The Hope of Christmas

Hope is a confident expectation. It is a confident expectation based on the promise of God and His Word.

Hope is not wishing.

Hope is not fantasy.

Hope is the reality that Jesus is God.

Hope is the reality that Jesus is the Truth.

Romans 15:4 tells us that the Scriptures were written to gives us hope.

Ephesians 1:18 tells us that God desires for us to experience hope.

Romans 15:13 tells us that God wants us to overflow with hope.

Ephesians 4:4 tells us that we have one hope - Jesus.

When I think of Christmas I think of hope.

Christmas gives us hope because Jesus came as a baby.

Babies are weak, vulnerable, and needy.

We are weak, vulnerable, and needy.

Jesus came to totally identify with us. He came and lived facing all weaknesses and sharing all our temptations, struggles, and needs.

Jesus shared them, but He overcame them. He lived a perfect sinless life. He did that as a flesh and blood human.

Christmas is for children.

Matthew 18:3

And He said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn around and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!”

Why is Christmas for children?

Why do you have to become like a little child to enter the Kingdom of Heaven?

Children are incomplete and incompetent.

Children are not finished yet they still have to grow and learn. We don’t let children drive cars, vote, or get married. They are competent to do these things.

We are not competent in ourselves either.

Paul reminds of that in 2 Corinthians 3:5. It says, “Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as if it were coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God.”

Christmas shows us Jesus as a baby. He was like us, human and as a baby, helpless. He faced all the things we face and overcame them all.

Christmas gives hope because Jesus came to ordinary people.

Jesus came into the world in unimpressive circumstances. He was born in a barn.

Jesus came into the world to parents of no social significance. His parents were a carpenter and a housewife.

Jesus’ welcoming committee were shepherds. They were considered sinners by the religious establishment of that day.

Jesus came for sinners.

Mark 2:17 says, “When Jesus heard that, He said, ‘Healthy people don’t need a doctor; those who are sick do. I’ve come to call sinners, not people who think they don’t have any flaws.’”

Christmas is for sinners - those who know they are sinners.

Christmas gives us hope because Jesus came as our peace.

Romans 5:1

Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Circumstances screw with our emotions and our feelings are all over the place, but if we are in Jesus we are in peace.

Jesus gave peace to His disciples as He met them after His resurrection.

John 20:19-20

Later on that day, the disciples had gathered together, but, fearful of the Jews, had locked all the doors in the house. Jesus entered, stood among them and said, “Peace to you.” Then He showed them His hands and side.

Just as Jesus was peace for those disciples, He is peace for His disciples today.

Jesus = Peace

If we are anchored in the Rock (Jesus) and not in the shifting sands of feelings we can and will experience peace.

Christmas gives us hope because Jesus came to give us great joy.

Luke 2:10

Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people.”

Joy in Jesus is discovering the true worth of Jesus.

In Matthew 13:44 Jesus tells a story of a man who found a treasure hidden in a field. The second part of that verse says, “And from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys the field.”

The man saw that the treasure was worth much more than all that he had, so he gladly gave up all that he had to get.

Jesus is worth more than all we have or will ever have. Real joy comes when we understand that and give up everything for Jesus.

Christmas gives us hope because Jesus gave us Himself.

In John 12:21 a group of Greeks, non-Jews, come and tell Philip that they want to see Jesus.

When the shepherds and wise men come, they come to see Jesus.

They didn’t come to see Joseph.

They didn’t come to see Mary.

They didn’t come to see a religious icon.

They didn’t come for the “experience”.

They came for the sole purpose of seeing - JESUS!

What we need most this Christmas is not more stuff that in a short time we will get rid of.

What we need most this Christmas is not more religious experiences.

What we need most this Christmas is not spending time with family.

What we need most this Christmas is to see Jesus.

Jesus is of no importance unless He is of supreme importance.

1 Timothy 1:1

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope.

Jesus is our hope.

Colossians 1:15-23a describes who Jesus is.

He is:

the image of the invisible God

the firstborn over all creation

creator of all things

before all things

who holds all things together

head of the church

the beginning

firstborn from among the dead

supreme

the fullness of God

who reconciled all things to God

who made peace by His blood

who reconciled us by his death to the Father

who makes us holy

who makes us with blemish

who makes us free from accusation

That is the God who became human in the barn at Bethlehem.

That is the God who gives us hope.

That is why Christmas gives us hope.

My prayer for:

My Wife

My Children

My Grandchildren

My Faith Family,

and for unrighteous, confused, immoral sinners,

is to know Jesus and experience His love and forgiveness and for Him to become our hope and their hope.

In the Hope Christmas Brings Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls

Joe