Christmas Hope: A Living Hope in Christ

Devotional

Day 1: Christmas hope is a living hope

Hope in Scripture is not wishful thinking; it is a steady, reliable confidence that God will do exactly what He has promised. Because Jesus rose from the dead, your future is anchored and your present is steadied, even when the world feels unstable. You are not abandoned or left to your own strength; you are held by mercy that made you new. Mix this certain hope with prayer, and watch courage rise in your heart. Today, fix your eyes on the risen Jesus and call this hope what it truly is: living. [33:16]

1 Peter 1:3 — Praise be to the Father of our Lord Jesus, who, because of His great mercy, gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

Reflection: Where, this week, are you most tempted to rely on your own strength, and how will you consciously lean into the living hope of the risen Jesus each morning?

Day 2: God draws near to the brokenhearted

God saw a despairing world and stepped into it in Jesus, bringing light into our darkness and certainty into our uncertainty. He does not stay far off; He comes close, comforts, and assures you by His Spirit that you belong to Him. When your spirit feels crushed, He listens, holds, and rescues. Bring Him the ache you can’t fix and the questions you can’t answer. Let His nearness steady your steps today. [56:48]

Psalm 34:18 — The Lord stays close to those with shattered hearts; He bends down to those whose spirits feel crushed and pulls them out of their trouble.

Reflection: What part of your story feels most tender right now, and how will you invite Jesus to meet you there with His nearness today?

Day 3: The real value of life is loving others

Life’s true richness is found in relationships and in giving, not in accumulating. Hope spreads when hands open—through simple acts like a meal delivered, a visit offered, or generosity quietly given. When you pour out, God promises to keep your cup from running dry. Ask Him to show you one person to bless and one need to meet this week. Love becomes visible when compassion moves from intention to action. [50:07]

Luke 6:38 — Give, and gifts will return to you—packed in, pressed down, shaken together, and overflowing into your lap; the measure you use for others sets the measure that comes back to you.

Reflection: Who, by name, could you bless with a concrete act of encouragement or provision this week, and what exactly will you do?

Day 4: Beware the five thieves of true hope

Pleasure, performance, possessions, position, and nonstop pursuits promise joy but cannot sustain it. They offer a quick thrill while draining the soul of peace. Jesus alone guards the doorway of true life; He positions Himself as the gate where we are protected, known, and led into pasture. The thief steals; Jesus gives abundance. Step through His door again today with trust, and let Him define what fullness really means. [54:30]

John 10:7–10 — “I am the gate,” Jesus says; “those who come through Me are safe and find pasture. The thief only comes to steal, slaughter, and ruin, but I came so that they could truly live—life overflowing.”

Reflection: Which “thief” most tugs at your heart (pleasure, performance, possessions, position, or pursuits), and what is one practical boundary you can set to keep Jesus at the center?

Day 5: Abounding in hope for today and eternity

Without Jesus, the season becomes an empty box, but with Him, even an empty place is filled with forgiveness, purpose, and everlasting life. Hope isn’t just for a holiday; it carries you through the hardest valleys and the ordinary days. As you trust, the Holy Spirit makes joy and peace rise within, not from circumstances but from Christ’s presence. Make room for Him—clear the noise, surrender control, and receive the future He promises. Your best days in Christ still lie ahead. [41:36]

Romans 15:13 — May the God who authors hope fill you, as you trust Him, with deep joy and settled peace, so that by the Spirit’s power you overflow with hope.

Reflection: What one space in your daily rhythm will you clear this week to intentionally welcome Jesus’ presence and let the Holy Spirit refill you with joy and peace?

Sermon Summary

Christmas hope is not a wish or a mood; it is a living hope anchored in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Peter says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ… He has caused us to be born again to a living hope” (1 Peter 1:3). In a world loud with bad news and thin solutions, I wanted our hearts to hear this: hope in Scripture is not crossing our fingers; it is confidence that God will do what He promised. That confidence steadies us when life feels like George Bailey’s—when one phone call, one loss, one failure makes our “wonderful life” feel impossible.

God’s answer to human despair wasn’t a pep talk; it was a Person. He sent a baby into the darkness, and in Jesus the Light entered our world. That light doesn’t deny pain; it moves into our neighborhoods of deepest failure and begins a holy reversal—darkness gives way to light, uncertainty to stability, and death to life. Because of that, we shake the gloom in three ways. First, by remembering we can’t yet see the full worth of a life lived for Christ. There will be fruit we never knew about and a “well done” we’ve only dreamed of. Second, by leaning into relationships and sacrificial love. The Wexhall family learned that when a neighbor family brought gifts and dinner to a home that had “no Christmas.” Generosity is how we push back the night. Third, by clinging to relationship with God through Jesus. The Spirit witnesses that we belong. The Lord hears and is close to the brokenhearted.

I also named five thieves of hope—pleasure, performance, possessions, position, and frantic pursuits. They promise life but cannot deliver it. Only Jesus can say, “I am the resurrection and the life… I am the way… I came that they may have life abundantly.” He is the Shepherd who lies across the opening—“I am the door”—our safety, our access, our home.

Without Jesus, Christmas is an empty box—a tradition without the treasure. With Him, even an empty life is filled with forgiveness, purpose, and joy. So make room for Him. Clear the noise. Let the living hope arise in you by the power of the Holy Spirit. And then let that hope spill into simple, concrete love: sponsor a child, serve a meal, visit the lonely, give quietly. The God of hope will fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you abound in hope.

Key Takeaways

1. Biblical hope is living certainty Hope in Scripture is not wishful thinking; it’s confidence grounded in God’s character and Christ’s resurrection. When circumstances shake, we are steadied by what cannot be shaken—God’s faithfulness. This frees us from grasping at control and turns our prayers into trust-filled petitions. Hope grows as we remember who promised. [39:17]
2. Your life’s worth exceeds what you see You can’t measure a faithful life from the middle of the story. Seeds sown in tears, conversations had, prayers whispered—God gathers them all, even when we can’t see the harvest. One day, the veil lifts and “well done” will reveal more than we imagined. Keep serving; God is keeping score in grace. [44:09]
3. Give generously to push back darkness When hope moves from belief to action, it looks like showing up with food, presence, and costly kindness. Generosity doesn’t just meet needs; it preaches the gospel in a language hearts can feel. In giving, we join the God who gave Himself and discover joy that money can’t buy. [46:19]
4. Reject the five thieves of hope Pleasure, performance, possessions, position, and relentless pursuits promise life and leave us empty. Their highs fade, their metrics move, and their costs compound. Jesus alone gives a life that expands with time and suffering. Trade the treadmill for His yoke, and you’ll find rest and abundance. [68:00]
5. Enter through Jesus, the Door Safety, belonging, and access to life are not found in better fences but in a better Shepherd. Jesus places Himself between danger and us, and He is the only entrance to salvation and pasture. In Him, you are kept, led, and known. Step through the Door and live. [74:06]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[29:38] - Festive greeting and ministry update
[31:29] - Dad joke and theme introduction
[31:49] - Christmas hope: a living hope (1 Peter 1:3) and prayer
[34:37] - George Bailey’s despair and our own
[37:48] - A God-kind of Christmas: why Jesus came
[39:17] - Biblical hope defined and promised
[43:20] - Shaking gloom: worth, relationships, God
[46:19] - The Wexhall story: when others give
[52:04] - Compassion in action: practical ways to serve
[55:21] - The only true hope: relationship with Jesus
[58:50] - The Light enters darkness: reversal and appeal
[68:00] - Five thieves of joy and Jesus’ life
[76:17] - Eternity, invitation, and benediction

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
- 1 Peter 1:3

Observation questions

In 1 Peter 1:3, who causes us to be born again, and into what kind of hope are we born?
How is biblical hope contrasted with wishful thinking here? What makes it “solid confidence” rather than crossing fingers? [39:17]
What three practices are given for “shaking the gloom” when life feels dark? Name them. [43:20]
List the five thieves of hope that promise life but leave us empty. [01:08:00]

Interpretation questions

If hope is a living certainty rooted in Christ’s resurrection, how should that change the way a person prays in crisis—tone, content, and expectations? [39:53]
Why is it impossible to see the full value of a faithful life from “the middle of the story”? How might that truth change how someone thinks about unseen seeds, quiet prayers, and unnoticed service? [44:09]
In the story where one family showed up with dinner and gifts, what did that generosity say about God’s heart in a way words alone could not? What might “costly kindness” preach to a discouraged heart? [49:28]
If Jesus is the Door and places Himself between danger and the sheep, what does that imply about where safety, belonging, and access to life are truly found—and not found? [01:14:06]

Application questions

Which of the five thieves—pleasure, performance, possessions, position, or frantic pursuits—tries to steal hope from you most often? What one concrete step will you take this week to trade that thief for Jesus’ easy yoke? [01:08:00]
What simple, specific act of generosity will you do this week to push back darkness—bring a meal, visit someone lonely, sponsor a child, or quietly meet a need? Name the person or place and make a plan. [52:04]
Who are the two or three relationships you need to lean into right now? How will you show up with presence, encouragement, or help for them this week? [45:31]
Where do you need to pray with hope-filled confidence instead of fear—health, family, finances, work, or sin struggle? Write a one-sentence prayer of trust and share it with the group. [39:53]
What “noise” needs to be cleared to make room in your heart for Jesus—control, fear, hurry, cynicism, or distraction? What practical change will you make for the next seven days? [01:17:02]
If Jesus truly is the Door, what is your next step through Him—repenting of a known sin, being baptized, returning to Scripture and prayer, or trusting Him for the first time? What will you do in the next 24–48 hours? [01:14:06]
Where have you been tempted to quit because you don’t see fruit? What small, faithful action will you keep doing this week, trusting that God sees and will say “well done”? [44:09]

Sermon Clips

Number one,we don't find hope in pleasure.I've heard people say, oh, if only they could take a cruise or they could retire in luxury or have their fantasies fulfilled, then they would be living the good life.You've heard that, I'm sure.Many people have done these things, yet they remain empty.The pursuit of pleasure eventually diminishes.Even a cruise, if you take it every year, you take it over and over, it becomes kind of monotonous because it takes a bigger thrill to replacethat thrill or a big event to give you a different kind of high, but it never lasts. [01:08:21] (87 seconds) #JoyBeyondPleasure