A New Hope

Intro

Good Morning and welcome all to Iglesia Bautista Horeb’s English service. We have made it to New Years! Some of us have been drug to the end, some of us have drug ourselves to the end, some have had an easy to moderate go at it. but regardless of how the journey was we are here today, now Gathered as different people with the same cause, Christ. The end of the year is here, but I appreciate the sentiment that is usually expressed. Happy New year vs happy end of the year. our focus on the new is nothing new. In fact, we’ve been focusing on the new for as long as we’ve been in existence. Even our time in advent, though we spend a lot of the time focusing on looking back at a historical event of the birth of christ, it’s also supposed to ultimately point us forward to his return. Today I will be wrapping up our series with that in mind.

Thinking about the return of christ can be a daunting task, Lord knows he left us a lot to think about and pray through. There is a brach of christianity that was founded on the distinctive of predicting when Jesus will return, so far they’ve been wrong every time ignoring the words of Jesus, no one knows the day nor the hour, only the Father (paraphrase of Mark 13:32). There are also those of us that see every bit of rain or practicing ska band as a sign of the second coming. But there are three things that are certain, Jesus is coming back, he will be taking his remnant with him and with each passing day we are closer and closer to that time.

I will be bouncing around

Hope,Peace, Love and Joy

Isaiah 65:17–19 ESV

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness. I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress.

Revelation 21:1–4 ESV

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Historically, the season of Advent in the Christian liturgical calendar has a dual focus: it both commemorates the first coming of Christ at Christmas and anticipates His Second Coming. This dual nature has been a part of Advent since its earliest observances in the Christian Church. Advent historically ties into the Second Coming of Christ by being a season of anticipation and preparation for both the commemoration of Jesus' first coming in humility and His promised return in glory. This season serves as a reminder of the fulfillment of God’s promises in the past and an affirmation of the hope Christians hold for the future. Early Christian practices during Advent included fasting, prayer, and penance, much like Lent. This was done in anticipation of Christ's Second Coming, emphasizing preparation, watchfulness, and being spiritually ready.

Advent is a season that should help us celebrate and wait with joyful expectation our King, Jesus.

Titus 2:13 ESV

waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

Christ is our hope. the verses we just read show us why. God promised through Isaiah that there will be a day when all will be good again, kind of like in the Garden. Then in revelation we see how God’s promise through Isaiah will be fulfilled through christ in the second coming. As new testament believers we wait with hope, who’s our hope? Jesus

Just as Israel longed for the Messiah, we too await with hopeful expectation for His return, assured by the fulfillment of His first coming."

spurgeon

Peace

Christ is the Prince of peace and there is peace in his presence. At the announcement of his birth the angels declared: "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." Luke 2:14

Ephesians 2:13–14 ESV

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility

Romans 5:1 ESV

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is the beauty of the peace we have in christ. Some times we equate peace with being able to rest. But since becoming a believer my life has not become any easier. I don’t know about you guys but i would say it has gotten more difficult, but I can rest becasue I have peace with God. I don’t know if you remember from the previous sermon series when I spoke on the fact the we weren’t just a little far, but we were rebels, enemies of God. we had no peace but were always at odds with Him.

Romans 5:10 ESV

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

"The peace offered by Christ is not an absence of trouble, but is rather the confidence that He is there with you always."- sproul

Who is our Peace? Jesus

Love

John 3:16 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

1 John 4:19 ESV

We love because he first loved us.

Earlier in 1 john he says that God is love. I really appreciate the balance that marcos brought to this idea because sometimes love gets a bad rep of being all accepting and bubbly and never hard or anything we would call uncomfortable. but the reality is that true love is uncomfortable for as much as it is nice and warm. In love I have to correct my kids. in love I have to be corrected. If someone doesn’t love you, they’ll leave you as you are. People that wont have the hard convos cause it uncomfortable are people that don’t love you and if you’re not willing, you’re not loving enough. but remember, that doesn’t mean that harshness or a lack of compassion is needed. bringing the truth in love will cast out the fear we read of in 1 John. With out love we are noisy gongs.

The incarnation is God's love made visible. In Jesus, we see a love that stoops, that accommodates, that sacrifices. -Beg

Who loves us? Jesus

Joy

1 Peter 1:8–9 ESV

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Brothers and sisters we have great reason to be joyful. Jesus christ our king is alive and coming back. I love how this verse points us to the reality that we can’t see him, yet be God’s spirit we feel him, our hope, peace and love. To know, to have, to behold christ, as we will find out in the next series, leads us to become more like christ. And that should bring us great Joy to know our victory is in christ and not in our failing flesh.

This joy, first announced to shepherds, is ours today and will be made complete in His glorious return."-lawson

who is our Joy? Jesus

Waiting through the wait

So what do we do now? As I said earlier, Early Christian practices during Advent included fasting, prayer, and penance, much like Lent. This was done in anticipation of Christ's Second Coming, emphasizing preparation, watchfulness, and being spiritually ready.

So then what is our to do as we wait for Christ to return? A long while back in a UYWI conference I heard a speaker say, “are you waiting on God, as you wait for God?” This sense of waiting here is like what you experience in a restaurant. In other words, are you serving God as you wait for him? Or in this case are we serving christ as we wait for him?

how you might ask? Good question:

The incarnation is God's love made visible. In Jesus, we see a love that stoops, that accommodates, that sacrifices.-Begg

We are to love one another as christ says in John 13:35

John 13:34–35 ESV

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Love your neighbor as your self. In james we read that true religion is

James 1:27 ESV

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

But know that we are to rest in christ even as we serve. What does that look like? to rest in his finished work.

sproul-The peace offered by Christ is not an absence of trouble, but is rather the confidence that He is there with you always."