Advent 2025 - Part 1 - A promise made!
Advent 2025 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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GREET EVERYONE-
Good morning Loved ones!
If I have not had a chance to meet you; My name is Scott and I am a follower of Jesus and have the privilege of serving Him as the Lead Pastor among the people of Stonewater Fellowship.
ADVENT
ADVENT INTRO
Hope everyone had a happy thanksgiving -
Food and family and fun!
Every year - during this time of year - On Sunday Mornings we take this season to join the millions of other believers throughout the world and the hundreds of millions of believers who for the last 1800 years or so have walked together in the season of Arrival - The Season of Advent.
Historically - since about the late 300’s is when local assemblies of Christians - Local Churches - gathered together and began anticipating the arrival of The day the Church celebrated the Arrival of Jesus -
And so the Church - The Assembly of the Called out ones -
Who is the Church? We are the church -
The Church sets aside this Season advent - to be reminded of the eternal expression of the Love of God - and to be renewed in the Joy of our salvation.
GRAB OUR BIBLES IF YOU HAVE ONE AND
Open it to Genesis Chapter 3 this morning
PRAYER OVER THIS SEASON OF ADVENT
Is and will be that as we walk through the messages of Advent that three things would happen to us.
One that we would be deeply reminded of the Love of God - The Love that God has for us who believe and his deep love for the whole world and everyone in it.
and
TWO that we would experience a deep and intense renewal of the Gospel in our hearts.
THREE - That as we are reminded of Gods love for His church and for all of humanity - And as we experience a deep and intense Gospel Renewal. That we would it would be so powerful in our lives that we would live it out, walk it out as never before.
Living for the Child in the manger because the REASON for HIs arrival - is He is the one who died and was raised.
NON-BELIEVERS
Maybe you are here this morning - and your not sure what you believe.
You might even go so far as to agree with the facts of history, with the facts of Christmas, that Jesus was born, and lived and died, and maybe you think that He died for to forgive you for the ways you have acted hurtful to your self or to others.
or maybe you just think that is just an old story from way back when.
and Maybe the only time you really come to a worship Gathering of the Church is during Christmas things Cuz its just what you have always done and it maybe that helps you get into the Christmas Spirit.
My prayer for all of us this season is that we will all hear and know How much God really does love us,
how much He desires all of us to trust Him with this life and the life we will have after our physical death.
And in this season when we hear of the Love of God -
I pray that Gods love would compel everyone,
Gods love would persuade everyone to surrender our lifes To Jesus and to live FOR him and be saved.
You see when God saves people, becasue He loves everyone, We all begin to know Him, and one of the things that happens is we get to enjoy Him forever through His gift of eternal life with Him.
PRAYER OVER MESSAGE
Has been all week that, we would come to see from the Beginning the Love of God through the Promise of GOD.
That God saw our great need and made a promise
A promise - A promise that can be counted on - A promise of Love - A promise that was given so a relationship could be mended - A Promise of Hope
Loved ones this is - throughout human history - this is THE promise that was made - THE promise that was foretold, The promise that was seen - THE promise that arrived - and The Promise that comes with a promise of Return.
ENGAGEMENT –
Promises are an interesting thing in our lives.
Ya know from the time we are little Children we want and desire for the security in and the assurance of promise.
I hear it all the time in my house.
Kids come and ask for something and I tell them we might do that or get that or have that latter.
and the very next thing that comes out of their mouth “You Promise?”
and there are times when your kids will put is on you when you didn't make a promise - When you said something like - “i don't know” or “we will think about it” or “mom and I will discuss it”.
and a couple of days go buy and they begin to think about it - They come to you and say - Dad can we have this or that - Or can we do this or that - And you say - NO and they say - “But you promised!”
And from a very young age we want and we desire the sense of security, the relieving feeling sense of assurance that a Promise is supposed to bring in to our lives.
and we grow up and we make promises - We make commitments - Promises are made to us and commitments are made to us -
From both sides of the promise - all of us are still wanting and searching for the Sense of security and the safe feeling of assurance that we can get from a promise.
Promises in Work - Promises in Parenting - Promises in our relationships and marriages. We make Promises
But promises get broken - And sometimes we break them - And when it happens again and again; it slowly but surely shatters dismantles our sense of trust -
because given enough broken promises; we then can so easily begin to understand that promises are not secure and there is really no assurance.
And so we become pretty skeptical. and we start to say “I've heard all that before”
and we turn to ourselves as the only person we can truly count on.
TENSION
The Problem that this can create in us; is a skepticism when it comes to the promises of God.
When it comes to the promises of the Gospel - When it comes to His delivered promises and the promises of things to come.
WE don’t rely on them
you see when we turn to ourself - the promises of God can become “just part of the mixture of other promises”
and we can so easily have an attitude of “heard that before” as we turn away from the promises of God and keep turning to ourselves.
And So here is a question: when our attitudes towards promises are “heard that before”: what happens to Advent? -
What Happens to the celebration of the arrival of Jesus - Emanuel God with us?
I think it is very possible that we think “heard all that before” and we become bored with it.
Because we really have heard it all before.
This morning - As we are reminded of His phenomenal love for us - And the Gospel, this good news of Great joy, is renewed in our hearts and minds -
I pray that we all experience this becasue we know that we know -
Because of we can look back at what the Scriptures declare AND the Evidence of Human History
and WE can KNOW That God does not relent on His promises.
BACKGROUND
Genesis - It’s it is called the Book of Beginnings - This is what the word Genesis means - Beginnings -
and in Chapter's one and two what Moses records for us is FROM Eternity Past -
IS that sometime in eternity past, God, by willful act, loving purpose and divine proclamation, spoke all of creation into existence.
Creating all things, out of nothing, by the Power of His spoken word -
He then furnished all of creation, and epically this part to support life.
and in an act of Total Love - He lumped some dirt together and breathed His living breath into this lump -
He fashioned this lump into His image, into a likeness of Himself.
A likeness - Not a copy - But a likeness with Similar characteristics
and Mankind was created - The Crowing point of His Creative work - Male and Female They Create them!
We were to be His companions. We were to enjoy fellowship with Him and Reveal Him and His name to all of Creation.
Then we get to chapter 3 -
And From Eternity past - God from His love - and in His, grace, mercy and loving kindness - He will articulate an eternal promise that brings forth in the Child in the manger.
and it is a promise - A Promise of Hope - that we desperately needed and one He gave so freely and completely.
UNPACKING
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
Now if this is the first time you have read this or heard this - Moses is using an image to represent something - or actually someone -
You see before chapters one and two -
God had added to His kingdom a set of created beings, Spiritual created beings, that were there to serve God and to be in a loving everlasting (meaning from their creation they would live forever kind of relationship and closeness to God -
These created beings are Angels -
One of them - who was in charge of music in heaven - decided that He was going to take the place of God - He convinced some of the other angels to follow Him in this rebellion against God -
This was the first “Sin” if you will - The First time someone acted in a way that was not out of LOVE but rather Selfishness -
and these guys got kicked out of heaven becasue of it.
They became what the Bible now describes as “fallen angels”
The leader, who led this rebellion, and the Bible Names Satan -Got kicked out, is represented in this story as the snake -
Satan Goes up to the woman and He askes her a question -
But Loved ones it is not JUST a question -
IT is a question that both directly and indirectly questions the Good intent, character, wisdom and nature of God himself.
A created being speaking to another created being - Questioning the love and character of God.
You might be thinking “Pastor He just asked her a question, why do you say he questioned the character of God?”
Loved ones - I want you to think about your daughter going on her first date -
You Son going on His first date or out with Friends -
And if you don't have kids that old or you don't have kids at all - think about your early years of Dating when you were still under your parents roof.
And your getting ready for your date - Dad or Mom says - Be home at 10:30
If the boy Picks up your daughter and says to Her “Did your dad Really Say you had to be home at 10:30?” or your said to your parents when they said “10:30” and your reply was Really?
You see that boy who picks up your daughter on prom night and says “did you dad really say...” He is not just asking a question -
He is directly challenging the love and protection of me as a father -
This is what Satan did when He asked Eve “Did God really say?
Watch how Eve replies -
VVS 2&3
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”
Now that is not what God said:
Here is what God told Adam
17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
God did not say you could not touch it.
God’s only rule, His only commandment was “Don’t eat of it”
HE did not say you couldn't enjoy its Shade -
He did not say you could not lean against it and rest -
he said “You may NOT eat of it”
What Eve Did was she added to the Words of God - She said more than what God has said -
But either way Here is what God had done -
God had given One rule -
A Rule of Love -
A rule of protection -
It was a Rule that was to give and support and to empower LIFE -
Loved ones - Here me when I say this -
Every Rule or Commandment that God gives through His Scripture is never given to take anything away from us.
THAT is what the enemy Does-
It is the enemy that takes and destroys.
Every single one of the commands and prohibitions of God are Given as protection, Given to Give and to Support and empower LIFE -
But watch what the Serpent does -
4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
The very First thing the Enemy of Eve - The Hater of God and of Everything God did and Everything about God - does:
He accuses God of lying- and watch its not a direct accusation -
He just lays out the possibility that God has said something untrue
“God has told you something is very possibly not true”
“You will not surely DIE”
Then watch what the devil Does He comes right behind this accusation of Gods Character and He back fills it with truth.
“When you eat of it you will be like God knowing Good and Evil”
Here is what is Important to grasp.
This is a scheme of our common enemy - and Enemy that we all have -
He Questions the Holy and completely loving Character and nature of God and then quotes something that is True.
And What creeps into the heart of Eve over the next part of the Narrative was the single sin that has caused more problems and more suffering in human history than any other philosophy, discipline or condition.
And what was lingering in Eve was the Sin of Unbelief.
The Sin of Dis-trust.
Watch the progression
God says - don't eat its not good for you.
Devil says - it is good for you to be like God. He might not be telling you the truth.
Eve has this thought of conflict on Who to believe in Her mind and watch
She Turns to the Tree -
Her own reasoning that is now embedded with doubts -
and she must have been asking herself in her head “ is God is telling me the truth?”
She turns to the fruit of the tree and..
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
She looks at the Fruit -
She thinks to herself “ This will be good for food” - and must have reasoned - that doesn't make any sense why God said its not good for me”
WATCH - It is now something that she is attracted to - A delight to her eyes -
and THEN she thinks in her own reasoning - It is good to be wise and know Good from Evil.
and what does she do?
She takes it and eats it - And then She gives to her husband - Adam - Who, by the way, was with her.
and together they do the ONE thing that God says not to do. THEY EAT
and what Enters in to their thoughts now is fear -
Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
The Text says “their eyes were opened” And what this means is that they became aware of something they were not aware of before.
And you might be thinking to yourself: - Well that is a good thing to be “Aware”
But here is what they became aware of - the text says “they knew they were naked”
I want you to think about something - Think about being exposed!
Think about all of your mistakes being published on Social Media -
Think about Everyone in Every circle of relationships that you have - Knowing every mistake you have ever made and every twisted and impure thought that you have being openly available to everyone -
You would feel venerable and at risk - You would feel Naked
This is what Adam and Eve were feeling - They were feeling at risk - They were feeling like they had dome something wrong - They were feeling Guilt - and they were for the very fist time venerable.
Encompass all that together - And the one thing they were experiencing at that time that they had never experienced before was: They were afraid.
Their Relationship with God had changed - It was changed in a moment - and the uncertainty of their relationship brought in Fear.
So much fear was in their hearts and minds that they did what all people who are afraid do -
They did the 3 things people do when they are afraid -
1st Thing - They cover themselves. - back part of verse 7 = They Sewed Fig leaves together and made themselves Loincloths.
2nd Thing they did - They HID from someone who loved them -
And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
God was walking in the Garden with them - He had created Part of His creation that He made in His Likeness and in HIS Image - to commune with them and to be with them - This was the original design - and we messed it up.
THEY HIDE FROM HIM…
But - NOTICE Loved ones- that is not what God does -
What God does is HE Goes to His creation-
God shows up - Waling in the Garden of the Cool of the Day.
God also could have never walked - Or he could have walked and said noting - But watch what God does - God calls Adam from Hiding -
God calls Adam to life.
But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
Now God knew the answer to that question. God was not blinded by the absence of Adam and Eve -
God knew what had happened - and loved ones - God did not abandon His creation -
Adam and Eve Respond to the voice of God -
And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”
This is something that we happen to take way too lightly-
We are afraid becasue we are naked - We can easily think - Adam and Eve suddenly knew good from evil and then the awareness of them being naked suddenly came upon them -
If we stop there - we are not understanding the fullness of what is happening here.
They are naked - They are afraid - The reason they are afraid in being naked is - They are vulnerable - You see God knew what happened - God knew what they had done - There was no hiding from God -
They new they had stopped trusting Him they new there were consequences they were going to face -
They knew their relationship with God had changed and they were not sure How it had changed - But they knew it was different!
God again asks a question He already knows the answer to -
He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”
Who told you that you were naked - Who told you that you were vurnable?
Did you do what I told you not to do?
What God was doing is He was calling Adam to confession - He was calling “Come to me Adam.”
God’s heart was that Adam and Eve would RUN to God in confession (which just means Agreement) and say -
YES we did - we ate and we now know we are naked and varnuable - We know that we have done something wrong - we are responsible.
You know what God would have Done had they turned to Him and Surrendered all of themselves to Him including the doubt including the fear including the sense of being vulnerable?
Loved ones - God came seeking them!
God already knew - God already saw - God was seeking them and God was calling them - and from what we know of God if they would have taken responsibility through confession, God would have forgiven them and taken it on the chin, absorbed his own wrath and walked with them once again.
and that is exactly what He wants to do and restore through the person and work of His Son Jesus.
But that is not what happened -
Watch -
Adam and Eve Do the 3rd thing people do when they are in Fear.
They blame everyone else but themselves.
The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
Adam blames Eve
Then Adam actually Blames God for sending Him Eve as if God made a mistake in sending Eve to Adam.
Eve then blames the serpent - Eve says The serpent Deceived me -
She was deceived!
HOW?
becasue she let go of the words of God and clung to someone else words.
Here is what happened and we can see it in the text -
The first humans - Whether we think of them as two individuals called Adam and Eve or we think if them as allegoric of the first of humanity matters not at this point.
What Matters is what happens - They Broke their relationship with GOD.
and Look at what happens - That brokenness poured over into everything else including their relationship with one another.
A chapter and a half ago - Adam is looking at the perfection of his help mate that God had given to him and said “She is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh -
And now in the very presence of God with his personal relationship with God broken becasue of what HE did - He says “Its her fault” and “its your fault for giving her to me”
Ever since that day - All of the offspring of Adam and Eve - Which is you and ME - generation after generation, we have said to God in every way possible - It is not my fault - IT is your fault - and for generation after generation we have looked at each other and said “its your fault not mine”
BUT GOD -
In the midst of this brokenness - in the midst of this blame game -
in the midst of them turning against God and against each other -
In the midst of them bringing consequences down upon themselves and upon all of creation -
and in the midst of God delivering Judgement against His enemy and the Enemy of His people in verse 14.
watch what God does -
God Makes a Promise - A Promise
God sees that a Promise is Needed and God Makes an Eternal Promise of HOPE.
God Says - I am going to FIX THIS -
The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
THE GOSPEL CONNECTION
Loved ones This is the Good news of Great Joy that God sent the Enmity - God put the barrier between The Enemey of God and the Enemy of God's people - A Barrier between The devil and humanity -
And God calls all of us - Gods desire it to walk with us every day -
God calls all of us out of Hiding -
God calls us out of blaming others -
God calls us out of His love to confession - He calls us to relationship with Himself and he does this through Himself as He is the Child in the manger.
He calls us out of brokenness and darkness into His marvelous Light -
AND Loved ones He is the Only one who can repair our brokenness -
He sent Jesus - Himself, God in the Flesh, He sent Himself in the Child in the Manger - The Child of Christmas - To be the only one who was capable and able and who had the authority to repair all our brokenness -
This morning, hear the good news of Great Joy - If you have been hiding - If you have felt Naked and shame and guilt - God is calling you to surrender all of that to Him - Let Jesus - The one who was born -
BAPTISM
PRAYER TEAM
