Hope & Joy in the Gospel – ReDiscover Christmas

December 8, 2024 , , , , , , ,

Scripture: Genesis 1-3

Intro

We often think the Christmas story begins with “And there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed” from

This morning I would like you to think again. The Christmas, or Advent story, the coming or arrival of the Messiah began way back in the book of beginnings, Genesis. Before we can appreciate or rediscover Christmas, we really need to understand the back story of the Gospel – the Good News of Jesus Christ.

‌I hope you will join us for the remaining weeks of Advent, as we rediscover Christmas together and look forward to celebrating the arrival of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Today we will see the hope and joy that are found in the Gospel. In the following weeks we will see the joy and love that come with fully embracing the Gospel.

‌I encourage you to pick up the Christmas Devotional at the welcome center. I hope there are enough for one per family. I will connect my sermons with each week’s daily devotionals that follow. They will reinforce and go deeper into today’s message.

God is the Center of Creation

The most epic opening sentence of a book ever written is “In the beginning, God.” The best-selling most widely read book that was never on the New York Times list is The Bible. The author, God, wants the reader to know right from the start that He is at the center of the book and He is the source of our known creation. Spoiler alert: The Bible end with “Surely I am coming soon. Come Lord Jesus!” So what happens in between the beginning and the ending? These are things we need to know.

Sin is the Ultimate Human Tragedy

Back in chapter 2, Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed. They had nothing to hide from each other or from God. Their lives were open books. They were perfectly honest and they loved and cared for each other with no ulterior motives. They had the perfect marriage and they had a perfect relationship with God. They didn’t question each other’s love. They didn’t doubt. They didn’t fear. They didn’t worry. They didn’t get sick. No cancer. No tooth decay. No aching muscles or arthritis. There was no pain, no suffering no death.

‌But, just three chapters into this epic story of our beginnings – tragedy struck. Chapter 3 tells of Adam and Eve’s unbelievable rebellion against the very one who gave them life and breath.

A Savior will Come, Crush Evil, and Provide Salvation

Did you catch the glimmer of hope in verse 15? Many scholars have called this the key verse of the Bible. God’s redemption plan is mentioned here, but it’s a little tricky if you aren’t looking for it.

‌God says the future offspring of the woman will bruise the serpent (Satan’s) head or destroy him. And Satan will bruise his heel. The off-spring of woman is the Messiah. The Redeemer. God will send a Savior to crush Satan and destroy evil, and this Savior would be born of a woman. This is the reason for our advent celebration. The coming of a Messiah. That word means “promised deliverer.” What are people being delivered from? The effects of sin – separation from God, death, pain, evil and more. The promise is right here. God promised he would send a delivered. The Savior who is Christ the Lord. The word Christ means messiah. So when we read Jesus Christ in the Bible, it is not his last name – it is his title. Jesus – The Messiah.

Summary

Because of the Gospel – Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth lived a perfect sinless life, was sacrificed on the cross for our sins, and then came back to life – we have hope for the future. Jesus said whoever believes in me will be saved. He said he was going to go back to heaven after rising from the grave and in heaven he would prepare a home for his followers. He promised he would never leave us alone. He promised the Holy Spirit would come to live with his followers. He promised his followers would not face God’s judgment in the years of tribulation on the earth. He promised he would return and we have hope knowing that He will keep his word. God never lies and He never changes what He says. Our hope for eternal life and help for today is found in Jesus, the Messiah. We celebrate his birth at Christmas time because it reminds us of hope.

‌Do you ever feel hopeless because your life is not what you thought it would be? Like there is no way it will ever change? Like you just can’t handle it one more day?

‌We often struggle, because all of those things God promised have not happened yet. We get frustrated, irritated, disappointed and sad. We lose our joy because the world and the people in it are not living the way God tells us too. Sometimes that describes us too. Doesn’t it? We need to be reminded of the hope that God will make everything right, and the hope that he will bring us home to heaven even though we are struggling now. As we remember God’s promises we can experience restored joy through God’s Holy Spirit with in us. God continues to work on his plan to restore his creation to its original perfection and glory. And we get to be part of that plan. In our own time and in our own place in the world, we can tell others the good news and we can show others God’s glory – His character, His love mercy kindness and justice. Our lives should spread supernatural joy everywhere we go. That is something to celebrate today!

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