ADVENT: "HOPE, Is right on Time"

CHRISTMAS Time is UPON US!

Luke 1:5–7 ESV

5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

PRAY

Today we officially begin our journey to Christmas. The first sunday of the month of december and we begin to set our sights on Christmas!

THIS TIME IN THE TRADITIONAL CHRISTIAN CALENDAR IS KNOWN AS ADVENT:

Quick stop: TRADITION IS MEANT TO SERVE YOU….. NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. YOU ARE NOT MEANT TO SERVE TRADITION, YOU ARE MEANT TO SERVE JESUS.

Sometimes people get lost in tradition and it becomes about the tradition.. the doing… instead of the WHO and who it’s FOR.. ANd ABOUT

But ADVENT IS ACTUALLY A VERY VERY GOOD TRADITION IN OUR FAITH

The meaning of advent: what is it?

Advent is a Christian season of preparation for the Nativity of Christ at Christmas. It is the beginning of the liturgical year in Western Christianity.

The name was adopted from Latin adventus "coming; arrival",

ADVENT IS SIMPLY THIS: OUR TIME OF GETTING READY FOR JESUS!

and this is CHURCH tradition that we would do this every year Practices associated with Advent include Advent calendars, lighting an Advent wreath, praying an Advent daily devotional,[1] erecting a Christmas tree or a Chrismon tree,[1] lighting a Christingle,[2] as well as other ways of preparing for Christmas, such as setting up Christmas decorations,[4][5][6] a customary thing

thats why they’re is advent calendars, advent wreath’s, Prayer routines, Journals but even lighting up a tree and setting up decorations is a Church tradition in advent:

And you can buy and so on and so forth but there is a REASON for it all! Its BECAUSE we are ALL PREPARING for something in LIFE, What is it that you are preparing for?

What are you preparing to come into your world?

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Gods people were waiting:

From the end of the Book of Malachi to the beginning of Matthew is 400 Years. In the life of Gods people this was the silent era or the time where there was NO revelation from God. No Divine voice, no prophetic vision, God didnt raise anyone up, he didnt send any one. It was QUIET. It was SILENT.

But God was working

And there was expectation that what God had said he would do, would be coming soon:

Is 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

There are a VARIETY of THEMES of Advent that I want us to walk through inside the first few chapters of Luke but here are a few of the themes of advent & you should write these down because these are the the PILLARS of OUR FAITH this time of year as we prepare and remember JESUS:

Themes of our TIME OF ADVENT / TIME OF PREPARATION / READYING OUR HEARTS FOR OUR COMING KING

a Time of PAROUSIA - readying to meet our king who is coming:

Here are some themes: I want you to LIVE THESE through the end of the YEAR!

PEACE - The peace of God coming through the person of JESUS CHrist

HOPE - The Hope of the WORLD coming into the world

JOY - The joy of the JESUS Christ coming into the world and saving His people

FAITH - Faith for miracles, Faith to see FLESH and blood JESUS.

DELIVERANCE - That this is the miracle saving from the penalty of DEATH and Separation from God on this earth.

MSG TITLE: HOPE IS RIGHT ON TIME.

I want to talk about the FACT That God’s TIMING is a THEME of THIS TIME of YEAR: I believe this message is going to help you today:

1.GOD IS NEVER LATE

God is BIG

God is really really big

and if God is REALLY REALLY Big that means He has a REALLY big PLAN

and his timing is perfect

and if HIS TIMING is PERFECT

THAT means he can never be late.

Have you ever wondered to yourself - WHERE is GOD right now? / ever prayed… “GOD WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING” “God are you ASLEEP” “God are you just IRGNORING ME”

You see Zechariah was probably wondering the same thing!

Wondering if God had heard him pray

BUT THE REALITY IS THI……GOD IS NEVER LATE

Let’s KEEP READING our STORY here in LUKE

Luke 1:8–14 (ESV)

8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,

Maybe you can identify with Zechariah - Wondering if God is late on his promises? Late on his word?

Its easy to feel sometimes like God has forgotten you

Let the scriptures comfort you today - God wasn’t late on Zechariah… and Elizabeth… and Mary… and Joseph

He WONT BE LATE ON YOU.

ARE YOU WAITING ON SOMETHING? HE > HAS > HEARD > YOUR > PRAYER !

2.GOD IS ALWAYS “ON TIME”

God is good, and He knows WHEN to STEP In.

This was the time JESUS would come into the world.

David knew this and wrote

Ps 31:15 “My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!”

Ps 27:14 “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”

Solomon knew it & wrote:

Ecc 3:1 “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:”

Gods timing is perfect - When I pick up someone from the airport. And im looking at when i should get there - THERE IS a CHECKIN I CAN DO NOW CALLED “ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL”G am always checking on my phone and making sure the ARRIVAL time isn’t delayed.

There are only ON TIME arrivals in GODS economy. He is ALWAYS on time.

God doesnt get delayed

God isn’t caught up doing other stuff and “missed” your file or email request

God is a God who cares, a God who LOVEs… a aGOD WHO DESIREs to meet you where you are at

He is an ON TIME GOD.

God is not going to get delayed or HELD up with your DESTINY!

Hab 2:3 “For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.”

But here is a thought - what if Gods timing in our lives is LESS about God.,.. and MORE about US?

2 Peter 3:8–9 (NIV)

8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

he is patient TOWARDS YOU?

why would God be patient towards you… and me?

What if He’s trying to teach me something

what if he’s trying to bring about a certain depth of character in us to ready us for the season ahead.

WHEN IT COMES TO GODS TIMING I THINK SOMETIMES ITS MORE ABOUT OUR OBEDIENCE THAN IT US ABOUT HIS LACK OF WILLINGNESS TO BRING FORTH WHAT IS NEXT IN OUR LIVES!

He knew to the MINUTE… tio the second that JESUS would be BORN. He KNEW that would be the MOMENT.

Now why are you wondering if God is working things together in your own life?

RESPONSE: a time to declare his majesty, to accept his sovereignty and to trust your heart on his ways - His timing - His plan

What area of your life could you trust God with when it comes to His timing in your life?

are you willing to wait?

3.JESUS WILL COME AGAIN.

The significance of advent is this

its actually a remembering but also a prophetic declaration to the NOW world.

JESUS IS COMING BACK

and HOPE IS ALWAYS RIGHT ON TIME!

The ENGLISH WORD comes from & is translated Greek “parousia”. The coming arrival….. In the New Testament, this is the term used for the Second Coming of Christ. Thus, the season of Advent in the Christian calendar anticipates the "coming of Christ" from three different perspectives: the physical nativity in Bethlehem, the reception of Christ in the heart of the believer, and the eschatological Second Coming.[3]

SO what is CHRISTMAS SEASON ABOUT

He is coming back!

We await our king JESUS who told us - HE IS COMING BACK.

So we remember.

And we wait.

But we wait with comfort knowing

We serve a GOD who is never late & always on time.