Hope (2)
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Pre-Sermon: During the 4 Sundays of Advent, we observe Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy. I encourage you to follow along with the Bible Project Advent daily devotion in your handout. Our services may go a tad longer as we add a few items to what we normally do.
Advent, which means to arrive
is the beginning of the Church year or calendar. Beginning 4 Sundays before Christmas, Advent is a season of anticipation and preparation. During Advent, we should purposefully anticipate and prepare our hearts for God our Savior – for the God who continually “Advents” – who comes to His wayward creation. During Advent, we should prepare our hearts for God our Redeemer, who stepped into this world as a Baby, born of a virgin, Mary. It is a time that we celebrate the first arrival of Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us, and we anticipate second coming of Jesus, Joshua, the God who saves us.
“It is said that the door to the stable where the Christ-child has been born is very low - and only those who kneel find access. Being ready for Christmas should mean that our thoughts are focused not just on [presents and parties and such], but on repentance, [humility] and interior ‘housecleaning.’ John the Baptist warned us to prepare a way for the Lord.” ~ Celtic Daily Prayer. Are you preparing your heart for Christ and living in anticipation for His arrival?
We say Jesus is the reason for the season, but do our lives reveal that? If Advent is to be a season of anticipation and preparation, then I challenge us as the people of God to pushback how the world celebrates Christmas. If it’s really about Jesus, then let’s make it really about Jesus.
So, as we begin Advent, how will you prepare your heart, your home, your community for the Christ?
Turn to 1 Peter 1. Every book in the Bible was written by a particular author, to a particular audience, for a particular purpose.
The purpose of “First Peter is about maintaining hope in the midst of suffering. Because Jesus Himself suffered, and because God can be trusted to put all things right, Peter counsels believers to maintain their faith in Jesus. Believers should do so even when they are being persecuted, mocked, and misunderstood; they should also imitate Jesus by enduring unjust suffering with grace. Hardships are bound to come in this life, but they do not have the last word.” ~ FaithLife Study Bible
Got any hardships today? Do your trials have the last word – or are you making room for hope?
VIDEO
Hope is not optimism. Optimism looks for good in a situation. Hope (Christian) looks for God in a situation.
Optimism has its place. Let’s say your house collapsed and everything was destroyed. Optimism looks for something good in the tragedy. Optimism would say, “At least I listened to my mom for once and put on clean underwear.” But Hope is different. Hope looks for God in tragedy. Hope looks for the God who can take a bad situation and actually do something with it. Hope looks for the God who can redeem, save, transform – who can bring beauty from ashes. Hope looks for the Savior who will eventually bring justice and make all things right.
Optimism tends to ignore what is to look for something good or positive. But not Hope.
Hope never ignores the reality of a situation. Christian hope acknowledges the reality of chaos, evil, injustice, and suffering in our world while looking forward to what can be.
See, with Christian hope we can face a situation head on knowing somewhere in there God will show up.
Hope says, “God, take this situation, and don’t waste it.”
That was one of our prayers with Brandon.
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia,
who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
Peter wrote this letter to Christians who had lost their homes, jobs, friends, loved ones, lost security, stable income, dreams ….
And then he had the audacity to write,
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,
What! Praise God in the midst of chaos, loss, and suffering? You mean I’m supposed to praise the God who Could have prevented my chaos, my loss, my suffering? Yes. Praise in the midst of suffering can have a profound effect.
Praise can prevent discouragement and provide strength in difficult times.
Praise can keep us from despair and from losing our way. Praise helps us recognize God is present.
So, if you need God in the midst of your trials, try praising Him (not easy, and maybe not yet possible). If for nothing else, we can praise Him because - In his great mercy (compassion) he has given us new birth – new life – now and forever!
Our trials are NOT forever, but our salvation IS!
In Christ, we have a living hope. If something is living, it’s not what? Dead! It's alive, perpetual, eternal. We have this living hope in Christ no matter where we are or what we’re going through. Like Shadrach …, they had hope that God would rescue them from the fire, but even if God didn’t, they knew had hope that He would rescue their souls.
God provides this hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead … and because Jesus conquered death, we have an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. Collapsed house, without Jesus – end of story - but with Jesus, with hope – it’s temporary because a better life coming. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,
who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
Remember, Peter is writing to people who have been persecuted and they’re suffering for their faith in Christ.
God’s people have never been and never will be exempt from grief, hatred, persecution, suffering, or trials. Nonetheless, God’s people have always had and still have a living hope in God.
In Christ we have a living lasting perpetual unconquerable hope that goes beyond our suffering and trials, goes beyond this temporary life. It’s only in Jesus Christ that we have such a living hope. Do you have this living hope? You can, by believing in and committing your life to Jesus, who is alive forevermore.
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,
for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Where does a Christian’s hope and joy come from? Hope and joy come from our present and future salvation – not necessarily from the elimination of trials. Hope is not only about Jesus ushering us into His Kingdom, but also about Jesus ushering His Kingdom into us.
The more of His Kingdom we allow into our hearts, the more hope and joy we can have and the more hope and joy we can give.
What does Peter encourage these exiles to do? Kick back and wait for Jesus to return?
Therefore, once you have your minds ready for action and you are thinking clearly, place your hope completely on the grace that will be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed.
Don’t be conformed to your former desires, those that shaped you when you were ignorant. But, as obedient children,
you must be holy in every aspect of your lives, just as the one who called you is holy.
It is written, You will be holy, because I am holy.
Since you call upon a Father who judges all people according to their actions without favoritism, you should conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your dwelling in a strange land.
Hope arises from knowing this world is not our home.
We are exiles – just traveling through. If we cling too tightly to this world, our hope will diminish, so
Learn to hold this world and all that is in it loosely.
Lastly,
Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.
Our faith in God does not exempt us from adversity or tragedy. And adversity and tragedy do not exempt us from loving others. So, on this first Sunday of Advent – some, choose hope and choose love. For others, receive hope and receive love. And to all, share hope and share love with a hopeless world.
Communion
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,
by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,
and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
Advent Prayer
All: Lord, make us an instrument of thy peace;
Pastor: That where there is hatred,
Congregation: may we bring love;
Pastor: That where there is wrong,
Congregation: may we bring a spirit of forgiveness.
Pastor: That where there is discord,
Congregation: may we bring harmony;
Pastor: That where there is error,
Congregation: may we bring truth;
Pastor: That where there is doubt,
Congregation: may we bring faith.
Pastor: That where there is despair,
Congregation: may we bring hope;
Pastor: That where there are shadows,
Congregation: may we bring light;
Pastor: That where there is sadness,
Congregation: may we bring joy.
Pastor: Lord, grant that we may seek to comfort, rather than to be comforted;
Congregation: To understand rather than to be understood;
Pastor: To love rather than to be loved;
For it is in giving that we are received;
Congregation: It is by forgiving that we are forgiven.
All: And it is by dying that we awaken to eternal life. Amen.
Adapted from Francis of Assisi, Italian monk (1181–1226)