The One in the Manger Gives Hopes

Why the Manger?

Intro

It is very easy to become disappointed in this world. Not because we have to but because this world is so cruel and brutal. It’s so easy to become cynical. Christmas is a time of hope and optimism. It is a time to reflect and remember, Our God went to the lowest of people to announce His coming. It’s an opportunity to remember that it doesn’t matter your background all, are invited to come and worship our King. From the lowliest of shepherds to the highest of kings.

But the enemy works hard o beat down the joy that really should be in us year round. It is just highlighted at Christmas. He comes to keep us so busy that we miss the whole thing. Or to to keep us so focused on ourselves that we are oblivious to the truths that we should be reflecting on. One of the great themes of Christmas is that Christmas is about hope, not just hope for hopes sake, but hope in a promise, Hope in the promise giver.

Isaiah 7:14 ESV

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Israel was in captivity and God through His promise gives them Hope. I know your struggle is tough right now, but take heart, I’m sending a child, that will be born of a virgin.

I would have many questions about this.

I’m a slave in a foreign land, and Gods solution is not an army. but is to rewrite biology and send a baby.

How does that help?

If we only knew the God that made the Promise. If we only knew the One He Promised.

My friends this season,

Be Careful where you place your hope

Many will place their hope in financial success, in relationships, in this in that, but unless your hope in founded on Christ it is a faulty hope.

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Abraham, had 2 Sons, Ishmael, and Isaac, One born in the strength of man, the other born in the strength of God.

For 14 years Ishmael and Hagar had lived with the knowledge that they were not the promised one. Ishmael, though loved greatly by Abraham, was not the child of promise.

Imagine being Hagar, a slave, nothing in this society. Your master s wife commands to sleep with her husband to to circumvent the plan of God. Whether Hagar thought it was right or wrong, she had to do it. It was her opportunity to move up in life.

Imagine the hope she had when Sarah asks her, “This is Gods plan.” Will you sleep with my husband and give us a Son?

Suddenly this slave, potentially has a purpose. Just imagine, in that culture where slaves are bought and sold, Hagar, an Egyptian, is chosen to give birth to the Promised child.

The Joy that must have overwhelmed her when she discovered she was with child.”I carry Your child Abraham. The Child promised by God. you are a Father!

We know Abrahams Joy was great! He deeply loved Ishmael.

But the Moment Hagar Gets pregnant, Sarah mistreats her badly, out of Jealousy. Hagar runs away, where Jesus finds her

Genesis 16:7–10 ESV

The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.” The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel of the Lord also said to her, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.”

I

So God Gives Hagar a similar promise He gave to Abraham.

You will have a son and you will not be able to count his offspring.

God also tells Hagar, Return and Submit to Sarah.

So She returns with this hope, My Son has a promise, Perhaps, Sarah and Abraham are right. Is this the son of Promise?

Sarah, Hates Hagar, because she is deeply jealous, and no matter how much legalize you wrap it in. Ishmael would never be Sarah's son.

So Sarah heart broke again.

You see it’s very easy to place your hopes in a places that cannot hold them. That is why when you and I are setting our hopes on something, that something better be a someone and that someone better be Jesus or we will end up in a world of disappointment.

Hopes found elsewhere are easily broken.

For 13 years, Hagar hopes, that Ismael is the one promised, then One day word comes that Abraham is meeting with strange visitors on a hill. It later comes out that these visitors said that Sarah would become pregnant. How is that even possible? Sarah is old. Hagar is only in late 20’s or early 30’s. how could that nasty woman get pregnant? She has been rude, angry, gossipy, divisive, bitter, and hateful. Surely this good God wouldn’t allow this woman to carry the child of promise.

After all Hagar, wasn’t given much of a choice, when she left, Jesus found her and asked her to return and serve this bitter woman, faithfully. Hagar has done this. What could possibly be going on?

Sometimes Church God calls on you and I to submit to a situation that is difficult. Even though it would be far easier to run, He calls on us to Submit, because He is working out a greater plan. You see while God is working in Hagar's life He is equally working in Sarah and Abrahams. He is using Hagar's humble heart to bring about great change in Sarah's life.

As of now Ishmael inherits everything. It’s known that God has His hand on his life.

Next thing we know Sarah is pregnant, and Isaac is born. it’s so crazy, Sarah doesn’t hardly believe it.

For 5 years Ishmael, continues to grow alongside Isaac. Sarah hears Ishmael laughing at something, and the demands to Abraham he kick Ishmael out of the family.

Genesis 21:8–10 ESV

And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing. So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.”

Sarah is not loving very well and is only thinking of Isaac and herself.

In this process she is shattering Abrahams heart because he loves Ishmael, and I’m sure cares for Hagar.

Genesis 21:12–13 ESV

But God said to Abraham, “Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named. And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring.”

God tells Abraham, “I’m using Sarah, do what she is saying.

Where is your hope this morning?

We must be careful where we place our hope,

Sometimes dreams shatter!

Illnesses come. loved ones die. people lose jobs, houses, cars. Children rebel. Hearts will break.

For 19 years Hagar's hope that perhaps Ishmael was the one were shattered when Abraham, one morning led them to the edge of camp, and he said goodbye do his firstborn. Imagine the heartbreak in Abrahams life as he let Hagar and Ishmael go deep into the desert.

Day by day, the food runs lower and lower and lower.

He was the son of promise. I heard God. you told me he would father multitudes. Don’t make me watch him die!

So hagar had Ishmael sit a bush and she went a distance off so she could not see him die.

Imagine Satan coming up to her,” where is gods promise now. He is dying over that hill.” Abraham failed you, Sarah failed you, God failed you.

Just in that moment Hagar hears a voice from heaven. It’s the same voice that found her in the desert. the sweet, tender voice of Christ.

Abrahams cowardly voice had failed. Sarah's Brutal voice, had been silenced. Her own cries hung by thread. But over the sandy dunes a sweet voice of her savoir came in loud and clear.

Genesis 21:17–18 ESV

And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”

God Renews His promise with Hagar.

Get up Hagar, The promise I gave you, still stands. You may have begun to doubt it, but I never questioned it. Get up and get Ishmael and lift you up your eyes, for I have made a way for you.

Genesis 21:19–21 ESV

Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. And God was with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow. He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

His Promise Endures For you and I!

We see here in Hagar and Ishmael s story, that Gods promise never ceases. He is always faithful to bring it to completion.

You see it was the garden where God first first promised to Satan, Christ will defeat you.

Then again, in Captivity God whispers to Isaiah, Renew the promise

Isaiah 7:14 ESV

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

We can look on Gods promises in the past. Where He was always faithful. If He was faithful then why wouldn’t He be faithful now?

Christ speaking with John during the revelation gave a promise to the Church.

Revelation 22:12 NIV

“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.

I don’t know what baggage many of us carry into this joyous season, but my friends we must remember that in Christ we are made new.

The old has gone, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.