The Promise of a Savior

by Dec 10, 2017Emergence, Sermon

Most of the events recorded in the Bible took place before Christmas. Long before the first Christmas was the promise that Christmas would come. This promise brought great hope, but it also brought frustration and restlessness. This is still true of Christmas. We still live in the promise of Christmas. The Christmas season stirs up feelings of expectation, anticipation, and longing within us. The Promise of Christmas both inspires and frustrates us. It is something we already have and something for which we are still waiting.

Discussion Questions

When you think of the promise of Christmas what comes to your mind? What promise or promises does the season hold?

What do you remember about waiting for Christmas as a child? How did that both inspire and frustrate you? Has what you are waiting for changed? How?

Have you ever lost hope/faith in God’s promises? What happened? How did you recapture your hope/faith?

Why do you think God made the world wait so long for the promise of the Savior to be fulfilled? What is the value of waiting for a promise to be fulfilled?

Read Genesis 12:1-3 and 49:10; 2 Sam. 7:12, 13; Isa. 7:14 and 9:6, 7; and Micah 5:2. What do you learn from each of these prophesies? Think about how much time passed between each piece of the promise.

Read Matt. 13:16, 17. What does Jesus tell his disciples? What responsibility does this give to those who follow Jesus?

Read Acts 1:6-11. What does this passage tell us about the promise of the savior and how we are to wait for that promise to be fulfilled?

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