Christmas Isn't Cancelled (part 3)
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
Introduction. Have you ever been disappointed bc expectation didn’t match reality?
Take a look at these expectation vs reality pics. [slides 2, 3, 4]
How about your XS expectations?
Did it look like something like this? [slide 5]
Were you expecting a large family gathering?
Were you expecting a peaceful XS day?
Were you expecting lots of XS cheer?
There is nothing wrong with having expectations. [Slide 6]
The Bible is filled with expectation: HOPE
Hope (world) = wish (I hope the V win the super bowl)
Hope (bible) = confident expectation on God’s promises.
“I know it’s going to happen.”
Paul declares in Romans 5:5 that “Hope does not disappoint us.”
Here’s why this is important to have a confident expectation -
I believe that every Christian at some in life will go through a dark valley marked by deep doubts and fears. Some of you are there right now.
In that dark valley you will need “unshakable hope.” A strong and confident expectation on God’s promises.
Hope has a name: Jesus
In the midst of a dark season for the nation of Judah. God gives the following promise in Isaiah 9:6-7 [slides 7,8)
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Pray!
[slide 9] Background:
Isaiah 9 | 700 yrs BC
Rising super power | Assyria
Syria & Israel | anti-Assyrian Alliance
They ask Ahab (Judah), “come join us. We can protect each other” | Ahab, “no, thanks.”
Syria & Israel plan to invade Jerusalem & take over Judah (PANIC)
Assyria to Ahaz, “join me, I’ll protect you from them.” | Ahaz doesn’t know what to do. | 2 different enemies.
God sends the prophet Isaiah, “Don’t join any of them. I will protect you.” | Imagine Ahaz’ confused face.
Isaiah, “In addition God will give you promises through a baby.”
How’s a baby going to deliver Ahaz from an impending army?
How does this baby help me with my problems?
The ultimate answer for our needs are given in the reign of Jesus.
Our greatest problem is not:
health issues
disintegrating marriages
war/famine
mental health issues
racism
corruption
abuse
These are huge problems, but they are not the biggest problem. They are the symptom.
Our greatest problem is our sin that separates us from God and his peace. (root cause)
Isaiah 9 promises to send a King that would come to save us from the kingdom of sin and transfer us to a kingdom of peace.
[Slide 10] Isaiah describes this king: His name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor
Mighty God
Everlasting Father
Prince of Peace
What we discover in these two verses are two advent seasons. Two comings of Jesus the Messiah. The first coming took place at Xmas. The second coming is yet to happen.
Main Idea: [slide 11] We have the presence of Jesus while we wait for the establishment of his kingdom.
Jesus’ 1st coming: to deliver us from sin
Jesus 2nd coming: to deliver us from suffering (establishing a kingdom marked by righteousness, justice and peace).
[slide 12] Bonhoeffer: “Our whole life is an Advent, a season of waiting for the last Advent, when there will be a new heaven and earth.”
Until then, we, like the people of Judah in Isaiah 9, are waiting. We are waiting for his second coming
Why the need to wait? Why didn’t He just fix it all on his 1st coming?”
God uses waiting to shape and form important things in our lives such as our character and attitude.
We live with confident expectation in light of God’s promises. Meanwhile we get the presence of Jesus:
Four relational names: [slide 13]
Wonderful Counselor
Wonderful Counselor
Jesus comes alongside to give us counsel and wisdom with our problems:
He won’t reproach | rebuke | reject you
5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
He understands you.
15 We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin.
He knows what is like to feel lonely
He knows what it feels to be misunderstood
He knows what it feels to be rejected/despised
He knows what it feels to be betrayed by a close friend
He knows what it feels to be falsely accused.
He understands and sympathizes with us. (pause & think)
Mighty God
Mighty God
In the gospels, we see how mighty Jesus is. He has power over everything that we cannot control:
Disease
Demons
Disaster
Death
He is he only one powerful enough to take on Satan, sin and death on our behalf. At the cross, he entered the horror of darkness in order to save us. He is mighty to save.
Danny Akin. “The King with 4 names is a warrior God, a hero God who would fight a battle greater than Waterloo or Valley Forge, more decisive than Gettysburg or D-Day. No, the Warrior God, the Captain of our Salvation (Heb 2:10) would take the field at Calvary, engage the titan forces of sin and Satan; death, hell and the grave, and when the dust of the battle had settled, an empty tomb stands as an eternal monument to the victory of El gibbor, the Mighty God.”
Everlasting Father
Everlasting Father
At Morris Evangelical Free Church we affirm the doctrine of the Trinity: “we believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
Here in Isaiah 9:6, Jesus is called everlasting father. No need for confusion.
Edward Young, “The word Father designates a quality of the Messiah with respect to His people. He acts toward them like a father”
Jesus points us towards the heart of the Father.
Xmas is hard for many. Some of you had a good father, but he is now gone. Others of you din’t have a good experience with your father growing up.
I hated xmas growing up.Physically absent dad. Xmas=loneliness
I’m aware that many of you had a good relationship with your father. I’m also aware that many of you didn’t have a good relationship with your dad:
Abusive
Absent (walked away/too busy)
Distant
Uncaring
Rigid
Unloving
Judge your earthly Father by your heavenly one; not your Heavenly Father by your earthly one.
HE IS CARING
13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.
Jesus will never let you down. Jesus accepts you not based on your performance but based on his life and work. He lived the life we were supposed to live and died on our place. All we have to do is receive his forgiveness and acceptance by trusting in Christ.
You can experience God’s acceptance by trusting Christ.
You can see this in the story of the woman caught in adultery who is brought to Jesus.
3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”
Notice the order... Acceptance 1st; then change. We change not to be accepted, but because we have been accepted.
Jesus is not absent, but ever present.
Judge your earthly Father by your heavenly one; not your Heavenly Father by your earthly one.
5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
We deserve to be rejected, yet
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
The Lord never forgets us.
15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.
Judge your earthly Father by your heavenly one; not your Heavenly Father by your earthly one.
Prince of Peace
Prince of Peace
The word here translated peace is “shalom.”
Shalom: completeness, soundness, welfare, peace (BDB Lexicon)
It would be used to describe a wall with no cracks (soundness).
Adam & Eve experienced perfect shalom with God and with each other:
Adam & Eve walked with God
Healthy bodies
Hearts with no sin
Healthy relationship w/God w/each other)
Unfortunately, they rebelled against God. Sin entered the world. Shalom was lost.
Our greatest problem is our sin that separates us from God and his peace.
Good news: the angels announce to the shepherds that the newborn baby is the one who brings true peace to earth (Luke 2:14)
God’s shalom is manifested as the reconciliation of all things:
19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Jesus restores shalom:
Shalom with God through justification by faith.
1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Shalom with others. Our peace with and from God is our source to promote unity and peace among us.
15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
Shalom within oneself. A peace that is not based on circumstances. A peace that protects our hearts and minds.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Before Jesus died.
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
After the resurrection he continually says to his disciples:
21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”
There is a lot of turmoil, but Jesus wants to fill his church with his peace and then be sent into the world.
How are you being a conduit of shalom in your sphere of influence?
NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible: Follow God’s Redemptive Plan as it Unfolds throughout Scripture People of Shalom: Christians
Christians in their daily work and life in their neighborhoods can and should find a thousand ways to maintain or repair physical, psychological, and social/cultural shalom. How can we do that? Strengthening shalom means sacrificially giving your time, goods, power, and resources to all the various needs of your neighbors.
Conclusion: We have the presence of Jesus while we wait for the establishment of his kingdom.
He is the Wonderful Counselor who understands and sympathizes.
He is the Mighty God who secured my salvation by defeating sin and death.
He is the Everlasting Father who is present and cares for me.
He is the Prince of Peace who restores broken relationships.
Let’s pray: “Lord we wait for the establishment of your kingdom. Thank you for your presence while we wait. Give us faith to see and believe.”