Advent – Christmas

Of Shepherds and Joy – The 3rd Sunday of Advent

/ Bob
Advent is that time of year when we look forward to Christmas – as we remember and look forward to the coming of Mashiach – the Messiah – Christ, the Lord. This week we lit our third candle in our Advent Wreath – the Shepherd’s Candle of Joy.

The shepherds who received the announcement concerning the new born king, the Messiah, the Savior have long been thought of as those shunned by society and outcasts. This may or may not be true, but the Bible doesn’t say that. A look at shepherds in the Bible allows us to see an honorable profession that was actually central to the heart of the Jewish faith. From Moses to David to even Jesus Himself (John 10) the role of the shepherd was and is exalted. They were no doubt poor and, as such, were no doubt looked down on by the elites of society, but they were just simple working folks.

And on that night in the fields outside of Bethlehem they were just doing their job when their quiet world came to life with a message of joy and hope. They went to see the child and then went back to work. As they returned to work, they praised God and shared the story of all they had witnessed. People were amazed at their tale of angels and babies and the new born king.

As we go to work today, may we take another look at the infant king, marvel anew, and then tell the folks we meet on the way to work and at work what we have seen – what we have experienced through the saving grace of Jesus.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, December 10, 2023. It is part of an Advent series of lessons that will run through Sunday, December 17, 2023.

Handouts with slide content can be requested at
fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com .
Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .

Website – FromTheBackPorch.org
X – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast
Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas
Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com
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The Road to Bethlehem – The 2nd Sunday of Advent

/ Bob

Advent is that time of year when we look forward to Christmas – as we remember and look forward to the coming of Mashiach – the Messiah – Christ, the Lord. This week we lit our second candle in our Advent Wreath – the Bethlehem Candle of Faith.

When the wise men came into Judea they went to Herod, the King, figuring that he would no doubt have all of the up-to-date information on the new king they were looking for. Herod’s scriptural advisors rightly told Herod that Bethlehem was the place where the Messiah King was to be born because it was prophesied in the 5th chapter of the prophet Micah. The little town of Bethlehem has always been a defining proof of the Messiah. He would come from the line of David and would be born in Bethlehem. Yeshua – Jesus – did have the ancestral link to David and was, indeed, born in Bethlehem.

After exploring this facet of the Nativity Narrative (and after answering a few questions about whether or not there was a donkey in the story as well as what type of place Jesus was actually born in – hint – it wasn’t a barn, a cave, or a stable) we went on to explore the significance of small things in God’s economy. Micah 5:2 says “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.” (NKJ) At the time Bethlehem probably had a population of about 500-1,500 people – a small town even by today’s standards. Yet, in this small town we find the biggest event in human history – the birth of God!


God specializes in using small things to accomplish big things. Think about the rod that Moses used. It was an insignificant shepherd’s tool that was used to do miraculous things. How about the jawbone of a donkey that Samson used to slay 1,000 Philistines? Or five fish and few pieces of bread that were used to feed 5,000? And don’t forget the slingshot and that smooth river stone that David used to take down the arrogant Goliath. Small things used by God to accomplish big things.

And so it continues today. Even our small faith, if it be only the size of a mustard seed, can move mountains because when that small faith meets up with God’s omnipotence, big things happen.

O little town of Bethlehem – teach us that when we are weak it is then that we are strong, because the strength of God shows up best when we are week, when we are small, and even when we feel small.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, December 3, 2023. It is part of an Advent series of lessons that will run through Sunday, December 17, 2023.

Handouts with slide content can be requested at:
fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com .
Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .

Website – FromTheBackPorch.org
X – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast
Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas
Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com

The Hope of Prophecy – 1st Sunday of Advent

/ Bob

Advent is that time of year when we look forward to Christmas – as we remember and look forward to the coming of Mashiach – the Messiah – Christ, the Lord. This Sunday we lit our first candle in our Advent Wreath – the Candle of Prophecy and Hope.

In the Old Testament the people who walked in darkness were looking ahead to a great light – one who come to deliver them from their darkness and their oppression – one who would restore God’s Kingdom. There are many prophecies in the Old Testament concerning the Messiah; over 300 in fact. The fact that one man could fulfill all of the prophecies is mind-blowing. It is statistically impossible and yet He did. We looked at a few of them and then discussed what the coming of the Messiah would have meant to the Jewish people in Jesus’ time.

Isaiah 53 is known as The Forbidden Chapter in many Christian groups. In it we find “the Suffering Servant.” Messianic scriptures point to a victorious King who would restore the Kingdom of God and throw off the oppression of conquering nations. The followers of Jesus, as well as many Jewish scholars of the day, saw and proclaimed Isaiah 53 as describing the Messiah with the Christ followers seeing it as clearly pointing to Jesus. Jewish leaders responded to the focus on Jesus by asserting that that the “suffering servant” was the nation of Israel. And so it continues today. As we looked at the chapter in class we saw Jesus throughout. He is the Messiah and He is the Suffering Servant.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, November 26, 2023. It is part of an Advent series of lessons that will run through Sunday, December 7, 2023.

Handouts with slide content can be requested at:
fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com .
Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .

Website – FromTheBackPorch.org
X – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast
Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas
Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com
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