Waiting for the King

Everything He made was amazing!

In the Beginning
Genesis 1:1, 31a, Genesis 2:7-9, Genesis 2:15-18 Such detail, thoughtfulness and beauty went into every part of His
creation, but nothing compared to how much God loved His children.

The Earth Nothing would ever separate His love from His children.

“The heavens are singing Whatever it cost Him, He would always love His children.
about how great God is;
and the skies are shouting it out, And so it was that the wonderful love story began...
"See what God has made!"
Day after day...Night after night...
They are speaking to us.” The Fall
Psalm 19:1-2 Genesis 3
Paraphrased from the Jesus Storybook Bible

Snake and Fruit

Before there was the light and the land and the animals…..
….there was God. God gave Adam & Eve ONE rule:

God had a wonderful plan! "Don't eat the fruit on that tree----because if you do, you'll think you
know everything and stop trusting me and death and sadness and tears
He took the emptiness and filled it up; will come."
He took nothing and turned it into EVERYTHING!
You see God knew if they ate the fruit, they would think they didn't
All He did was speak the words and He created. need him. And they would try to make themselves happy without him.
The day and night, He created it.
But God knew there was no such thing as happiness without him, and
The animals on the land and in the sea God created them. life without him wouldn't be life at all.
All that He made was very good.
Satan was an enemy of God and seized his opportunity to speak lies
But God wasn't finished yet! into Eve's ears-----she believed his lies, and disobeyed God.

God's own nature was going to be reflected in His most prized creation She and Adam ate the forbidden fruit!
—a man and a woman.
Sin had entered God's world and it would never leave.
They would be His very own children and the world, their perfect God would not let his children live in such pain without Him forever-
home.
He had a plan!
One day he would wipe away every tear from their eyes! He told them-----

He would do battle with the snake. “I can't stop loving you.

You are my heart's treasure.
The sin that they had let enter into His perfect home would be taken
out! But I lost you.

God Himself would come back for them! Now I am coming back for you.
I am going to send my messenger----

----------------------------------------------------The Promised One. “

Waiting for Redemption
Luke 2:1-10; John 3:16-17 They were expecting an earthly King but God had a plan bigger than
His children could ever imagine.
Baby Jesus
He was sending them a King but He wouldn’t live in a palace.
The ancient Israelites waited 400 years with silence from Heaven. He would be poor and a servant but he would heal the whole world.

They waited in anticipation….. He sent His own Son to be born and live on the earth He created.
In a lowly stable He began His life.
….and waited………
……..and waited……..… He was the Rescuer!
………..and waited………….

Will Messiah ever truly come?

Redemption
In all of history, God has always been rescuing His children. Isaiah 53; Luke 2:8-18; John 19:11-18; John 10:15

You see God’s children had been running from Him and hiding from The Cross
the beginning.

God knew His children would never be happy without Him. He Came for Us
There was no way they could get back by themselves. “He came to free a people,
They didn’t know the way back – but God knew the way. For ‘Jesus’ was His name;
To bear the sins of many,
From Abraham to Moses, He rescued them. The Lord of Love, He came.
He numbered with transgressors;
He gave special promises, took care of His children's needs and God’s judgment He withstood.
forgave them even when they disobeyed. The splinters of the manger
 Foretold a cross of wood.
He came for us, true Son of Man,
Restoration
He came to pain and strife. Revelation 1:5-21-22
The Promised One, Emmanuel,
He came to bring us life!” Crown
- Kevin Hartnett, He Came for Us (December, 2005)
Advent embraces a tension that does not easily resolve.
Jesus’ life would show His people all that God wanted His children to
know. Yes, He is coming, but He's not here yet. 

They wouldn’t need to hide or be ashamed anymore. We are waiting again.

They could stop running from and start running to God instead.
Even now we look around at our world and ask questions with the
The nativity cannot be separated from the crucifixion. same longing as the Israelites.

There was a huge price to pay for the sin that Adam & Eve let into Will He come again and set things right as He has promised?
God's perfect world.
Sometimes Hope waits a long time with no answer this side of
God’s Son whom He sent to make everything right again, like it was Heaven. 
always meant to be, was going to suffer and die but He would win.
Advent is far more than marking a 2000 year old event in history.
Christ took on Himself the full wrath of God; something we could
never fulfill on our own. It is the celebration of the Coming of Christ whereby all of creation
was reconciled to God and is being reconciled, the past and the future,
Jesus never sinned but took the punishment we deserved on Himself. at the same time.

It was the only way God could destroy sin and not destroy His We wait like Israel except we have the benefit of knowing He has
children, whose hearts were filled with sin. come and will come again! 

It wasn't the nails that kept Him on the cross but Love. And we know that there will be joy in our fulfilled hope! 

At that moment He had rescued us! One day…..

………..Heaven will come down and mend God's broken world and
His death was the beginning of the untwisting….. make it our true, perfect home once again.

……..of all the crookedness sin brought into the world. So the story isn't over yet.
Jesus is on His way again and will be here soon!

“And the King says LOOK God and His children are together again.

NO more running away or hiding.

No more crying or being lonely or afraid.

No more sick or dying, because all those things are gone.

Yes, they are gone forever.

Everything sad has come untrue!

And see I have wiped every tear from every eye.

And then a deep beautiful voice that sounded like thunder in the sky

says LOOK I am making everything new.”

Doxology
May the Spirit of Christmas
Shine in your hearts.
May the love of God
Be seen in your lives.
And may the Blessed Christ child
Come to dwell in your hearts.
And bring you love, joy and peace
At this holy Christmas time.

Portions taken from The Jesus Story Book Bible

www.jesusstorybookbible.com