Hopeful Expectations!

Intro:

We've been waiting for what seems like a long time now, Michael, my son is so looking forward to the coming holidays.

The count down to the end of term 4 and the end of homework, classes and teachers teling him what to do. “Will it ever come?”

“I can’t wait!” kids are always like this.. we’ve having had a conversation about what we would do in the holidays - the movies, hanging out with friends, having sleepovers, riding his bike and scooter.. playing playstation games, going on holidays and more.

“Will it ever come?” “I can’t wait!” kids are always like this.. we’ve having had a conversation about what we would do in the holidays - the movies, hanging out with friends, having sleepovers, riding his bike and scooter.. playing playstation games, going on holidays and more.

Will it ever come? “We can't wait!” We've heard kids say that again and again, haven't we ? wether it’s school holidays, a family trip away or getting presents at Christmas.

The good news is that it’s almost here, Christmas is coming, the holidays are coming. We can hardly wait!

For parents not so much ..

Christmas and the school holidays is all about waiting, waiting with eager expection. “Expectation” means that we are eagerly looking forward to something—hopefully something that promises good things to come for us.

Will it ever come? “We can't wait!” We've heard Christmas, I think, is all about waiting, waiting with eager expectation. “Expectation” means that we are eagerly looking forward to something—hopefully something that promises good things to come for us. If we are expecting bad things to come, it fills us, instead, with a sense of dread. There are those for whom Christmas is more an expectation that brings about a sense of dread than of eager expectation. I think of the homeless, the hungry, the depressed, the weary. I think of those whose lives are dominated by hurt and anger and resentment from relationships broken and from love denied or betrayed. And I think of those whose lives have become disrupted and disjointed by war or terror.

Christmas, I think, is all about waiting, waiting with eager expectation. “Expectation” means that we are eagerly looking forward to something—hopefully something that promises good things to come for us. If we are expecting bad things to come, it fills us, instead, with a sense of dread. There are those for whom Christmas is more an expectation that brings about a sense of dread than of eager expectation. I think of the homeless, the hungry, the depressed, the weary. I think of those whose lives are dominated by hurt and anger and resentment from relationships broken and from love denied or betrayed. And I think of those whose lives have become disrupted and disjointed by war or terror.

If we are expecting bad things to come, it fills us, instead, with a sense of anxiety or fear. There are those for whom Christmas is more an expectation that brings about a sense of dread and pain rather than of eager expectation.

If we are expecting bad things to come, it fills us, instead, with a sense of dread. There are those for whom Christmas is more an expectation that brings about a sense of dread than of eager expectation. I think of the homeless, the hungry, the depressed, the weary. I think of those whose lives are dominated by hurt and anger and resentment from relationships broken and from love denied or betrayed. And I think of those whose lives have become disrupted and disjointed by war or terror.

I think of the homeless, the hungry, the depressed, the weary, the suffering from our current bushfire situation, who have lossed so much.

I think of those whose lives are dominated by hurt and anger and resentment from relationships broken and from love denied or betrayed.

And I think of those whose lives have become disrupted and disjointed by war or terror, so much of the world today is broken and groaning in anticipation.

For most of us life brings some mixture of dread, or at least anxiety and hurt, and eager expectation. It's the things we dread that call into question the meaning and even the worth of our lives.

We need to have something that we're looking forward to, something we are hoping for, if life is to have joy. It seems that God created us to need times of expectation to give meaning to our lives.

So what is it that you are waiting for? For Christmas to come? For presents to open? For family gatherings? For that delicious holiday meal? for the holidays and all that comes with it.

In no time at all those will all have become memories, and we will be turning to other expectations—a New Year's Eve party, going back to the gym to burn off all the Christmas food, New Years resolutions..

In no time at all those will all have become memories, and we will be turning to other expectations—a New Year's Eve party, a special winter outing, the warmth of home on a stormy winter day. And then before we know it we will be looking forward to spring, to Good Friday, and the celebration of Easter. What an abundance of expectations lie before us! We who worship the Christ-child, born in Bethlehem's stable, are blessed with a wealth of expectations, surprises that are worth waiting for, hoping for, joys that linger long after Christmas.

Let's listen to what the prophet Isaiah was looking forward to, waiting for, eagerly anticipating.

The Reign of a Righteous King

Let's listen to what the prophet Isaiah was looking forward to, waiting for, eagerly anticipating. “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,..and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding...He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth.”

The Righteous King vs. 1-5

What would the world be like with him as King vs. 6-9

What the King will do on “that day” vs. 10

Let’s read from:

Isaiah 11:1–5 NIV

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

Isaiah 1:1–5 NIV

The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Hear me, you heavens! Listen, earth! For the Lord has spoken: “I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its master, the donkey its owner’s manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.” Woe to the sinful nation, a people whose guilt is great, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! They have forsaken the Lord; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him. Why should you be beaten anymore? Why do you persist in rebellion? Your whole head is injured, your whole heart afflicted.

Isaiah 11:1–10 NIV

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den, the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.

The New International Version Chapter 11

A shootv will come up from the stumpw of Jesse;x

from his roots a Branchy will bear fruit.z

2 The Spirita of the LORD will rest on him—

the Spirit of wisdomb and of understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and of might,c

the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD—

3 and he will delight in the feard of the LORD.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,e

or decide by what he hears with his ears;f

4 but with righteousnessg he will judge the needy,h

with justicei he will give decisions for the poorj of the earth.

He will strikek the earth with the rod of his mouth;l

with the breathm of his lips he will slay the wicked.n

5 Righteousness will be his belto

and faithfulnessp the sash around his waist.q

Illustration

We have your own yard, you may be familar with this image of a stump with nothing but a shoot growing out of it.

we noticed all these shoots growing in our back yard coming out of this dead tree. Ive tried to get rid of it but it never stops but it just keeps coming up.

we noticed all these shoots growing in our back yard. The culprit was a variety of tree we planted. At a certain point they send up shoots from their roots. We had shoots popping up everywhere. We cut down the trees. The shoots kept coming. We put a spray on the stumps. The shoots kept coming. We cut down the shoots. The shoots kept coming. We sprayed a second time. They are almost gone now but once in a while they still pop up.

we noticed all these shoots growing in our back yard coming out of this dead tree. Ive tried to get rid of end but it just keeps coming up.

But the one thing that will always be true is that the tree is dead but at the same time there is new life happening.. new shoots not really what we want but it’s there.

Every Israelite knows exactly what Isaiah is saying. The Kingdom of David has fallen as an oak that has been cut down. Only the stump remains. The glory is all gone.

From a wide-spreading, noble family tree that covered all Israel with its branches, the kingly house of David, son of Jesse, has withered and decayed to an insignificant little stem. All its former power and splendor has disappeared.

At the time of Isaiah, it was Assyria that was strong and mighty. Isaiah compares Assyria to the great and mighty cedars of Lebanon. But Assyria, too, will be greatly reduced:

() See, the Lord, the LORD Almighty, will lop off the boughs with great power. The lofty trees will be felled, the tall ones will be brought low. (34) He will cut down the forest thickets with an ax; Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One.

It was not a happy time for the people of Israel. The Assyrians were encamped right across the border, ready to pounce and destroy Jerusalem, carrying the people away into captivity.

It was not a happy time for the people of Israel. The Assyrians were encamped right across the border, ready to pounce and destroy Jerusalem, carrying the people away into captivity. That glorious tree that had been Israel under King David is now about to be reduced to a stump. In that context of despair Isaiah looks for something surprising to grow out of that stump. What was he waiting for, in his time? What expectations did he have for that child who, we now know, was born in Bethlehem's stable?

That glorious tree that had been Israel under King David is now about to be reduced to a stump.

Why?

Isaiah 1:4 NIV

Woe to the sinful nation, a people whose guilt is great, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! They have forsaken the Lord; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him.

Isaiah 1:4-

In that context of despair Isaiah looks for something surprising to grow out of that stump. What was he waiting for, in his time? What expectations did he have for that child who, we now know, was born in Bethlehem's stable?

Isaiah paints a vivid picture of what he was waiting for. He was looking for the coming of some One who would be filled with the Spirit of God and therefore full of counsel and divine might, of knowledge and understanding, who would put an end to all that is evil by his coming.

As a result, his reign will be characterized by “wisdom,” “understanding,” “counsel,” “power,” “knowledge,” and “the fear of the Lord”—all the characteristics that of lack in all people in the world.

As a result, his reign will be characterized by “wisdom,” “understanding,” “counsel,” “power,” “knowledge,” and “the fear of the Lord”—all the characteristics lacking among God’s people

Righteousness and faithfulness will be apart of the King: all this will come about, according to Isaiah's expectation and vision, Faithfulness has to do with sticking with the agenda to the very end, no matter what comes.

Righteousness in the Old Testament always refers to making sure that the poor and the meek get their share. That doesn't happen much in the world as we know it, but that is Isaiah's eager expectation as he envisions the coming of the Messiah. “Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.”

“Righteousness will be the girdle of his waist.” The poor will be fully provided for, and those who cannot speak for themselves will have their needs taken care of. The wicked, who wantonly take advantage of the poor and the weak, will no more be found in the land.

But it's not just his own agenda that this One is faithful to—it's God's agenda that he sticks with, God's agenda for righteousness and justice for everyone in the world. Sticking with it, we now know, even to that very end—even death on the cross.

And faithfulness: all this will come about, according to Isaiah's expectation and vision, because “faithfulness shall be the girdle of his loins.” Faithfulness has to do with sticking with the agenda to the very end, no matter what comes. But it's not just his own agenda that this One is faithful to—it's God's agenda that he sticks with, God's agenda for righteousness and justice for everyone in the world. Sticking with it, we now know, even to that very end—of death on the cross.

Reading from:

Isaiah 11:6–9 NIV

The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den, the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

Isaiah 11:6-9

Illustration

I remember my mum has she would often have this peace about her. She would say Stephen I’m always going to sleep without the cares of this world because mum really felt that God was in charge and whatever happens if God took her home then she would be at totally be at peace and thats true, eventurly God took her home and she was at peace.

She would say Stephen I’m always going to sleep without the cares of this world because mum really felt that God was in charge and whatever happens if God took her home then she would be at totally be at peace and thats true, eventurly God took her home and she was at peace.

For Isaiah one expectation gives rise to another. As he contemplates this new world where justice and righteousness prevail, not just occasionally or for a brief time, but everywhere and always.

the prophet's eager expectation rises to magnificent heights. Like the temperature that keeps rises towards Christmas, He pictures a world that he longs for in the depths of his being, a world full of real and lasting peace.

It is the SHALOM that all Israel earnestly desired. In that world of righteousness and justice,

Isaiah sees long-standing enemies dwelling together in harmony. A child leading a wolf and a lamb? Leading a leopard and a baby goat?

Can you imagine your child walking fearlessly up to a wolf, a leopard, a lion, or putting his chubby fist into the hole in the ground where a poisonous snake lives, or playing delightfully around the nest of the viper’s?

Even for an adult I’m not so sure..It’s a beautiful picture..isn’t it..

It’s a beautiful picture..

Leading a leopard and a baby goat? Can you imagine your child walking fearlessly up to a wolf, a leopard, a lion, or putting his chubby fist into the hole in the ground where a poisonous snake lives, or playing delightfully around the nest of the venomous adder? “They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,” says Isaiah, “for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

“They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.”

The Bible has a word for what Isaiah describes. In the Hebrew language the word is "shalom."

Most know that the Hebrew word shalom is understood around the world to mean "peace." anyone a Jew here? well If you were a Jew "Shalom" is used to both greet people and to bid them farewell, but it means much more than "peace, hello or goodbye." "Shalom" is more then just simply peace; it is a complete peace.

It is a feeling of contentment, completeness, wholeness, well being and harmony. Shalom means the absence of sin and the consequences of sin.

According to my Bible dictionary, "shalom" means completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, the absence of agitation or discord.

We all search for peace, for shalom, for fulfillment, for happiness and contentment, we all try after material possessions, money, sex, entertainment, food, relationships and so on.

But those things do nothing to fill the hole in our soul that only GOD can fill! Those things only serve to distract and prevent us from finding true peace ... the shalom that can only come from Him who created and put all things into place.

Do you remember what the angels sang at the birth of Jesus: goodwill to men and peace on earth (cf )? Remember, we are talking about shalom. So we are talking about a full peace, a complete peace. It is peace with God first of all.

But it is also peace among men. It is peace between Jew and Gentile, male and female. It is a peace that allows men from every tribe and language and people and nation to gather together before the Lamb. It is a peace that makes us all one in the Lord. It is peace established by the shedding of Christ's blood and the giving of His Spirit. It is a peace that has already come but it is not yet fully here.

With expectations like these of the One who would come in the name of the LORD, no wonder Isaiah could hardly wait for Christmas to come. And we today still have those same expectations as we look for the coming of the child born in Bethlehem.

With expectations like these of the One who would come in the name of the LORD, no wonder Isaiah could hardly wait for Christmas to come. And we today still have those same expectations as we look for the coming of the child born in Bethlehem. More than Isaiah could, we have seen righteousness as the girdle of his waist—his concern for the poor as he proclaimed, “Blessed are you poor, for yours in the kingdom of heaven.” And again, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

More than Isaiah could, we have seen righteousness and as He remained faithful to his mission from God, not just when it was easy and he was popular with the crowds, but also when everyone left him, even Peter. He remained faithful to God's mission all the way to the end, even to death on a cross.

He remained faithful to his mission from God, not just when it was easy and he was popular with the crowds, but also when everyone left him, even Peter. He remained faithful to God's mission all the way to the end, even to death on a cross.

As Christmas or the holidays are approaching, what are you waiting for? Does that little babe in the manger excite your expectations, as he did Isaiah's? What are you waiting for, that you want right now?

That's Isaiah's vision. That's the expectation that excites us, too, as we worship the child born in Bethlehem but most importantly the risen Jesus He is today, and long for the coming of his kingdom when he returns.

That's Isaiah's vision. That's the expectation that excites us, too, as we worship the child born in Bethlehem, and long for the coming of his kingdom.

Like a General rallying his troops ready for war God’s new King will gather His scattered people from all ends of the earth. What an incredidible picture of the future for God’s people. This future has already began hasnt it...

Jesus already rules over His church - Christians everywhere. But his reign isn’t total yet. On day, Jesus will return over all creation. His people will live with Him in perfection.

What do we do, what can we do, with those expectations? Perhaps we can best do what Isaiah himself had to do: wait.

What do we do, what can we do, with those expectations? Perhaps we can best do what Isaiah himself had to do: wait. Wait for God's coming into our world to fully accomplish His purpose with this world—a world that God so deeply loved, and continues to love, that he sent his only son to be born into it. Waiting is what Christmas teaches us to do.

Wait for God's coming into our world to fully accomplish His purpose with this world—a world that God so deeply loved, and continues to love, that he sent his only son to be born into it. Waiting is what Christmas teaches us to do.

What do we do, what can we do, with those expectations? Perhaps we can best do what Isaiah himself had to do: wait. Wait for God's coming into our world to fully accomplish His purpose with this world—a world that God so deeply loved, and continues to love, that he sent his only son to be born into it. Waiting is what Christmas teaches us to do.

Waiting often becomes frustrating doesn’t it, like waiting in line at centerlink or for children to wait for their presents .

Waiting is not something that comes easily for us. But waiting for the coming of God's Kingdom, the return of Jesus, is a part of having faith in him. A hopeful expection.

Waiting for the coming of God's kingdom expresses the conviction that God himself, he who created this world, will set all things right again.

Because Christ has come and is coming again, Christmas keeps alive the expectation that peace will come to our world, with righteousness and justice for all. Faith-infused waiting keeps us from losing heart.

It also reminds us that it is not by our cleverness and hard work that this will be accomplished, but only by the sovereign God who moves in mysterious ways, on his own timetable. So we wait—with eager expectation.

Waiting, we realize, also implies watching. Waiting is not passive inactivity. To be waiting for Christmas, for his coming to our world, involves keeping your eyes open, staying alert—watching.

So the question, “What are you waiting for?” becomes also “What are you watching for?” When we stand or kneel before Jesus and raise our hopes for what he will accomplish, then we keep our eyes open for signs of his coming in and to our world.

When you see a falsely convicted prisoner set free, when you see your fellowman reach out to feed a hungry family, when you see collections of clothing being distributed to those in need, when you see peacemakers hard at work to prevent conflict, when you hear the voices of children raised in songs of thanksgiving, let your faith be renewed.

There are, indeed, signs of God's love and Christ's righteousness at work in surprising places in our world, offering the promise of something much bigger and much better yet to come.

And we all have a part to play don’t we..

We, are signs that point to the coming day of justice and peace. “You are my witnesses,” Jesus tells us (). We who follow Jesus and believe in him become ourselves signs of his coming.

When we reach out to the homeless in caring love, to the poor, to the hurting, to those in prison, when we share our faith to others, and be respectful with those who disagree..when we shoose to love as Christ does even when we are hated.

we don't really hasten the day of his coming or make the Day of Peace come any faster, but we become signs in the world that that day is coming.

The most worthwhile thing any of us can do is to live in the light of that promised coming. It is by how we live that we keep hope alive in and for our world. Our lives from beginning to end are signs that God is at work in our world. Emmanuel, God with us, is the expectation that Christmas keeps alive--in us and through us, in our world and for our world.

Christmas really is all about exciting possibilities that only God could dream of.

(Do not translate)

(This is how the hymn writer Isaac Watts puts that dream into words for us :

Jesus shall reign where'er the sun does its successive journeys run,

His kingdom stretch from shore to shore, till moons shall wax and wane no more.

To him shall endless prayer be made, and praises throng to crown his head.

His name like sweet perfume shall rise with every morning sacrifice.

People and realms of every tongue dwell on his love with sweetest song,

And infant voices shall proclaim their early blessings on his name.

Blessings abound where'er he reigns: the prisoners leap to lose their chains,

the weary find eternal rest, and all who suffer want are blest.)