Series Overview:
In this Christmas series, we’re going to be looking at the 4 themes of the advent candles. This tradition was started in the Middle Ages as a way to prepare our hearts for the Christmas season and remember to focus on Jesus and represent him well to the world. Sometimes I think we forget that Christmas isn’t just a season, it’s a reminder to prepare our hearts and to share the Hope, Love, Peace, and Joy of Christ with others around us.
So, today, we’re looking at the Biblical reason for HOPE and discussing ways to represent it well both in our everyday lives and on social media during the Christmas season.
Sermon Notes:
Definition of Hope:
- a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.
- a feeling of trust.
Biblical hope is not something that is just a desire for something to happen, it is an expectation.
The word “hope” is a Christian buzzword that is probably way overused. Hope is something we can grasp onto: In Hebrew, the word for hope is “tikvah”, which according to Strong’s concordance literally means cord. It has this literal definition of something that can be grasped or held onto. The first appearance of this word in the Bible comes from the story of Rahab and the Israelite spies.
Romans 15:13 (NIV)
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
No matter what is happening in our lives, we have confidence that comes from hope in Jesus—hope for a joy-filled future and hope for this broken world today. Christmas is a reminder to our hearts that Jesus came to this earth as a physical embodiment of the hope we have through our faith in Him—no matter how difficult and dark life may be.
As people who claim the name of Jesus as King of our life, we have the charge to live like we are in the kingdom. This means that you think differently than other people, you love differently than other people, you forgive differently than other people, and why do you do this? BECAUSE OF YOUR HOPE IN JESUS.
Hebrews 6:19 (NIV)
19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.
What is the purpose of an anchor?
- An anchor is a device, usually made of metal, used to secure a boat or ship to the seabed, preventing it from drifting due to wind or current by digging into the bottom of the water body and holding it in place at a specific location; essentially, it keeps a vessel stationary in a desired position.
- The primary function of an anchor is to counteract forces like wind and current that could move the vessel off of its intended course.
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How do we show hope, especially during the Christmas season?
1 Peter 3:15 (CSB)
15 but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.
- By persevering through difficulties and praising Jesus
2 Corinthians 4:8–12 (CSB)
8 We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; 9 we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed. 10 We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in our body. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’s sake, so that Jesus’s life may also be displayed in our mortal flesh. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life in you.
2. By being Jesus to EVERYONE
Matthew 25:37–40 (CSB)
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or without clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick, or in prison, and visit you?’
40 “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
By sharing the Gospel
Matthew 25:37–40 (CSB)
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or without clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick, or in prison, and visit you?’
40 “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
