Christmas 2020: Hope

As we approach Christmas, we are going to focus on a different theme each week as a part of our celebration of Jesus coming to Earth to live, die, and rise again as our Savior.

The Themes we are going to focus on are Hope, Peace, Joy, Light and Love.

In the coming weeks, I hope to have videos from some of those who are unable to be with us in our live services as a means of connecting us together during this season.

I am praying that the Lord will use this season, after a very long and different year with unique challenges, to build us up in our faith, to strengthen us, to draw us closer to Him, and together as a family, and to encourage us to share these messages of Hope, Peace, Joy, Light and Love with the world around us that so desparately needs them.

The theme this week is Hope.

I was reading about a submarine named the Squalus this week. Working in a submarine is hazardous. In 1915, 1917, 1920 and 1923, 5 submarines were lost. In 1925, and 1927, the US Navy lost two submarines, S-4, and S-51, with only four crewmembers from the latter surviving. For the former, the S-4, several men were alive, and communicated with divers for days while rescue efforts were being made. One of the last messages tapped out in Morse code was, “Is there any hope?” After days of rescue attempts, the rescue was abandoned due to severe weather.

Then, there were a number of years without incident, until in 1939, the USS-Squalus sank. Divers were able to locate the submarine, and rescue efforts began. However, never had there been a successful deep water rescue. Was there any hope for them?

Many people today may feel like those trapped submariners. Things are not looking good. Circumstances look dire. There doesn’t seem to be a great history of rescue. They wonder, “Is there any hope?”

As we look at the theme of ‘Hope’s, we are going to use three questions to focus our study to this end.

What is Hope?

How can we find hope in these days?

How does Christmas help us find Hope?

As we examine these themes and questions, we are going to work our way through the accounts of Jesus’ coming as found in the Bible.

Today, we will be looking at Hope through the account of the angel appearing to Zechariah.

So, the first question,

What is Hope?

Back when Luke wrote this gospel in Greek, the greek word for hope was understood by many to be the anticipation of something better. It was subjective to the person. Hope was whatever a person could imagine as a better circumstance.

Hope by that definition today is what we call, ‘Wishful thinking’.

However, hope as seen in the scriptures is not subjective. It is not simply wishful thinking.

What is Hope in the scriptures?

Hope is confident anticipation based upon objective reality

In the scriptures, Hope is objectively founded on who God is, what He has done, and what He has foretold. When Hope is objectively founded on the Lord, it is not wishful thinking. It is confidence!

The Hebrew word for hope in the old testament means “to wait or look for with eager expectations.” It is “enduring patiently,” and living “in confident hope that God will act!”

That is how Paul describes hope as he discusses Abraham in Romans 4:18-21.

Romans 4:18–21 NIV

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

Abraham shows us what Biblical Hope is, by counting on the promise of God when everything in the world said there was not hope.

Abraham did not have wishful thinking. He could not even imagine having a child at his and Sara’s age. It was impossible. He did not have hope as the world sees it, wishful thinking.

Abraham had confident antidipation of what God would do, because he was confident in the objective reality of God’s promise.

That is what Biblical Hope is: Confident anticipation based upon objective realities from God.

Hope. Something we desparately need today.

How can we find Hope?

How does Christmas help us to find Hope?

Let’s open our bibles to Luke 1 as we study this together.

Prayer

Luke 1:5–7 NIV

In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

Okay. Let’s consider what we know so far...

Who is the main character?

Who: Zechariah

Who is this about? It is about Zechariah.

The Holy Spirit led Luke to record certain details to help us consider who this is, and why he would need hope.

What is the very first detail in the passage?

When: In the Time of Herod the Great

Why is this significant? Well for the reader of the day, they would have known some of the recent history, and the details around the reign of Herod the Great.

Zechariah was said to be an old man in the context of this passage, which likely took place around 7-6 BC. If he was about 60, then he would have been alive through the troubled Jewish leaders who ruled after the Greeks were defeated. This was an ungodly time with chief priesthood being given, and fought over. One of the chief priests had his enemies slaughtered while he watched with his concubines. It was not a good time politically, socially, nor spiritually in the nation.

Then, he would have been alive when the Romans conquered the land. When he was an adult, he would have lived through the rebellion and then the Romans coming back and installing Herod as King.

In the days when Herod was reigning, there was a lot of unsettledness with Herod killing even one of his wives, and some of his sons as he worried about someone trying to take his throne.

This period of time from 13 - 4 BC was a time of domestic strife in the land, and misunderstandings with Rome. I am sure there was a lot of uncertainty of what would happen as Herod was nearing the end of his life, and was putting people to death.

And, under the Roman rule, the Chief Priest was appointed with the permission of the rulers.

Once again, it was not a good time politically, socially, nor spiritually in the nation.

Can you think of what it may have been like to live in those uncertain times, wondering what would happen politically, what would happen economically, what was going to happen in the society?

Zechariah had a lot going on around him to give him anxiety, and despair. This was certainly a time when he needed hope, real hope and not just wishful thinking.

What else do we see in the details?

Look at verses Luke 1:5-7.

Zechariah was: a priest, married, righteous, childless

Priest - He led worship of the Lord, prayers to the Lord, taught the people about the Lord

Married - His wife Elizabeth was also a descendent of Aaron, and was righteous

Righteous - Zechariah was careful to observe all that the Lord commanded. He was blameless. He was a good priest!

Childless - Economic impact: no one to support them in old age; Social impact: barrenness was seen as a judgment for sin. Jewish teachers generally insisted that a man divorce a childless wife so he could procreate. - Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Lk 1:7.

Imagine the pressure that must have been on Zechariah as he was a priest, with a wife that was considered a sinner being punished by God with barrenness. He was likely told to divorce his wife, and to marry another. Yet, Zechariah had not divorced his wife. He must have been a loving husband. However, this was a big issue in their lives.

I imagine that Zechariah and Elizabeth spent much of their lives praying for a child. And, at the same time, wondering into what kind of world would he be bringing a child? So, he prayed more. He prayed for a child. He prayed for his nation. He prayed for his people.

That likely continued for years, and now that they were getting older, what were they going to do? How could he comfort his wife and take away the shame she felt? Who would care for them as they grew more feeble? There was nothing he could do. All he could do was pray, again.

Let’s keep reading the passage.

Luke 1:8–17 NIV

Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

“Your Prayer has been heard… Your wife will have a son!”

Wow! Can you imagine what it must have been like for Zechariah to get this news!? He had been praying for a child for years! He and Elizabeth had hoped, they had prayed and prayed, and now, God told them that they would have a child!!

Zechariah must have been jumping around in joy! Right? I mean this is something he and his wife had longed for, for years.

But wait. What happened when he was told the news?

Let’s read Zechariah’s reaction...

Luke 1:18–20 NIV

Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

Do you see that in verse 20… Why did Zechariah question the angel’s message? Because he did not believe.

Those words really stood out to me this week. Here Zechariah received the word that he had longed for, what he had asked for, but he did not believe when he was told his prayers were heard and being answered.

Why? Why would he respond this way? As i considered this, I concluded that...

Zechariah did not pray with Hope

Zechariah was praying. God heard and God answered. But Zechariah did not believe because Zechariah was not praying with Hope. Zechariah was not confidently anticipating based upon the realities of God. He was praying, but it was just empty words without any expectation of receiving that for which he was asking.

Why? Why would Zechariah pray like that? Why would Zechariah pray without hope?

As I considered that, I made it even more personal, something we should do when we read the scriptures. I asked the question...

Why do we pray without Hope?

I know I am guilty, and I believe many Christians are guilty of praying without hope. We pray, and ask the Lord to work, to do mighty things, but we often pray without Hope. We say the words without any confidence. We say the words without anticipation of God working. We have no confident anticipation based upon the realities of God.

Why is that?

I talked with Andrea and Keith in the office, and with others this week.

Here are some of the reasons I pulled together.

Sin in our lives

When we know there is sin in our lives, we will still often pray, keeping up appearances with others. But we know in our hearts that our sin separates us from God.

I do not think this was what caused Zechariah to pray without hope. He was a righteous man. Yes, he would have sinned just as we all sin. Every descendent of that first man, Adam, has been born in sin, and sins. We all fail to live up to God’s perfect, righteous, holy standard. We all do things that are wrong in God’s eyes, including Zechariah. However, he believed God and dealt with his sin through confession and the prescribed sacrifice.

However, many people today carry around their burden of sin. They know what they do hurts them and others, and yet instead of repentance and confession, they continue in the sinful behavior. They hide it. They push others away. They try to cover it up, or do more good to make up for it. However, they know the weight, the burden of their sin. They pray, but they feel the distance between them and the Holy God. They have no hope that He will hear their prayers.

Sin in our lives causes us to pray without hope.

For others...

Sorrows of Life

There are also the sorrows of life. There are times we pray, but we wonder like the Psalmist if the Lord is far off, and not answering our prayers.

I wonder if this is where Zechariah found himself? He and Elizabeth had prayed for years for a son. And now they were old. He still prayed as it was the only thing he could do. However, he did not have hope.

His whole life he saw the political, religious and social turmoil around him. It was bad enough all of the evil that took place in the political realm. It was bad enough all of the evil in society. But he was a priest and the evil he saw in the priesthood and the political dealings that overshadowed the true purpose of the priests had to be deeply disturbing.

Where was the Lord? Didn’t he care? Where was the promised Messiah that would destroy these evil shepherds and care for his sheep, his people, himself?

Zechariah prayed for years. However, the sorrows of life were piling up. He was still praying. However he was praying without hope.

I believe this is where many people find themselves today. This world is not getting better. Our lives are full of trials. Why? Because God is not sovereign? Because God is not good?

God is sovereign, and God is good. However, he put this world under the authority of Adam and his descendants. When Adam chose to listen to Satan, and sinned against God, this world was subjected to evil authority, and decay as a result of sin. The world is full of evil because of sin. There are evil forces at work in this world. We suffer because of the sin that destroys us, both ours and others’ sin.

Sometimes, the sorrows of this world pile upon us, and all we see are the times when the Lord has not worked the way we wish He would have. He can intervene. Why doesn’t he?

And, at times we get overwhelmed with the sorrows, and though we still pray as we know we should, we pray without hope, expecting that God will not intervene.

The Sorrows of Life can influence us to pray without hope.

Lastly, another reason some pray without hope is...

Subjective Thinking

The world always tells us to think of ourselves, and that we should have things our way. Everything in our lives is subject to our thinking, our feelings, our desires. We consider everything through the lens of ‘me’.

Because we view life this way, our hope is the same as the world’s hope… subjective.

I hope that I will get this or that. I hope that I will have no trouble. I hope that this person will get better, because that will make me feel better. I think that is the way things should be.

Or, subjectively, I don’t see things getting better. What is the point. I know I should pray, but subjectively, it isn’t going to do any good anyway.

We think subjectively, so we pray without hope.

What is the answer? How will we find hope? How does Christmas help us to find hope?

The Realities of God.

Biblical hope is confident anticipation based upon the realities of God.

The angel tried to point Zechariah to this when he spoke to him.

Luke 1:13–17 NIV

But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

The Reality is that God does hear prayer! God does care!! That is what we see in the scriptures over and over. God hears the prayers and cries of His people. He cares!

The Reality is that God gives promises, and he always follows through!

The Reality is that God is working in and through his people!

The Reality is that God foretold that he would send the Savior, and one who would go before the Savior. God who cannot lie, told what he would do!

The Reality is that God has worked in the past! The examples of God working in the past are meant to stir up hope within us! Hope that is based on the Reality of the Almighty God who does work, who does follow through on his promises!

How do we find Hope? How do we find Hope at Christmas?

Sin: Reality of What God has Done

If you feel like your sin is separating you from God, you need the Reality of what God has done!

Here is Reality, Objective truth: God still loves you!

God demonstrated his love for you in this, while you were still a sinner, Christ died for you!

Jesus, who knew no sin, took your sin upon himself. He became sin for us, so that we could become the righteousness of God in him. He exhanges your sin for his righteousness.

Jesus is our great High Priest, using the imagery God gave to Israel in the Old Testament.

Just as the High Priest would make a sacrifice for sin each year in the temple, Jesus made a sacrifice. But he did his perfect sacrifice, once for all time! Then, after making that sacrifice, he sat down at the right hand of the Father.

Hebrews 7:25 NIV

Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

Therefore,

Hebrews 10:22 NIV

let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

God has dealt with your sin. He will cleanse and forgive you. Jesus will remove your sin. Believe in the Reality of what Jesus has done for you! Repent, confess your sin, and Jesus will cleanse you!

Then boldly approach the throne with confidence!

Have hope, Confident anticipation of what God will do, based upon the reality of what God has done!!

Sorrows: Reality of What God is Doing

Yes, in this world we have sorrows and trials. God tells us that we will face these things in this world because of sin.

The Reality is not that God will take away all of the suffering of life here on this earth here and now. If he were to do that, it would have to be the end of the world, right now.

Instead, the reality of God is that He is with us. He never leaves us, he never forsakes us!

Matthew 28:20 NIV

and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The reality is that God is a work to purify us, to make us more like Jesus. It is in the sorrows of life that our faith will grow!

God is using the sorrows of life for our good, that we would trust him more, and find, like Paul:

2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

He is our shield:

1 Peter 1:5 NIV

who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

The trials come so that...

1 Peter 1:7–9 NIV

These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

When we are going through the difficulties of life,

Hebrews 4:15–16 NIV

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Allow the reality that God is at work now, that God is with you now., that God is giving you the grace and strength you need now, that God is purifying you now to give you the joy and hope you need today!

Pray in hope, confidently anticipating what God will do based upon the reality that he is working in you now! And this will result in praise and glory in the end!

Subjectivity: Reality of What God will Do

When you find yourself praying without hope because you have given in to subjective thinking… “nothing is going to change,” “I am not getting what I want,” remember the promises of God!

He will continue to work in you until the day of Christ, when he comes to take you home!

Philippians 1:6 NIV

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

And, yes, he is also at work in others, to bring them to Himself.

He is coming back to establish his kingdom, and to finally deal with sin and death. He is going to take us into the new earth!

However, remember,

2 Peter 3:9 NIV

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

All through the scriptures, God has worked patiently.

The Israelites were in slavery for 400 years. He promised to take them to the promised land, however he was patient now wanting to destroy the Amorites in their sin, but giving them more time, more opportunity to repent and live.

The Israelites in Zechariah’s time had not heard from a prophet for nearly 400 years. They had the word fo God through the prophets from before, but because of sin, were being disciplined, as foretold by the prophets. However, the prophets also foretold how God would send the savior, and a forerunner to the savior.

God keeps his promises. Christmas, especially should remind us that though it seems slow to us, God is at work to discipline the world, allowing the world to face the suffering brought on by their rebellion against God, hoping that they will come to repentance!

But the day will come, when He will send the Savior to bring His people home.

Allow the Objective Reality of what God has promised to do, to over-rule your subjective thinking. Consider what God is doing over what you desire. Look for Him to fulfill what He has said, instead of what you think.

Then, you will be able to pray in hope: confidently anticipating what God will do, based upon the realities of God!

Hebrews 7:19, 25; 4:16; 10:1, 22; Jas 4:8