Foofee's Nana

How did the prophetic concept of the virgin conception and the name "Immanuel" find their fullness in the birth of Jesus to Mary? "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel' -- which means, 'God with us.'" (1:22-23) When the prophecy was made by Isaiah it was made to let the people know that God would always be with them....so was fulfilled in that way.....but the complete fulfillment came by the birth of our Lord Jesus by virgin birth as the Messiah.

What is the significance of the name Jesus? The name of Jesus was to tell of one who would save us from our sins....not a political leader or warrior as the Jewish people might have expected. Why do you think the angel gave the name to both Mary (Luke 1:31) and Joseph independently? I would think it is to make them be on the same page so to speak.....the angel told each of them by themselves.....and then they come together and share this.....it can be no mistake but must be of God.

What were Mary's options being pregnant and carrying a baby not her husband's? She really did not have many options....either her betrothed would marry her, or it was the distinct possibility of even being stoned according to the law. She would be looked on as an adulteress, a woman with no morals or character. She was a little young girl, who could hope at best to be allowed to live with her family although she would have been cast out from them....ignored. What kind of character did Joseph exhibit by deciding to divorce Mary quietly and leniently? He showed that he was aa man of high character....he did not want her to be stoned or face such consequences.....so he decided that he would divorce her quietly. Apparently this meant that a divorce could be done with lesser charges and she would not face the horrid humilation or possibility of death.

What would Jesus have learned as the son of a carpenter? As the son of a carpenter Jesus would have learned the importance of working with His hands....the use of instruments of measure such as in gauging the width and length of lumber for a table.....or the importance of sanding smooth a chair so as not to get splinters. I think He probably learned at his earthly father's feet the need to be disciplined and obedient. What experiences would this have exposed him to? Jesus would have been exposed to the world of business....people placing orders or requests to His dad.....He would have been exposed to seeing those with more possessions and those with less. He would have been required to know how to work and pull His weight in the household.

In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? I think these titles are apporpriate for this little young girl who willlingly accepted being the mother to the Son of God....she was indeed a Blessed Virgin....and her faith is an example of how we should trust and believe. Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"? Maybe we are afraid that we might be seeming to worship her...when she really is "blessed among women"....WOW ...can you imagine being picked for the honor to be the mother of our Christ Jesus???

What is the essence of Mary's positive response to the angel? She was completely submissive to the will of God....trusting her life in His. What can we learn from her response for our own lives? That all we need is to put our hand in the Hand of God and He will lead us in our walk. It might be difficult but trust is the key. In what sense was Mary's response an "informed consent"? She knew what the response of her people would be....she was a young engaged woman....and yet she told the angel she was the servant of God to do His will with her. When we respond to God, what do we consent to? We consent to be in His will...to follow the path He has set before us....to serve and worship Him.

What does the call to the Great Banquet sound like when we extend the invitation to those around us? It is that urgent plea asking those near us...or even just people we barley know to share our joy of Jesus...the need is now....for us to share the gospel....the invitaion to the Great Banquet. In what sense are we the servants told to

What does the virgin conception teach us about Jesus' nature? It teaches that His nature is that of God....He was made flesh, but is from God...the Son made into humaity for us. How central is the doctrine of the virgin conception to the Christian message? It is one of the cornerstones....that we believe in the virgin birth...it is one of those acts of faith.

Why was Jesus so harsh with those who made excuses when called to follow him? He wanted them to know the seriousness of following Him...it means to give up self and be obedient to the road ahead. Why is the call so urgent? The call is so urgent because if we do not take that step of faith....we keep making excuses and find reasons for later. Today , this moment is the time. Why do our excuses seem so trivial when offered to Jesus? Our excuses are trivial to Christ Jesus....He gave up all to save us and went to the cross willingly.

In what way does Mary's "How?" question (1:34) to the angel's declaration differ from Zechariah's "How?" question (1:18)? Mary's "How" was really one of wondering how this would be accomplished...not doubt that it could happen. She knew that she had not been with a man....so it was valid question. Zechariah's "How" was one of disbelief and he demanded how he could know this to be certain. Why was Mary rewarded and Zechariah disciplined? Mary was rewarded because she believed and trusted God....Zechariah was disciplined for his lack of faith.

In what way is the Parable of the Great Banquet about grace? The Great Banquet is about grace in that God desires that all come to eat at His table...He wants the place to be completley full and waits so pateintly for us to get it....to come to Him of our choice and accpet His mercy and grace. In what way is it about judgment? It is about judgement in that we are given that choice....to come to the banquet or have the door shut and not be allowed admittance. God wants us to choose Him and His love....and He abides so patiently...but one day the time will be over. In what way is it about evangelism? It is about evangelism in that Jesus wants everyone to have heard the gospel, to have that chance and choise to come and share at His table or have made the opposite choice. He holds off closing the door until all have heard and then the time will come to the end. To what End Time event does the great banquet point? It will be a time of the rapturing of the church and then the end times with the anti-Christ.

What did the angel's announcement say about who Mary's Child was and who he was to become? He was to be male...give birth to a son He will be given the name of Jesus He will be a great person His title will be "Son of the Most High" He will inherit the throne of David and reign over the house of Jacob forever...the Messiah His kingdom will never end...and everlasting reign for humanity.

In the Parable of the Great Banquet, who do the original guests represent? The original guests would have been the the Jewish people....the ones who were Christ's own. Who do the later invited guests represent? I think the later guests are the Gentiles....the original guests ( Jewish) backed out of the invitation so the invitation was given to a less respected group. I thank God for this. What does it mean to

How do you think Jesus will hold you personally accountable on Judgment Day for using your

When we are successful, to whom does the fruit of our labors belong? In everything we do the glory belongs to God. In what sense are we independent entrepreneurs? We, as people, may work hard for so called or imagined success....BUT we owe all of this to our Lord Jesus...perhaps in the path we have followed by His calling, or by the work ethic that was instilled by Christian parents...but we are never only made of ourself. In what sense are we stewards of the gifts and

What are the factors that make up a person

What do you think the

According to these parables in this lesson, in what ways is the Kingdom small? The Kingdom is small because it is a limited guest list....God asks that we all come and enter the Kingdom, but it will be a small group. In what ways does the Kingdom grow? The kingdom grows as believers enter in....when we accept Christ Jesus and follow His footsteps. In what ways is the Kingdom door narrow? The Kingdom door is narrow because we have to give up some things of ourselves to be able to follow Christ. We need to know that the time may not always be there for us to make a decision. The time is short...so be ready. In what way is the Kingdom banquet, on the one hand, large and diverse, and on the other, selective? [color=#4169e1]The banquet of the Kingdom is large and diverse in that is does not accept only Jewish, or only Gentiles.....it is not a respecter of race...but welcomes believers of Christ Jesus. It is selective in that we must believe...not just be morally upright, or good people....but we need to accept Jesus as out Lord. [/color][/color][/size][/font]

The great

Why do you think Jesus characterizes the entrance to the Kingdom here as

What is the point of the Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven? The point is that something that begins so small and perhaps evenn insignificant can end up large.....a full grown tree or a lovely large loaf of bread. How would this be encouraging to Jesus

How could praying the Lord

Why does Jesus frighten us with his statement:

In the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant, what is the purpose of contrasting the huge debt with the small one? I think the contrast is that mercy was given with the large debt and no mercy with the smallone. Both are the SAME in the eyes of forgiveness. If we were to put ourselves in the parable, which debt would we owe? Our debt would be the large one...we owe so very much that Christ Jesus forgave and showed us mercy. Which debt might be owed us? We might be owed the small debt, by wrongs or bad actions others have done to us. But we are told to keep forgiving and not hold that against someone else. If we do not have mercy for others, how can we expect God to have mercy for us ??? Why was the king insulted by the unmerciful servant's action? The king was insulted because he had forgiven so much....a sum he knew he would never get back and wiped it away...but the servant was owed a small amount and was mad and reactive about this....not forgiving at all. It seems he had forgotten so quickly the mercy his king had shown for him.

Jesus says we must forgive 77 times or 490 times. Should we take these numbers literally or figuratively? Thes numbers are meant as an illustration...so are figurative. Our forgiveness should be without limits. If figurative, what are they figurative of? I think God wants us to not be counting how many times we have forgiven, but to know by His generosity to us, we in turn should be giving with our love and forgiveness. What does this teach us about God