Bible Study Notes 12/16/2025

WORD ALIVE! BIBLE STUDY ^©2026

Journey To Bethlehem and Beyond – Advent / Winter Series

Concord Baptist Church of Boston in Milton – Conley Hughes, Jr., Senior Pastor

Quiet Time: Max Lucado, Because of Bethlehem:

Love Is Born, Hope Is Here, 2020

Lesson 2 

16 Dec.  2025

Lesson 2, Luke 2:1-7, NLT: Every journey we have in life is purposeful. Nothing is left to mere chance. The events that fall along our paths are incidental to God’s plan for us. We become more aware of this as we grow deeper in our faith. The journey to Bethlehem did not begin, nor end, in Bethlehem. News of the infant-Messiah in the manager, is foretold in the great prophecies. It continues to be told in the Holy Scriptures. Absolutely no detail is unimportant. The manger is a sacred place that compels us to see the human life of Jesus. Our Savior is not an imaginary, airy being.  Jesus is not for fairy tales, myths or legends. He is the only Son of God. Our Christ is the Messiah who has come into the world. The manager offers  a look at the Savior, which moves and catches the attention of all who come to receive Him. In Him, is hope, peace, life and love!

Verses & Explanations for Luke 2:1-7, NLT:

Observe     Interpret     Apply

(Verses 1-2) – God’s timing and greater purpose.

(Verse 3) – God’s divine plan for positioning us.

(Verse 4) – The urgency in fulfilling God’s ultimate intent.

(Verse 5) – Obedience and destiny are inseparable.

(Verses 6-7) – In faithfulness God comes to us to be with us.

The Key Idea:

What We Believe!

1. “Your word is a lamp to my feet  and a light to my path!”— Psalm 119:105

Key Verses:

Luke 2: 1-2, NLT

¹ “At that time the Roman emperor. Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. ² (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.)

Luke 2: 3, NLT

³ All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for the census.

Luke 2: 4, NLT

⁴ And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee.

Luke 2: 5, NLT

⁵ He took with him Mary to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child.

Luke 2: 6-7, NLT

⁶ And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. ⁷ She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped Him snugly in trips of cloth and laid Him in a manager, because there was no lodging available for them.”

Further Reading and Insights:

Galatians 4:4-5a, NLT

⁴ “But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman subject to the law. ^5a God sent Him to buy freedom for us…”

Micah 5:2-4, NLT

² “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past will come from you on my behalf.  ³ The people of Israel will be abandoned to their enemies until the woman in labor gives birth. Then at last His fellow countrymen will return from exile to their own land. ⁴ And He will stand to lead His flock with the Lord’s strength, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God.”

John 1:14, NLT

¹⁴ “So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”