We Have Seen A Great Light

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 has been a difficult year and for some it has been the worst year ever.

Which is why I want nothing more than for this year to end on a high note. For as dark and difficult as things have been, there is a light at the end of this tunnel. During Christmas we celebrate the hope we have in Christ as we remember His humble beginnings and miraculous journey into the world.

Psalm 30:5 ESV

5 For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

Isaiah was a prophet of God. Some would say he was the greatest prophet-- and all would agree he was prophesying to a broken people, filled with despair, during one of the darkest times in Israel’s history.

What Isaiah offered, through the inspiration of the Spirit, was hope. Specifically, that there would be light in place of darkness and that the light would shine on those living in deep darkness.

Christmas means the world is a dark place. Christmas is a message of unparalleled hope, and yet Christmas is also telling you something about the world and about your own heart and about your own mind that is sobering and insulting. Would you please listen to this part of the message of Christmas?

Jesus is a light, because the world is such a dark place. The message of Christmas is … Unless God has sent his Son into the world, unless God has revealed himself through the Son who he sent into the world, there is no light for the world.

And we now 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 the hope we share in Christ our saviour. He is the light of hope piercing through the deepest of darkness.

The Light Has Come

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 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.

Isaiah 9:6 ESV

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

This was written seven hundred years before the first Christmas. Isaiah dipped his pen in golden glory and wrote these words about the coming Prince of Peace, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Do you see it? “Unto us a child is born,”—and then—“unto us a son is given.” (Isaiah 9:6) Now that’s not just a repeat of the same thought. There are two thoughts there. “Unto us a child is born”: that speaks of the humanity of Jesus. “Unto us a son is given”: that speaks of the deity of Jesus, heaven’s Son given to earth. And there you have His supernatural nature.

When God sent His Christmas gift to this earth, what was God’s Christmas gift? It was the gift of Himself. It was deity wrapped in humanity. That was the first Christmas gift: Deity; God of very God; a Son given, wrapped in humanity; a child born.

Now, He was not just another child—He was supernatural. He was not just the Galilean peasant, the great teacher. You won’t understand Christmas until you understand the supernatural nature of the Lord Jesus.

“The great mystery of the manger is that God should be able to translate deity into humanity without either discarding the deity or distorting the humanity.” ~Dr. John Phillips

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.

Hope Sees Light in the Midst of Darkness

Romans 15:12–13 ESV

12 And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.” 13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Isaiah is being quoted in Romans 15 as the Apostle Paul is pointing to the “root of Jesse” as the source of our hope.

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.

On your absolute worst day, Christ is for you. His light is shining on and through the darkness in your life.

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. 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.

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

The Apostle Paul says it this way in his letter to the Galatians,

Galatians 2:20 ESV

20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

And as you grow in faith, you begin to overflow with hope… remember Romans 15:13?

Romans 15:13 ESV

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

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 with hope?

Don’t Hide the Light

Does anyone here know what the purpose of a lighthouse is?

“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.

1 Peter 3:15 ESV

15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

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 on you - help light the way for others.

Matthew 5:14–16 ESV

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

There is no greater gift we can give to those around us than the eternal hope of Christ. 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.

“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.” ~C.S. Lewis

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.

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.