It is in this special time of year that we celebrate the coming of our Savior to the world. One of the ways we remember the meaning of this time of year is by lighting the advent candles. Advent is basically a four-week period of time counting down the days until Christmas. The word ‘advent’ means ‘arrival’. It refers to the arrival of the Messiah. Each week of advent focuses on a certain Biblical theme. The first week of advent focuses on the theme of ‘hope.’
In today’s world we tend to think of hope as wishful thinking. For example, we may hope we get a certain present for Christmas. We may hope that we get a big tax return. We may hope our offer on the house will be accepted. This wishful thinking, however, is not the hope we see in the Bible. Hope in the Bible refers to a confident expectation. It’s also found in terms such as ‘wait’ as in ‘waiting on the Lord’. Hope is looking forward with confidence. It is waiting on the Lord, knowing that He will fulfill His promises.
When it comes to the advent, hope is the confident expectation in the coming Messiah. In Luke 1:26-38 we read of the announcement concerning the birth of Christ to Mary. There are a couple of facts that we see in this passage that we should be reminded of.
The announcement came at just the right time. God is very purposeful and exact in everything that He does. The angels came to Mary in the sixth month. The sixth month is not the sixth month of the year, but rather, the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. We read of the account of Elizabeth’s pregnancy in verses 1-25 of the first chapter of Luke’s Gospel. Elizabeth, who is the cousin of Mary, was to give birth to John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ. The child she carried was to be the one who would prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah. It is in the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy that the angel came to Mary to announce that she would give birth to the Messiah. Galatians 4:4-5 says, “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”[1] The New American Commentary says, “God sent his Son not just from Galilee to Jerusalem, nor just from the manger to the cross, but all the way from heaven to earth. The full implications of this text can hardly be grasped in human language. In sending Jesus, God did not send a substitute or a surrogate. He came himself.”[2] The ‘fullness of time’ refers to the exact time on God’s calendar. There has been much speculation as to the fullness of time. However, I believe it is best to understand that God sent His Son into the world at just the right time according to God’s sovereign plan. We serve an on time God. He is never late and He is never too early. At just the right time He provides a Divine appointment for one to hear the Gospel and be saved. At just the right time He answers that prayer you have prayed for so long. At just the right time He brings healing. At just the right time He provides. He is an on time God!
The announcement came to a virgin. One of the fundamental and foundational truths of our faith is the virgin birth. The virgin birth is undeniable. It had to be that way. There is no reason not to believe in the virgin birth. “If one is open to the possibility of God entering into history and being able to transcend the “laws of nature,” it is not difficult to believe that the God who raised his Son from the dead and empowered him to do many mighty miracles could have sent him into the world by the miracle of the virgin birth.”[3] I truly believe that one cannot be saved and deny the virgin birth. To be saved one must believe all there is to know concerning Jesus. You must believe all that Jesus is. This includes the fact that He was born of a virgin.
In light of these facts surrounding the announcement of the birth of Christ, we come to understand as it says in verse 37, “For with God nothing will be impossible.”[4] This is where our hope lies. Not in wishful thinking, but confidence in God who can do all things. This is the hope we have in Christ. As we consider this hope let us examine the object of our hope, the reality of our hope, and the guarantee of our hope.
The object of our hope. Verse 31 of Luke 1 says, “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.”[5] The object of our hope is Jesus. Without Jesus there is no hope. He is our only hope. Jesus is the Word that became flesh. Jesus is the incarnate of God. Jesus is the creator and sustainer of all things. Jesus is the great I am. Jesus is the perfect Lamb of God. Jesus is the light of the world. Jesus is the bread of life. Jesus is the alpha and omega. Jesus is the healer. Jesus is the provider. Jesus is our salvation. Jesus is the way. Jesus is the truth. Jesus is the life. Jesus is my all in all. Jesus is my everything. Jesus is my hope!
The reality of our hope. Jesus came for one purpose. He came to save the world from sin. He came to provide a way of salvation. He came to reconcile the world to the Father. The reality of our hope is found in the cross of our Lord Jesus. There are several things that we experience at the cross. (1) At the cross we are redeemed. To be redeemed is to be ‘bought out’ or ‘set free’. Before we put our faith in Christ we are dead in sin. We are separated from God and we are enslaved to our sin nature. However, at the cross, we are set free from the chains of sin. We are bought out of sin’s slavery and we are given freedom in Christ. No longer am I bound to sin. No longer does sin have dominion over me. The penalty of sin is removed at the cross. I am free. I am redeemed! (2) At the cross we are justified. Justification is God’s stamp of pardon on our lives. As we are covered by the blood of Jesus, we are declared as righteous. We are imputed with the righteousness of Jesus. Even though we are not righteous, we are declared as righteous. Justification puts us legally in right standing with God. (3) At the cross we are reconciled. Before we come to faith in Christ we are separated from God. The Bible teaches us that there is no middle ground. We are either a part of God’s Kingdom or we are an enemy of God. The cross bridges the gap between God and man. No longer are we estranged from God. No longer are we separated from God. The cross reconciles us to the Father. (4) At the cross we are adopted. There is nothing like being a part of a family. At the cross we are adopted into the family of God. He is our father and we are His children. As an adopted child of God, we are joint-airs with Jesus Christ. Everything that Jesus owns, belongs to us. (5) At the cross we are forgiven. All of our sin is buried at the foot of the cross. The blood of Jesus washes us and our sin is completely removed. When God forgives, He forgives completely. Our sin is never laid to our charge again. Never brought up again. It is completely washed away. We are forgiven. Everything culminates at the cross. “At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light and the burden of my heart rolled away, it was there by faith I received my sight, and now I am happy all the day.” The reality of our hope is found at the cross.
The guarantee of our hope. When the angel told Mary she would have a child, it was a shock at first. She asks the obvious question of how can this be since she was indeed a virgin. Notice the angel’s reply in verse 35. “And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”[6] It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that Mary would give birth to the Messiah. When the Holy Spirit is involved it is a sure thing. The Holy Spirit is our seal. He is our guarantee. Ephesians 1:13-14 says, “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”[7] Brothers and Sisters, we can confidently expect an eternal home in glory because we are sealed by the Holy Spirit. There are three stages to salvation. Salvation past is the moment we trusted in Jesus and was justified and redeemed from the penalty of sin. Salvation present is the sanctification process of becoming more like Jesus and redeemed from the power of sin. Salvation future is our blessed hope. The day when we will see Jesus face to face. The day when we are redeemed from the presence of sin! What a day that will be when sin will be no more! We can with confidence look forward to that day with expectation because we have been sealed by the Holy Spirit. The indwelling Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our hope.
As we approach the Christmas season, let us never forget the hope we have in Jesus. He came to give us a hope that is steadfast and sure. Trust in Jesus for He is your hope.
[1] The New King James Version (Ga 4:4–5). (1982). Thomas Nelson.
[2] George, T. (1994). Galatians (Vol. 30, p. 302). Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[3] Stein, R. H. (1992). Luke (Vol. 24, p. 82). Broadman & Holman Publishers.
[4] The New King James Version (Lk 1:37). (1982). Thomas Nelson.
[5] The New King James Version (Lk 1:31). (1982). Thomas Nelson.
[6] The New King James Version (Lk 1:35). (1982). Thomas Nelson.
[7] The New King James Version (Eph 1:13–14). (1982). Thomas Nelson.
Pastor Chris Noland 