Hope in a Broken World

Intro

Needed: A Prince of Peace

In the depths of World War II, Swedish authorities decided their citizens needed to know what to do if the fighting finally arrived on their doorstep. Though they maintained neutrality, it was hard to believe they could continue to do so—especially as their Nordic neighbors got caught in the tides of violence. So, they decided on a handy pamphlet, delivered to households across Sweden. Roughly translated to "If War Comes," the pamphlets offered tips for how to interpret sirens and what to take along in the case of evacuation.

The pamphlets didn't end with the war. For more than four decades, Sweden distributed these little bits of instruction on catastrophe—until the end of the Cold War seemed to diminish their usefulness and they were discontinued. Now, Sweden is bringing them back.

The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency is organizing a reboot of the pamphlet, this time augmenting its advice on conventional warfare with tips on how to grapple with threats of this era: terrorism and cyberattacks, pandemics, misinformation campaigns, and crises related to climate change.

The agency expects to deliver these pamphlets to 4.7 million Swedish households. A spokesman for the agency said, “Back then the focus was only on war; today society looks totally different. There are considerably more complex threats. People need to learn more and know more about how to handle … their own and their nearest relatives’ fundamental needs for a while.”

- Colin Dwyer, “Unsettled By Russia, Sweden Revives Pamphlets On What To Do 'If War Comes,’” NPR (1-22-18)

Today marks the beginning of the Advent Season. For us, This is a season of both remembrance and expectation.

The term “Advent” is borrowed from Medieval Latin adventus, meaning "arrival, appearance”

Many are discouraged due to the season in which we are currently living. We are:

making decisions that we never imagined we’d have to make

Learning new ways to communicate with each other

facing more division than many of us have seen in a long time, if not in our entire life.

We as a people are troubled.

We as a people are dealing with a lack of clarity and confidence when it comes to our future.

I would even go as far as to say that, we as a people are poor. Whether financially or in spirit. This season has taken a toll on all of us.

That is why this season is so important. For Centuries, the Church has faced the difficulties of a lost and broken world, but we can find encouragement in the Advent Season.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said this:

"The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come." ~

Knowing all of our afflictions and trials, WE LOOK FORWARD TO SOMETHING GREATER TO COME!

That is what we will be doing over the next 4 weeks. Looking back, Looking forward, and Looking at today, all so that we can see that Christ Has always been Here, will always be here, and is here in this very room today!

Each of the Candles that you see represent attributes that can only be experienced through a real relationship with Christ. The Colored candles represent “Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love” While the White Candle is referred to as the “Christ Candle”.

This morning the (Family Name) read from the word and Lite the “Hope Candle”.

As we saw in the illustration from earlier, the Swedes had a desired outcome in mind (They wanted to remain neutral, However the circumstances that surrounded them made it difficult for them to put all of their Hope in that outcome.

Let’s define Hope this morning.

The Lexham Bible Dictionary Hope

HOPE The confidence that, by integrating God’s redemptive acts in the past with trusting human responses in the present, the faithful will experience the fullness of God’s goodness both in the present and in the future.

Let me Translate that into Southern for you:

Hope is “When we believe that because of What the Lord has done in the past, and because we have made a commitment to follow Him in the present, then we know that our future is taken care of.”

This Morning we find ourselves in the book of Micah Chapter 7. We’ve talked a-lot about Hope already this morning. But let’s see what’s going on here in Micah.

Micah is considered to be one of the “Minor Prophets” in the Old Testament. Not because we was any less of a prophet, but because his book is shorter than books like Isaiah or Jeremiah.

Micah was prophesying and preaching to the people of Moresheth at the same time that Isaiah was preaching to those in Jerusalem.

Much like the rest of the nation of Israel,The people of Moresheth were in denial about their situation. They believed that everything was good. Their society became much less concerned with the condition of their heart, and more concerned with vanity, wealth, and pride.

A very difficult picture is painted in verses 1-6

Micah 7:1–6 CSB

1 How sad for me! For I am like one who— when the summer fruit has been gathered after the gleaning of the grape harvest— finds no grape cluster to eat, no early fig, which I crave. 2 Faithful people have vanished from the land; there is no one upright among the people. All of them wait in ambush to shed blood; they hunt each other with a net. 3 Both hands are good at accomplishing evil: the official and the judge demand a bribe; when the powerful man communicates his evil desire, they plot it together. 4 The best of them is like a brier; the most upright is worse than a hedge of thorns. The day of your watchmen, the day of your punishment, is coming; at this time their panic is here. 5 Do not rely on a friend; don’t trust in a close companion. Seal your mouth from the woman who lies in your arms. 6 Surely a son considers his father a fool, a daughter opposes her mother, and a daughter-in-law is against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own household.

Doesn’t 750 B.C. - 687 B.C. sounds pretty familiar?

The text describes this era as:

Fruitless

In Vs. 1 The Lord says that He Craves good fruit from our lives, but can find none.

This is a big deal, because of what we see in Matthew 7

Matthew 7:16–20 CSB

16 You’ll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So you’ll recognize them by their fruit.

It describes this era as:

Toxic

Vs. 2 paints a terrible scene of people waiting in the shadows to pounce on their fellow countrymen.

The relationships between people are no longer founded in Joy or laughter, but in malice and conflict

It describes this era as:

Corrupt

We see earlier in Micah another picture of this

Micah 2:2 CSB

2 They covet fields and seize them; they also take houses. They deprive a man of his home, a person of his inheritance.

The Corrupt Government would take away people’s land, homes, and inheritance and sell it even though it was against the law

It describes this era as:

Confusing

They were living in a day when every decision that they made had to be weighed. People had to look at their decisions, not from the angle of what was right, but from the angle in which was the “Least wrong” or as we say it today “The Lesser of two evils”.

and finally, the text describes this era as:

Divided

Micah 7:5–6 CSB

5 Do not rely on a friend; don’t trust in a close companion. Seal your mouth from the woman who lies in your arms. 6 Surely a son considers his father a fool, a daughter opposes her mother, and a daughter-in-law is against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own household.

Fathers, Mothers, Husbands, and Wives. Even Siblings and Friends lose sight of their bond with one another. All because of a fog that is placed in our lives that makes it hard for us to see that we have been locked in a cage of deception and pain.

You see, This is no normal cage, this is

This is a cage from which we don’t believe that anyone can hear us scream for help, so we sit quietly.

This is a cage in which we haven’t seen the light at the end of the tunnel in a long time, so we stop looking.

This is a cage from which WE SEE NO HOPE!

But Micah’s words to the Nation of Israel, are words that We need to hear this morning!!

Micah 7:7–9 CSB

7 But I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. 8 Do not rejoice over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will stand up; though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. 9 Because I have sinned against him, I must endure the Lord’s fury until he champions my cause and establishes justice for me. He will bring me into the light; I will see his salvation.

Hope’s Origin

Do you remember our definition of Hope?

Hope is “When we believe that because of What the Lord has done in the past, and because we have made a commitment to follow Him in the present, then we know that our future is taken care of.”

With that Definition in mind, We know There are a ton of obstacles that we are facing in our time. Some that are new, but most Micah faced as well.

The Advent Season is a time for us to take all of the “Stuff” in our lives, and sit it side by side with the God of the Universe and the sacrifice that He made for each and every one of us!

Misplaced Hope

The Nation of Israel didn’t heed the words of the prophets! They didn’t listen! and as a result of them placing their hope in the world, the world would not only keep them captive spiritually, but would make them slaves physically by using the Nation of Babylon.

Where are we placing our hope?

In Fruitless endeavors?

In Toxic Relationships?

In a corrupt Lifestyle?

In the Lesser of two Evils?

In a world that only brings about Division?

The Bible tells of the coming of Jesus at least 650 years before it happened here in the book of Micah.

Micah 5:2 CSB

2 Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; one will come from you to be ruler over Israel for me. His origin is from antiquity, from ancient times.

There are at least 55 Historical Old Testament References to Jesus as the Messiah.

All of which depict His victory over the hardships of this world!

Micah’s Message to all of us is that:

When you feel like no one is listening. Remember that “My God will hear me.”

When it seems like life keeps knocking you down, Remember, “Though i have fallen, i will stand up;”

When it seems like life is full of darkness, Remember, “though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.”

Conclusion

But Know That Listening Ear, That Hand that picks us up, That Light in the Darkness, is only available by turning away from who you were, and becoming who you were meant to be, and that is a Follower of Jesus!

If you want this Hope. Whenever we sing, or at anytime, you can come forward, or Pray right where you are. Confess and Ask the Lord to Forgive you of your sins, surrender your life by choosing to follow Him, and by believing that Jesus Died for your sins, and rose again three days later!

Maybe you’ve accepted Jesus, but the world has trapped you in a cage of Fear, Worry, and doubt. Fall to your knees and Ask the Lord to free you from that Cage!

Whatever Decision you need to make, the Lord Invites you to come, as we sing!

Lord’s Supper

We now Transition in our Worship to a time of Remembrance. To a time in which, the Hope that we have discussed this morning is so vividly personified in Jesus’s actions in the Upper room the evening before His Crucifixion.

Jesus calls us to remember His sacrifice for us, and to do so with a clean Heart

Matthew 5:23–24 CSB

23 So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.

This text sets the tone for How we are to enter into the Lord’s supper. We must first and Foremost be Christians to take part, and we are to also refrain from partaking if we have unconfessed sin in our lives. Please be mindful of these requirements as we move forward.

Mark 14:22–26 CSB

22 As they were eating, he took bread, blessed and broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is my body.” 23 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. 25 Truly I tell you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” 26 After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Though we may have to adjust our methods due to our season, The Lord Desires for us to commune with Him in this way. To see His Love and Sacrifice for Us this morning.

Pray

The Bread

As you entered this morning, small pre packaged cups were available at each entry way. At this time I ask that you take the bread from the package.

Jesus told us:

John 6:35 CSB

35 “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again.

It is in this Promise that we can find Hope this morning.

Luke 22:19 CSB

19 And he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

The Cup

The Juice represents the painful sacrifice that Christ made for us on the Cross.

It is also because of This Sacrifice that we can find Hope this morning!

Luke 22:20 CSB

20 In the same way he also took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

Pray

Dismiss