WaitingFor The Promised One

An Advent Bible Study in 4 Sessions

Leader’s Guide

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Table of ContentsSession 1

The Light of a PromisePage 6

Session 2The Light of a Throne

Page 16

Session 3The Light of a Kingdom

Page 22

Session 4The Light of a Son

Page 30

WaitingFor The Promised One

An Advent Bible Study in 4 Sessions

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Introduction

In Eden, Adam and Eve rebelled against God, disobey-ing his command forbidding them to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. All of their descen-dants—including you and me—share in that rebellion. Willingly and eagerly we have joined in disobedience that earns for us the darkness of death and eternal separation from God. Yet in his love and mercy, God did not leave us without hope. Beginning already in Eden, God promised to send a helper, a Savior, to us. Through the pages of Holy Scripture we see God’s promise unfold, as the One to come is revealed in the light of a promise, in the light of a throne, in the light of a kingdom and, finally, in the light of a Son.

—Carol Geisler, author

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Tips For Using This Study Guide

1. Always begin each session with a prayer. One is included for each session. You are encouraged to expand each of them with prayer concerns from the group.

2. Feel free to follow the format of each session as presented here or rearrange and adapt the material to meet the needs of your group.

3. Have your Bible handy for referencing verses in this study guide. It may also be interesting to have a different transla-tion of Scripture than you are used to using to get a fresh perspective and perhaps broaden your understanding.

4. As you work through the material in this study guide, be sure to write down in the margins any questions that come to mind or any thoughts that arise in the course of the dis-cussion and your contemplation on each session’s Scripture verses.

5. The tune name of the hymn in each session is Nun Komm, Der Heiden Heiland 77 77, the melody of “Savior of the Nations, Come.” You can also speak the lyrics in unison.

6. If you are using this guide in a group setting, consider assigning Bible verses mentioned in the questions to various people in the class to look up and read aloud at the appropriate time, rather than having everyone look up every verse. This will move the session along more efficiently.

Note that some of the questions ask for facts. Typically, the an-swers to these questions will come from the Scripture verses just read. Other questions are more subjective, asking for your opinion or an example from your own experience. Since your life experiences are different from anyone else’s, answers to these questions are neither right nor wrong.

A Leader’s Guide that accompanies this material is available from Creative Communications for the Parish (Code WFL).

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Leader’s GuideFor Session 1

BEFORE CLASS: Read through this session yourself. Read through the Bible readings listed and become acquainted with them. If you plan on having mem-bers of the group read any of the Bible readings, assign them prior to class.

READ: Have a member of the group read the Introduction (on p. 4) aloud.

READ: Have someone read the Open-ing Prayer or read the prayer in unison.

SESSION 1

The Light of a Promise

Opening Prayer

Lord Jesus, by the power of your Spirit, guide and bless our study of your Word. At the dawn of creation our first parents received the promise of a Savior, and in your birth, life, death and resurrection that ancient promise was fulfilled. Help us to walk in the light of that promise and its fulfillment during this Advent season, as we prepare to celebrate your birth and as we long for your return. Amen.

WaitingFor The Promised One

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TALK: Discuss aspects of the Christmas season you enjoy and why.

READ: Read or have someone read Genesis 3:8-21.

Icebreaker Discussion

Christmas is, of course, the celebration of Jesus’ birth. But what other aspect of the Christmas season do you most enjoy—holiday lights and decorations, giving or receiving gifts, special worship services or concerts—and why?

• ReadGenesis3:8-21:

8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

14 The Lord God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field;on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.15 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.”

16 To the woman he said,

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1. Adam and Eve know they have done wrong and they hide from God. When confronted, they try to excuse themselves by blaming the serpent, each other and even God (“the woman you gave me”).

2. Answers will vary, but we also make excuses for ourselves or blame others.

“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children.Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”

17 And to Adam he said,

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the treeof which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread,till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken;for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

20 The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.

1. Eve listened to the tempting voice of the serpent. Eve and Adam ate the fruit that God had forbidden to them. How do Adam and Eve react when they hear the sound of God walking in the garden and when he confronts them with their sin? Why do they react this way?

2. How are our reactions similar when someone confronts us with our own sins?

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3. Adam and Eve hide from God in fear. Eve will give birth in pain. Adam will struggle to grow crops. They blame each other and come into conflict. The ground is cursed. They will die and return to dust.

4. The Promised One, the woman’s offspring,” will be “at enmity” with the serpent and his offspring. The serpent will bruise his heel and he will bruise the serpent’s head.

5. We were clothed in Christ in our Baptism. Answers will vary.

READ: Read or have someone read 1 Peter 1:18-21.

1. Answers will vary. We might try to earn God’s favor with our good works or try to bargain with him to receive an answer to prayer.

3. The impact of sin spreads through creation. What impact does Eve and Adam’s sin have on their relationship to God? On their individual lives? On their relationship to each other? On their relationship to the earth? What is the ultimate penalty for what they have done?

4. In Genesis 3:15 we read the first promise of the Savior. What do we know at this point about the Promised One to come? What will happen to him and what will he do?

5. God makes clothes for Adam and Eve from skins of animals, a picture of Jesus, the Lamb of God, sacrificed to “cover” us with his blood. Read Galatians 3:27-28. When were we “clothed” in Christ? What does it mean to you to be “dressed” in Christ? God can see how you are clothed. How will others know that you are clothed in Christ?

• Read1Peter1:18-21:

18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways in-herited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

1. Jesus ransomed us from the “futile ways” of attempting to earn God’s favor with our own good works. How might you at times fall back into those futile ways?

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2. The precious blood of Christ was the price of our salvation.

3. Jesus is the Word who is God and who was “in the beginning with God.” He was foreknown before the foundation of the world.

4. Christ was made known in these last times for us who believe in him.

5. Answers will vary.

READ: Read or have someone read Psalm 103:8-14.

1. God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, love that will not change. He will not deal with us or repay us according to our sins.

2. Gold and silver could not redeem us. There is not enough wealth on earth to pay the debt we owe for our disobedience toward God. What was the cost of our salvation?

3. Read John 1:1-5. Christ is God and has always existed as God. According to 1 Peter 1:20, when was he destined or foreknown as the Lamb and promised Savior?

4. According to these verses, when was Christ, the

Promised One, made known, and for whom?

5. During these seasons of Advent and Christmas, how can you, in your words and actions, “make Christ manifest” to others?

• ReadPsalm103:8-14:

8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever.10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.

1. What are the many ways in which God’s mercy is described here? Which phrase is most comforting to you?

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2. Answers will vary, but since “east” cannot ever meet up with “west,” our sins are removed forever.

3. God acts toward us as a compassionate Father toward his children.

4. Answers will vary.

READ: Read or have someone read Revela-tion 12:7-12.

1. Satan accuses Job of false faithfulness. He complains that Job is only faithful because God has blessed him. The accuser says that if God removes his blessing, then Job will curse God.

2. God removes our sins from us “as far as the east is from the west.” Why is that a comforting image?

3. God created Adam from the dust of the earth, and Eve from Adam’s rib. God remembers our sinful weakness, that “we are dust.” How does God act toward us?

4. Consider God’s mercy and the way in which he forgives you for Christ’s sake? How can you reflect his mercy in your relationships with others?

• ReadRevelation12:7-12:

7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. 12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”

1. The name Satan means accuser. Satan acts as our accuser, a “prosecutor” before God, trying to convince God of our guilt. Read Job 1:6-12 and Job 2:1-6. How is Satan acting as the accuser in the story of Job?

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2. Satan tries to accuse us before God, trying constantly to remind God—and us—of our sins. Jesus is our defender, our advocate, before God. We know that for the sake of Jesus Christ, God declares us “not guilty.”

3. Answers will vary, but Satan may try to make us doubt our salvation. He may try to make us think we cannot be forgiven. We may be tempted to act hatefully toward others or refuse to forgive them. By forgiving others as we have been forgiven, we can “outwit” Satan.

4. Answers will vary, but we know that Satan was conquered by the blood of the Lamb; we can be sure of God’s forgiveness in Christ.

READ: Read or have someone read the “Still Waiting ...” paragraph.

READ: Read or have someone read John 14:1-7.

2. Who serves as our advocate, our defense lawyer (see 1 John 2:1)? Because of our advocate, what is the sure and certain outcome of our “courtroom” scene?

3. How do Satan’ accusations create doubts and fears in our own hearts and harm our relationship to others? Read 2 Corinthians 2:5-11. What can we do, in Christ, in our relationships with others so that we will not be “outwitted” by Satan?

4. When Jesus died and rose from the dead, the “ancient serpent” of Eden was thrown down in defeat. Satan—having come to earth in great wrath—may still accuse us of sin, but he has been defeated. When you experience Satan’s accusations, what is the best way to defeat him?

Still Waiting …

During this season of Advent we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the promised offspring of the woman, the Savior who died and rose to defeat the ancient serpent. Dur-ing Advent we also look forward to the fulfillment of another promise—Jesus our Savior will come again on the Last Day. We continue to watch and wait in the light of that promise.

• ReadJohn14:1-7:

1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through

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1. Jesus is going to prepare a place for them and he will return to bring them to himself so they will be with him always. Answers will vary.

2. We “know the way” because our Savior is the Way. We are ready through faith in Jesus, who is the Way and the Truth and the Life.

READ: Read or have someone read Rev-elation 1:4-8.

1. Jesus, the firstborn from the dead, will come with the clouds. Everyone will see him, including those who crucified him. People will wail and mourn at his return.

2. We have been made ready for Jesus’ return through his death and resurrection. He shed is blood on the cross to free us from our sins. He is the firstborn from the dead, the first to rise, and we will follow him as we, too, rise from our graves.

me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

1. Although he will soon leave them, how does Jesus comfort his disciples? What aspects of Jesus’ message of hope do you find especially comforting?

2. Like Thomas we ask, “How can we know the way?” What does this passage teach us about being ready for Jesus’ return?

• ReadRevelation1:4-8:

4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

1. What details does this passage give us about Jesus’ Second Coming? How will people react to his presence on that day?

2. How, according to this passage, have we been made ready for Jesus’ return?

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By Carol Geisler. Art by Mark Hurd. © 2013 by Creative Communications for the Parish, 1564 Fencorp Dr., Fenton, MO 63026. 1-800-325-9414. www.creativecommunications.com. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA. (Student Guide code: WFG) WFL

WaitingFor The Promised One

An Advent Bible Study in 4 Sessions

After sin entered the world, God promised to send a helper, a Savior, to us. In this 4-session Bible study for Advent, students study Scrip-ture to see God’s love unfold, as the One who is to come is revealed in the light of a promise, the light of a throne, the light of a kingdom and the light of a Son. The large-format Leader’s Guide includes all answers to the questions, helpful study notes and session directions.

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