Sunday - November 27th, 2022 - Hope

Today, our candle is candle of hope. All right. God gives us hope a man. God sent his son into this world, that we might have hope. And that hope we have come straight through knowing him as our Lord and our Savior, Jesus Christ. And I looked around the world that we live in and I've looked around our church. And just what I see that God has done here at hoosac Valley Community Church. Also gives me hope. Young men like this in our church that can calm and be a part and Sims have been part of our church for a few years now. And I got to go watch this guy. Play football on Sunday, Sundays are over. Now, let you go to the pros, right? You're not going to the pros, hopefully, we'll do the Dallas Cowboys and be the team to go play for no.

You could play for the bills are pretty good too. I ain't they. All right.

The hope that God gives us right that we can laugh and have joy and peace, even in the midst of trial and tribulation. God sent his son to give us. Hope you have it. Do you have the hope that God has given? So today, as we light, this candle of hope, I'm going to give you that, you got to push that forward and pull that trigger. The stock position right there.

Light the candle of Hope today. Last God's blessing upon us. Thank you Franklin. This pray father. I thank you for Franklin. I thank you for his tender heart. I thank you for his love for his family and his love for you and the way that he helps those around him, the hope that you have placed inside of him, I prayed it will continue on each and every day of his life into adulthood and Beyond father, this hope that you give us to your son. Jesus Christ is one that we don't take lightly, but we're thankful for for those who may not have the whole, may we pass the Hope on the hope of Jesus Christ of them. Help us be Witnesses in this world each and every day and we give you the praise in Jesus name. Amen. Thank you, Franklin. This morning, we're going to talk about the Christmas hope. God gives us hope. Does he not Christmas reveals that you and I are important to God. Think about that just for one moment, the Creator creator of the universe is you are important to God. Ponder that for a second. You are precious to him. You are saved by him. If you put your faith in your, trust in him to God has provided the whole aspect for us to have this hope, all we need to do is grab hold of it. All we need to do is reach out, so yes, that's what I want. There are some who would say, well, you know, everybody's going to heaven and I wish that was true but that's not true. Not everybody is going to have it. Everybody has an opportunity to go to heaven. God has given that hope God has given that joy in that piece over each and every one of us has the same opportunity to get there. And that opportunity comes by putting our faith in our trust in Jesus Christ, God, Son. And first John 5:21 says we know also that the Son of God is, that's giving us understanding so that we may know him. Who is true? And we are in him. Who is true? Even in his son? Jesus Christ. He is a true God, An eternal life. That's the hope that God gives us. That's how precious God looks at you. And at me and says, Hey listen, you are special to me. You are something important individually. We are God came into this world through Jesus Christ and we know that whole story, we've heard it for many years, and we've been going to church. I'm going to send you a son. You're going to call his name Emmanuel, which means god with us.

And we have hope. And we can know God today because of Jesus Christ. Let me ask you this question a personal question. Do you know Jesus Christ? If somebody asked you today, what hope do you have? What help is there for you? Who is this Jesus, that you believe in? What would you tell them? How would you answer that question?

See Christmas is really in a celebration of an invasion if you want to think about it. An invasion of God into our world. God looked down upon creation and you saw that we need a help week. We needed. Hope we needed something more than what we could provide for ourselves.

And God sent a savior as John and Debbie adjust song. He sent his son, Jesus Christ to enter into this world for what purpose that you. And I may have a relationship with him and that you and I can know him. Not just know about him. There's a lot of people I know about you ask me a name of somebody that it is, is may be popular and I can give you some information about them that I have heard or read our got somewhere from someone, whether it's right or wrong. We all do that. Do we not? We hear a little bit of Juicy tidbit. We got to pass it on many times the other people, but you asked me about certain people, maybe I can feel you in a little bit about that person as if I knew them. But I don't know them. I just know about them. Because I have no relationship with that individual. And sometimes, as people we eat, we don't want to have relationship with individuals, we don't want them knowing more about it, maybe they should. But God wants a relationship with us. He wants us to have a relationship with his son. He, he wants us to know about him and he already knows everything about us. God made himself understandable. God, made himself approachable. He's not some mysterious face. Or Force. In the universe. He is our heavenly father. Think about that, think of that name, father. Father, father, father God, who is he? He is one who wants the best for you and for me, he is the one who is guiding and directing us, but is not making us do things. He said, hey, you should do this and you should do this, but he has made us free. Moral agent statues, has he not? You chose to come to church this morning, you chose to get up and put on some clothes. This morning to present yourself in a writing the proper way. You you make a lot of choices each and every day.

We do it because of a hope that we've heard about a hope that maybe we've experienced, we do it because we know that there's a God, a creator. Who loves us? Do you know God? Do you want to know God? If we really truly want to have a relationship with God and to know God, then we need to know Jesus Christ. John 3:16 is not on the screen but it's one that we all know for God. So loved the world. That's the Creator, loving his creation God. So loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. That Christmas gift. Given to the world that whosoever receives it or believes in him. Chalmette Parish. but have everlasting life believing is not just knowing about Believing that board believe is having a relationship knowing more about him, not just knowing all of him. Hebrews 1:3 says this, the sun is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being sustaining. All Things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for says, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. What did he do with his son? He provided a purification for our sins through his son, Jesus Christ. That baby. That was born in a manger 32 years later. Went to a cross laid down his life for you and for me that whosoever believes in him shall not perish. Why? Because his blood covered our sins took care of the needs in our life. And John 14:6 Hoover 7. Jesus says, I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except how Drew him. What's it mean to go through him? Well, there's a relationship happening to do that, right? And he opens up his arms, as he come unto me, all you who are like, who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon, you was having that relationship and then he goes in verse 66 verse 7 of John chapter 14. You says, if you really knew me You would know my father as well.

Add this conversation. You've heard me talk about a few weeks back with a young man who no longer lives in this area but he's from this area and he's out in the midwest. Now he calls me on the phone and he texted me a couple of take. Do you have time to talk and can we talk? And we had that conversation screws me.

the conversation dealt with why do we always focus on Jesus? And not saying that with none of them other conversation. Put Jesus in a bad light. Why do we always had the conversation about Jesus? But we never really talked about God. My answer was Jesus is God. but we see that and then we always in this world we live in today, always say that God is what Love right? And he is love. But he's also a god of wrath, is he not? He also is a God who will send down his wrath upon those who disobey you can Thankfully he has spared us individually maybe from Schaumburg but I think every one of us here this morning who know Christ is our Lord and savior has not followed him the way that we should we receive some of his wrath, maybe just an inkling of it. Pick up, man. If he poured his wrath upon us, we'd be in a world of hurt. Would we not

so if we know Jesus, we need to know God The Christmas hope that we have is putting our faith in our trust. In a savior who's bigger than you and me? Yes, he came down to this world. He came to this earth, he made himself of no reputation, he want about doing things, taking care of, knees, and people's desires. That were in line with his. The God does not just give us everything we want. It has to be in line with his will and his desires. I use that little stration to my own life with my own father. I could ask my father for a lot of things I could ask my father to, for certain things in life, and he would say, well, I'd love to get that for you son, but we just can't afford it. My father was a Preacher Man ever since I've been born. He was, he was in the ministry. We grew up with not a whole lot of money. That just having Franklin up here with me, a moment to go over to remind me when I go to watch these guys play football. I remember being that age and playing that football game and having that love for the game and really Desiring the most things. Had to beg my father a few times in order to get me to allow me to play football. It wasn't something in his wheelhouse. It wasn't something that he did. My father worked the farm as a kid growing up. And then he went off in in the wheat. Part harvest in the midwest. Oklahoma Kansas

He worked his life, his whole life, even as a kid growing up on the farm, didn't have a whole lot of money. So Sports was not something that he was enamored with at all. Give me a play. Donkey basketball. One time, I hear in talking about that, right? That may been the one thing and probably spoiled him didn't want to have anything else to do.

But I asked my father over there. Can I play football? Finally, I wore him down. Was okay. Well, you can play. And then I needed some football shoes and cleats. Hey parents your love this back in my day, they were $13. That's a lot of money so we thought, would you like to buy it? Not brand new pair of football, cleats for $13. Now parents didn't we go on from football to basketball and you got to buy the sneakers and who My Sunday. Go-to-meeting shoes don't cost that much been there. Done that my point is now I got on the team I'm playing the game that way I need the uniform part Staffing. Can we afford a pair of cleats? How much are they? I told him I was checked it all out $13 that I don't know if we can afford that. So, I just go out there in my old everyday sneakers, right? Play football in sneakers. What you can do it makes you learn how to grip the ground a little more they will pass reply. What it what are you getting that? My father would provide for me. My Earthly father would provide for me within his own means and if he didn't have it, he couldn't provide it. I'm in the same way we do the same with God. I need this, I need this, I need this and got those. I'd love to do that for you, if it's within my means. And so will God is God, he can do whatever he wants. And yes, he is. And yes he can. However, there's certain things that we ask God for that. God says, no, that's not good for you. It's not healthy for you. It's not that he said, why can't afford to? He can afford the cattle on a thousand hills, the welder. Never mind. Let me sing it to you. Do you know the song? He owns rivers in the rocks and their grills.

God wants to provide. He wants to give us everything. That we deserve and yet. We don't serve him the way that we should. Do we want the whole, but we don't want the responsibility of the whole week. We want to serve him, but we don't want to serve him his way, we want to serve him, our way to. Let me tell you that, when I'm asking my father for certain things shoes or whatever it might be, I made sure that I was doing everything I need to be doing at home. You know I'm saying? Okay I got chores to do. I guess everything's my room's clean. This is done and I'm going to go ask Dad, Dad can I Well, what have you done to deserve it? He never asked me that, but that was the thought in the back of my head and when I come to Jesus, when I come to God, and I asked you for a certain thing, I ask myself that same thing. What have I done to deserve it? And my answer is always the same. I have done nothing. Worthy of deserving. What God has done for me. But because of his love, because of his gift to the world, we have hope. 1st, John 4:9 through verse 10. The Apostle John says this, this is how God showed his love Among Us. He sent his loved one, his one and only son into the world, that we might live through him. This is love not that, we loved God, but that he loved us. And sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

God sent his son into this world to give us hope. But God knowing that, I'm sending him into this world to die. Are you? Imagine that. I'm sending you my son so that he can die for the sins of the world. Is it Christmas? Was God's idea? Wasn't man's invention. It's giving us Christ his son. It was God's playing with a purpose in mind. and listen, folks, you and I you and I are that purpose. Imagine that you are precious. You are special. You are important to God. Doesn't that just send chill up your spine, makes the hair on my head want to stand up and that's a miracle. Play Man. Jesus came to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins, to be the one to remove. Those sins from us as far as the East is from the West. When we confess our sins, he removes them. And after that, we start all over again, do we not it's not a one-time deal? Okay, I can send I can live, however, I want God's already taken care of. No, that's, that's not having a right relationship with him. That's not us. Trying to honor him and serve him. That's us trying to make him our servants. Okay God, you got my back. I'm going to go do something. I shouldn't do as you. So you watch over me. No, Jesus came to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. At when we put our faith in our trust in him, when we ask him for forgiveness and we turn from their wicked ways, he will forgive I find myself as a teenager growing up in church and many times asking God to forgive me without any change happening on the other end. Right? So I'll ask God to forgive me, knowing I'm doing the right thing and asking him to forgive me, but that's where I stop. I don't do the right thing beyond that by going out and changing my ways. I'm just expecting God may be removing all from me.

Noe says, in this world will have three relation will have sorrow will have pain. Nobody, thanks facing us and we have to make a choice. Jesus offered himself so that we can be forgiven, he offered himself that we might live through him. John 10:10 says I have come that you may have life and that you might have it. How abundantly not just life. Some people are just satisfied with life. I just want to live No, I want life and I want a bundle of life with God. That's my hope. What does that mean to have an abundant life have all the money I want? No, that's not what that means. Not that the wrong thing, every aspect of life comfort features of life around me that I desire. No, that's not what he's talking about, but that's not a bad thing. As long as my hope is not in my finances, as long as my hope is not under the, all the Comfort creatures and features that we have around us. My Hope needs to be in Jesus, My Hope needs to be in him, why? Because he is God's son, the creator of you and me.

And when he created mankind, you remember what God Said? Way back in the Book of Genesis, he created, man. He said what at the end of it, it is

Here's my question for you to answer, are you? Are you? Good for who go to who Gordon whose eyes? Are we good in God's eyes? He wants to give us at Abundant Life in John 17:3. So now this is eternal life that you may know. The only true God in Jesus Christ. Do you know him? Do you have that? Hope if your life was the end today? If your life was over today, do you know, without a doubt where you spend eternity? I asked people that question sometimes. And I get a, well, I hope so it's not a hope so salvation, it's a no-sew salvation, this is pretty much true in them. But I'm putting my hope in my faith in my trust, not in me, how I act or how I live. I'm putting my hope in my face in my trust in the Lord. Jesus Christ. What God has sent him to do on that cross the finish work. That's where my hope is. I'm striving to live my life perfectly for him and my perfect church, you can answer that. Thank you.

You're not either by the way.

None of us. None of us can get to heaven on her own. None of us can get to Heaven by our good works, not by works. It's not that way. It's through our faith in our trust in Jesus Christ. It's the hope that what he says is true and when I begin to doubt that hope, guess what happens. Begin to slip backwards. 42 years ago, my wife and I got married, I have never doubted her love and I hope she has never doubted mine. I have never doubted the fact that she loves me and I will never doubt the fact that she loves me. How can you say that? Because I have hope I have hope that our life will grow and continue to grow together and it has when God has brought a girl from Maine during a guy from Texas, we meet in Missouri, we get married in 42 years later, here we are. Three kids and their spouses and 9 grandkids, and a wonderful church family. That's the hope that I have in humans. That's a hole that I have an individual's. How much more hope? Should I have in the creator of all things? Who looks at you and looks at me and says you know what? I love you so much that I'm sending my only son for you.

Only such a life is Meaningful and abundant in Eternal, if it's with God, if it's with the Lord, Jesus Christ, if we have Jesus as our Lord and savior, Since we cannot know God by your efforts, God sent us his son. That baby, Jesus. Think about it, a little baby in a Manger. Turn this world upside down, not just when he was born, but even prior to his birth winners for claiming that he was coming, the king is coming.

A savior is to be born.

And many lives were lost because of that Proclamation, that many young Jewish males were put to death. How do you think that makes God feel? How do you think that makes Jesus feel knowing that his birth brought a lot of death into this world because of Mankind's, despising, that fact Have a king.

No matter where you are, no matter what you're facing today. God is fully aware.

Of everything you're going through. Did you know that? He knows every aspect of your life? He knows every burden that you have in because of that, he gives us hope.

1st. John 4:9 verse 10. This is Love, not that, we loved God, but that he loved us.

you think I just woke up one day and said,

I'm think I'm going to. Begin love and are in straw Summer today.

I know Lisa's got to put up with a lot and yeah she really deserves all the love with a few more people there, right? Start love and Erin Strauss of no from the beginning of the world. If God is God, he loves you. He knows all about you. He knows every aspect even before you were knitted together in your mother's womb. And guess what? The scripture tells us that he knows Us by name.

You mean he know my name is going to be Clyde.

I'm not sure that's what I meant, but he knows that anyway,

He knows us when he looks at us and he calls us sons and daughters. We are created you and I in the image of God.

What for what purpose, our purpose is to serve him. Our purpose is to worship him. We can't do it on our own. We need help. So therefore, he sent his son.

Do the episodes of God's word goes beyond just about God knowing you. It goes to God. Loving you.

I don't know if anybody watched any football on. Thursday. Did you watch the Cowboys? Anybody here. Watch the Cowboys and the Giants game in its awesome game, was it?

How many Cowboys fans do we have? We got a few, how many Giants fans do we have? We got a few more. We know who won that game? Right, where's John at John bujanowski?

Right week. Wait, wait, we look at all this. We see what's going on. and as much as I made,

Enjoy the Cowboys.

I don't love them. I don't really know any of them. All I can tell you some statistics about some of these guys, I can tell you what position, some of them they play. But I don't have a relationship with one of them. Any one of them, Right. So this is all just saying that if they win, they went okay they lose they lose. We're going to feel bad for a little bit. So here we go again. but that my life isn't made or broken over who wins a ball game,

you know what? Excites me.

What excites me wins is when? Young men and young women boys and girls moms and dads, whatever age change their lives and start following Jesus. That excites me. That's something more than this world can offer. Why? Because now, there's a hope that maybe they didn't understand over here, and this light has come on. And now they understand the hope that God has That there's something bigger for us than what this world has to offer.

Be there still a difference between knowing and loving somebody many people. May know me.

But not too many, people may care about me. Think about that. God knows me and he loves me. And he says, I'm special. And yeah, I guess I'm glad you are special. This is true. That's the guy that I served. That's the hope that we have.

God loves you. You're not just a statistic as the world tries to tell us. You are special in the eyes of God, John 10:3, Jesus, as his he calls his Sheep by name,

Imagine that. And I don't see a guy going down the list of names when he's mad at you, cuz you messed up. It's not like, what? I what I what happens in in our house will not that. I'm mad up, but I'm trying to get the attention of one of the grandkids and I go through every one of their names. Including my own kids names. First. Trying to get ahold of him, maybe Quinn's attention. I go through Tyler Trent. When I got to remember who I'm talkin night, God knows us. God knows why because he has even a greater relationship with us than we have with our own family. How great is your relationship with him? 1st, John 4:16. Scripture says that God is love. God is love. Therefore, because God is love your life to him is precious. Do you have that hope today? Do you understand all that he has in store for you?

A professional Theologian Karl Barth maybe some of you have heard of him was asked to give a series of lectures at the University of Chicago Divinity School and at the end of his last lecture, he was a take some questions and some answer time and he wasn't feeling great although he was willing to do that, the president of the University, Told the student body that, although, he was going to take some questions and answers, you not feeling well, so, we'll pass on that. I'm just going to throw out one question. I think that each and every one Would want us to know. It was a question for a man who has spent years studying scriptures a man who had Written tens and thousands of pages on Theology and stuff that maybe something a little difficult to understand for the human for the average person. The audience was alert and they were ready to pain down the Great. Thing that the professors said, the question was this? Of all the theological inside you've ever had. Which is the one you consider to be the greatest of them all. Great question. Of all the theological Insight that you've had, which one do you consider to be the greatest of them all?

without hesitation Karl Barth said the greatest theological Insight that I've ever had is this

Jesus loves me this. I know for the Bible. tells me so, do you know that today? Do you know that today? My friend? Because without that you don't have true hope without that you cannot understand as we said, John 3:16 what? For God? So loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. That whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life or 17. Says, for God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. God does not want to condemn us. He want us that if he wants us to have hope. It is understanding that you are important to God. You are precious to God. You are special to God. he wants to give you a hope and a future.

We can't undo. What God is already accomplished? Think about that for a second? The choice is yours. It's all there for. Whoever will they come? Am I hoping my prayer for you this morning? This Christmas season as we really understand what Christmas is about the gift of eternal life. That's been given to us. But the gift does us no good if we don't receive it.

Really does us no good, if we just receive it and left, leave it there wrapped up into pal Ki. Got it just to say yes to it. No, receive the gift. Unwrap it. Find out more about it than of Me. Jesus, this know that I love, you know, that I care about you. Because he's made you and me more. Then conquerors. Want to take a moment this morning as we're sitting in our chairs, I'm going to ask you just about your head for a moment. Bow your head, close your eyes.

Not putting anybody on spotter in a position of.

Judgment. But I'm asking you this, do you truly have that hope? That Jesus wants you to have. Do you have that hope that your creator of the universe wants you to that? God says, yes, I want that. You here this morning and you have never said, yes to Jesus. All you need to do is say Lord, I'm I'm a sinner, we all are. And it's not the, it's not the sprayer that it's the belief that saved us, but it helps us individually. Lord, I'm a sinner. I confessed my faults to you. Remove them. You say that you will in your word Lord, I believe. What the Bible says about, you sending your son, that whosoever believes in Him. Should not perish, but have everlasting life. Lord, I accept that today. Lord, Make Me Your Child. when we say that when we do that, when we mean that we become his child, if you've never done that, let the day be the day. You do that. Have the Hope in Jesus. Now if you've done that here's with the other responsibilities that we have, Start serving him. But what do you mean? Use the gifts and talents that God has given you for his honor for his glory. Start serving him. Start worshipping him start understanding that this gift now has to be open and put on

They have the hope the true hope that God has for us. I mean a lot of people a lot of people who confess Christ as their lord and savior but they don't have the true hope that God wants him to have. I want you to have that today. Father, we thank you. We, thank you that you have become the true hope.

Father, guide, us and direct us in this world that we live in a world of trial and turmoil. A heartache and hardship to know that we are special and precious to God. We were created in His image. He sent his son to help us to guide us to direct us, but most of all to give us hope and peace. father, you know, our past, you know, our future We're just living at moment-by-moment. Help us to follow you as we go forth. And father, if anyone here this morning, has not made that decision for, you may today be the day they do that. Receive that gift of eternal life and have that. Hope that comes only from you. In Jesus name, we pray.