Redeemer Fellowship Johnson County

The questions of who am I and do I have value are fundamental questions of our humanity. They are questions that haunt many of us and the good news is they are questions that God answers. God has given us an identity as his image bearers. He has given us a name. The scriptures help us be honest about how we have been unnamed by sin and also point us to the promise that Jesus can rename us through his life, death, burial, and resurrection.

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What if you could do whatever you wanted? Unlimited resources? Unlimited authority? Unlimited time? That is the question and the situation that the author of Ecclesiastes puts before us. And he doesn't just ask the question, he runs the experiment. His conclusion after he tries everything thing - every pleasure, every noble deed, every endeavor he can think of is that everything we can pursue, consume, and experience in this life will only leave us wanting. He goes as far as saying it is meaningless and a vapor - you can see it but can't hold onto it. So what is solid, what gives meaning, what will satisfy, what will quench our thirst? In this sermon we explore that question and find the answer is that Jesus alone is the living water that can quench our thirst and satisfy our longings.

Some gifts need explanation so that we not only appreciate the thoughtfulness of the giver but actually understand and then help us experience the gift. In this text the angel provides the explanation for the baby in the manger when he says "a savior has been born". Focusing on our need for salvation and God's gift of a savior give meaning to the Christmas event. On this last Sunday of Advent we focus on the gift God has given us in the first coming of his Son Jesus and we also long for the gift of his return.

All of us feel it. Things are not the way they are supposed to be. There is darkness and longing all around us. Where you you locate the problem shapes both the solution you seek and informs how you live. In Romans 5 we read that the issue is deep - it is rooted in sin which has brought the death and darkness we experience. The good news is that Jesus broke the power of death through his death on the cross and yet we still wait for his second coming to fully make all things new. Owning both the longing and the hope makes us honest people who look to Jesus as we wait.

Due to the brokenness in our world, everyone seems to agree that we have a problem, but we tend to disagree on what the problem is, what the source is, as well as what the solution is. The biblical story arc gives us a full glimpse into the depths of our brokenness and gives us the truth about the only all-sufficient, all-encompassing solution. As we kick off our Advent series, "Far as the Curse is Found," we need to hear what the Bible has to say about what our problem is, what the extend of the solution is, and why the good news of Christmas is God's abundantly gracious response to the lamentation and longings of the human soul.