In some Christian gatherings, their worship reflects emptiness and lack of power. People look discouraged, it seems as if God is no more amid His people doing great things, It seems like heaven is silent, and it seems a hopeless world politically, financially, and educationally, in the health sector but the bible says in the fullness of time God sent forth his son as man to the world. When Christ! Our Hope was born light entered the world.
Sermon: Christ! Our Hope
Isaiah 9:6-7 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace, there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this”
According to the Oxford English dictionary: Hope is the desire for good, accompanied by an expectation of obtaining it. Biblically, hope is the ability to stand firm even when things do not seem to turn out the way you anticipated. Hope is a confident expectation of a better future. It is the ability to not compromise your faith amid chaos.
It means to still hold up unto life even when elements and human obstacles stand against your breakthrough. Hope is a person. God is the author and the source of hope. God does not want you to manage your state of hopelessness, He wants you to be free from it.
Let us look at the story of Israel as narrated in ACTS 13:16-23. Israel is a nation God chose for himself through their father Abraham, Genesis12:1-20; God said to Abram to get out of his country Ur of the Chaldeans, from his kindred, from his father’s house unto a land that only GOD knows and will give to Abram.
To Abram God made this pronouncement.
a: I will make you a great nation
b: I will bless you
c: I will make your name great and you shall be a blessing to others, a curse to those that will curse you.
It sounds awesome, right? With all these promises Abram departed Haran and with him on the journey was his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the worldly possessions they needed for the journey.
Abraham landed in Canaan and God appeared to him and said “Unto your seed will I give this land” Amazing! Abram built an altar to worship God and as a symbol of remembrance of the promises.
In Egypt, they dwelt as strangers under taskmasters, they were tormented, and beaten up but at the same time, God kept increasing them in number which got the Egyptians more threatened
God chose Moses a deliverer for them who stood before Pharaoh and demanded their freedom. Pharaoh being hardened declined their freedom, but after facing 10 types of plague allowed by God to caution him asked the Israelites to leave.
God parted the Red Sea for them to pass through on a dry land, Egyptians on seeing that followed suit and were drowned at the Red Sea. Israelites journeyed through the wilderness for 40 years. God fed them with manna ( heavenly food).
When bitten by a fiery serpent, God instructed Moses to make a brazen serpent whosoever is willing to look at it will be healed of the bite ( a symbol of Christ lifted on the cross) Hebrew2:1. Jesus is our symbol of hope.
After the death of Moses, Joshua, Moses’ servant guided them and they defeated seven nations in the land of Canaan and divided themselves by lot. God appointed the judges who took them out to war with other nations.
For 450 years, Israelites were moving about from place to place, facing adversity, famine, and obstacles from other nations and within them but they were still holding up to God’s promises handed over to them by their grandfather ( Abraham), until Samuel the prophet.
They desired a king to rule them as other nations surrounding them and God gave them Saul the son of Cis, a Benjamite who ruled them for 40 years. After which God raised David for himself whose loin he promised a messiah, a savior.
And in their midst rose a prophet by the name Isaiah who raised their hope of a Savior who will take them out of their afflictions and pains and grant them a life full of peace, joy, and blessings through his prophecy in Isaiah 9:6-7.
Now the question is, what is the benefit of this baby to the world? Why do Christians keep celebrating the birth of this baby?
Christ’s birth opened a new chapter for a man who was lost and in a degraded world (Colossians 2:3). Christ is everything to a man.
In Christian story, God comes down from the height of absolute being into time and space into humanity; down to the very roots and seabed of the nature He has created.
He did not come in a raging whirlwind nor a devouring fire. He borrowed a womb from a nervous and innocent teenager (Mary) to incubate into a lovely baby boy.
Now let us look at Luke 2:9-14 “And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a savior which is Christ the Lord———–14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men”
Four Principal Things Come With The Birth of Jesus
1. Good tidings (Salvation)
The birth of Jesus brought to man Salvation which could not be bought with any other means or gotten from any other person (Romans;23-24; Isaiah 12:2).
The son is born not only to Israelites but to deliver the entire humanity from destruction man (Adam) had subjected it to through sin ( 1Timothy2:4) Jesus came as a light unto a dark world that men through him could see (Luke2:28-32) There is hope of Salvation in Jesus.
2. The birth of Jesus brought joy to the world
The songwriter wrote,” Joy to the world the king comes, Let the earth receive her king, let every heart prepare him room”. Everything about this baby is joy-compliant.
Why Do We Need Joy?
A: It ensures health and vitality (Proverbs18:14; Nehemiah8:10)
The Bible in Genesis 2:7 tells us that man was created from the dust of the earth, so the body of man is vulnerable to sickness, weakness, and decay because it is an earthen vessel. Proverbs17:22 says ” A merry heart doeth good like medicine but a broken spirit drieth” Joy is medicinal, no wonder Paul in Philippians4:4 keeps emphasizing to us ” Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice”
B: With joy, we have access to revelation (Ecclaisetes5:19-20; Proverbs 15:22; Isaiah 12:3)
JOY keeps the spirit of man intact so it can access the throne of grace. Proverbs 15:13. Jesus said in John 16:33 “In the world, you shall see tribulation, be of good cheers-, rejoice that I have overcome the world”. So our rejoicing is not in what we have or our privileged position which is ephemeral, but in GOD who is ETERNAL. A joyful person is full of God, he is a carrier of God (Hebrews 13:15). Joy is a major stimulus of revelation.
C: Joy ensures fruitfulness (Psalm 103:1, Proverbs;15)
When God created Adam and Eve, He commanded them to be fruitful and replenish the earth and subdue it Genesis 1:28; Matthew 28:18.
When you are joyful you will be fruitful. David’s addiction to praise established his throne (Psalm 67:5- 6; 2 Samuel 6:16; Mark 8;6). Your promotion and your fruitfulness in life are affected by your praise level. What cannot stop your joy cannot stop your increase and deliverance (Psalm 22:3; Psalm 97:5; Psalm 55:22).
3. Peace- Peace helps us not to reflect on the challenges and chaos of life
God gave us peace to garrison our hearts from the tactics of the devil. God works in calmness (Psalm 46:10; Exodus 14:14) Isaiah 9:6 establishes that JESUS CHRIST is the Prince of Peace and Ephesians 2:14 also confirms that CHRIST is our Peace. Jesus controls the weather.
All we need to do is to maintain the Peace of God by speaking and living in peace. Peace makes you a GOD candidate for miracles. But sometimes one may wonder why the storm and chaos in life. John 16:33 tells us that in the world there is affliction but He has overcome it for us.
4. Goodwill (All of God’s goodness, possession, and blessings) is willed to man in Christ
John13:3 “ Jesus knowing that the father had given all things into his hands and that he come from God and went to God;” Anything in God is available to anyone who so desires it. (Romans8:32) “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things”. Through this CHILD our freedom was established. 1John3:8. Sin is terminated.
Man does not know what life is until he finds Jesus the son of the living God. Jesus of Nazareth or man of Galilee as was commonly known by the Jews was the WORD INCARNATE. Wow! What a truth.
Let’s look at it this way, Your word is the expression of your views, opinions, emotions, ideas, and thoughts. Similarly, the word of God is the totality of God’s thoughts, opinions, emotions, will, and ideas. John 1:14 says ”And the word was made flesh, and dwelt among us…”
To the world, when we Christians say Jesus is God, it does not make sense to them, because they do not know Him nor can they define Him. They see God as an idea but not as a person. However, the Bible presents Jesus as God’s perfect imprint, the icon of the unseen God. Jesus is the radiance of the Father, the glory of the Father.
It does not make sense to the world, not even the Jews, Why are we so passionate about the baby Jesus? ( Hebrews1:3) tells us HE is the perfect revelation of God.
Until you know Him, God will only represent an idea to you. Your search stops when you meet this awesome, glorious Lord of heaven and earth, imbedded in this innocent baby, Jesus Christ is the totality of divinity so when you look at Jesus you are looking at the fullness of Godhead.
Jesus is the house of God in totality. Whether you like it or not that is the truth. He is God’s package of salvation to man. You may only see Him as a baby, but He is God. CHRIST! OUR HOPE
Conclusion
Hope is one of the outstanding themes in the bible. ( Romans4:18) tells us about Abraham, when God promised him a son, Isaac, Though it tarries physically, he believed and hoped for it.
Hope birth joy and peace (Romans 15:13). Hope, the amazing mystery which was hidden from all the prophets and great men in the past as recorded in the bible is now revealed to us that Christ is in us and that CHRIST IS OUR HOPE OF GLORY.
Hope brings peace, Hope brings life, Hope brings strength, Hope brings joy. JESUS IS OUR LIVING HOPE (1Peter1;3-5). Our Hope is the ONE who has victory over hell and death, our hope is secured.
