Advent: Born to Dwell With Bible Study FellowshipSample

This Plan’s Format

Studying the Bible is often a struggle. We wrestle to go beyond knowledge and experience transformational truth—truth that refills our faith, refreshes our souls, and reforms our actions. Use our four-part study method to open your heart to God. Learn how to live out biblical truth in daily circumstances and walk more closely with God. This course invites you to:

… Connect with God through Bible reading.

… Inform your thoughts through insightful questions.

… Deepen your faith with in-depth notes on the passage.

… Encourage action by listening to trustworthy teaching on days 5, 10, 15, and 20.

The Bible’s Singular Story

On the day of Jesus’ Resurrection, He walked along the road to Emmaus with some of His disciples. “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself” (Luke 24:27).

What do the Scriptures say about Jesus? Old Testament books contain Israel’s history and prophetic signs of a coming King and Savior. As promised, the Advent of God’s Messiah would bless the world. Generations passed by while waiting … longing to hear the news that Isaiah’s prophecy had been fulfilled, “Unto us a son is given” (Isaiah 9:6).

The Gospels build a bridge back to that past that also leads to our future. For example, Luke 1 relays the angel’s announcement to Mary, “You will conceive and give birth to a son, … his kingdom will never end … So, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” As promised, this Son entered our world and completed His work on earth.

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible draws our attention to our Savior Jesus Christ—our ultimate hope, faith, joy, and peace. His Advent makes sense of God’s will, our worth, and our world. He came. And He’s coming again!

The Savior’s Family Tree

Matthew’s story about Jesus’ birthday begins with a genealogy, an account of His origin. What may seem like a roster of unpronounceable names to us was fondly familiar to Matthew’s original Jewish audience. Proof of ancestry mattered in Israel. These familial records carried legal evidence for land ownership. Ancestry also authenticated each Jew’s access to the temple and designated types of service.

Matthew deliberately omitted names from Jesus’ genealogy to produce a list containing three cycles of 14 generations each. Each group of 14 names represents a specific period of Israel’s history and God’s faithfulness.

• Abraham to David covers the first 1,000 years or so of Israel’s history (1:1-6).
• David until Israel’s captivity in Babylon covers about 400 years (1:6-11).
• Israel’s return from Babylon until Jesus’ birth covers 600 years (1:12-16).

Matthew chose groups of 14 for another reason. The letters of the Hebrew alphabet also serve as numbers. So, authors sometimes repeat the “number” of a word to draw attention to it. In this case, the name “DVD” (David) has a numerical value of 14: D+V+D = 4+6+4=14. Matthew’s three groups of 14 emphasize that Jesus, the Son of David, is greater than David; Jesus is the Messiah!

The Creation’s Hallowed Hope

Hope is alive because God is faithful and full of grace. The gospel declares that God the Father sent His Son to enter the world as a baby, fully human and fully divine. According to Scripture, he lived a perfect life, died a painful death in our place for our sins, and was buried. Now resurrected and risen to heaven, He is returning in the flesh to rule and reign.

Are you willing to make space in your life to consistently honor and rejoice in the arrival of our Savior and King? He is our hope—by faith that will one day be made sight. Let this study time be a season to pause, slow down, and welcome Jesus. Dwell with Him for the first time (or be renewed) with wonder—and worship—and faith.

Questions

1. Advent means coming in Latin. It commonly refers to the coming of Jesus Christ into the world. What stands out to you about Luke’s details about Jesus’ coming, summarized by names only in Matthew 1:16, “and Jacob, the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary, was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah”?
2. Recall any familiar promises and events surrounding Jesus’ birth. What would you say is the main reason to celebrate His coming to dwell with us?