2024a Advent - Hope
Notes
Transcript
This weekend most people in our country and our churches will transition from the Thanksgiving holiday to the rush towards the Christmas season. We move from turkey and ham, family and friends to the rush of the crowds, the desire to find the perfect gift and to plan for holiday gatherings of fun and celebration.
The season of spending and speed starts to ramp up and will continue to get busier and busier for many people. An in our consumer based country we will be bombarded with temptations to seek many things this time of year. To focus on and chase after things of this world to chase after many distractions.
For others this is a season of sorrow and loss as they remember the great memories of those that are no longer with us. Holiday events that our loved ones were so involved in are just not the same anymore. Family traditions are forced to change because we are missing pieces of the tradition and so this time of year can be a time of trial and sorrow.
One of the reasons that I believe the advent season is helpful for believers and the church is much of it turns our attention away from the things that are going on during this season that can be drawing our attention and focus. It points us back to the reason that we as Christians celebrate during this time.
It points us to the little baby boy that was born in the humblest of places, a lowly manger amongst the animals. Without pomp or show. Foretold by God himself through the prophets of old.
6 For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 7 The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the Lord of Armies will accomplish this.
The promised king would come and save his people. The promised messiah and savior would one day come and make everything right. The promise is the advent or the coming arrival of the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. The hope for mankind.
I looked at many surveys and studies about the state of the country in relation to hopelessness. Though the data ranges quite a bit it is concerning that hopelessness and related issues is high among teens and especially young adults. Some recent studies are showing that around 50% of young adults have feelings of hopelessness multiple times in a span of a coupe of weeks. With teens it is above 30% pretty consistently. But the most concerning thing is that all of the studies that I looked at show one thing in common, each year the numbers are growing.
So where does the hope of a Christian come from? What is the basis of a believers Hope? Let us explore our hope today.
Today turn with me to Romans 15.
Knowing the Promise’s of God
Knowing the Promise’s of God
1 Now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not to please ourselves. 2 Each one of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For even Christ did not please himself. On the contrary, as it is written, The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me. 4 For whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that we may have hope through endurance and through the encouragement from the Scriptures. 5 Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, according to Christ Jesus, 6 so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one mind and one voice.
Paul is writing to the church in Rome and here is speaking to about unity of the church. Unity of strong and weak Christians. He is calling those that have strength to bear witness and to be there for those who are weak. To let go of selfishness and let go of their own personal pleasures and desires to please his neighbor and to build him up.
Christ was this example as he lived not to please himself. As Paul is writing to the church in verse 4 he tells them that what was written in the past, what was recorded in the scriptures, it was written for instruction. Specifically for the church. This is believed to be one of Paul’s later letters and he is telling them to turn to the pages and the scrolls of the holy words of God, so that we may have hope.
In the great Psalm 119 where the psalmist gives the great worth of God’s word to his life, he uses the phrase “I put my hope in your word.” Fourteen times the psalmist refers to the promises of God. He knew of that hope and promise were directly connected.
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints 5 because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. You have already heard about this hope in the word of truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. It is bearing fruit and growing all over the world, just as it has among you since the day you heard it and came to truly appreciate God’s grace.
When I taught the youth we used a simple reading method for examining the scriptures. We would read the passage and we would write down three things and then discuss them.
We would look for the truths of scripture. The bible makes statements of fact about who God is who man is and the world we live. This gives the basis for the reality that we look to the scriptures. The constant truths of God and his creation. We must know who God is and who we are in order to frame the teaching of God in our lives.
Second we would look for the commands of God. Those areas of scripture where God tells us there is something we must do or be. This lead us to obedient lives that love God and please him. The way that we are to live today.
Third we look for the promises. We seek to find the things that God has promised to those in the bible and to us as believers. This lead to what we hope for what we belief is for our future.
Hope is built on a promise. It is the anticipation of something that is promised to be fulfilled in the future. The bible is full of promises. One man in Canada spent a year and a half just reading the bible with the intent of recording all of the promises in the bible. What he recorded was about 7,500 promises from God to mankind.
Each of these were spoken or written by God himself as he inspired men to record the scriptures. In every time there are promises from God to his people. Always pointing his people toward the future. Towards things that are unseen at the time. For we hope in what has not come to pass yet.
Believing in the Promises of God
Believing in the Promises of God
23 Not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits—we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24 Now in this hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? 25 Now if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.
Here Paul encourages the church by pointing them to the promise of adoption for those that are saved. Not just saved from the wrath of God but promised to be heirs with the Son and the redemption of their bodies.
6 He poured out his Spirit on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life.
This is one of the promises in the scriptures and each and every believer lives in hope that they to will be saved and become heirs, receivers of eternal life. In this hope we are saved. Christians believe that on that day when each and every person stands to be judged that by the blood of the cross that the promise of Romans 10:9 will come to be true.
9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Last week we witnessed four people get baptised in the symbolism of dying with Christ and raised with him in life. Proclaiming that they have this hope and this belief that this promise is true. When a person comes to believe so much in a promise that they are willing to do just about anything to to see that promise come to be.
We spend massive amounts of money and time to pursue collage degrees in the hope that the time and money invested will pay off in the end with a better job or profession. We will go to great lengths to make sure we are the lead candidate for a promised promotion at work. Or a person might spend most of their lives trying to get to the Olympics because a couch told them that they were good enough to compete.
When a person’s behavior align to a promise, when their hope is a reason for how they live today, this is what we call faith.
1 Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.
Faith is the reality of what is hoped for and the proof of what is unseen. Promises, hope and faith.
Abel hoped his offering would be accepted by God.
Abraham’s faith was the reality of his hope in the many promises of God. That he would be the father of many nations. That when God commanded him to sacrifice Issac that God would save him. That when he was told to go he went, not knowing where God would lead him. To the Land of Promise.
Noah built and arc for 120 years. He preached and built.
They lived in the hope of the promise even if many of the promises were never fulfilled in their own life time.
13 These all died in faith, although they had not received the things that were promised. But they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth. 14 Now those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they were thinking about where they came from, they would have had an opportunity to return. 16 But they now desire a better place—a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
They lived each day, many with mistakes and set backs, but they lived believing in the promises of God. This is where they put their hope. They had placed their hope in future promises because God had been faithful in other promised that had ben fulfilled.
God ultimately confirmed the promises to the fathers through the life and death of Christ.
Confirmation of Promises of God
Confirmation of Promises of God
7 Therefore welcome one another, just as Christ also welcomed you, to the glory of God. 8 For I say that Christ became a servant of the circumcised on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises to the fathers, 9 and so that Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and I will sing praise to your name. 10 Again it says, Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people! 11 And again, Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; let all the peoples praise him! 12 And again, Isaiah says, The root of Jesse will appear, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles; the Gentiles will hope in him.
The many promises in the old testament to the fathers, to Isreal have been confirmed in the servant of Christ. God the Son who emptied himself to take on the form of a servant.
7 Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, 8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross.
God promised that the Gentiles would hope to have the same hope of salvation and redemption from their sin as the fathers of the Israelite nation. The promise that a savior, a messiah, would come and come to save his people has been fulfilled. These things have been completed for true believers.
13 He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. 14 In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and by him all things hold together. 18 He is also the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. 21 Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds as expressed in your evil actions. 22 But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through his death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before him—23 if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it.
See what has been accomplished but not all is done yet. While we live there is an if.
23 if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it.
This gospel, this good news has been proclaimed in all of creation under heaven and those that are steadfast and hold onto this hope will be those that are saved. This is not that people will fall from being saved but that those who stay faithful will prove to be the ones that have this hope.
12 But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, 13 who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.
The faith we have in a promise is dependent on the character and quality of the one who gave the promise to begin with. If I make promises to my children, even in the little things and do not follow through with them then they will have little faith or hope in the the big promises that I make in the future.
But God has over and over again proven that he is faithful to fulfill any and all promises no matter how small or big. Because he is completely trustworthy.
17 Because God wanted to show his unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.
The promises of God are to be an anchor for our soul. God cannot lie. There is no falsehood in him so when he says something will come to pass then it will absolutely our come true. To be on water and to have wind gusting on you and waves are battering on the sides of a boat, it can become impossible to control but with an anchor the storm may pass and with patients we wait for the skies to clear.
This is the image that is being given here. When the different things of this world buffet and blow against our lives we are to be anchored in our hope in the firm and secure encouragement. We are not promised that everything will be fine in this world. We will see challenges and afflictions.
2 We have also obtained access through him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, 4 endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. 5 This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Paul says we know that these afflictions that they were enduring bring forth endurance, character, and then hope. Who would ever jump out of a plane and sky dive. The first time you hold those tiny parachute cords and you ask yourself will they even hold. But on the sixtieth time they are proven over and over again and the hope that is almost second nature now. You no longer question the cord as they have been faithful to keep you connected to the chute.
50 This is my comfort in my affliction: Your promise has given me life.
Christ confirmed the promises of old so that we can have the hope that does not disappoint. God can be trusted that the Holy Spirit that was given to each believer has sealed them and guards them in the promise and those that face affliction and trust in this hope will have their hope strengthened.
This work of the Spirit is active in a believer’s life.
Living in the Promises of God
Living in the Promises of God
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Little baby Jesus was born in the fulfillment of the promises of God. This was the first advent the first arrival that we remember on Christmas day. When we strip away everything else from Christmas day we are remembering the confirmation of the promise of the redeeming savior and this is to give us confidence in the second advent when Christ will return to fulfill the remaining promises. As so we wait patiently.
7 Therefore, brothers and sisters, be patient until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.
But while we wait we are not told to sit and do nothing. We are to live in obedience with expectation of these promises.
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 14 He gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people for his own possession, eager to do good works.
We wait but not idly. We have been redeemed and cleansed as a people that are eager to do good works. Not people who have to be begged, bribed, or threatened to do good works. But motivated.
We recall, in the presence of our God and Father, your work produced by faith, your labor motivated by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Because we believe this isn’t the end, that though we have been justified before God and we are being sanctified, we wait with anticipation for the time that we are glorified. The full completion of the promise.
10 He has delivered us from such a terrible death, and he will deliver us. We have put our hope in him that he will deliver us again
So we are to look forward from this day putting our hope completely in his work that has been accomplished and his work that is yet to be accomplished.
Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be sober-minded and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
Conclusion
God is a God of hope. He has never left his people without a promise to cling too. Promises that were set before time began.
1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness, 2 in the hope of eternal life that God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.
You were part of those promises. They were given for you to believe in and to put your trust in. They have been given to help us endure and to strengthen us. They are to inspire and give us confidence that God will fulfill his promises.
The promise of eternal life for those that believe in the name of the son, Jesus Christ. So we wait eagerly.
For we eagerly await through the Spirit, by faith, the hope of righteousness.
Is this a description of your attitude? Are you eager for the second coming of Christ? Are you awaiting in anticipation for the final glorification of your person.
Is your faith shaky? Or weak? Have you spent time in the word seeking the promises? Seeing them confirmed in history and in the testimony of other believers and your own life.
Maybe you are here and you realize that your hope is in the wrong things. You believe like many that if I am just a good enough person that I will go to heaven. Or maybe you put your trust in a prayer you said in VBS 20 years ago but you have not come to live out a faith that demonstrates a changed life. Have you put your trust in a priest or pastor instead of Christ. As you heard the message today was it clear to your mind that you need to put your trust and hope in the saving work of Jesus and him alone. If that is you today please reach out so that we can talk about that and your questions can be answered. Please be bold and find me after church and we will go and talk.
It is the time of year that there are usually more opportunities to speak of the hope that you have in a world that is realizing its hopelessness.
At that time you were without Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world.
Be in prayer and be aware of those around you. Be prepared to share the hope that you have. The promises of God that you stand on.
14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear them or be intimidated, 15 but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.
The Christmas season is called a season of Hope but the reality is that it is not just a season but a people. God’s church, his bride are a people of hope. We have been given the Gospel the good news of Jesus the message that Christ came born as man died on the cross, was raised from the dead, and lives as King and Priest over his people.
Let us be a people that live confidently in the Hope in fulfilment of the promises of our Lord God.
Let us pray.
Let us pray.
Prayer
Communion
Warning
Children, Lost, Sin
19 And he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 In the same way he also took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
27 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he gave it to them and said, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Prayer
Song
Closing
Blessing/Benediction
5 Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, according to Christ Jesus, 6 so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one mind and one voice.