Hope is Here

Merry Christmas! If you have a Bible, I want to invite you to join in with me in Luke Chapter Two. Today is such a special day as we get to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ together. If you are here this morning, and you are someone who doesn’t follow Jesus and today you joined us for this special gathering. I want to say welcome, I’m glad you are here. You came to hear the greatest message of hope you could ever hear, today. The hope found in Jesus Christ, the son of God, the friend of sinners.

For my church family this morning. I’m here to tell you that we can hope in Christ. Two weeks ago, we talked about how we are in need of hope. Last week, Sean preached on the hope that was coming through the prophecy of Christ. And now, we get to see the joy of Christ being born.

We have had this theme of hope throughout this season of advent because I can sense as well as you can that the world today seems void of hope. That its missing. While we may not see it, the world has actually experienced this before, even to the time before Christ. This longing for hope.

Introduce the Problem -

The nation is awaiting a savior. Longing for the hope of a Messiah. There is a period of silence between the Old Testament and the New Testament that we have in our Bibles. From the last book, Malachi to the first book of the new testament, Matthew, there is a period of over 400 years of what appears to be silence.

No prophetic word from the Lord. Nothing spoken that would become scripture. All that the followers of God had was his word and the promise of a Messiah who would come.

I don’t know about you, but that is a long time of waiting, right? We get mad if our netflix takes more than four seconds to load, let alone, 400+ years.

I got to go to Israel two years ago, and they have the Western Wall, the outer wall that is closest to the temple mount that is now held by Muslims. And some people call it the Wailing Wall, where people go and they are brought to tears at the destruction of the temple. And witnessing it myself, you see them crying out to a God who believes the Messiah has not come yet.

And so 400+ years go by, and that brings you to Luke Chapter 2, where we see hope begin to arise.

Read along with me started in verse one.

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In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. - Luke 2:1-5

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Diagnose or Analyze the Problem -

So we make it to the narrative of Mary & Joseph. Mary is pregnant with baby Jesus, yet betrothed and a virgin. She is young. And as we talked about two weeks ago, this is not a normative issue. Mary is pregnant from the Holy Spirit, and Joseph as we saw in Matthew wanted to divorce her quietly due to the nature of the siutation.

However, both of them are spoken to by the angel of the Lord and receive assurance that this baby is the son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. And as they learn from the angel, he is going to be the savior of the world.

This is no coincidence just so you know. Bethleham is a fulfilled propheices we see in the Old Testament. The birth of the Messiash was to be in Betheleham, Micah 5:2.

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.

Its 100% intentional that this is happening. God is soveringly guiding them by order of Caesar Augustus to the place where Jesus will be born. And Mary & Joseph are on the way there.

So let’s continue on and see what happens next in verse 6.

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6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Introduce the Solution to the Problem -

Jesus is born into the world.

Bring the Gospel to Bear on the Problem -

He will be the savior of people’s sins.

3 Truths we have in light of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Apply the Gospel Resolution to Contemporary Life

You have redemption in Christ. - Verse 11

- Christ takes the guilty and makes him free.

You have reverence for Christ. - Verse 14,20

- Notice what the angels and shepherds do.

- This baby leads us to worship him fully. Do you worship him today?

You have refuge through Christ. - Verse 14

- The life you live is bound to not go according to your own plan. Have you discovered that yet?

- And along the way, peace seems hard to find.

- But my friend, in Christ this is not the case.

Invitation