2023 Advent

 Review (week one): the genealogical line of Jesus includes the founder of three world religions, the father of numerous people groups or nations; it includes kings and prophets, righteous men and women. It also includes cowards and murderers, harlots and sinners. But, from the stories of Genesis, perhaps passed on through oral accounts from the first human beings, to the end of the prophetic writings, a few centuries prior to Jesus' birth, this genealogical line points ahead announcing, ‘A Savior is coming!’ Week two –  the Covenants  – Throughout the Old Testament, God made promises, called covenants, to certain individuals. Some were conditional promises based on the behavior of the individual(s). Other promises were unconditional, based on the sovereign control and faithfulness of God, Alone. In 2 Corinthians 1:20, the author states, “For no matter how many promises God has made they are all ‘yes’ in Christ Jesus.” Jesus would be the fulfillment of each of God’s ...

 Matthew 1:6, Luke 3:31 The dynasty of Israel’s kings began with David after king Saul was removed. David was a shepherd, who became a warrior, who became king. He is known as the psalmist as he put his prayers to song. He was described by God as ‘a man after My Own heart.’ King David foretold of the coming divine King, Messiah, his Descendant, in many of his psalms,  ‘Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. You rule with a scepter of justice. You love justice and hate evil. Therefore God, your God, has anointed You.’ Psalm 45:6,7 for teens                                         for the kids

Joshua 2 & 6, Matthew 1:5     A red cloth hangs from a window opened high in a stone wall. The city, Jericho, is completely exposed. Its city walls collapsed ... except for one small section, the wall that houses the home of Rahab, the harlot. The refugee nation, Israel, had entered the Promised Land, Canaan, after fleeing Egypt and Jericho was the first city to be conquered. God had instructed the Israelites to march around the city and finally shout aloud. The walls of the city miraculously tumbled down.     After the defeat of the people of Jericho, all eyes turned to this one section of the wall still standing with  the scarlet rope of salvation  that had allowed two Israeli spies to escape days before - Rahab, the harlot, the foreigner, would be spared to become part of God's plan of salvation as an ancestor to Messiah.   “Then Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, 'Go into the harlot's house and bring the woman and all s...

  Judah and Joseph – Luke 3:34, Genesis 37-45; 49:8-12 Jacob, who became known as Israel, had 12 sons. Jealous of their father's love for his younger son, Joseph, Judah and his brothers had secretly sold Joseph as a slave – their father was grief-stricken. Through a series of events, over many years, Joseph had risen to power in Egypt second only to Pharaoh. During a severe famine, Joseph’s brothers had come to Egypt to buy food, but didn’t recognize Joseph. Joseph tested his brothers and ordered their youngest brother to be kept as a slave to serve him.  Judah, who by this time had lost two of his own sons to death, spoke to Joseph, still incognito, ‘Please, my lord, let me stay here as a slave instead of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. For how can I return to my father if the boy is not with me? I couldn’t bear to see the sorrow this would cause my father!’ Joseph couldn’t control himself … he wept loudly and said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph!’ Genesis 44...

  Abraham and Isaac - Matthew 1:2, Genesis 22 “And Abraham said, ‘God, Himself, will provide  the lamb  for the burnt offering, my son.’ ... And Abraham looked up and behind him he saw a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns."  Genesis 22:8,13 Throughout the Old Testament, God revealed Himself and His plan to men and women stirring their hearts to trust Him as God. Instead of Abraham offering up his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice to God ... God, Himself, would one day provide the pure and perfect Sacrifice in His Son, Jesus, to pay the penalty for our disobedience in unbelief. Isaac was to be the son through whom the Jewish nation would come, through whom Messiah, the Savior, would come - Genesis 21:12, 13. For the kids For teens

  Luke 3:36, Genesis 5-11  'Then the Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. And the Lord was grieved that He had made man on the earth and His heart was filled with pain.'  Genesis 6:5,6 'But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord ... Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time. Noah walked with God.' Genesis 6:8,9 How patient our God is to put up with disobedience. Every moment of every day He waits for us to turn back to Him as God. He could have justly extinguished the entire human race, but He chose to  mercifully provide His Way  of salvation through the line of Noah, his wife and family who survived the cataclysmic, worldwide flood. For the kids For teens  

  The Seed of Woman   Adam and Eve - Luke 3:38, Genesis 5 To the serpent the Lord God said, 'Because you have done this, cursed are you ... and I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall crush your head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.' Genesis 3:14,15 (written around 1500BC) God gave many blessings to the first man and woman - life, health, work, rest and relaxation, and relationships (with people and God, Himself). He also gave the marvelous gift of freedom - not only freedom to women and men, but to the angelic world as well - freedom to follow God as God or turn away from the Giver of every good and perfect gift. We chose to go our own way. But our merciful Creator God points to a coming Savior ... One Who would  crush the head of the evil one,  Satan. For the Kids For teens  For the parents   - In the coming weeks, each day we'll look at one of four themes in the Old Testament that point to t...