A Prophesy of Hope

Advent 2023: Hope

Isaiah 7:10-14; Isaiah 9:1-7.

ETS: Isaiah foretold of the hope coming in Jesus.

ESS: The nature of hope prophesied by Isaiah is found in Jesus.

OSS: [Devotional] {I want the hearers to embrace the hope of Jesus for this advent season.}

PQ:

What is the nature of hope found in these passages?

UW: Nature

Intro.: [AGS]: People have sought to define and embrace hope that is lasting for all of history. A few examples are provided by Andrew Davis in Exalting Jesus in Isaiah, “In every epoch of history, humanity has sought a righteous form of government, but the depravity in every nation has made it impossible. The pharaohs of Egypt enslaved people to build their own pyramids. The Assyrians introduced new depths of human brutality into government, leaving piles of corpses behind them. The Greeks under Alexander the Great sought to spread the fruits of Greek wisdom, but the despotic Greek kings that followed him left a trail of defilement in the pages of history. The Roman empire brought stable government and a great road system, propped up with the overwhelming power of their legions. The barbarian hordes swept across Europe from the icy northland and the steppes of Asia and put out the lights of culture and of government for centuries. The “divine right of kings” dominated Christendom in Western Europe during the Middle Ages with its feudal system, but the government was only as good or bad as the king’s moral character. The American Revolution sought to break away from the monarchy and establish a government “of the people, by the people, for the people,” in Abraham Lincoln’s famous words; but the government established here has proven to be far from perfect, corrupted as it is by the sinful hearts “of the people.” The twentieth century saw an experiment in governmentally forced sharing for the supposed benefit of the poor, called Communism, and it has proven a gross economic, social, and moral failure all over the world. Representative democracy, with all of its weaknesses and corruptions, still remains the best the human race has developed; but as Winston Churchill said famously, “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” Thus it is clear with these examples people have sought to define and embrace hope for all of history, failing at each turn. [TS]: Yet, the prophet Isaiah foretold of a hope coming in a child that was worth trusting. It provided encouragement to those suffering in various ways. [RS]: Though for different reasons, each of you carry baggage in life that can discourage and depress you. Maybe as we approach this Christmas season, for one reason or another, you are feeling less than hopeful and not feeling celebratory. The hope offered in Jesus is one worth embracing; it is one relevant to you today; It is one that is real for you to embrace today.

TS: Let examine the nature of hope found in these passages.

It is a present hope. [7:10-14]

It is a wise, powerful, eternal, and peaceful hope. [9:1-7]

CONCLUSION:

[1] Have you embraced this type of hope?

[2] What hinders you from experiencing this type of hope during this season of celebration?

Consulted Resources:

[1] Andrew M. Davis, Exalting Jesus in Isaiah (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2017), 61–62.

[2] Tremper Longman III, “Isaiah,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1056.

[3] F. Derek Kidner, “Isaiah,” in New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, ed. D. A. Carson et al., 4th ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), 640.