The Advent of Hope

This week marks the beginning of the Advent season. Advent is nothing more than a way to prepare our hearts to truly celebrate Christ’s birth. Next to me we see the Advent wreath and each candle represents a important aspect of remembrance of our Christmas celebration.

Today we light the candle of Hope. The them of hope is found in some 115 passages of scripture. Not only is is a theme in which we celebrate Advent, but it is a major theme throughout scripture.

What is Hope? Maybe a better question yet, “ In what are you placing your hope?”

The Lexham Bible Dictionary Defines “hope” in this way:

“An Expectation of the fulfillment of something desired or Promised.

So how do you maintain hope when things look very bleak?

Today we are going to look at a prophesy of Hope given in the book of Isaiah some 700 years before Christ birth in a time that looked hopeless.

Background: Isaiah was a prophet during a very dark period of Israel’s history the nation had split into two-kingdoms The ten Northern tribes rejected Solomon's successor and formed the Northern Kingdom. It was known as Israel. The southern kingdom made up of the other two tribes was known as Judah.

In the first half of the book, Isaiah prophesied against Israel's sin and rebellion against God. He warned about the coming Judgement. The Judgement coming would be terrible. We see the prediction of cities being burnt to the ground by enemy states. We see crops not producing food. Farms being turned into wastelands.

In their pride the people would rather be destroyed than to turn back to God. It was a time of desolation and hopelessness. It was a time when God used hardship to break the stubborn pride of man.

But then in chapter 40 Out of nowhere the Lord begins to speak through his prophet. Isaiah begins to announce that Hope is coming. You see Isaiah’s name means “Yaweh is Salvation”. Even though judgement is inevitable The Lord still forgives, heals, and saves all those who will turn to Him.

Isaiah 40:1–5 CSB

1 “Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God. 2 “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and announce to her that her time of hard service is over, her iniquity has been pardoned, and she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” 3 A voice of one crying out: Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert. 4 Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill will be leveled; the uneven ground will become smooth and the rough places, a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord will appear, and all humanity together will see it, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

As the people heard this prophesy, I am sure there begin to well up inside of them a sense of hope and rescue. Even though may not have understood in it’s entirety.

Now fast forward seven hundred years after the writing of Isaiah. Once again we see some familiar words. Isaiah’s prophesy being recounted by Mark. Something big was about to change.....

Mark 1:1–3 CSB

1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. 3 A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord; make his paths straight!

I. In the darkest time Hope arrived.

2. A messenger was sent ahead

3.

For 400 hundred years there had been deafening silence. Israel had been conquered and Rome dominated the landscape. Pharisees ruled the religious by burdensome laws. Laws that went above and beyond the laws of Moses. The Jewish people were looking for deliverance. However,

They were looking for a messiah to deliver them from a people and a system instead they should have been looking for the deliverance of their souls.

Many of the people were putting their hope in a rescue that would never come in their lifetime. A rescue from Roman occupation. Their way of life became their priority. In this they expected that it should be the priority of God too. Their hope was in vain.

When the objectives of our will, instead God’s will, become our priority we will fail to see Christ as the true source of hope.

When Mark records for us that a new prophet had arisen in the likeness of the prophets of old the people should have rejoiced that finally there was something in which to place their hope. The Messiah was here, but instead of rejoicing, the religious treated John the Baptist with contempt.

He to them was a means of peculiar entertainment. They gathered together not to hear the message of hope. To the proud the message of repentance brings no hope because a proud person can’t repent. They see no need for it.

But to the humble the message of John the Baptist brings great joy because is offers hope to those who recognize their own sin.