Well, Thanksgiving is over. The table is cleared and everything’s gone except the leftovers. You know what that means, don’t you? I know what it means in my house. It means Christmas time is in full swing. Miranda loves Christmastime. For years, if it was up to her, we would have the Christmas tree up year round. As a matter of fact, that was one of the negotiation points we had to work out before we got married. We agreed that the tree and the decorations would not go up until after Thanksgiving. And by New Years Day they were gone. So I guess you know what we were doing after Thanksgiving dinner was finished. Nothing quite compares to stringing out Christmas decorations with an overstuffed belly full of Thanksgiving dinner. But when the tree and the decorations come out, that’s when the kids start to get excited. They get even more excited when the packages start appearing under the tree. We have a tradition where everybody tries to guess what their presents are. Sometimes that can get you in trouble. I remember one time when I was growing up that there was a package under the tree that I was just sure was this toy that I really wanted. I was sure of it. The box was just the right size. It was the right shape. It even weighed the same. I had hoped for that toy ever since I saw it in the catalogue. And now the only thing between me and it was some paper and a box. And then Christmas came. I tore into that box like a dog after raw meat. But it wasn’t what I thought it was. It wasn’t what I had been hoping for. As I remember it was something a whole lot better. It was something I hadn’t even asked for because I thought there was no way I would get it. In a way, I didn’t get what I had hoped for. But in another way, I got so much more than I hoped for. So many times that’s the way our relationship with Jesus is. We can lay out all the things we hope for in life and ask Jesus for them. There are a lot of false prophets out there today that will tell you that’s what Jesus does. They’ll tell you that Jesus is there to grant your wishes and give you all the things on your wish list. And many times when we hear things like that, that’s where we place our hope. Sadly, we place our hope in getting the things on our wish list. Now granted, the things on that wish list can be good things. You can be asking for your health. You can be asking for a good job. You can be asking for a new house. You can be asking for all kinds of good things. And you should pray and ask God about those things. But is that where your hope is? Is your hope in getting a better job? Is your hope in getting a new house or car? Is your hope even in getting better health? If those are the things your placing your hope in, you might be disappointed. You might not get what you’re asking for. But you know what? If your hope is in Jesus, you’ll get something a whole lot better. The hope that Jesus gives is greater than the greatest job. The hope that Jesus gives is greater than the biggest house and the nicest car. The hope that Jesus gives is even greater than perfect health and no sickness and no pain. That is the true hope of Christmas. The hope that doesn’t come in boxes or giftbags. The hope that you can’t get at the mall. The hope that doesn’t fade when the needles begin to fall from the tree. The true hope of Christmas is eternal. It is eternal because the true hope of Christmas is hope for yesterday. It is hope for today. And it is hope for tomorrow. First, the true hope of Christmas is hope for yesterday. Look with me again at verse 4:
1 CORINTHIANS 1:4
The true hope of Christmas is hope for yesterday. I remember that either for Boy Scouts or for school one year, I had to sell these candles with Currier & Ives prints on them. I never have been much of an artsy kind of guy, but I liked those candles. I like them the same way that I like Norman Rockwell and Thomas Kinkade. I think I like all of those artists because they all have a way of portraying the past. They look at the past like it was a perfect time. Like it was serene and calm and funny and warm. And a lot of our memories are like that. But a lot of our memories aren’t. Some of us hold onto memories of what we might brush away as “youthful rebellion.” Some of us hold onto memories of strife and contention. Some hold on to memories of regrets and unfulfilled responsibilities. Some of us even hold on to memories of others in our lives that have hurt us. Memories of emotional pain and even physical pain. You see, all memories aren’t like Currier & Ives prints. They’re not all happy faces and good times. Because if all memories were good ones, there would be no need for God’s grace. Paul was thankful for God’s grace. He knew what it meant to have a past. You remember Paul’s past. His past was so bad that when Jesus saved him, he had to change everything—even his name. His old name was Saul. And the first time we see Saul in the New Testament is in Acts 7. Acts 6-7 tells of the time when Stephen was stoned to death as the first Christian martyr. Listen to the end of the account in 7:57-8:1: “Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.” That was Paul’s past. Later on in Acts 8:3, the Bible says, “As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.” Not exactly a Currier & Ives print, is it? Paul had a past, but Jesus in His grace saved him from that past. It didn’t make the past disappear, but it gave him hope. It gave him hope that Jesus’ blood had covered the sins of his past and wiped them clean. Even though the memory was still there, Paul could thank God for His grace. Instead of his past being a prison that continued to bind him… he was free. He was free from the bondage of his past. That’s grace. That’s hope. But he wasn’t just thanking God for the grace He had shown him. He was thankful for God’s grace in the lives of those Christians he was writing to. Later on in chapter 6 he reminded them of their past. In verses 9-10, he pointed his finger at “those other” people and said, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” And then in verse 11 he reminded them of their own past. He said, “And such were some of you.” I don’t know your past. I don’t know what sins you have in your background. I don’t know what terrible things might have happened to you in your past. But like Paul with the church at Corinth, I’m safe to say, such were some of you. But do you know how Paul finished that verse? First he said that those awful things describe the sins that some of you have in your past. And then he said something wonderful. Then he said, “But ye are washed. But ye are sanctified. But ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” Paul said, “I’ve got a past.” “You’ve got a past.” But God’s grace which is given you by Jesus Christ is sufficient to cover that past and cleanse you from it. That’s hope. Hope that your past doesn’t have to be your burden. Hope that your past doesn’t have to be your misery. Hope that your past doesn’t have to be your heartache. Hope that when Jesus was born on that very first Christmas morning… He was born to pay for your past. He was born to give Himself as a sacrifice for your past. And He was born to give you hope that springs from your past. The hope of Christmas is hope for yesterday. The hope of Christmas is also hope for today. Look at verses 5-7a:
1 CORINTHIANS 1:5-6a
The true hope of Christmas is hope for today. It’s one thing to know that your past hurts and sins are covered. But then day-to-day life steps in. Then comes all the trials and troubles of the right now. When the kids are screaming. When the bills are due. When the boss is unreasonable. When the job is an overload. When the house is a mess. When the car won’t start. When the in-laws are bossy. What then? Is there hope for all that mess? Yes there is. because the hope of Christmas is hope for today. It is hope for our day-to-day life. All too often, we try to separate the spiritual part of our life from the “real” part of our life. One is spiritual, the other is practical. One is theology, the other is reality. But Paul is telling us that there’s no such distinction. As a matter of fact, there is nothing more practical than your relationship with Jesus. He tells us as much in verse 5. He says that Jesus enriches everything you do. Not just the things you do on Sunday. Not just the things you do in church. Jesus doesn’t just give you a blood-soaked ticket to heaven and then leave you out here on your own. Otherwise, where would the hope be in that? Jesus is our hope that enriches everything. As verse 5 says, He enriches utterance. That means He enriches the words we speak. He gives us something to talk about that’s worthwhile. Something that’s eternal and everlasting. I like to talk about sports just as much or more than the next guy. But if that was all that I had to talk about—what a waste of breath. If politics was the best I had to talk about—what a waste of breath. If school or science or journalism or work was the best subject I had to talk about—what a waste. All of those things get old. All of them don’t relate to everybody. All of them are fleeting. But not Jesus. Jesus enriches our speech by giving us something eternal to talk about. Something that relates to everybody and something that benefits everybody. There’s daily hope in that. Verse 5 also says that Jesus enriches our knowledge. That doesn’t mean that He’s going to give you all the answers to everything there is to know. It means that He’s going to give you all you need to know. By His grace, Jesus gives you everything you need to know to live for Him every day. He gives you everything you need to know to be in His will. He gives you everything you need to be a witness for Him. Your hope for today is that Jesus enriches your speech and He enriches your knowledge. Verse 6 says that Jesus also enriches your assurance. “The testimony of Christ was confirmed in you.” Confirmed. Firm. Unshaken. Sure of your salvation. A sad thing I come across almost daily is people who worry whether or not they’re saved. Most of the time, do you know what that means? Sometimes it means they’re not saved. But most of the time it means they have lost the hope of assurance because of the way they’re living. If you are living a sinful life. If you are not reading your Bible. If you are not spending significant time in prayer. If you are not regularly gathering in corporate worship and fellowship with other believers. You will lose the hope of your assurance. Am I saying you’ll lose your salvation? No—once Jesus saves you, He never lets you go. What I am saying is that you will lose the hope that comes from the assurance of your salvation. You will lose the hope that comes from feeling confirmed in the testimony of Christ. Jesus enriches your assurance. Verse 7 says that Jesus also enriches your giving. During this time of year, we like to tell ourselves that it’s more blessed to give than receive. And that is a wonderful ideal, but unless Jesus enriches our giving… then we’ll just talk about it and not do it. We’ll still want to give as a means to control. We’ll only want to give with strings attached. We’ll only want to give if we can say where it’s going to be used. But Jesus gives hope that you can get beyond that. Because He enriches your giving. Just like He enriches your speech. Just like He enriches your knowledge. Just like He enriches your assurance. All part of your day-to-day life. All part of the way you live each day. And all things that Jesus was born to give you hope for. Jesus was born and came in the flesh to give you hope for every part of your day-to-day life. The hope of Christmas is hope for today. The hope of Christmas is hope for yesterday, it is hope for today… finally the hope of Christmas is hope for tomorrow. Look at verses 7b-9:
1 CORINTHIANS 1:7b-9
The true hope of Christmas is hope for tomorrow. Waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Are you ready for Jesus to come back? He is coming back you know. We are getting to that time of year when we celebrate when Jesus came to earth the first time. Galatians 4:4 says, “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.” Over 2000 years ago, the fullness of time came. That means that on a specific day in a specific place called Bethlehem, God split history. The plan that was His from eternity past was brought to light in a feed trough in a barn in Bethlehem. God did something that no one could have ever imagined. He became flesh. The Creator became as His created. Jesus, the eternal Son of God… God the Son… emptied Himself of His position in heaven… and became flesh. He became a baby. A helpless, crying baby. Why did He do it? “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Jesus came the first time as a baby. He came the first time to save us. He said as much in John 3:17, “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” And in order that He might provide the way for salvation… it required Him to grow up…. It required Him to grow up and live a sinless life. And it required Him to die a cruel death. He lived a perfect life in order to be qualified to be a perfect sacrifice. And He gave Himself as a perfect sacrifice in order to pay the price for your sin. And once He paid the price for your sin, He rose again and lives to give you His righteousness. He takes the badness that you could never pay for. And He gives you the goodness that you could never earn. That’s the way He came the first time. But that’s not how He’s coming back. He’s coming back, not as a baby in a manger. He’s coming back as a conquering King claiming what belongs to Him. He’s coming back as a victorious warrior gathering the spoils of war. He’s coming back as a glorious bridegroom coming to claim His bride. What hope there is in that! The hope that comes from anticipating the Lord’s return. The hope that comes from waiting for the coming of OUR Lord Jesus. That is the hope of Christmas—the hope that Jesus is coming back. And praise be to God that it’s closer now than it has ever been. But that’s not the extent of our hope for tomorrow. Because verse 8 tells you that if Jesus has saved you, He’s going to keep you. He will confirm you till the end. If He’s washed you in His blood and clothed you in His righteousness, He insures that you will be blameless in the day of His return. That’s a guarantee. That’s a promise. It’s a promise that all who Jesus truly saves will persevere until the end. Jesus finishes what He starts. Why? Because verse 9 says that God is faithful. God is faithful and if He’s the One who calls you, He’s the One who keeps you. I say with Paul in Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Jesus always finishes what He starts. That is hope. The hope that was born on that first Christmas day and that will return one day to claim those who have by His grace trusted Him and who have by His grace persevered until then. That is the hope of Christmas.
As you spend the next few weeks getting ready for Christmas… do you have the hope that it brings? Do you have the hope that all your past is covered by the grace of God? Do you have the hope that God has a purpose for your life today and that Jesus enriches every part of your day-to-day life? Do you have the hope that you will persevere in your faith until Jesus returns? That nothing can pluck you from His hands? Do you have that hope this morning? Or do you feel trapped by your past? Are you burdened by guilt and shame over the life you’ve lived? Are you suffering from hurtful things that were done to you in the past? If you are, then today is the day you can have hope. Are you lost without a sense of purpose this morning? Are you feeling like life is meaningless and empty? Like you don’t belong or you don’t really matter? There is hope for you this morning. If Jesus returned today, how would He find you? Would He find you still running from Him? Would He find you still making excuses about why you haven’t turned to Him? If He would find you that way, there would be no hope for you then. His only words to you at that point will be, “Depart from Me—I never knew you.” But there is hope for you today. Jesus was born, He lived, He died, and He rose again to give you hope today. All you have to do is trust Him. If He calls you into fellowship with Him, answer His call. Answer His call and God will be faithful to save you. He will be faithful to keep you. And He will be faithful to give you hope.
