Hope Deferred.....

This past Sunday, I spoke to you on the subject of Hope. And specifically, I spoke about the BELIEVER’S HOPE/the BLESSED HOPE! And that message, as I mentioned last week, came after one of our dear sisters in Christ Jesus went home to be with the Lord and I spoke of how blessed I was because of her HOPE and ASSURANCE of salvation through her faith in the Lord!

As I was reading yesterday and getting ready for today’s message, I realized that today is the first Sunday of Advent.

Does everybody know and understand what Advent season is?

Advent, is the time of year that various denominations within the Christian Body, observe and celebrate the birth as well as the second coming of Jesus.

The word advent itself means “arrival” or “an appearing or coming into place.” Christians often speak of Christ’s “first advent” and “second advent”; that is, His first and second comings to earth.

Advent is typically observed throughout the first four Sundays in December, leading into the celebration of Jesus’ birth, that the world observes on December 25th!

And each of these Sundays has a set and designed theme that is observed as there are readings that people do that align with the themes for that Advent Sunday. The themes are as follows:

Hope

Peace

Joy

Love

And I was reading over this and yesterday and I realized that my message today, has a continued theme of HOPE! I was elated and ecstatic.

I didn’t plan this or pre-read into it. It just happened that the message that I started lasted week and that continues into this week, is that of the HOPE of the believer!

And so, on the day that the Western world recognizes as the first Sunday of Advent and that which is themed by HOPE, we just happen to be continuing with and talking as a body today!

AMEN!!!

So, I am going to start off today, before getting into the message itself, by reading a few passages that go along with the first Sunday of Advent and its theme of HOPE.

I’m going to read one passage that deals with and expresses the HOPE of the Old Testament prophets and their faith and belief in Yahweh for the future of God’s people and then I’ll read another Old Testament prophetic passage that is an extension of that future HOPE and that declares the coming of Messiah and the birth of the Christ, which was the HOPE of all mankind!.

Then I will read a couple of passages of HOPE that looks to the future return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, as we find recorded within the New Testament!

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Lamentations 3:21–24 ESV

21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: 22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

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Isaiah 9:2 ESV

2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.

Isaiah 9:6–7 ESV

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

And then from the New Testament, passages that declare the return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, our BLESSED HOPE:

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Titus 2:13 ESV

13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

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Revelation 1:7 ESV

7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

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1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 ESV

16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

How many of you get excited at the mention of and especially at the thought of the return and the eternal reign of Jesus Christ, the son of God?!

This morning, I am talking about HOPE, but looking at it, from a somewhat different angle. Last week, I mentioned “HOPE” as the world recognizes it and “HOPE”, as a believer in Jesus Christ recognizes it, are not the same thing.

I said that the word HOPE, as the world uses it, carries the understanding of uncertainty and chance.

Whereas, the BLESSED HOPE of a child of God, carries certainty and assurance.

We await our blessed hope, that is, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

For the Bible assures us that Christ is in the true believer, as tells us, “To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is CHRIST IN YOU, the hope of glory.

We know with full assurance and confidence that Jesus’ return, our BLESSED HOPE, is going to take place!

This is because God, Himself, has said that it would be so and He thus secured it by the blood of His own Son, Jesus the Christ!

And as the Bible states, “ For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.”

And so, if we have this ASSURED and CONFIDENT HOPE, as a follower of Jesus Christ, why do so many people wain and falter in their relationship and in their HOPE in Jesus as their Lord.

Why are so many people afraid to step out in faith and let Holy Spirit operate in and through their lives?

And why do so many of us say, “we believe” and “we have faith and HOPE” and yet, personally and at an individual level, so many of us, in our own hearts and minds, secretly question God and have doubts and concerns about our relationship with Him? That is, where is the HOPE and ASSURANCE in many “Christians” lives?!!!

I was reading the epistle of Philippians this week, written by the Apostle Paul, and something jumped out me that made me think about this deprivation, or scarcity of HOPE of a believer that I am speaking of this morning.

When Paul wrote the epistle of Philippians, it was one of four prison letters that he wrote. The four were: Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon (Philippians being the last of those written, theoretically).

And why are they referred to Paul’s “prison letters”?

Here is a hint, “Paul wasn’t writing to Christians that were in prison”!

Paul wrote these four letters to the churches within the province of Asia Minor thus, fellow Christians, while he was under a Roman prison sentence.

So, Paul was writing, from prison, to other Christians.

And in this letter, it is important to note that Paul was not writing a letter of rebuke or correction, as he did to the church of Corinth, over several issues.

Nor was Paul writing a letter to this church about any crisis that warranted his attention, as he had to do with the churches in Galatia and Colossi.

No, this letter to the church in Philippi was a letter of praise and exhortation and encouragement.

This was a letter written to express his deep appreciation and gratitude for the church of Philippi and their continued support of he and his ministry and thus, their part in spreading the gospel message to places abroad!

Listen to what Paul says to this body of believers and his heart as he writes to them in ,

Philippians 1:3–8 NLT

3 Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. 4 Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, 5 for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. 6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. 7 So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News. 8 God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus.

Paul shows the most joy and appreciation for this particular church, above all of the other churches that he wrote, because of their love and devotion and commitment to him and the spreading of the gospel message.

In fact some of the most often quoted and used and powerful scriptures of the New Testament, come from this one epistle of Paul, as given by Holy Spirit!

READ LIST OF VERSES FROM PHILIPPIANS!

Listen to these powerful and confident, Spirit filled words that Paul says to the church of Philippi in Philippians 3:17.

“Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.”

This is almost identical to what Paul said to the church in Corinth, where he stated, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”

The reason that I say that this bold confidence in his walk with Christ is this. Many men, preachers and teachers alike, might use the adage that we so often use with our children, “Do as I say, not as I do”, when it comes to their life being a model for others!

Paul is living his life in according to the word of God and Holy Spirit, and so he can openly say, “Imitate me”. Could you or I say the same thing to everyone, in every place that we go and visit?

Could every person that knows us be told with confidence, “Imitate me, as I imitate Christ” in every aspect of our walk with the Lord?

It is the verse that follows that made me start to think about what happens to people in their walk with the Lord, that diminishes their HOPE and FAITH in the Lord.

Verse 18 says, “For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ.”

Paul is talking to the church in Philippi and he says that there are MANY that walk amongst them, (others that profess Jesus), that are living a different lifestyle other than what the gospel message teaches.

And the thing that is so compelling and that leads you to see these are people who have professed faith and HOPE in Jesus, is the level of passion that Paul is pouring out over them.

When Paul says the words in verse 18, “and I say it again with tears in my eyes”, what he is really saying, in the Greek, is something ,much more powerful and impacting.

Listen to the same verse as read from the Passion Translation, because it captures the true Greek use of the word for “tears”, “For there are many who live by different standards. As I’ve warned you many times (I weep as I write these words), they are enemies of the cross of the Anointed One.”

Paul is weeping over these people, who have a life in which they verbalize one thing, but they live it out as another!

And so Paul is warning his beloved brothers and sisters in Philippi, to pay close attention to how he is living his life, in accordance to the Bible and the gospel message, and to look away from those he has just mentioned.

Pay close attention to exactly what Paul says about these people in this verse.

“.......whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the CROSS of Christ.”

They are not enemies of Christ, but rather, they are enemies of the CROSS of Christ!

There is a staunch difference between the two.

Most people would love the concept of having a personal SAVIOR for their life and their eternal security, but far fewer want the cost that is associated with it.

I called the other day to get some insurance quotes on our youngest daughter, Addy, who we are getting ready to add to our car insurance!

And what I found out is that she.................... IS NEVER GETTING TO DRIVE!

The agent laid out the plans for coverage of her being in a vehicle at all times. And my thoughts and my heart’s desire, AS A FATHER, is to provide insurance to where anytime she is in a vehicle, she is completely and TOTALLY covered and protected!

However, there is a cost to provide this complete and TOTAL coverage for her and it must be paid up front, in order for it to be guaranteed!

And there are things that she must comply with in order for this coverage to apply; that is, there are expectations for the driver that must be met, in order for the insurance coverage to apply.

(Expectations like.............. Never, ever, ever having young men in the car!)

Here is what I am getting at. The cost is paid up front for the complete coverage and then it is up to her to operate within the guidelines of the coverage, so that she will always be protected in case of an accident, no matter what vehicle she is in, or where she is at.

Well, it’s the same way with a relationship with Jesus. The cost for protecting His children has already been paid for up front (that is the CROSS) and from then on, as long as we live in accordance with the policy (THE BIBLE), we are covered under the blood and kept from eternal harm!

So my daughter may love the idea of daddy paying for her protection and that she is covered all of the time and all the while thinking that she has the freedom to do as she wants and be covered, with no repercussions.

However, when an accident happens and if she has violated the terms of the policy, daddy can’t change the rules for her and penalties must be applied. (I’m saying all of this, strictly as an example, as Addy is a stickler for the rules and a wonderful child!)

But this is what is going on with many people within the Body of Christ in Philippi. They love the idea of Jesus and His paying for their protection and security, BUT, they don’t love the CROSS, because it demands something of them!

The CROSS OF CALVARY is not an open ended invitation to live your life however you see fit and all the while still be OK with God!

And the exact same thing has been taking place ever since the apostle Paul penned this letter, nearly 2,000 years ago. People in the church love the IDEA of a savior (JESUS), but the way that they live their lives emphatically states that they are opposed to and even enemies of the CROSS!

I like the way that Charles Spurgeon said it in a sermon of his on this passage, he said, “But, alas! Multitudes of men do not want holiness; they want their harlots, they want their wine, they want their carnivals of vice, they want their selfishness, and they want everything that Christ does not give, so they cry, “Not this man, but Barabbas,” and they make the awful choice of sin as they neglect their Lord. These are “the enemies of the cross of Christ.”

Barabbas’ name literally means, “son of the father”. So, in a sense what is being said is that you and I can pick from one of these two, “SON OF THE FATHERS”.

One of them demands nothing of you and allows you to live your life however you choose and feel good about yourself, while the other, who TRULY LOVES YOU, will call you to a different life than you have been living.

THE CROSS DEMANDS!

And here is where I began to see what was happening to people that could bring someone who had been taught the truth of the gospel message to a point of where their HOPE and their FAITH were diminished and weak in the Lord!

If we, as a believer, begin to turn our eyes away from Jesus and we veer off of the path of the Cross, then we begin to allow pieces of the WORLD into our lives.

We become what I call a blended Christian, (although in reality, this cannot exist)!

That is, we may love the Lord, but we may also still have a love and a desire for things of this world, and so we try to blend them together!

And God is very clear within His word, that this will NOT work!

As Jesus said, “For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

And James said this, “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

And when someone has been trying to live a blended life as a Christian and also as someone who still loves the things of this world, then as bad circumstances arise in their life, they do not have that assured and complete BLESSED HOPE in their life and they are easily devastated!

The BLESSED HOPE of the believer, is Christ in us, the HOPE of glory. When you try to bring the world in, you are instantly trying to push Jesus out!

TELL OF MAKING BREAD WITH BAD YEAST THIS PAST WEEK!

Look at what Paul says about these “enemies of the cross” in verse 19, “They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.”

This is a person who desires to hold onto and embrace this world and the things of this world, (which is their hearts true “appetite”; to feed on the pleasures of this world) and their life actually becomes a reflection of shame, instead of glory, because it reflects the world and not the Lord.

They are carnally and earthly focused (not matter how small of an amount of the world they are holding onto it is still the world), and God has said NO!

says, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return.”

If I sow only ONE seed of okra, then I will reap one okra plant. If I sow 50 okra seeds, then I will reap 50 okra plants. I am reaping what I sowed, regardless of the amount, it still what I have sowed!

A little of the world, or a lot of the world, is still world and God has said in His word that if He says no to something, it means “NO”!

And no matter how much you or I verbalize that we love the Lord, it is our actions that show where our hearts are. says it this way, “They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.”

And these are those that Paul is weeping over. They may love the idea of Jesus, but their love of the world makes them an enemy of the Cross!

Or as Paul said to Timothy, “they have the appearance of godliness, but deny its power.”

Actions speak louder than words!

If God and His Word says that something is sinful, or that something is not to be touched, that means that you and I are not to touch it, period! (Not even a fraction of a touch!)

If you ever get the chance, ask Uzzah how well that worked out for him!

Mention of how our life and out time here on earth in comparison to eternity, is like a grain of sand.

If you assume a grain of sand has an average size and you calculate how many grains are in a teaspoon and then multiply by all the beaches and deserts in the world, the Earth has roughly (and we're speaking very roughly here) 7.5 x 10^18 grains of sand, or seven quintillion, five hundred quadrillion grains.

So, why do we put soooo much emphasis on this grain, this speck, that we call life here on earth?!!

And let me say this, with respect to how the blending of this world into your life and its power to deplete your HOPE and your FAITH in the Lord; it can come slowly and subtly.

Everything, every little nuance that you see and hear throughout your life, has an effect on your heart and mind! That is, every picture that you see, every book that you read, every movie that you watch, every game that you play, every class that you attend, every church service that you sit in on, they all are recorded and assimilated by your brains.

And we consciously and sub-consciously categorize these things as good and bad, healthy and damaging, light or dark.

Over the span of the millenniums and the more recent decades, many things that were once easily understood as being wrong and to be avoided, have become re-translated and repackaged as safe to touch and no longer wrong in the eyes of God.

Look, if God said fornication and adultery is a sin and wrong and not to be TOUCHED and yet you watch a TV show that regularly depicts and advocates for these things and all under the proclivity of your saying, “well, as long as I know that it is wrong and I am not actually doing it, then this is not hurting me”, then you have begun blending the world into your life.

The late Michael Landon, often described as the paragon of family entertainment, once said to the Hollywood elite at a Dean Martin roast, “Let’s face it, television is an invention where you’re entertained in your living room by people you wouldn’t have in your house!” Truth yanks out of us what we try to hide—the reality that carnal minds find corruption amusing.

The late Michael Landon, often described as the paragon of family entertainment, once said to the Hollywood elite at a Dean Martin roast, “Let’s face it, television is an invention where you’re entertained in your living room by people you wouldn’t have in your house!” Truth yanks out of us what we try to hide—the reality that carnal minds find corruption amusing.

If the Bible says that witchcraft is a sin, in any respect, then it is a sin and not to be touched or dabbled in, or with looked at, as mere entertainment!

The occultic has become so clouded and diluted within this nation, that the church has embraced pieces of it and without any regard.

Show picture of the “christalignment.org” people using the DESTINY CARDS. They are Christian Tarot cards basically that these people use to open the door to preach the gospel of the Kingdom with miracles following!

Show picture of book on Christian tarot cards!

I read an article yesterday and listened to an interview with people who are now convinced that Christians can blend WICCA and paganism into their life and it will COEXIST just fine, because these are all just spiritual paths that we choose to take that all have the same destination!

As I mentioned at the beginning, we are now in the month of December and moving rapidly to the holiday that we observe called CHRISTMAS.

This is a time in which the church called a memorial and as a celebration for the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ, correct?

Now, I am not going into all of the details about this or any other holiday, but suffice it to say, that this holiday was created by man and all of the details that are blended into it, have come down through the centuries by and from men.

That being said, it is a time that in which the church

I am not saying anything about it, one way or the o

So, there are so many things about the holiday of Christmas that we do and observe with the songs and the decorations and the gifts and so on and so forth. And these are all things that have been blended int our culture and our minds and our churches over the years.

Well, if each and every Christian says that Jesus is the reason for the season and it is His birth that we celebrate on that day and that we honor and worship Him on that day, then let me ask you a question.

And the reason that I am about to ask this question, is to make a simple point and to get each one of us to stop and actually think about what we say that we do, versus what we actually do in our lives, as our lives have many things that have been subconsciously blended into our thoughts and our hearts that we react from and without any regard.

So here is my question, “If Christmas Day is the day that we set aside to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, how many of us actually do that very thing?

In other words, when the day has ended and the wrapping paper has been picked up and thrown away and the toys have been played with the family has gone and you sit down to rest, can you say that you worshipped and honored the Lord Jesus that day?

Was He truly the reason that you set that day aside and was He honored as the born Messiah in your home and in your heart, or was His birth an afterthought, or a “thank you” acknowledged at the table before dinner was served?

And I am not being mean or trying to stir up anything, I am simply making a a point, which is, we can say and be convinced of something, but our actions speak the truth of where our heart is.

This is in line with what Paul was saying about people and their lifestyle being conflict with the Cross!