The Promise Series

The Promise

Holy Spirit Series

CCCAG 8-13-23

-Scripture- Genesis 3:15, Joel 2

Introduction

Spiritual Lethargy

Starting of this morning with a question-

How many people feel spiritually exhausted lately?

Does your life seem like you are barely making it Sunday to Sunday to stay on track with your spiritual walk with God?

I was talking about this with some fellow pastors who also agreed with me that it seems like the attacks of the enemy are just coming and coming and coming and seemed to be unrelenting in our day.

In many Christians it's producing a spiritual lethargy. To me, it feels like when you are driving a long distance, and you run into a lot of traffic, car problems, or things outside of your control that are keeping you from making progress toward getting to your destination.

When Tammie and I were on our road trip a few years ago to Colorado during the wildfires, we weren’t able to go where we wanted, and then when we switched directions to go somewhere else in Colorado Springs, a wildfire broke out along the interstate stranding us for hours so we couldn’t make the last trip up Pike’s Peak. Then we were kept from doing it by a series of blizzards.

It was very frustrating.

Many today are dealing with that kind of frustration when it comes to the state of our nation and the world- that everything seems to be getting worse, yet God seems silent.

A few months ago, I spoke to the men on Father’s Day and quoted from Daniel that in the end times, the spirit of antichrist will wear out the saints of the Most High God.

That’s what it feels like today. However, we are not the only people who experience this type of spiritual lethargy or frustration as we wait for God to come and make all things right again on earth.

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew people lived in this spiritual condition of waiting for centuries. They were told for generations that that Messiah would come and make their lives better- restoring them to their rightful place as God’s people on earth, ruling over the other nations and living in prosperity.

That’s a pretty good thing to hope for!

They were trusting in a promise given to them right after Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden.

You remember- God created them and told them to reign and rule over the creation He had made for them. Only one rule- you must not eat from one tree in the garden- the fruit of that tree will destroy your innocence and separate you from the source of all of your spiritual power, life, and relationship with the creator.

Well, we all know what happened- the deceiver came, disguised as a serpent, and led them into committing the first human sin.

And they immediately felt the presence, power, and spiritual life leave them. As the bible describes it- they immediately felt naked and ashamed.

The creator God comes, and pronounces judgment upon the serpent, but them makes Adam and Eve a promise-

Gen 3:15 NLT

From now on, you and the woman will be enemies, and your offspring and her offspring will be enemies. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

Prayer- promise delayed

There is a proverb that tell us that-

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick” Proverbs 13:12.

The word for Hope in the bible is founded in a word that means delayed expectation.

That really describes what should be in the heart of a Christian today- we are all looking forward to Christ returning to earth and restoring Eden to us again.

I want to assure you this morning-God fulfills His promises.

In fact, that is the promise spoken off in Genesis 3 - that someday someone would come and crush the head of the serpent and his lies. That person did come, and his name is Jesus.

Not only did Jesus crush the power of the Kingdom of Darkness, but He gave back to his followers what was taken from them in Eden- the power, the presence, and the Spiritual Life stripped from them as a consequence of the first human sin.

That is the fulfillment of that promise in Genesis 3:15.

Now, this isn’t just a bible lesson to impart knowledge to you- it has a practical applications.

God promised to restore us to our place in His Kingdom, with all of the privileges afforded to sons and daughter of the King. That is the true meaning and fulfillment of the promise given to us in Genesis 3:15.

I want to explore what that promise looks like, and how it can apply to use today.

Turn in your bibles to Joel Chapter 2.