Advent Week 1: Hope

2020 Advent Week 1 : “Hope”

Today marks the beginning of the Advent Season. It is a time that we remember Christ’s First Coming and look forward to His Second. Each week is marked by a particular theme, and this week is “Hope”.

Is hope not what we need most this year?

The hope that comes with Christ is a sure hope. The hope that Christ brings comes also with the power, authority, and promise of God. The hope we have today is based on the fulfilled hope of our spiritual ancestors. Today, let us celebrate the hope of Christ who was born over 2,000 years ago.

We will begin with the message of hope given to our Jewish forefathers 700 years before Christ first came.

Hope is promised

Isaiah 9:2, 6-7

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. […]

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.

He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom,

establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness

from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”

In the days of Isaiah, Israel was promised a Messiah that would establish an everlasting kingdom. Look at what the Messiah is called:

'Wonderful Counselor' - The combination here is that the Messiah would be a wise counselor, but one who is ‘wonderful’ or miraculous. The wisdom of Christ is not just that He is smart or that He can provide sound living, but also that He works miracles. He is a miracle in that He is God among us, but He also performed miracles proving His identity. And by proving His Divine Identity, He proves Himself to be the most qualified to provide counseling.

Jesus is a miracle, and He works miracles.

'Mighty God' - The word ‘mighty’ here has a military connotation. The Messiah would be God who is mighty in battle, able to conquer His enemies. Jesus had many who worked against Him in this world, but ultimately He only had one enemy. That enemy was Satan. 1 John 3:8 says, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” The cross was not Jesus defeated, it was the Mighty God vanquishing His foe.

Jesus is the Mighty God who vanquished the devil.

'Everlasting Father' - Psalm 72:17 states, “May His name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in Him, all nations call him blessed!” The Lord’s name will endure forever. Likewise, if we compare Isaiah with Micah (who wrote at the same time), Micah 5:2 states, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephratha, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days (same word as ‘everlasting’ for ‘ancient’). Without diving too deeply into Trinitarian theology, this phrase has to do with where the Messiah originates. Though the Messiah is “a child given to us” in time, His true origin is before eternity. Thus, Jesus can say, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father”. Though we are right to separate God the Father and God the Son, we must always remember that both are God. God is One in Three Persons, Father, Son, and Spirit. The Messiah Isaiah promises is ‘God with us’.

The Father, Son, and Spirit eternally existed before Creation.

'Prince of Peace' - ‘Prince’ here is not just the title given to the son of the king, it also can be used to denote a person of great position in charge of a particular area of the kingdom. So, when we read this title, we should not just recognize the Messiah as the Son of God, but also the Son with a particular function. In this case, He is the Prince of Peace. It is the Messiah’s job to bring about and ensure peace. Throughout the centuries, the Church has needed this reminder more than any other, I believe. Christ is the Messiah of Peace. He brings peace to those at war with God and with each other. True peace comes in Christ. Peace with God, in that we can be reconciled to our Creator. Our sin that separates us from God and brings God’s wrath on us, is wiped away when we surrender to the Prince of Peace. We also can be reconciled to each other, because Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Whether divided races, divided families, or whatever division is causing you strife and war, that division is dissolved when we kneel at the cross. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Jesus brings true and everlasting peace to those who surrender to Him.

His government and peace will expand without end. The Kingdom of God first landed in Bethlehem 2000 years ago, and it has been expanding ever since. But let’s look at that final statement in 9:7, “The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will do this.” That word ‘zeal’ also can denote ‘jealousy’ as in ‘God is a jealous god’. It cannot be overstated, the Messiah came to save the lost, because He wanted to. The Lord created us, the Lord loves us, and the Lord does not want us to perish, being led astray by the Enemy, Satan.

Periodically, someone will say, “If God loves us, why does He send people to hell?” God does love us. He proved that love by sending His Son so that no one would have to go to hell. Hell was established for Satan and the demons that followed him. We all sin and are all led astray into darkness. But, God in His mercy and love, sent His Son to end the schemes of Satan, and open the Way to eternal life. Please do not question God’s love simply because of your refusal to take hold of the eternal life He offers so freely.

Hope is Given

We know what we do about Jesus’ birth through Matthew and Luke. For today, turn with me to Luke 1.

Luke 1:26-38

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 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, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

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[d] will be called holy—the Son of God. 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. For nothing will be impossible with God.” 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.

The angel’s announcement takes Mary by surprise to say the least. She is betrothed to Joseph, but they have not yet married, nor have they been together. So, for her to hear she is going to give birth, I’m sure, is quite a shock. Before we read how this can be, look at how the angel describes the coming child.

He will be called ‘Jesus’, or the Hebrew ‘Yeshua’ which means “Salvation from the Lord”. He will be great and called “Son of the Most High.”

Many cultures and kingdoms gave their kings divine titles. Our family watched the remake of Mulan this week, and I was a little surprised when I heard the emperor of China called “Son of Heaven”. I didn’t know the idea of divine kings went that far east (mainly because I just hadn’t studied it before), but with help from my friend Google, I learned the title came about during the Zhou dynasty. Now, why do I bring that up? It is absolutely significant that a Jewish man would take such a similar title.

Pagans throughout the world, from Egypt to Rome, to China and Japan, and even in the Americas, have viewed their leaders as divine to some degree or another. However, for Jews, the idea of a man claiming divinity has always been blasphemous. The Davidic kings were not given divine titles, and could be punished with death should they tried.

For a carpenter’s son, in the smallest of towns in Israel, to grow up to be called “Son of the Most High” is a very significant event in history.

Likewise, the angel says Jesus will have the throne of David and reign over the house of Jacob forever, “and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Not only will Jesus reign, but He will reign forever.

The angel proclaims to Mary that her child will be both Lord and King.

Now, how can this be since she has not been with her betrothed? The angel answers that for us as well. The power of the Most High will overshadow her. The Holy Spirit will create this child. That is why the child is called holy, the Son of God.

Jesus is human in the sense of a boy born to a woman, but He is divine in that his conception is a work of God.

Verse 37 is a pivotal verse that you should highlight. Nothing is impossible with God.

How is it that a virgin should conceive a Son?

How is it that this Son could be foretold 700 years earlier?

How is it that this Son will be called Savior and Immanuel?

How can this Son save humanity from their sin?

Because, nothing is impossible with God!

The hope for our salvation was promised and fulfilled in the baby born to Mary.

And that hope has brought new hope to all God’s people, whether Jew or Gentile. Turn with me to Romans 8.

Hope is Assured

Romans 8:18-25

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Creation itself is ready to be set free from the bondage and curse of sin. But, it must wait, because it waits for the revealing of “sons of God”. Who are these sons? They are those who will be adopted into the Kingdom of God. When Christ went to the cross, He opened the door to Heaven, so that whosoever calls on His Name will be saved. And for those who are saved, we wait with a sure hope for the adoption and redemption, because in that hope we are saved. No, we have not yet seen Heaven on Earth and the re-creation of this world, but we know that it is coming, because God has already fulfilled His promise to send the Messiah.

The sufferings that we have now are not worth comparing to the glory that is to come. No matter how dark this world gets, when we come face to face with our Savior, and this world is purged of sin, we will look on the glory of Heaven and our God and think of this suffering as just a fleeting moment not worth the effort to cry over.

Paul uses the metaphor of childbirth to remind us that this present suffering is painful. It is not that this present suffering is some kind of illusion that we must overcome. We will find ourselves in this life in very real pain. But, when that child comes, the beauty and glory of the new life makes the pain worth it. If the pain of this world points us to eternal life in Christ, then the pain is worth it.

Our hope in Christ is not hope to overcome or remove suffering, it is hope to persevere through it.

Today, if you have not entered into the hope that Jesus brings, turn from this dying world and embrace the life Jesus gives. Our time on this earth is fleeting. And we know that Jesus promised that one day He will return to purge this world of sin and begin the New Era of Heaven and Earth existing together. But for those who have not turned from their sin, they will have no part in this new world.

Receive the hope of Jesus while there is still time.