Hope: A feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.
This is a general definition of hope but we are going to dig deeper. We are going to look at HOPE from a biblical perspective. This is the HOPE Christmas is talking about! Lets Go!!
The Old Testament the word Hope in Hebrew is called "batach" (baw-takh') which translates, confidence, security, and being with out care. You can see that there is no doubt attached to this word. In the New Testament Hope in the Greek language is "elpis" , So Hope from a biblical view to sum it up means; Confident expectation and assurance of our foundation in Jesus Christ and the ultimate price He paid on the cross and belief in his resurrection from death. By knowing this we should have no doubt in our faith in Him.
~ Hebrews 11:1(NLT)
Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.
This confidence comes from knowing God and his promise he gave us in His Word. If you continue to read Hebrews 11 we get to know many heroes, heroes of faith. Hebrews 11 is called the faith chapter. One thing all these heroes of faith had in common, was that their faith was based in their hope in God. This should encourage us as believers to always be ready to share the amazing hope that is within us. guess what that same hope that is within us was in each and every hero of faith.
~ 1 Peter 3:15-18
(NLT)
Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!
Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.
Some believers think that faith is a personal matter that should be kept to oneself, We should not be boisterous or obnoxious in sharing our faith, but like the verses above say, we need to share it with gentleness and respect, otherwise we will just push them away. So I have some questions for you,
Do others see your hope in Christ in your faith, lifestyle, or in your christian perspective? Are you prepared to tell others what Christ has done your life?
Biblical hope is a reality not a feeling. Sadly, the first Christmas was opposite of what we experience now. It all started in a cold and damp place where animals stayed because there was no room anywhere else....
~Luke 2:7(NLT)
She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.
... that night HOPE was born... HOPE for forgiveness of sins, HOPE of a bright future-- forever, HOPE from the destruction of sin, HOPE of salvation, and HOPE of God's presence and power of his eternal plan for all mankind. This was revealed through the birth of Jesus Christ, and only the beginning of an amazing story to save mankind for our chains of sin, burdens of desire, and choices that push us away from Christ. The birth of Jesus brought light into a desperate world full of darkness and despair. Jesus, is God's plan for salvation,but only a few shepherds got to experience this incredible night. So how can we experience t his amazing truth that we have grown dim too and commercialized? The only way we can experience the true HOPE of Christmas is to realize that the birth of Jesus Christ is only the beginning of God's love for us. The HOPE of Christmas is accepting what Jesus did on the cross accepting him as Lord and Savior of your life and apart from Him we are nothing.Otherwise, Christmas will only be a time of Gift giving, parties, festive decor, and Christmas goodies or it my be a time of sadness, stress, loneliness, anger, and depression. Missing the true point of why we celebrate Christmas. I Challenge believers, to take this festive season to renew our hearts and minds or the HOPE we have when we accepted Christ's death on the cross, and resurrection from the dead, conquering death itself. Remembering it all started with a baby born and placed in a lowly manager.
In Closing, The true meaning of Christmas should reconfirm in us as believers the power of God the father, Through his plan of sending a savior for all, to rebuild a relationship that was severed by our sin, He longs to be reunited with us, His creation that was created in His image. So I challenge you as we see Christmas lights twinkling, sparkling, and shining, let it remind us of Jesus, who is the light of the world and through him he is the fulfillment of our Hope, and deepest longing. Our Hope in Him is solid and real. he can meet our deepest need and longing only if we let him in.
The message of HOPE was fulfilled in the birth of Christ. He came to deliver all people from slavery to sin that is so evident in our world.
~Isaiah 9:6(NLT)
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.
~Romans 15:13 (NLT)
I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
~Matthew 1:23 (NLT)
“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”
~Matthew 12:21 (NLT)
And his name will be the hope of all the world.”
Finally, Are you ready to experience the true HOPE of Christmas?
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