THE HOPE OF CHRISTMAS
Luke 1:67-74
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. A family was on their way to the hospital with their 15-year old daughter who was scheduled to undergo a tonsillectomy.
2. During the ride they talked about how the procedure would be performed. “Dad,” the teenager asked, “how are they going to keep my mouth open during the surgery?”
3. Without hesitation her dad quipped, “They’re going to put a cell phone by your mouth!”
B. TEXT
1. The Israelite nation looked forward to the coming of their Messiah with “hope.” Luke describes this hope in his record of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus; “but we had hoped that He [Jesus] was the one who was going to redeem Israel.” 24:21
2. This Messianic HOPE is further elucidated by John the Baptist’s father Zechariah when he was filled with the Spirit and prophesied;
67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: 68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. 69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David 71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us— 72 to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham: 74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear.
C. THESIS
1. DEFINITION OF HOPE:
a. A wish or desire accompanied by confident expectation of its fulfillment.
b. Something that is hoped for or desired: Success is our hope.
c. One that is a source of or reason for hope.
d. To have confidence; trust.
2. Tonight, we’re going to look at the Five Hopes of Christmas and see how each is a hope for us this Christmas.
I. HOPE ONE: A REDEEMER(68)
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them.”(68)
A. MY REDEEMER LIVES!
1. The Patriarch Job said, “I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth”Job 19:25.
2. To those who are "sold in sin" (Rom. 7:14) it's our eternal hope that we will be redeemed from this world of sin and taken to heaven.
2. In the Old Testament, especially in the book of Ruth, the Kinsman Redeemer was a close relative who would purchase his relative out of slavery. Praise God -- Jesus is family!
B. COMPLETE REDEMPTION
Jesus is a thorough Redeemer! He redeemed us from our past (sins), He regains us and our present (helping us overcome), and He will redeem us in our future -- by the rapture of the church, and take us to heaven! Thank God our Redeemer has come!
II. HOPE TWO: A HORN OF SALVATION(69)
A. POWER TO SAVE
“He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David”(69).
1. The second hope of Christmas was expressed by Zechariah as "the Horn of Salvation." The word "horn" symbolizes strength, like the horn of an animal. Referring to Jesus -- of the House of David -- it emphasizes He has the "power" to Save!
2. Unlike "redemption," which is the legal action of buying something back, "salvation" is the experiential/ontological action of transformation.
B. ONLY JESUS HAS THAT POWER!
1. It's not a legal code, being good enough, or even being sacrificial that saves a person; they must be "Born Again." We must be spiritually transformed from death to life. Our spirits must be regenerated, quickened together with Christ and made alive. Only the Resurrection Power of Jesus can do that!
2. Thank God He has sent us a Savior as well as a Redeemer!
III. HOPE THREE: RESCUED FROM OUR ENEMIES(71, 74a)
“…salvation(rescue, v. 74) from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us”(71).
A. IDENTIFYING OUR ENEMY
1. We have an adversary, the devil, who goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. In John 10:10 Jesus said, "The thief comes but for to kill, to steal, and to destroy; but I have come that you might have life, and life abundantly."
2. The devil is the thief that Jesus referred to who wants to "kill" our aspirations to draw near to God, "steal" us from God's presence, and "destroy" us in hell forever.
B. THE HOPE OF CHRISTMAS RESCUES US
1. Listen to some of the words of the Reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546) recorded in his famous hymn, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God;
“A mighty Fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing. For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe; His craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate, on Earth is not his equal.
“Did we in our own strength confide our striving would be losing, Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God's own choosing. Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He; Lord's Sabaoth His name, from age to age the same, and He must win the battle.
“And though this world with Devils filled should threaten to undo us, we will not fear for God has willed His truth to triumph through us. The Prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him, his rage we can endure, For lo! His doom is sure, one little word shall fell him.”
2. That “word” is JESUS, the hope of Christmas, Who rescues us from our enemies and preserves our souls for heaven! Praise God for this mighty Hope!
IV. HOPE FOUR: MERCY(72)
“…to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant”(72)
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. In a world of people that frequently go before judges and demand "justice", I heard the story about a man who was taken before Judge and the judge said, "I. suppose you come here to demand justice."
2. The man answered, "No, your honor, I have come here to ask for mercy. What I deserve for my crimes is justice, but what I am pleading for this morning is not justice, but mercy."
B. OUR HOPE: NOT GETTING WHAT WE DESERVE!
1. The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love….He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” Ps. 103:8, 10-12.
2. The third hope that Christmas brings is not a confirmation of the justice and judgment that came through the Law of Moses, but the Mercy and Grace that came through the Babe of Bethlehem, Jesus Christ.
3. Thank God for the gift of mercy at Christmas time!
V. HOPE 5: POWER TO SERVE HIM WITHOUT FEAR(74b)
“…and to enable us to serve him without fear”(74b).
A. THE POWER TO LIVE FOR GOD
1. The fifth hope of Christmas is a double blessing. First, Zechariah is grateful for the power to be able to serve God. This is not a small blessing.
2. We are all acquainted with the war that rages between flesh and spirit and that if it were not for the intervention of the Holy Spirit, we could not live the Christian life.
3. The apostle Paul said, "because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weekend by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering” Romans 8:2-3.
4. God spoke through Ezekiel, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws” Ezek. 36:26-27.
5. It’s a great blessing to have the power to do the impossible!
B. BLESSING
1. A second tremendous blessing is to live before God without fear. In virtually every religion of the world today, the adherents live in fear that they will never be good enough or acceptable to their deities.
2. Christians don’t have to live in that fear, because Jesus already took our punishment and atoned for our sins.
3. Listen to the Apostle John, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” 1 Jn. 4:18.
4. Isn’t it a wonderful that we don’t have to live in fear? We are graced with perfect peace as we travel to our eternal home. Thank God for the Hope of Christmas!
CONCLUSION
A. OUR GREAT SAVIOR
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.” – Isaiah 9:6-7 (NIV)
B. LORD’S SUPPER
