Beginning Advent - Hope

 Sunday, November 29, was the first Sunday of Advent and the sermon focused on the hope of the second Advent of Christ because of the certainty of his first Advent. That is why this week's devotion to the church builds on the message of Hope. Enjoy... 

From the Pastor:

1 Peter 3:15-16

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.

Hope is a very powerful tool. Hope can give an underdog the motivation to compete against the favorite. Hope can help us overcome our fears in moments of distress. Hope can help us see through the darkest of times to find the light at the end of the tunnel. Hope can drive us to achieve way more than what we thought possible due to limitations placed on us by ourselves or others. It truly is amazing what hope can do in the life of an individual. And yet, when the Bible speaks of hope, it’s not talking about a basely optimism summoned up from our own wishes or dreams of personal or group achievement. No, Biblical hope is a trust in the foundational promises of God that are rooted in His never-changing character that are sure and consistent because they have been proven true time and time again. That is the Hope of the Christian, and the hope we want to consider this week.

In our text above, Peter is writing to believers that have been spread out due to persecution because of the Gospel of God in the Lord Jesus Christ. In this first of two epistles written to these believers, Peter is wanting to encourage them in the Gospel to keep on persevering even in the midst of their difficulties. He has directed their eyes to Christ from the beginning of the letter so that they would see themselves as a people “born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1:3) And as they fix their eyes on Christ this living hope would change their minds and prepare them to live as God’s holy and precious people in the midst of a hopeless world where their lives and behaviors would appear strange and alien to those around them. Then as they live this way inside of their jobs, families, and everyday lives nonbelieving people would begin to take notice, and while it may lead to more persecution in some situations, it would also serve as a testament of Christ’s sufferings for his people being the source of the willingness of his people to suffer hopefully and joyfully for His Name.

Christians should live lives that make the nonbelieving world around them take notice. The nonbelieving world should see a people dedicated to holiness, love, joy, and hope that can only come from a transcendent God. Why? Because nonbelievers think that there is little to no meaning in a world that’s simply the product of cosmic chaos. And how could there be meaning in a world where everything is decided by chance, luck, or happenstance? How could anyone take responsibility or joy for what happens to them when its just a product of being in the “right place at the right time” or benefitting from one’s perceived privilege because of their fortuitous birth.

As Christians we reject these notions because they do not honor the Sovereign God that has created the world and everything in it. This type of thinking also denies human beings any real responsibility to live in such a way that benefits others around us and rises our neighbors and society up from its constant struggle with sin and its own fallenness. To the contrary notions of the world, Christians are called to live hope-filled lives that are distinct and different. We ground all of understanding for life in the truth claims of the Bible and live joyful, thankful, and full lives based on these foundational truths. Then, when others ask why we live so differently in such dark days, we tell them of the light of the Gospel, Jesus Christ the Lord. And when they slander us or mock us for living in such a way or claiming to live by such foolish truth claims in their own eyes, their own words come back on them because our commitment to truth proves not only what we believe, but displays the inconsistencies of the secular mind and its humanistic worldview. Our Hope is Christ, and He is all the hope we need.