1. Discover the Light of the World (Advent Week 1)

2. Jesus is our Hope

Our Christmas Lights went up early this year. Our reasoning was very practical. Robin’s vision was gradually failing and we knew that if we waited until after her doctors appointment to begin decorating, we would have a limited time to enjoy the decorations and such. So we decided to break out the totes and decorate for Christmas. That was the practical reason, but, i had another reason. It also involved Robin’s vision. As her sight gets worse, things become darker for her, both literally and figuratively. I welcomed and even encouraged decorating early so that there would be more lights in our home. So our home would feel warmer and brighter. So Robin would have something to look forward to.

People need something to look forward to. Having something to look forward to gives us hope. Hope gives us a reason to keep going.

I have good news – Christmas season is HERE!

Today is week one of the Advent Season.

The advent season includes the four Sunday before Christmas when the church looks back to Christ’s first arrival in Bethlehem and looks forward to His second and final arrival. Since Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday this year, we will be including that Sunday in our Advent Celebration this year.

For the next four Sundays we will reflect on 4 different words.

Hope – Peace – Love – Joy

3. Advent is a word that means Arrival.

At Jesus’ first arrival he was proclaimed as Savior.

To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, He is Christ the Lord.

In His second coming He will be Judge and will gather all those as Paul says who “have longed for His appearing.”

4. We stand now between the two arrivals – waiting.

The circumstances of our lives are changing daily.

The Advent season is an invitation for us to step back from our daily lives and to see the big picture of God’s great salvation.

5. God has given us reason to hope but our hope is not dependent on a feeling but hope is in the person of Jesus.

Christmas lights tell us – Christmas is coming. All the stuff of Christmas can create in us a feeling of HOPE.

We need the feelings, but today I want us to think about the reality of HOPE, not just the warm fuzzies of Hope.

Biblical Hope is a confident trust that God will keep his promises.

Today we will consider three aspects of HOPE by looking at Simeon in Luke 2.

The Act of Hoping The Reason for Hope The Object of Hope

Luke 2:25–35 (NKJV)

6. And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

7. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

8. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law,

9. he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:

10. “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word;

11. For my eyes have seen Your salvation

12. Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,

13. A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”

14. And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him.

15. Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against

16. (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Who is this man Simeon?

He was old and close to death because Simeon says, “I can now depart in peace because your servant has seen your salvation.”

Luke does not tell us about his position or occupation.

Simeon viewed Himself as a slave to God. Like a slave, Simeon thinks of himself as totally responsible to and dependent on God.

17. 1. The Act of Hoping

What does the act of hoping look like in Simeon’s life?

The scripture says he is waiting.

In the Hebrew language the word “Hope” means “to wait”

The root word in Hebrew for “wait” means “stretched string”.

Think about it this way, there is tension on the string of a guitar, just waiting for someone to come along and create music. The potential for music is in the guitar “waiting” to be played.

The idea of waiting in our culture is “boring”.

“I’m waiting for my movie to load.” “I’m waiting to finish school.”

But think about the picture of a groom waiting for his bride.

I’ve performed many weddings and I cannot remember a single wedding where the groom was up front checking his watch… sighing… rolling his eyes.

All the grooms were waiting with anticipation. Maybe nervous and jittery but smiling. One of those smiles where your face hurts you are smiling so much.

Simeon waits… He prays… He watches, looking forward to God’s promise while living a devoted and righteous life.

Live a righteous life – Simeon treated people rightly. He led a devoted life. Devout means he is careful to fulfill his religious duties.

Peter instructs the church to live in the same way as we wait for the second advent. 2 Peter 3:11–12

“Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?”

For Thanksgiving, Robin usually does the turkey. This year we decided that we didn’t need a huge turkey but a turkey breast would be fine. We placed our Walmart order and when i got home with the order, they had substituted the turkey she ordered with something else. I assumed it would be fine. It was turkey. It bothered Robin. When it came time to prepare the bird, i got it out of the fridge and read the directions. They were different. It called for putting water in the slow cooker and placing the turkey, in it’s bag, in the water in the slow cooker. Robin was concerned because this was not how she was used to preparing a turkey. The turkey turned out good because I followed the recipe, or directions. I’m not saying life with God is a recipe – a dash of prayer, a pinch of church and you will have a beautiful life, but what I am saying is the life we have now can be a good life if we continue in our devotion to God following the instructions in his word. If you look at Proverbs, one of the themes you will see is that life generally goes better when you go God’s way. The proverbs are not promises that all will go well but general principles for how life works. As we wait we can “follow the recipe” so to speak. Will we be thankful in all circumstances or complain? I understand we are longing for something better and that something better will come, but will complaining speed it up? 18. Will we live distracted or devoted to God? 19. 2. Reason for Simeon’s Hope

What was Simeon’s reason for Hope? 20. God has made a personal promise to Simeon.

The promise was, Simeon you will not die before you see the Messiah.

God’s specific promise to Simeon fits within his larger promise to the nation of Israel.

21. The entire nation of Israel is waiting for the Messiah.

Messiah is a word that means – Anointed One.

A king is “anointed” or designated as the chosen one to lead a nation.

David was anointed as king and ruled as Israel’s most prosperous king.

22. God made a promise to David.

The promise was that there will be a King who would come from the line of David and would sit on David’s throne forever. That King is the “Anointed One” – the Messiah

King David dies. The kingdom of Israel is divided and eventually the people go into exile.

After Exile some return to Jerusalem and begin rebuilding the city in preparation for the coming king, the Messiah.

The people wait 400 years between what we call the old testament and the new testament. Slowly the prophetic hope for a Messiah turns into a pessimistic hope.

Maybe God has not kept his promise?

In the fullness of time Jesus comes and he claims to be the Messiah.

Jesus is talking with a woman in John 4. She knows of the Messianic hope and she says

“I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”John 4:25-26

The messiah has been promised but the people and Simeon have been waiting a long time.

Why would Simeon think that God would keep his promise?

Simeon is devoted and careful to keep his religious duties. His religious duties help him to remember the faithfulness of God.

He knows the story of the Old Testament. God promised deliverance from Egypt and it came. God promised to provide in the desert and they had water and food. God promised a land to live in and the walls of Jericho fell. Simeon has reason to Hope because he remembers that God is faithful and God keeps his promise.

23. You and I have reason to Hope.

24. We have reason to hope because God kept his promise to Israel and he is faithful and still keeps his promise.

2 Peter 3:8–10 (NKJV)

25. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

26. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

27. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

Listen to some of these promises. I pray they are an encouragement to you.

I will never leave you. I will never forsake you. I will send the Holy Spirit – He will be a comforter and guide. I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against. Do not let your heart be troubled. If I go, I will come again.

Simeon had reason to hope. We have reasons to hope.

28. 3. Object of Simeon’s Hope

The Object of Simeon’s Hope was Jesus.

Scripture says “He took the baby (Jesus) in his arms.”

29. Simeon picked up an actual person. The hope for salvation is Jesus.

The celebration of Jesus’ first arrival is not a fairy tale story.

Christmas is a remembrance that God became man. Jesus took on flesh. He entered into space and time and experienced human existence. Joy, pain, laughter, food, sleep, prayer, walking, playing… all of it.

When Simeon picks up the child Jesus he does not say this baby is a sentimental reminder of God’s love and our hope for a better world.

He says…

V 30 my eyes have seen your salvation, 31which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”

Simeon is alluding to several passages from Isaiah when he praises Jesus.

Isaiah 49:6 I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

Isaiah 52:10 The LORD has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

He bared his arm. God showed his strength. Salvation is only something that God can accomplish for us.

Isaiah 9:2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them a light has shone.

30. Although Jesus is the Messiah promised to come to the nation of Israel He is the Hope for all the nations.

Jesus is a light in the darkness.

Darkness is the absence of light. We know intuitively that the world is not as it should be. Something is broken.

I remember sitting with loved ones who were sick and thinking to myself, This is not RIGHT! Death, pain, sorrow, separation – this is not the world that we were meant to live in.

God what is the plan? God do something!?!

He has done something. He has kept his promise. He has given his son.

Simeon then makes a prophecy – Jesus is going to cause a rising and falling in Israel.

Those who take pride in their own spiritual heritage and achievements, there will be no place for them. They will fall.

Those who throw themselves on God’s mercy, they will rise.

Then a personal message to Mary.

“A sword will pierce your own soul too.”

Simeon is speaking of Jesus going to the cross.

I can scarcely imagine the anguish that Mary felt at the cross.

She probably asked as we do, “God what is the plan?” “How could this happen?”

Simeon gave Mary a glimpse of her future anguish but Jesus gave his disciples a fuller picture of the plan.

Luke 9:21–22 (NKJV)

31. And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one,

32. saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.”

Jesus went to a literal cross and died. On that cross he paid the penalty for our sin. When we trust in Christ’s work on our behalf rather than our efforts God forgives us and accepts us on the merit of Christ’s work on the cross.

God implants the Holy Spirit into us and we live no longer under the shadow of death.

The resurrection gives us a confident hope that Christ will come again.

1 Peter 1:3 (NKJV)

33. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

We have a present hope, a living hope through Jesus’ resurrection. We have a future hope that because Christ has risen, Christ will come again.

Jesus isn’t just the object of our Hope, Jesus is our Hope.

I can have hope even when I feel sorrow. I can have hope even when i feel pain. I can have hope when things aren’t going my way. I can have hope even when my life seems to be spinning out of control. And so can you.

If you have looked to Jesus for salvation then you have HOPE. Today you may not feel like there is any hope; but, I want to remind you that you have HOPE.

God has not abandoned us.

34. Will you share the Hope of Jesus with others?

Always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks you a reason for the hope that you have.

Many people do not live with Hope. They are either distracted or in despair.

35. WE HAVE HOPE.