This year, we will be doing something a little different with our study questions. We aim to equip you to be a better student of the Bible, more able to love God with all your mind (:30). As Jen Wilkin says, “The heart cannot love what the mind does not know.” This growth comes through diligent, purposeful, prayerful personal study of the Word.

We believe that deep and meaningful community with fellow believers is one of the main ways the Holy Spirit makes us more like . Because of this, we encourage you to be part of a small group (Dwell, Forged, or Community groups).

Since we also believe that sitting under faithful preaching of the Word is critical for our growth as Christians, we would like to challenge you to further engage with Scripture, community, and the sermon you will hear on Sunday mornings by doing the following:

1. Reading and studying the passage you will hear Brent preach on, using these questions as a jumping-off point and digging deeper with commentaries or study Bible notes, 2. Discussing these questions (especially the application questions) with your Small Group (Dwell, Forged, Community), 3. Coming to church Sunday morning ready to hear the Word preached and excited for the Spirit to teach you.

In order to gain more understanding and personal connection to the text, we encourage you to study and discuss the passage (using the study questions) the week before Brent preaches on it. Come to church ready to learn, having already spent time dwelling in the Scripture. We are excited to see our church grow in Devotion as we dig into the Word together.

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We should always approach the study of God’s Word with prayer, thanking Him for His Word, asking the Holy Spirit for wisdom in understanding and applying it. Pause and do this now. Then read Matthew 1:1-17.

Comprehension (What does it say?)

1. As you read through the list of names, some of them should be familiar. Underline the names of people you recognize from your knowledge of the .

2. Choose two names you don’t recognize and look them up in a study Bible, Bible dictionary or concordance. Read about them and learn their story. Write their names and the Bible passages they appear in here.

3. Matthew spends a good deal of time tracing Jesus’s genealogy and highlights His descent from and King . Why is this important? (See Genesis 22:15-18, Psalm 132:11 and 23:5). Interpretation (What does it mean?)

4. In verse one, the word “genealogy” is the Greek word for genesis, implying that this book is a book of beginnings, just as Genesis is. How does the coming of Jesus Christ usher in a new beginning for the world?

5. Matthew refers to Jesus in the first verse as “Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” As this book was written for a Jewish audience, how might each of those titles have carried weight and significance for them?

Jesus (“Yahweh Saves”):

Christ (“Anointed”):

Son of David:

Son of Abraham:

6. Five women are included in Jesus’s genealogy (, , Ruth, [“the wife of Uriah”], and Mary. This was unusual in genealogies of the day. Two of the women listed (Rahab and Ruth) are also Gentiles. What does their inclusion teach us about Jesus’s character? (See Galatians 3:28).

Application (How should it change me?)

7. Every single person in the was sinful. What does this fact show us about God’s character? (See Genesis 50:19-20 and Romans 8:28). 8. This passage shows us clearly that God had a plan in place from the beginning to work our redemption through Jesus. Read Psalm 33:11 and Ephesians 1:7-14 and write a prayer of praise to God for His merciful and gracious plan.

9. Through the genealogy of Jesus, we see God’s sovereignty (absolute control, authority, and rule) over history, over sinful people and the big and small events of their lives. How does this picture of God’s sovereignty change you (your view of Him, of your problems, of your life, etc)? (See Psalm 147:5, Hebrews 1:3, 1 Peter 5:6-7.)