We live in a world obsessed with control, from tracking our steps, measuring our sleep, optimizing our lives, and yet, we’re blind to the real problem underneath it all. In this message, we explore the powerful illusion that convinces us we can fix, preserve, and even save the world through our own effort. But Scripture tells a very different story: creation is groaning under a curse we can’t remove, and no amount of human progress — not even the latest technology or good intentions — can undo it.

Drawing from Romans 8, Genesis 3, and vivid modern examples, we discover that the real deception isn’t magic tricks or misinformation — it’s the belief that we are not cursed and that we can save ourselves. But the gospel offers a better hope: not optimism, but promise. Jesus didn’t come to help us manage a broken world — He came to redeem it.

As we enter Advent, we remind ourselves that we live between two comings: one that freed our souls and one that will free our bodies and all creation. This message calls us to live with biblical perception (seeing what’s truly wrong), biblical expectation (trusting in what’s coming), and biblical orientation (learning how to live in between).

If you’ve ever wondered why progress never satisfies, why suffering persists, or how to live with hope in a world that keeps breaking, this sermon will unveil the truth behind the illusion — and point us to the only one who can truly reverse the curse.