God Always Has A Plan Series

God Always Has A Plan

Jeffery Anselmi / General

Worst Year Ever / Hope / Genesis 3:14–21

The year 2020 has not treated us well. It’s been a terrible year; what do we have to be thankful for? This four-week series explores what we as Christians can be grateful for, even in hard circumstances, pointing to the hope we have in Christ while acknowledging the real and hard things we have experienced.

INTRODUCTION

• GOODBYE 2020!

• Can I get an AMEN!

• The year 2020 has not treated us well.

• It’s been a terrible year; what do we have to be thankful for?

• This four-week series explores what we as Christians can be grateful for, even in hard circumstances, pointing to the hope we have in Christ while acknowledging the real and hard things we have experienced.

• We could spend a great deal of time articulating why 2020 may have been the worst year of many of our lives.

• It would not take much thinking to come up with a list of why 2020 was such a terrible year, and let’s face it, for MANY people it was.

• 2020 was a year of tremendous loss for many people, the loss of loved ones, the loss of jobs, the loss of dreams, as well as the lack of ability to be with our families.

• The list can on and on for a long time.

• The losses may suffered during 2020 (YOU KNOW, LET’S JUST CALL IT THE PREVIOUS YEAR, KIND OF LIKE HOTELS THAT SKIP THE NUMBER 13 WHEN THEY HAVE 13 OR MORE FLOORS) are real and painful, there is no denying that.

• For those who have endured the loss of so much, would it be fair to ask where God was during this mess?

• Does God have a plan for when things are going bad?

• The answer that we will see today is yes!

• However, the part we will not like to hear is that we will not always know, understand, or even agree with His plan.

• When you put “the previous year” into history, it was most definitely not the worst in history.

• When I ponder some of the worst years in history, there are many candidates, from the years war started, to the years when plagues wiped out huge portions of the world populations, the to advent of Communism, the list goes on.

• Usually we will define a year as the worst year in our lives depending on the impact the said year had on us personally.

• The effects could be directly or indirectly felt.

• When we are in the midst of what appears to be a bad year, we have to know that there are some good things we can place our focus on.

• I know for me, this year has been a drag; however, the “previous year” was a time when I started to place some focus on my health.

• There are many other things I can be thankful for that I will not take time to mention, other than the fact that the “previous year” has punctuated how awesome my Church Family at FCC truly is to me and my family.

• Ok, today we are going to be in Genesis 3:14-21.

• Even though we do not have an official year on the calendar for when the events of Genesis three took place, we can see that indeed, whatever the year these events happened, that year has to be the worst one in HUMAN HISTORY!

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• Life was good, life was easy, Adam and Eve walked in the garden with God himself. I think they even have iPads and iPhones!

• Life is GREAT until we get to Genesis 3!

Coffman Commentary: Genesis Chapter 3Genesis 3

This chapter details the temptation and fall of humanity and their consequent expulsion from Eden. The tempter is introduced (Gen. 3:1); the temptation is presented (Gen. 3:2-5); the fall of Eve, then Adam, (Gen. 3:6); the consequent shame, loneliness and fear (Gen. 3:7,8); their confrontation with God and their futile excuses (Gen. 3:9-13); the curse of the serpent and the word of hope for mankind (Gen. 3:14-15); the outline of the penalties upon Eve and Adam (Gen. 3:16-20); and their expulsion from Eden (Gen. 3:21-24) are other developments that bring the chapter to its conclusion.

• God gave Adam and Eve ONE THING NOT TO DO, and they, starting with Eve, succumbed to the temptation of that wretched tree.

• I would say the year the events in Genesis three took place takes the crown for the worst year in human history.

• The events that took place in Genesis three, has effected ALL of CREATION, including ALL human beings.