ADVENT: Hope
CHRISTMAS 2023 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
INTRO—
INTRO—
[[Advent candle lighting video intro.]]
God is & was (always has been & remains) a GOD OF HOPE!
ADVENT shines a bright light on this fact…
Galatians 4:4–6 “When the time came to completion, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!”” [U=v. 5]
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
ISAIAH [c. 700 years prior to Christmas]
One is Promised…
Isaiah 11:2–9 “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, a Spirit of counsel and strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. His delight will be in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, he will not execute justice by what he hears with his ears, but he will judge the poor righteously and execute justice for the oppressed of the land. He will strike the land with a scepter from his mouth, and he will kill the wicked with a command from his lips. Righteousness will be a belt around his hips; faithfulness will be a belt around his waist. The wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat. The calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf will be together, and a child will lead them. The cow and the bear will graze, their young ones will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like cattle. An infant will play beside the cobra’s pit, and a toddler will put his hand into a snake’s den. They will not harm or destroy each other on my entire holy mountain, for the land will be as full of the knowledge of the LORD as the sea is filled with water.”
One who brings… HOPE!
Isaiah 11:1 “Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.”
“The Stump (of Jesse)”
“A Shoot (will grow…will bear fruit)”
Isaiah 11:10 “On that day the root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will look to him for guidance, and his resting place will be glorious.”
“The Root (of Jesse)”
“Will Stand (as a banner for the proples)”
“Nations will Look to Him (for guidance)”
MARY [c. 9 months prior to Christmas]
Chosen to be the Mother of the Messiah (Luke 1.26-38)
She Celebrates the God Who Has Done…
Luke 1:51–53 “He has done a mighty deed with his arm; he has scattered the proud because of the thoughts of their hearts; he has toppled the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly. He has satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty.”
She Celebrates the God Who Is…
Luke 1:50 “His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear him.”
“His Mercy”
“From Generation to Generation (on those who fear him)”
Luke 1:54–55 “He has helped his servant Israel, remembering his mercy to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he spoke to our ancestors.”
“Helped His Servant”
“Remembering His Mercy”
“Forever”
CONCL—
CONCL—
Hebrews 6:17–19 “Because God wanted to show his unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, he guaranteed it with an oath,
so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us.
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.” [U=v. 19]
INVITATION:
Salvation
Hope
Courage
His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear him.