4. God's Plan for a Savior

Isaiah 53:10-12

Today is the last message of our series on the Advent. When we began our series we said you cannot start in the middle, with Jesus in the manger, and fully comprehend the depth of this event. We had to go back to the beginning in Genesis 6: The Need of a Savior. We followed that by looking in Isaiah 59: God’s Promise of a Savior, and then heard the Announcement of a Savior in Luke 2. Our Savior’s birth was a great gift from God.  But we must understand that this gift of God is embedded in the grief of God’s heart which is connected to the grief in our hearts.  

But God had a plan. The birth of the Savior was a wonderful announcement but it brought with it a pronouncement of God’s Plan for the Savior—His death.  In our text today, we will see the grief that God put on Christ. Yet it pleased Him. Even in His death we can rejoice because the Savior came. Let’s look together at Isaiah 53. 

-Pastor Terry

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3. The Announcement of a Savior

Luke 2:8-14

As we continue our Advent series, Luke writes of The Announcement of a Savior.  Generally speaking an announcement is a memorable moment or historical moment in time. There are many kinds: The announcement of an engagement, a marriage, the birth of a child, a graduation, the death of a loved one, and even historical announcements for all of humanity. Such is the case here in Luke 2:8-14.

Mankind was, and still is, living in depravity, broken by sin and in desperate need of a Savior.  Today's text speaks of the announcement of the fulfillment of God’s promise of a Savior who would save man from his sin. That announcement is just as important and promising today as it was more than 2000 years ago. Let's look together at the significance of this marvelous announcement...The Announcement of a Savior.  

-Pastor Terry

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2. The Promise of a Savior

Isaiah 59:1-21

In our continuing Advent series we’re going to look at Isaiah chapter 59. We can see that Israel is in one of its darkest moments in its history.  We read that Israel, and all of mankind, is on a spiraling path of destruction in a vacuum of hopelessness. However, even in the darkest of hours there is Hope. Their hope was found in “The Promise of a Savior”. A Redeemer who was coming to redeem mankind from the power and penalty of sin.

Perhaps you find yourself in a desperate situation today.  You feel like you’re surrounded by darkness and have no hope.  The Word of God tells us there is hope, and His name is Jesus.  He is our promised Savior.  Let’s look together at Isaiah 59.

-Pastor Terry

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1. The Need of a Savior

Genesis 6:5-8

Do you pick up a book and begin reading from the middle? When you watch a movie do you fast forward to the middle and start watching there? I hope that you don’t! It would be difficult to follow any story if you didn't begin at the beginning. If you read the whole book, listen to the whole story, and watch the entire movie, you will understand why things happened the way they did.

During this time of the year people often think about the birth of Jesus Christ. But that would be starting in the middle of the story. It’s important to start at the beginning. There are questions that must be answered. Why did God send His son? Was there truly a need?  So, let's start with the beginning today and open our Bibles to Genesis chapter 6.   

-Pastor Terry

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