Advent 2021

Hoping in the Lord leads to:

Hope

2 Samuel 7:18–29 (ESV)

Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God. You have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord God! And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord God! Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it. Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. And who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making himself a name and doing for them great and awesome things by driving out before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods? And you established for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever. And you, O Lord, became their God. And now, O Lord God, confirm forever the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and do as you have spoken. And your name will be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you. For you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.”

The hopeful king: We see a David who in his thankfulness finds a hope in a good and perfect God.

I. The approach to God. “Then went king David in, and sat before the Lord.”

II. The gratitude towards God:.

A. By looking back at the past. “Who am I, O Lord God?” etc.

B. By thinking of the future. “And this was yet a small thing in Thy sight, O Lord God,” etc.

III. The touching appeal he presented. “And what shall David say more unto thee? for thou, Lord God, knowest Thy servant.”

We see a king who is hopeful in the redemption of his God. The Hope rises out of a clear vision as to who God is and who he is.

In a world of hopelessness, we must strive to know God and then live in the sure hope of our salvation.

A renewed spirit.

In days when we find it hard to see the positive in anything, we would do good to remember the hope in our God. (Canada getting into their STRATEGIC STOCKPILE OF MAPLE SYRUP)

A clear vision.

We can easily lose our focus in a world where the smoke from our burning civilizations mask the truth of our hope.

Proverbs 29:18 ESV

Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.

The body of Christ needs a renewed vision on reaching those in our world. We will find this when we hope in God.

A courage and boldness in our faith.

What the world needs to see is a church that moves in the power of our God. This power comes when we hope in the Lord.

If you do not hope you will never discover what is beyond your hopes. Clement of Alexandria

A courage that will last is from above. This courage is found only in a Godly hope.

Luke 1:26–38 ESV

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Jesus is the hope of nations.