[2 Peter 1:10-11] God’s grace compels us to Godliness and we must do this. Holiness is not automatic, professing believers can forget, drift, and grow lukewarm-the point of this letter is inoculation to prevent the blindness, drifting, and deception that tempts Christians to useless, unfruitful lives.

[1 Cor 10:1-4] Baptism is the gravity of the New Testament, like a magnet pulling all the symbolism and types of the Old Testament into fulfillment in the lives of Christians following Jesus.

[Luke 2:40-52] Jesus responds to Mary’s cry of distress in order to highlight His divinity by pointing to His Heavenly Father, eternal lineage, and His ultimate purpose for life in this world. This begins the inevitable break with His parents as he grows into adulthood to fulfill all righteousness as the Christ, accomplishing redemption. Let us not become forgetful and complacent; we must maintain clarity and zeal as we remember who Jesus is, and what our lives are to be walking as His disciples.

[Luke 2:39-40] Jesus grew and become strong, increasing in wisdom, and the favor of God was upon Him. This descrption is typical of young men throughout scripture who served God faithfully with the favor of God upon them, including Joseph, David, Josiah, Daniel, Timothy, and Samuel.

[Luke 2:36-39] The significance of her names meaning Grace and favor (Anna), the face of God (Phanuel), and happy or blessed (Asher). Psalm 92 describes Anna in her later years as full of life and service and praise to God. Luke gave this record of her as an encouraging example to older saints throughout the ages that we can remain faithful to the end, and a reminder that no labor in the Lord is in vain.

[Luke 2:25-35] God is light and love; the foundation of love is light. Like Simeon, what are you looking forward to, hoping in, strategizing your life to achieve? The Holy Spirit was upon him-will people say this about you when you die? Are you praying these things for yourself and your brethren?

[Luke 2:21-24, Gal 4:1-7] Jesus was born under the Law of Moses to fulfill the law and redeem those under the law, which can only condemn.

[Luke 1:56-80] After 9 months of silence for his unbelief, Zacharias' mouth is loosed and he extols God.

[Luke 1:46-55] Mary’s song and Hannah’s prayer have very similar elements -read them togethe; humility, exalting and rejoicing in the sovereign God, our Savior, Jesus the Christ.