A Thrill of Hope | Sunday, November 28, 2021

Oh holy night, the stars are brightly shining; it is the night of our dear Savior's birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining, till He appeared and the soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices, O night divine, O night when Christ was born.

When Christ appears, a thrill of hope breaks over a weary world that has long lain in sin and error pining.

A Weary World

Welcome to my home office for our message today. I thought a change of venue might be interesting as we begin a new series and a new season at Cross Connection Church, getting ready to celebrate Christmas. First, happy Thanksgiving—I know it's a little late, but now we're into a whole new season.

Let me begin with a question: what is your favorite Christmas song? Mine is O Holy Night. I love the lyrics. I especially love those lines: "Long lay the world in sin and error pining, till He appeared and the soul felt its worth," and then, "A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices."

By virtually every indication, we are living at a weary time, and I also think you cannot live without hope. This is a weary world, and we are weary because of sin, weary because of the chains and oppression of death, weary because of the brokenness that sin and death have brought. That brokenness affects each of us personally, and we witness it every single day. It wears upon us and weighs upon us, and under that burden there is ultimately no joy and no peace. There is not a person alive, or who ever lived, who has not been affected by the weight of the brokenness and suffering of sin and death.

What Advent Means

Beginning today is a season called Advent—the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, celebrated in the global church for centuries. Advent is the beginning of the liturgical year in more traditional churches. If you grew up Roman Catholic, Anglican, Episcopal, Orthodox, Presbyterian, Methodist, or Lutheran, you probably celebrated Advent. I began life in an Episcopal church and knew a little about it, but I've spent most of my life in the Protestant, non-denominational world, where Advent is a foreign concept for many of us.

What Advent commemorates is really important. Advent means "arrival," from the Latin adventus—a coming, an approach, an arrival. Most people think of the coming of Christ, and that's exactly what we are celebrating. We will celebrate His birth on Christmas Day, on December 25th, even if that's probably not the day He was actually born.

But Advent is not only the celebration of Christ's first coming—it is a celebration of all that Christ brings when He comes into the world. What does it mean that Jesus came? What does He bring? The advent of Jesus is the advent of hope. Just as the song says, "Long lay the world in sin and error pining," and then at His appearing, "a thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices."

The Weariness of This Moment

This is a world that is weary. That is true at virtually every point in history, because we live in a broken and fallen world, but the weariness of this moment feels very tangible and real. I talk with people every week who share the stories of their own weariness. People are weary after twenty months of COVID insanity and chaos. They are weary of politics, of incessant and divisive racial rhetoric, of news reports about masks and vaccines and protests and riots and inflation and supply chains. It is a very tiring time as we trudge through all these things.

That's one reason I love this time of year. Advent and Christmas are the perfect time for a reminder that Christmas is all about the arrival of hope—a hope that sees through all these challenges, a hope that does not disappoint.

A Hope That Does Not Disappoint

The apostle Paul writes in Romans 5:

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Jesus brings a sure and steadfast hope that does not disappoint. In this broken world we are often disappointed by things we hope in or hope for. If your hope is in a sports team, you'll be disappointed. If your hope is in your investments, in politics, in science, medicine, or technology, in your good looks, talents, intelligence, job, or even your family and friends, you will be disappointed. Your looks and intelligence will fail. People will let you down. Investments go up and come down. Politicians falter. Medicine, science, and technology can only carry us so far. But Jesus brings a sure and steadfast hope that does not disappoint.

Biblical hope is an absolute certainty of future good. I've shared this many times. It is not merely an optimistic feeling or wishful thinking; it is an absolute assurance built upon the promise of a faithful and true God. Because this is true, our hope in God can be strong, and it is a trustworthy anchor for our souls. The author of Hebrews writes:

So God has given both His promise and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls; it leads us through the curtain into God's inner sanctuary.

This sure and steadfast hope anchors us and gives us joy and peace, and all of it is found in and through Jesus.

What Isaiah Saw

This is what the Old Testament prophets, especially Isaiah, looked forward to. Some 2,700 years ago he prophesied:

Comfort, yes, comfort My people! says your God. Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth; the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

This was God's word to a people burdened and weary because of sin and brokenness, and His word to them was comfort. The source of that comfort is a great word of hope: "Your warfare has ended; your iniquity is pardoned." This was more than 700 years before Jesus came into the world to bring His peace and His pardon. Isaiah spoke prophetically as if it was complete and finished. He doesn't say it shall be ended; he says it is ended—because that prophetic promise was sure.

In Isaiah's day the people looked forward to the coming of Christ, yet they could stand with absolute assurance that these things would come to pass. That is biblical hope. The apostle Peter calls it a more sure word of prophecy that shines as a light in a dark place—and a light in a dark place is a great comfort.

The Prophets Looked Forward in Hope

The Old Testament prophets looked forward to the dawning of a new day—where those words in the song come from: "for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn." They made very clear who this promised one would be. He would be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14). He would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5). He would come through the line of Abraham (Genesis 12), through Isaac, through Jacob, through Judah, through Jesse, and through Jesse's son King David. All these prophecies were given to give the people hope that the Lord would one day bring this peace and this pardon.

The prophets looked forward to the revealing of the glory of the Lord—the one who would deal finally and ultimately with sin, suffering, death, and brokenness. They looked forward in hope to the advent of the King of Kings and the kingdom He would bring. And they looked beyond His first coming, which we celebrate at Christmas, to His second coming, which we Christians today still look forward to in hope. The prophets looked forward to the coming of Christ; we still look forward to the coming of Christ.

Where Our Hope Is Not

Again, I think you already know this, but it's good to be reminded: our hope is not in our investments, our intelligence, our ingenuity, our jobs, our health, our family, our nation, or our national leaders. I hope you have a job, good investments, family, good friends, your health, and good leaders. But ultimately my hope is not in these things. Even if all of them were to fail, the Scriptures show that we would still have hope, if we trust in and hope in Christ.

There are many things in this world right now that can be discouraging. From a certain perspective things can look bleak, dark, and depressing. But the hope God brings us in Christ gives us rest, courage, and strength of heart. It is sure and steadfast. When we celebrate Christmas, we need to remember that we are celebrating this eternal hope.

If You Are Without Hope

It is possible that you don't have this hope. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, talked about being without Christ and without hope in this world. Sadly, many people are. They hope in their intelligence, their youth, their health, their vitality—all things that are fleeting—and ultimately those things leave them hopeless.

Maybe that's you right now. If you read the news every day or listen to a lot of podcasts and online content, there's plenty of reason to be discouraged and burdened. If your hope is in the things of this world, there's good reason to be hopeless. But I want you to know this important truth: God's desire is that you would experience and enjoy His hope. The coming of Christ into the world, which we celebrate on December 25th, is the arrival of enduring hope for a weary world, and God wants you to have it.

How to Receive This Hope

So how do I get this kind of hope? Return to Romans 5:1—"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." What does that mean? It can be boiled down to this: grace from God brings peace with God, giving us hope in God.

Jesus came into the world 2,000 years ago on a rescue mission—to seek and save the lost, to give His life a ransom for many. He who knew no sin became sin for us. He suffered in my place and in your place on the cross, and in His suffering He graciously demonstrates His love for us, saving us from sin and death and giving us eternal hope. Hope in God is a gift of God's grace, freely available to you and to me.

At Christmas it is our tradition to exchange gifts. It is God's desire to exchange His grace, love, forgiveness, and blessing for my sin, guilt, shame, and brokenness. How do we make this exchange? Paul answers in Romans 10:

If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame"... For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Jesus came to save sinners from their sins, to give abundant and eternal life, to give hope to the hopeless.

A Prayer of Faith

If you find yourself hopeless today and want to experience this enduring, steadfast hope, an anchor for your soul, let me lead you in a simple prayer of confession and faith. Prayer is just talking to God. Pray with me right where you are:

Lord Jesus, I recognize that I have fallen short of Your perfect standard. I confess to You my sin and my failures, and I pray that You would forgive me of my sin. I ask that You would come into my life, forgive me, and give me Your grace. Help me to trust in You and to follow You. Help me to know Your grace and to experience Your hope. In Jesus' name, amen.

If you prayed that prayer today and put your trust in Christ, we at Cross Connection Church would love to know about it. Go to the website and fill out the form so we can be in touch.

A New Season

This Christmas season, as we celebrate Advent—talking this week about hope, and in the coming weeks about peace, joy, and love, all of which come to us as a result of Jesus coming into this world—we want you to know and experience these things in your life. That's God's desire for you: that you would come into a relationship with Jesus, connect with God through Christ, and experience His comfort, hope, joy, love, and peace, all of which seem so lacking in this bleak and dark time. Jesus is a bright shining light, and He calls to us: "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." One of the ways He gives us rest is by giving us an enduring, steadfast hope that does not disappoint. That is available to you in Jesus Christ.

Closing Prayer

Father God, we thank You for the hope that You give us in Christ Jesus. We thank You that Your hope is a hope that does not disappoint, as You pour out Your love by Your Spirit in our lives and in our hearts. Lord, I pray that we would have this hope as a strong consolation for our souls, that we would not be easily shaken. Our ultimate hope is not in the things of this world; our ultimate hope is with You in eternity, and we look forward to the day when we will be in Your presence, free from all the brokenness of this world. Until that time, strengthen Your people with hope. I pray especially for those who know You in this Christmas season—as we interact with people at school, at work, in our neighborhoods, and within our families who may not know You, that they would see in us a hope that does not disappoint, and that they would be drawn to You because of what they see in us. Do that work in Your church, we pray. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.