Living Hope
Advent 2025 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Handout
Walk Up Video: Invitation of Hope Christmas
HOPE / PROPHECY
HOPE / PROPHECY
Children’s message: Advent 1: HOPE / PROPHECY
2 Parts to this message.
Part 1:
Do any of you know what Season we are starting today? Advent
Do you know what the word “Advent” means? Coming
So, the season of Advent is a time of preparing the way for His coming.
Preparing our hearts to receive Him in a fresh way.
Preparing our minds to know Him better.
Preparing souls to worship Him without holding back.
Preparing our bodies to serve Him diligently.
In this season of Advent we focus on His 2 Comings. What are they?
1st Coming. Born in Bethlehem. Christmas. Remembering the past.
2nd Coming. On the clouds from Heaven. Looking forward to the future.
To look forward to the future is what hope is all about.
But, our hope is connected to prophecy, why?
Do you know what prophecy is?
Another word for prophecy could be promise.
God promises things to us that He says He will give us in the future.
And each promise from God is like a gift to us by God.
And what do we do at Christmas time? Give each other presents.
I want each gift we receive this year to remind us of God’s promises to us.
So, this year, when we open our presents, I think it would be cool for you to think of a promise from God that He has given to you as a gift and tell your family what that promise is. Parents can help.
Hope is looking forward to what has been promised, or what has been prophesied.
Part 2:
Do you know what the chances are of one man fulfilling 8 prophecies given ahead of time?
Simplistic Demonstration:
How odds work - If I have 10 quarters in a bowl, you have a one in ten chance of picking the right one the first time.
Maybe just have a bowl with 10 quarters in it and only one is marked.
If there are 10 kids who draw a quarter, the odds are that only one of the ten will draw it out.
Can I get enough quarters to make a bowl 2 inches deep?
Have each child who wants to, reach in the bowl and try to pick the marked coin on the first try.
Theoretically, no one will, just to make a point.
State of Texas buried in silver dollars 2 feet deep.
3.5 times bigger than South Dakota.
The widest part of Texas is the same distance as Sioux Falls to Dallas.
Mark one coin and mix it in all over the entire state.
Pick a spot in Texas while blindfolded and grab the marked coin.
https://mapfrappe.com/outlines?show=68913
One man and 8 prophecies: 1 in 10x17. That is one chance in one with 17 zeros after it.
How about 48 prophecies? 1 in 10x157. That is one chance in one with 157 zeros after it.
According to scholars, there are over 300 prophecies that apply to Christ.
So there is only one way that Jesus could have fulfilled all 300 prophecies. He is God.
Have children return to their seats, except the child who will light the candle.
Play brief video as the child lights the first candle.
Video: The Name Of Jesus
Introduction
The first Sunday in Advent is preparation and anticipation of prophecy fulfilled, or HOPE.
Biblically, hope means to wait in anticipation of God’s answer.
Last week, Jared described hope as: Confident expectation and trust in God’s promises.
Hope anchors us - It keeps us right where we need to be.
Hope inspires us - It gives us courage to press on.
Hope spreads - We need to live this hope visibly in front of others.
Hope is meant to be lived out in community. We need each other.
Hope is found only in Jesus - Christ in you is the hope of glory.
Springboard off
Hope is found only in Jesus - Christ in you is the hope of glory.
to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
But true hope is not just wishful thinking on a dying promise.
Peter tells us that we have a hope that is alive.
Our hope lives and will deliver on what was promised.
Today we’re going to springboard off of what Jared began and look at our Living Hope
Why we can have hope
What proof is there that our hope is not in a dead promise?
What the outcome is of our hope
How we can know hope will deliver
What do we do until that day?
Read 1 Peter 1:3-5; 9-13
Why Can We Have Hope?
Why Can We Have Hope?
We Have Been Born Again (vs 3)
Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
“Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
According to His great mercy
Mercy means to look at the poor condition of someone else and being moved to want to do something to alleviate their suffering.
Specifically here, to alleviate the misery caused by the consequences of sin.
God doesn’t want us to suffer the misery of the consequences of our sin.
He does that first, by helping us cross over from death to life.
That process is called being born again.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
Being born again brings us hope.
That hope is found only in Jesus - Christ in you is the hope of glory, the hope of things to come.
to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
“For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”
Because of what Jesus did for us, when we put our faith in Him, there is then a deposit made in our souls. That deposit is the hope of glory.
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
to make ashamed
to be disgraced
will not be frustrated
Finally, he does that by infusing the Holy Spirit into us and the Holy Spirit brings to us the love of God.
Love - All of God’s kind intentions towards us.
Love - What is in our best interest and for our good.
Hesed
The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament 2617. חֶסֶד ḥeseḏ
kindness, lovingkindness, mercy, goodness, faithfulness, love, acts of kindness. This aspect of God is one of several important features of His character: truth; faithfulness; mercy; steadfastness; justice; righteousness; goodness.
Sin is the opposite of these attributes, and the consequences of sin is always death in some way.
Again, He is alleviating the misery of the consequences of our sin.
Because God loves us and poured out His mercy upon us through Jesus Christ, when we accept Him by faith into our lives, the Holy Spirit comes in and begins to renovate our lives and hangs up a sign that says, “Hope for the finished product is guaranteed.”
“Hope For The Finished Product Is Guaranteed.”
“Hope For The Finished Product Is Guaranteed.”
So we can say,
“Be Patient With Me, God’s Not Finished With Me Yet.”
“Be Patient With Me, God’s Not Finished With Me Yet.”
What Proof Do We Have That Our Hope Is Not In A Dead Promise?
What Proof Do We Have That Our Hope Is Not In A Dead Promise?
Born Again To A Living Hope (vs 3)
The Resurrection of Jesus gives us the hope to know we will be resurrected as well. (vs 3, 9-12)
and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.
...your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.
If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.
If Jesus was still buried in that tomb - then our hope would indeed be a dead hope.
But Paul’s argument here is that Christ indeed has been raised.
But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
According to the Scriptures: As to our salvation the prophets prophesied (vs 9-12).
They carefully searched and researched the very prophetic words given them by God.
They wanted to know who the Holy Spirit was foretelling them would be the Messiah.
They wanted to know when the Holy Spirit was foretelling them the Messiah would come.
They wanted to better understand what sufferings the Messiah was going to go through
They wanted to know more about the glories that would follow His sufferings
But God revealed to them that those things were not for them or for their time.
They were prophesying things for us and for our time and for our future.
Partly so that we would have the “proof” of what we believe.
So that there would be certainty to our faith.
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
“According To The Scriptures” - The Prophets Prophesied
“According To The Scriptures” - The Prophets Prophesied
Example: Talk prophecies and fulfillment.
An example: Matthew. Matthew’s goal was to prove that Jesus was the prophesied Messiah.
“As was written in the prophets...”
Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”
Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; For out of you shall come forth a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”
So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi. Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “A voice was heard in Ramah, Weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; And she refused to be comforted, Because they were no more.”
Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight!’ ”
Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— “The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light, And those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, Upon them a Light dawned.”
When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases.”
This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “Behold, My Servant whom I have chosen; My Beloved in whom My soul is well-pleased; I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
Have people draw in the lines connecting the prophecy with its fulfillment.
Glories to follow - hope -
Of the over 300 Prophecies about Jesus in the OT, many of these prophecies were written 600 - 700 years before Jesus was born.
Of the approx. 300, only about 100 of them are about His first coming.
About 10% of the prophecies are about His birth.
About 20% are about His resurrection.
A full 2/3 of them are about His Second Coming.
These are things so amazing that even the angels long to understand them better.
What Is The Outcome Of Our Hope?
What Is The Outcome Of Our Hope?
Jesus’s resurrection assures us of an inheritance that is to come - the salvation of our souls (vs 4, 9)
The fruit of faith is hope in future salvation.
Salvation is divided into three parts.
Justification - Past - Jesus - saved from the penalty of sin.
Sanctification - Present - Holy Spirit - being saved from the power of sin.
Glorification - Future - Father - will be saved from the presence of sin.
This salvation described here is the glorification and that glorification includes our inheritance.
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.
Inheritance (vs 4)
This word is used in the Septuagint to refer to Israel’s promised possession of the land. “The Promised Land”.
So both the glorification of our bodies and what we will receive in Heaven.
This inheritance is described in vivid terms of permanence.
It is as indestructible as God’s Word. (vs 23)
imperishable - free from death
undefiled/spoil - free from impurity
will not fade away - free from decay
How Can We Know That Hope Will Deliver?
How Can We Know That Hope Will Deliver?
Reserved in heaven for you (vs 4)
tereo - to guard and keep watch over like a soldier watching a prisoner.
No one can remove, undermine, or destroy this promise, it is in safe custody.
Protected by the power of God (vs 5)
protected - shielded as a garrison (fortified military post) within a city.
dunamis - not potential, but rather achieving power - it is not impotent. It will happen.
through faith
A salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Future looking forward
It’s in the que
What Are We To Do Until That Day?
What Are We To Do Until That Day?
Therefore...
Prepare your minds for action. Be ready for anything.
In context, this was written to the saints who had been dispersed across Asia Minor who were living as sojourners as if in a foreign land and were beginning to experience persecution by the Roman emperor Nero.
Let nothing surprise you.
Be vigilant and watchful, in a state of readiness.
Keep sober in spirit. Be aware of what’s going on, but don’t let it freak you out.
In the climate of hostility and spiritual oppression, the sojourner is inclined to despair and will not persevere.
worry
fear
Fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you.
It is important to be future-oriented when sojourning, for in this world there will be misunderstanding, slander, and persecution for one’s faith.
but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;
Don’t get distracted or deterred.
If you do, get refocused.
Grace - God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense - literally.
That IS coming your way.
Be obedient to the Lord.
The believer’s hope will affect both how the they embrace the suffering that comes their way, and their standard of conduct before a watching world.
In spite of your circumstances, God’s got a mission for you to accomplish until the Day of Christ comes.
Closing:
The babe born in a manger that first Christmas morn was the seed of a living hope,
who would live a perfect sinless life,
die a horrible death on a cross as atonement for our sins,
was buried,
and then arose from the grave as a fulfillment of God’s promises to that point
AND as a deposit guaranteeing that the rest of His promises will come to pass.
But that forgiveness of sins and hope for the future can only be applied to those who have been born again by putting their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Embrace the Christ child this morning and let hope reign afresh and live in your heart once again.
Closing Song: Hymn of Heaven
