed One. What does it mean to say Christmas is more than the celebration of the birth of a redeemer, it celebrates the coming of a ruler? What word best describes the way you treat Jesus? Friend? Mentor? Genie? Savior? King? Why?
- Is there a way in which you’re resisting Jesus as King that you want to surrender? Who or what has been a “star” in your journey this year? Give thanks.
- What is a simple, next step you could take in obedience to what the Spirit is saying to you through this time in the Word? Who would benefit, or be interested in hearing about what you’ve learned in this study?