Christ: Our Hope and Security
Notes
Transcript
Hanging of the Greens
Hanging of the Greens
21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
the grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God stand forever.
pray..
The idea of security is not something that jumps to our minds first as prepare for the Advent season. The season we remember and celebrate the first coming of Christ. We think of joy and peace and gifts; but security is probably not in the top ten.
The same can be said for one Naval Seaman Elgin Staples. (Mother is Vera Mueller-Staples)
Elgin is at sea for routine and normal activity in 1942 off the coast of the Guadalcanal. He cruising on the USS Astoria when all of a sudden the ship was hit by enemy cruisers in a surprise attack. The explosion was devastating. Many were wounded; more than 200 men killed; and there was Elgin surrounded by death and destruction. He panics frantically thinking he was next to die. In the midst of his misery he grabs hold to a lifebelt designed to keep the seamen afloat in case of emergency. He keeps hope alive as he floats and later would be rescued by the USS Bagley.
Elgin gets situated on USS bagley and notices that his life belt was made in his hometown at the Local Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. He gets back to the US and arrives home. Everyone wanted updates on his travel and everything but he was focused on the life belt. His mother Vera Mueller Staples worked at this Firestone. She asked what serial number was on the belt. He told her the number and tears strolled down her face: as she informed him …..that was her inspector number. Elgin’s safety was made long before he ever knew he needed it.
Long before we knew we needed help; God the father, Son, and Holy Spirit wrote up the plan for redemption. We know it as the Covenant of Grace: God the Father (Godhead) promised to prepare a human body for God the Son, anoint Him with the Spirit, support him in his atoning work and deliver him from the power of death and seat him at his right hand. Jesus had to be born under the law and obey the will of God the father without sin; to pay the penalty of sin and merit salvation for the elect.
Salvation was given to the world on the cross and was vindicated in his resurrection. But before all of this could take place; Jesus had to be born in human form.
how did this happen? Christ became man by assuming a real body and a reasoning soul. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary who gave birth to him yet He was sinless.
21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
matthew 1:22-23
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us).
Call his name Jesus-the name Jesus is a transliteration of the Hebrew name Joshua, which means “the LORD is salvation.”
Joshua in the OT did great things for God’s people, yet the Second Joshua, Jesus would save people from their sin. He fought this battle alone. His person and finished work on the cross have given us …the redeemed ….Hope and Security that we are God’s children and will one day enter the Promise Land of God’s Presence.
God gave us something we never would seek out on our own. Left to ourselves; we would chose all of the wrong things. By nature, being children of wrath; we chose death and sin. We would chose to walk in darkness and move further away from God.
But God being rich in mercy loved us despite our sinfulness and ordered the plan of salvation for all of those who would turn from their sin, put their faith in Christ.
I realize there are many expectation of Jesus during this Advent season: restored health, increased success and influence and the list goes on….Begin the Advent season with an open heart filled with Hope because of Jesus our Savior.
let’s pray
Jesus, thank You for coming to save all those who call on You. We often get wrapped up in our own self-righteousness and feel like our salvation is done and over with, but You desire a continual renewal of our hearts; “Search us , God, and know our hearts … if there is any offensive way in us , and lead us in the way everlasting”
dismissal…see bulletin
benediction:
A Hopeful Benediction
Be people of hope.
Let hope live in your heart and share the hope of Christ with all you meet.
