A Broken World

We all know that the day after Thanksgiving marks the official start of the Christmas season, right?

Thanksgiving is late this year, though, so how many of you this morning have already put up your Christmas decorations?

We put the tree up yesterday so we can soak up all that Christmasy goodness for as long as possible.

I know that we have at least three different camps of people here today. Some of you are like Buddy the Elf and would celebrate Christmas all year long if you could. Some of you are more Grinch-like, and you would gladly give a “Bah Humbug” along with Ebenezer Scrooge. For some of you, you just don’t really care either way.

Perhaps, for you, this Christmas is going to be painful. You have lost someone you love, and it just isn’t the same.

I know it will look different this year, but my hope is that, as we look through God’s word over the next several weeks, you will rediscover the joy that Christmas brings.

In the midst of all the presents to buy, lights to hang, food to cook, and everything else that goes with Christmas in 2019, you may find yourself pondering the same question that a noble young philosopher pondered back in 1965—the great Charlie Brown.

If you remember, Charlie Brown was disgusted with the way this beautiful holiday had turned commercial, with proud kids in plays and his dog Snoopy obsessed with winning the neighborhood Christmas light contest.

If you recall, he found a puny little tree and tried to decorate it.

All the others made fun of him, when there is suddenly a moment of clarity.

His young friend Linus says that he can tell Charlie Brown what Christmas is all about, and then he proceeds to quote this passage:

Luke 2:8–14 AV

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

luke 2:8-14 KJV

It is a beautiful moment, and a beautiful passage. He quoted the King James Version, which is well known for its poetic but difficult language.

But truthfully, I wonder how many actually grasp the power of what Linus quoted in that moment.

However, it becomes all the more meaningful when we see what led up to that moment in history.

That’s what we are going to seek to do over the next several weeks. We are going to join with Charlie Brown, Linus, and others throughout history to try to understand what Christmas is all about.

To do that, we are going back and setting the stage, ending up in the text Linus quoted on the Sunday before Christmas.

For us to understand what Christmas is all about, we have to start at the very beginning of history.

Turn your Bibles over to with me. We are going to hit a few verses from chapters 1-2, and the bulk of our time will be in chapter 3.

This morning, we are going to see this as the first part of our answer: Christmas is about a broken world.

In fact, as we go through our time together over the next month, you will see with me that Christmas is the beautiful solution to the broken world.

For today, though, we need to see what happened that threw everything off.

It doesn’t take long to realize that there is something wrong with our world. Watch the news, listen to the conversations around you at work, or even feel the tension in your own heart…something just isn’t right.

What happened? What went wrong?

Let’s go back and look at three truths about our broken world.

(; , ; )

(; , ; )The picture of what life was like for Adam and Eve is absolutely beautiful.Look at the way God describes how He made us. Read ; .If you were to look back over , you see God’s normal pattern for creating: He simply spoke, and those things came into being.But did you notice the care and concern He takes when it comes to us? Verse 27 tells us that God made us in His own image.No other creature has the honor of bearing the image of God! We are the only creatures He created to live eternally, the only ones capable of knowing, worshipping, and serving Him as His image-bearers. As an aside, that is one of the reasons we stand for life: every human being, no matter their disability, difference, or stage of development, is created in the image of God.That’s why we support ministries like the Pregnancy Resource Center in Blacksburg, who are committed to creating a culture of life in the New River Valley. Back to the Garden, though, you see that we enjoyed a unique relationship with God. Look again at 2:7-9…I can’t wait to see what Eden looked like. I have seen some beautiful trees and flowers, and I have tasted some incredibly good fruits, but they will all pale in comparison to what they should have been.In fact, as we see in Chapter 3, not only was it a beautiful place, but they had access to God literally walking with them. 3:8 tells us that they heard God walking in the Garden. That’s how it should have been! We should be enjoying a beautiful place with nothing to worry or fear about.We should be joyfully tending to the garden God made for us, listening to hear Him walking so we can stop and talk with Him and see Him with untainted eyes.It’s not that way, though, is it? No, it’s anything but.Look at the news this week—our world is marked by shootings, anger, and hatred.People steal and cheat each other, lost their tempers, and selfishly hoard.We have fallen so far from God’s design.I wouldn’t characterize this as “living in the light”, would you?It just doesn’t seem right, does it?So what happened? That’s the next truth we need to look at. Turn over to so we can see…

The picture of what life was like for Adam and Eve is absolutely beautiful.

Look at the way God describes how He made us. Read ; .

If you were to look back over , you see God’s normal pattern for creating: He simply spoke, and those things came into being.

But did you notice the care and concern He takes when it comes to us? Verse 27 tells us that God made us in His own image.

No other creature has the honor of bearing the image of God! We are the only creatures he created to live eternally, the only ones capable of knowing, worshipping, and serving him as his image-bearers.

We are the only beings in all creation with a conscience and the ability to truly understand right from wrong.

Because God created us so uniquely, we enjoyed a unique relationship with him. Look again at 2:7-9…

Let your mind wander for a bit and dream about what this would have looked like.

I can’t wait to see what Eden looked like. I have seen some beautiful trees and flowers, and I have tasted some incredibly good fruits, but they will all pale in comparison to what they should have been.

We are finishing up fall, and as beautiful as it is to watch the colors change,

In fact, as we see in Chapter 3, not only was it a beautiful place, but they had access to God literally walking with them. 3:8 tells us that they heard God walking in the Garden.

A few weeks ago, we sang a song based off that very idea: that we would walk with God in the garden.

What would it be like for us to actually be able to walk side by side with God?

Have you ever been talking to someone and they were around the corner or something, and you didn’t know whether or not they could hear you?

Don’t you feel that way about God sometimes? You pray, and you aren’t sure if your prayers are just bouncing off the ceiling?

Wouldn’t it be incredible to actually walk with God like this?

That’s how it should have been! We should be enjoying a beautiful place with nothing to worry or fear about.

By the way, Adam and Eve lived in perfect peace with God, each other, and even themselves at this point. Wouldn’t that be awesome?

We should be joyfully tending to the garden God made for us, listening to hear Him walking so we can stop and talk with Him and see Him with untainted eyes.

It’s not that way, though, is it? No, it’s anything but.

Look at the news this week—our world is marked by shootings, anger, and hatred.

People steal and cheat each other, lose their tempers, and selfishly hoard.

We have fallen so far from God’s design.

I wouldn’t characterize this as “living in the light”, would you?

It just doesn’t seem right, does it?

So what happened?

That’s the next truth we need to look at.

Turn over to so we can see that…

We were doing so well! We had everything we need, so what went wrong?Sin came into the world.Look at . God gave Adam and Eve one command, and we disobeyed it.With that, everything changed.They had been completely comfortable, but suddenly, they felt alone and exposed. Look again at verse 7 – Why was that the first thing they noticed?It may be that, because of sin, they were completely isolated from each other for the very first time.When Adam and Eve sinned, they were suddenly separated from each other because of selfishness and pride.They were separated from even their own hearts, because as God spoke through Jeremiah, we find out that the wickedness of our own hearts deceives us so that we don’t even know our own hearts anymore. Most importantly, they were suddenly isolated from God.

We were doing so well! We had everything we needed, so what went wrong?

Sin came into the world.

Look at . God gave us one command, and we disobeyed it.

With that, everything changed.

They had been completely comfortable, but suddenly, they felt alone and exposed.

Look again at verse 7 – Why was that the first thing they noticed?

It may be that, because of sin, they were completely isolated from each other for the very first time.

When Adam and Eve sinned, they were suddenly separated from each other because of selfishness and pride.

They were separated from even their own hearts, because as God spoke through Jeremiah, we find out that the wickedness of our own hearts deceives us so that we don’t even know our own hearts anymore.

Jeremiah 17:9–10 CSB

The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it? I, the Lord, examine the mind, I test the heart to give to each according to his way, according to what his actions deserve.

Jeremiah 17:9 CSB

The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it?

When they chose to push God away, our hearts became twisted, and now we can’t even believe our own hearts.

Most importantly, they were suddenly isolated from God. We saw last week that Isaiah said our sins have separated us from God.

CSBBut your iniquities are separating you from your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not listen.

Isaiah 59:2 CSB

But your iniquities are separating you from your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not listen.

That’s explains what happened next. Look at 3:8-13.Sin immediately destroyed our relationship with God so we would rather run and hide than be face to face with the God who loved us so much that He made us!We moved from enjoying his presence, following his lead, to following the path of selfishness and pain and evil that the serpent was leading. It didn’t stop there, though. God begins to go through the effects of the fall, and He first talks to the serpent, then the woman, and then man.Look with me at what He says to man. (17-19)Even the very ground itself is cursed because of sin!Why are earthquakes, hurricanes, and the like so destructive? Because all of Creation fell under the curse of sin!Our sin brought death into the whole world.Paul explains that in greater detail in :

That’s explains what happened next. Look at 3:8-13.

Have you ever done something wrong against someone else? What it your immediate instinct? To run up to the person and tell them everything you have done?

Most often, we want avoid the other person.

That’s exactly what Adam and Eve did.

Sin immediately destroyed our relationship with God so we would rather run and hide than be face to face with the God who loved us so much that He made us!

We moved from enjoying his presence, following his lead, to following the path of selfishness and pain and evil that the serpent pointed us towards.

By the way, did you notice that Satan’s lie here was a half-truth?

The moment they ate, they did gain one thing they didn’t have before: the knowledge of evil. They didn’t know that before, but God did, so they did become a little more like God.

However, look at the cost! They now cowered from the God who created them.

Sin also broke their relationship to each other. Did you notice how Adam answered God’s question?

“It was that woman you gave me.”—he totally threw her under the bus!

Do you think that’s a healthy way to communicate in a marriage? Not at all!

Now, there were accusations and mistrust and avoidance that had never been there before.

It didn’t stop there, though. God begins to go through the effects of the fall, and He first talks to the serpent, then the woman, and then man.

Look with me at what He says to man. (17-19)

Even the very ground itself is cursed because of sin!

Why are earthquakes, hurricanes, and the like so destructive?

Because all of Creation fell under the curse of sin!

Our sin brought death into the whole world.

Paul explains that in greater detail in :

CSBFor I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but because of him who subjected it—in the hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. Not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits—we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.

Romans 8:18–23 CSB

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but because of him who subjected it—in the hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. Not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits—we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.

That’s why we look at the world around us and say, “That just isn’t right,” or “It shouldn’t be like that!”

That is why there is a fight to survive in much of the world. That’s why work is exhausting—because we are fighting against the effect of sin in the world!

That’s why we look at the world around us and say, “That just isn’t right,” or “It shouldn’t be like that!”Because through sin, we left God’s design and entered a place of brokenness as people and as creation! We turned off the light, and suddenly, we knew what it was like living in the dark.Ever since then, we have tried to find our own ways to create light, and it has never worked:

Because through sin, we left God’s design and entered a place of brokenness as people and as creation!

Christmas is about a world that has been broken by sin.

Ever since then, we have tried to find our own ways to create light, and it has never worked:

CSBFor though they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became worthless, and their senseless hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles.

Romans 1:21–23 CSB

For though they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became worthless, and their senseless hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles.

We pushed away the God who cared for us more than we could imagine.

We traded the light of the world for the darkness, and we have never been right since.

We traded the light of the world for the darkness, and we have never been right since. We walked in the light, literally walking with God.We turned off the light when we chose to do life on our own, rejecting God as our king, and trying to put ourselves on the throne of the world.Here’s what is amazing: God could have ended the story there. We chose to turn our back on him, we pushed him away, and he could have left us alone to stay separated from him forever.However, in the middle of explaining the effects of sin, God makes an incredible promise:

Look at verses 22-24.

We traded the light of the world for the darkness, and we have never been right since. We walked in the light, literally walking with God.We turned off the light when we chose to do life on our own, rejecting God as our king, and trying to put ourselves on the throne of the world.Here’s what is amazing: God could have ended the story there. We chose to turn our back on him, we pushed him away, and he could have left us alone to stay separated from him forever.However, in the middle of explaining the effects of sin, God makes an incredible promise:

We walked in the light, literally walking with God.

Our sin caused God to have to drive us from the Garden he made for us, and we were not allowed back in.

We turned off the light when we chose to do life on our own, rejecting God as our king, and trying to put ourselves on the throne of the world.

If we stopped here, there would be no reason to celebrate Christmas.

Here’s what is amazing: God could have ended the story there. We chose to turn our back on him, we pushed him away, and he could have left us alone to stay separated from him forever.

However, in the middle of explaining the effects of sin, God makes an incredible promise:

()Jesus came to make it right again.Look at :15Here, we find that God says for the very first time, after the very first sin, that one day, someone would come and save us from sin.That promise was reiterated to Abraham, Isaiah, and many more throughout the Old Testament.Finally, it was fulfilled through a baby born in a manger to a virgin and her hard-working husband.When the angel came and spoke to Joseph about this baby in Mary’s womb, he gave him very specific instructions:

()

Hidden in the middle of all this pain, all this disappointment, there is one note of hope.

It is playing faintly at this point, but this same refrain will appear over and over throughout Scripture and history: God is going to make it right.

Look at .

There is a promise here that one day, God would fully defeat Satan.

It would come at a cost, but the victory would be complete.

The evil that had come into creation that day would be completely driven out.

For the very first time, after the very first sin, that one day, someone would come and save us from sin.

That promise was reiterated to Abraham, Isaiah, and many more throughout the Old Testament.

Finally, it was fulfilled through a baby born in a manger to a virgin and her hard-working husband.

When the angel came and spoke to Joseph about this baby in Mary’s womb, he gave him very specific instructions:

CSBShe will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel, which is translated “God is with us.”

matthew 1:21-23

Matthew 1:21–23 CSB

She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel, which is translated “God is with us.”

We are going to look at this in more detail next week, but do you know what is so beautiful about that promise?

Look again at that last phrase: the son that was going to be born at Christmas was God coming to be with us again.

Jesus came to make it all right again.

Jesus came to make it all right again. Did you see it? He came to save us from our sin!God came and walked with us again!He is Immanuel, God with us!He knew we were separated and couldn’t get back, so He came to rescue and ransom us!Jesus would say that when He publically started His ministry. Quoting from Isaiah:

Did you see it? He came to save us from our sin! God came and walked with us again!

He is Immanuel, God with us!

He knew we were separated and couldn’t get back, so He came to rescue and ransom us!

Jesus would say that when He publicly started His ministry. Quoting from Isaiah:

CSBThe Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him. He began by saying to them, “Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.”

Luke 4:18–21 CSB

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him. He began by saying to them, “Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.”

When Jesus was born, he was bringing about the reconciliation that had been hinted at in .

When Jesus was born, he was bringing about the reconciliation that had been hinted at in .He was establishing God’s kingdom on earth, pushing back the darkness, and bringing back the light. To quote Linus from “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, that’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown!Jesus came to make it right!He came to remove the stain of sin from our hearts and eventually, He will come again to remove it from our world.

· He would be the one whose heel was bruised by the serpent and who would crush the serpent’s head.

He would be the one whose heel was bruised by the serpent and who would crush the serpent’s head.

When Jesus was born, he was bringing about the reconciliation that had been hinted at in .He was establishing God’s kingdom on earth, pushing back the darkness, and bringing back the light. To quote Linus from “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, that’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown!Jesus came to make it right!He came to remove the stain of sin from our hearts and eventually, He will come again to remove it from our world.

He was establishing God’s kingdom on earth, pushing back the effects of our sin and drawing us back to himself.

This is what Christmas is all about: God coming into our broken world to set it right again.

He came to remove the stain of sin from our hearts and eventually, He will come again to remove it from our world.

CSBBut the day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed. Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, it is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness as you wait for the day of God and hasten its coming. Because of that day, the heavens will be dissolved with fire and the elements will melt with heat.

We will likely look more at this passage at the end of December, but when we fast-forward past that first Christmas to the final fulfillment of this promise, we hear these words:

revelation 21::3-

2 Peter 3:10–12 CSB

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed. Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, it is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness as you wait for the day of God and hasten its coming. Because of that day, the heavens will be dissolved with fire and the elements will melt with heat.

Revelation 21:3–5 CSB

Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away. Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.”

He is going to purge every trace of sin from the earth, and once again, we will be able to enjoy life with Him again! That little baby, laid in a feeding trough in a nasty stable in a little town on the backside of the world, was God in the flesh, coming to walk with us because we couldn’t walk with Him.To borrow a line from J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Jesus was coming to make the sad things untrue.Have you ever paid attention to the song “Joy to the World”? The third verse goes like this:

He is going to purge every trace of sin from the earth, and once again, we will be able to enjoy life with Him again!

That little baby, laid in a feeding trough in a little town on the backside of the world, was God in the flesh, coming to walk with us because we couldn’t walk with Him.

To borrow a line from J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Jesus was coming to make the sad things untrue.

Have you ever paid attention to the song “Joy to the World”? The third verse goes like this:

No more let sins and sorrows grow Nor thorns infest the ground He comes to make His blessings flow Far as the curse is found Far as the curse is found Far as, far as the curse is found

He was born to reverse the curse, the isolation, the destruction that sin has wrought.

Jesus came to make the sad things untrue—to reverse the curse, the isolation, the destruction that sin has wrought.

(“Joy to the World”)

We see a small hint of what it would take to get us to that point, though.

Adam and Eve made clothes from leaves to try to hide their nakedness, yet that wasn’t enough.

Look back at verse 21 - An animal had to die so they could be clothed.

This is the first in a pattern we will see throughout the Bible: sin can only be atoned for by death.

The baby we celebrate at Christmas, Jesus, is God in the flesh. One day, he would be the sacrifice whose death covers our sin once and for all.

Have you allowed Him to do that in your heart this Christmas? If not, then he is inviting you to himself today. Why not come out of the dark and into the light?

Jesus came to make the sad things untrue—to reverse the curse, the isolation, the destruction that sin has wrought.Have you allowed Him to do that in your heart this Christmas? If not, then he is inviting you to himself this Christmas. Why not come out of the dark and into the light?

A Broken World

1) We were created to enjoy a relationship with God.

2) We turned off the light.

2) We chose to push God away.

3) The light is coming back.

3) God promises to restore what has been broken.