ADVENT 2017 – HOPE
CONNECT VIDEO “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”
TENSION What gave Longfellow
the resolve to pen these remarkable words?
SOLUTION HOPE,
hope in the God of hope. Hope in a God who is greater than any struggle; hope
in a God that will never disappoint; hope in a God who will never leave you or
forsake you.
He
is the God who is transcendent, yet is also imminent. He is infinite, yet is
personal…. He is the God who is there… As Francis Schaefer put it, “He is there
and He is not silent!”
John
1:14
(MSG)
The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the
neighborhood…
This
is the mystery and miracle of Christmas. This thing we call “The Incarnation”, this veiling of flesh by Jesus.
Philippians 2:6–11 (NLT) Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to. 7Instead, he gave up his divine
privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human
being. When he appeared in human form, 8he humbled himself in
obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. 9Therefore,
God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all
other names, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in
heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue declare
that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The immortal one put on mortality so that we
mortals could put on immortality! Jesus is the One who is beyond time and
space, yet invaded time and space to reveal Himself and redeem His own
creation. The transcendent Creator became one with His creation.
We
sing about it every Christmas... Frederick Mendelssohn wrote this beautiful
hymn, but we do not often sing the second verse...
Christ, by highest
heaven adored:
Christ, the everlasting Lord;
Late in time behold him come,
Offspring of a virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see;
Hail, the incarnate Deity:
Pleased, as man, with men to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel!
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!"
Dr.
Jeff Myers of Summit Ministries says it this way…
“This
is hope—that God is alive and awake; that he stepped into his own creation,
entering the world stage as a helpless baby; that Immanuel, God with us, lived
among us and willingly gave himself over to death on the cross, paying the
penalty for our sin; that he was resurrected, overcoming death; and that he
promises life of the ages to all with ears to hear.”
INSTRUCTION
1.
We have hope today
because God is with us!
Matthew
1:23
(NLT) Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give
birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which
means ‘God is with us.
With
us in a general sense and a personal sense…
Isaiah
41:10
(NLT) Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged,
for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with
my victorious right hand.
Isaiah
43:1-2
(NLT) But now, O Jacob, listen
to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be
afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When
you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of
difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you."
2.
We have hope today
because God is in us!
Colossians
1:27b
(NLT) And this is the secret: Christ
lives in you. This gives you assurance (hope) of sharing his glory.
Jesus
said this about the Holy Spirit to His disciples by the Sea of Galilee...
3.
We have hope today
because God is for us!
Romans 8:31-32 NLT What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be
against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all,
won’t he also give us everything else?
Do
we dare believe this? Yes!
Mark
9:23 (NLT) “What
do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person
believes.”
Mary’s
statement to Gabriel…
The
Magnificant of Mary…
INSPIRATION
Richard
John Neuhaus eloquently said: “We have not the right to despair, for despair is
a sin. And finally we have not the reason to despair, quite simply because
Christ has risen.”
2
Corinthians 4:8-9 NLT We
are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are
perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted
down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not
destroyed.
APPLICATION
At
this Christmas season, are you facing a hopeless situation? Do you feel like
you have no hope in your life? Bring that situation or feeling to mind and
focus on these three truths:
1.
God
is with you.
2.
God
is in you.
3.
God
is for you.
Now
meditate on these passages…
Romans
8:24
(NLT)
We were given this hope
when we were saved.
Romans
15:4
(NLT)
Such things were written in the
Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures
give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises
to be fulfilled.
Romans
15:13
(NLT)
I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and
peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow
with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Remember:
Hope that is seen is not hope; it is a time of waiting...
INVITATION AND BENEDICTION
