Finding Real Hope This Christmas

Introduction

When you think of the word Hope what normally comes to mind? There is a percentage of you that hoped for a different outcome of the game yesterday between Alabama Vs. Auburn. There are many of us would hope for a white Christmas and we know how low the percentage of chance that is.

I saw hope destroyed in a little boy a couple of days ago. Oh the innocence and frailty of heart and spirit in small children. We were at an Evening Gala meal with Family on the Disney Wish Cruise Ship Merry time voyage during Thanksgiving in the Bahamas. The waiter was simply outstanding and he embraced our family and the waiter was so engaging and entertaining in his own right.

We were just before receiving our dessert when the waiter asked my grandson Henry to come forward and sit in a chair at the end of the table at the head chair of the table. Henry who is eight moved to the other end of the table from his little brother Hammy who is age six who was sitting down by me. The waiter made a large announcement. He along with the assistant waiter were going to make Henry disappear. They were going to perform magic trick. They held up a large sheet and he recited a countdown and he said“1, 2, 3” and dropped the sheet and Henry was gone. All the family celebrated, we all clapped, we laughed, we applauded the magic trick. But not little Hammy. Hammy’s lips poked out and began to quiver and he began crying uncontrollably that his brother Henry was really gone. He did not find the magic trick entertaining at all. For you see, Hammy lost hope that he would ever see his big brother again.

In Merriam-Webster, the word Hope in the verb form means:

to cherish a desire with anticipation : to want something to happen or be true

trust

In the Noun form:

desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment

**someone or something on which hopes are centered**

Listen to Emily Dickinson’s thoughts about hope:

“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul—and sings the tune without the words—and never stops at all.” – Emily Dickinson

I read this as it something within us that flutters our spirit. It invigorates us and offers life purpose, a reason to get out of bed in the morning. Something that invigorates us.

“Where there is no vision, there is no hope.” – George Washington Carver

George Washington Carver says in no uncertain words that hope gives us a sense of purpose or direction in maintaining that hope.

There may be some here this morning if I asked you in who you placed your hope, you might respond “myself.” In other words you are in essence saying that you place hope in your ambition, your education, or your achievements. Another might say, “in my goals and ambition.” You place hope on you achieving certain personal dreams for your life, acquiring wealth, or finding success.

Oh dear friend listen to me this morning, individualism is strong in western culture and we have younger generations and older alike that find hope from within. Others may find hope in activism, working toward justice and equality, and environmental sustainability.

Others, your primary hope may be found in family and friends. Oh dear friend, all of these are good causes, but not perfected causes. They can be temporal, things can not go as planned, and they will not provide lasting satisfaction.

As we think this morning about hope, we will discover that the type hope we have should be a sure hope, an expectant hope, a hope that is in direct relation to our deep abiding faith. And dearly beloved, our hope should be rooted in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Turn with me in your Bibles this morning to:

Romans 15:12-13

Romans 15:12–13 “12 And again, Isaiah says: “There shall be a root of Jesse; And He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, In Him the Gentiles shall hope.” 13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Prayer

Message

Let me provide another definition of hope:

Holman Bible Dictionary Hope

HOPE Trustful expectation, particularly with reference to the fulfillment of God’s promises. Biblical hope is the anticipation of a favorable outcome under God’s guidance. More specifically, hope is the confidence that what God has done for us in the past guarantees our participation in what God will do in the future.

154 x in the Bible

76 x in NT

Hebrews 11:1 “1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Our faith props up our hope. So, our hope is in direct correlation to our faith.

Hebrews 6:19 “19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil,”

The primary theme of Romans is to communicate the gospel of salvation by faith, emphasizing God’s righteousness made available to us in His Son, Jesus Christ. Chapters 1-11 lays out the doctrine of justification, sanctification, and God’s plan to redeem both Jews and Gentiles alike.

In Chapters 12-16, Paul writes more pragmatically challenging believers to live in harmony and unity as testimony of the gospel’s transforming power in both Jews and Gentiles. In the verses prior, there were differences of thought as to alcohol consumed and certain meats eaten that brought about varying convictions due to one’s past upbringing. Namely the Jews had religious traditions that brought about certain convictions from their past that the Gentiles had not struggles with.

The church was birthed at Pentecost from early converts. Paul had not come to Rome until his 3rd missionary journey. You will remember that there were a myriad of believers that heard the gospel in their own tongue. All of them were saved, but each of them came from varying cultural and religious backgrounds. In simple terms, Jews and Gentiles were worshipping together and that brought about some nuances that Paul dealt with in this letter. Paul wrote addressing the tensions, acknowledging the diversity, recognizing the differences, but challenged the believers to live in harmony and unity in the hope they have in Jesus Christ.

In verse 7, Paul makes a conclusive exhortation:

Romans 15:7 “7 Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.”

Treat others as Christ has treated you. Welcome others as Christ welcomed you.

Furthermore, He wrote that reaching the Gentiles was always a part of God’s divine plan.

Look with me at Romans 15:8-11

Romans 15:8–11 NKJV

8 Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers, 9 and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written: “For this reason I will confess to You among the Gentiles, And sing to Your name.” 10 And again he says: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!” 11 And again: “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples!”

Paul reminded the Jews that Christ became a servant to His chosen people to confirm the promises of God to the Patriarchs over time in sending a Messiah to save God’s people, but to extend that mercy to the Gentiles.

Paul quotes Isaiah 11:10 “10 “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious.””

Verse 13 acts as a benedictory prayer asking God to help the church at Rome to overcome their divisions and to be unified in their shared hope in Christ.

1. The Source of Our Hope (v. 12)

Romans 15:12 “12 And again, Isaiah says: “There shall be a root of Jesse; And He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, In Him the Gentiles shall hope.””

Dearly beloved, there is a tapestry all through the Word of God promising a Messiah to come who would be of the “root of Jesse”.

Even before the story of Samuel :

1 Samuel 16:11–13 “11 And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all the young men here?” Then he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here.” 12 So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.”

By the fact David was “ruddy”, admoni meant that his skin was reddish or the fact he had a glowing complexion of skin revealing health and vitality. The scriptures also state that he had “bright eyes and good looking.”

God caused something to stand out about David that reflected the promise of something greater to come.

The burning bush stood out to Moses as a sign of something greater.

The still small voice in front of the cave stood out to Elijah.

“Peace be still” stood out to the disciples.

What is God using this Christmas to make Him stand out in your life?

What are you grasping hold to instill in you hope? Reach out to Jesus. He is our source of hope.

Do you have hope? Real lasting hope? Sustaining hope?

Promised to Abraham

All the way back to the promises of Abraham in Genesis 22:18 “18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.””

This promise revealed that the promised Messiah would come through the Abraham’s lineage bring blessing and redemption to all people groups, all nationalities, all colors of skin, all peoples.

Paul was explicit in Galatians 3:16 “16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.”

Paul stated Christ was the seed to fulfill the promise of Abraham.

Promised to Isaac

Genesis 26:3–4 “3 Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. 4 And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed;”

-a continued hope in his linage to bless the nations.

Promised to Jacob

Genesis 49:10 “10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.”

-the Messiah would be royalty and establish a Godly kingdom and command obedience of the peoples.

Promised to David

2 Samuel 7:12–13 “12 “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”

-the promise to David promised an eternal kingdom, a promise fulfilled in Jesus.

Matthew 1:1 “1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:”

Luke 1:32–33 “32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.””

Oh dearly beloved, Jesus is our hope. And He is the hope for you today.

Ill. Consider for a moment your life as the seedling at birth that creates a large tree. The reality in the growth cycle of that tree is that there are periods that things seem dormant, other times there is bountiful growth, if you are a fruit producing tree, times there are a bumper crop, and other times no harvest. There are times of drought, times of coldness and survival, other times windblown and the tops have been blown out.

The reality is that we want to be like the Psalmist who describes a tree in Psalm 1:3 “3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.”

I saw trees with tops blown out from Hurricane Helene, guess what, they are still alive. The roots are still implanted in the ground.

We wonder many times as we know this history of the prophecy of our Lord and Savior, we see side steps, and delayed maneuvers and a battery of people that were mishaps to accomplish God’s will.

When you consider David in the linage who was an adulterer of Bathsheba and ordered the murder of Uriah the Hittite, her husband. When you consider that Rahab the Harlot was in the linage of Jesus in Matthew 1:5–6 “5 Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, 6 and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.”

Rahab was a Canaanite woman living in Jericho who worked as a prostitute (Joshua 2:1).

Joshua 2:1 “1 Now Joshua the son of Nun sent out two men from Acacia Grove to spy secretly, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” So they went, and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab, and lodged there.”

Despite her past, she demonstrated great faith in God by hiding the Israelite spies and helping them escape. Because of her faith, she and her family were spared when Jericho was destroyed.

Rahab later married Salmon, and their son Boaz became an ancestor of Jesus. She is also celebrated for her faith in Hebrews 11:31 “31 By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace.”

AS I think about this tree, both this tree of life that brings us the Messianic promise of Jesus. God had a perfect plan using imperfect people to accomplish His will. And I think about this tree representing our lives, times of harvest and times of drought, times of dormancy and times of flourishing.

I am reminded of the constancy of God in His love for you and me. Dearly beloved, we may waver, but God does not. God used people that had imbalances, sin, and yet God used them in great ways and He can do the same with you. What is your hope stayed in this morning?

Hebrews 13:8 “8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

"Yesterday": Refers to Christ’s eternal existence and faithfulness throughout history, including His earthly ministry and redemptive work on the cross.

-worked before the foundations of the world.

Genesis 1:1 “1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

John 1:1 “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

-Worked in Bethlehem.

Luke 2:11 “11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

Public Ministry

John 1:29 “29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

Luke 23:43 “43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.””

"Today": Emphasizes that Jesus is presently active, interceding for believers as our High Priest and empowering us through the Holy Spirit.

Revelation 3:20 “20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”

John 3:16 “16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Hebrews 7:25 “25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”

"Forever": Affirms His unchanging nature and eternal reign as King of Kings, providing assurance of His promises and future return.

John 14:1–3 “1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

I ask you today, where is your hope today?

-no hope

-false hope

-sured, biblical, expectant hope

God is the same God that has brought you to this point and is the God who will see you through.

Dearly beloved, God’s Words in this verse reminds us of the reliability and the consistency of Jesus in our lives, He is immutable, unchanging. Christ is our hope and stability in an ever changing world.

We bank on the promises of past to propel us today in the hope of Jesus in the here and now.

2. The Supply of Our Hope(v. 13a)

Romans 15:13 “13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Paul in this verse is offering a benedictory prayer to God, about God, and calling upon a filling from God.

The prayer is God focused.

Not only is Jesus Christ the source of our hope, but the supply of hope is seeded in the Trinity at work in our lives. It is the Holy Spirit at work in our lives that builds upon our hope.

God of Hope

Paul refers to God as the God of hope. Interesting.

God is the source of our hope and the supply and sustainer of our hope.

God is the origin and the output or operandi of our hope.

God is the person of our hope and the propulsion of our hope.

Oh dear brothers and sisters, your hope is not based on fleeting circumstances, but His eternal promises.

Psalm 18:2 “2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

Notice here that Paul calls upon God to hope to “fill you with all joy and peace in believing.”

Joy and Peace are two deep key manifestations of a life anchored in faith, a life lived out, fleshed out in a deep abiding hope.

Now over these next three weeks we will focus on joy and peace in our time together as we celebrate Advent. Interestingly that one marries up with the other. Joy and peace are reflected in our hope. Our hope is fueled in our faith.

Joy is more than happiness, happiness has to do with the happenings or circumstances in our lives. Now, lets not confuse the fact that a believer will have times of sadness and sorrow because in Christ we love deep and there will be events that brings about sorrow and hurt.

Jesus, our Lord and Savior wept.

But Joy is deep seated contentment and gladness knowing that whatever befalls us God’s love and promises will never fail us.

Lamentations 3:22–23 “22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.”

Peace: This refers to the inner tranquility that comes from trusting God, even in trials.

Philippians 4:7 “7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

What did Paul pray? Lord, please take this hodge podge group of believers with all the warts, and peculiarities, and insecurities, and issues and place your joy and peace founded in you and place it in them.

Note a very important criteria to your joy and peace this Christmas Season. Note a very important detail in this verse that will strengthen your expectancy of seeing Jesus in a fresh way this Christmas.

“In believing”

In Believing: Faith is the channel through which joy and peace flow. As we trust in God and His Word, He fills our hearts with these blessings, which become the foundation of our hope.

Ask yourself the question this morning, do I have real peace and joy this Christmas Season? The happenings going on in your life have nothing to do with lasting hope or joy or peace. I’m referring to a deep seated hope found in the person of Jesus Christ. Deep seated hope manifested in joy and peace is not shaken by the happenings of your life. Deep seated hope is rooted in Christ and powered and strengthened in the Holy Spirit.

Practical Application

Overflow to Others: When we abound in hope, it naturally flows into our interactions with others, encouraging and uplifting them.

Endurance in Trials: This hope enables believers to persevere through difficulties, knowing that God’s promises are sure and His Spirit is with us.

Witness to the World: A life marked by abounding hope, joy, and peace is a powerful testimony to the transformative power of the Gospel.