As we consider the Advent and the Prophets, look at this promise found in Isaiah 9: CHRISTMAS IS COMING. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: The Book of Advent
TEXT: Isaiah 9:6-7
TITLE: Christmas is Coming!
PREACHER: Brett Overstreet
BIG IDEA: In the promise of Christmas, we find an extraordinary child who will do extraordinary things for sinners like us.

POINTS:
I. An Extraordinary Promise
II. An Extraordinary Child

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

ILLUSTRATION: Facing a long, miserable summer, “We love Christmas and all that comes with it, so we've learned to love that reminder that promise to the other in the midst of our despairing, that Christmas is coming.”
“This morning we find that very promise, ‘Christmas is coming!’, here in Isaiah 9 spoken some 2700 years ago. As we will see, God's people are in a place of great darkness and despair. And yet, in the midst of this place, God speaks a promise to them through his prophet Isaiah. The very first Christmas is coming, and all that it will bring is coming. Our task this morning, as we consider the Advent and the Prophets, is to look at this promise found in Isaiah 9 and consider what it means for us.”

“As we begin, I want to acknowledge something upfront. Isaiah 9 is a very familiar Christmas passage. It is being preached all over the world this month, and for many of us, it probably appears on the list of our favorite Christmas texts. It’s because we know that this text speaks of the coming of Jesus. It speaks of a baby who would be born into this world, born to us – and on this side of redemptive history, we don’t have to wonder who this is – it is Jesus, God made flesh. But as we approach this text, we need to remember that these words are being spoken some 700 years before Jesus would be born, and they are spoken to a people who could not look back and see the cradle, cross, and grave. And so, it's not only important, it's critical for us to understand the context of what's going on around Isaiah Chapter 9 if we are to understand this extraordinary promise.”

“As we approach chapter 9, there is a rising darkness, a growing sense of gloom and despair among God’s people. Long gone are the golden years of King David and King Solomon. The kingdom of Israel has split into two different kingdoms – north and south. If we go back to chapter 7, we see that things are starting to heat up. At the beginning of chapter 7 we are introduced to a character named Ahaz. Ahaz was in the line of Davidic kings and was ruling in Judah at the time of Isaiah 9. You can learn more about him in 2 Kings 16 and 2 Chronicles 28, but let me give you his quick resume: He did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord. He installed pagan worship in the temple. He murdered his own son in a pagan sacrifice. He despised the prophets and listened to the wisdom of necromancers instead of God. He did not care for and protect his people like a king should. In short, he was a terrible king.”

“At this same time, a great enemy is rising in the region, threatening to destroy Judah. This would be Assyria, a pagan powerhouse to the North. The northern kingdom of Israel has allied with Syria against Assyria and has asked King Ahaz to bring Judah into the alliance against the threat of Assyria. Ahaz says no, and Israel threatens to attack Judah. As all of this is playing out, and the threat is growing, the Lord speaks to Ahaz through Isaiah and tells him, ‘Trust in the promises of God, and I will be your salvation.’”

“He does the unthinkable: rather than trusting in the protection and promises of God and leading the people to do the same, He goes not to God, but to the pagan powerhouse Assyria for help. We read in 2 Kings 16:7-8, ‘So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, ‘I am your servant and your son. Come up and rescue me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who are attacking me.’ Ahaz also took the silver and gold that were found in the house of the Lord and in the treasures of the king’s house and sent a present to the king of Assyria.”

“Ahaz is sending gifts and groveling and begging the Assyrians to come and deliver them from these threats. Ahaz fails his greatest test as king over the people of God. Rather than leading them to trust in the promises of God, he leads them willingly into the arms of their enemies.”

“Eventually, Judah becomes a puppet state for the pagan nation of Assyria. And in Isaiah chapter 8, the prophet announces that God will pour out his judgment on Judah because they have rejected God and turned away from Him. Ironically enough, this judgement will come at the hands of the Assyrians. The very nation they chose to put their hope in will turn around and crush them.”

“Chapter 8, verse 22, paints a grim picture for God’s people. Notice the language Isaiah uses: distress, darkness, gloom, anguish, thick darkness. In fact, in 9:2, Isaiah is describing the same conditions as 8:22 and calls it a deep darkness. That word translated ‘deep darkness’ here is the same word used in Psalm 23, which translates to ‘shadow of death’. the picture here is not that the people are just living in tough times waiting for their big break, they are living in the shadow of death.”

“I don’t think we have to labor too hard to get the picture here; gone are the peaceful, prosperous days of King Solomon. There is nothing but darkness and gloom on the horizon for the people of God. This (the shadow of death) is the setting for what we are about to read in chapter 9. I want to understand the context here because we were reminded last week that in order to understand and appreciate the good news, we must understand just how bad the bad news really is.”

“On the heels of this dark forecast of this nation being plunged into political, social, and economic ruin, we find a promise of God to act.”

“I can only imagine the fear and terror in the hearts of the king and the people when judgment is pronounced in Chapter 8, to be quickly followed by weeping and rejoicing that it will not last forever. Because that’s what’s happening here: the deep darkness of 8:22 is not final. Make no mistake, the judgment announced in chapter 8 will come; you can read about the Assyrian invasion into Judah in 2 Kings 18. But what we see next is that it is not the final word in redemptive history – God is not done with his people.”

“Do you see the seeds of the promise of God’s grace to His people? Do you see the seeds of the promise of God’s grace to us?! God’s people are dwelling in the shadow of death, and yet there is this promise that a great light is coming that will shine into and shatter their deep darkness.”

“This all sounds great, but how will it happen? How will God do this? What is this light that will shine into our darkness? How will all of this come to fruition? Because, as great as it all sounds, all of these wonderful events laid out in VS 1 – 4 must have a cause! In verse 6, God gives His answer. And what does He say? Christmas is coming!”

“He doesn’t say, I will raise up an army from the east or from the west. He doesn’t say a great military power will come and usher in this new age of light. No, he says, I will send a child.”

“These words are spoken hundreds of years before this child is born, and yet Isaiah speaks as if it were presently happening. The wisdom of God’s redemptive plan is found, not in worldly powers, but in the coming of a helpless, weak child. God doesn’t say, the calvary is coming. He says, Christmas is coming! The great light that is promised in 9:2 that is to shine into the darkness, that is to shine into the deep shadow of death, is a child!”

“The promise is not a great military power; the promise is God incarnate. The word made flesh. Jesus, the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary in a little unremarkable town called Bethlehem. Do you believe that? That God’s answer to everything that has terrorized us is a child?”

“Listen, if it’s difficult for you to relate to everything we’ve seen in Isaiah so far, let's remind ourselves, this history is our history. We may not be facing God’s judgment through a coming Assyrian invasion, but our forecast was even worse than Judah’s. See, Romans 1 reminds us that the wrath of God is coming against all sin and unrighteousness and that our hearts have been darkened by sin. And while we may not look around and see gloom and darkness all around us, spiritually, our sin has put us in a place of absolute darkness. And you and I are in desperate need of a great light to shine into the darkness of our sin!”

“Do you remember the funeral in the garden last Sunday? We looked at Genesis 3 and saw that The Fall was the funeral for mankind. But at that funeral, there was a promise spoken. Just as 8:22 was not the final word for the kingdom of Judah, the fall and curse in Genesis 3, which was the result of our sin, this was not the final word for us in God’s plan of redemptive history. Because He gave us a son – His own son. Who would not only come in the flesh as a baby, but this child would grow up and experience this world in every way that we do, except he would never sin.”

“At a young, prime age of 33 years old, Jesus would willingly and lovingly die a miserable death in our place, and though sinless, he would be covered in the blackening darkness of our sin so that we receive the light of eternal life.”

“God’s promise to shine a great light into our great darkness is found in the birth of a child.”

ILLUSTRATION: Birth is common to us in nature, “But here’s the difference: this to be no ordinary child. No, as we are about to see this is will be an extraordinary child.”

“Verses 6 – 7 give us so many clues as to who this child is and what he will be like. There’s a lot to unpack here, but notice the very first clue that Isaiah gives us about this coming child. [6b]…and the government shall be upon his shoulder. Apparently, this child is to govern, he is to be a ruler, a king. The term “king” is never mentioned in this passage, but it is clear from the references to government, throne and kingdom that this text is speaking of a kingly figure. In other words, this child that is promised to be the great light that shines into the darkness is a royal person – a king. …[and] what remains clear from our text is that this coming ruler is going to be different than the rulers before Him.”

“Notice that he is not just to be a king but that his kingdom will be eternal. His Kingdom will not lie stagnant or end in ruin like the kings before him, even many of the good kings before him - no, his government, which is to be a government of peace, and righteousness, and justice, will not only last, but will increase forever.” 

ILLUSTRATION: If you want to learn more about Jesus, you should study his old testament names

”’His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor…’ This king will be a wise king. His counsel will be full of wonder. This would have been music to the ears of the people in the kingdom. They know all too well the difference between a wise king and a foolish king – King Ahaz was a smart but foolish king who sought counsel from necromancers, not God. Isaiah wants them to know that this king and His eternal kingdom will be different – He will be a wonderful counselor. That Hebrew term for counselor is the same term used elsewhere in the OT to speak of a king’s trusted advisor. This king will need no worldly advisor because he himself is the wonderful counselor. His counsel goes beyond mere human thought and human wisdom.”

“What does our sin do to us? It reduces us to fools, doesn’t it? Titus 3 reminds us that before Christ, we ourselves were once foolish. In our sin we were fools, denying God and His glory. Denying our desperate need for Him. And so, what does God do? He sends, in this child, a wonderful counselor to come and rescue us from the foolishness of our sin.”

“‘His name shall be called Mighty God…’ If there was any doubt that this child was to be a divine child, this king a divine king, Isaiah puts it to rest. He says this child will be called Mighty God. The term used here is used throughout the Old Testament to refer to God. The root word here gives the sense of a strong, mighty warrior. This child is to have the very strength and might of God because He is God. He Himself is the God who is ready to unleash His power to rescue and defend His people. This may have very well brought back images of the exodus when the Israelites’ mighty God delivered, rescued, and defended his people from the hands of their enemies.”

“This is the one who has come to us. Not a Savior, but the Savior. One who is mighty enough to defeat our great enemy, conquer our sin and deliver and defend us from the shadow of death. We try to look elsewhere, don’t we? Our own efforts, our own strength, our performance – but the reality is, there is only one strong enough to deliver us.”

“‘His name shall be called Everlasting Father…’ This is not a reference to the first person of the Godhead, but a reference to the fatherly care, compassion and protection that a father offers to his children. I think about my son Jack and the levels of affection, care and duty to protect that I have for him as my son…. How much greater are the affections and love and providential care of Jesus – who is to be our everlasting father!”

“‘His name shall be called Prince of Peace…’ To a group of people facing war and oppression all around them, the Prince of peace would have been exactly what the doctor ordered. This extraordinary king is to be a king who comes in peace and brings peace, establishing it and keeping it. His reign would be a peaceful reign - Much unlike the many kings that came before him. This king will usher in Shalom, peace.”

“We all long for peace in our lives, don’t we? Maybe you’re here this morning, and that’s the one present you want for Christmas – peace. Peace at home. Peace in your relationships. Peace in the workplace. Peace in the world. We desperately want peace in our lives. But our greatest need isn’t for peace in the world, or peace with the people around us. We don’t like to admit it, but our greatest problem as a human race is that we are not at peace with God. We had peace with God – but like we saw last week, that peace was broken in the garden. Our sin wages war against God, and our greatest need is for peace with him. This child – the Prince of Peace - comes to restore what was lost in the garden. He comes to make peace between us and God.”

“Four wonderful titles for our Savior. What do we find when we look at these 4 names? Wisdom, Strength, Care, Peace. Aren’t those all things that everyone is searching for? But what do we do – we look for them in the wrong places. We look to social media for these things, we turn to sex, money, and drugs for these things, we grind and grind in our self-sufficiency, hoping for these things. We search the ends of the earth to find these things, but always end up running to empty vessels. Why? Isaiah tells us why: All of these things are found fully and completely in a person – Jesus.”

“I would ask each of us to consider those 4 things that we see in the names of Jesus: wisdom, strength, care, and peace, and to ask ourselves, where do we look for these things? As you walk through suffering and trials, life decisions, and relationship difficulties, where do you look for these things? Because let's be honest, the world is full of competing spectacles. The world offers a lot of places for us to look. There is no shortage of trends, ideas, vices, and five-step programs for us to turn to. But all of those things will one day fail us. Maybe not today, maybe tomorrow, but one day – certainly on the last day – all of the offerings of the world will fail us. But do you know what won’t fail us? The wonderful counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting father, the prince of peace. So why would we look anywhere else besides the one who is all of these things for us?”

“After all of this is promised, look what the Lord says through His prophet Isaiah: the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. That word “zeal” speaks of the passion of God. And in this context, it speaks of God’s passion for our salvation. So great is the passion of God to bring people out of a great darkness, so great is His passion to deliver His people from the shadow of death that Isaiah considers everything he has just said and speaks these words in full and utter confidence - the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.”

“This is what we celebrate at Christmas! This is why I love the words that my wife reminds me of every year: Christmas is coming! That is the promise that is whispered in the garden in Genesis 3. This is the promise given in Isaiah 9. This is the promise, as we will see on Christmas Eve, fulfilled in Luke chapter 2. The coming of an extraordinary child who does extraordinary things for sinners like us.”  

APPLICATION:
- If you are aware that, because of your sin, you are not at peace with God, there is only one thing you need to hear today: There is no hope for you outside of this extraordinary child. There is nothing that this world can offer. No amount of success, no amount of money, no amount of good deeds or church attendance or Bible reading that can make a sinner at peace with a holy God. But there is One who can: Christ Jesus. It's this Great Light that shines into the darkness. It’s this child that was promised 2700 years ago, that was born over 2000 years ago, and died in your place on the cross bearing the full penalty of your sin against God so that you might be forgiven of every sin you have ever committed and every sin you will ever commit.

He simply asks you to confess your sins and trust in Him for salvation.

- For the believer…we aren't off the hook. Even if we have believed and put our trust in this extraordinary child, we are still prone to look elsewhere as we walk through life, our hearts are often divided. As we have considered these four names given to Jesus, I pray we are increasingly convinced that there is nowhere we can look to find better hope, better news, better wisdom than by looking to HIM. Consider those 4 things that we see in the names of Jesus: wisdom, strength, care, and peace, and ask, “Where do I look for these things?”

- Every time I look at a Christmas light on a tree or in the yard or on the roof, I want to be reminded of Isaiah 9. To be reminded that this child is the great light that shines into and shatters my darkness. As we enjoy Christmas this year, may we find every little way to be reminded of the great light that shines into our darkness. And then let's turn and worship Jesus!

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
John 1:6-8, 14 
 1 Corinthians 1:30
John 1:12
Ephesians 2:13-14

QUOTES:
 John Oswalt - “The gloom is not final. God will not be satisfied that His people have experienced the just results of their rebellion. That experience is not an end in itself but a means, a means whereby God’s goodness can be manifested in the salvation of a land now aware of its true source of life. When every human attempt to bring light has failed, then God will bring light, not because He must, not because human craft has discovered the key to force Him, but merely out of His own grace.”

Ray Ortlund - “God’s answer to everything that has terrorized us is a child. The power of God is so far superior to the Assyrians and all the big shots of the world that He can defeat them by coming as a mere child. His answer to bullies swaggering through history is not to become an even bigger bully. His answer is Jesus.”

John Calvin - “It is good for us that he is called strong or mighty because our contest is with the devil, death, and sin, enemies too powerful and strong, by whom we would be vanquished immediately if Christ’s strength had not made us invincible. Thus we learn from this title that there is in Christ abundance of protection for defending our salvation, so that we desire nothing beyond him; He is God, who is pleased to show himself strong on our behalf.” 

Paul Tripp - “With words carefully chosen, because they were carefully directed by the Holy Spirit, Isaiah is telling us that the Messiah son is exactly what every Sinner desperately needs. He is the ultimate answer to every destructive thing that sin does to us. Isaiah, with beautifully poetic words, declares to us that Jesus is all we need. He is the solution to the sin that we cannot avoid or escape. Long before we were born, God had appointed for us the one who would be the remedy for every symptom of the sin that would infect us all.” 

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Prepare Him Room
Scripture Reading: Luke 2:8-14
Heaven Has Come To Us
Come Behold The Wondrous Mystery
He Who Is Mighty

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Galatians 4:4-7 Advent and Our Identity

THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:

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In the midst of all the lies and broken promises, Christmas is the most magnificent, consequential, and profound promise ever made and kept. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: The Book of Advent
TEXT: Genesis 3:1-24
TITLE: Advent and the Garden
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.

“Life is filled with broken promises. Some are minor and nonconsequential, while others are utterly devastating and leave scars. In the midst of all the lies and broken promises, Christmas is the most magnificent, consequential, and profound promise ever made and kept.”

“Today, we begin a Christmas series called The Book of Advent. Now you won’t find the word advent in the Bible, but its meaning, coming or arrival, is everywhere. When you think about it, the Bible is The Book of Advent because from beginning to end it is about the promised comings of Christ.”

“Here's how we are going to celebrate Advent this season:
- Isaiah 9 - Advent and the Prophets
- Galatians 4 - Advent and our Identity 
- Revelation 5 - Advent and Eternity
But we begin in the beginning. The first promise of Advent is in the Garden.”

“Our Need for Advent - The first seven verses record mankind’s darkest day ever. Tempted by Satan, who took the form of a serpent and twisted God’s words—a reminder that the seed of sin is doubting God’s Word—Adam and Eve ate from the one tree God forbade them to eat from. Their disobedience immediately plunged humanity into sin. Adam and Eve knew it—read 7-8. They were afraid, they were overwhelmed with guilt, and their shame drove them to run and hide from God. This is humanity’s story, and it was once our story: guilty sinners running and hiding from God.”

“Of course, no one can hide from God. Where can I go from your Spirit and where can I flee from your presence is the confession of Psalm 139. No one can hide from God. So God dealt with Adam and Eve, and Satan, through His righteous judgment. God’s holiness demanded that Adam’s sin be dealt with, and it was, in the form of a curse—read 14-19. The world continues to bear this curse.”

“These verses explain why the world is as it is:
- Pain and suffering
- Disease and Death
- Loneliness and Addiction
- Gender dysphoria and same-sex infatuations
- Relational conflict and abusive relationships
- Adultery and Abortion
- Futility and frustrations of work 

If you can relate to these things, and we all can, it’s because the effects of sin and its curse are everywhere, and our life experiences affirm it. But there’s an even deeper problem. What we see in 14-19 are just symptoms of humanity’s real dilemma.”

“Because of their sin and guilt, Adam and Eve were separated from God’s presence. Banished from Paradise. Their fellowship with Him was broken, and they spiritually died.”

“This is the great human dilemma that Advent is meant to fix. We are born under the curse. We are cursed by the cursed.  And we can do nothing to make things right. Our politics can’t fix it. Our morality can’t fix it. AI can’t fix it. Science can’t fix it.”

“In January, we begin preaching through Romans. Paul spends a good portion of the first seven chapters unpacking the nature of this dilemma. Through Adam, we have inherited a sin nature that leads to our personal sin and guilt, making us like Adam, separated from God and spiritually dead and under the wrath of God like the rest of mankind—Merry Christmas!”

“God’s Promise of Advent - And surprisingly, the plan for that divine pursuit is embedded deep in the curse itself—read 15. Buried deep in the Genesis 3 curse is the first promise of Christmas. It’s known as the Protoevangelium—first announcement of the gospel.”

“The serpent, that is Satan, will bruise the heel of Eve’s offspring. To bruise the heel is to cause suffering, which Jesus experienced at the cross. But he could not be destroyed. The grave could not hold him down. He rose triumphant over sin and Satan. But Eve’s offspring, specifically Jesus, will bruise the head of Satan. To bruise the head is to do more than cause suffering—it’s to crush and destroy.”

“Buried deep in the curse, God says to Satan, who has seemingly destroyed God’s perfect creation, I will crush you. I will defeat and destroy you.

“Think of Genesis 3:15 as the prophetic promise of the three C’s of Satan’s demise: C#1 Christmas: The first blow to Satan was when Jesus was born into this world to inaugurate God’s promised plan of redemption. Christmas is the beginning of the fulfillment of this glorious promise made in the darkest hour of human history. In the manger lay Jesus, a fully human baby boy, yet still fully God, who came into this world to redeem sinners from the curse by becoming a curse for us. He was born in a manger, grew up in sorrow and grief, and died on a cross to destroy Satan and liberate sinners from his bondage, just as the Christmas angel proclaimed: She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins—Matthew 1:21.”

“C#2 Cross: The DECISIVE blow that defeated Satan was at the cross. Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil—Hebrews 2:14.”

“The cross removed Satan’s one certain weapon against us—his accusations before the throne of God that we are guilty sinners that deserve to perish along with him—and he’s right. But the cross nullifies those accusations because in a crucified and risen Savior, we are justified—made right—before God! Not because of anything we did or can do, but wholly based on Jesus' blood and righteousness. We see this in a veiled way in our text—read 20-21.”

“In the Garden, God didn’t just pursue Adam and Eve by calling out to them. He provided for their need. He covered their shame and guilt by mercifully providing and protecting them by clothing them with animal skins. Guess what had to happen for them to be covered in this way—the blood of the animals had to be shed. Just as Hebrews 9:22 says—no bloodshed, no forgiveness of sins.”

“C#3 Consummation: The final blow to Satan will be Christ’s return, the second advent, according Romans 16: The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet—Romans 16:20. So this scene in Genesis 3 becomes so clear now. Buried deep in the middle of the curse is the beginning of Advent. Here’s the big question—How do we respond?”

“UNBELIEVER: At a time of year when the most popular question is What do you want? But the true Christmas question is the same question God asked Adam and Eve in the Garden—read 8-9. The moment Adam and Eve fell into sin, God pursued them with these words: Where are you?  That question doesn’t reveal a lack in God; it reveals the love of God. This is the heart of Christmas—we run and hide from God, but God graciously calls and relentlessly pursues. God mercifully pursuing sinners, even to the point of God himself taking on flesh, becoming a servant, and ultimately offering Himself as a sin sacrifice, and revealing Himself for salvation.”

“This is why we want to build our lives into the local church. This is why we want to grow in evangelism. This is why we want to plant a church on the east side.”

“But those who don’t know Jesus—Where are you? Whether you realize it or not, you are running from God. The Spirit wants to stop you in your tracks today—BELIEVE!”

“CHRISTIAN: The same question this Christmas—Where are you?  Are you spiritually parched? Haunted by the guilt and condemnation of past sins? Under the crushing yoke of addiction? Does sinful anxiety paralyze you? Is loneliness dogging you relentlessly? Have worldly pursuits left you spiritually apathetic? Is physical suffering suffocating your joy? Are you running toward the world and away from God? Allow the Spirit to stop you in your tracks today, and return to the true JOY and HOPE of Christmas. Here’s one way to practice this: Over the next few weeks, you will be repeatedly asked, "What do you want?" In that moment, allow that question to move you to remember what you have already been given.”

“You don’t have to be a holy roller here—Thank you, but I don’t need anything because I already have everything in Jesus. The truth is this: Buried deep in the experiences and busyness of your life is this wonderful, unchanging gospel reality: God Himself, the same God who walked in the cool of the Garden graciously calling for Adam, put on humanity to die on a cross for your sin. God has been faithful to provide for your greatest need. Once you were separated from God and under His eternal judgement, but now in Jesus, you belong to Him as His beloved, FOREVER. This is the Christian’s hope in life and death! Allow the many moments you will be asked, What do you want?, to be moments of rehearsing, relishing, and resting in the greatest gift you can ever possess, Jesus Christ, your Lord and Savior.”

“Prayer - Lord, you know the hearts and needs of your people. We humbly ask you, wherever we are this Christmas, when Satan tempts us to despair, when discouragement tries to suffocate our joy, give us eyes to see the promise buried deep in Genesis 3:15, that the Garden would lead to a manger that would lead to a cross for our that would pave the way for our salvation and secure the promised return of our Lord and Savior who will one day bring us home to live in your glorious presence, free from the curse of sin and full of wonder and awe—Forever!”

QUOTES:
John Piper - “It’s a season [Christmas] for cherishing and worshipping this characteristic of God—that he is a searching and saving God, that he is a God on a mission, that he is not aloof or passive or indecisive. He is never in maintenance mode, coasting, or drifting. He is sending, pursuing, searching, saving. That’s the meaning of Advent.”

SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
Hope of the Ages
God Made Low
Who Would Have Dreamed
Scripture Reading: Luke 2:1-7
What Child Is This
God Is Faithful (Psalm 114)

NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Isaiah 9:6-7 - Advent and the Prophets

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Where are we to go for help regarding this cultural shift in the definition of what a man is, what a woman is, and, today, what True Marriage is? We go to the Word of God. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: The Final Word
TEXT: Genesis 2:24-25
TITLE:   True Marriage is the Handiwork of God
PREACHER: Tom Wilkins
BIG IDEA: True marriage is the handiwork of God.

POINTS:
1. True Marriage, by design, is between a man and a woman.
2. True Marriage, by design, is God's joining of a man and a woman.
3. True Marriage, by design, is made holy by God.

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”This is not just an American issue, but rather, the weakening of marriage through deconstruction and redefinition is a worldwide mankind issue - wherever the hearts of men and women have turned away from God and where they have been given over to the evil desires of the flesh, the collapse of that society has already begun.”

“Disorienting winds of doctrines are blowing strong wave after wave of this culture’s attempts to reimagine, redefine, reshape, and even remove what ‘marriage’ is. They can be disorienting and even become plausible. By God’s grace may the Word of God silence these waves, calm our hearts, and reestablish the TRUTH about ‘marriage.’”

“THE FINAL WORD on what true marriage is has already been spoken by God. True marriage is God’s handiwork. Marriage, biblical marriage… true marriage is God’s doing.”

“This could not be any clearer. The nouns and the pronouns involved could not be any clearer. If we are confused, and disoriented, and perplex about “what is marriage” the lack of understanding is us. The word of God is clear and understandable.”

“The Word of God NEVER provides or allows for any other definition. We have to add to or take away from the WORD in order to find another definition - we have to completely reject God and what He has said in order to get what we want.”

“We cannot underestimate the influence of our culture on our thinking regarding marriage! We have about 196 countries in the world today - almost 20% have legalized homosexual marriage, just in the past 6 years! 7 years ago - ZERO, as of today, 34!”

“The mention of the man and woman both being “naked” causes us to begin to back up and recoil… the mention of even the thought of marriage being without shame causes us to wonder how this is even possible. Moments of shame regarding our own marriages and the shamefulness that we have witnessed in other marriages cause us to doubt that God has made marriage to be free from shame. But marriage, by design, is holy and beautiful and this is God’s doing.”

“In God’s design, the institution of marriage is untouchable. It is undefiled. He sees it all, and nothing in the purity of and sanctity of marriage is vile… nothing about it is vulgar… nothing debased. True marriage is from Him, it is through Him, and it is to Him. It truly is Holy Matrimony! The undefiled complement of the man and woman pours forth His image as a testimony to His nature and goodness to the world both in their covenant of marriage and the marriage bed.“

“God has made it possible for marriages, that are completely exposed by the “nakedness” of their sin, to be made holy again and no longer be ashamed. The Holiness of True Marriage is redeemed by the Gospel and for the Gospel.”

“We must reject same-sex unions as being somehow part of a redefined marriage. Same-sex unions, by definition, are enemies of the Gospel! YET the joyful hope is that the Gospel offers repentance and forgiveness to these same individuals. Jesus truly is the Redeemer after all!”

“May we behold the beauty of True Marriage designed by God! May we behold the beauty of the Gospel as it shines bright through marriages that are between men and women made by God, joined together by God, and made holy by the blood of Jesus.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Leviticus 18:22, 20:13
Genesis 19:1–10
Judges 19:1–30
Romans 1:18–32
1 Corinthians 6:9–11
1 Timothy 1:8–11
Mark 10:7-9
Ephesians 5:31-32
Hebrews 4:14-16

QUOTES:
Kevin DeYoung - “Sexuality in the context of heterosexual marriage is not only good but exclusively good. Only heterosexual marriage relationships can show forth the complementary design of men and women. According to the apostle Paul, one of the purposes of marriage is to show forth the mystery of Christ and the church (Eph. 5:32). If marriage can be construed as a man and a man or a woman and a woman, what is left of the glorious mystery of Christ and the church? We are left with only Christ and Christ or church and church.”

APPLICATION:
Wonder and marvel at God’s design!

 Q. Do you feel ashamed in your marriage today?

Is your marriage in a time of need for mercy and grace? The greatest counsel I can offer is not a program, is to point you to the Gospel that removes shame and redeems your marriage. The Holy Spirit has the power to remove the shame in your marriage! Don’t grow weary in your marriage! Get help.

Q. Is what is happening in our world disorienting and confusing to you?

Persist in the Truth. Don’t wait to be re-grounded in sound doctrine. Do you believe that God reigns? Is His word truth? Don’t grow weary – Continue to pursue good!

Q. Do you long for the removal of the shame of sexual sin? 

Come to Jesus, the ONE WHO CAN TAKE IT ALL AWAY AND RENEW YOU!

The gender you were born with is the handiwork of God, and no matter what you declare or do, you can’t change it. But there is another gender battle being fought in our culture and churches: What is true masculinity and femininity? Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: The Final Word
TEXT: Genesis 2:18-23
TITLE:   Equal Yet Different: True Masculinity and Femininity
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: True masculinity and femininity are experienced when men and women cherish and embrace their God-given roles in the home and church. 

POINTS:
1. God created Adam before Eve
2. God formed Eve out of Adam
3. God created Eve for Adam

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”The gender you were born with is the handiwork of God, and no matter what you declare or do, you can’t change it. But there is another gender battle being fought in our culture and churches: What is true masculinity and femininity?”

“[However] you choose to say it, our culture has a one-word response—TOXIC! Sadly, we live in a society actively erasing, not blurring; blurring is yesterday’s news, erasing any sense of gender differences. To even consider differences is increasingly intolerant and intolerable. Even in the church, the glorious truth of Complementarianism is rapidly becoming extinct.” 

“Our website says: We believe it was God’s glorious plan to create men and women in His image, giving them equal dignity and value in His sight while appointing differing and complementary roles for them within the home and the church. I pray we will never loosen our grip on our Complementarian Convictions. That is the focus of our current series and our text today: men and women are equal yet different.”

“This Created Order matters. In the OT, the firstborn assumed the leadership role in the family for his generation. In general, that pattern remains today.”

“In verse 7, we read that God formed Adam out of dust and breathed life into him. But Eve was created differently. Woman originated from man. God fashioned her from Adam’s rib. That matters for two reasons. First, they had equality in nature and personhood. Look at Adam’s description of Eve in verse 23—bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. Unlike the animals, the woman shared Adam’s human nature, created in the image of God. Second, being fashioned differently than Adam highlights the difference in roles.”

“Up to this point in the creation narrative, we are used to hearing, and it was good. God creates, and it is good. So it is a bit jarring to hear God say—It is not good. In this case, the ‘not good’ is man being alone. It’s not that God miscalculated or underestimated Adam’s ability. God’s design was always man being completed by woman.”

“Adam was lord of the earth, created and called by God to represent and glorify Him through the stewardship of His creation. But he needed a helper. God brought all the animals to Adam, but none of them were fit to help. None were his equal. None shared his nature. None caused affections to grow in his heart. Dogs may be a man’s best friend, but they don’t complement us.”

“God put Adam in a deep sleep and formed Eve out of his rib to be his helper. This is the first description of the woman’s role in the Bible. It implies Adam was lacking something. Being alone was not good for him; he needed someone to assist and support him. He needed a helper, notice the end of verse 20—fit for him.” 

“Eve was not a male. She was not a clone. Her biology and body were different. Her psychology was different. Her physiology was different. Yet, the woman was not inferior to Adam. She shared his nature as bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh. She bore the image of God. She was what no other living creature could be—his perfect helpmate. The first woman was created FOR the first man.”

“God is redeeming gender differences through the gospel. This reality reflects the relationships within the Trinity, where we find an eternal equality of personhood and deity, yet with different roles, particularly in redemption.”

“As we allow our minds and hearts to be shaped by Christ’s loving sacrifice for us, we will increasingly embrace that we no longer belong to ourselves but to Jesus, commissioned and empowered to live for his glory, and our gender roles in marriage and the church will follow. Jesus is our authority, our hope, our strength.” 

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
1 Timothy 2:12-13
1 Corinthians 11:8
1 Corinthians 11:9

QUOTES:
John Piper - “At the heart of mature masculinity is a sense of benevolent responsibility to lead, provide for, and protect women in ways appropriate to a man’s differing relationships….At the heart of mature femininity is a freeing disposition to affirm, receive, and nurture strength and leadership from worthy men in ways appropriate to a women’s differing relationships.”

Alexander Strauch - “Since the dawn of human civilization, men, not women, have primarily ruled society. Is this by chance? Or is it by design? Why are women seeking liberation and not vice versa? Genesis 2 provides the answer: from the beginning, the Creator shaped the human clay in patriarchal form, not matriarchal or egalitarian form. Adam was the first patriarch.”

Danvers Statement - “Redemption in Christ aims at removing the distortions introduced by the curse. In the family, husbands should forsake harsh or selfish leadership and grow in love and care for their wives; wives should forsake resistance to their husbands’ authority and grow in willing, joyful submission to their husband’s leadership. In the church, redemption in Christ gives men and women an equal share in the blessings of salvation; nevertheless, some governing and teaching roles within the church are restricted to men.”

APPLICATION:
Husbands, the gospel calls you to lead your wives and families with diligence, understanding, initiative, and gentleness, working hard to support and provide for your families. Wives, the gospel claim on your life is to willing and joyfully submit to your husbands with respect, responding to their leadership as you help him build a godly home. When you think gospel mission—this is part of it. It is the fruit and effect of allowing Jesus’ love for you to pour out into your relationships as a light in the darkness.

As men, we stand in grace to lead, protect, and provide. As women, you stand in grace to help, strengthen, and complement. This is True Masculinity and Femininity.

Friends, take courage. Stand in grace. Remain firm in your faith. Model biblical gender with joy. God has clearly spoken. While heaven and earth, culture and governments will all pass away, The Final Word of God remains forever. It’s good. It’s right. It’s beautiful. It’s loving.

Transgender ideology is dangerous, destructive, and demonic. It is consuming our culture and creeping into our churches. What do we do? In the words of the Dean of SG Pastor’s College, Jeff Purswell—Stay close to your Bible and the cross. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: The Final Word
TEXT: Genesis 1:26-27
TITLE:   Your Gender is the Handiwork of God
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

POINTS:
1. God Created Us
2. God Created Us in His Image
3. God Created Us Male and Female

SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes are taken from the pastor’s notes.
”That’s what this series is about, taking our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ. God has spoken The Final Word on gender.”

“Your gender is not the work of human hands, the result of social constructs, or the fruit of perceived reality. It is the perfect handiwork of God.”

“God created man. This is the starting place of self-understanding, the Creator—creature relationship. I am not an accident. I did not evolve. I am not self-made. God created me. That means I am not my own. I am dependent on God. I am accountable to God. This is the reality that transgender ideology ultimately denies.”

“We are a living analogy of God. Imperfect because of sin, yes, but still image bearers of the divine being redeemed by the power of the cross and sanctification of the Spirit.”

“This understanding of man is significant. It means humans are set apart from the rest of creation as the object of God’s special care. Our dignity, worth, value, and equality as individuals are rooted in the reality that we are God’s image bearers.”

“Given verse 28, where God commands man and woman to be fruitful and multiply, the gender terms in verse 27 have a literal connection to the male and female reproductive organs. Not only does this make gender essential to humanity, but it also reveals the intentionality of God in our biology, something Scripture repeatedly emphasizes.”

“The phrase ‘I am fearfully and wonderfully made’ is more than a statement of God setting his people apart in the womb. It points to His creative, intentional, invisible hand in developing a baby from beginning to end.”

“You can make many changes, but you cannot change your DNA. You cannot be born in the wrong body. There is no spectrum. Social constructs are not determinative.” 

“God’s handiwork should be a source of wonder and awe! Yet, for many, it is not. Why? Two words: sola affectus or feelings alone. Transgender ideology is the idolatry of subjective feelings. We live in a society, outside and inside the church, where what you feel is who you are. Fickle Feelings have become the authority regardless of science, biology, or theology.” 

“Good News! 

• God has spoken into the chaos and confusion with the first and final word: You are who I created you to be—and I never make mistakes! 

• God has spoken into our darkness and depravity through the light of Jesus Christ, who, through his perfect life, death, and resurrection, is our unfailing identity and self-worth: I created you. You turned from me. But I am redeeming you because I love you! Come to me with your gender dysphoria and misplaced longings.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Job 10:8,11
Psalm 119:73
Psalm 139:13-16a
Jeremiah 17:9
2 Corinthians 10:5
Ephesians 4:15

QUOTES:
Herman Bavinck - “The entire world is a revelation of God, a mirror of his virtues and perfections; every creature is in its own way and according to its own measure and embodiment of a divine thought. But among all the creatures, only man is the image of God, the highest and richest revelation of God, and therefore head and crown of the entire creation.”

James Hufstetler - “You are the result of the attentive, careful, detailed, creative work of God. Your personality, your sex, your height, your features are what they are because God made them precisely that way. He made you the way He did because that is the way He wants you to be….Your genes and chromosomes and creaturely distinctives are what they are by God’s design.”

The Gender Revolution - The ordinary processes of human development within the womb are not merely biology responding to chemicals as guided by our DNA. While this is true, it’s so much more. Starting from the womb, God creates you to be a sexed person. He gives you the biology of either a male or a female.”

Christopher Yuan - “Being created in the image of God and being male or female are essential to being human. Sex is not simply biological or genetic, just as being human is not simply biological or genetic. Sex is first and foremost a spiritual and ontological reality created by God. Being male or female cannot be changed by human hands; sex is a category of God’s handiwork-his original and everlasting design.”

Carl Trueman - “People who think they are a woman trapped in a man’s body are really making their inner psychological convictions absolutely decisive for who they are; and to the extent that, prior to “coming out,” they have publicly denied this inner reality, to that extent they have had an inauthentic existence.”

APPLICATION:
1. Put on humility by getting help from your pastor if you struggle with your gender.

2. Pursue with compassion those caught in the evil destruction of transgender ideology

We should hate with a passion transgender ideology. It’s demonic. It denies God. It destroys lives. It is a false gospel. But we should be compassionate toward those who are captive to it.

Here is something I know for certain—what Christmas is truly about: God graciously pursuing sinners—God condescending to mercifully save hell-deserving sinners. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.

SERIES: Who Would Have Dreamed?
TEXT: Genesis 3:1-24
TITLE: The Beginning of Christmas
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet

POINTS:
I. A Funeral in a Garden
II. Our Hope in a Manger

SERMON EXCERPTS:
”Genesis 3 records the darkest day in human history. It has been referred to as mankind’s funeral. Ironically, it’s at this funeral that hope springs forth in the first promise of Christmas.”

“The effects of sin and its curse are everywhere and our life experiences affirm it. But there’s an even deeper problem. What we see in verses 14-19 are just symptoms of humanity’s real dilemma—read verses 22-24. Because of their sin and guilt, Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden. Severed from God’s presence. Banished from His Paradise.  Their fellowship with Him was broken and they became spiritually dead.”

“Through Adam we have inherited a sin nature that leads to our personal sin and guilt, making us like Adam, separated from God and spiritually dead and under the wrath of God like the rest of mankind. That’s the great human dilemma that is the dark side of Christmas.”

“I love this picture: The moment Adam and Eve fell into sin, God pursued them with these words: Where are you?  The question does not reveal a lack in God—It reveals the love of God. It demonstrates the wonder of God’s love for and His grace toward sinners. Man runs and hides from God, but God calls and pursues.”

“Verse 15 is known as the Protoevangelium—first announcement of the gospel. In the middle of mankind’s funeral, the hope of life appears!”

“God says to Satan, who has seemingly destroyed God’s perfect creation, I will defeat and destroy you. Think of it as the three C’s of Satan’s demise:

1. Christmas: The first blow to Satan, as we will see in Rev 12 next week, is when Jesus was born into this world to inaugurate God’s promised plan of redemption.  

2. Consummation: The final blow to Satan will be Christ’s return according to Romans 16.

3. Cross: The DECISIVE blow that crushed and defeated Satan was at the cross.”

“The cross removed Satan’s one certain weapon against us—his accusations before the throne of God that we are guilty sinners that deserve to perish along with him—and he’s right. But Christ’s death and resurrection nullified those accusations because in a crucified and risen Savior, we are justified—made right—before God! Not because of anything we did or can do but wholly on the basis of Jesus’ blood and righteousness.”

“Christmas is the beginning of the fulfillment of this glorious promise made in the darkest hour of human history. In the manger lay Jesus, a fully human baby boy, yet still fully God, who came into this world to redeem sinners from the curse by becoming a curse for us. He was born in a manger, grew up in sorrow and grief, and died on a cross to destroy Satan and liberate sinners from his bondage, just as the Christmas angel proclaimed.”

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
Romans 5:12-21
Isaiah 59:2
Ephesians 2:1-3
Romans 16:20
Colossians 2:13-15
Hebrews 2:14
Matthew 1:21
Hebrews 9:22

QUOTES:
John Piper- “It’s a season [Christmas] for cherishing and worshipping this characteristic of God-that he is a searching and saving God, that he is a God on a mission, that he is not aloof or passive or indecisive. He is never in maintenance mode, coasting or drifting. He is sending, pursuing, searching, saving. That’s the meaning of Advent.”

APPLICATION:
UNBELIEVER: This Christmas, in the words of God to Adam and Eve in the Garden—Where are you? Are you hiding from God? Guess what, you don’t have to hide this Christmas. Only BELIEVE:

• BELIEVE, not in the spirit of Christmas, but in the Christ of Christmas. 

• BELIEVE, not in the goodwill of humanity, but in the infinitely good mercy and grace of Christ.

• BELIEVE, not in yourself, but in in the person and work of Jesus that provides righteousness and forgiveness of your sins.

• BELIEVE, not in the power of your believing, but in the promise of God that all who believe in him will be saved.

CHRISTIAN: I ask you the same question this Christmas—Where are you? 

• Are you spiritually parched?

• Are you feasting on secret sin?

• Are you battling besetting sin?

• Are you paralyzed by sinful anxiety?

• Have the distractions of this world left you spiritually apathetic?

Is that where you are? Wherever you are, God mercifully calls you to return to the true JOY and HOPE of Christmas. Irrespective of your circumstances, this is possible if you look to Jesus.

Relish the present - By that I don’t mean you have one life to live so live it to its fullest. I mean in a season characterized by the question—What do you want?, we must remember what we have already been given. There is no greater gift than eternal salvation in Jesus.

Focus on the future - We spend so much time preparing for the future practically. The Christian hope is in Christ’s return, not the prospects of life getting better in 2023. God has promised that the cross will give way to a new heaven and a new earth. One day this child will return as the risen Lamb and make all things new and right! There will be no more broken promises, no more suffering, no more sin. As far as the curse is found, Jesus will bring eternal blessings!