Hope is at the Heart of Christmas

This morning, we begin a new series that will lead us through the end of the year. This series is simply called, The Heart of Christmas.

Thanksgiving is now behind us and Christmas is just a few weeks ahead! And these few weeks, are going to go fast… too fast… and that is primarily the result of our fast pace of life.

With full schedules and overloaded calendars, we tend to miss out on some of the most incredible blessings this season has to offer.

This series is designed to remind us of the many blessings that come with Christmas… and no… these are not blessings that are wrapped up and laid under the tree. The number one blessing we have received is the gift of Jesus Christ - there is no greater gift that this world could ever receive!

Along with His arrival, we have four amazing blessings we will be talking about. When Christ came to this earth, He brought the blessings of:

Hope

Peace

Joy

Love

Thes four words… these four topics we will cover beginning today are POWERFUL words. We might be tempted to gloss over them in our busyness and efforts to be productive and efficient… but I would suggest that if we had more hope… more peace… more joy… and more love… this world would be a different place!

And ALL of these things are blessings that come with Jesus… Jesus IS our hope… Jesus IS our peace… Jesus IS our joy… and Jesus IS our love!

While I truly enjoy all that comes with Christmas every year, I pray that we do not miss the heart of this special season. Christmas is NOT just another annual holiday surrounded by cultural tradition. Christmas celebrates the day that God’s light broke through in this dark world.

Can you remember… can you recall the day that Jesus Christ became real to you? Can you remember the moment that His light began to shine in your life? Can you remember when you called on His name and He became your Lord and Savior?

For me… everything changed! Just like how everything changed the moment Jesus came to this world and was laid in a manager. Something new had come… and with Him came the topics we will be talking about the next few weeks.

Today, we center in on the word, Hope. The message title today is Hope is at the Heart of Christmas. And this hope… is unlike anything that can be found in this world.

I want us to consider something this morning… what is it, that makes hope so… powerful?

First off, what is hope?

Webster would define Hope as a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. In this sense… hope is a wish… a desire… a dream for something to happen. Typically, the thing or event hoped for is something we cannot obtain on our own… or the likelihood of it happening is slim to none.

I’m sure everyone of us have experienced this kind of hope before! But this morning, I want us to understand that this kind of hope… is NOT the kind of hope Jesus brought to the table when He was born in Bethlehem.

To understand the kind of hope Jesus brings, we need to look back at something that took place long before He was born.

God’s people… were living in darkness… in HEAVY darkness. They were suffering, they were desperate… and they were looking for hope.

They didn’t need some form of wishful desire or dream… as I can only imagine they all dreamed of something better. What they needed… was a promise… a guarantee… something they could hold on to as they navigated the season they were in.

Their condition… in a nutshell… was the result of bad 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. But then we come upon these words in the book of Isaiah… words that would give the people the hope they were looking for.

Isaiah 9:2–7 NIV

2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. 3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder. 4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. 5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

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.

And perhaps… it is in that statement right there that you will find much needed hope toady. Hear me clearly, church… GOD HAS NOT FORGOTTEN ABOUT YOU.

Maybe you feel like the people of God… maybe the circumstances of your world have overwhelmed you. Whatever the cause might be, maybe you find yourself lacking in hope instead of overflowing in it. God wants to change that in you today. God has not forgotten about you!

Not only has God not forgotten about you… God sent the answer for you… God has a plan for you… God has given us a great light, who is Jesus, to break through your darkness!

Perhaps your hope was lost to a lack of faith. Perhaps your hope was lost to a series of difficult situations. Perhaps your hope was lost through uncontrollable events. Perhaps your hope was lost… through choosing sin. Perhaps your hope was lost… because you lost sight of the Savior.

No matter the cause… THE LIGHT OF CHRIST HAS THE POWER TO SHINE THROUGH THAT DARK SITUATION. Jesus is the hope you are looking for!

Christ came to this earth that we might have hope! Because the reality was… we could not break through the current darkness on our own.

Here’s the deal… the enemy wants to try to keep a lid on your hope today. He doesn’t want you to know the hope that can be found in Jesus. Satan will do everything he can to keep you where you might be today.

I charge you this morning - do not merely go through the motions this Christmas season and miss out on the true hope that is Jesus. Jesus truly is the reason for the season! And when we look beyond the decorations, the parties, the presents, the trees, the lights, the gatherings, the food, and so on… I hope we will see… the greatest gift we could have ever asked for!

This world… is living in a deep darkness. And if a person is not careful, that darkness can begin to creep in and overwhelm our souls.

This morning, I want us to see just how God’s light breaks through the darkness and brings us hope. God SEES you. God knows where you are and most importantly… HE KNOWS WHAT YOU NEED. So let’s look at three reminders regarding hope that will help us keep focused on the true heart of Christmas.

The Presence of Darkness Threatens our Hope

Whoa now preacher! This doesn’t sound like a very hopeful point! Why would we start off with this one?

The answer is simple… we need to realize today that there is an active attack taking place against our hope. And the only way to overcome these attacks is by remaining faithful to the giver of all hope.

I want us to look at something that took place in the Christmas story… a situation where the darkness of this world tried to infiltrate the hope that was coming.

The man’s name… was Joseph. And He was engaged to a young lady named Marry. We know the story well. Mary is visited by an angel and she is told of the things that were to come. She would have a child who would be the Son of God. This child… was in fact the child that Isaiah had spoken of so many, many years before. The hope… the light was on the way!

This was incredible news for sure! Mary faithfully responds and the Son of God was on the way!

But for Joseph… the news was catastrophic. Everything according to the world was telling him to break it off with Mary. Joseph had lost hope in this future relationship.

And to be truthful… I can’t say that I blame him. I can’t imagine what it must have felt like to hear Mary say, “Honey, I’m pregnant… but don’t worry, I didn’t cheat on you… this is God’s Son… I’ve been nothing but faithful.”

Uh huh… sure it is. That’s not how this works! Joseph wasn’t buying it! His hope was shattered with the news and he looked to end the relationship quietly.

But after Joseph began feeling this way… God stepped in to restore his hope… God stepped in to change his outlook on the situation.

Matthew 1:20–23 NIV

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

Joseph was dangerously close to losing all hope because of the darkness that tried to creep in.

What darkness am I talking about? The pattern of this world. The only way Joseph could make sense of the situation was to apply the understanding of the world. Mary must have been unfaithful. That is the only way this pregnancy could come about.

Yet… the prophecy had been told… the angel had spoken to Mary… and God’s hope was on the way.

God did not send His hope into this world to potentially destroy Mary and Joseph’s relationship… Jesus had come bringing a new hope this world had never seen!

But Joseph’s mind was stuck in worldly pattern… and we can end up in this same situation if we are not careful.

Maybe God is calling you to do something… big. Maybe God is calling you to be a part of something extraordinary. Maybe God is calling you to take a radical step of faith… Will you respond to His calling or remain in the limited pattern of this world?

First off… I want to make this clear right from the get go: God will never lead you or call you to do something that goes against His Word. But… God may call you to do something… or believe in something that goes against the pattern of this world.

A virgin birth doesn’t make much sense to our modern day medical sciences… but God can do all things. But I find it interesting that just when God sends His ultimate hope to this world, that Joseph almost loses all hope because of the darkness of this world.

Do not give in to the threat… hold on to the hope who is Jesus Christ. It is reasonable to believe that Joseph was fully aware of the prophesy given by Isaiah, but it is also reasonable to believe by his reaction that he didn’t believe he would be a part of this amazing story. And in the midst of his doubt and hopelessness, GOD HAD NOT FORGOTTEN ABOUT JOSEPH. God intervened and delivered new hope.

Darkness may try to creep in and keep us from receiving what God is wanting to do. The pattern of this world is one of darkness and hopelessness. Yet God wants to break through. God wants to do the miraculous… only e have to place our faith in Him instead of what we know about this world.

Our hope doesn’t come from this world… our hope comes from the One who has overcome this world!

God’s Presence Has Come to Give us Hope

This point focuses in an a truth that was conveyed in the passage we read from Matthew… but it originated in Isaiah 7. That truth simply says this,

Matthew 1:22–23 NIV

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

Through Jesus, the light had come… bringing a new hope to this world that we never had before. And this name, Immanuel, tells us why it was a hope like we had never seen before - God was with us.

He was walking with us and talking with us. He was engaging with our world in a way unlike any time before. Jesus Christ - who was fully God and fully man - had come. The presence of God was with us.

Church, there is nothing like being in the presence of Almighty God.

When God is in the house… hope is in the house. When God is in the house, hopelessness just naturally begins to fade away. When God is in the house… we begin to remember that He is able to do all things… He is not limited in any way, shape, or form.

There’s an old chorus out there that simply says, “In the presence of Jehovah, God almighty, Prince of Peace. Troubles vanish, hearts are mended, in the presence, of the King.”

You see, when God spoke of sending a light that would break through the darkness, He wasn’t talking about just any light… He wasn’t talking about a lantern or a lamp. He wasn’t talking about a candle or a flashlight. He was talking about the light of this world… a light for which THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTION!

And with that phrase comes the warning with this point. I fear that many try to find adequate worldly-based substitutions for the light of God in their lives.

And I get it… there are a lot of “good” things in this world to enjoy. There are a lot of “good” things that make us feel good and bring a smile to our faces… but these good things are not God. What I mean by that is if it’s of this world… it will not last. It will not fully satisfy the need for hope that we have… only God is sufficient to fill that need.

God’s presence has the power to break through any darkness. God’s presence has the power to deliver hope that is more than a wish or a dream. God’s presence IS a presence of hope and promise.

When Christ came to this earth… He truly was Immanuel… He was God with us. And the hope that He brought to people was revolutionary. He literally changed the reality of this world.

And although Jesus isn’t physically walking this world today… we know that God’s presence is still with His people. After Christ ascended into heaven, the Holy Spirit was given to us to be that hope… to be that help… our advocate… as we navigate this world around us.

If you are in Christ today, the presence of God is within you! The Holy Spirit moves in the moment you call on the name of the Lord to be saved!

So why is it that so many still struggle in the are of hope if God is living within? Because we listen to the wrong voice. We become consumed again with the pattern of this world instead of responding to the voice of the Spirit coming from within.

If we achieve anything this Christmas season, I pray that it is this: I pray we become more sensitive and responsive to God’s Holy Spirit. I pray that we not only listen to His voice, but we also respond accordingly to His instruction.

He leads us to hope. He leads us away from the worldly pattern and closer to the righteousness of God. And… the further from the world we get and the closer to God we become… the more hope we will have each and every day!

Hope is at the heart of Christmas

With everything that takes place in the Christmas season… I pray that we will never forget who is at the heart of this season. Jesus is the heart of Christmas and because He is the heart… hope is at the heart of Christmas!

So I encourage you today… to push through the distractions… enjoy the traditions but look to God’s light that broke through the darkness… and find hope.

I don’t know where you are today regarding your sense of hope. Maybe you’re trying to hold on. You’re giving it all that you’ve got but nothing is changing. Maybe you feel like there is no end to the season you are in. Just never forget… that God has not forgotten you. God’s presence is here today and His message of hope… is given just when we need it.

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.)

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 way 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.