Isaiah 9:6-7 & Acts 1:9-11
I am really starting to think that the NFL is scripted, just like WWE, and other “reality” television shows. Every year, Cleveland Browns fans believe this could be the year we finally go to the Super Bowl. We have talented players, and a couple years ago, we got Baker Mayfield. We are anxiously waiting to see the Browns flag planted on the 50 yard line in Pittsburgh. And every year, we are met with disappointment. I suppose that may be how Michigan fans feel against Ohio State each year. Or Oklahoma State most years after Bedlam. But at the beginning of the season, we all have one thing in common: HOPE.
What is “hope?” Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary gives these definitions:
A. Desire accompanied by expectation of, or belief in fulfillment. (Hope for a cure.)
B. Someone or something on which hopes are centered. (Mayfield is the Browns hope for a Superbowl championship.)
C. To cherish a desire with anticipation. (hope for a promotion)
D. To desire with expectation of obtainment or fulfillment. (I hope Messiah comes soon)
Bottom Line: Are we staring, or are we striving?
Do we have just a little bit of hope, and we’re standing still, just staring off into space, looking for Jesus? Or is our hope so deep that we KNOW He is coming back, so we are working to live a life that honors Him, and that lets us share Him with the world around us?
1. There was hope in the beginning.
Most of us know the creation story. God created the world, and everything in it. Then, finally He created man and woman. They could eat from any tree, except one, the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And He warned them that if they eat that one fruit, just one little bite, they will die. And what happened? The devil came in the form of a snake and tempted Eve, by twisting God’s words. She fell for it, hook, line and sinker. Then the first thing she does is gives Adam the forbidden fruit. And now they realize what they have done.
After the fall, God first pronounces judgment, and a curse on the serpent. And even before pronouncing judgment and punishment on Adam & Eve, God pronounces the first Gospel promise.
Genesis 3:15 reads “And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” (NLT)
This is the very first glimpse of the promise of Messiah. There will be one who will come and strike Satan’s head, and crush him.
Another example of early hope is found when God called Abram, in Genesis 12:1-3. The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”
And there are still more examples of the hope of the coming Messiah, throughout the Old Testament, including God’s promise to David that his descendant would always be on the throne.
2. Hope is fulfilled in Jesus part 1
Isaiah 9:6-7 reads “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!” (NLT)
Israel longed for the coming Messiah. The prophets had been promising a Messiah. The people were looking for One who would make things right. When Jesus was born, he fullfiled that promise. His birth, His life, His death and resurrection, was the fulfillment of the prophesies. Sadly, not all have recognized that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. He did not come in the way that they thought the Messiah should come. Indeed, there had even been others who had claimed to be Messiah, who were great disappointments. And some who should have recognized Jesus as Messiah, the religious leaders, refused to accept Him.
But God knew what was going to happen. Jesus knew it too. It was necessary for Jesus to die on the cross, taking our guilt upon himself, and paying the price for our sin. His death paid our penalty. His resurrection, that dealt the final blow to death, and satan. That first Gospel promise was fulfilled.
3. Hope will be finalized in Jesus part 2
I want to read Acts 1:6-8, to kind of set the scene: So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:6-8, NLT)
I noticed something funny as I read this account of Jesus’ ascension. In Acts 1:6 we are told that when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking Him when He was going to free Israel and restore their kingdom. They are still looking for an earthly kingdom. Of course Jesus tells them that only the Father has the authority to set those times, and they are not for the apostles to know.
After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!” (Acts 1:9-11, NLT)
I get it. They have just spent all this time traveling with, and learning from, Jesus. They have witnessed His execution, and His resurrection. They think they have Him back. But, He just left them again. Even weirder, He just was taken up into a cloud. I think I’d be looking up, straining to see Him, and trying to explain it, myself.
But as they are standing there, straining to see Him, two guys dressed in white robes appear and give them the promise that all hope, will be finally realized when Jesus comes back. Wait, so He’s coming back? Oh yes. And this time, we know what to look for. This time he will be coming back on a cloud. And this is confirmed throughout the New Testament.
And when He returns, all will be made right. We who have accepted Him as Lord and Savior will be with Him forever. The peace that we so desperately hope for will be finally realized. And we will again have full fellowship with God.
But, while we are waiting for His second advent, we should be striving to live according to His commands. Not to be saved, but because He has already saved us. We are also to spread the Gospel, the Good News, of Jesus Christ.
Even as we strive to grow in our relationship with Christ, are we sharing the Good news with our neighbors? Are we sharing Jesus with those we meet?
Bottom Line: Are you staring or sharing?
Even as we look forward to the future fulfillment of our Hope, our hope is also realized here and now, in the work of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. What is the source of your hope, this Christmas?
There is an old hymn, written in 1834, by Edward Mote, The Solid Rock. The first verse states: My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly trust in Jesus’ name.
The last verse reads: When He shall come with trumpet sound, Oh may I then in Him be found. Dressed in His righteousness alone, Faultless to stand before the throne.
Will you be able to stand before His throne? Will your family, friends, and neighbors?