The birth of Jesus Christ

God made preparation for the birth of Jesus Christ because he wanted to save the world from sin through Jesus Christ. From the time of Adam and Eve till the coming of Jesus Christ, man had continued to sin against God and reject His Kingdom. Man’s sin had separated him from God. Man needed forgiveness of sins so that the good relationship between him and God would be restored.

In the Old Testament, God sent the prophet Isaiah to announce the birth of Jesus. Isaiah prophesied the birth of the Saviour, saying “Behold, a young woman (virgin) shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel which means: God is with us.

The name of the Saviour would be Emmanuel ‘Emmanuel’ is a Hebrew name and it means “God is with us”. God is with us through Jesus Christ to forgive us our sins.

In the New Testament, the announcement of the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ was made by God through the Angel Gabriel. The Angel Gabriel announced the birth of Jesus to Mary. Mary was a young Jewish woman who lived with her parents in Nazareth, a small city in Galilee. She was a virgin and was righteous before God. She was engaged to be married to Joseph, a man from the house of David. The angel said unto her ‘Hail, O favoured one, the Lord is with you’. But Mary did not understand why Angel Gabriel should address her in that manner she became worried. Angel Gabriel said to her “Do not be afraid Mary, you have found favour…”

Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit, as the angel had said, when Joseph discovered that she had already conceived, he was not happy about it. He decided to divorce her quietly in order not to disgrace her but in the night Angel Gabriel appeared to Joseph in a dream and explained everything to him.

Evaluation:

1. Which of the following names means ‘God is with us’ a. Samuel b. Michael c. Emmanuel (d) Joseph
2. As preparation for the coming of Christ. What did Isaiah say would be the name of a son that a young woman would conceive and bear to save mankind? (A). Joel (b). Emmanuel (c). Gabriel (d)Jesus
3. ——- was the name of the Angel that appeared to Mary. (a). Michael (b). Samuel (c). Gabriel (d) Augustus
4. Mary lived with her parents in ——- a small city in Galilee. A. Bethlehem b. Nazareth c. Shechem (d)Judea
5. Mary was engaged to be married to——- a. Jacob b. Joseph c. Moses (d) James

Sub-Topic 2: The Birth of Jesus

Jesus was born at the time Augustus Caesar made a decree that there should be a general census throughout the Roman Empire. One feature of the census was that every man should go to his home town for registration. Joseph and Mary left Nazareth for Bethlehem of Judea. By the time they arrived in Bethlehem, all the inns and rest houses had been occupied. Mary time to give birth to her baby was so near that Joseph quickly took her to the manger where the animals were feeding so that she could bear her child there. Mary then gave birth to Jesus and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in manger.

Moral lessons:

1. You must learn to praise and thank God for the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.
2. You should not doubt God’s plan for others, but rather, you should help to achieve it, like Joseph did
3. You should learn to praise and thank God at Christmas and at all times

Evaluation:

1. Who was the Roman Emperor at the time Jesus was born? A. Julius Caesar b. Nero Caesar c. Augustus Caesar (d) Claudius Caesar
2. Jesus was born in a manger instead of the inn because (a) Joseph was not around (b)the inn was far (c) there was no money (d)the inn was filled
3. The angel appeared to Joseph in the ………. And instructed him not to put away Mary (a)dream (b)farm (c)manger (d)stream
4. Joseph wanted to divorce Mary secretly because (a)she was too beautiful to be disgraced (b)himself will be ridiculed (c) he loved her (d)he had no evidence
5. The earthly father and mother of Jesus were (a)David and Mary (b)Elijah and Mary (c)Joseph and Elizabeth  (d)Joseph and Mary.

Weekend Assignment:

1. State five value of virginity before and after marriage.
2. Write short note on the visit of the wise men.