Aletheia Tampa Advent

The word adventus is a Latin term meaning “coming.” Early Christians spoke of “The advent of our Lord” in reference to the incarnation (God becoming flesh). As time went on, advent was designated as the period leading up to Christmas Day when Christians prepared for the celebration of Jesus’ birth. The specific celebrations began as early as the 4th century AD. This time period was marked by prayer and fasting with a focused attention on the wonder of the incarnation as well as the hopeful return of Christ at His second coming.www.aletheiatampa.com/advent

JOHN 3:16-17: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.www.aletheiatampa.com/advent

1 TIMOTHY 2:5-6: For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. www.aletheiatampa.com/advent

LUKE 24:44-48: Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.You are witnesses of these things.www.aletheiatampa.com/advent

JOHN 1:29: The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”www.aletheiatampa.com/advent

MARK 10:45: For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.www.aletheiatampa.com/advent

At this point in the story, the long awaited Savior, Redeemer, and Messiah has come! Jesus, who was in the family of King David, was humbly born in Bethlehem, and all of the angels and the heavenly hosts rejoiced at his coming! God made sure that Jesus was safely delivered and protected from King Herod and now this little child was to grow up in the city of Nazareth. God has faithfully kept all of His promises and nothing was going to stop Jesus from coming to the earth and being born exactly as it was promised in God’s Word.In this Christmas season, we celebrate the birth of Jesus as the King of the world who will set his people free from sin. But the story doesn’t end at his birth; Jesus will grow up into a toddler, a teenager, and eventually an adult, living a relatively ordinary life on earth. But then the time came for Jesus to continue to fulfill the plan that God had all along- the plan he had been slowly unraveling from Adam and Eve all the way to John the Baptist. Jesus would soon shake the world with his life, ministry, and teaching. Jesus did not simply come to live among us- he came to die for us, to take our place, and to save us from our sins. This week, we will consider the importance of what happens after Jesus was born. Why exactly is Jesus here on earth? What is he here to do and accomplish?www.aletheiatampa.com/advent

MATTHEW 2:13-15: Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”www.aletheiatampa.com/advent

MATTHEW 2:7-12: Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.www.aletheiatampa.com/advent

MATTHEW 2:1-6: Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;for from you shall come a rulerwho will shepherd my people Israel.’”www.aletheiatampa.com

JOHN 1:14-16: And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. www.aletheiatampa.com/advent

LUKE 2:15-20: When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.www.aletheiatampa.com/advent

LUKE 2:11-14: For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”www.aletheiatampa.com/advent

LUKE 2:1-6: In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.www.aletheiatampa.com/advent

MATTHEW 1:19-23 : And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel”www.aletheiatampa.com/advent

Luke 1:46-50: And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me,and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.www.aletheiatampa.com/advent

LUKE 1:36-38: And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.www.aletheiatampa.com/advent

LUKE 1:34-35: And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.”www.aletheiatampa.com/advent

LUKE 1:30-33: And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

LUKE 1:26-30: In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”

By this time in the story, God’s promise of this Redeemer, King, and Savior has been coming for a very long time. However, in God’s book that he wrote for us there is a really big pause between part one and part two. In fact, this pause is for 400 years! For 400 years, God was silent towards His people. There were no more great prophets like Jeremiah, Isaiah, or Micah as we read about last week. There were no more kings from within God’s people to reign over Israel. Instead, they were ruled by foreign kings. In the midst of this change, God’s people seem to have forgotten about their special and unique relationship with God. When we read this story we have to wonder, is God really going to keep this promise? After all, it is has been so long since he promised a Savior to Adam and Eve, all the way back in the beginning of time. It has been so long since he promised, it seems like he has forgotten all about this!But quickly and suddenly, God breaks his silence to his people. And he breaks His silence in a mighty way! God shows up and communicates to two people: Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah. He tells them through an angel named Gabriel that they are going to have a baby, but not just any baby- a son that would prepare the people of God for the long awaited Messiah and Savior! This is the very son we read about at the end of last week. This baby was to be named John, and he was going to be full of the Holy Spirit, and he would teach and proclaim about this Savior that was to come during his lifetime. God hasn’t given up on his promises after all! He knew all along exactly when he would fulfill this promise, and who He would use to prepare the way. God is a good Father who keeps his promises and who knows exactly what He is doing, even when we have a hard time understanding what He is doing. This week, we will look at the building anticipation as God sets the stage for his promise to finally be fulfilled.

ISAIAH 40:3-5: A voice cries:“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up,and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level,and the rough places a plain.And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,and all flesh shall see it together,for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”www.aletheiatampa.com/advent

ISAIAH 9:6-7: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be calledWonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end,on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold itwith justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. www.aletheiatampa.com/advent

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.www.aletheiatampa.com/advent

ISAIAH 7:14: Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel aletheiatampa.com/advent

JEREMIAH 23:5-6: Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’www.aletheiatampa.com/advent

Think of a time in your life when you had to wait on something very im- portant... How did that make you feel? Were you patient for this very important thing, or did you have a hard time waiting? How did you feel once you finally got to experience what had been promised?The hope of all humanity is based on a very important promise from God. This promise comes from a very, very long time ago. All the way back at the beginning of the world, yes the very beginning, God created Adam and Eve. These first two humans on the earth had the choice whether or not to obey God or to disobey him. Unfortunately, they chose to disobey their Creator, and the world that we live in has never been the same. As a result of their actions, things are not the way they were supposed to be!Despite this reality, God has had a plan all along- and not just any plan, but an incredible promise about a person that would return things to the way they are supposed to be. Humanity would have to wait a very long time for this promise and this person to come, however. In fact, they would have to wait thousands of years! But God is a good Father who keeps his promises.The promise about this coming person is contained in a book- a book that God himself has written for our benefit. The first part of this book (The Old Testament) is full of hints, clues, and insights of what exactly this promise that is to come is all about. This week, we will take a look at some of these clues and hints, as we build excitement and anticipation for what exactly we are celebrating this Christmas season.