Sermon Notes
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Advent:
The beginning of an event,
the invention of something,
or the arrival of a person.
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Genesis 1:1–5 NIV
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning — the first day.
Genesis 1:26–31 NIV
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground — everything that has the breath of life in it — I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning — the sixth day.
Additional reading:
Genesis 2:18–3:24 NIV
Discussion Igniters
(1) Read Genesis 1:1–2:3 and Genesis 2:18–24.
What stands out to you about how God was shaping the world?
In what ways was it good?
(2) Read Genesis 3:1–24.
When the fall happened, what were some of the consequences?
What changed between God and Adam and Eve?
What changed between Adam and Eve?
(3) How do the consequences of the fall and how we experience the world today highlight our need for restoration?
(4) Read Genesis 3:14–15 and 3:20–24.
How did God start building towards restoration, even in the fall?
(5) How did the arrival of Jesus begin to restore things back to the way they were before the fall?