Saturday, December 7, 2024

December 22, 2024 – Advent 2024 – God’s Will for the Shepherd

God’s Will for the Shepherd

Micah 5:2-5a – New International Version (NIV)

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
    from ancient times.”

Therefore Israel will be abandoned
    until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
    to join the Israelites.

He will stand and shepherd his flock
    in the strength of the Lord,
    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness
    will reach to the ends of the earth.

And he will be our peace

Who is “small among the clans of Judah” (verse 2)?

What will the one who comes from there do for the Lord (verse 2)?

How long will Israel “be abandoned” (verse 3)?

How will He “stand and shepherd his flock” (verse 4)?

Why will His flock “live securely” (verse 4)?

What will He be (verse 5)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage reveal about God’s will for His Son?

Luke 1:39-55 - New International Version (NIV)

39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

46 And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord
47     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful
    of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49     for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
    holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
    from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
    but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
    but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
    remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
    just as he promised our ancestors.”

Who did Mary hurry to greet (verses 39 and 40)?

What two things happened “when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting” (verse 41)?

Who did Elizabeth say was blessed (verse 42)?

What did Elizabeth call Mary (verse 43)?

What did Mary say her spirit “rejoices in” (verse 47)?

Who will call Mary “blessed” (verse 48)?

Who does God’s mercy extend to (verse 50)?

How does Mary describe those who God “has scattered” (verse 51)?

Who has God “lifted up” (verse 52)?

What has filled the hungry” (verse 53)?

Who has God remembered “to be merciful” to (verses 54 and 55)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage reveal about God’s will for His Son?

In your opinion, what does Luke 1:39-55 help us understand about the flock that the Son, the Shepherd, will stand up for in Micah 5:2-5a?

Luke 2:15-20 - New International Version (NIV)

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Who left and went “into heaven” (verse 15)?

Where did the shepherds “go to” (verse 15)?

What were they going to see (verse 15)?

Who did they find (verse 16)?

What did they do “after they had seen him” (verse 17)?

How did “all who heard it” respond (verse 18)?

What did Mary do (verse 19)?

Who “returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told” (verse 20)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage reveal about God’s will for His Son?

In your opinion, how do the shepherds in Luke 2:15-20 provide an example of how we should react to the good news of Micah 5:2-5a?

In your opinion, what can we learn from the fact that Mary hurried to Elizabeth in Luke 1:39-55 and the shepherds hurried to “see this thing that has happened” in Luke 2:15-20 but when they got where they were going the hurrying stopped?

Hebrews 10:5-10 – New International Version (NIV)

Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:

“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
    but a body you prepared for me;
with burnt offerings and sin offerings
    you were not pleased.
Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
    I have come to do your will, my God.’”

First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

When did Christ say, “sacrifice and offering you did not desire” (verse 5)?

What had God prepared for Christ (verse 5)?

What did not please God (verse 6)?

Who was written about in the scroll (verse 7)?

What had Crist come to do (verse 7)?

How were the “burnt offerings and sin offerings” that God did not desire offered (verse 8)?

What did Christ set aside (verse 9)?

How have we “been made holy” (verse 10)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage reveal about God’s will for His Son?

In your opinion, what does Hebrews 10:5-10 help us understand about what was prophesied in Micah 5:2-5a that the Shepherd would have to do so that His flock can “live securely”?

In your opinion, how is the magnitude of the “mercy” that Mary glorified God for in Luke 1:39-55 revealed in Hebrews 10:5-10?

In your opinion, how is Jesus’s willingness to do God’s will demonstrated in Luke 2:15-20 and in Hebrews 10:5-10?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Micah, Luke, Luke and Hebrews teach us about why it’s important that the Son becomes the Shepherd?

In your opinion, how should we respond to our Shepherd today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

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