Hopes and Fears

Promise David the dynasty that would last forever. The people lived in great expectation of that time when all their enemies might be destroyed and the idea of Kingwood rain in a worldwide Kingdom of peace and righteousness. Many centuries were the past before the Messiah came to Earth. But he was certainly not as the majority of the Jews expected. They expected a king of power. Oh, Jesus was a man of compassion and forgiveness. They wanted a king who would restore their Nation one of world domination. Yeah, Jesus talked about a kingdom. That was really not of this world. They just hired one who would lead them in their overthrow of the Romans that hated Romans, but Jesus gave no sign of taking up the sword instead. He accepted the cross. Today the Jews still live and expectations of the Messiah to come. But as Christians, we know that he has already come and we invite him into our hearts to be the king of our personal lives. Is this busy season the preparation we decorate our homes and add packages of gadgets under the trees? We need to take time out in the stablished the priorities in our lives by allowing. Jesus to be born within us and there to rain forever. It's not always easy to see the evidence of God work in and around us in our world today. But he's there. So where the hell life is first candle and Laura to be a reminder to us that we needed to allow God to live in and through us.

Be there's letters. for the month of December usually we Send most of them out on computers. But this time I'm mailing all of them out. special paper and so forth so there'll be mailed out this week and you should get yours pretty quickly. Might mention the fact that they we have two birthdays this week. Becky Oliver will celebrate her birthday or Wednesday and Brandy booty on Friday. Ask you also to be in special prayer for Catherine Henke. Jeanette says that she's not doing well. So we need to pray for all that family and Judy and Jim are still struggling with their Kobe problem as well as several others in our community. So certainly we need to keep all of these people in our prayers.

A scripture reading today is taken from a portion of the second chapter the book of Exodus. As a man of the house of Levi married a levite woman she gave birth to son. But you saw that he was a fine child. She hit him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer. You got a Papyrus basket for him coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the Reeds along the bank of the Nile. His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. Then Pharaoh's daughter went down to the Nile to Bays. She saw the basket among the Reeds and send her slave girl to get it. She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying and she felt sorry for him. She said this is one of the Hebrew babies. And so it was at Pharaoh's daughter took the baby as her son. She named in Moses saying I drew him out of the water. best spray What's gracious God? As we enter into this most special of seasons. They all of our hearts be at tune in to you that we might be as aware of your presence now. It's words those Shepherds long ago. That is beautiful season touch all of our hearts by the Everfresh message of hope and love to all the world. In that special time you were able to use a few Shepherds some wise men and a dozen. Nobody's to tell the world that He Is Risen. He is born and in him is life. Help all of us in this day to be even more diligent in spreading the good news of Hope forgiveness and love into this world of steaming a full of despair. Show me this season be a Haven of comfort for all in this time of fear and turmoil. In Christ's name we pray amen.

back in the 1860s for a little bit more than four years. America's was engaged in a war with herself. During this time. family of States called the United States was anything but in many cases brothers were fighting against Brothers cousins against cousins. In the end with the death toll of some 750,000 men. We have to wonder where the nation was really any better off. It's difficult to find the winter in any War.

set maybe World War II is a little bit strange our opponents primarily Germany and Japan

thrived after the war because they allies poured money into I'm the building back and in many cases they were better off than the Allies were butter

today Sis seemingly a atmosphere of uncertainty and Division in America. Perhaps not seen since Civil War days. I recent election is a good example of how human actions they solve one thing but baby many times he created other problems.

shortly following the civil war minister of Trinity Church in Boston Took a lot of an R&R trip, I guess to the holy lands. It has been a trying. And for everybody but Phillips was especially attuned to the needs of people during that time. And so it was from the surrounding Hillside. He looked down the phone the city of Bethlehem. Emirates deeply impressed with a peaceful scene which seems to promote peace and Tranquility certainly different from the scenes that had been evident in America shortly before that time. And so it was that he began to write down some of his impressions. He wrote down the words of one of our most beautiful Christmas hymns entitled Little Town of Bethlehem. One of the phrases in that song or this the hopes and fears of all, the years are met Indy tonight.

We probably all have fears of some sort. But do we really have hopes? And if not, how can we get hope?

Some 4,000 years ago. a young man by the name of Joseph found himself in an unenviable position of a slave in a foreign land. 4. Well at least say a Dozen Years. And about a third of that time he spent in prison for a crime. He didn't commit.

as horrible as that predicament was he didn't allow it to destroy him or even damage him somehow he knew in his heart that God was still with him. in fact He later came to understand that it was God who sent him to prison? for a reason he wanted to impress upon him. The importance of the tasks that he had provided he was there to first of all provide a safe haven for his own family. Are you saying they were having a drought. Back home and They were fixing to have a drought in Egypt.

Spyro didn't know this but God had told Joseph what was coming? And he told him how he could prepare for it. That David Harvest and store the grain for a. Of 7 years. And then they be all stocked up for Walkers to come. doubt not only did this. opportunity present itself but Pharaoh was able to take Joseph out of prison and make him the we not call the vice president or prime minister of the country at that time. He was second in command to pharaoh. During this time. He was in prison. God had spoken to him and it Giving Him special visions and understanding. So that he was in the right place at the right time to help God in his tasks. One of the first things that Joseph wanted to do after he was made to be the Prime Minister. Let's say he wanted to get his family to come to Egypt to be reunited as a family and federal allowed it. So the family and some of the Servants of Jefferson came into Egypt. Now we're not certain how many there were in that group, but it wasn't a large group. But over a period of some 400 years that they were in Egypt that little handful bruise or something like 3 million people. A large enough group so that the Pharaoh of that time 400 years after the time of Joseph. Began to wonder who are these strange looking people and why are they here? Well, he made slaves out of them and use them to the labor for Egypt that situations kind of similar to the infection we have in our nation today. Only the fact that we have about three times more illegal person in our nation than they did. And the Egyptians made them slaves. Are we treat them as welcome guest? We provide them with food stamps for Education free healthcare free monthly support checks and in many states, we even allow them the ability to vote. Slightly different than they were treated in Egypt.

As one of the restrictions upon the foreigners that Ferrell was trying to penalize.

Normalize this group of foreigners. They began to kill all boys born to the people. Primarily probably for two reason to reduce the threat of revolt and to restrict the growth rate of that population. And this is where one of the Miracles comes in. In spite of pharaohs edict and his working with all of The Midwives to get rid of the boy babies of the Hebrews. God was able to sneak one of them. into the very household Affair wrote himself the one that we came to know as most Now we know the road the role that Moses played and eventually leading his people out of Egypt. Pausing only long enough at Mount Sinai to get an update from jawed on how they were supposed to live. And then leaving them on to call Deisha Barnett, which was the gateway to the land of Israel. It was at that point that God again reminded these people that God had promised this land to their ancestors many years before.

All they had to do was go in and take over the cities and get rid of all the people there. Well by now, they had become a welfare people. They've been fed cared for all this time. And I said, hey, wait a minute. Wait, I want to do that.

We'd rather go back to Egypt. We knew what we were facing there. We were making bricks and so forth. But now we're working big and tall to fight battles. We have no training to fight battles. We don't know anything about it.

so

God allowed them to exist in the wilderness for another 40 years to for this group to die off and the raise up their heirs who would be the ones that would fulfill the mission of God.

16 centuries later when God send another Moses if you will another did ever. again in the form of an infant But this time he was to be named Jesus. Like Moses he was born in obscurity. But in the fullness of time the world would come to know him as the Christ. the Messiah the one that prophets had promised that God would send to his people. For many centuries past a individual who would be greater than Joseph or Moses or Joshua. All three of those were very important tools in the hand of almighty God. And each one served a vital part in laying the groundwork work for he who was to come the one called the Messiah.

Jesus came not as they deliver or is a mighty warrior. But he came really as the savior. One who could save us? well not is an antibody like we're looking for now a vaccine that will help fight this Scourge. That's a bonus. He didn't really come as a peacekeeper to keep us safe from all wars. Really kind of insurance policy to help us in times of emergencies. It didn't come as a shield to protect us from injuries. to ourselves or others

He didn't even come to keep this immune from all the evil that governments might afflict on us. More than all that. He came to guide us through this maze that we call life. however During this time. We're still human and we're still subject to all the pitfalls. That's Falls to humans. But we can arrive safely. In the promised land that we we have called heaven. I ran across this little. Did he some years ago? Said life is not a journey to the Grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body. But rather to Skid in broadside thoroughly used up totally worn out and loudly proclaiming well. water ride

So, how do we get hope?

well

Let me tell you how to get more than hope.

assurance sure, it's is far different from elections. Like we have in modern society where the person who receives the most votes. Hopefully legal votes would win the election. Leather choosing Heaven is our final destination only depends on the vote of one person. me and you we get what we choose. you know, I'm game shows contestants has a possibility of choosing between curtain number one curtain number two door truck number three and they're total what's behind the curtains I guess but they don't know which one is which

We don't have to make that kind of choice because we know what heaven is like weld in the sense that we know. It's God's home. So no longer do we have to be subject to hopes and fears? But God loves us has certainties and assurances and that is what he promises. Let's pray. I'm a gracious and loving God father. We are thankful for the history that we can see how you have worked in ancient years clear up to today to allow your people those who choose to follow you to have just that alive. That you promised a life with you. The father we pray that in this season of Christmas that we are all take note of the hope the fears of all the years, but turn them into certainties and assurances that you are trustworthy. So bless our nation father Deliver Us from all of the the problems that we have at the present time help us all recovered that we might be able to look back on it as snowing. It's a hard time, but you delivered us. He says we're asking Christ name.

We thank all of you for joining us today and God bless you and this week and all the days to come. God bless you.

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How's Paul doing?

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