First Sunday of Advent - "Anticipating the Coming of Christ"
2023 Advent #1"Anticipating the Coming of Christ" • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 7 viewsNotes
Transcript
— What are we missing in our Advent season?
— What has to happen to wake us up to the real celebration of Christmas.
— As we anticipate what are we waiting for?
— This is our opportunity to show the world our HOPE in Jesus
What is Advent?
— It's a time of preparation and anticipation for the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas.
— We observe Advent by reflecting on themes of hope, peace, love, and joy.
— The story of Advent,
— of Christmas,
— of Christ,
— of the New Testament begins with the momentous occasion of the Birth of Jesus
— We have 4 weeks to get ready again.
— Let’s not waste even 1 minute
POINT #1 - The PROMISE of the coming “Christ,” in the Old and New Testament
— The promise of “The Christ”
— Is buried deep in the Old Testament
— The prophecy of a coming “Christ,” “a Redeemer,” a Savior is not New Testament driven… It is an Old Testament fulfilled
— In the Gospels there are at least 150 direct and indirect prophecies of Jesus, The Christ, The Messiah, The King awaiting His earthly throne.
— Here are just a couple of those prophecies
From the OT
1 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.
Fulfilled in the NT
13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”
14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt
15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
From the OT
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.
From the NT
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.
— We could go on and on
— Here is my point the Messiah, promised in the OT at least 150 times and fulfilled in the NT
— But maybe these prophecies and fulfillments aren’t enough for you.
— You might be a newer Christian
— You may have never really thought about these connections
— Maybe you don’t know the OT well, maybe you don’t know the NT well… Is there is still room for you at this table?
— OF COURSE THERE IS!!!!
How??
By being a faithful follower of what you do know!!
30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I set your rules before me.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
— God revealed his plan to send a Redeemer for us deep in the Old Testament
— For 4000+ years God pushed and tugged against satan, against his minions, trying to get the Jews to understand, this Kingdom coming was NOT of this world.
— Finally in God’s perfect timing He sent Jesus… a part of himself to the earth to be that redeemer.
— That’s the bigger story…
The smaller, personal story is what we, you and I know about this Christ.
— When I accepted the Lord, I didn’t know anything about the Old Testament or the New Testament.
— But I knew that I needed a Savior to forgive my sin and create in me a new heart.
— At that point, my knowledge was zero but my faith was 100!!!
— Wouldn’t it be awesome to return to those early days of our faith?
So… What happened?
— We started “learning,” “studying,”
— And all of sudden we find ourselves believing but wondering and doubting.
— Do we have it right?
— Are we missing something?
— But that HOPE and those answers are found in a DEEPENING relationship with Christ.
The First Advent Candle - A Candle of Hope
The First Advent Candle - A Candle of Hope
— "On this first Sunday of Advent, we light the first candle, the candle of Hope. Just as the prophet Isaiah foretold the coming of the Messiah, let us open our hearts with hope, knowing that the light of Christ will dispel all darkness. May we eagerly anticipate His arrival and trust in His promise of salvation.”
— Prayer… Light the candle of Hope
— What we do here at First Baptist as well as thousands of other congregations across our country and world is just an example
— I encourage you to light the candle of hope in your heart… eagerly awaiting the arrival of Christ.
POINT #2 - How do you prepare for the celebration of the coming Christ Child?
— How did Joesph prepare for the birth of Jesus
— After he was told that his fiance’ would become pregnant
— Joesph wondered what he got himself into
20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
— First of all we have to prepare our own hearts, minds, souls and consider what God did by sending His Son!
— Before we set our budget for Christmas, before we decide what we are eating for Christmas and who is coming to dinner
— Before we buy the first gifts on our list
— Before we buy or cut and decorate a Christmas tree.
SOME PRACTICAL STEPS IN RAISING UP OUR “HOPE” THIS SEASON
2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
— Choose where your time, talents and treasures are best used....
— Is it at the foodbank serving others
— Is it providing the dollars necessary to reach out to those less fortunate with the basics of life.
— Is it handcrafting ramps for the elderly or disabled
— What fills your heart up during this season?
— But our strongest message during this season is a message of HOPE! Hope in spite of our circumstances we still have HOPE!
A. Find ways to actively engage in the celebration of the coming Christ-child
21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
— Happy Birthday Jesus parties, complete with a cake and singing “happy birthday”
— Give a gift without expecting anything in return
— Celebrating the best of your Christmas traditions
— That purpose is to bring Jesus birth to the forefront of our planning and celebrations
B. Make HOPE a part of your conversations
— “How do we prepare our hearts during Advent to celebrate the coming of Jesus… the coming of Hope for all mankind
—Realize it’s not natural to think about Christmas in this fashion.
— It’s going to take some purposeful decision making
— We are going to spend the rest of our time this morning talking about HOPE
POINT#3 - Hope is our only HOPE. We need a plan!
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.
— This is our “Hope” week...
— What can we do to increase our Hope?
— This is the $100,000 question
— We have a opportunity to re-write the script of our lives… that is done by the powerful word HOPE and by the power of the HOLY SPIRIT.
WE NEED A HOPE PLAN!!!
Increasing your “Hope” is a very subjective and very individualized process, but here are some general strategies that may help:
1. Adopt “Hopeful” Language
— The word Pistis is translated Hope and also Faith.
— Cultivate positive HOPE & Faith expressions and messages
— It will catch on...
2. Surround Yourself with Hopeful, Faithful Supportive People
24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
— Build a strong support system of friends, family, or a community.
— Sharing your thoughts and feelings with others can provide emotional support and perspective.
3. Learn from Challenges
— When the world, when your church, when your community has put you back in our heals
— Take a 30,000 foot view. What is the big picture?
— As you find ways to remain hopeful and faithful… Share them with others, you don’t know who you might be helping
4. Take Care of Yourself
— Physical well-being, mental health, relational health, impacts are ability to see and have hope.
— Take care of yourself… when you feel you lost your way. Don’t stay there. seek and find those that love and care for you and can help you regain hope and faith.
5. Help Others
— There is always someone who is much less better off than you are.
— But are full or hope and faith.
— In helping others you may find that your hope and faith are rekindled
6. Finally...Remember that increasing hope is a gradual process.
— We as a people have lost hope did so gradually.
— It will take much time and effort to gain it back.
— Say it often… I choose hope!!
— Let’s say it together… I choose HOPE!!
LET’S REVIEW AND APPLY!!!
POINT #1 - The promise of the coming “Christ,” in the Old and New Testament
POINT #2 - How do you prepare for the celebration of the coming Christ Child?
POINT #3 - Hope is our only Hope! Get with the plan!
------------------
POINT #1 - The promise of the coming “Christ,” in the Old and New Testament
APPLICATION - Know the story of scripture in the OT and NT... in regards to the coming of Christ. Even if we’ve never opened a Bible we can know about Jesus
POINT #2 - How do you prepare for the celebration of the coming Christ Child?
APPLICATION - Set the table well… in the next 4 weeks show those around you how much hope you do have, who that hope is in and how they too can have that hope
POINT #3 - Hope is our only HOPE. Get with the plan!
APPLICATION - This just might the season, where hope, faith, and love overwhelm ALL of the negative that we see around us. And many, even the hardened heart is softened
Let’s Pray