Hope
Advent 2019 • Sermon • Submitted
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Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Advent Sermon Series
Hope ()
Peace ()
Joy ()
Love ()
Light (:1-12)
Big Idea
Big Idea
Big Idea: God provides us with a glorious hope built on the certainty of who He is and what He has done.
Structure of the Sermon
Structure of the Sermon
Structure of the Sermon
The Message of Hope
The Address (v. 28)
The Argument for Hope
"Favored one"
The Components of Hope
The Message of Hope
The Message of Hope
The Message of Hope
God’s Promise
God’s Promise
God will save His people (v. 31)
Jesus will reign over His people (v. 32)
God will save His people (v. 31)
Jesus will reign over His people (v. 32)
The kingdom will never end (v. 33)
The kingdom will never end (v. 33)
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1. God will save His people (v. 31)
31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
We see this very clearly in the name Mary is to give the child. She is to call Him, Jesus - which means “God Saves.” God sent Jesus to save God’s people from something very specific. He is to save them from their sins.
21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
God’s promises were great and wonderful as we will see, but before the promises are experienced sin must be dealt with. The people of Israel in the time of Mary were under judgment for their sins. The kingdom did not exist. Rome was their captor. God had not spoken to them in 4 centuries. They were forsaken by God. They were afflicted because of their sin. If things were to get better, the people needed to be saved from their sins. They need their sins removed and their relationship with God restored. This is exactly where the promise begins. God comes to Mary through Gabriel His messenger and he speaks to her the promise that had been spoken to the people of Israel throughout their history.
Read Isaiah 52:13-53:12
13 Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted.
14 As many were astonished at you— his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—
15 so shall he sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths because of him, for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand.
1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?
9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.
4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Yes, God had been silent, but here He renews His promise. “I am the Lord who saves, and I will save my people from their sins.”
2. Jesus will reign over His people (v. 32)
2. Jesus will reign over His people (v. 32)
2. Jesus will reign over His people (v. 32)
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,
In this promise to establish Jesus as the king of God’s people is a promise for peace, justice, and righteousness.
The Righteous Reign of the Branch
11 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
3. His kingdom will not end (v. 33)
2 And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him,
1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.
1 Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule in justice.
2 Each will be like a hiding place from the wind, a shelter from the storm, like streams of water in a dry place, like the shade of a great rock in a weary land.
1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.
9 They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
The Righteous Reign of the Branch
11 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
2 And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
3. His kingdom will not end (v. 33)
3. His kingdom will not end (v. 33)
3. His kingdom will not end (v. 33)
33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
All kingdoms come to an end. All kings will see an end to their reign. No matter what you think of our current President, his power and authority will be taken from him. He gets four years maybe eight. But, eventually, his administration will be replaced by another. This is not so with Jesus.
13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.
14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
He will save His people from their sins, He will establish His kingdom of righteousness, peace, prosperity, and justice.
The Argument for Hope
The Argument for Hope
The Argument for Hope
God’s Favor
God’s Favor
God’s Power
God’s Power
1. God’s Unmerited Favor (v. 28-30)
28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”
29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.
30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
God’s message begins with a common phrase He used for His people. It was an expression of His covenant love and steadfast faithfulness to them who are His people. Mary’s being “favored” cannot be separated from the “Lord being with her.” To be favored is to have God with you, on your side, willing and doing what is in your best interest. See the connection between God’s favor and His presence in Moses prayer.
1 But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you.
4 Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life.
5 Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you.
6 I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth,
7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
Read - Highlight 32:16
12 Moses said to the Lord, “See, you say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’
13 Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.”
14 And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
15 And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.
16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?”
17 And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”
Moses asked the questions, “How will we know we have favor in Your sight?” Then he provides the answer, “Is it not for you to be with us? Is it not for you to be on our side? Is our favor not seen in that you have set us a part from all other peoples as Your people whom you love, protect, and cause to prosper?”
This understanding of favor is carried right into the New Testament. The Greek word translated “favored” in is only used one other time in the New Testament and it is found .
Read
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love
5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight
9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ
10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
All of these things: redemption, adoption, glory, election - they all come to us from God because he has “Blessed us in the Beloved.” That Blessed is the same word as “favored.” It is these things by which God demonstrates His favor. He bestows His kindness. In short, to be favored by God means that His is with us. He is on our side. He is acting kindly toward us.
2. God’s Unlimited Power (v. 37)
37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”
The Components of Hope
The Components of Hope
On the surface it may seem interesting that this is the text we use for “Hope” when walking through Advent. You may notice the word “hope” is not in the text. One might wonder why we do not use a passage that clearly defines hope such as . But, sometimes definitions are surpassed in value by pictures. Maybe you have found yourself trying to explain something to someone. You define it the best you can. You use synonyms and you use antonyms. You Google Webster’s Dictionary and you try your best to define what you mean, but the person listening just doesn’t get it. At some point, you will probably say something like, “Let me just show you!” Sometimes we have to be shown something rather than hear it defined. That is exactly what is going on in this text. Mary gives us a picture of one filled with hope. God comes to her with a message and hope grabs hold of her. In this text we see hope and its affects. To show this, I want to point out 4 components of hope and how we see them in Mary.
Four Components of Hope
Expectation
When Mary says, “Let it be to me according to your will.” We should hear in her requests a peace and a confidence. There is in her an expectation that God has said it and God will do it. From this confident expectation she say, “Let it be as you have said.” While I believe this confident expectation is implied in this statement, her expectation is explicitly stated by Elizabeth Mary’s relative just a few verses later.
Read
Elizabeth said about Mary,
45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
Desire
Desire
Not only does Mary expect God’s promise to come true, but she desires it. Along with a quiet confidence, we should hear in Mary’s expression, “Let it be to me according your word!” a desire for it to happen. God came to her and said I am going to save you from your sins. I am going to establish my Kingdom with Jesus as King and I am going to sustain that kingdom forever! Mary responded with, “Let me have that! I want that! I want your kingdom. I want salvation. I want you to be LORD! She heard what God would do and her heart desired it! Again, this desire is implied in the text, but it is stated so explicitly a few verses later. Mary burst out into praise and worship. As we read listen to the joy and the longing for God’s promise to be fulfilled.
46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
Submission
Mary expected God to do what He said and she desired God to do what He said. This leads to the third component of her hope. She submits! This submission has to parts:
Obedience
38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
She says to God, “I am your servant!” She says, “Tell me what to do and I will go do it! What do you want from me and I will give it.”
Trust
38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Not only does she say, “I am your servant” but she also says, “Let it be to me as you will.” To obey God and do what He had called her to do was going to come with great risk, pain, heartache, and trouble. Obeying God would come with great cost. We need to hear in Mary’s words a humble entrusting of herself to the LORD. She is saying, “I will serve you and live with the consequences.” In this moment, Mary says to the LORD, I will obey you. I will trust you with the outcome.”
Joy
42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
The Pursuit of Hope
The Pursuit of Hope
Two Steps towards Increased Hope
Quiet Your Fears by Remembering God’s Favor (v. 28-30)
Quiet Your Doubts by Remembering Who God Is and What God Has Done (v. 34-37)
Quiet Your Fears by Remembering God’s Favor (v. 28-30)
28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”
29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.
30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
2. Quiet Your Doubts by Remembering Who God Is and What God has Done (v. 34-37)
English Standard Version Chapter 1
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.
36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.
37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”
God Interrupted Mary’s Ordinary Life with His Extraordinary Message (v. 26-29)
God Quieted Mary’s Fear with Assurance of His Favor (v. 30-33)
God Answered Mary’s Wonder and Hesitation with the Revelation of His Divine Power (v. 34-37)
God Produced Mary’s Submission with Good and Certain Promise (v. 38)
God’s Favor and Power
God’s Favor and Power
The Truth: God quiets our fears, overcomes our questions, and produces our submission by convincing us of His favor and power.
Living in Hope
Living in Hope
Behold
Be Assured
Be Obedient
Be Patient
Be Loud
"The LORD is with you"
The Affect (v. 29-30)
"Greatly Troubled" (v. 29a)
"Tried to Discern" (v. 29b)
The Solution (v. 30)
Gabriel's Announcement (v. 31-33)
You will conceive
He will be great
He will be called the Son
The Lord will. give Him the throne
He will reign forever
Mary's Question: "How can this be?" (v. 34)
Gabriel's Response (v. 35-37)
The Power and Presence of the Holy Spirit (v. 35)
The Pregnancy of Elizabeth (v. 36)
The Limitless Power of God (v. 37).
Mary's Submission (v. 38 a)