Category: Restored

Unfortunately, this sermon audio is not available due to technical complications.

THE RELEVANCE OF CHRISTMAS: ____________________________

“…they will call him Immanuel”-which means, “God with us.” Mt 1:23b

Christ is the exact likeness of the unseen God. He existed before God made anything at all, and, in fact, Christ himself is the Creator who made everything in heaven and earth… Colossians 1:15-16 (The Living Bible)

THE REALITY OF CHRISTMAS: _______________________________

“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son…” Matthew 1:23

JESUS’ BIRTH SITUATION WAS AT FIRST COVERED WITH _____________

And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. Matthew 1:19 (ESV)

The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. Genesis 2:25

 

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord… Genesis 3:7-8

WHAT ARE YOU ASHAMED OF?

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

Satan’s Shameful Cycle

• You experience something deeply _________________.

• You connect what happened with __________ you are.

• You become a ___________________ tormented by your past.

JUDAS: See Matthew 27:3-5

PETER: See Matthew 26:75

Breaking Free

• You can’t change the ________________.

“While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.’ But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again?'” 2 Sa 12:22-23

• Jesus can change your _____________________.

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. Matthew 1:21

Psalm 23

“Yet if you devote your heart to (God) and stretch out your hands to him, if you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent, then you will lift up your face without shame; you will stand firm and without fear. You will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by… Job 11:13-16

What is Spiritual Oppression?

When _________________ uses his power against you.

Have you ever been really ____________ on yourself? “For [the devil] stood before our God and accused our brothers and sisters day and night…” Re 12:10 (GNT)

Have you ever been ____________ to God’s word? “The seeds on the road are those who hear the Word, but no sooner do they hear it than the Devil snatches it from them so they won’t believe and be saved.” Lk 8:12 (The Message)

Have you ever been sick as a result of __________________? “A woman there had an evil spirit that had made her ill for eighteen years; she was bent over and could not straighten up at all.” Lk 13:11 (GNT)

Have you ever been ___________________ to disobey God? The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Mt 4:3

How to Experience Spiritual Freedom

1. _______________________ what Jesus paid for you.

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mk 10:45

“For you know that God paid a ransom to save you…And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.” 1 Pe 1:18-19 (NLT)

2. ______________________ what Jesus paid for you.

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” Ro 8:1-2

3. _______________________what Jesus paid for you.

“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.” Jas 4:7-8

What is Physical Oppression?

When people in power abuse the ___________ and __________________.

God _______________ His followers who do not care for the poor

“At that time I will put you on trial. I am eager to witness against all sorcerers and adulterers and liars. I will speak against those who cheat employees of their wages, who oppress widows and orphans, or who deprive the foreigners living among you of justice, for these people do not fear me,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” Mal 3:5 (NLT)

|

|

|

|

|

How Does God Care for the Poor?

Through the obedience of His _________________.

“No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.” Is 58:6-7 (NLT)

The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: “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 freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Lk 4:17-19

Sermon Series: “RESTORED” – 2 of 4

December 7, 2008

Pastor John Fanous

RESTORED means “TO BRING BACK __________________“

The Bible calls this _______________________

One picture the Bible offers is a _____________

The Day of Atonement

Leviticus 16

“This is how Aaron is to enter the sanctuary area: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments; so he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on.” Le 16:3-4

“Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household.” Le 16:6

“Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. He is to cast lots for the two goats-one lot for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat. Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the Lord and sacrifice it for a sin offering. But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat.” Le 16:7-10

“When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites-all their sins-and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the desert in the care of a man appointed for the task. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary place; and the man shall release it in the desert.” Le 16:20-22

Jesus

John 19

“Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head.” John 19:1-2

“But they shouted, ‘Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!'” Jn 19:15a

“Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus.” Jn 19:16

“But he carried away the sins of many people…” Is 53:12b (NCV)

The Priest

Hebrews 10

“The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared.” Heb 10:1-2 (NLT)

“Every priest goes to work at the altar each day, offers the same old sacrifices year in, year out, and never makes a dent in the sin problem. As a priest, Christ made a single sacrifice for sins, and that was it! Then he sat down right beside God and waited for his enemies to cave in. It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, he did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process.” Heb 10:11-14 (The Message)

Maybe our message to the world is “the goat has left the _____________.”

*Thanks to Rob Bell for the inspiration for this sermon

November 30 was a special “Family” Sunday at Edgewater. Children stayed in the worship service the whole time. We did not hand out message notes, but as you can tell from the recording, there was a lot of participation! Hope you enjoy the audio.