December 3, 2017 NOTES NOT EDITED
Advent 1: Journey Toward Hope
Advent 1: Journey Toward Hope
Luke 2:25-32, et. al.
Children are naturally hopeful,
though they can have a pretty good grasp of how bad things could get. One little boy was saying his prayers before
he got into bed. He started down his
list. “Dear God please take care of my
Daddy and my Mommy. Please take care of
my brother and my doggy, and take care of me.
Oh, and please take care of Yourself, God. If anything happens to you, we’re all gonna’
be in a big mess!”
Well, I think that little boy understood that our only hope in getting out of the “big messes” of life is God, Himself.
As we begin our Journey Toward Christmas, just as that Star guided the Wise Men so long ago, we are going to let the Light of God’s Word guide us. Today, we are on a Journey Toward Hope.
READING: LUKE 2:25-32
Well, I think that little boy understood that our only hope in getting out of the “big messes” of life is God, Himself.
As we begin our Journey Toward Christmas, just as that Star guided the Wise Men so long ago, we are going to let the Light of God’s Word guide us. Today, we are on a Journey Toward Hope.
READING: LUKE 2:25-32
1. Acknowledging the Darkness (Lk. 2:32)
Think about Simeon’s song upon
seeing the Christ Child, the Messiah, the Hope of Israel. Simeon calls Jesus, (verse 32)
a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory to Your people Israel.
a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory to Your people Israel.
Light is an important component of
the Christmas story. When the angel of
the Lord appeared to announce Christ’s birth to the shepherds the Word tells
us, (Lk. 2:9)
Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them.
Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them.
Three months before Jesus was born,
Zechariah the Priest, married to Elizabeth--either an aunt or cousin of
Mary—was blessed with son he named, John.
John would become, John the Baptist, the last of the prophets who would
prepare the way for Christ’s ministry.
Zechariah described the coming ministry of the Christ Child, (Lk.
1:78-79):
78 Because of our God’s merciful
compassion, the Dawn from on high will
visit us 79 to shine on those who live in darkness and the
shadow of death,
Isaiah had expressed this same idea
of the Messiah as “Light” over 700 years before Jesus was born: (Isa. 9:2; Mt.
4:16)
The people walking in darkness have
seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness
And, of course, there is the “light” of that special Star that guided the Wise Men many months and hundreds of miles across the desert.
Just think of all the “Christmas lights” that will be hung on houses, trees, and other places during the Christmas season! Why all the emphasis on “light” during the Christmas season?
Because the world is, and always has been a dark, despairing place. This was especially true during the cruel days of the Roman Empire where Caesar ruled with an iron fist. The darkness would only get thicker as the Christ Child grew. Think of Herod, the Jewish King who was a puppet of the Roman Empire. Recall how he would have his minions slaughter every child under two years old in the entire town of Bethlehem simply because he could not endure the thought of any “King of the Jews” other than himself.
As I said, the world is a dark place really, and always has been. In the very second verse of the very first book, the very first description of the Cosmos is this: (Gen. 1:2)
2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths.
It was into this primordial
darkness that God entered to scatter that darkness with His Light when God
declared,
Let there be light (Gen. 1:3).
Let there be light (Gen. 1:3).
Now, thousands of years later, it
is not a physical darkness that has covered the earth, but a spiritual and
moral darkness.
You will not fully appreciate the meaning of Christmas and the hope it brings if you do not acknowledge the darkness of the world into which Christ was born. You will not fully comprehend the power of the hope Jesus brings into our lives, if you bury your head in the sand and ignore the darkness all around us.
Hope is not ignoring the darkness but understanding that the darkness is not eternal. There is a big difference between “positive thinking” that acts as if there is not darkness, and hope that fully acknowledges the darkness of our world and our situations as we may find them.
Positive thinking is the “opposite” of hope. Positive thinking seeks to be a “means to an end,” whereas hope is a confident trust in a “meaningful end.”
You will not fully appreciate the meaning of Christmas and the hope it brings if you do not acknowledge the darkness of the world into which Christ was born. You will not fully comprehend the power of the hope Jesus brings into our lives, if you bury your head in the sand and ignore the darkness all around us.
Hope is not ignoring the darkness but understanding that the darkness is not eternal. There is a big difference between “positive thinking” that acts as if there is not darkness, and hope that fully acknowledges the darkness of our world and our situations as we may find them.
Positive thinking is the “opposite” of hope. Positive thinking seeks to be a “means to an end,” whereas hope is a confident trust in a “meaningful end.”
Positive thinking is not about
confidence, it is the absence of confidence and a trust in human ingenuity to
manufacture a good outcome out of bad circumstances. You know the old cliché, “If life gives you
lemons, make lemonade.”
There is some truth to that perspective, of course. Years ago everybody had to read the classic novel, “Pollyanna.” You will recall that Pollyanna was the perpetually positive little girl who taught the entire town, “The Glad Game.” This is a game in which one seeks to find something, “good” in every situation. This novel (written in 1913) had a great influence on culture. For a time, “Glad Clubs” sprung up in cities where this book was assigned reading. These “Glad Clubs” quickly faded.
Positive Thinking as a means to an end is a myth. Biblical “hope” knows nothing of a Pollyannish positivism that ignores the harsh reality and darkness of the world.
Sure, it is true that a cup may be half full as opposed to half empty . . . but let me ask you a question: “What do you do when you don’t even have a cup?” That’s where the journey toward hope comes into play.
There is some truth to that perspective, of course. Years ago everybody had to read the classic novel, “Pollyanna.” You will recall that Pollyanna was the perpetually positive little girl who taught the entire town, “The Glad Game.” This is a game in which one seeks to find something, “good” in every situation. This novel (written in 1913) had a great influence on culture. For a time, “Glad Clubs” sprung up in cities where this book was assigned reading. These “Glad Clubs” quickly faded.
Positive Thinking as a means to an end is a myth. Biblical “hope” knows nothing of a Pollyannish positivism that ignores the harsh reality and darkness of the world.
Sure, it is true that a cup may be half full as opposed to half empty . . . but let me ask you a question: “What do you do when you don’t even have a cup?” That’s where the journey toward hope comes into play.
Acknowledge the darkness, but also
2. ANTICIPATE the Promise! (Lk. 2:25)
Look back at this man Simeon in our
text: 25 There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout, looking forward to Israel’s consolation, and
the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by
the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he saw the Lord’s Messiah.
Simeon had been given a promise
from God and he was waiting expectantly to receive what he had been
promised. Advent is about
“waiting.” Hope is about “waiting
expectantly.” Advent is about “something coming toward us.” Hope is about “looking forward to what we are about to receive.” Many modern translations, including the
KJV, translate this verse as “waiting.” But, hope is more than dispassionately,
waiting.
It is “waiting with enthusiastic anticipation.” It is “looking forward” to something in anticipation of receiving something. In Luke 2:25, this idea of hope is expressed in the Christian Standard Bible as, “looking forward.” The Greek word, prosdechomenos (from, προσδέχομαι), is a compound word in which a strong preposition, pros, meaning “forward, is prefixed to a root word, dechomai, meaning to “receive.” This word in Classical Greek before the N.T. period, was seldom used to describe, waiting. The emphasis was on “accepting or receiving.” Hope is like “stretching forward grasp something beautiful coming your way.” You know, like a baseball fan sitting in the bleachers with glove on hand, hoping to catch a foul ball. If perchance, one comes his way, he stretches his hand out as far as possible to catch that pressure round missile.
Biblical hope, the hope expressed by Simeon, was more than wishful thinking. It was the enthusiastic expectation, or looking forward to, receiving something. There is no hope without something tangible to “look forward to.” Hope is closer to an action than it is an idea.
It is “waiting with enthusiastic anticipation.” It is “looking forward” to something in anticipation of receiving something. In Luke 2:25, this idea of hope is expressed in the Christian Standard Bible as, “looking forward.” The Greek word, prosdechomenos (from, προσδέχομαι), is a compound word in which a strong preposition, pros, meaning “forward, is prefixed to a root word, dechomai, meaning to “receive.” This word in Classical Greek before the N.T. period, was seldom used to describe, waiting. The emphasis was on “accepting or receiving.” Hope is like “stretching forward grasp something beautiful coming your way.” You know, like a baseball fan sitting in the bleachers with glove on hand, hoping to catch a foul ball. If perchance, one comes his way, he stretches his hand out as far as possible to catch that pressure round missile.
Biblical hope, the hope expressed by Simeon, was more than wishful thinking. It was the enthusiastic expectation, or looking forward to, receiving something. There is no hope without something tangible to “look forward to.” Hope is closer to an action than it is an idea.
Waiting confronts us everywhere in
our lives. How many times have you
called up a customer service number and heard this message: “"Thank you for waiting. Your call is
important to us." Then, you are put on hold for 5, 10, 15 minutes or
longer. Then, if you are lucky, a live
person will pick up the phone and say, “Hello, thank you for waiting,” as if
you actually had a choice.
In 1981 (that’s 36 years ago for you numbers kind of people), the budding rock and roll superstar, Tom Petty had a hit song titled, “The Waiting.” The first line of the chorus was, “The waiting is the hardest part.” Now, that was 36 years ago—long before FaceBook and Smartphones. The best you had to pass the time was outdated magazines. There you would sit . . . waiting. Is that why doctors called us, “patients?”
In 1981 (that’s 36 years ago for you numbers kind of people), the budding rock and roll superstar, Tom Petty had a hit song titled, “The Waiting.” The first line of the chorus was, “The waiting is the hardest part.” Now, that was 36 years ago—long before FaceBook and Smartphones. The best you had to pass the time was outdated magazines. There you would sit . . . waiting. Is that why doctors called us, “patients?”
Wishfully waiting for something
good to happen is not hope—it is the lazy man’s way to seek success and
satisfaction—success and satisfaction that will never come. I remember a farmer who was known about town
as one of the town’s laziest citizens.
He once praised lightning for striking an old shed. He said, “Good, saved me the trouble of
tearing it down.” Then one day after a
strong rain he said, “Sure love that rain.
Saved me the trouble of washing my car.”
I of his annoyed neighbors asked him, “Well, what are you waiting on
now?” The lazy farmer said, “An earthquake to shake the ‘tators out of
the ground!”
Hope is more than wishful thinking. Hope is looking forward with great expectation to receive something we have been promised. The Bible is full of promises. Somebody counted and there are 3573 promises in the Bible. I didn’t count but there are a lot of them. What I do know is that the Bible says this about God’s promises:
20 For every one of God’s promises is “Yes” in [Christ] (2Cor. 1:20)
Hope looks forward to receiving all God has promised.
Biblical hope require an honest assessment of life by acknowledging the darkness. Hope involves an element of anticipating the receiving something glorious that God has promised. Along with acknowledging the darkness and anticipating the promise, in order to have a true and living hope, we must
3. ACTIVATE your Hope (Lk. 2:25b) Look at the end of verse 25 through the first part of verse 26:
Hope is more than wishful thinking. Hope is looking forward with great expectation to receive something we have been promised. The Bible is full of promises. Somebody counted and there are 3573 promises in the Bible. I didn’t count but there are a lot of them. What I do know is that the Bible says this about God’s promises:
20 For every one of God’s promises is “Yes” in [Christ] (2Cor. 1:20)
Hope looks forward to receiving all God has promised.
Biblical hope require an honest assessment of life by acknowledging the darkness. Hope involves an element of anticipating the receiving something glorious that God has promised. Along with acknowledging the darkness and anticipating the promise, in order to have a true and living hope, we must
3. ACTIVATE your Hope (Lk. 2:25b) Look at the end of verse 25 through the first part of verse 26:
and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It
had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
Why are so many churches like a
ship sitting on a sand bar? Water is all
around; the engines are pumping and the propeller is spinning, but the ship
ain’t movin’? Why is it that
Christianity in America has about as much influence on our culture and
communities as a Hair Club for Men commercial has in a Catholic Convent?
Most churches are not citadels of hope but sink holes of hopelessness. Where’s the “victory” in our churches? Where’s the “victory” in our personal lives? Christianity in America has “run aground!”
What’s it take to activate our faith in such a way as to make our lives the enthusiastic expressions of hopeful expectation like we see in the life of Simeon? It’s right there in our text. Mentioned twice and alluded to once—
Most churches are not citadels of hope but sink holes of hopelessness. Where’s the “victory” in our churches? Where’s the “victory” in our personal lives? Christianity in America has “run aground!”
What’s it take to activate our faith in such a way as to make our lives the enthusiastic expressions of hopeful expectation like we see in the life of Simeon? It’s right there in our text. Mentioned twice and alluded to once—
the Holy Spirit! Christians,
and the churches we attend are not beating back the darkness of our world and
bring people to the Light as we should be because we are trying to do in
the flesh, what can only be done in
the Spirit.
Look back at verse 25 again. What does it say Simeon was looking forward to? “Israel’s consolation.” The original word is, paraklēsin (παράκλησιv). This noun comes from the adding a preposition, para, which means alongside, to the verb kalēo, to call. This translates to “consolation, or comfort.” This noun is related to another noun, only used by John in his gospel which is, paraklētos, translating as, Comforter. John said this about the One Who is our comforter, or our hope. (John 16:7)
7 Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth. It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor [KJV, Comforter] will not come to you. If I go, I will send Him to you.
Look back at verse 25 again. What does it say Simeon was looking forward to? “Israel’s consolation.” The original word is, paraklēsin (παράκλησιv). This noun comes from the adding a preposition, para, which means alongside, to the verb kalēo, to call. This translates to “consolation, or comfort.” This noun is related to another noun, only used by John in his gospel which is, paraklētos, translating as, Comforter. John said this about the One Who is our comforter, or our hope. (John 16:7)
7 Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth. It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor [KJV, Comforter] will not come to you. If I go, I will send Him to you.
The word for Counselor or Comforter
is parakletos. This is literally translated, “the One Who Comes Alongside.” Our comfort, or consolation, is not an
“idea,” but a person—God, Himself, the Holy Spirit. Here is what Jesus said the Holy Spirit would
do when Jesus fulfilled the mission He was born for and returned to the Father. Jesus said that He would send the Comforter,
the Holy Spirit. Here’s what the Holy
Spirit does in our world:
8 When He comes, He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment: 9 About sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see Me; 11 and about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. 12 “I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth.
8 When He comes, He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment: 9 About sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see Me; 11 and about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. 12 “I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth.
Now, remember what it said about
Simeon and where his hope came from: 25 and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It
had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit (Lk. 2:25-26).
We experience hope when we activate our faith by being filled with the Holy Spirit. Notice that before Jesus died, the Holy Spirit was “on” people, but not in them. Now, those of us who have become believers after Christ’s death and resurrection have even more reason to be hopeful. The Holy Spirit is not “on” us or “with” us, but the Holy Spirit is “in” us. Jesus taught this to His disciples: (Jn. 14:17)
17 He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive Him because it doesn’t see Him or know Him. But you do know Him, because He remains WITH you and will be IN you.
We experience hope when we activate our faith by being filled with the Holy Spirit. Notice that before Jesus died, the Holy Spirit was “on” people, but not in them. Now, those of us who have become believers after Christ’s death and resurrection have even more reason to be hopeful. The Holy Spirit is not “on” us or “with” us, but the Holy Spirit is “in” us. Jesus taught this to His disciples: (Jn. 14:17)
17 He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive Him because it doesn’t see Him or know Him. But you do know Him, because He remains WITH you and will be IN you.
The reason that most church-goers
do not exhibit the dynamic power of God in
their lives is because they have not been “activated”
by the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Church-goers (and of course, non-believers that don’t go to church) have
a “form
of godliness—that is religion—but not the power thereof—that is the Holy Spirit
inside of them” (2Tim. 3:5). Religious
people are not hopeful people, anymore than non-religious people because they
have nothing to “look forward to.” Hell will be populated by many people
that never missed a church service . . . but they missed receiving the Gift of the Holy Spirit.
Let me tell you how to be the most hopeless person in the world—try living the Christian life without being filled with the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit living in us and working through us that allows us to live as Christ followers in this dark, despairing world. Without the help and comfort of the Holy Spirit in our lives, there is NO HOPE!
Let me tell you how to be the most hopeless person in the world—try living the Christian life without being filled with the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit living in us and working through us that allows us to live as Christ followers in this dark, despairing world. Without the help and comfort of the Holy Spirit in our lives, there is NO HOPE!
Simeon had “hope” because the Holy
Spirit was “on” him. We have “hope”
because the Holy Spirit is “in” us! He is the paraklētos, or the “One
Who Walks Beside Us.”
Not so long ago a group of Bible translators were working with the Karre people in equatorial Africa. They were having a hard time finding a Karre word for paracklētos, or “Comforter.” One day the translators watched a group of Karre porters—men who carry supplies for people on safaris and other explorations. They watched as the group of porters marched out with bundles on their heads. They noticed that on man followed behind and wasn’t carrying anything. The translators assumed he must be the boss. Later, they discovered that this man was NOT the boss. This man had another function. His job was to follow along and if of the porters fell because of exhaustion, this man would pick up his load and carry it for him. This “extra” man was called known in the Karre language as, “The One Who Falls Down Beside Us.” That is a good description of the Holy Spirit. The One Who Falls Down Alongside Us.
Our hope is not in positive thinking where we try to convince ourselves that the world is not a very dark place. Real hope acknowledges the darkness in our world. Real hope anticipates the Light promised by God. Finally, real hope comes when we activate that hope by receiving the gift of God’s Holy spirit.
Not so long ago a group of Bible translators were working with the Karre people in equatorial Africa. They were having a hard time finding a Karre word for paracklētos, or “Comforter.” One day the translators watched a group of Karre porters—men who carry supplies for people on safaris and other explorations. They watched as the group of porters marched out with bundles on their heads. They noticed that on man followed behind and wasn’t carrying anything. The translators assumed he must be the boss. Later, they discovered that this man was NOT the boss. This man had another function. His job was to follow along and if of the porters fell because of exhaustion, this man would pick up his load and carry it for him. This “extra” man was called known in the Karre language as, “The One Who Falls Down Beside Us.” That is a good description of the Holy Spirit. The One Who Falls Down Alongside Us.
Our hope is not in positive thinking where we try to convince ourselves that the world is not a very dark place. Real hope acknowledges the darkness in our world. Real hope anticipates the Light promised by God. Finally, real hope comes when we activate that hope by receiving the gift of God’s Holy spirit.
A life without hope is a life of
darkness and despair. All the positive
thinking in the world will not give you a glass half full if you don’t even have a glass! You need “real hope.” Hope that looks
forward to all that God has promised you, beginning with the gift of
Himself, the Holy spirit.
This season of Christmas, you can receive the greatest gift of all, God Himself. The Bible tells us, (Eph. 1:13-14)
13 When you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed in Him, you were also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. 14 He is the down payment of our inheritance, for the redemption of the possession, to the praise of His glory.
This season of Christmas, you can receive the greatest gift of all, God Himself. The Bible tells us, (Eph. 1:13-14)
13 When you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed in Him, you were also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. 14 He is the down payment of our inheritance, for the redemption of the possession, to the praise of His glory.
As we continue our Journey Toward
Christmas, let it be a time filled with great hope.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.