Hope Fulfilled
Notes
Transcript
WELCOMING
Good morning church family and online viewing guest.
I welcome each of you to today's online live stream worship gathering.
LIVE STREAM INSTRUCTIONS
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CALL TO WORSHIP
OPENING WORSHIP SCRIPTURE
1 Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
OPENING PRAYER OF WORSHIP
“Our God and Creator, we come to worship and bow down before you. We kneel before you Lord our Maker. For You are our God and we are the people of Your pasture, and the sheep of Your mighty hand.
May we hear your voice and not harden our hearts toward you. May our hearts receive your truths and may our faith in your promises increase. We pray in your holy and precious name. AMEN”
SONGS OF PRAISE
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SERMON (MESSAGE FROM THE SCRIPTURES)
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Prayer: “God, thank you for Jesus. Thank you for hearing our cries for help and being attentive to our needs. Help us to see that the arrival of Jesus means the arrival of hope in our life. Help us choose to see the light in the midst of the darkness and may we be one who shares this hope with others.”
Main Scriptural Text: Isaiah 9:2
Introduction
For the next four Sunday's leading up to Christmas we will be journey together through God’s Word to find and discover the HOPE of Christmas, the Peace of Christmas, the Joy of Christmas and the Love of Christmas.
As we see that the HOPE, PEACE, JOY and LOVE of Christmas have all been fulfilled in one person, who fulfilled God’s promises, to bring these things to the world.
TITLE PAGE
Today's message is entitled "Hope Fulfilled"
CAM
(Opener idea: Begin the series with a beautifully wrapped gift in your hands or on stage. Ask everyone in the room to think about the thing that they want most this Christmas. What is the one desire they hope to be wrapped up in the box. Give some relevant examples of what could possibly be inside. Transition your illustration by making the case that no matter who it is, what people would like to receive more than anything is hope. Hope would be an incredible gift to receive since many people are struggling in the face of loss, disappointment, difficulty and anxiety. And for many people, the holidays intensify those feelings.)
Obviously, this year has been a very difficult and trying year to say the least. Many challenges we have faced as well as our HOPE, PEACE, JOY and LOVE being challenged in these times of trouble and uncertainty.
For as dark and difficult as things have been, there is good news, a light at the end of the tunnel. During Christmas we celebrate the hope we have in Christ as we remember His humble beginnings and miraculous journey into the world.
Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:5)
Let’s begin an extraordinary journey of hope, peace, joy, and love together today.
Lets begin by claiming that...
Our Hope is Christ
Our Hope is Christ
Jesus’ arrival on earth was a great source of hope to all people.
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For centuries God’s people stumbled in darkness. They were tormented and defeated by the evil that was all around them. Many of us know what it feels like to be surrounded by darkness as we struggle through disappointment, mistakes, failure and even in our personal sin. It is hard to have hope when all you can see is darkness.
We also know that the best way to eliminate darkness is to expose it to light. When Jesus became human and came to us as a baby, the ancient prophecies were fulfilled and the world found hope in the birth of it’s Savior.
He is the light of the world and the darkness can not overcome us.
Now let us read from the the book of Isaiah, Chapter 9 verse 2 together;
2 The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.
Now what makes this prophecy understandable is Matthew 4:12-17.
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Where according to the Gospel account of Matthew this Isaiah 9:2 text is fulfilled in the life and work of Christ Jesus.
12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee.
13 And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali,
14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:
16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.”
17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
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What the prophet Isaiah offered, through the inspiration of the Spirit, was hope, it wasn’t just hope for one nation but for all nations, tribes and tongues. It was hope for those in darkness to see a great light. And that great light was and is Jesus Christ our Lord.
And so, we know Isaiah was prophesying about the coming of Christ into the world. We also know that Christ has already come once, and we patiently wait as we look for his second and final arrival.
As we journey together through the season of Advent on our way to Christmas we must first acknowledge and recognize that hope is found in Jesus. He is the light of hope piercing through the deepest of darkness. Christ will return for His Church and in the meantime, we trust that He will do exactly what He said He would.
Our shared hope is in Christ alone.
Secondly...
Hope Sees Light in the Midst of Darkness
Hope Sees Light in the Midst of Darkness
Let’s read Romans 15:12-13 together;
12 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.
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Isaiah again is being quoted right here in Romans 15 as the Apostle Paul is pointing to the “root of Jesse” as the source of our hope.
Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 15
The root of Jesse In the original context of this quotation from Isa 11:10, the root of Jesse refers to an individual ruler from the Davidic line. Paul’s quotation comes from the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of the OT), which emphasizes that the root of Jesse will rule the nations and provide them with hope. For Paul, Jesus is the root of Jesse—the Messiah from David’s line—who rules over both Jewish and non-Jewish people (Jews and Gentiles).
After quoting Isaiah, Paul gives us a mini benediction and exhortation. He prays that we would be filled with joy and peace that would overflow with hope! Think about this for a moment; Our joy and peace increase as we trust in Christ, which leads to an overflow of hope through the power of the Spirit.
Hope doesn’t increase because of favorable circumstances in your life, nor does it decrease because of unfavorable ones. Hope resides in the person of Christ. So, even in the midst of deep darkness, pain, and loss we can be overflowing with hope.
You must trust and lean on Christ for His light is shining through the darkness in your life.
The third truth we need to realize is, that we need to “Let Christ Live in Us and Shine through Us.”
Let Christ Live in You and Shine Through You
Let Christ Live in You and Shine Through You
It’s important to remember in all of this that when you give up your life to follow Christ, something amazing happens.
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The material things you once thought you couldn’t live without seem to lose their shine. You truly become a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17), with new motives, new desires, and new goals.
The Apostle Paul says it this way in his letter to the Galatians,
20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
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And as you grow in faith, you begin to overflow with hope… remember Romans 15:13? And as hope comes pouring out of you in every situation and through any adversity where do you think it goes? What is the purpose of being filled to overflowing hope?
C.H. Spurgin once said,
“Hope itself is like a star- not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity.”
With that said...
Don’t Hide the Light
Don’t Hide the Light
Does anyone here know what the purpose of a lighthouse is?
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“It is a tower with a bright light at the top, located at an important or dangerous place regarding navigation (travel over water). The two main purposes of a lighthouse are to serve as a navigational aid and to warn boats of dangerous areas.”
Hope is a lot like the light in a lighthouse. Hope helps to guide us through uncharted, unknown, and dangerous territory. Hope not only helps us, but we share it with others - through the overflow in our lives. In fact, the Apostle Peter said,
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;
And Jesus said,
14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
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You are a lighthouse to a broken and lost world. Don’t hide your light - LET IT SHINE!
Let the hope of Christ light you up so bright that others can’t even help themselves and ask you what’s going on.
Let the light that shines in you - to shine on others.
So remember,
Christmas is Rooted in Hope
Christmas is Rooted in Hope
There is no greater gift we can give to those around us than the eternal hope of Christ.
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When we believe strongly that God will come through on his promises to us, then we are stirred to let our hope spill over into those around us. Choose hope this Christmas season and let it be contagious.
C.S. Lewis said;
“Hope is one of the Theological virtues. This means that a continual looking forward to the eternal world is not (as some modern people think) a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next.”
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It is easy to be overwhelmed by the state of our world, but don’t lose heart, Jesus has overcome the world.
Stop believing the lies that things will never change. Choose to find hope in the promises of God. Choose to believe that Jesus’ birth changes everything. Each day we can be defeated by darkness or find victory in the light of Christ.
Choose hope.
And share it with others.
This coming week, think about the people in your life who you spend the most time with; Family - friends - coworkers - your local barista… And consider ways you can share the hope you have with them.
And if you’re running low on hope, if you’re feeling like your light isn’t shining as bright as it used to… we’re going to pray for you this morning.
Let’s pray together.
“LORD, thank you for your salvation, by grace through faith in your begotten Son. Thank you again for hearing our cries for help and being attentive to our needs. Please help us to truly see beyond our own self and know within that the arrival of Jesus, Your Word becoming flesh, means the arrival of hope for our life. Again Lord, help us choose to see the light in the midst of the darkness and may we be one who shares this hope with others.
And Lord if we are running low on hope, if we are feeling like Your light isn't shining bright as it used to, restore us we pray. Revive our hearts once again.
As the Psalmist said in Ps. 51:12-13
The New King James Version Psalm 51
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You.
O Lord open our lips and our mouths will show forth your praise. For you do not desire sacrifice, or else we would give it, You do not delight in burnt offering. For the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart. These, O God, You will not despise.