CHURCH AT BERGEN 2016 WEEK 1

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1 CHURCH AT BERGEN 206 WEEK Advent Guide WHAT IS ADVENT? A time of preparation for the coming of Jesus. The word advent literally means coming. Thus the first advent of Christ is when the Son of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. (Phil. 2:6-7) Advent is an annual time of remembrance for when Christ entered human history to redeem mankind. More than that, it is also a time of anticipation for the second advent, when Christ the King comes again to make all things new. Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and continues until Christmas Eve or Day. Typically families will celebrate Advent by opening 24 little doors on an Advent calendar with chocolates inside. The purpose is to build the anticipation inside our hearts until the day that Christ the Savior was born. HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE There will be four weeks of daily devotionals and family discipleship. Look at each week s verses, questions, and activities to spread out over the week. Personal study questions are for you to prepare your own heart for Christmas. Family sections are for the purpose of discipling them for the anticipation of Christmas. Promise of Christ Week (2. 2.4) Meditation on God s promise of Christ in the Old Testament. Arrival of Christ Week 2 (2.5 2.) Meditation on the humble entrance of the Savior and the birth of eternal hope and unshakable joy. Honoring Christ- Week 3 ( ) Meditation on the Angels announcement of the coming of Christ to the Shepherds and their response of worship to the good news. PERSONAL STUDY For your individual study and devotional time with the Lord to prepare your heart for Christmas. Includes daily devotionals 2 FAMILY SECTION Questions and readings for family discipleship and advent preparation. Includes ideas family activities for the Christmas season. Honoring Christ-2 Week 4 ( ) Meditation on the visit of the Magi and their offerings of treasure to the one who surpasses all earthly treasures: Christ the Lord.

2 WEEK : THE PROMISE OF CHRIST DECEMBER DECEMBER 4 The Promise to Bruise Thursday, December Genesis 3:5 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. God makes promises to everyone, including Satan. This is God s sure promise to Satan that a day is coming when an offspring of Eve will come to defeat Satan permanently. Genesis -2 are a summary of God s exuberant, lavish, and extravagant overflowing creativity of all things for his glory. At the height of his creation stands a man (Adam) and his wife (Eve). They are given everything on earth to steward in such a way that makes God look like the immeasurably precious treasure that He is. Contentment was the theme ringing in their hearts, and the beauty and glory of God was the joy of their souls until Satan convinced them that life without God would give them more happiness. After that it was too late: the damage of death had been inflicted and the stain of sin was infused. Now every human being ever to be born would have the birthmark of sin embedded deep within the recesses of their heart. But then God says something to Satan that carries the whisper and echo of gospel. God promises Satan a future death sentence: Eve s offspring; he shall bruise your head. The head of Satan would be crushed by a future offspring, but it would not come without a cost. Satan will inflict harm to the offspring: you [Satan] shall bruise his [offspring] heel. The promise of bruising had been made: a bruised head and a bruised heel. Although a bruised heel cripples you, a bruised head kills you. But before the offspring would come, sin and Satan would reign like a vicious tyrant for thousands of years. Why would God allow all this destruction to drag on for as long as it did? Because it was his perfect timing, But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his son, born of woman, born under the law, that he might redeem those under the law. (Galatians 4:4-5) The day was delayed, so that his Son would be exalted all the more over everything that is opposes the sovereign King of the universe. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ( Corinthians 5:25) Think of Advent as the first step forward into the victory and reign of God s grace in your life. How have you personally felt the deep burden of brokenness embedded in the human heart and the world? In what way does God s promise of Christ in Genesis 3:5 specifically give you a deep sense of hope during Advent? 2

3 WEEK : THE PROMISE OF CHRIST DECEMBER DECEMBER 4 The Reign of Judah s Lion Friday, December 2 Genesis 49:0 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. These are the words of a dying man to his twelve sons. Jacob, the father of the twelve tribes of Israel, performed one of his greatest acts of faith on his deathbed: By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. (Hebrews :2) Making a blessing by faith seems odd to us, but it was no small thing in the Old Testament. A blessing was done out of faith in what they saw God would do in the future. Before giving the blessing Jacob says, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come. (Genesis 49:) This blessing is not being said from a heart that wishes these things to be true, but is said confidently in faith that God will bring it to pass. When Jacob gets to his son Judah, he makes an astounding promise that the scepter and ruler s staff will remain in his lineage. This will continue until tribute comes to him. To give tribute means to show admiration and honor to someone for their royal status and majesty. So there is coming a descendent from the tribe of Judah who is worthy of our highest tribute. Not only will there be tribute, but to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. In other words, the nations will submit to his will and willingly follow his lead. This is also why in verse 9 Judah is referred to as a lions cub crouched as a lion. For there is no other animal that compares in majesty, authority, and reverence like a lion. So it is no surprise that Christ the Lord descended from Judah, For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah. (Hebrews 7:4) Jesus Christ is the one to whom all tribute, all obedience, and to him belongs the sacred ruler s staff next to his Father s heavenly throne. More than this, a day is coming when we will all behold with infinite admiration and joy what the apostle John saw in a vision, Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered then I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain. (Revelation 5:5-6) The Lion is also a Lamb who was slain for you. This was the goal Advent. Therefore, weep no more, O ransomed one! For you are under the Lion s care. In what ways do you find your heart giving too much tribute and obedience to the idols of our culture today? How might the beauty of Christ as the Lion of Judah, to whom all tribute belongs, captivate your heart once again? 3

4 WEEK : THE PROMISE OF CHRIST DECEMBER DECEMBER 4 Fear not! Saturday, December 3 Isaiah 7:4 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. God loves to give his people soul-sustaining promises when their hearts become fearful. During the reign of king Ahaz in Jerusalem, the king of Syria teamed up with the northern kingdom of Israel to mount an attack on Jerusalem. King Ahaz reacts the way most of us would, the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind. (Isaiah 7:2) When something precious to us is under attack, fear takes over. But glory be to the God of Israel who delights to offer himself as the anchor of our souls. So God sends the prophet Isaiah to Ahaz and says, Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two. (Isaiah 7:4) God pleads with Ahaz and the people of Jerusalem to trust in God who is mighty to save. God also warns them of the danger of trusting in man, not God, If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all. (Isaiah 7:9) The greatest weapon against fear, is faith. God even goes one step further to strengthen Ahaz by telling him to ask for a sure sign that God will rescue him from the attack. He says to him, Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Immanuel means God with us! God was willing to birth a child from a virgin to prove to Ahaz that God is with him. But rather than look to God for help, king Ahaz looks to the king of Assyria for help and abandons his God and gives away all of his allegiance and trust. There is something much more frightening than being attacked by a foreign nation: being attacked from within by the power of Satan and sin. Sin is a garden of fear, sprouting suffocating weeds daily in your thoughts and feelings. The only thing that could ever sill any fear in your heart is the confidence and satisfaction of knowing that God is affectionately with you. One day, God would not just give a sign that he is with you, but would give you his Son. Jesus is Immanuel, God with you. God himself would draw near to assure your fearfully sinful heart that he is with you to the end. You have nothing to fear, For in [Christ] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. (Colossians 2:9-0) Stand firm child of God. Fear not this Advent, for God is with you every second of your existence. Where are you struggling with fear and the temptation to trust in worldly safety nets rather than the soul-sustaining promise that Christ is with you? How might the promise of Immanuel grant you courage this Advent season? 4

5 WEEK : THE PROMISE OF CHRIST DECEMBER DECEMBER 4 A Humble Ruler Sunday, December 4 Micah 5:2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. One of the most intriguing things about God s glory is the fact that he delights to accomplish great things through the small and insignificant. Paul the apostle pleaded with the Lord three times to take away a burden he was carrying, but Jesus responded, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. God s power is made perfect in weakness, not strength. There is something about weakness that more splendidly displays the sufficiency of God s glorious grace. So God s promise through the prophet Micah is no different. The second half of the promise describes not only the greatness of God s authority ( from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel ), but also his eternal existence ( whose coming forth is from of old ). How marvelous is the immeasurable greatness of our God, who rules over all things from eternity past! But just when you think you have God s glory figured out, you notice who he is making this promise to: But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah. Bethlehem was a tiny little town in the district of Ephrathah. It was the town that King David was born, who also was chosen to be king, though he was the youngest and least of Jesse s sons. Behold! From the line of David, out of the little town of Bethlehem would come One who has no beginning, who s name is I AM, and who has the only right to rule and reign over God s people. Only in this God do we see divine power arising from obscure darkness. This means that the Christ who has come is both worthy of your highest admiration, yet delights to show himself to those you who are low, insignificant, and humble. The heart of Christ is big and strong enough to carry our sins in his body on the tree, yet tender enough to help those who are weak and lowly. This is the Christ of Advent. In what areas of your life do you feel insignificant and weak? In what ways does this prophecy speak tenderly and encouraging to your heart? How does this unique picture of the eternity and authority of Christ coming from the little town of Bethlehem shape your view of Christmas? 5

6 Family Discipleship WEEK : THE PROMISE OF CHRIST Set aside 0-5 minutes during the week for this section. Prayer Have someone in the family ask God to get your heart s ready for the true meaning of Christ: the birth our Lord Jesus Christ. Reading Read the following excerpt from Jesus Storybook Bible. The chapter is called Operation No More Tears! God says to his people, You ve been stumbling around, like people in a dark room. But into the darkness, a bright Light will shine! It will chase away all the shadows, like sunshine. A little baby will be born. A Royal Son. His mommy will be a young girl who doesn t have a husband. His name will be Emmanuel, which means God has come to live with us. He is one of King David s children s children s children. The Prince of Peace. Yes, Someone is going to rescue you! But he won t be who anyone expects. Reflection/ Questions What do you think God means that without him we are stumbling around like in a dark room? Why do you think we need God to give us his light in Jesus? After answer discussing the questions, talk a little bit about what sin is, and how it leaves us in the dark. God promised that he would send his Son to be with us and rescue us. Have you ever felt that God is with you? Do you know what it means to be rescued? What do you think are ways that we can help each other as a family experience God being with us? Activity Make a promise to your kids that you are going to do something fun, but don t tell them what (i.e. go see Christmas lights, making a gingerbread house, or a Christmas play). Keep reminding them of the activity so they get more excited as the week goes on. As the excitement builds, use that as an opportunity to remind them of God s promise to be with us and rescue us through Jesus. Sally Lloyd-Jones, Jesus Storybook Bible, p

Meditations for Advent a month of preparation

Meditations for Advent a month of preparation Meditations for Advent 2013 - a month of preparation Oh, Come, Oh, Come Emmanuel Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear. Oh,