Waiting Through Hope

Candle Lighting

Today, we begin the season of Advent

Advent comes from Latin - Adventus

Means “coming”

It’s a season of preparation as we wait for the coming of Christ

Each Sunday we light a new candle

One for peace, joy, love and finally for when Christ comes

Today though, we light the first candle - the candle of hope

Isaiah 9:2 ESV

2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.

Isaiah 9:6–7 ESV

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Light the candle and pray

Introduction

It’s an interesting time of year

This week, Tash and I (as well as my kids and parents) spent time in the sanctuary

I spent time working in the fellowship hall (although Bob and Colleen Tockes spent a lot more than me!)

I put up Christmas lights on my house

Just down the street, the guy who puts on a light show every year was switching from Halloween to Christmas

Downtown Morton has their decorations up and there’s an ice skating rink

Christmas songs are playing on the radio

Everything looks different!

People bringing trees in their house

Silver and gold on top of red and green

The whole world is starting to change

Why? Because we know something is coming

Maybe because we’re anticipating an event like out Christmas play

Maybe because we’re ready for gifts

Or maybe it’s because of the time when light came into the world

When our creator saw we were in trouble, so He came to save us

By becoming one of us

Whether the world acknowledges it or not, everything is changing because earth is preparing to receive her king

It seems everyone is waiting...

YouVersion: Waiting Through Hope

Our new series is called “Waiting”

It’s an advent series, but from an angle we don’t always acknowledge

Advent is actually a twofold season for the church

1. It reminds us of the waiting the world had to do before Christ was born

That’s why we do this around Christmas time

2. It also encourages us a we keep waiting for Christ to come again

It seems we always focus on the birth part

So I want to focus a little bit more on what we’re doing now too

Today, we’re going to talk about how we are presently waiting on Christ through hope

Before we start, I want to explain something: the difference between faith and hope

They are both future based things, but they’re different

Faith has work to perform today; Hope cheers faith along the way and points to rewards of service.

Faith comes from knowing God through His Word

Romans 10:17 (ESV)

17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Hope actually comes from experience

Romans 5:3–5 (ESV)

3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Faith accepts the gift of promise; Hope confidently expects the fulfillment of promise.

Hope uses experience to bring the expectation of promise

Sadly, hope is often associated with doubt

I hope the Lions win the Super Bowl...

Like, I want it but I don’t expect it

The Word of God says much about HOPE, but never does it use the term to mean uncertainty or doubt.

It is wrong to use the Scriptural term of to say, “I hope I am a Christian” as much as it would be for me to say, “I hope I am an American.”

I do not hope to be something that I KNOW I already am!

Here’s what I want to do: I want to frame hope in 3 different scenarios:

There are those who have No Hope; those who have False Hope; and those who have True Hope.

NO HOPE

Ephesians 2:11–12 (ESV)

11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

To have no hope, is to be without God

According to God’s Word, there are those today who are described as having NO HOPE – and without God in the world

Samuel Smiles: “Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us.”

Hope is as essential to the human soul as oxygen is to our brains

A life without hope becomes an unendurable misery, a burden too grievous to be borne.

God Himself recognized the necessity of HOPE for the human soul – In Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve had sinned, they were without HOPE.

God condescended to the need of man and gave Adam HOPE

Genesis 3:15 (ESV)

15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and her offspring;

he shall bruise your head,

and you shall bruise his heel.”

This is the first subtle mention of hope for mankind

Jesus and His battle against the enemy

Imagine for a second what it would have been like had God not offered hope

Ok, Adam - What do you mean you’re naked?

Who told you you were naked? The snake?

Why do you smell like apples? Your wife?

I guess you’re done then - I have to destroy you

No, I’m sorry. There’s nothing you can do

Goodbye

That, is hopeless - and where we all belong

But instead, God offers hope

Still, we must admit there are people who match Paul’s description – “Without HOPE and without God in the world.”

Dane Cook told a joke about a guy

The guy sneezed and he said, “God bless you”

The guy said, “I’m an atheist.”

What was I supposed to say when he sneezed? “Nothing happens when you die?”

My friend Rob was an atheist for awhile - I told you before about this before

He said, “This life is it. You’d better enjoy it because there is nothing else.”

When you die, there’s just nothing...

Man, that’s pretty hopeless - this is it? 90 years and blank?

Second leading cause of death ages 15-25? SUICIDE!

A friend of a church member just killed herself 2 weeks ago

It’s terrible, and there’s really only one reason that happens: hopelessness

It is absolutely horrible for anyone to be without HOPE!

Honestly, absolute hopelessness isn’t as common a problem as you might think...

Our next point is much more common:

FALSE HOPE

Matthew 7:21–27 (ESV)

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Sadly, those who have False Hope are more numerous and worse off than those having No Hope.

This doesn’t just include isolated people groups who have never heard of Jesus, the crazy cult leaders out there or unfamiliar religions of the world

Many who have False Hope can be found right in our own communities - maybe even in our own church

False Hope is far worse than No Hope at all!

A man who finds himself hopeless may be inclined to accept True Hope, but one who has a False Hope must admit his hope was vain before he will accept another

And admitting you’re wrong is one of the hardest things for a person to do

False Hope seems to be sufficient until it is tested

Many men and women have found that their hope was mere vanity when troubles arise.

Those who have False Hope not built upon a firm foundation, are like the “foolish man who built his house upon the sand!”

The drunkard who thinks that he can quit any time he likes has False Hope.

The dope addict who thinks that he can escape his problems by getting high has False Hope.

The thief who thinks he can steal without consequence has False Hope.

That doesn’t mean they’re necessarily not saved, but where they place their hope is false

However, this can be a spiritual false hope as well

The church member who thinks that baptism, membership, or deeds is all that is necessary to escape hell has False Hope.

There are also those who believe in religions without Christ – they have False Hope.

There are those who believe in a 2nd chance beyond our present life – They believe that repentance can be made after one dies - False Hope.

Some of those things may sound nice, but that doesn’t make them real

And if they’re not from God, they may not actually be good

Ever order something from a restaurant that looks good...

Only to discover you’d rather eat a plate of olives

Is there any worse food than olives? Uh, gag me!

Okay some of you weirdos like olives

Okay, you’d rather eat a plate of Alpo, how about that

Shoot, some of you in here would probably like that too

Alpo, Kibbles n’ Bits, olives on the side...

Anyway, we’ve all ordered something we thought would be good but wasn’t

All of those things that God doesn’t do, look that same way

The list of False Hope continues on and on...

But what about the last one:

TRUE HOPE

True hope delivers exactly what was promised

Here is our example of true hope:

Titus 2:11–14 (ESV)

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

What IS TRUE HOPE? There is only ONE in regard to salvation.

True hope can only be found in Christ

That’s it, there is nowhere else!

At Christmastime, we look at those two sides of waiting:

One, has already happened

God Himself was born as a human

John 1:14 (ESV)

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

That part has already happened

Jesus was born, crucified, and resurrected

J.I. Packer: “The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity--hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory--because at the Father's will Jesus became poor, and was born in a stable so that thirty years later He might hang on a cross.”

That was our true hope

We were dead where we stood - hopeless!

But God made a way some 2,000 years ago

Luke 2:9–11 (ESV)

9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Good news, Jesus came!

Better news, Jesus did it all!

He took your sin, carried it far away

He lived out perfect righteousness, you get that credited to you!

That is hope! That is done!

But we’re still waiting on the next step...

Jesus still has not come a second time

His earthly government has not been established

The enemy has not been cast into the lake of fire

There is no new heaven and new earth

That’s what we’re still waiting for

So on one hand, we celebrate that Christ came

But what do we do while we’re waiting for the next part?

1 Peter 1:3–5 (ESV)

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

This is not some temporary hope that fades

Like the health and vitality of youth

Or the benefits of riches and wealth

Or the praise of fame and success

We have a living hope… a hope that never fades

That hope is what keeps us in this life

It’s interesting, later in that letter, Peter gives a challenge

1 Peter 3:15 (ESV)

15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

That suggests that if you know Jesus, you must have hope

Here’s a question for you: Can YOU give such an answer? Do YOU have such a HOPE?

If someone asked you tomorrow, “Why do you have hope?” What would you say?

What’s worse is this: Are you a person that no one would ever ask that to?

Man, that dude doesn’t have hope!

Always complaining about his job, his wife or the government...

Never satisfied, always stressed, nobody wants to be around that guy...

If you don’t have hope or you don’t know why you should, this is the season to change that

For a little while longer, you can learn about Jesus, the only true hope

But someday, that time will be up - maybe it’s today

Maybe we’ll all drop dead from monkey pocks before the service is over - I don’t know

But Scripture says no one knows the day Jesus will return

Even Jesus didn’t know while He was here

But He gives us directions on what to do:

Matthew 24:42–44 (ESV)

42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

In that day, nothing will be the same

Pain and sadness will disappear

Violence and aggression will cease

All nations will come under Jesus in perfection

No one will be tired, no one will be hungry, or sick, or dead

Everything will be perfect - that’s a promise from God

That, is exactly what we are hoping for

Not because it might happen, but because we know it will!

Until then though, we wait through hope in Christ

Prayer