Jesus Brings Hope!
Isaiah 60:1-3 (NLT)
Good Morning to all of God’s People from the Voices Of Hope Evangelistic Team! It’s such a blessing to be able to worship with you today wherever you are! I thank God for the opportunity to serve Him and to share His message with the world through today’s technology!
Today we're going to begin a series on the four Sundays of Advent. The title of today's Message is “Jesus Brings Hope!” and our scripture comes from the Old Testament Book of Isaiah, Chapter 60, verses 1 through 3 (NLT). You may want to turn there in your Bible.
Thanksgiving is over and the turkey is consumed; like magic we become professional consumers overnight. Many people shopped on Black Friday but it was just the beginning.
In the coming days before Christmas, the Truth of Advent is often lost in the holiday get-togethers, shopping, travel, and the rush of Christmas.
How do we avoid letting the Christmas Rush keep us from missing the message of Christmas?
That’s kind of what Advent is about.
Now reading from Isaiah 60:1-3 (NLT):
1 “Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you.
2 Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you.
3 All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance.
Let’s Pray:
Heavenly Father, we joyfully praise You for the fulfillment of Your promise of a Savior and what that means in our lives. Thank You for the gift of salvation through the birth of Your son, Jesus. Help us to see Your Glory as You fill our lives with Your living Spirit. Lord, grant that the light of Your love for us will help us to become lights in the lives of those around us.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen
Today we enter into the Christian Season of Advent. ‘Advent’ comes from the Latin word meaning ‘coming’ or ‘arrival’. It’s a season of the liturgical year observed in many Christian denominations as a time of expectant waiting and preparation. Advent anticipates the coming of Christ from three different perspectives. It offers an opportunity to share in the celebration of the Nativity of Christ at Christmas. It also signifies the longing for the coming of the Messiah into our hearts and lives; and it alerts us for His second coming as the King. Advent has past, present and future in itself.
Advent helps us to remember two important truths:
-God’s people waited expectantly for Messiah to come.
-God’s people wait for Messiah to come again.
During the four Sundays of Advent, most churches focus each Sunday on a particular theme from the life of Christ, such as hope, love, joy and peace.
In our world, there are symbols which represent bigger things such as:
• the Stars and Stripes standing for the United States,
• fireworks for the Fourth of July,
• turkey for Thanksgiving and
• Santa Claus for the secular aspect of Christmas.
The Advent Wreath is the symbol of Advent. Many churches use this as a part of the spiritual preparations that believers make for the coming of Jesus Christ at Christmas.
The Advent Wreath is made in a circle, with no beginning or end. It reminds us of God’s everlasting love, which has no beginning or end. The Advent Wreath is green, the color of new life and hope. Green reminds us of the newborn Jesus, who came to show us the way to everlasting life. Green reminds us of the gift of new life we received when we accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior. Green also reminds us that we are people of hope because God is always with us; to raise us up when we are sad, when we are sick, and even when we die.
The Advent Wreath has three purple candles and one pink candle. Purple is the color of kings. It is also the color of repentance as we welcome Jesus in our hearts and prepare ourselves to meet Him on Christmas Day. Pink is the color of Joy. It reminds us of the joy of meeting Jesus at Christmas.
Advent starts with the message that in the birth of Christ, in His life, death, and resurrection, Hope entered the world.
On this first Sunday of Advent, we light the candle of HOPE on our Advent wreath to remind us of Jesus who comes to us as the Light of the World. With Christians around the world, we use this light to help us prepare our hearts and minds for the coming of God’s Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. May we receive God’s light as we hear the words of the prophet Isaiah: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness — on them light has shined.” - Isaiah 9:2
People need hope during times of darkness; that hope is Christ. Christ was the hope of a world that sat in darkness for many years without hearing the voice of God.
Throughout His ministry, Jesus Christ brought hope wherever He traveled. He brought hope to the aged temple watchers when presented at eight days old (Luke 2); He brought hope to the woman at the well (John 4); He brought hope to the maniac of Gadera when He cast out the demons who then entered the swine (Matt 8); He brought hope to Mary and Martha when He raised Lazarus from the dead (John 10).
There is much in this world today to convince us not to have hope for the future. Yet, as people of faith, we are given a glimpse of God’s “Master Plan” of a future filled with hope. In the little details of our daily living, we are invited to be about the business of bringing seeds of hope to the world. The world and the Church that God loves so much was, is, and ever shall be in God’s most capable hands. God and his Messiah Jesus shall one day fulfill the wonderful prophecy of hope that Isaiah proclaimed so long ago. May we as a people of faith keep proclaiming and living God’s message of hope for ourselves and the whole world.
Psychologists tell us that the Christmas season can be one of the most stressful times of the year. I doubt we really needed a psychologist to tell us that. More depression diagnoses are made in the holiday season than any other time of the year. Are you having a blue Christmas as the song writer said once? Jesus Brings Hope! Take that message to the single mother who cries herself to sleep at night praying that God will take care of her and her children: Jesus Brings Hope! To the stressed-out father who is trying so hard to provide for his family we have a message to proclaim: Jesus Brings Hope! To the lonely widow who celebrates each Christmas after saying goodbye to her dearest on earth: Jesus Brings Hope! When the night seems too long and you awake to a dreary day, Jesus Brings Hope! If you are fighting a battle of fear and it seems that God is silent, just hold on, Jesus Brings Hope. When your heart is broken in two and you’re standing in the rubble of your life, God’s Word says hold on my child; your weeping only lasts for a night, joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5). Jesus Brings Hope!
Jesus is the only true object of hope. Have you acknowledged Him as your hope this morning? If you’ve never accepted Christ into your life, then this is your opportunity. You can receive God’s grace and begin a relationship with Jesus today.
John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
And I John 5:13 tells us: “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
Jesus has provided the gift of salvation to us which gives us not only hope for today, but hope for eternity.
In Romans 10:9, we are told that “if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
We receive salvation when we:
(1) Repent of our sins.
(2) Trust Jesus Christ as our Savior.
(3) Confess Jesus Christ as Lord.
If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, invite Him into your life right now.
Or maybe there are those who are far away from Jesus. Have you allowed your comfortable, personally focused desires to act as an eclipse between you and God? Is Jesus obscured or completely blacked out of your life? Do you miss him?
All it takes is to open yourself and say "I want things to be different. I know things need to be different. I know what’s wrong, what doesn’t belong and I invite You, Jesus, to come and change me. I want you back."
When we turn back to Jesus in repentance, when we ask for forgiveness, intending to live a godly life, God’s mercy reaches out to us with a message of love. God is a God of mercy, of redemption, of restoration and of renewal. Just come by faith to the throne of grace to receive it. He is waiting for you with open arms. Repent all over again and get back to fulfilling God’s plan in and through your life.
In closing, I’d like to share with you this poem written by Father Daniel Berrigan.
It is not true that creation and the human family are doomed to destruction and loss—This is true: For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life;
It is not true that we must accept inhumanity and discrimination, hunger and poverty, death and destruction— This is true: I have come that they may have life, and that abundantly.
It is not true that violence and hatred should have the last word, and that war and destruction rule forever—This is true: Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, his name shall be called wonderful councilor, mighty God, the Everlasting, the Prince of peace.
It is not true that we are simply victims of the powers of evil who seek to rule the world—This is true: To me is given authority in heaven and on earth, and lo I am with you, even until the end of the world.
It is not true that we have to wait for those who are specially gifted, who are the prophets of the Church before we can be peacemakers—This is true: I will pour out my spirit on all flesh and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions and your old men shall have dreams.
It is not true that our hopes for liberation of humankind, of justice, of human dignity of peace are not meant for this earth and for this history—This is true: The hour comes, and it is now, that the true worshipers shall worship God in spirit and in truth.
So, let us enter Advent in hope, even hope against hope. Let us see visions of love and peace and justice. Let us affirm with humility, with joy, with faith, with courage: Jesus Christ—the life of the world.
Let us pray: Thank You, Father, for being a perfect Heavenly Father for us, for sending us Your Son to save us from our sins, and for putting Your Holy Spirit into each one of us so that we are never without Your presence. Help us to depend on You, to trust in Your truth, and to serve like You. Help us to find time to slow down this Christmas season; say “no” to the things that distract us from Jesus and say “yes” to the gift that You want us to experience. We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.