Advent Week 1 - Go! And Hope in the God of the Impossible - Luke 1:37
INTRODUCTION – ADVENT BEGINS WITH HOPE
Advent is the season when the Church pauses to remember, reflect, and rejoice that God stepped into human history, wrapped Himself in flesh, and came to rescue us. Advent begins with HOPE—not wishful thinking, not optimism, but confident expectation that God will keep His promises.
And there is one verse that perfectly captures the heartbeat of Advent hope:
Luke 1:37 (NLT): “For nothing is impossible with God.”
This verse is more than a reassurance. It is a proclamation that the God who promised a Saviour fulfilled that promise through a miraculous conception, an unstoppable plan, and a redeeming love that overturns every impossibility.
Advent hope is not fragile.
Advent hope is not sentimental.
Advent hope is not seasonal.
Advent hope is anchored in the God who makes the impossible possible.
1. THE ADVENT CONTEXT — GOD’S HOPE BREAKS INTO HUMAN IMPOSSIBILITY
Before we expound the verse, we must stand inside the story.
The Setting: Silence and Waiting
For 400 years, between Malachi and Matthew, heaven seemed silent. Israel waited in darkness—oppressed, weary, longing for deliverance.
Then…
God broke the silence.
The Announcement
Gabriel appears to a young virgin named Mary. She is poor, unknown, from Nazareth—a village so unimpressive that Nathanael later said, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (John 1:46).
Yet God chooses her as the vessel of His hope.
Her response? A mixture of faith and bewilderment.
“How can this happen? I am a virgin.”
And God answers…
Luke 1:37 — The Greek Word Study
The phrase “nothing is impossible” uses:
??? (ouk) — “not”
?d??at?se? (adynatesei) — “to be powerless”
Root: d??aµ?? (dynamis) — “power, might, divine strength”
So God literally says:
“No word from God lacks the power to be fulfilled.”
Advent hope rests on this truth:
God never makes a promise He cannot keep.
2. GOD HAS ALWAYS BROUGHT HOPE THROUGH THE IMPOSSIBLE
Genesis 18:14 — “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”
Abraham and Sarah were promised a son, yet they were impossibly old. Sarah laughed. But God replied:
“Is anything too hard for the Lord?”
Hebrew Word Study – pala
Pala means wonderful, extraordinary, beyond capability.
Advent reminds us:
The birth of Isaac was a foreshadowing of an even greater impossible birth—Jesus Christ.
When your situation looks barren—
when your hope looks dead—
God is still the God of pala miracles.
John Piper: “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.”
Piper reminds us that God’s hope-work is often invisible until suddenly it becomes undeniable.
Isaiah 9:2–7 “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light.”
This prophecy of Light Breaking into Darkness was written to people facing invasion, exile, and fear.
This prophecy is fulfilled in Christ, born in humility yet destined to reign as the everlasting King.
Advent hope is not the denial of darkness.
It is the arrival of Light in the midst of it.
Max Lucado: “God came near so we could know hope that is stronger than any darkness.”
Lucado captures Advent’s heart: God does not shout hope from afar; He brings hope by coming near.
Jeremiah 32:17 — “Nothing is too hard for you!”
Jerusalem was under siege; the nation faced destruction. Yet Jeremiah prays a bold prayer of hope.
Word Study – Again pala
He declares: “What is too extraordinary for man is ordinary for God.”
We often look for hope in change of circumstance.
Advent hope looks to the unchanging character of God.
Charles Stanley: “Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.”
Stanley reminds us: Hope is not passive. Hope acts in obedience and trusts God with what follows.
Matthew 19:26 — The Impossible Miracle of Salvation
The disciples ask, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus replies: “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”
The birth of Christ is the doorway to the greatest miracle of all—salvation.
Tim Keller: “The Gospel is not good advice; it is good news—something that has already happened.”
Keller reminds us: Advent is not about self-improvement. It is about divine intervention.
3. TWO ADVENT ILLUSTRATIONS OF HOPE
The Candle in the Window
In some European villages, families used to place a candle in the window during Advent as a sign of waiting and hope—hoping for a traveller to come home, hoping for safety, hoping for peace.
One candle changed the whole house.
Church, Jesus is the Light that changed the whole world.
Advent is God placing the “candle” of Christ into the darkness of humanity.
The Broken Watch
A man found his childhood watch, long broken and discarded. He brought it to a master watchmaker who opened it, smiled, and said, “Ah, I made this. I know how to fix it.”
Church, the Creator who made you has come to restore you.
Advent hope is not self-repair; it is divine restoration.
4. THE GOSPEL — ADVENT HOPE FULFILLED IN JESUS CHRIST
Advent points us not only to Christ’s birth, but toward the cross.
The Virgin Birth: The Impossible Entry
Jesus enters the world miraculously.
The Sinless Life: The Impossible Standard
Jesus lives perfectly where we fail constantly.
The Crucifixion: The Impossible Sacrifice
Jesus bears sin He did not commit.
The Resurrection: The Impossible Victory
Death loses.
The grave collapses.
Hope rises.
Advent whispers what Easter shouts:
God does the impossible to save the impossible-to-save.
5. THE CALL TO ACTION — GO! AND LIVE IN ADVENT HOPE
For the believer:
Go! And trust that God keeps His promises.
Go! And anchor your hope not in news headlines but in Scripture.
Go! And pray bold Advent prayers.
Go! And reflect Christ’s light in dark places.
For those struggling:
Advent hope is not the denial of pain—
it is the declaration that pain does not get the last word.
For the seeker:
Your greatest impossibility is not your situation—it is your sin.
But Jesus came to remove that impossibility forever.
6. ADVENT WEEK 1 – THE INVITATION TO SALVATION
Friend, Christ came for you.
He is the Light in your darkness.
He is the Hope in your despair.
He is the Saviour for your sin.
If you will repent—turn from your sin—and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour:
He will forgive you.
He will make you new.
He will place His hope within you.
Today can be your Advent—your arrival of hope.
BENEDICTION / ADVENT EXHORTATION:
As you go into this first week of Advent:
May the hope of Christ fill your heart.
May the God of the impossible strengthen your faith.
May the Light of the world shine through your life.
And may you walk each day believing:
“For nothing is impossible with God.”
Amen.
