CHAPEL ROCK
This morning we start a new Advent series called, “A Few of My Favorite Things.” During December, we’re going to focus on the themes of Advent, and what makes them so great. A major part of what makes Christmas so great is that in celebrating the birth of Jesus, our hearts are reoriented to what matters most. Today, Lead Pastor Casey Scott brings the message of ‘Hope.’
Communion
Chapel Rock practices an 'open communion' meaning that if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you are welcome to participate in the communion service. The elder/staff member giving the devotion will provide instructions.
Revelation 1:5-6 NIV
Chapel Rock’s Vision:
To See the Whole Community
Whole in Christ
Casey Scott
Lead Pastor
Series: A Few of My Favorite Things
Sermon: ‘Hope’
Today’s BIG IDEA
Christmas is a guarantee that all our most important hopes will be realized.
INTRODUCTION
Many of us have one thing on our Christmas list that we’d like to guarantee that we get. Sometimes, that one thing is so important to us, so wanted and desired, that we would happily give up everything else to guarantee that we get that one thing! The coming of Jesus into the world at Christmas is your guarantee that God knows our hopes and makes them manifest.
We see this happen two ways. . .
ISRAEL’S ANCIENT HOPE FULFILLED
In Jesus’ time, the people of Israel had high hopes that the time of the Messiah was near. In fact, they were primed and ready. What were Israel’s ancient hopes? They really cluster around three ideas:
1. God with His People: This is a consistent theme through the Old Testament. Israel’s hope was that God would be with them. And that hope was fulfilled in Jesus.
> Isaiah 7:14
> Matthew 1:20b–23
2. A Righteous King: Israel’s history with monarchy is – for the most part – a sad story. God intended to be their king, but they wanted a human king. Saul Failed. David succeeded but was flawed. Solomon achieved great glories but failed to disciple his kids. But again, Isaiah offers hope.
> Isaiah 9:6–7
3. True Justice: Much of the Law of Moses focuses on the idea of making sure that God’s people “do justice.” The Law was designed to promote a fair and just culture. When Jesus came, the long-held hope that God’s people had for true justice to be done was fulfilled.
> Matthew 12:15–21
He intentionally whets our appetite with hope so that he can fulfill it far beyond our wildest expectations, and we see this clearest in the coming of Jesus into the world.
Isaiah 7:14 NIV
Matthew 1:20-23 NIV
Isaiah 9:6-7 NIV
Matthew 12:15-21 NIV
OUR PRESENT HOPE MADE MANIFEST
Each one of our hopes being made manifest is kind of an expansion on and greater realization of Israel’s ancient hope.
1. We Are Never Alone: In Christ, because of His entry into our existence, we see that this idea is enriched two ways – first, Jesus took on flesh in His Incarnation and became one of us. But second and even greater, He has poured His Spirit into us when we respond to the Gospel, and he is “with us” in the most intimate way. God took action to redeem us for Himself by Jesus’ death on the Cross so that we could be saved. One of the blessings of that salvation is that now, we are never alone.
2. We Have a Clean Conscience: Our King Jesus lives within us and His moral perfection, His righteousness is available for us. What that means, and a significant portion of the Christmas message, is that the God who has come to us is the One who cleans our conscience.
> Hebrews 10:22–23
3. Evil is Destroyed: Finally, just as Israel longed for true justice, and received it in Jesus, we also long for ULTIMATE Justice. We long for Jesus to destroy evil.
> 1 John 3:8b
> 1 Peter 1:3–9
You are RECEIVING the end result of your faith. That’s the hope of Christmas! Because of the hope of Christmas, Jesus is giving this to us NOW.
“The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity — hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory — because at the Father's will Jesus Christ became poor and was born in a stable so that thirty years later he might hang on a cross.”
Knowing God, J.I. Packer
Hebrews 10:22-23 NIV
1 John 3:8 NIV
1 Peter 1:3-9 NIV
CONCLUSION
“Songs, good feelings, beautiful liturgies, nice presents, big dinners, and sweet words do not make Christmas. Christmas is saying yes to something beyond all emotions and feelings. Christmas is saying yes to a hope based on God's initiative, which has nothing to do with what I think or feel. Christmas is believing that the salvation of the world is God’s work and not mine.”
Henri Nouwen’s definition of Christmas
Jesus fulfilled all of Israel’s hopes – whether they realized it or not – and He fulfills all of ours too. The key at Christmas is to realize it! Because of Jesus’ entrance into the world at Christmas time, Israel’s ancient hopes were fulfilled, and our present hopes are made manifest.
VISION BENEDICTION
We BRING our brokenness to Jesus because a CHANGE to wholeness is the story we SHARE.