Advent wk 1: Hope

Well, today is the first day of / /Advent, and so it’s not really a new series necessarily because a whole lot of the Christian church celebrates Advent. Not everyone celebrates it the same, with the same traditions, but I like to follow the season of Advent because there is beauty in it. It’s simple, and yet, deep and wonderful. It’s traditional and yet, every year I go through this season I encounter something new, something personal. It’s more than just a tradition. Just like Christmas itself is more than just a tradition. Yes, it’s the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus, but it’s certainly more than just a birthday, isn’t it?

Now, Advent as a word itself has a simple meaning. / /The arrival of a notable person, thing or event.

But from a theological definition, the Christian church has long used this word for two different things. / /The coming of Christ, and the Second coming of Christ, although these days it is less common for churches to put a focus on the Second coming of Christ during the Christmas season.

And we do that by focusing on different aspects of Christ over a four week period.

The four weeks of Advent focus on: / /Hope, Peace, Joy & Love

But I do find that very interesting that traditionally it focused on both the first and second coming of Christ, because when we look at the four weeks of advent, leading up to Christmas day, each of these weeks has a that kind of feel to it, that when Christ came in the flesh, born as a baby, he ushered in a sense of these words, and yet, in time, when he comes again, he will usher in the fullness of these things, or complete these things.

And so we have the advent of Jesus, the arrival of a notable person, thing or event. It is all of that, isn’t it? Christmas day when we celebrate the coming of a notable Person, Jesus Christ, a notable thing, Our Salvation, and a notable event, His birth, His death and His resurrection. These are all because he came. That is the advent of Jesus. The arrival of all that Israel and the world, whether they knew it or not, had been waiting for.

And then we have what the Christian church has celebrated in some way shape or form for over 1500 years. But if you don’t come from a denominational, or liturgical church, advent may be lost on you.

I’ve shared this story before, and I really should be more ashamed of it than I am, but I share it because it’s healthy to make fun yourself sometimes, and we can’t make what we don’t know at the time we do something shame us or keep us in shame. So, I share this story for that reason. When Kelley and I were in Norway in 2014, we were having our weekly leadership meeting and one of the team said, “Did you get the Advent candles?” and I said, “The what?”

“The advent candles. Tomorrow is the first week of Advent.”

To which I said again, “The first week of what?”

I grew up in a church that didn’t celebrate advent, and this was literally the first time I was hearing of it. At the age of 32 and having grown up in and been in church my entire life. I had no clue what they were talking about.

It all worked out, but, and maybe this was to cover my own shame in having no clue what I was doing, I asked the team why they did it… Now, this is a good question for all of us to ask on occasion when it comes to matters of tradition, and I would suggest, especially in matters of Christian tradition. Why are we doing what we are doing?

And this is true whether you come from a traditional liturgical church, meaning a church that follows a pretty prescribed way of teaching and conducting their services, or if you’re in the craziest “free-est” non-denominational, charismatic church. Even here at Cutler Bay Worship Center we don’t have a deep liturgy, but we follow the same basic format pretty much every week, right?

And so it’s good sometimes to stop, and ask, “Why are we doing this? What is the purpose? Should we be doing it, or at least doing it this way? And does it still carry meaning, or weight?” Now, sometimes we do things because we ought to do them, and that’s that, and that’s ok. But other times we look at what we do because I want to make sure that what we are doing is both purposeful and truly coming from a heart of worship toward God, not just devotion to a “system” or “tradition”. It can be easy to simply do things because we have always done them that way, and they lose meaning, and that can cause us to become stagnant in our worship.

I used to say “I love you” to Kelley way more than she wanted me to. To the point where she would get frustrated with me. Or annoyed. Or, well, you’ll have to ask her. But anyway, as the story goes, she suddenly, out of nowhere started asking, “Why?” when I would say, “I love you.” she would say, “Why?”

Now, it’s not that I can’t answer that question, I have plenty of answers for that question. But the difference is, it made me be intentional and thoughtful about the simplicity of saying, “I love you.” Maybe God is like that sometimes. I’m not saying I was in some sort of rut, or I was just saying I love you because I felt like I had to, but I wonder sometimes if God is in heaven, watching us come to church and when we stand in worship and sing songs, and when we put our tithe in the box, and when we listen to a sermon, and pray at the end and go home and be about our lives, he looks and says, “why?” Just a simple, “why?”

Not because he doesn’t like all of these things. Not because we’re some cold or unfeeling church. I’m not saying that at all. But I do think asking “why?” brings us back to a place of truly living and meaning what we are saying and doing.

James encourages us, You can’t just hear the word of God you actually have to do what it says. (James 1:22)

John encourages us, Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did. (1 John 2:6)

Jesus in the book of Revelation encourages the church, don’t be lukewarm, but come back to your first love and be passionate in your pursuit of Jesus Christ.

Tradition for the sake of tradition runs the risk of not being worth it. But that doesn’t make tradition bad, because tradition with heart can be the launching pad for a beautiful moment in, through and with God.

So, in the case of Norway and my shameful ignorance of all things Advent, I can’t remember exactly what happened. Maybe I’ve blocked it out because of the trauma. I’m pretty sure we had the candles, but I’m also pretty sure we didn’t follow things the way they had followed them before.

Alright, so we have the word advent, and then we have the Christian tradition of the season of advent. It’s gone through a lot in the last 1500+ years.

In the late 300s people were encouraged to go to church every day between December 17th and the 29th. And by the fifth and sixth centuries there’s a more consistent dating or practice outline within some historical documents. But in the early church, as a day was eventually established, December 25th, as the day we would celebrate the birth of Jesus, there was also the leading up to this day a celebration.

Some monks chose to fast from December 1st to Christmas day. Imagine that, instead of feasting through all of December at Christmas parties like we do, we take 25 days to fast… I don’t know if any of us is ready for that.

As I mentioned in my Norway story, there are candles. Usually 4 or 5 - 5 because some choose to light the fifth candle on Christmas day for the Light of Christ. and one is lit each week in the 4 weeks leading to Christmas.

So, again, the four weeks of Advent.

Hope, Peace, Joy & Love.

And so for the next four weeks we will take one of these and look at them in light of the coming of our savior, Jesus Christ, that we celebrate on Christmas morning.

Now, because of our recent tragedies and our need for hope, last week we focused directly on that, right? Hope for the now and hope for what is yet to come. And the first week of Advent is hope, and so last week where we looked at having hope in the midst of grief and sorrow, this week we are going to be looking at hope in the light of the incarnation.

Big word, I know. / /Incarnation. As a word, it simply means having a body of flesh. As a / /doctrine, it simply expresses that Jesus Christ was always God and is still God and will always be God, and through the virgin birth of Mary became flesh and lived in this world for 33 years before he died on a cross, was buried, raised from the dead and ascended into heaven.

Ok, so the next few weeks we’re going to look at the coming incarnation of Christ, the moment that he becomes flesh, as a vulnerable, human baby. I guess that’s just a long way of saying Merry Christmas.

Today I want to start in the process of waiting. See, the true beauty of Advent is an anticipation, a waiting, an expectation of the arrive of something, or someone great! And that is the season we are in.

And it’s a great place to start as our word for this morning is Hope. / /Hope by definition means, A confident expectation in a positive outcome.

A confident expectation. Expectation already means a strong belief that something is going to happen, so when you add confident to that, it’s like a really strong belief multiplied by a really strong assurance that something is going to happen. And what is it that we think is going to happen? It’s a positive outcome. We aren’t just sure that something is going to happen, we’re sure that it’s going to be good when it does.

Any of y’all seen this meme ..., / /Kermit the Frog...

“I feel like I’m already tired tomorrow?”

We all know tomorrow is coming, but how do we feel about it? Some people wake up with a fire in their gut ready to tackle the day, others wake up ready for a nap.

I get it!

But hope, hope is something different. Hope is waiting with anticipation. It’s waiting, maybe even with excitement. It’s waiting, maybe like Paul did, who said in Philippians 4:12-13, / /I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength.

So, regardless of our current situation, there is a place of finding hope. Maybe your confident expectation isn’t loud and boisterous. Ya know how some people just have a quiet confidence about them. Maybe that’s what you have. Kind of sounds like that’s what Paul had.

Well, I’m pretty hungry today… but I believe God will take me to the end.

Well, I got beat today. Got shipwrecked today. Got tortured and thrown in prison… but I know God will see me through.

Do you have that kind of hope? Do you know that kind of waiting? Waiting without anxiety. Waiting without worry. Waiting with peace, with a confidence in the outcome we’re believing for. And I don’t necessarily mean confident we’ll get all the things we’ve prayed for, but confidence in the One who looks after us?

Positive outcome can have a couple different meanings, can’t it? First, it could be we get what we prayed for and that’s pretty awesome. But second, it could be we run into the arms of the God who loves us and in that place of security and rest we have all we need regardless of whether or not we have all we need. There’s something to be said about contentment without stuff. What’s the saying, “No one on his deathbed ever said, ‘I wish I had spent more time on my business.’”

And I find this is something we always have to keep in mind when it comes to our walk with God. “Positive outcome” for US sometimes means something different than what God has in mind for our lives as a positive outcome. And when we learn about prayer and when Jesus says ask anything and my Father will hear and do it, there’s something to the process of asking in relationship and abiding in the word of God, not just asking for more stuff. I don’t think that was ever the point. To just pray and get more stuff. God is not a genie in a bottle.

And we’re also looking at the incarnation, the coming of Jesus Christ. Paul says this in the opening line of his first letter to Timothy, it’s 1 Timothy 1:1, / /Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope...

I would make an argument today that we do not only hope in Jesus but that Jesus himself IS our hope, and THROUGH Jesus we receive and have hope. That’s really what Paul is saying in Philippians, isn’t it? THROUGH Jesus Christ I have strength to endure all things, which gives me hope!

Paul really got it. He wrote in Romans 5::3-5, / /We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of saltation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

Hope, A confident expectation in a positive outcome. Maybe the question is, / /do we trust God to define positive outcome rather than trying to tell God what the positive outcome needs to be so we are happy?

Ok, Let’s read some of the Christmas story this morning. We’re looking at a big portion of scripture this morning, so I’ll kind of paraphrase it a bit and we’ll read some of it. We’re in Luke 1 this morning.

And the story starts with two faithful people, Zechariah and Elizabeth. Zechariah was a priest.

Now, if you know me you know that I don’t say, “God is in control”, simply because I know God does not ever choose to take control of our lives and make us do anything against our own will. He does not do that. He gives us free will. The freedom to choose him. The freedom to give him control where He will, and the responsibility of taking control of our own lives by the leading of the Holy Spirit who gives the gift of self-control. Not God-control, but self-control.

BUT, and this is a big but… in the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, we see the sovereign hand of God move. Not because he’s taking control of humans, but because God is always 100% in control of himself. I think I mentioned a few weeks ago a saying I heard a friend of mine make, Pastor Shawn Gabie up in Ottawa, Canada. He said, “God is not in control, He is in charge.” I think that’s a great distinction.

Galatians 4:4 says, / /But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman...

The fullness of time. Fullness there means “That which has been fulfilled. Completion”

So, you could say of this time, it is the perfectly appointed time that God was just waiting for.

Why? Well I’m not 100% sure on that. Might just be that God’s in charge and chose this time.

You know how I said Advent has long been an anticipation and celebration of both the incarnation and the second coming? Well the second coming will be the same as the first coming. When God decides it is the perfect time, He will send Jesus, the King of Kings, to come again. This time riding on the clouds in splendor. Much different than crying in a manger.

But, I get ahead of myself. The Fullness of time.

So, we have Zechariah the priest. Now, I want to show you how this is just an absolutely fascinating story. Zechariah is married to Elizabeth, Elizabeth is a relative of a young girl named Mary, who would soon find out she’s going to house the King of the Universe in her womb. And Elizabeth is going to play a very important role for two reasons. But the only way Elizabeth gets to play that role is if she her self is pregnant and becomes someone this young pregnant Mary can relate to and rely on.

Problem is. She’s not pregnant, she’s never been pregnant, and she’s old.

Zechariah on the other hand needs a word from God to have faith and hope that him and his wife could have a child. Which at his age he’s most assuredly given up any hope. It’s not even something he’s probably praying for. But, the fullness of time is approaching, so God has to take charge and set some things in motion.

Here’s where it gets complicated.

The priests of the temple of God were divided into 24 groups, and they would serve in the temple for one week at a time. Which means only two times a year is Zechariah’s group going to be at the temple. And the way this was chosen was by casting lots. Basically rolling the dice. And this just happens to be one of those times that the division of priests that Zechariah is a part of, is serving at the temple.

Now, Luke 1:8-9 tells us the next hurdle. / /One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense.

So, his division is chosen by lots, and then he is chosen by lots. So he’s either very lucky, or God is moving because it’s the fullness of time. Funny side note, Proverbs 16:33 says, / /We may throw the dice, but the Lord determines how they fall.

And no, that’s not permission to head out to Miccosukee and hit up the craps table, ok.

Here we begin our story of hope. Zechariah is in the sanctuary by himself and an angel of the Lord comes to him, tells him that his wife will give him a son - that means, go home, be with your wife and she will become pregnant. And he is to name this son John, and John is going to fulfill prophecy and usher in the time of the Messiah. He quotes Malachi who said there would be a time where Elijah would return to the people of Israel to prepare the way for the Lord.

Zechariah, the priest, full of faith says to the angel, “Ya, but how am I going to be sure this is going to happen? I’m old. Elizabeth is old. I just don’t see how this is going to happen.”

Sounds like the story of Abraham, doesn’t it?

Well, the Angel of the Lord says in Luke 1:19, / /“I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”

So, this is just a bonus point for this morning. If you have an angel show up and tell you something, don’t argue. Alright?

So, Zechariah is mute for the next 9 months. He comes out of the sanctuary of the temple and he can’t even tell the other priests what happened. But here’s where I think maybe God’s hand and his showing of being in charge is evident. How many of us, given a moment like this would think the same thing? You’re told by an angel that something is going to happen, except that something is completely contrary to everything you know and have experienced in this life?

We’re talking about hope this morning. The hope that Jesus brings in coming to earth, and this is a big part of that story. The prophecy fulfilled that Elijah would come again, not actually Elijah, but that true spirit of prophecy, on the life of John, the promised child of Zechariah and Elizabeth.

/ /But what happens when the word of God comes up against the word of experience?

You want to believe for something, but all of your life has told you otherwise.

Sure, Zechariah wants to believe it’s possible, but not only is he old, and his wife is old, Luke 1:7 actually says, “and they were both very old.” And that’s not easy to hear. Kelley was cutting my hair the other night and she just kept dropping these, “wow, there’s a lot of gray up here...” I was like, “Easy, lady, easy...” It’s not fun to hear you’re getting old.

Now, just to throw this out there... I introduced myself to someone the other day and said I was a pastor and they looked at me crazy and said, “You’re a pastor? You look like you’re 21...” Well, Thank you very much, sir!

Ok, but not only are Zechariah and Elizabeth VERY old - she’s been barren her whole life. The bible says they have not been able to have children.

Now you can look at Zechariah being made mute as a punishment for his questioning, OR, you can see it as the grace of God to give hope to someone who clearly does not have hope for the promise being offered to them. (SAY IT AGAIN!!!)

If you’ve been here for any length of time you probably remember me sharing about a lawsuit we were in with a tenant in our school building. At the time it felt like just the worst thing ever. It cost more than we had, it was a constant frustration, it had me out of my depth all the time, a few of my grey hairs are probably because of that time. And I can look at that time with contempt and frustration, like Zechariah could have easily done. Great, now I’m mute...

OR, I can look at what God did through that season of time to bring a great opportunity and promise to us. Yes, a lawsuit for two years is a major frustration. But that season of frustration brought forth the gift of our current tenants who are absolutely fantastic. I love them. I really do. Doesn’t always make being a landlord and dealing with all the things easy, but it’s a part of the fulfilment of God’s promise that he would look after us. This property is not cheap to maintain and look after, and we have a lot of work that has needed to be done, and a lot more yet to do. And as we are in a season of small church, that means we have small money, because we, like every other church, like the temple from the very beginning all the way back when God started it, relies on the following of God’s people to give and tithe to the work of God through the temple, through the church. So having a good tenant in place is a major benefit while we are a smaller church.

But if I look back at what the old tenant paid us, vs what the new tenant pays us, because we had the opportunity to negotiate a new lease. I’m not sure we would be surviving at this point with all we’ve had to do, and all we’ve gone through, without that season of frustration that led to something better. And in some ways I look at that season as having to be faithful to what God has called me to, and being willing to fight for what He’s given us, because HE is serious about it, and if God is serious about something, we too should be serious about it.

So, here is Zechariah, READY to follow the word of the Lord because the frustration that has been put on him shows him God’s serious about this promise.

Sure enough, Elizabeth becomes pregnant. That’s the first part of the story. That’s the first part of hope. What is happening in your life that you might consider a frustration, but it’s something you should be leaning on God during that could give you hope. It’s so easy to miss it sometimes. Zechariah could have been so angry and frustrated and feeling punished and condemned for his unbelief, but instead he took it as a sign and a confirmation that God’s word was true, and when he followed through with that word the promise of God came to pass.

Here’s where we’ll jump into scripture and read from Luke 1:26-45, which is the next part of this story:

/ /In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For the word of God will never fail.”

Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”

So, three quick things this morning that God wants to do in this promise of Hope. In this first week of advent, as we look toward the celebration that is Christmas morning, the birth of our savior who IS himself our hope, what can we take away from the beginning of this story to help us have and maintain hope in our own lives?

1. Believe the Promise

The first thing we need to do is actually believe. I love this verse, it’s become one of my favorites, Hebrews 11:6 says, / /And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

You gotta believe God is who He says He is, and will do what he says he will do!

The only way you stumble into the promises of God is if you’re already following him. But if you do not choose to believe in who He is and all He says then you can not expect to experience what He has to offer and what He wants to do.

James actually goes as far to say that if we’re lacking wisdom we should ask God to give us wisdom because he has plenty of it and he’s generous with it, and then he warns, / /But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. (James 1:6-8)

Might sound harsh, I know. But I think there is an encouragement in there, in this season to make the decision to be all about God.

You know how they say, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket”....well I want to strongly argue and encourage you that the basket of the Lord is one area of your life where you should put all of your eggs.

Look at what Elizabeth says to Mary, / /You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.

I want to encourage you this morning, throw away every other thing you’ve put your hope in and throw it all into God.

No more, believing in the universe, or karma, or whatever else this world tries to credit or blame things on. Choose to believe in the God who loves you, who created you, and who has your best interest at heart. You might not always understand why He does what He does, you may not always understand the way that he is trying to lead you, guide you and direct your path. It may seem completely contrary to your human understanding.

What did Zechariah have to deal with?

I’m sorry, you want me to be a dad NOW? Why not 40 years ago, dude? Why not when I was younger, when I had energies. But NOW?

Sometimes the things God wants to do in our lives are beyond our own human understanding and ability.

You think I was prepared for a lawsuit? I certainly was not.

Gosh, most of the things I have allowed God to lead me into I was completely unprepared for and I had to make a choice that if God said it, He would do it in and through me, as I walked forward.

Hear that this morning. / /If God said it, He will do it in and through you as you follow Him!

The promises of God need to be taken seriously. Think of this. Mary is carrying promise. Elizabeth is carrying promise. IN THEIR WOMBS.... let’s just say it for what it is. The fate of the universe rests in the vulnerability of a baby in a womb at a time when the infant mortality rate was 50% or higher. Everything these ladies are became about protecting the promise!

How seriously do you take the promise of God?

And you might think, Ya, well Gabriel hasn’t really made himself that available to me lately, I don’t have any promises from God.

I will argue that point strongly, in a moment. First. start with.

/ /2. Wait ON the Lord

Advent is about waiting. it’s about anticipating the arrival of something great. The arrival of a notable person, thing or event.

In the same way, hope is about waiting.

If Hope is a confident expectation in a positive outcome than we have to become very comfortable with confidently expecting, and in that expectation it would do well for us to learn how to wait patiently.

/ /Confident and expectant doesn’t mean quick and easy.

David encourages us in the 27th Psalm, vs 14, / /Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

Isaiah 40:31 says, / /…they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

How many of us with kids have asked them to wait for a minute, and they wait like this..... (SUPER IMPATIENT)

Next time just give them a little Psalm 62:5, / /Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.

Now, to answer the, “Well I don’t have promises from God”… Untrue.... Untrue on every level.

You have either been given promise through your own personal relationship with God, His direct leading, or through a prophecy spoken to you by someone else, or through the word of God found in scripture. There is not a one of us that does not have a promise from God. They don’t need to come in big fancy moments. Psalm 130:5 says, / /I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope… Every one of us who have access to scripture have promise.

The problem with promise is sometimes we need to wait for it. And the problem with waiting is that as humans we’re not very good at it. We’re pretty impatient. And now more than ever, with microwaves and instant streaming and uber eats and instacart we want for nothing and wait for less.

I get impatient if I have to wait for my food at the restaurant for too long.

We are weak in waiting.

And in this first week of Advent I feel an encouragement from the Lord to wait patiently… Build up your waiting muscles… Strengthen your resolve in waiting patiently for the Lord.

Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.

Learn to have a confident expectation, not an anxious, disturbed, annoyed, waiting in frustration.

So, you have promise, just waiting for you in the word of God. Yes, it’s on you to find out what that promise is. And as you read about that promise, I guarantee you, you’ll begin to hear the heart of God for your life personally and intimately. It might not be Gabriel showing up in your room. And by this story, I’m not sure you want that. Both times he’s done that the promise was pregnancy...

I got too many grey hairs for Gabriel to be making a visit to our house at this point.

/ /3. Surround Yourself with People of Promise

The last thing I want to say today about hope is this. Surround yourself with people of Promise.

Gabriel visits Mary, says she’s going to be pregnant. Now listen to this scripture...

Luke 1:39-40 says, / /A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth.

This is so important, and this point actually has two points.

First, If you are with people of promise you will see the promise and hope in their lives and it will encourage yours.

Zechariah is frustrated with being mute, but it gives him hope. God is using this frustration to bring hope.

Then Gabriel is sent to Mary. Talk about a tall order. Convinced a young girl she’s going to become pregnant by the Holy Spirit, enough to the point where she’s willing to accept it and not laugh it off.

Side note: I fully believe, 100% that God did not violate any free-will here. Mary chose in her saying, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” That was the moment that the Holy Spirit overshadowed her and she became the human carrier of the divine.

But what does Gabriel use to convince Mary?

/ /“What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For the word of God will never fail.”

Wow, my relative, old barren Elizabeth…she’s pregnant?

See, hang around me long enough, you’ll get the same thing. Wait, Rob? Ol’ grey haired, overcoming insecurity, overcoming addiction, overcoming anxiety Rob? God worked through HIM?

Yeah, sure did!

Wow, so there’s hope for me too?

Darn right there is!

This is why the body of Christ is so important. This is why you can’t just be a Christian on your own. I’m sorry, it doesn’t work. You gotta be with the people of God so that your hope can be encouraged by the fulfillment of promise in the lives of the people around you.

So what does Mary do?

A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea.

Now, A few days, in my understanding, is not enough time to figure out that you’re pregnant. But she had hope, a confident expectation in a positive outcome. Why? Because she heard the word of the Lord and like Hebrews 11:6 says, she had faith, she believed that God is real and is going to do what He said he would do, and she accepted it and ran with it.

And she knew that if she was going to survive this period of her life she needed to be around someone else that was going through the same thing she was.

I have to get to Elizabeth. She will understand what I’m going through.

You know what one of the enemies greatest tactics is? Convince the believer that no one will understand what you are going through, so keep it to yourself, isolate, go it alone. And that is whether you are going through something good or bad.

First, we as a people of God need to be better encouragers about what people are going through when it is good.

Second, we as a people of God need to be better encourages about what people are going through when it is hard or bad.

Hebrews :10:23-25, / /Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another...

Wow, three super important things in there that tie into this point of getting around people of promise.

/ /Hold tightly without wavering to hope

/ /Be about the work of the kingdom - acts of love and good works

/ /Be with the body of Christ for the purpose of encouragement

So Mary, super excited, full of promise, literally, and standing there thinking, “Ok, I’ve got so much hope, But if I say here, people might not understand. They might look at me differently, they might look at me like I’ve sinned, like I’m off my rocker. Virgin birth..come on.... what can I do? Oh, Elizabeth is in this too…she’s carrying a promise. If I go be with her we can go through this together. We can encourage each other. We can put our hope together, share in our confident expectation for a really amazing outcome.”

Let me encourage you today, in this first Sunday of Advent, where we celebrate the hope found in the incarnation of Jesus Christ - his birth into this world:

Believe the Promise

Wait on the Lord

Surround yourself with people of Promise

Let’s pray this morning.