ADVENT 2015
November 29, 2015
“Hope Revealed”
ADVENT WORSHIP VIDEO
Advent is about
anticipation and preparation. Israel anticipated His coming and prepared for
it. The Church anticipates His Second Coming and prepares for it.
The First Advent
was prophesied for hundreds of years. The Second Advent has been prophesied for
hundreds of years.
The First Advent
spoke hope of a light coming into a dark and oppressive world. The Second
Advent speaks hope of a light that will conquer all darkness as the King takes His Throne!
The Advent
speaks hope of deliverance from oppression and bondage. As Jesus came as light
to the world, may he come to you personally as the light of life to deliver you
from any darkness or bondage or disease or addiction or bitterness! Reach out
to Him. Anticipate His moving; prepare for His deliverance. God will come and
make a way!
The first Sunday
of Advent is about hope.
HOPE VIDEO
Our theme this
year is “Revealed”. Today: “Hope Revealed”
Man can live 40
days without food, 4 days without water, 4 minutes without air, but cannot live
4 seconds without hope.
Hope is so powerful
because it allows us to endure the suffering of the present moment.
Romans
8:18–21 (NKJV) For
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be
compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19For the
earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons
of God. 20For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly,
but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21because the creation
itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious
liberty of the children of God.
Hope is such a
powerful thing that repressive governments all try to do away with religion to
take away their hope! Marx called it the
'opium of the people'! As long as people
had hope they would not revolt; they would persevere under the circumstances
looking forward to the future life in heaven!
Romans 8:24-25 NASB For in hope we have been
saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already
sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly
for it.
The Bible talks
about many different types of hope: living hope, blessed hope, good hope, better
hope, sure and steadfast hope, one of the three great virtues, hope of glory.
Israel always hoped for the coming of the
Messiah, the Deliverer, the Redeemer.
The hope was
seen in Abraham... in Moses... in the Judges... in the Kings... in Ezra and
Nehemiah...
They were still looking for Him when
Jesus came...
Luke 2:25-32 NKJV And behold, there was a man
in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting
for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had
been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he
had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when
the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom
of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: “Lord, now You
are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes
have seen Your salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all
peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your
people Israel.”
Luke 2:36-38 NKJV Now there was one, Anna, a
prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great
age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; and this
woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the
temple, but served God with fasting and prayers night and day. And coming in
that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who
looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
Luke 24:21a NKJV But we were hoping that it
was He who was going to redeem Israel.
Israel had a hope but the Gentiles had no
hope.
Ephesians 2:12 (NKJV) that
at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of
Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without
God in the world.
Some of you feel that way today: no hope,
God doesn't see, or worse, He doesn't care!
Does Jesus care when my way is dark with
a nameless dread and fear?
As the daylight fades into deep night
shades, does He care enough to be near?
Oh, yes, He cares, I know He cares, His
heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights
dreary, I know my Savior cares.
Ephesians 2:13 NKJV
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been
brought near by the blood of Christ.
Does Jesus care when I’ve said “goodbye”
to the dearest on earth to me,
And my sad heart aches till it nearly
breaks—is it anything to Him? Does He see?
Oh, yes, He cares, I know He cares, His
heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights
dreary, I know my Savior cares.
Romans 15:12–13 (NKJV) And
again, Isaiah says: “There shall be a root of Jesse; And He who shall rise to
reign over the Gentiles, In Him the Gentiles shall hope.” 13 Now may the God of
hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The cornerstone of hope is faith!
Hebrews 11:1 NASB
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the
conviction of things not seen.
Faith gives expression to hope.
Romans 4:18,21 NKJV who, contrary to hope, in
hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what
was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”... and being fully convinced that
what He had promised He was also able to perform.”
Hebrews 6:17-20 NKJV Thus God,
determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of
His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it
is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled
for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an
anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence
behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having
become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
Our hope is a trident anchor that is
steadfast and sure!
In times like these you need a Savior; in
times like these you need an anchor; be very sure, be very sure your anchor
holds and grips the Solid Rock!
This Rock is Jesus,
Yes, He's the One;
This Rock is Jesus,
The only One!
Be very sure, be very sure
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid
Rock!
Lamentations 3:20-26 NKJV My soul still remembers
And bows down within me. This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope.
Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail
not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “The LORD is my
portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” The LORD is good to those
who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope
and wait quietly For the salvation of the LORD.
ACTION POINTS
1.
Don’t give up your hope!
1 Peter 1:13 (NKJV)
Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully
upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
2.
Help others find hope
Romans 5:5 NKJV
Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has
been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
3.
Focus on the future hope
Titus 2:13 (NKJV) looking
for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus
Christ,
INVITATION SONG
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