11/26/22 Heart of Hope

Week 1- Hope Is At The Heart Of Christmas

Big Idea: The prophet Isaiah writes one of the most classic of all Old Testament prophecies about the coming birth of Christ. A passage of Hope that one day someone would come to make all things right and restore what had been broken. The birth of Jesus was the fulfillment of that hope and this fact offers us hope in our lives today.

Prayer: “Father God, we come to you this morning in need of hope—hope that you are faithful and have provided all we need by sending your Son to us. We ask that the light of his life would shine into our lives and lift our heads. We offer to you the areas of our lives where we need your presence. (silent prayer) We trust you today with our very lives, and we look forward to seeing how you will come through. Thank you for the hope that can only come from you. Thank you for showing us the heart of Christmas.”

Scripture: Isaiah 9:2-7 // Matthew 1:22-23 // Romans 15:4

Introduction

The Christmas season is finally upon us. We can see and hear evidence of it all around. Good morning, church! It is so wonderful to be with you this morning as we begin a new sermon series that will introduce us to four of the main themes at the very heart of Christmas. The holiday season, with all the tinsel, trees, and treats, can easily distract us from what really matters, which is the Christ child. During this series, we will look at how hope, peace, joy and love are at the heart of Christmas. This morning we will discover the hope that comes to us through the birth of Jesus Christ.

And I am sure we could all use a little hope this Christmas season…

Story: We can learn a lot about having hope by watching the way children embrace the holiday season. Nothing says “hope” like the Christmas list children create for Christmas. It is one of my children’s favorite things to do—to hand write the items they long to see under the tree on Christmas morning. A few years back, my son, who was five at the time, had a rather odd item on his list. He wrote that he wanted a banana. My wife and I questioned the request to which he simply said, “I can ask for anything, can’t I?” We smiled and nodded our heads yes. For days leading up to the time to open gifts, my son mentioned to us over and over again how excited he was for Santa to bring his banana. Sure enough, on Christmas morning there was a box under the tree that contained the very fruit from the list. From the moment he wrote it down, he had unwavering hope that it would come to pass. (Pastor - use this story or one of your own like it to describe the Christmas hope in your family)

The true reason there is hope at the heart of Christmas is not because of gifts but because of the birth of Jesus Christ. His arrival on the earth was the fulfillment of a prophecy spoken hundreds of years before His birth. That prophecy is actually one of the most well-known scripture passages shared during this time of year and it’s where we begin our journey today as well.

Main Teaching

Read Isaiah 9:2-7

The backdrop to Isaiah’s writings (around 740 BC) was poor leadership. The people of Israel had been suffering through the reigns of four ungodly kings: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. They were corrupt and had led the people far from God. It was a very dark time in history. Isaiah wrote these words knowing God would have to intervene to bring Israel back to himself. The kingdom was crumbling, and the people needed hope.

This passage makes two major statements. This first is an acknowledgement of the brokenness and darkness that surrounded Israel due to sin and corruption. The second is the hope of a dawning light through the birth of a child who would one day make all things right. The Jewish people in the Old Testament needed these words to remind them that God had not forgotten about them.

The book of Matthew also reminds us of Isaiah’s writings. The gospel writer was making the connection between what Isaiah had prophetically written and what had taken place in a manger in Bethlehem.

Read Matthew 1:22-23

A young Jewish man named Joseph was presented with a very difficult decision to make. He was engaged to be married to a woman named Mary, but she was already pregnant. Joseph planned to call the wedding off because it appeared his bride-to-be had been unfaithful. But an angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph in a dream and told him to go forward with the marriage because the child in her womb was from the Holy Spirit. All of these events took place to fulfill the prophecy from the Old Testament, which claimed there would be a child born as a light in the darkness and a hope for all people.

The child would be named Immanuel, which means God with us… Even in the midst of darkness.

THE PRESENCE OF DARKNESS THREATENS OUR HOPE

The center of the Christmas story is focused squarely on the birth of Jesus. He is the fulfillment of the Isaelite’s hope that God would push back the darkness and shine a bright light into the world.

One of the reasons Christmas resonates in our hearts is because we, too, live in a world that is similar to Israel. Our world is dark and corrupt because of the sin that so easily entangles. There is war, disease, conflict, and oppression all around us. We, too, are in need of the Christ child to usher in a light to push back the darkness around us.

Christmas is a reminder that whatever it is we hope for in our lives—healing, restoration, forgiveness, or a fresh start—it is available to us through Immanuel, who is God with us. Hope is not a result of the absence of conflict, difficulty, struggle, or trial. Hope is a result of the presence of God.

GOD’S PRESENCE HAS COME TO GIVE US HOPE

The hard part about hope is that it often takes longer than we would like to be fulfilled. Like the Jewish people experienced, hope requires patience.

Story: A common plant that grows in the southwest desert of the United States is the Agave Americana. Also known as a century plant, it thrives in rocky, dry, and mountainous desert locations and grows splayed leaves that grow to be a foot wide. This plant can reach twelve feet in diameter and grow to be six feet tall. Perhaps its most unusual trait is its long reproduction cycle. For 20 to 30 years, this plant remains the same height and puts out no flowers. But suddenly and without warning, a new bud will sprout. Resembling a tree-trunk-sized asparagus spear, it will rise into the sky at a rate of seven inches per day until it reaches a height of 20 to 40 feet. Then it culminates with a crown of several clumps of yellow blossoms that last for three weeks. Similar to the century plant, some of the greatest answers to our hoping and longing take time and patience in order to see the beauty unfold.

(750 Engaging Illustrations – Craig Larson and Leadership Journal. This story is meant to illustrate the need for patient hope to see God work. Consider accompanying this story with a picture of the century plant for effect.)

Isaiah saw that one day in the future, God would bring a great light and salvation through the birth of a child. It was not until hundreds of years later that Matthew recorded Jesus’s birth in Bethlehem. Jesus is the very presence of God on earth. He offers forgiveness of sin, destruction of evil, and the promise of eternal life.

So why do we read Isaiah’s prophecy each year during Christmas? It is because seeing the faithfulness of God in the past gives us deep and abiding hope in the present and unwavering trust for the future. The apostle Paul made an appeal for hope to those who trust in Christ as he wrote a letter to the early church in Rome.

Read Romans 15:4

Paul said everything that had been written in the past— all of the prophecy and fulfillment—is meant to teach us how to hold onto faith in God to answer our prayers. What has been written gives us endurance and encouragement that we might have hope. It is important that we revisit the prophetic words of the Old Testament and the fulfillment that comes through the birth of Jesus because it reminds us that God can be trusted to come through and meet us in our greatest time of need.

AT THE HEART OF CHRISTMAS IS HOPE

Though there are many distractions during the Christmas season, this message is a reminder that hope is offered to us through Jesus’s arrival in the manger.

Story: Dr. James Dobson relates a story of an elderly woman named Stella Thornhope who was struggling with her first Christmas alone. Her husband had died just a few months prior through a slow-developing cancer. Several days before Christmas, she was almost snowed in by a brutal weather system. She felt terribly alone—so much so that she decided she was not going to decorate for Christmas. Late that afternoon the doorbell rang, and there was a delivery boy with a box. He said, "Mrs. Thornhope? Would you sign here?" She invited him to step inside and closed the door to get away from the cold. She signed the paper and said, "What’s in the box?" The young man laughed and opened up the flap, and inside was a little golden Labrador Retriever. The delivery boy picked up the squirming pup and explained, "This is for you, ma’am. He’s six weeks old and completely housebroken." The young puppy began to wiggle in happiness at being released from captivity.

"Who sent this?" Mrs. Thornhope asked. The young man set the animal down and handed her an envelope and said, "It’s all explained here in this envelope, ma’am. The dog was bought last July while its mother was still pregnant. It was meant to be a Christmas gift to you." The young man then handed her a book: How to Care for Your Labrador Retriever.

In desperation she again asked, "Who sent me this puppy?" As the young man turned to leave he said, "Your husband, ma’am. Merry Christmas." She opened the letter from her husband. He had written it three weeks before he died and left it with the kennel owners to be delivered with the puppy as his last Christmas gift to her. The letter was full of love and encouragement and admonishments to be strong. He vowed that he was waiting for the day when she would join him in heaven. He had sent her this young animal to keep her company until then. She wiped away the tears, put the letter down, and then remembered the puppy at her feet. She picked up the golden furry ball and held it to her neck. Then she looked out the window at the lights that outlined the neighbor’s house, and she heard from the radio in the kitchen the strains of "Joy to the world, the Lord has come.” Suddenly, Stella felt the most amazing sensation [of hope] washing over her. Her heart felt a joy and a wonder greater than the grief and loneliness.

“Little fella,” she said to the dog. “It’s just you and me, but you know what? There’s a box down in the basement I bet you’d like. It’s got a little Christmas tree in it and some decorations and lights that are going to impress you. And there’s a manger scene down there. Let’s go get it.”

(Preaching Today #195 by Robert Russell. This story is meant to illustrate how God’s prophetic word of Jesus’s birth meets us at just the right time.)

Conclusion

Our God is always right on time. He knows exactly what we need, and he can be trusted to reveal the light of Christ in order to push back the darkness in our lives. In a land full of deep darkness, a light has indeed dawned.

I want to invite you to express your hope in God this morning by bringing him the things that weigh heavy on your heart. I am going to begin our prayer together and then offer you a moment of silence to speak to God, and then I will close us in prayer.

Prayer

Father God, we come to you this morning in need of hope—hope that you are faithful and have provided all we need by sending your Son to us. We ask that the light of his life would shine into our lives and lift our heads. We offer to you the areas of our lives where we need your presence. (silent prayer) We trust you today with our very lives, and we look forward to seeing how you will come through. Thank you for the hope that can only come from you. Thank you for showing us the heart of Christmas. Amen.

Discussion Questions:

Provide these questions to your Sunday School classes or small groups, or send them home with families to discuss during the week. They are also a great way to engage with your online audience before, during or after each service.

How would you define hope in your own words? How is Jesus’ birth the fulfillment of long-awaited hope? Why is it so hard to wait on God to move in our lives? How has God been faithful in your life? How does that strengthen your trust in Him?