Embracing the Living Hope of Christmas

"And human life had very little value during that, era of history. There was oppression and over -taxation. But yet, there was this people of God, the Israelites, that had the Torah, the old covenant. And they believed the promise that one day Messiah would come. And when Messiah comes, he'll make all things new, and he'll make all things right. And he'll rebuild Israel, and have a king sit upon the throne, and everything is going to be better. In fact, there was a prophet, his name was Jeremiah, and he lived and prophesied 600 years before Christ. And he called the coming of the Lord, and he called the Messiah this name. He is the hope of Israel. And sure enough, that hope would come in the form of an infant. And when Jesus entered the world, hope was birthed again in the hearts of God's people. And it's been happening ever since. When Jesus shows up, hopeless lives and hopeless situations are infused with fresh hope." [00:49:32] (56 seconds)


"Powerful stories of the hope of Christ. And so when Isaiah was prophesying about this dark time, 750 years before Jesus was born, here's what he said in Isaiah 9. The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. For a child is born to us, a son is given to us, and the government will rest on his shoulders, and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. This is the joy, and the hope that came with Christmas." [00:50:54] (34 seconds)


"So this hope is a confidence that the future is going to be bright, not based on what I feel or flawed humans have promised me, but on the eternal promise of a God who never breaks one. If you think about this, there's well over 300 promises in the Old Testament. In the form of prophecies and commitments from God, in fact, by theological count, there's 365 detailed prophecies about the coming Messiah, and do you know those were given, pronounced over the space of 1 ,500 years, and through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, all 365 promises were fulfilled in detail to completion, and the mathematical odds of that are astronomical, but that took place because of the source, of those promises." [00:56:56] (49 seconds)


"Now, review for most of you, but here are the roots and the meaning of the name Jesus. It's Hebrew, Yahshua, which means God, Yahweh is salvation. In the Old Testament, it was Joshua. The Lord, Yahshua, delivers and saves. So the name Jesus actually means God, our savior and our deliverer. And it's just not like a name of a common garden variety. It is the name above every name. Let's talk to you for a moment about the name of Jesus. No other name has been given in heaven and earth whereby men might be saved. At the name of Jesus, demons tremble. At the name of Jesus, we lay hands on the sick and they recover. And there will be a day where every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. The name of Jesus has power. The name of Jesus changes the atmosphere. And the name of Jesus saves the world because he is the savior and the redeemer of the planet. There's power in his name today." [01:01:05] (64 seconds)


"And I know a lot of people take his name in vain. It's so common. But if you want to change the atmosphere of your workplace, if you want to change the atmosphere of the dinner table, if you have people far from God joining you over the holidays, just begin to talk about the name of Jesus and the person of Jesus. There is an inherent power in his name. He is the savior that's been sent to us. And a prolific writer put it this way. If our greatest need would have been information, God would have sent an educator. If our greatest need were technology, God would have sent a scientist. If our greatest need were money, God would have sent an economist. If our greatest need was pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer. But our greatest need is forgiveness. So he sent us a savior." [01:02:09] (47 seconds)


"There is a living hope because of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. And you know, no matter what you're going through, this is not it. I've got a higher call and I'm living for something beyond this life. In first Peter, it's called a living hope. Look at this. Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to his great mercy, he's caused us to be born again to a living hope. This inheritance can what? It can never perish. It can never spoil or it can never fade. Nobody can take this one away from you." [01:03:06] (36 seconds)


"And remember our definition of this living hope. It's a confident expectation of a better future based on the character and the credibility of the one making the promise. And if God promised David, there will always be one who will sit upon the throne and the Messiah will come for you. And a thousand years later, it came to pass. If God promised Isaiah that the darkness on Israel would be lifted and a savior would come for him, it would come to pass. And if God promised Isaiah that the darkness on Israel would come to pass, it would come to pass. And if God promised Isaiah that the darkness on Israel would come to pass, it would come to pass. And if God promised Isaiah that the darkness on Israel would come to pass, it would come to pass. And 750 years later, it came to pass. And on and on they go, 365 Old Testament prophecies completed in detail. What has he promised you and I for this life? He says, I'll give you a hope and a future." [01:06:58] (44 seconds)


"I promise that if you trust me, you will never be put to shame or disappointed. I promise that if you cast all your care upon me, I will care for you. He's promised us many things, but the most important, the most important promise is this, that he's coming back for his church. And this is the hope of Christmas. Not that we make it through the holidays without a family fight or bringing up politics as we eat the ham or the turkey, or we get the job promotion, all this stuff. That's so trivial in light of this question. Are we ready to see the savior when he comes back as he has promised?" [01:07:20] (37 seconds)