Bible Study Notes 12/23/2025

WORD ALIVE! BIBLE STUDY ^©2025

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 3

23 Dec.  2025

Lesson 3 Luke 2:8-20, NLT: Often in our faith journey God will amaze us by some activity of His divine will. We may not experience events in the manner the people of the Bible did – but there will be some compelling moments that will cause us to stop and seriously consider what God is saying. We learn in the Scriptures never is there a time God promises a great happening where He does not fulfill the promise. The promises of God may be long in coming but they are sure! God also has a way of enlisting people others might not expect to be a part of the fulfilment of His divine plan. The shepherds were destined to be among the first group of believers to share the Good News of the Messiah’s arrival to earth. They left their sheep and after seeing the Messiah for themselves, joined the heavenly hosts in praising God. The Scripture assures us no one is unimportant in the divine/ redemptive work of God!

Verses & Explanations for Luke 2:8-20, NLT

Observe         Interpret     Apply

(Verse 8): A usual day can be met with the unusual.

(Verses 9-10): Embracing reverence and assurance.

(Verses 11-12): God’s promise will always be fulfilled.

(Verses 13-14): The confirmation of God’s promise.

(Verses 15-16): Believe and act on what we have received.

(Verses 17-19): Sharing the Good News

(Verse 20): Meditating on the Good News

Key Verses:

Luke 2:8, NLT:

⁸ “That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.”

Luke 2:9-10, NLT:

⁹ Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, ¹⁰ but the angel reassured them, “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.

Luke 2:11-12, NLT:

¹¹ The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord – has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!    ¹² And you will recognize Him by this sign. You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth. Lying in a manger.” 

Luke 2:13-14, NLT:

¹³ Suddenly the angel was joined by a vast host of others -the armies of heaven - praising God and… …saying, ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

Luke 2:15-16, NLT:

¹⁵ When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” ¹⁶ They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in a manger.

Luke 2:17-19, NLT:

¹⁷ After seeing Him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had told them about^. the child.  ¹⁸ All who heard the shepherd’s story were astonished, ¹⁹ but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.

Luke 2:20, NLT:

²⁰ The Shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.”

Further Reading and Insights:

Exodus 3:1-2, NLT

¹One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. H led the flock far in the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God.” ² “There the angel of the Lord appeared in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses was amazed. The bush didn’t burn up.”

The Key Idea:

What We Believe!

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