Advent 2019: Hope vs. Despair

Advent = Coming

The word Advent comes from the Latin word for coming

The early church would spend this time in fasting and prayer.. repenting of things that needed to be repented of and committing to the things that needed to be committed or recommitted to. The Sundays of advent were a time where there was a break from the fasting and breaking of one’s self to celebrate the coming aspects of Christ.

Today for whatever reason the Church has long ago discarded the idea that we need to get close to the Lord through the things that Christians should do to get closer, and replaced it with the lighting of candles.

Now that is a reproof that we should stop lighting candles and start beating on our selves, but this year I want want to remind us that the hope, peace, joy, love, and unity is much greater than we often perceive.

How the Coming Christ is the Candle in the Darkness.

In order to demonstrate the light of Christ we are going to have to look at the darkness that the light dispels.

Worldly ways we see the darkness.

It’s much worse than we can possibly imagine.

What the source of darkness is (or sources.)

We will discuss the truth of what God says and what his light does.

We need to see the candle in the darkness.

We need to know what steps to take to head towards that light.

We will give an opportunity to repent and recommit to the light.

Today we talk about the first candle… hope.

The Darkness Surrounding Hope

The Way the World Sees It

The opposite of hope.

hopelessness - c’mon that’s cheating

despair, doubt, fear, distrust, discouragement, pessimism, abandon, disbelief, reality, fact, depression

Despair - the feeling that everything is wrong and their is nothing that can be done about it.

families, at work, in health, finances… you’ve tried and tried and tried and it has not gotten any better.

It is a culminations of some of the other words we used:

doubt

fear or discouragement

distrust or disbelief

pessimism

It can lead to a real physical or mental depression

It may even lead to a desire to abandon everything that you know is good.

The two saddest antonyms on this list:

reality, fact - I find it sad because the Hope that God provides to us is the fact that He is here to love us and guide us an bring us to a place where despite the fact we are surrounded by great darkness and bleak circumstances, there is a light that shines so bright that all that darkness flees away from it.

Somehow the world has substituted that fact, that reality with their own fact that tells us there is no hope. When your mind tries tricking you into the thought that there is no hope scream back at your mind or the one trying to convince you that they are a liar and a thief.

It’s Worse Than We Thought.

Despair comes close - the feeling that everything is wrong and there is nothing you can do about it.

The problem with that is that the world tells you that’s just a feeling. Let me be abundantly clear. It’s not a feeling.... everything is wrong. There is nothing you can do about it.

Luke 4:18 ESV

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

That word poor best translated is “utter mendicancy”

Romans 3:10–18 ESV

as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Romans 3:10 ESV

as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;

Romans 6:23 ESV

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 3:23 ESV

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

I

Ro 3:

The Source of Darkness

The Devil - no

He is a tempter

He is a liar and skilled deceiver.

He is a thief and an enemy.

Other people - no

They are also liars.

Hopefully in ignorance but sometimes out of selfishness they do things that make you lose hope.

The real culprit - you

We cannot blame the devil because our hope rests in Christ and whatever the devil does to shake us, Christ is still there.

We cannot blame others because our hope does not rest in them. Our hope rests in Christ and no man or woman has no power to take our hope away unless we give it to them.

The Hope of God

Jeremiah 29:11 ESV

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

If The LORD’s desire is to give you a hope, do you think He is to weak to do that? It’s a promise of one who created the universe.

1 Peter 1:3–6 ESV

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,

1 Peter 1:

Romans 5:3-6

Romans 5:3–6 ESV

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

Head Towards the Light

Isaiah 40:31 ESV

but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Psalm 147:11 ESV

but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.

Your Chance to Stark Walking

Romans 10:9–11 ESV

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Romans 9:10 ESV

And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac,

Romans 10:13 ESV

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Ro 10

Revelation 2:5 ESV

Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

So as we have said, we looked at the darkness that is surrounding us. It’s there. It’s real. It’s inescapable.

But there is a hope, and it is only found in one place. Through Christ Jesus.

Let me implore you, If you do not have 100% hope, I want to pray for you. There is no shame in admitting you lack hope. There is no shame in admitting fear. What is a shame is not confessing and committing. Today I want you to be bold. If you’re hope is not where it should be for whatever reason, Let us pray together for God to do something about it. amen… I’ll give you 5 seconds to raise your hands.. If you don’t I will assume you are perfect and I may want you to pray with me later… If you do, I will know that you are human and need Christ’s help.