Promises Kept Week 4

Promises Kept – Lesson #4
The Long Road to the Messiah and His Kingdom

Lesson Overview and Main Theme:
This lesson helps participants grasp the significance of the centuries-long wait for the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and sees how His arrival, anointing, and commissioning establishes a Kingdom that continues through His disciples today.  Many people live in a “right now” culture; this lesson helps them appreciate God’s long, intentional timeline.

Opening Prayer and Question:

1. What is something you waited a long time for?
2. How did that waiting shape your appreciation when it finally came?

Reading the Scriptures:

• Matthew 1:1-17
• Matthew 3:13-17
• Matthew 28:16-20

Lesson and Discussion questions:
3. MATTHEW 1:1–17
THE PROMISE PRESERVED OVER CENTURIES 

• Matthew’s genealogy traces God’s promise from Abraham through David to Jesus.
• It represents roughly 2,000 years of waiting—through exile, kingship, collapse, rebuilding, silence.
• Every name is a reminder that God’s plan never stops, even when it looks like nothing is happening.

1. What stands out to you in this genealogy?
2. What does this long list of generations reveal about God’s faithfulness?
3. How do you respond to the idea that God works through long periods of seeming silence?

• Jesus didn’t appear suddenly—He arrived at the perfect time after centuries of preparation. God’s promises may take time, but they never fail.

4. MATTHEW 3:13–17
THE MESSIAH REVEALED AND ANOINTED

• Jesus is baptized not because He needed repentance but to fulfill righteousness and identify with His people.
• God publicly affirms Him:

• Heaven opens
• The Spirit descends
• The Father speaks: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

• After centuries of waiting, God unmistakably reveals the Messiah.

1. Why do you think God chose this moment to reveal Jesus so clearly?
2. What does the Father’s declaration tell us about Jesus’ identity and mission?
3. How does this moment connect the Old Testament promises to Jesus’ ministry?

• God’s long-awaited Messiah is publicly revealed and empowered—the promise has become a person.

5. MATTHEW 28:16–20
THE KINGDOM COMMISSIONED

• The resurrected Jesus declares: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” This is the language of kingship.
• After thousands of years of waiting for the Messiah, His Kingdom is now advancing through His disciples.
• Jesus promises His presence: “I am with you always.”

1. What does Jesus’ claim of “all authority” reveal about His kingship?
2. How does the Great Commission show the global nature of Jesus’ Kingdom?
3. Why is His promise to be with us essential for fulfilling this mission?

• The promised Messiah now reigns as King, and His followers continue the mission of expanding His Kingdom.

6. BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER

• God promised a Messiah across thousands of years.
• Jesus arrives exactly when God determined (Galatians 4:4).
• His baptism reveals Him publicly.
• His resurrection and commission establish His Kingdom through His people.
• The long wait leads to a global mission that is still unfolding today.

1. How does understanding the long wait for Christ deepen your appreciation of His Kingdom?
2. Where do you see yourself participating in the ongoing mission of Christ’s Kingdom?
3. What promise of God are you currently waiting on? How does this study encourage you?

Closing Prayer Time
Closing Thought
God’s promise of the Messiah took centuries to unfold, reminding us that His timing is perfect. As we wait on His promises, we can trust that the same faithful God is still at work in us today.