Hope is Born
Isaiah 9:6-7
John 1:1-4
The Christmas story and the birth of our hope do not actually begin with the birth of Jesus. The Bible says in John1:1 before time began Jesus already existed with God the Father. They were bosom to bosom, they were one. He is eternal, and the plan that we say began at Christmas, actually began in eternity past.
Verse 3 of John 1 says all things that have been created were created through him. The baby in the manger is the Agent of Creation. Everything that has been created has come through him. In our culture, maybe we minimalize this a little bit. And verse 4 says, In him was life, and the life was the light of men. He’s the Source of Life. He’s the Eternal God, and he’s the Agent of Creation. And in him is the very source of life.
And so, when Jesus was born, he came as the “light of the world” to give us hope. The story didn’t begin there, but it was there that he became what we need today. We need hope for today and we need hope for eternity. We especially need hope for today, but God knows eternity lasts a lot longer.
John 1:12 says, to all who would receive him, to those who believe in his name (put their trust in him), he would give them a new spiritual birth. So, as God became a man, was born in a manger, so he came to give us a second birth – a new spiritual birth – and in that spiritual birth is the hope that we need so badly, that we look for in so many places. And here, at the manger, from the manger to the resurrection, through the cross and to the resurrection is the source of our hope.
But the thing is, in order to possess a gift, you have to receive it (embrace it). And in the midst of all that’s going on in our culture and in our lives, and we genuinely need to possess the gift of hope that was born that first Christmas morning. If there is ever a time that our culture is pointing out the need for Christ, it’s right now.
Seven hundred years before the birth of Christ the Prophet Isaiah wrote, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and he shall be called Immanuel, which means ‘God with us.”
“God WITH us.” That is the hope we need today. We need to know – today – that God is WITH us.
There was a young girl in Nazareth who would have to face great stress and anxiety over what God was about to do in and through her life, and God sent the Angel Gabriel to young Mary. “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” . . . You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be called the Son of the Most High - the Holy One - the Son of God. And his kingdom will never end.”
And then, the Angel of the Lord came to Joseph to prevent him from accusing Mary.
“Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. . . She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
And then, to fulfill the prophecies about where the Savior would be born, Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem. But, none of Joseph’s family would take them and there was no room for them at the inn. And so, the God of Creation was about to be born as a child! But in no royal environment, no pomp and circumstance, not even clean surroundings. God was about to become a man in the lowest possible conditions, so you and I could never say that God doesn’t understand our position in life.
The King of Heaven came as a baby born in a stable, with the animals, and his mother wrapped him in torn cloths and laid him in a feeding trough. And the hope that you and I need today was born that night, as God became a man in the humblest possible birth.
And when heaven announced the arrival of the King of Kings, God chose to announce it to the lowly shepherds working the night shift with the animals. It was to them the Angel of the Lord appeared and announced, “Fear Not. I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem . . . Suddenly, the angel was joined by the Armies of Heaven praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
And what does this hope look like that was born that first Christmas day? Again, the Prophet Isaiah tells us,
Isaiah 9:6–7 (NKJV)
6 For unto us a Child is born, (the humanity of Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, coming into our lives)
Unto us a Son is given; (what God did – he GAVE the Son, Jesus, that he might gain us, as adopted sons and daughters)
And the government will be upon His shoulder. (he will carry the Government of the lives that receive him, and ultimately the Government of all creation)
And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, (that’s hope for today, Jesus is Literally – a ‘Wonder Counselor’ (Supernatural) (and his name will be called) Mighty God, (He is your victory, over every trial in this life, he will carry you thru – to victory)
(and his name will be called) Everlasting Father, (A ‘figure of speech’ that means, the SOURCE of eternity, he is From everlasting, To everlasting)
(and his name will be called) Prince of Peace. (It means, the administrator of peace - he will BE your supernatural peace)
7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end . . . (He will give us Hope, and Peace, and Victory, NOW - and then his Hope and Peace and Victory will NEVER END, into eternity)
And on that first Christmas morning the hope that you and I need to get through our todays… was born. Jesus Christ – the Giver of Life – and the Light of The World took on the form of man, and his birth was the birth of hope for this very needy world.
But, in order to carry the government of our lives on his shoulders, first, he had to carry the cross on his shoulders. Jesus was born that Christmas morning to ultimately pay the penalty for our sin – that we could not pay. He came to die in our place on the cross so that he could conquer sin, death, and the grave – in our place.
God was born in a manger to give the greatest gift of all. Hope for today and life with him in heaven for eternity. God has done it all, and Jesus had paid it all to bring hope into your life today. But it is of no use if you don’t personally receive the gift of hope that Jesus was born in that manger to give you. It’s done. It’s completed. He’s just waiting for you to say personally, “Come into my life. Be God With Me.” That’s the gift of hope we want you to have tonight.
Jesus Christ is the Light of the World, and he came into this world to be The Light in YOUR life. Jesus was born as God – bringing hope into the world and into your life. My prayer is that you would receive that hope right now.
Let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, would you do in each of us what you came to this world to do? Would you break through the darkness Lord, the confusion, the deceit of the world? Would you break through that right now, Lord? And would you bring hope into our lives – real hope? New birth hope, eternal hope, Lord. Lord, we want to pray that you would fix this world, but Lord, we read the end of the Book. And we know this world is going to be changed when you show up again. And so, Lord, we pray for the craziness in our culture. But we don’t look to it for hope. We don’t look to it to be fixed for our hope. We look to you, Jesus.
And we say, “Come. Come be God With Us. Come be God IN Us. Come be our Peace and our Hope. Be the light that drives out the darkness in our lives.” If that is you right now, if you need God to just rush into your life, to be your Strength and your Peace, to be your Hope and your Assurance, would just ask him? He’s just waiting. He’s waiting for you to reach out your hands, and say, “Yes, Lord. I need the gift that you came to give me. Lord, you created me, you know all my days, and you love me, and you’ve given your life for me.”
If you would receive that gift, right now just say, “Lord, I receive that gift. Jesus, save me. Forgive me of my sins, save me from this world, and secure a place in heaven for me. Lord, I believe. I believe in your miraculous birth, in your perfect life, and in your sacrificial death. I believe you conquered sin, and death, and the grave on my behalf. Come into my life, Lord. Fill me to overflowing with your Spirit, your presence. Lead me and guide me for your name’s sake, from this day, until the day we meet face-to-face. In your mighty name, Jesus, I pray, amen.”
We need Jesus in our lives. We need him to be what he came from heaven to be. And we need to embrace that like a young grandchild embraces a gift, and we need to just hold on tight to it, every day. And Jesus will give us new birth, a new hope, and a new home in heaven. Amen!
Verse 3 of John 1 says all things that have been created were created through him. The baby in the manger is the Agent of Creation. Everything that has been created has come through him. In our culture, maybe we minimalize this a little bit. And verse 4 says, In him was life, and the life was the light of men. He’s the Source of Life. He’s the Eternal God, and he’s the Agent of Creation. And in him is the very source of life.
And so, when Jesus was born, he came as the “light of the world” to give us hope. The story didn’t begin there, but it was there that he became what we need today. We need hope for today and we need hope for eternity. We especially need hope for today, but God knows eternity lasts a lot longer.
John 1:12 says, to all who would receive him, to those who believe in his name (put their trust in him), he would give them a new spiritual birth. So, as God became a man, was born in a manger, so he came to give us a second birth – a new spiritual birth – and in that spiritual birth is the hope that we need so badly, that we look for in so many places. And here, at the manger, from the manger to the resurrection, through the cross and to the resurrection is the source of our hope.
But the thing is, in order to possess a gift, you have to receive it (embrace it). And in the midst of all that’s going on in our culture and in our lives, and we genuinely need to possess the gift of hope that was born that first Christmas morning. If there is ever a time that our culture is pointing out the need for Christ, it’s right now.
Seven hundred years before the birth of Christ the Prophet Isaiah wrote, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and he shall be called Immanuel, which means ‘God with us.”
“God WITH us.” That is the hope we need today. We need to know – today – that God is WITH us.
There was a young girl in Nazareth who would have to face great stress and anxiety over what God was about to do in and through her life, and God sent the Angel Gabriel to young Mary. “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” . . . You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be called the Son of the Most High - the Holy One - the Son of God. And his kingdom will never end.”
And then, the Angel of the Lord came to Joseph to prevent him from accusing Mary.
“Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. . . She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
And then, to fulfill the prophecies about where the Savior would be born, Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem. But, none of Joseph’s family would take them and there was no room for them at the inn. And so, the God of Creation was about to be born as a child! But in no royal environment, no pomp and circumstance, not even clean surroundings. God was about to become a man in the lowest possible conditions, so you and I could never say that God doesn’t understand our position in life.
The King of Heaven came as a baby born in a stable, with the animals, and his mother wrapped him in torn cloths and laid him in a feeding trough. And the hope that you and I need today was born that night, as God became a man in the humblest possible birth.
And when heaven announced the arrival of the King of Kings, God chose to announce it to the lowly shepherds working the night shift with the animals. It was to them the Angel of the Lord appeared and announced, “Fear Not. I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem . . . Suddenly, the angel was joined by the Armies of Heaven praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
And what does this hope look like that was born that first Christmas day? Again, the Prophet Isaiah tells us,
Isaiah 9:6–7 (NKJV)
6 For unto us a Child is born, (the humanity of Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, coming into our lives)
Unto us a Son is given; (what God did – he GAVE the Son, Jesus, that he might gain us, as adopted sons and daughters)
And the government will be upon His shoulder. (he will carry the Government of the lives that receive him, and ultimately the Government of all creation)
And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, (that’s hope for today, Jesus is Literally – a ‘Wonder Counselor’ (Supernatural) (and his name will be called) Mighty God, (He is your victory, over every trial in this life, he will carry you thru – to victory)
(and his name will be called) Everlasting Father, (A ‘figure of speech’ that means, the SOURCE of eternity, he is From everlasting, To everlasting)
(and his name will be called) Prince of Peace. (It means, the administrator of peace - he will BE your supernatural peace)
7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end . . . (He will give us Hope, and Peace, and Victory, NOW - and then his Hope and Peace and Victory will NEVER END, into eternity)
And on that first Christmas morning the hope that you and I need to get through our todays… was born. Jesus Christ – the Giver of Life – and the Light of The World took on the form of man, and his birth was the birth of hope for this very needy world.
But, in order to carry the government of our lives on his shoulders, first, he had to carry the cross on his shoulders. Jesus was born that Christmas morning to ultimately pay the penalty for our sin – that we could not pay. He came to die in our place on the cross so that he could conquer sin, death, and the grave – in our place.
God was born in a manger to give the greatest gift of all. Hope for today and life with him in heaven for eternity. God has done it all, and Jesus had paid it all to bring hope into your life today. But it is of no use if you don’t personally receive the gift of hope that Jesus was born in that manger to give you. It’s done. It’s completed. He’s just waiting for you to say personally, “Come into my life. Be God With Me.” That’s the gift of hope we want you to have tonight.
Jesus Christ is the Light of the World, and he came into this world to be The Light in YOUR life. Jesus was born as God – bringing hope into the world and into your life. My prayer is that you would receive that hope right now.
Let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, would you do in each of us what you came to this world to do? Would you break through the darkness Lord, the confusion, the deceit of the world? Would you break through that right now, Lord? And would you bring hope into our lives – real hope? New birth hope, eternal hope, Lord. Lord, we want to pray that you would fix this world, but Lord, we read the end of the Book. And we know this world is going to be changed when you show up again. And so, Lord, we pray for the craziness in our culture. But we don’t look to it for hope. We don’t look to it to be fixed for our hope. We look to you, Jesus.
And we say, “Come. Come be God With Us. Come be God IN Us. Come be our Peace and our Hope. Be the light that drives out the darkness in our lives.” If that is you right now, if you need God to just rush into your life, to be your Strength and your Peace, to be your Hope and your Assurance, would just ask him? He’s just waiting. He’s waiting for you to reach out your hands, and say, “Yes, Lord. I need the gift that you came to give me. Lord, you created me, you know all my days, and you love me, and you’ve given your life for me.”
If you would receive that gift, right now just say, “Lord, I receive that gift. Jesus, save me. Forgive me of my sins, save me from this world, and secure a place in heaven for me. Lord, I believe. I believe in your miraculous birth, in your perfect life, and in your sacrificial death. I believe you conquered sin, and death, and the grave on my behalf. Come into my life, Lord. Fill me to overflowing with your Spirit, your presence. Lead me and guide me for your name’s sake, from this day, until the day we meet face-to-face. In your mighty name, Jesus, I pray, amen.”
We need Jesus in our lives. We need him to be what he came from heaven to be. And we need to embrace that like a young grandchild embraces a gift, and we need to just hold on tight to it, every day. And Jesus will give us new birth, a new hope, and a new home in heaven. Amen!