1. Jesus: Birth & Childhood

3. Memory Verse
“In the beginning was the _______ and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”
John 1:1-2 (NIV)
WORD,

4. Gospel Overview
The Gospels are a _____________ of Jesus’ life through eyewitness testimonies. They focus primarily on the last three years of His life with about _______ concentrating on His last week.
BIOGRAPHY
35%

5. Gospel Overview
There are ______ books in the New Testament called Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The word Gospel literally means ___________.
FOUR
GOOD NEWS

6. Gospel Overview
They were written by disciples of Jesus (Matthew & John) or those closely associated with followers of Jesus (Mark & Luke) and had specific ___________ in mind.
AUDIENCES

7. Audience & Purpose The first three Gospels are very similar.
We call those __________.
(SYN = same OPTIC = view)
SYNOPTIC

8. Audience & Purpose
“Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word.
With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus”
Luke 1:1-3 (NIV)

9. Audience & Purpose
“But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
John 20:31 (NIV)

10. TABLE DISCUSSION
If someone wrote a biography about YOUR life, they would say….

11. Birth and Childhood
“In the beginning was the _______ and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”
WORD,

12. Birth and Childhood
Jesus’ birth shows the _______ of our King as a humble servant and He enters a messy and challenging situation.
NATURE

13. Birth and Childhood His ___________, a mixture of pillars of faith:
Abraham, Isaac, David and those rejected by society including Tamar, Rahab and Ruth
(Matthew 1, Luke 3)
GENEALOGY

14. TABLE DISCUSSION Share about your family lineage…
Where are they from? What’s your heritage? Are you proud of your family history?

15. Birth and Childhood God chooses an unwed ___________ as Jesus’ mother.
Matthew 1:18-19
TEENAGER

16. Birth and Childhood Jesus is born into very _______ circumstances.
Luke 2:7; Luke 2:22-24
POOR

17. Birth and Childhood
King ________ kills all boys two years and younger.
Matthew 2:16
HEROD

18. Birth and Childhood
Jesus’ family heads to _______, an enemy of the Jewish people.
Matthew 2:13
EGYPT

19. Birth and Childhood They eventually return to ____________ in Galilee.
Matthew 2:23
NAZARETH

20. Birth and Childhood
____________ surrounding Jesus’ birth are significant because they were spoken to reveal the Messiah and were out of His control.
Genesis 12:3; Jeremiah 23: 5-6 (Line of Abraham & David)
Isaiah 7:14 (Virgin Birth)
Micah 5:2 (Born in Bethlehem)
Hosea 11:1 (Called out of Egypt)
PROPHECIES

21. Birth and Childhood
A twelve-year old Jesus in the Temple is the last thing we hear about Jesus until He is ______.
Luke 2:29 30

22. MAIN POINT
The ________ are meant to reveal who Jesus was and why He came to Earth!
GOSPELS