Introduction. What s Inside:

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Bertha Townsend
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1 1 2 Introduction In ancient Nordic countries before the good news of Christ was known, the pagan people celebrated the winter solstice by burning a Yule log. Though the history is not perfectly clear, it seems that during the darkest parts of the winter season, the people longed for light and warmth. Families would cut down a large tree and carry it into their homes where it would be burned continuously for many days to drive away the long dark nights of northern Europe. Before the coming of Christ, the people lost in darkness longed for the light to come. Even those who had not received God s special revelation yearned for the cold dark winter to yield to the light. The season of Advent represents a similar longing. But, for Christians, the longing of Advent is not filled with questions and fears; the season of Advent is the most joyous time of the year. We do not light Yule logs to ward off the darkness; we light candles to represent the light that has come. We no longer fear the dark because the darkness has been overcome. Upon those walking in darkness, the light has shown. Christ has arrived and his arrival brings life, light, and hope. dawned; Christ has come into the world and into our lives. He is our peace and He gives joy unspeakable. But the joy of Christmas that is found in the peace of Christ is available only to those who have submitted to Him as Savior and King. As Christmas approaches, we must look forward to the joy of the season and to the opportunity to invite others to experience the same joy. The Great Commission urges us to carry the good news of Jesus into all the world. The birth of Christ is only good news to those who have heard about it. Your world is filled with many who are lighting Yule logs and lights to drive away the darkness and loneliness of cold winter nights but have not experienced the warmth of the True Light that has come into the world. Carry the light. Watch the love of Christ drive away fear and offer hope this Christmas season. What s Inside: Introduction Join with us this Christmas on a journey of expectancy and joy. Look to the King who has come and is coming again to set the world right. Jesus is the King who will bring justice and reign in righteousness. Sermon Calendar Celebrate the perfect and only Son who came as the perfect sacrifice to reconcile us to God. Week 3 Discussion Guide He is the Prince of Peace. Emmanuel. God With Us. As we celebrate Christmas we do so recognizing that Christmas has already come. The light has Week 5 Discussion Guide Bible Study Map Week 1 Discussion Guide Week 2 Discussion Guide Week 4 Discussion Guide Resources

Study Date Sermon Date Sermon Calendar Title Scripture Big Question and Synopsis Dec-4 Nov-27 Waiting for the King Jeremiah 33:14-16 God promised David and Israel that a descendant of David would

2 Study Date Sermon Date Sermon Calendar Title Scripture Big Question and Synopsis Dec-4 Nov-27 Waiting for the King Jeremiah 33:14-16 God promised David and Israel that a descendant of David would rule God s people. Jesus came in the line of David and He lives today to bring righteousness and justice. Big Question: Is He your King? Dec-11 Dec-4 Waiting for the Perfect Offering Malachi 3:1-4 We stand before God guilty in our sins. Even our best efforts at honoring him are just filthy rags. God himself provided the perfect offering so that we could be made right with Him. Big Question: Have you accepted the Lord s offering? Dec-18 Dec-11 Take Away Our Fear Zephaniah 3:14-20 Jesus has taken away the judgments against you. No longer does God judge you and no longer can Satan judge you. The Lord fights for you; He holds you. There is nothing to fear. Big Question: Are you living in fear? Dec-25 Dec-18 Give Us Peace Micah 5:2-5 Jesus is more than the bearer of peace; He is our peace. The judgment from sin has been satisfied in Christ. Big Question: Have you found peace? Jan-1 Dec-25 Give Us Joy Isaiah 9:2-7 Christians should be the happiest people on the planet. Christ has redeemed us and set us free from sin. The world should know the joy of Christ by seeing the joy in our lives. Big Question: Do you show your joy? 2

3 2 1 Bible Study Map 3

4 1 Waiting for the King (Jeremiah 33:14-16) Week 1 December 4, 2016 Sermon Notes from Sunday, November 27 Use this space to write down notes from the sermon or your personal study. 4

5 BIG THOUGHT DISCUSSION STARTER Discussion Guide for Sunday, December 4 Jesus came to be your king. As evangelicals, we often talk about making Jesus the Lord and Savior of your life. Share with your Life- Group a time in your life when you have struggled to serve Jesus as your king. INTRODUCTION Many like to think of Jesus as a good man or even a good prophet, but to name him King is another thing all together. To worship Jesus as King requires submitting to his commands and teachings as more than good suggestions, but as requirements. To name him King is to become a citizen beholden to Christ s beckoned call. It is well and good to have him as Prophet and Priest, but to name him King is to give up all control. But, know this, If Christ is not the King of the church, then before long he will not be its Prophet or Priest. If you will not have Jesus as King, you will not have him at all. (Source: Michael Horton, Christless Christianity (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2008), pg. 256) EXAMINE 1. To whom was this book written? Who was its author? 2. What is the timeless truth of Jeremiah 33:14-16? ENGAGE 3. Jeremiah spoke of the days that were coming when God would fulfill a promise. What are the days he spoke of? Has Jeremiah s promise been completely fulfilled in Christ s first appearing? 4. Jeremiah is called the weeping prophet because he delivered terrible news of God s judgment to the Israelites. How might his message of coming justice and righteousness have encouraged and connected with his hearers who were used to only hearing messages of God s anger? Did his message of hope in Jeremiah 33:14-16 change his overall prophecy of judgment? 5

6 5. Jeremiah prophesied the coming siege of Jerusalem and its captivity in exile. How might his original readers have understood his promise? How do we understand it differently today? 6. As Americans, we do not live under a monarchy and sometimes struggle to understand the Bible s emphasis on Jesus as king. How does the hope of a kingdom ruled by Jesus give you hope? In what ways do you struggle to grapple with the idea of a kingdom? EXECUTE 7. How do the fulfillment Old Testament promises of Jesus serve an apologetic and evangelistic purpose today? 8. In what ways will the promise of Jeremiah find further fulfillment in Christ s second coming? How does this affect the way you live your life today? Prayer Requests 6

7 1 Waiting for the Perfect Offering (Malachi 3:1-4) Week 2 December 11, 2016 Sermon Notes from Sunday, December 4 Use this space to write down notes from the sermon or your personal study. 7

8 BIG THOUGHT DISCUSSION STARTER Discussion Guide for Sunday, December 11 Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice for our sin. What is the most sacrificial thing a person has ever done for you? How much did it cost them? How did it bless you? INTRODUCTION Concerning Jesus as the atonement for our sin, J. Gresham Machen said, Why then did the early Christians call themselves disciples of Jesus, why did they connect themselves with His name? The answer is not difficult. They connected themselves with His name not because He was their example in their ridding themselves of sin, but because their method of ridding themselves of sin was by means of Him. It was what Jesus did for them, and not primarily the example of His own life, which made them Christians. Jesus did not come to be our example. He came to be our Savior. (Source: J. Gresham Machen, Christianity and Liberalism (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1923), pg. 90) EXAMINE 1. To whom was the book of Malachi written and what was its historical setting? 2. What is the timeless truth of Malachi 3:1-4? ENGAGE 3. Prophets are the mouthpieces of God. They speak God s words. How can God speak confidently about future events? What role does God play in bringing them about? 4. Who was the messenger of whom Malachi spoke in 3:1? How did he prepare the way for Jesus? 8

9 5. Malachi 3:2 warns that the coming of the Lord may be difficult to endure. Would Jews of his time have been surprised to learn that the Day of the Lord was going to be one of judgment and destruction? 6. In what ways did Jesus fulfill the promise of Malachi 3:4? EXECUTE 7. God s people in the Old Testament commonly misunderstood the Day of the Lord. In what similar ways is death and the return of Christ often misunderstood today? 8. In what ways does Jesus serve as a refiner and purifier of his people? How does Christ refine and purify you? 9. Read Romans 12:1-2. What is your spiritual worship to the Lord? Prayer Requests 9

10 1 Take Away Our Fear (Zephaniah 3:14-20) Week 3 December 18, 2016 Sermon Notes from Sunday, December 11 Use this space to write down notes from the sermon or your personal study. 10

11 BIG THOUGHT DISCUSSION STARTER Discussion Guide for Sunday, December 18 Do not fear. There are some unusual fears out there. Coulrophobia (fear of clowns), ornithophobia (fear of birds), and aulophobia (fear of flutes) are some good examples. What is your greatest fear? What steps have you taken to give your fear over to Jesus? INTRODUCTION His health was in tatters and his life mired in financial wrangles, but Frank Sinatra refused to stop giving concerts. I ve got to earn more money, he said. His performances, sad to say, were becoming more and more uneven. Uncertain of his memory, he became dependent on Teleprompters. When his daughter, Tina, saw her father at Desert Inn in Las Vegas, he struggled through the show and felt so sick at the end that he needed oxygen from a tank that he kept on hand. At another show he forgot the lyrics to second Time Around, a ballad he had sung a thousand times. His adoring audience finished it for him. I couldn t bear to see Dad struggle, Tina said. I remember all the times he had repeated the old boxing maxim You gotta get out before you hit the mat. He wanted to retire at the top of his game, and I always thought he would know when his time came, but in pushing eighty he lost track of when to quit. After seeing one too many of these fiascoes, I told him, Pop, you can stop now; you don t have to stay on the road. With a stricken expression he said, No, I ve got to earn more money. I have to make sure everyone is taken care of. (Source: Tina Sinatra with Jeff Copolon, My Father s Daughter, (Simon and Shuster, 2000).) Frank Sinatra thought if he could earn enough money, his family could be cared for and he would not have to worry. What idols are you substituting for Jesus to help you cope with your fears? EXAMINE 1. Who was king during Zephaniah s prophecy (1:1)? What important religious events took place during his reign? 2. What is the timeless truth of Zephaniah 3:14-20? ENGAGE 3. As you read through Zephaniah 3:14-20, what does Zephaniah prescribe as the opposite of fear? 11

12 4. Zephaniah 3:15 says, The Lord has taken away the judgments against you. In what ways would this relieve the people s fear? Who had judgments against God s people? 5. Read Zephaniah 3:19. What is the proper response when God judges those who have oppressed you? What is the difference between gloating over someone s defeat and glorifying God in his victory? EXECUTE 6. How can you approach your relationships more freely knowing that Christ has rescued you from fear? 7. Read verse 17. How would your life be different if you lived each moment remembering that Jesus is walking beside you in every step of life? 8. Verse 20 says that God will restore your fortunes. Does this meant that God will make you rich? If not, what does it mean and how does it apply to your life today? Prayer Requests 12

13 1 Give Us Peace (Micah 5:2-5) Week 4 December 25, 2016 Sermon Notes from Sunday, December 18 Use this space to write down notes from the sermon or your personal study. 13

14 Personal Study Guide for Sunday, December 25 Note: We will not have LifeGroups on Christmas. Instead, we will have a simple worship service at 10:00 AM. BIG THOUGHT INTRODUCTION Christ is your peace. I once read a story about a shepherd in the Middle East during a time of conflict. As he watched over his small flock, bombs began to burst nearby. With each explosion, the sheep would scatter. But the caring shepherd would touch the startled sheep with his staff and gently guide the sheep back toward the flock. The staff is the tool the shepherd used to guide the sheep, but they were willing to be gently guided because they knew the shepherd s care and concern. The staff did not give them comfort, the shepherd wielding the staff did. Christ is your peace. His presence in times of trouble is enough to bring comfort to his children. EXAMINE 1. How would the inhabitants of Judea have been encouraged by the prophecy of Micah? 2. What is the timeless truth of Micah 5:2-5? ENGAGE 3. How might the citizens of Bethlehem have responded to the news that the Messiah would come out of their town? 4. In verse 4, Micah uses the image of a shepherd to describe the ruler who was coming. Why was the image of shepherd used so often to describe godly leaders in the Bible? 14

15 5. Bethlehem means house of bread. How does this name find fulfillment in Christ? EXECUTE 6. Micah does not just say that Jesus will bring peace, but that he is our peace. How have you experienced Christ as your peace? 7. As you prepare for Christmas Day, how can you share the peace of Christ with others? In what ways can you take time away from the busyness of these days to rest in Christ s peace? Prayer Requests 15

16 1 Give Us Joy (Isaiah 9:2-7) Week 5 January 1, 2017 Sermon Notes from Sunday, December 25 Use this space to write down notes from the sermon or your personal study. 16

17 BIG THOUGHT DISCUSSION STARTER Discussion Guide for Sunday, January 1 Christ gives us joy. What are ways that our lives should reflect the joy that comes from the salvation we have in Christ? INTRODUCTION There is no room for dull and always depressed Christians. Preaching to a New York audience in 1914 Billy Sunday once remarked, The trouble with many men is that they have got just enough religion to make them miserable. If there is not joy in religion, you have got a leak in your religion. Jesus came to give you joy. He called it the abundant life. If you are not experiencing joy, you are not living the Christian life in the way that Christ intended it and you are not experiencing the full measure of Christ s presence in your life. EXAMINE 1. To whom was Isaiah writing and what was the occasion (Read Isaiah 6:1-7)? 2. What is the timeless truth of Isaiah 9:2-7? ENGAGE 3. When Jewish believers read this passage, whom would they have understood to be the people who walked in darkness? Who are those people today? 4. How does Isaiah 9:2-7 give hope to people who have been burdened and scarred by war and strife? 5. What are the descriptive terms that Isaiah uses of the child who is to be born? What kind of 17

18 person does this appear to be (based on Isaiah s description)? EXECUTE 6. How do each of Isaiah s titles for the Messiah apply to your life today? 7. When you were saved, how did it feel to be delivered from darkness into the light? With whom have you shared this great news this week? 8. How can Christians imitate Jesus in all of the roles that Isaiah assigns to Him? Prayer Requests 18

You can find it on DVD and most online movie streaming sites.

19 Book Resources Resources Buck Denver Asks: Why Do We Call it Christmas? If you are looking for a way to talk about Christmas, Christmas traditions, and Santa Claus with your children, this DVD is an excellent way to do that. You can find it on DVD and most online movie streaming sites. The Dawning of Indestructible Joy If you are looking for some devotions this advent season, John Piper s book The Dawning of Indestructible Joy is available free from desiringgod.org. This advent devotional is a great way to keep your mind centered on Christ during the busyness of this season. Online Resources (Links Available at 3 Gifts to Give Your Kids This Christmas As we are making lists of what to give this season, don t forget about the three best gifts you can give your children this Christmas the gift of yourself, of giving, and of knowing God. 9 Things You Should Know about Christmas We all grow up with certain assumptions about Christmas, but how well do you really know this season. For example, did you know that Martin Luther is credited with decorating the first Christmas tree with lights or that Jesus was probably was born in a care of hillside-shelter rather than a stable? This article gives some interesting facts that you might not know about Christmas. 10 Ways to Bring the Gospel Home This Christmas Sharing the gospel with our family members can be a difficult and daunting task. As we gather together with our extended families this time of year, here are ten ways that we be intentional this year in sharing the greatest gift ever given. Blue Letter Bible The Blue Letter Bible is an online resource that offers multiple translations of the Bible, translations, and definitions from the original languages, and some commentaries. Inn addition to the website, there is an app you can download to your tablet or smartphone. How December 25 Became Christmas This article by Andrew McGowan in Biblical Archeology examines some of the evidence for how Jesus birth became associated with December 25. Who Was Saint Nicholas? Much of our understanding of St. Nicholas is drawn more from a 19 th century poem than actual history. While there are still a number of unanswered questions about this pastor, we can get some glimpses behind the legend. This article by Kevin DeYoung summarizes what we know about St. Nicholas and how it can help us have a Christ-centered Christmas. 19

Advent and Christmas Activities

Advent and Christmas Activities Family Advent and Potluck Evening Sunday, November 27, from 5:30 to 7:00 pm Crafts and activities will be available for all ages. Yearning for the Messiah: Advent Devotions