Messiah

Outline

November 30 (Advent Week 1)

Sermon Title: "Opening The First Present: Purpose"

Sermon Description: God gives us purpose by design.  We are to honor and worship God as a way of magnifying His glory.  We were created in God's image and the angels are said to look upon us in awe.  Displaying God is built into our literal and metaphorical DNA!  When you look at how God uses His chosen people, it is explicitly to contrast His glory with the compromised, inglorious creations of man.  The painting created through God's Chosen People (Israel and Judah) is one of a people sanctified by God, blessed and protected by God, who ultimately couldn't keep themselves aligned to what God called them to do.  It would be easy to look at this and suggest that God's glory had failed, but this was only the set-up for something beautiful: the coming of Christ.  Christ's coming, ministry, sacrifice, and eternal victory over death is the ultimate opportunity for us to enjoy this gift of purpose.  Because now we are purposeful, not because of WHO WE ARE, but because of WHO GOD MAKES US.

December 7 (Advent Week 2)

Sermon Title: "Opening The Second Present: Creation"

Sermon Description: It's funny that when we talk about God's gifts, we often forget the big picture of creation.  Creation is evidence of God's generosity and an ever-present gift handed to us from the beginning.  In the beginning, God created all things and THEN he created Adam and Eve before resting.  This is a pretty clear indicator that we were the culmination of God's creation.  We also know Adam was given dominion over creation.  It is a beautiful thing and, unfortunately, something people are often warned or guilted away from appreciating.  We can all appreciate the wonder of the night's sky or the beauty of living things, but our existence IN creation is also a gift to appreciate.  Solomon tells us as much in Ecclesiastes... to "eat, drink, and enjoy your labors" because these are also gifts from God.  This goes a step further when we realize that one another are also creations to enjoy.  God knew it was not good for us to be alone, so He gave us one another to enjoy as a part of Creation which we experience today as the church... a gift ultimately given to us through the coming of Christ.

December 14 (Advent Week 3)

Sermon Title: "Opening The Third Present: Hope"

Sermon Description: Christ, our living hope!  We associate the concept of "Hope" with Christianity, but hope has been built into mankind's relationship with God since the beginning.  The literal atonement (or covering-over) of Adam and Eve at the end of Genesis 3, God's promises to Noah, the covenant with Abraham, God's commissioning of Moses, the anointing of David, and the words of the prophets all speak to God's desire for us to hold hope.  Hope isn't a vague concept; it's something God very actively gifts us just when we need it.  Sometimes hope is physical.  Other times it is spiritual.  In all forms, it harkens to God's dominion and sovereignty over all Creation despite circumstances or the actions of man.  Praise God for His consistent and stalwart hope!  We have done everything possible to not deserve it, yet even in the midst of our trials and righteous discipline, God communicates the Hope to come which was realized through the coming of Jesus Christ.

December 21 (Advent Week 4)

Sermon Title: "Opening The Fourth Present: Messiah"

Sermon Description: Hints of the Messiah pop up early in the Old Testament.  It's almost as if God already knew what He was going to do the second sin entered into the equation.  God knew we couldn't do it on our own.  He gave us opportunities and provided the framework to do it, but ultimately that only served the purpose of proving that we can't earn it.  The conclusion was clear: salvation must be a gift.  There is no other way we could attain it outside of God's mercy and love.  When we celebrate the coming of Christ, we don't just celebrate a birthday or a singular miraculous event; we celebrate reaching the summit of a mountain built upon all God's divine gifts.  Jesus is the fruition of purpose.  He is the sovereign of Creation.  He is the realization of Hope.  And He is the embodiment of salvation.  He is Messiah in spirit and flesh given not because we deserved it, but because of our God's glorious generosity.

The Announcement

The annunciation has always been meaningful to me.

It is a scene of miracles, but also something more powerful.

...a scene of promise.

Luke 1:26–33 CSB

26 In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And the angel came to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was deeply troubled by this statement, wondering what kind of greeting this could be. 30 Then the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 Now listen: You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.”

PROMISE 1: God sees your virtue and notices your righteous struggle —> Found favor in Mary.

PROMISE 2: God has a plan for you —> Told Mary she was to have a son.

PROMISE 3: God will be glorified —> Son will be the “Son of the Most High”.

PROMISE 4: God is faithful to His promise —> “...and his kingdom will have no end.”

Each promise brings it’s own blessing in our life.

It is a blessing to know God sees our struggles for good and to resist evil, especially when the visibility to others isn’t there.

It is a blessing to know God has plans for us and will call us into His service as He sees fit.

It is a blessing to know God will make His glory evident for us to see and know.

AND FINALLY… It is a blessing to know God is faithful and will not abandon us.

At this scene, I have mentioned my own hurt in wanting a family and children to call my own (so I don’t need to get into it again).

No matter how ‘rational’ you may be, knowing that things will be fine, mourning can make restoration seem like an impossibility...

Luke 1:36–37 CSB

36 And consider your relative Elizabeth—even she has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called childless. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”

God doesn’t forget us. The coming of Christ proved that. Just as He remembered the bondage of His people in Egypt, he remembered us in bondage to sin and sent His son to die for our sins.

He is the gift that this is all about. It is… in fact… all about the gifts, but not gifts we stick under a tree or exchange at holiday events. It’s about a gift eternal and everlasting, first introduced in the Garden of Eden, affirmed through the patriarchs, foretold by the prophets, and proven thro.