Advent Hope

SERMON OUTLINE:

• (1). The Darkness (vs 2)

• (2). The Light (vs 2)

• (3). The Promise (vs 6-7):

• (3a). 'Wonderful Counsellor'

• (3b). 'Everlasting Father'

• (3c). ‘Prince of Peace'.

SERMON BODY:

Advent

In the church the four weeks before Christmas day is called Advent. This is a time of preparation for the celebration of Jesus' birth.

The name "Advent" comes from the Latin "adventus" which means "to come." During this season Christians remember the Old Testament promise that God would send a Messiah and the New Testament promises that Jesus will come again.

In my own Church we have just finished a series in the Old Testament book of Job.

• One particular verse from this great book has stuck in my mind:

• It is short, it is simple but it ‘hits the nail on the head’

• It was spoken by one of Job’s friends (Job chapter 8 verse 13),

• Where he gives a speech about what’s wrong in the world.

• To me, this one little phrase sums up all that’s going on in our society today.

• Bildad says (TLB): “Those who forget God have no hope.”

• We see the proof of that statement in literally every single sector of our society.

• The further away we get from God the less hope we have.

• The opposite is also true.

• The closer you get to God the more hope you’re going to have in your life.

• The most hopeful people on the planet earth are those who live closest to God.

• And the most hopeless people on the earth are the people who feel far away from God.

• Question: What happens when a culture forgets God?

• Answer: I like this quote from Rick Warren which is so true!

Quote: Rick Warren (from his sermon ‘Hope is My Anchor’):

“Wealth is idolized.

Truth is minimized.

Life is trivialized.

Abortion legalized.

Television is vulgarized.

Advertising is sensualized.

Everything is sexualized and commercialized.

Our consciences have been desensitized and anesthetized.

Education is secularized.

Free markets are monopolized.

Races are polarized.

Politics are polarized.

Sports are scandalized.

Morals and ethics are liberalized.

And in entertainment crime is sensationalized and immorality is popularized,

Drugs are legitimized, sin is glamorized.

The courts are paralyzed.

The breakup of the family is rationalized.

Manners are uncivilized.

Christians are demonized.

And God is marginalized.”

• TRANSITION: “Those who forget God have no hope.”

• It’s no wonder a lot of people don’t have any hope. It’s no wonder!

Ill:

• An airplane pilot made an announcement to his passengers over the tannoy system,

• "Ladies and gentlemen, we have some good news and some bad news, t

• The good news is we are making great progress, the bad news is we are lost"

• TRANSITION: Isn’t that a great description of our times,

• We are making great progress in every area of life, e.g. technology and medicine.

• And yet we are still lost, still battling the same problems of the human heart!

• That is not only true in our day;

• It was the same situation we read about in the book of Isaiah.

Now, to appreciate the names recorded by Isaiah in chapter 9 verse 6 of his prophecy:

• The names that we will be singing again and again in many of our Christmas carols.

• We have to appreciate the context, the setting, the background,

• That those names were given in,

• So, let’s go back 800 years before Jesus was born into planet earth.

• And look at the setting.

(1). The Darkness (vs 2):

“The people walking in darkness

have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of the shadow of death

a light has dawned.”

GOD’S PEOPLE HAD BEEN SPLIT INTO TWO BY A CIVIL WAR:

• A country divided:

• In the north was Israel – the northern kingdom;

• In the south was Judah - the southern kingdom,

• Both kingdoms were living in dark times.

• That darkness evidenced itself in at least two ways.

(a). Dark circumstances:

• Their circumstances were bleak,

• Assyria was a military aggressor;

• Assyria had already started invading Israel in the north;

• And it was only a matter of time before it would also conquer Judah in the south.

(b). Dark spiritually:

• Spiritually the nation was walking in darkness;

• Selfishness & sinful actions dominated in the majority of people.

Ill:

• Superstitions (2:6),

• Materialism (2:7; 5:8-9),

• Idolatry (2:8,20),

• Arrogance (2: 12-17; 5:15),

• Social disintegration (3:56,12-14),

• Sensuality (3:16-26),

• Alcoholism (5:11-13,22).

• Occult practices.

• And if you keep looking, you will probably find a whole load of other things going on as well!