The real advent of hope

The Real Hope of Advent

Advent means 'Coming' in Latin. This is the coming of Jesus into the world. Christians use the four Sundays and weeks of Advent to prepare and remember the real meaning of Christmas. ... Some people fast (don't eat anything) during advent to help them concentrate on preparing to celebrate Jesus's coming.

Hope. An expectation or belief in the fulfillment of something desired. Present hurts and uncertainty over what the future holds create the constant need for hope.

Hope is the expectation of the future attainment of a desired object or outcome.

Hope is a powerful concept. Without hope in the future, we have no power in the present. Hope may keep us alive. Without hope there is no reason to live. It has been said, “Life without Christ is a hopeless end, but life with Christ is an endless hope.”

What is Hope?

BIG IDEA: The real Hope of advent brings reality to our fantasy.

When someone is living in a fantasy world they either choose not to or are incapable of seeing the reality that is right in front of their eyes. The light of the world that came into the world over 2,000 years ago was not recognized or seen by everyone, however make no mistake that the second advent of Christ will not be missed, every eye will see the heavens split open and the risen Christ in all of his glory. Once someone’s eyes are opened or illuminated to the truth of the gospel it brings reality into clear focus.

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Three Ways we Use the Word Hope!

A desire for something good in the future.

The thing in the future that we desire

The basis or reason for thinking that our desire may be fulfilled.

All three of these are found in the Bible. But the most important feature a Biblical hope is not present in any of these ordinary uses of the word hope. The distinctive use of the word hope in Scripture is almost the exact opposite of our original usage.

Cultural Connection: Most peoples hope has been reduced to nothing more than a lengthy wish list.

Ordinarily, when we express hope, we are expressing uncertainty. But this is not the distinctive biblical meaning of hope.

The main thing I want to do this morning is show you from Scripture that biblical hope is not just a desire for something good in the future, but rather, biblical hope is a confident expectation and desire for something good in the future.

The clearest promises of the Messiah have been given in the darkest hours of history. If the prophets had been silent upon the Coming One before, they always speak out in the cloudy and dark day; for well the Spirit made them know that the coming of God in human flesh is the lone star of the world’s night. It was so in the beginning, when our first parents had sinned, and were doomed to quit the Paradise of delights.

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“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heal.”

NOTE: We are not sure what the first parents understood by it. They must have understood that they were not going to be there and then destroyed because the Lord spoke of a “seed”. They must have understood that for the seed to come from the woman to overcome the serpent and bruise his head it must be a prediction of great hope for them. The could not fail to see that there was some mysterious benefit to be conferred upon them by the victory upon which their seed would bring to the instigator of their ruin.

*Notice that Christ would be bruised by the serpent. It is only his heal not His head that is bruised.

*He comes to us in mercy and puts enmity between us and satan. This suggests that there was peace between us and satan once, when he tempted us we yielded, whatever he taught us we believed. We were his willing slaves.

*Once mankind gave themselves to all of the allure and temptations of satan and now somehow it has lost its appeal. The juice of the apple all but dried up and has gone away. Then you suddenly perceived that you were living in sin, and you were miserable in it and thought that you could not escape or get rid of it on your own, so you groaned under it’s weight. In your heart of hearts you no longer remained on the side of evil and began to cry out,

“oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death.”

The Lord through His divine mercy into your very soul.

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A LIGHT HAS DAWNED

1.The real hope of advent brings us moral certainty.

Light: Concepts of light and it’s relationship to visions, light was also used to represent good and positive things as apposed to utter darkness.

You hear of people being afraid of the dark but rarely do you here of someone being afraid of the light, however that’s what happens when we get accustomed to the darkness.

If there is a terror about darkness because we cannot see, there is also a terror about light because we can see. There is a terror about light because much of what we see in the light about ourselves and our world we would rather not see, would rather not have be seen.

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Those who dwelt in the land of deep darkness, on them has light shown.”

“And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

I think it’s interesting when you consider that on the first day of creation God created the very think that we would associate with good and evil; sin and righteousness.

The Hope of Advent illuminates the Light of the world on the darkness of the world.

Walking: living out their lives.

Darkness: the hiding of the Lord’s face, during which they persevered in believing expectancy (8:17).

Shadow of death: the noun ṣalmût

(‘darkness’) developed the extended poetic form used here,

ṣalmāwet

(‘death-shadow’). It means such trouble as casts a death-like shadow. The idea of death is in the background.

Seen … light … light has dawned: the motif of darkness becoming light points to a creative act of God. Those who have waited through the darkness will come to the objective reality of dawn and the subjective experience of seeing the light.

With the imminent devastation of the nothern kingdom by Assyria is now relegated to the past. By faith he sees a glorious reversal that will one day be effected by God’s grace. Devastation will give way to glory. The dawn will break in the very region that was the first to experience God’s judgement.

ILLUSTRATION

Moral Certainty - this is different from saying merely logical certainty. Logical certainty results from the necessity of non-moral laws. For Example: If you have two apples and you add two more, we may be mathematically certain that we have four apples. That is a mathematically certainty. If all men are mortal and if Plato was a man, then we may be “logically” certain that Plato was mortal. That is logical certainty.

That kind of thinking is important. In fact, it is indispensable in biblical studies as well as all other areas of life. But most of our experience are not like that, there is a kind of legitimate certainty and confidence that does not come from mathematical calculations or merely logical laws. I call it “moral certainty.”

This is moral because it is rooted in the commitment of the will of persons. And the will is the seat of morality. We can only speak of moral right and wrong in relationship to acts of will. So whatever has to do with the will is an issue of morality. And moral certainty is a certainty that is based on acts of will.

I can tell you that I have a strong moral certainty that I will be married to Diana as long as we both shall live. This is based not on mathematical laws or mere logic. This is based on the character of our wills and the promise of God. Diana and I now hove 30 years of evidence on the nature of our wills and the graciousness of God’s.

Illustration

One of the first appearances of the Christmas season is the long time honored Christmas tradition of hanging Christmas lights. Lights on trees, candles in windows. December 25th follows the darkest time of the year in the Mediterranean world and Europe, where Christmas celebrations took shape. The lights are not just decorative they are symbolic. No matter what you do in a room, you must first turn on the lights before you can do anything. It’s the same way with the world, the world is a dark place, and we will never find our way to see reality with out the light which is Jesus Christ.

“The true light which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.”

Illustration

Black light showing all the stains on the carpet and upholstery by pets. In the same way, God shines the light of his commandments not just to make us feel guilty and leave us that way. He has a cleaning service to offer—salvation through Jesus Christ.

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2.The real hope of advent brings the ability to resist the darkness.

THE DARKNESS OF THE WORLD

Into the dark emptiness of our world Jesus came to bring hope, happiness, and Heaven. No wonder Paul says, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (1:27)..

ILLUSTRATION

Nativity scene’s have long been a part of our Christmas decorations for centuries. I had the opportunity of going to Bethlehem and the church of the nativity while I was in the Holy Lands. The reality is that the as significant as the place of Christ’s birth was to fulfill the prophecies without the light of Christ shining down on this world it would be just another birth taking place in a backward stable in Bethlehem. Our nativities scenes are just wood and stone figures that look pretty on our coffee tables and entryways without the light of Christ which illuminates the darkness. The light that shines in the darkness now gives us the ability to resist the darkness.

How is the world Dark?

In the bible darkness refer’s to both evil and ignorance. Look at what has happened since the time of Jesus: violence, injustice, abuse of power, homelessness, refugees fleeing persecution, families ripped apart, bottomless grief

The other way that the world is in darkness is that it does not know enough to cure the evil and darkness in the world. tells us why we need the light.

Problem: The world is looking toward the earth and human resources to fix it’s hopeless problem. They are looking to mystics, experts, and scholars for the solution. They say we are in darkness but we can overcome it ourselves. We believe we can overcome it with our own intellect and innovation.

Most people believe that the meaning of Christmas is that love will triumph and that we will be able to put together a world of unity and peace. In other words we have the light within us and we can dispel the darkness of the world by our sheer will and power alone.

Can We?

Humanity cannot save itself.

Vaclav Havel, the first president of the Check Republic. He had a deep insight into both socialism and capitalism. One of the most thoughtful thinkers of the twentieth century.

He knew that science unguided by moral principles had given us the Holocaust. He concluded that neither nor the state, nor the market alone could save us from nuclear conflict, ethnic violence, or environmental degradation. Pursuit of the good life will not help humanity. A turning to and seeking of God is needed.... the human race constantly forgets, that he is not God.

THE REAL MESSAGE OF CHRISTMAS

The real message of Christmas is not that we will somehow be able to put together a world of unity and peace, but the exact opposite we cannot save ourselves. The hope of Christmas is that there is a greater light outside of this world that gives us the ability to resist the darkness and embrace the light.

According to Timothy Keller -

“Christmas is the most unsentimental, realistic way of looking at life.”

NOTE: There is no such thing as indifference when it comes to the darkness.

The only course of action is resistance

Christians cannot buy into the way of thinking that if we just try hard enough we can fix things.

The message of Christianity is instead that things really are really this bad, and we cannot heal or save ourselves.

Things really are this dark however their is hope. The Christmas message is for those who are living in great darkness a light has dawned.

Note: It does not say that from the world a light has shown, but upon the world a light has dawned.

The only source of light that can save us is outside of this world.

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Philosopher Bertaned Russell -

If you don't believe in any transcendent God or supernatural being but only look to science to answer the longing of your soul here is what you are left with.

"Man is the product of causes which had no pre-vision of the end they were achieving; that his origins, his growth, his hopes and fears, his loves and his beliefs, are but the outcome of accidental collection of atoms and that there is nothing that will preserve an individuals life beyond the grave.

Tim Keller -

" If we look only to the earth and human resources the darkness only gets worse."

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3.The real hope of advent brings meaning to the light of Christmas.

THE MEANING OF THE LIGHT

The Son gives us life.

If the sun were to go out it would cause us to freeze. The Son is the source of all life. "In him we move and breath and find our being." “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”

Illustration: the life that Christ brings moves us from the dark shadow of death to the everlasting light of Christ.

Illustration: Have you ever considered what happens to the body when it is deprived of sun light for a long period of time. One of the most important cues that affects the circadian rhythm is daylight. Light stimulates the release of hormones and metabolites that makes us more alert and reactive, increasing our energy and muscle strength. By contrast, darkness stimulates hormones, such as melatonin, that makes us tired and sleepy. Studies have shown that when this cycle is disrupted, people can experience alterations in their mood, cognition, along with a host of metabolic processes.

The same thing happens when we are deprived of the light of the world. We experience alterations in God’s beautiful design. (this will ultimately end in death)

The son upholds us.

According to the Bible we have lost our full right relationship with God. This is why we will eventually experience physical death, and why we now experience spiritual death, loss of meaning and hope, a deep disconnect that cannot be satisfied.

The Son shows us Truth

If you drive your car at night without headlights you will most likely crash. Why? Light reveals the truth of things, how they really are, and you will not have enough truth to steer the car.

5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

God is the source of all truth.

So basically the only reason that you can know anything is because of God. God created your mind and cognitive ability. We cannot possibly know who God is unless he reveals himself to us.

The Son is beautiful

Light brings us joy. For example places that are deprived of light for long periods of time experience more depression and anxiety. We need light for joy and God provides that light to the world.

St. Augustine believed that even when you are enjoying something else God is the source of that enjoyment. So you cannot truly enjoy something apart from God’s grace.

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THE LIGHT OF GRACE

Notice it does not just say for to us a child is born, it also say’s to us a son is given. It is a gift that is given, and it can all be yours only if you are willing to receive it by grace.

verse 5 speaks of a great battle. Every warriors boots used in battle and every garment dipped in blood will be destined for the fire. This means that the great victory over evil will not require our strength. We will not need armor or a sword, someone else will do our fighting for us.

“Servant Songs” 42-55 points to this mysterious deliverer who is to come. We are told that “he was pierced for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquity, upon him was the chastisement of the world that brought us peace, and by his wounds we are healed.

The undeserved grace must be recieved.

The only way that you can receive it is to admit that it is an undeserved grace.

Illustration:

Christmas is about receiving presents, but consider how challenging it is to receive certain kinds of gifts. Some gifts by their very nature make you sallow your pride. Imagine opening a present on Christmas morning from a friend - only to discover it’s a dieting book. An then you open another gift and find it is a gift from another friend on overcoming selfishness. If you say to them, “thank you so much,” you are in essence admitting that you are fat and obnoxious. In other words some gifts are difficult to receive, because to do so is to admit that you have flaws and weaknesses and need help. Perhaps on one occasion you had a friend who noticed that you were in a financial bind and offered to bail you out. If this has ever happened to you then you have probably found that in order to receive the gift meant swallowing your pride.

There has never been a gift that makes you swallow your pride to the depths like the gift of Jesus Christ. Christmas means realizing that we are so lost, so unable to save ourselves, that nothing less than the death of the son of God himself can save us.

This means that you are not someone who can pull yourself together and live a good moral life. To accept the Christmas gift you must admit that you are a sinner and need to be saved by grace. You need to give up control of your life which is to descend lower than any of us are willing to go. Christmas is all about His doing not your own.

When Jesus Christ died on the cross darkness fell over the land.......()

The light of the world descended into darkness in order to bring us into God’s beautiful light......()

The hope of Christmas cannot be understood unless you first admit you can’t save yourself or even know yourself without the light of His unmerited grace an favor on your life.