SPEAKER_01: This is a very special time of year.
SPEAKER_01: Not just because of the decorations and the Christmas spirit, not just because of the excitement of giving and receiving gifts, and not just because of family traditions and gatherings with loved ones.
SPEAKER_01: All of these things are wonderful blessings, but they aren't what make this season truly special.
SPEAKER_01: There is a deeper reason for our joy, the real reason for the season.
SPEAKER_01: This is the season of Advent, that time of year when we remember Jesus' first coming while also looking forward to his second coming.
SPEAKER_01: Advent is a season of waiting and anticipation, not the anxious kind we feel in the doctor's office or in slow traffic on I-93, but a hopeful, confident waiting.
SPEAKER_01: Just as the saints of old waited generation after generation for the promised Messiah, we now wait for the day when Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead, to make all things right, all things new, and to welcome his people into everlasting joy.
SPEAKER_01: That's what Advent is all about.
SPEAKER_01: That's why we celebrate, because we can trust God to keep his promises.
SPEAKER_01: Advent also meets us in our sorrow and our pain.
SPEAKER_01: Because while this season is filled with joy, we know it can also be difficult.
SPEAKER_01: For some, this may be the first Christmas without a spouse, a parent, a child, or a dear friend, and for others, the holidays stir up memories of better days or remind us of pain, loneliness, or relationships that aren't what they once were.
SPEAKER_01: Christmas can shine a light on both our blessings and our sorrows at the very same time.
SPEAKER_01: And that's exactly where Advent meets us, in the tension between joy and grief, celebration and longing.
SPEAKER_01: Advent reminds us that Christ has come to save.
SPEAKER_01: Yet the fullness of his work will not be complete until he returns.
SPEAKER_01: In that tension, we find comfort because the sorrow we feel now will one day be swallowed up in eternal joy.
SPEAKER_01: Advent tells us that the tears we shed this year are not the final word.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus'.
SPEAKER_01: In many ways, Advent is like the spiritual warm-up before Christmas, a time when we slow down and prepare our hearts for celebrating the birth of Christ.
SPEAKER_01: It's a season of expectancy, preparation, and longing filled with anticipation, much like a child eagerly waiting for something wonderful.
SPEAKER_01: Think of Advent as a deeper kind of countdown to Christmas.
SPEAKER_01: It reminds us how God's people longed for the Messiah to come.
SPEAKER_01: And it reminds us that we are still waiting too, waiting for Jesus to return and finish what he began.
SPEAKER_01: Advent is about making room for Christ, not just decorating our homes, but preparing our hearts and our minds.
SPEAKER_01: Just as you would ready your house for an honored guest, Advent calls us to ready ourselves spiritually.
SPEAKER_01: So let's embrace this season.
SPEAKER_01: Let's intentionally slow down, to step away from the busyness, away from the noise, and remember what matters most.
SPEAKER_01: Let this be a time to prepare, reflect, and give thanks, a time to receive the gospel as God's gift to us.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus came to shine light in the darkness and bring hope to a broken world.
SPEAKER_01: So far we've talked about Advent as a season of hope, light, and preparation.
SPEAKER_01: But to truly understand why we celebrate Jesus' coming, we have to start at the very beginning.
SPEAKER_01: Not Bethlehem, but the Garden of Eden, where it all began.
SPEAKER_01: Before we celebrate Christ's birth, we must see the darkness into which he came.
SPEAKER_01: The story of Christmas is the story of God's plan to bring light into the darkness and hope to a broken world.
SPEAKER_01: It is his sovereign work of redemption through his son Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: And that redemption only makes sense when we first see the darkness we were in.
SPEAKER_01: That darkness, the brokenness, the pain, the separation from God all begins in Genesis three.
SPEAKER_01: Sin enters the world through the first human rebellion.
SPEAKER_01: And yet, even then, God promised a Savior, the one who will crush the power of sin and bring light to a dark world.
SPEAKER_01: Here in Genesis three, one through fifteen, we see God speak hope into the darkness.
SPEAKER_01: Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast in the field, which Yahweh God had made.
SPEAKER_01: And he said to the woman, Indeed has God said, You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?
SPEAKER_01: And the woman said to the serpent, From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat, but from the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God said, You shall not eat from it, and you shall not touch it lest you die.
SPEAKER_01: And the serpent said to the woman, You surely will not die.
SPEAKER_01: For God knows that in the day you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.
SPEAKER_01: Then the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that was a delight to the eyes, and the tree was desirable to make one wise, so she took from its fruit and ate, and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate, and the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sowed fig leaves together, and made themselves loin coverings.
SPEAKER_01: Then they heard the sound of Yahweh God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh God in the midst of the trees of the garden.
SPEAKER_01: Yahweh God called to the man and said to him, Where are you?
SPEAKER_01: And he said, I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked.
SPEAKER_01: So I hid.
SPEAKER_01: And he said, Who told you that you were naked?
SPEAKER_01: Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?
SPEAKER_01: And the man said, The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave to me from the tree, and I ate.
SPEAKER_01: Then Yahweh God said to the woman, What is this you have done?
SPEAKER_01: And the woman said, The serpent deceived me, and I ate.
SPEAKER_01: And Yahweh God said to the serpent, Because you have done this, cursed are you more than any of the cattle, and more than every beast of the field.
SPEAKER_01: On your belly you will go, and dust you will eat all the days of your life, and I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed.
SPEAKER_01: He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.
SPEAKER_00: This is the story of the fall, where everything in God's perfect creation went wrong.
SPEAKER_01: This is where sin entered the world and brought a curse upon all of humanity.
SPEAKER_01: When God made Adam and Eve, he placed them in a garden that had everything that they needed, not just for survival, but for flourishing.
SPEAKER_01: Even more, they had peace with the God who created them.
SPEAKER_01: They had such a relationship with him that they could walk with him.
SPEAKER_01: It was paradise.
SPEAKER_01: There was nothing Adam and Eve lacked, and yet they were deceived into thinking that God was withholding something good from them, something better.
SPEAKER_01: The serpent in this story is no ordinary serpent.
SPEAKER_01: As we learn through other parts of Scripture, this is Satan, the great dragon of revelation, whom Jesus calls the serpent of old, who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world.
SPEAKER_01: In the garden, Satan deceived Eve into disobeying God, and Adam joined in on the rebellion.
SPEAKER_01: They were assured by the great deceiver that if they ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they would not die, as God had said.
SPEAKER_01: They believed the lie, that by eating the fruit they would be like God.
SPEAKER_01: And here's the irony.
SPEAKER_01: Adam and Eve were already like God, made in his image, set apart from the rest of creation.
SPEAKER_00: Satan deceived them into doubting God's goodness and questioning God's word.
SPEAKER_00: And so they rebelled.
SPEAKER_00: That peace with God was lost.
SPEAKER_00: They became enemies of God, and through them, all humanity inherited a sinful nature.
SPEAKER_01: Because of Genesis 3, all of creation feels the effects of the curse.
SPEAKER_01: If you've ever wondered what's wrong with this world, why evil exists, why bad things happen to good people, why there's pain, suffering, and death, this is the reason.
SPEAKER_01: We live in a fallen, broken world because our first parents disobeyed God.
SPEAKER_01: People in every generation have continued to rebel against him.
SPEAKER_01: Because of our sin, we need reconciliation.
SPEAKER_01: And because of our sinful nature, no one is truly good, not even one.
SPEAKER_01: Just like Adam and Eve, we all sin and fall short to the glory of God.
SPEAKER_01: We have a serious sin problem, and we naturally desire to walk in darkness because of our love for sin.
SPEAKER_01: And yet we also feel a tension, a longing for a world where everything is made right.
SPEAKER_01: We desire love, justice, and mercy.
SPEAKER_01: We desire beauty, peace, and goodness.
SPEAKER_01: We know something is missing.
SPEAKER_01: We try to fix it ourselves.
SPEAKER_01: But often we make things worse.
SPEAKER_01: The more we try, the more we fail.
SPEAKER_01: Humanity has been pursuing what was lost since Eden, and we keep falling short.
SPEAKER_00: We feel empty, discouraged, and at times filled with despair.
SPEAKER_00: All hope seems lost.
SPEAKER_01: Every step forward seems to result in two steps back.
SPEAKER_01: Our sin problem remains.
SPEAKER_01: The world seems darker than ever.
SPEAKER_01: But the story of the Bible reveals something the world resists.
SPEAKER_01: Although our efforts to restore paradise fail, God has a plan to redeem us.
SPEAKER_01: His plan does not rely on us pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps.
SPEAKER_01: His plan requires a Savior, one who is truly good, able to accomplish what we cannot.
SPEAKER_01: This Savior must be fully God to live a perfect, sinless life, and fully man to do what Adam failed to do.
SPEAKER_01: This God man is the only hope for humanity.
SPEAKER_01: We see him arrive in the grandest miracle of all, the incarnation, the birth of Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus came to undo the works of the devil in the garden, and to undo the works of the devil in the world around us.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus came to bring light into the darkness and to restore hope.
SPEAKER_01: In fact, the Bible says of Jesus, in him was life, and the life was the light of men, and the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus declared himself to be the light of the world, so that everyone who believes in him will not remain in darkness.
SPEAKER_01: And Jesus came to fulfill the promise God made in Genesis 3.15, when he says, I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed.
SPEAKER_01: He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.
SPEAKER_01: Here in this verse, God is speaking to the serpent, Satan, and in this pronouncement of judgment, we see the first promise of a Savior, the one who would crush the serpent's head.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus is that seed of the woman.
SPEAKER_01: That's why the genealogies in his birth narrative are so important.
SPEAKER_01: They show that he is the promised one.
SPEAKER_01: He is the one who would come to reverse the curse, to bless his people, to reconcile humanity to God, and to bring peace between God and humanity.
SPEAKER_01: But this victory came at a cost.
SPEAKER_01: Just as Genesis 315 foretold, the one who would crush the serpent's head would also be bruised on the heel.
SPEAKER_01: The cost for our peace was Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.
SPEAKER_01: The Bible says, by his stripes we are healed.
SPEAKER_01: In other words, it took the agonizing pain, suffering, and precious blood of Jesus poured out for us on the cross to make atonement for our sin.
SPEAKER_01: In order for God's justice to be satisfied, sin can't simply be swept under the rug to be forgotten about.
SPEAKER_01: While that might sound merciful, it isn't justice.
SPEAKER_01: And because God is just, he cannot compromise justice for the sake of mercy.
SPEAKER_01: Sin must be paid for, and his wrath must be displayed.
SPEAKER_01: A just God punishes evil.
SPEAKER_01: Our sin makes us the object of God's wrath.
SPEAKER_01: In order for us to be saved from this wrath, we need a substitute, someone to take our place.
SPEAKER_01: Since there's no sacrifice we can offer to God to atone for our sins, our only hope is the sacrifice of another.
SPEAKER_01: We need a redeemer.
SPEAKER_01: And Jesus is that redeemer, the perfect spotless lamb who is slain on our behalf.
SPEAKER_01: Through his death on the cross, the price for our redemption was paid in full.
SPEAKER_01: We know this sacrifice was accepted by God because Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day.
SPEAKER_01: He ascended to the right hand of the Father, and now reigns as King above all kings, Lord above all lords, and for those who confess Him as Lord, truly believing in their hearts that God raised him from the dead, and trusting in Him alone for salvation, there is salvation, full pardon, complete forgiveness, no longer enemies of God, finally at peace with him forever.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus came to undo the works of the devil, and the Bible also says that having offered one sacrifice for all time, he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
SPEAKER_01: Because Jesus reigns as King, every enemy of God will be defeated.
SPEAKER_01: No weapon formed against God's people shall prosper.
SPEAKER_01: We can live in the victory of Christ.
SPEAKER_01: Do you live your life in this victory?
SPEAKER_01: Think about what that really means.
SPEAKER_01: Living in the victory of Christ doesn't mean life will be free from struggles, trials, or pain.
SPEAKER_01: It doesn't mean that the darkness of this world disappears overnight.
SPEAKER_01: But it does mean that for those who are in Christ, no matter what happens, you are not ultimately defeated.
SPEAKER_01: Sin no longer has the final word.
SPEAKER_01: Death no longer has the final word.
SPEAKER_01: Fear no longer has the final word.
SPEAKER_01: Christ has already won.
SPEAKER_01: To live in this victory means to trust him daily.
SPEAKER_01: In your doubts, your failures, in your fears.
SPEAKER_01: It means surrendering the areas of your life that you try to control on your own and letting Jesus reign there instead.
SPEAKER_01: It means responding to life's challenges with hope rather than despair.
SPEAKER_01: Love rather than bitterness.
SPEAKER_01: Forgiveness rather than resentment.
SPEAKER_01: It's not just a future hope, it's a present reality.
SPEAKER_01: Every time you believe God's word and trust in Jesus, every time you turn from sin and lean into his promises, you participate in the victory he has already secured for you in Christ.
SPEAKER_01: Through the power of God, you walk in light, even when the world seems dark.
SPEAKER_01: You walk in hope, even when everything around you seems hopeless.
SPEAKER_01: You walk by faith, in the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
SPEAKER_01: That's what Advent is all about, as we not only look back on the birth of Christ, but also looking forward to the day when Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead, to make all things right, all things new, and to welcome his people into everlasting joy.
SPEAKER_01: That's why we celebrate, because we can trust God to keep his promises.
SPEAKER_01: He kept his promise in Genesis 3 15, therefore we can trust him to keep all of his promises.
SPEAKER_01: The advent of Jesus Changes everything.
SPEAKER_01: Because he lives and reigns, we can hope for tomorrow.
SPEAKER_01: Because he lives, fear loses its grip.
SPEAKER_01: Because he lives, even the darkest places of our lives are overcome by his light.
SPEAKER_01: Because he lives, sin, death, and every enemy of God have already been defeated.
SPEAKER_01: That is the hope celebrated in the hymn we all know so well.
SPEAKER_01: God sent his son, they called him Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: He came to love, heal, and forgive.
SPEAKER_01: He lived and died to buy my pardon.
SPEAKER_01: An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.
SPEAKER_01: Because he lives, I can face tomorrow.
SPEAKER_01: Because he lives, all fear is gone.
SPEAKER_01: Because I know he holds the future, and life is worth the living just because he lives.
SPEAKER_01: This is the reason for the season to celebrate the arrival of the promised one.
SPEAKER_01: And as we've seen from the very beginning, all the way back to Genesis, God promised a Savior who would crush the power of sin and defeat the enemy.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus is that promised one, the Savior who brings light into our darkness, peace with God and with one another, and hope to a broken world.
SPEAKER_01: Advent reminds us that God always keeps his promises.
SPEAKER_01: The promised one is here.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus has come to save, to heal, and to make all things new.
SPEAKER_01: He is the seed of the woman and the light of the world.
SPEAKER_01: The darkness will never overcome him.
SPEAKER_01: He must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet, every single one of them.
SPEAKER_01: That gives us confident hope as we face the darkness, because we stand in the light of Christ.
SPEAKER_01: As Paul writes in Romans 16 20, and the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
SPEAKER_01: The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
SPEAKER_01: Let's pray.
SPEAKER_01: Oh dear Heavenly Father, we rejoice that you are a God who is victorious.
SPEAKER_01: And God, you did not leave us in the darkness.
SPEAKER_01: You sent your Son Jesus into this world to be the light.
SPEAKER_01: We praise you, Lord Jesus, for rescuing us, for suffering on the cross on our behalf to offer the greatest gift we could ever hope for.
SPEAKER_00: And so, God, we acknowledge this gift this morning.
SPEAKER_01: And as we gear up in this Advent season, let us increase in our adoration of you.
SPEAKER_01: It's in Jesus' name we pray.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.