November 29, 2020

A THRILL OF HOPE : HOPE REVEALED
November 29, 2020
Charles Billingsley

This has been a year like no other we’ve known. What are some things you are hoping to see happen as 2021 prepares to debut January 1?

Open:

We are entering one of the most joyful seasons of the year. Christmas—no matter where you live—is a season filled with love and hope, memories of childhood, gifts, and so much more. Definitely it can be a sad time for some, but as Christians, we focus on the greatest gift of all that happened in a manger in Bethlehem over two thousand years ago. Today we begin a new series as we recall that first Christmas, titled “A Thrill of Hope.” Let us dig deeply into history and the Word as we seek to focus on the birth of the Christ-child, the Messiah of the world.

Key Verse: Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

Focal Passage: Matthew 1:18-25

Hope Revealed—In the promise of the Christ

The Hope

  • What are the two kinds of hope? How do they differ? As you “hope” for 2021, is it wishful thinking or Biblical hope? Why can we not live without hope?
  • Why is Biblical hope thrilling? What is it based on? Give some examples.

The Prophecies

  • What was the approximate number of prophecies in the Old Testament that foretold the first coming of a Messiah? What were the odds of someone fulfilling any number of them? What were some of the prophecies?
  • When Jesus came, how many of the prophecies did He fulfill? How could He do that?

The Intertestamental Period

  • After the prophets were finished writing and prophesying, God went silent. How many years did the people not hear from God? What were some of the things they would have missed?
  • What are some things you know about this period of time?
  • What would be some of the things that would WE would miss if God were to go silent now?

The Incarnation

  • What do you think the prevailing belief is concerning Jesus: did He begin life as a baby in Bethlehem? What Scriptures can you think of that speak of  Jesus’ past glory with the Father? Read Colossians 1:15-18.
  • Read John 1:1-3, 14, 10-11; 3:16-17. These few verses tell the life of Jesus.

  Why was the incarnation necessary?

  • Without the birth of the Messiah, what could not have happened?
  • Read Hebrews 4:15. Why was He worthy to save our souls? Have you really taken it in that He went through the incarnation and death, just to save you?

Hope Revealed—in the power of the Cross

  • Read Romans 8:31, 37-39. What did the Cross reveal, that Jesus would go through such pain and suffering for us?
  • Read Phil. 2:8. Jesus’ death was a one-time sacrifice; how do you know it is just as effective today as it was in the days of the early church?
  • What can we do to receive this salvation? Can we earn it, or lose it? Why? Who gets the glory for this?

Close:

What a world of terror we live in—yet Jesus, through His glory as God the Son, His incarnation and death, and His resurrection and present glory in Heaven, has made it possible for us to live with perfect peace in our hearts, knowing He has everything in His hands and is overseeing all things with a purpose.

How can we have such hope? Because we can look at our own lives and see that He has been faithful (even during the times when we haven’t been). “His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises,” Peter wrote. This assures us that it is the power of Jesus Christ that has saved us, given us—as Peter says—everything we need, and we can do nothing on our own to earn this salvation except cry out to Him from our pit, asking Him in faith to save us for eternity. What glory shall be ours one day! To be with Jesus Christ, with all the saints of the earth who have died in Him, with our family who were believers—what a reunion that will be. All because of Him.

Is His grace and salvation as effective today as it was in the days He walked the earth? Look around you. Whose life have you witnessed who came from the depths of a pit of sorrow, or sin, of cursing, of addictions, immorality, and so much more, yet they were changed by humbling themselves before God almighty and being willing to call Him Lord. What a thrill of hope comes to the one who believes!

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