Hope.

Steve Gentry

[0:12] We’ll go ahead and have a seat. [0:13] Welcome to Village Church. [0:14] If this is your first time here, my name’s Steve, [0:16] one of the pastors here at Village Church. [0:17] And as always, I’m thankful and grateful to see each [0:21] and every one of you.

[0:22] If you have a Bible, go ahead and open it to [0:23] Matthew chapter 1. [0:24] We’re going to be starting in verse 18 this morning [0:27] and we’ll be starting in just a few moments. [0:29] For the Christmas season is officially upon us. [0:32] I know some of you tried to start celebrating

[0:35] at the beginning of November, but by God’s grace, [0:38] you’ve repented and you’ve realized that it doesn’t [0:40] start until the day after Thanksgiving. [0:43] Because, and I did a two-part series on why we do that, [0:46] so don’t be mad at me, be mad at God, [0:48] to whom you’re supposed to be thankful.

[0:51] Putting your Christmas lights up early, [0:53] singing Christmas songs early. [0:54] Now they show Hallmark Christmas movies all year [0:58] on every streaming service. [1:00] And some of you have already started to delve into [1:02] those very, very realistic movies where those

[1:06] big town female lawyers return to their home in Vermont [1:11] as dad’s cabin’s being foreclosed on only to meet [1:14] a handyman with a heart of gold who also happens [1:18] to be the secret heir to a fortune of maple syrup.

[1:23] And a poet who’s seeking a muse so that he can get back [1:27] into the poetry game and wouldn’t you know it, [1:30] he finds it in a lawyer who’s very hard on the outside, [1:34] but her soul is very soft. [1:36] And they find love at Christmas. [1:40] It’s a wonderful story, as old as time,

[1:42] almost better than the gospel, [1:44] if only it had something to do with the gospel. [1:46] But it doesn’t. [1:47] I’m more of a Chevy Chase guy myself, [1:49] so I’m gonna spend the next month [1:51] watching that about two dozen times,

[1:53] quoting it with all of my friends, [1:55] judging everyone who doesn’t get the jokes, [1:58] knowing that that means I am intellectually superior [2:01] in my sense of humor. [2:03] And so that’s the way I celebrate Christmas every year. [2:06] But now, it may not be December quite yet,

[2:10] but we’re well into the Christmas season as a culture. [2:14] And so over the next few weeks, [2:15] we wanna go through a few of the themes [2:18] as to what Christmas is all about, [2:20] what are all of the ramifications [2:22] of the birth of Jesus Christ onto the world around us.

[2:27] And the fact is that we don’t celebrate Christmas [2:30] as though it is just a holiday [2:33] that is based on material possessions, [2:35] or it is a holiday based on a feeling [2:38] that we are pursuing, rather. [2:40] Our joy in this season is anchored

[2:43] into an objective reality. [2:45] And that objective reality is that Jesus [2:48] was truly born of a virgin, [2:50] that He lived a sinless life [2:53] that you are incapable of living, [2:55] and He died a substitutionary death on the cross

[2:57] for your sin, and then He rose victoriously [3:00] from the dead, winning victory over sin and death. [3:04] And now, everything that I just said is factually true. [3:08] And that is what we are celebrating during this season, [3:11] and that’s why Christmas is ultimately a season of hope. [3:16] You know, for the Christian, every season

[3:18] is a season of hope, [3:19] but Christmas really gives us a time in which we can reflect [3:23] and we can really consider and think about the hope [3:26] that we have in Jesus Christ, [3:29] that God loves us to the extent that He entered [3:32] into the very creation that He made,

[3:36] became one of us for the sake of our very redemption, [3:39] and for the sake of our very forgiveness from sin. [3:43] God wants you to have more this season [3:45] than just looking forward to a day of celebration. [3:50] He wants you to have more than just the material gain [3:53] that you’re hoping to get, whether it is from gifts

[3:56] or whether it is from people. [3:57] He wants you to pursue more than just some type [4:01] of sentimental feeling this Christmas, [4:03] because if those are the things that you’re pursuing, [4:06] I can almost guarantee you that at some point [4:08] or at many points, you’re going to be disappointed.

[4:11] But if you anchor your hope in the reality of Jesus Christ, [4:18] well, friends, you will find hope that is unfading. [4:20] You will find hope that will endure through more [4:23] than just the Christmas season, [4:25] because our hope is that Jesus is the fulfillment [4:29] of all of the promises of God

[4:31] that He’s ever given us in Scripture, [4:32] both the Old and the New Testament, [4:34] but it’s more than just our hope that God will deliver. [4:37] It’s our hope in the fact that God has delivered, [4:40] yet there are still promises that we’re going to experience [4:44] in this life and beyond in His Kingdom.

[4:47] And I want to look really at what the basis of all of that [4:50] hope is and the fact that Jesus really did come to this earth. [4:54] And so I want to start reading in Matthew chapter 1, [4:56] starting in verse 18, Matthew writes, [5:00] and he says,

[5:11] And her husband, Joseph, being a just man, [5:15] unwilling to put her to shame, [5:17] resolved to divorce her quietly. [5:20] But as he considered these things, [5:21] behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, [5:25] saying, Joseph, son of David,

[5:27] do not fear to take Mary as your wife. [5:30] For that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. [5:33] She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, [5:36] for he will save his people from their sins. [5:39] All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken [5:42] by the prophet.

[5:44] Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, [5:48] and they shall call his name Immanuel, [5:50] which means God with us. [5:53] As a number one this morning, I want you to understand [5:55] that God fulfills His promises through Jesus. [5:59] God fulfills His promises through Jesus.

[6:03] And we have hope because God has kept [6:06] His promises through Jesus. [6:08] You know, Matthew 1 starts in the first few verses there, [6:12] and it gives the genealogy of Jesus [6:13] through the bloodline of Joseph, [6:16] beginning with Abraham, who was chosen by God

[6:19] to give a promise to bless all the nations [6:22] through his bloodline. [6:23] Matthew traces the family tree of Jesus [6:26] through the generations of the nation of Israel. [6:30] Importantly, he includes two patriarchs, [6:33] and the first one is Abraham,

[6:34] and the second one is King David, [6:36] and the third one is Joseph, and the fourth one is Joseph. [6:36] And he’s going to show how Jesus descends [6:38] from both of their bloodlines. [6:40] And by doing this, [6:43] and other important ancestors of Israel,

[6:45] Matthew establishes the important vitality [6:48] of the birth of Jesus as the fulfillment of the promises [6:52] that God had made through the nation of Israel. [6:55] Jesus fulfills every single one of them. [6:57] When Jesus looked to Abraham, the father of all of Israel, [7:01] and he said, through your blood, through your family,

[7:06] I’m going to bless the nations of the world. [7:09] It was through Jesus that God ultimately kept that promise. [7:12] And when you look to King David, and he said, [7:14] it’s through your bloodline, through your family, [7:17] I’m going to rule forever. [7:19] I want to establish your kingdom.

[7:21] Ultimately, God knew he was going to keep that promise [7:24] through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. [7:29] And so Matthew focuses not on some kind of sentimental thought [7:34] about Jesus Christ. [7:35] He begins with facts. [7:37] And he says, this is who Jesus is,

[7:40] and this is how Jesus was born. [7:43] And I want to focus in on that fact, [7:45] and Jesus was born in fulfillment, [7:48] according to Matthew 1, 23, [7:50] of the promise that was made through the prophet Isaiah, [7:53] and he quotes Isaiah 7, 14,

[7:55] and he makes the point explicit. [7:58] Isaiah 7, 14 says, [7:59] Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. [8:02] Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, [8:05] and shall call his name, Emmanuel. [8:07] Matthew tells the reader that, yes, historically,

[8:11] Jesus is the fulfillment of God with us, [8:15] Emmanuel being a title rather than what his name would be. [8:20] This is about God’s faithfulness to keep his promises, [8:22] and Matthew connects it to a prophecy [8:24] over 400 years previous to the moment of his birth. [8:29] But when we go to Matthew 1, 18,

[8:31] the very first text that I wrote there, [8:34] it brings us into real time, [8:36] as Joseph and Mary were betrothed to be married. [8:39] Now, it means they were engaged in our vernacular, [8:42] but they were more than engaged, [8:43] because it was a covenant that families entered into together

[8:47] with large consequences, [8:50] both financially and in your reputation. [8:53] If that betrothal was broken off, [8:55] it was a period in which you were tested [8:58] to ensure your reputation, [9:00] but ultimately we know

[9:02] that it was to ensure the sexual purity of both parties. [9:06] Of course, right in the middle of that period, [9:09] Mary is found to be with child, the text says. [9:13] She was pregnant. [9:15] But then the text kind of qualifies her pregnancy [9:18] with an amazing statement and says that she was found

[9:22] to be with child from the Holy Spirit. [9:26] That’s a wild claim. [9:28] I don’t know how smart you are, [9:30] but usually a biological reality is required for pregnancy, [9:35] but the text is very clear. [9:37] Mary was the fulfillment of Isaiah 7-14,

[9:40] therefore she was a virgin, never been with a man. [9:44] The text makes a sensational claim [9:46] that the conception of this child was miraculous [9:49] and that the Holy Spirit had done a miracle inside of her [9:53] for this conception to take place. [9:54] There was no earthly father.

[9:57] Now, I know that most women, when they’re pregnant, [9:59] they think, oh, it’s from the Holy Spirit. [10:01] This is a blessed child, [10:03] but this goes beyond just some type of blessed child [10:06] to a very miracle of miracles [10:09] that the way that God had designed for biology to work,

[10:13] that’s not what was going on at all. [10:16] Just as Joseph was a good guy, [10:17] and so he sought to put her away quietly, [10:20] in other words, he was going to try to salvage [10:22] not his reputation, he wanted to salvage [10:25] as much of Mary’s reputation as he could,

[10:28] but even though he, of course, looks at the situation [10:31] and he says, well, she has sinned against me, [10:34] but I don’t want to do her harm. [10:36] So he seeks to put her away quietly [10:38] and he uses the term divorce for the covenant [10:40] that was promised to become marriage,

[10:42] it would be put to an end, [10:44] but then an angel appears to Joseph [10:46] and makes a large request of Joseph. [10:50] He says, Mary has not sinned against you, Joseph. [10:53] This is a work of God in her life. [10:55] The Holy Spirit has conceived this child inside of her.

[11:02] And God looks to Joseph and he says, trust me. [11:05] Now, it’s pretty important that Joseph stayed in the equation [11:08] because if you read the first part of Matthew, [11:11] it’s through the lineage of Joseph that Matthew points, [11:15] and he uses 14. [11:16] He doesn’t include all of the ancestors,

[11:17] but he includes a number so that it can show [11:20] the royalty and the importance of Jesus [11:22] in this family tree. [11:24] They ultimately came through Joseph [11:26] because God had always set up culture [11:29] to be under a patriarchy,

[11:30] and he uses the patriarchs of Israel [11:33] to show who Jesus was, [11:35] and the reason that they went to Bethlehem [11:36] because Joseph was of the house and lineage of David, [11:41] the king.

[11:43] So God looks to Joseph and he says, [11:45] Joseph, you need to stay in the equation. [11:47] This is not your child, this is God the Son. [11:50] Trust me. [11:52] As God looks to Joseph and he says, [11:54] exercise faith, stay in this.

[11:57] Jesus was to have no biological father [12:00] for a very important reason, [12:03] because he was God the Son. [12:06] This miraculous birth is the very bedrock [12:10] that Christianity itself is built on. [12:13] Matthew 1, 23, of course, restating Isaiah 7, 14,

[12:16] and one of the very first things that many will attack [12:18] when they attack Christianity, [12:20] is that it’s the claim of a virgin birth, [12:22] and they will say, that’s impossible, [12:23] and I always respond, that’s the point. [12:26] God has done the impossible.

[12:27] God has worked against his biological design [12:30] in order to make the miraculous happen, [12:34] which is probably the greatest miracle [12:36] that we’ve ever seen, that is, [12:37] God the Creator becoming part of his own creation, [12:42] walking among us, living the perfect life

[12:45] that we are unable to live [12:47] so that he can die a substitutionary death [12:50] that we can’t hope to die for ourselves. [12:51] I don’t know if you know this or not, [12:54] but you have sin, and because of that, [12:57] if you were to die for your sin,

[12:59] the only person’s sin that you can ultimately pay for [13:02] is yours, and it’ll take you an eternity to pay it off, [13:06] and there will still be a wage due to God. [13:08] But in his great love, God says, [13:10] I will do the impossible, I will come into creation. [13:14] No biological father,

[13:16] because it is God himself in human form. [13:20] Jesus Christ lived an absolutely perfect life [13:22] so that he could die a vicarious death, [13:26] and the very mission of Jesus is right there in Matthew 1, 21, [13:29] when he says his name will be Jesus, [13:32] which literally means the Lord Yahweh saves.

[13:37] And his very name is the mission [13:39] that his life was to be lived for. [13:41] In Isaiah 9, 6, we see another prophecy [13:44] about a child to be born who would be the Almighty God. [13:48] The prophet wrote, and he said, [13:49] For to us a child is born, to us a son is given.

[13:52] The government shall be upon his shoulder, [13:54] his name shall be called wonderful counselor, [13:56] mighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace. [14:01] See, the prophecies of Isaiah carry with them a burden [14:04] to show the faithfulness of God to his people. [14:09] Matthew points us to the fact that Jesus is the fulfillment

[14:13] of these promises for all time. [14:17] But in Luke 1, 35, an angel revealed that work [14:21] that was going to happen to Mary. [14:23] So the angel answers Mary and says, [14:25] The Holy Spirit will come upon you. [14:26] The power of the Most High will overshadow you.

[14:29] Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, [14:32] the Son of God. [14:34] The Virgin birth stands at the core of Christianity [14:38] because without it, Jesus is just another man [14:43] unable to do the work of God. [14:46] His name and his very being and the facts around the birth

[14:50] of Jesus Christ are vital for him to be able to do [14:55] the very work of redemption to save his people. [15:00] If these facts are untrue about Jesus Christ, [15:03] I want you to understand that he cannot save us. [15:06] But they are in fact true about Jesus Christ. [15:09] Therefore, he is the only one who is sufficient

[15:14] for these things. [15:15] He’s the only one who meets the standard. [15:17] He’s the only one that can live up to the claim, God, with us. [15:23] And that’s important because number two this morning, [15:25] Jesus gives hope by paying the price for our sin. [15:29] Jesus gives hope by paying the price for our sin.

[15:32] And all of these things about the virgin birth must be true [15:36] because of what he came to do, because of what we need. [15:40] I said it before, but bears repeating, [15:43] I’ve built much of the ministry that I have [15:45] on convincing you that you are a filthy, dirty, rotten sinner. [15:50] And it amazes me how much I have to work to convince

[15:53] all of you of that because you think, oh, that might be true, [15:56] but I’m pretty good. [15:58] No, you aren’t. [15:59] You’re worse than you think. [16:00] You think you lie to yourself more than you think you do. [16:03] You hurt others more than you think you do.

[16:04] You hurt yourself more than you think you do. [16:07] You break God’s heart more than you think you do. [16:09] You transgress His law more than you think you do. [16:11] But there’s always that inner liar. [16:13] He’s that inner defense attorney saying, [16:15] but my situation’s different.

[16:18] No, it’s not. [16:18] You’re rotten. [16:19] That’s the situation. [16:21] You’re a sinner. [16:21] And because you are a sinner, man, [16:23] you are desperate for a savior.

[16:26] And I already said it, but you do not stand a chance [16:30] paying for your sin. [16:32] It would take an eternity of hell to do it, [16:34] and you’d still have something to pay off [16:36] because you have disobeyed God. [16:39] You’ve sinned against Him.

[16:41] And the Scripture’s pretty clear. [16:42] I mean, one theme that goes throughout the Old Testament [16:44] and the New Testament and the like [16:45] is humanity’s need for God to save. [16:49] Over and over, man is shown unable to save himself. [16:54] I mean, think about the shame that some of you carry around.

[16:58] Think about the guilt that some of you carry around. [17:01] Not even for something that you did yesterday, [17:03] but for something that happened 10, 20, 30 years ago. [17:06] Something that you hope nobody knows [17:08] and nobody around you does know, but you know. [17:11] You just hope nobody ever finds out.

[17:12] Think about the guilt that you carry, [17:14] that you’ve been trying to be righteous. [17:16] You’ve been trying to do the right thing [17:18] because at one point you did the wrong thing. [17:20] But the reality is that no matter how much righteousness [17:23] you heap up on your account,

[17:26] you know that it will never erase the unrighteousness [17:29] that’s already there. [17:31] You try and you try and you try and you work, [17:35] but it’s exhausting and it’s fruitless. [17:39] There’s nothing you can do to settle the account. [17:42] There’s nothing you can do to remove the stain of sin.

[17:44] There’s nothing you can do to make yourself righteous. [17:48] There have been false religion after false religion, [17:51] false version of Christianity after false version [17:53] of Christianity built on the very hope [17:57] of wiping your own debt clear, and you can’t. [18:01] All that you find, like Paul says in Romans 7

[18:05] is that the man of sin is always close at hand [18:08] and when you try to do that, what you want to do, [18:11] you always do the wrong thing. [18:13] Even your motives for doing the right thing [18:16] are unholy many times. [18:19] But Jesus didn’t have that problem by God’s grace.

[18:23] From Genesis 3, 15 forward, pictures of redemption [18:27] after pictures of redemption, [18:29] God working to save his people, [18:31] even the sacrificial system of the Old Testament itself [18:35] points forward to the necessity of a greater redemptive work [18:40] that only God himself can and will do.

[18:45] Friends, this is the greatest need and the greatest reason [18:49] for hopelessness in this world. [18:52] I mean, think about why hope is very difficult. [18:55] You know, you get really excited for the Christmas season, [18:57] you’re like, season of hope, [18:59] and then a thousand terrible things happen

[19:01] all over the world to remind you [19:02] of why everything’s awful all the time. [19:06] There’s nothing but constant reminder [19:07] of why we can’t have nice things around here. [19:11] It’s because sinners gonna sin. [19:13] People are gonna hurt people.

[19:15] People are going to abandon people. [19:18] People are going to betray people. [19:21] And Jesus Christ himself was familiar [19:23] with all of these things. [19:26] You know the difference between him and me? [19:29] Yet without sin.

[19:32] People hurt me, you wanna know what I wanna do? [19:34] Oh, I wanna hurt you. [19:35] I’m not that holy. [19:37] I’m far less holy than most of you. [19:39] I love revenge. [19:41] I love vengeance.

[19:43] You know, Conan the Barbarian, [19:44] I wanna see my enemies driven before me. [19:46] I wanna hear the lamentations of their women.

[19:52] I’m a sinner in need of a savior.

[19:56] But here’s the thing, you’re no better than me. [19:59] Even if you keep it on the down low, [20:01] you react sinfully. [20:04] Friends, the fact of the matter is [20:05] that Jesus was born into this world, [20:07] and the reason it’s so vital

[20:08] that he was born into this world, [20:09] God the Son, he was born into this world superior, [20:12] he was born into this world from the virgin, [20:14] is because we know his roots are in heaven, [20:16] and his perfection was certain. [20:20] And so, he was born into this world

[20:20] and somehow, Jesus, Son of God, [20:22] the Creator himself walked through this world [20:24] tempted in every way that I am. [20:26] But he never sinned. [20:27] I can’t imagine it. [20:29] All that I know is my own sin.

[20:32] All that you should know is your own sin. [20:34] And because of that, when hopelessness [20:37] comes into your life, [20:39] even if it’s happening to someone else, [20:41] that’s something that you can understand. [20:43] That’s a theme that you can get on the same page with

[20:46] because you know how disappointing life is, [20:48] because everyone knows just how difficult life is, [20:52] but Jesus walked through that difficult life of pain, [20:57] yet without sin. [20:59] Why? [21:01] Matthew 1, 21 is specific as to the mission of Jesus.

[21:05] He came to deliver his people from their sin. [21:09] Now, why is that so vital though? [21:11] Because it’s the theme of the scriptures as a whole. [21:14] When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, [21:16] it corrupted human nature, [21:19] and that has been passed to every generation afterward.

[21:23] Friend, you don’t sin and then become a sinner. [21:27] You sin because you are a sinner. [21:30] The story of Scripture is man and God’s dealing [21:33] with the reality of sin and the life of humanity. [21:37] And Jesus came as the ultimate remedy to that, [21:40] but only Jesus could do it.

[21:42] And the scriptures prove that we cannot save ourselves [21:46] but Jesus can. [21:49] God couldn’t tolerate your sin and still be God.

[21:54] Because it would deny the very essence of who he is. [21:56] God is just, therefore sin demands justice. [22:01] God is holy, therefore God must destroy sin. [22:06] And I’ve only been to two of his attributes [22:09] and his complete righteousness. [22:11] And he says, he cannot allow unrighteousness to continue.

[22:17] And that’s bad news for me, that’s bad news for you. [22:20] Yet Jesus deals with it and saves me from the consequences. [22:25] Go to Romans 5 says, the apostle Paul puts it this way, [22:28] starting in verse 5, [22:29] his hope does not put us to shame. [22:31] I want to pause there, it should.

[22:34] It should put you to shame to be hopeful. [22:37] Because, and here’s the bad news [22:39] that most people don’t want to deal with, [22:41] there’s a lot of hope that isn’t going to work out. [22:46] I mean, so many of us live our lives and just say, [22:49] I hope with no objective anchor beyond that hope.

[22:54] Hope must be in something that’s going to work [22:57] for it not to put you to shame. [22:59] I’ve seen people put their hope in a lot of things [23:02] that haven’t worked out and a lot of people [23:03] that haven’t worked out for them. [23:05] A lot of situations that haven’t worked out.

[23:07] You can put your hope in a lot of really, really bad things. [23:11] If you put your hope in money, [23:12] you’re probably going to be disappointed. [23:14] If you put your hope in power, [23:15] you’re going to be disappointed. [23:17] If you put your hope in another person,

[23:19] even in a marriage, [23:21] you’re probably going to be disappointed. [23:23] And I’ve known people over my life and over my ministry [23:25] that have put their hope in all of those things. [23:29] God’s put people in my life and even in my family [23:31] that have tremendous wealth.

[23:34] Because that’s what they hoped in, [23:36] and that’s what they built their lives for. [23:38] But guess what? [23:38] There was something going on in their lives [23:39] somewhere else that was falling apart. [23:42] Even the money itself, it left them dissatisfied

[23:44] because they had to spend all of their time [23:46] trying to maintain it and trying to get more [23:49] so they wouldn’t lose it. [23:50] How’s that hope? [23:51] That sounds like work.

[23:54] I’ve seen people that put their hope in power, [23:56] but then they just had to live protecting that power, [23:59] had to live exerting that power, [24:00] and even then somewhere else in their life, [24:03] things were really, really broken. [24:07] I’ve known people that put their hope in other people,

[24:09] and guess what happens?

[24:11] Betrayal. [24:12] I’ve seen people that put their hope in marriage. [24:14] This is the plight of every 20-year-old Christian boy. [24:18] I hope Jesus doesn’t come back before I get married.

[24:22] And I got married, [24:24] and then she put a spotlight on how selfish I was. [24:27] How dare she do that? [24:29] Couldn’t believe it. [24:30] First year of marriage, [24:31] all I found out was, man, I’m a sinner.

[24:33] They didn’t even know how. [24:34] I thought I was a good guy. [24:36] On our marriage day, she’s walking down the aisle, [24:38] and I’m like, she is one lucky woman.

[24:43] Didn’t take very many weeks for me to realize [24:45] she is not very lucky at all to have me in her life.

[24:50] Put your hope in a human being. [24:52] Human beings make terrible gods. [24:55] Human beings will always disappoint you. [24:58] I’ve even known people, they put their hope [25:00] in building great careers so that people [25:02] would be impressed by them.

[25:05] And I’ve even had mentors in my life, [25:07] other pastors who built amazing ministries [25:09] that helped so many people. [25:11] And if they had been in it for the esteem of man, [25:14] they would have been disappointed, [25:15] because I’ve seen some people build up,

[25:17] make so many disciples, [25:19] and for about five minutes of their lives, [25:20] people were like, man, look at that guy. [25:22] Isn’t he great? [25:23] And you know what happens five minutes later? [25:25] They forget all about you,

[25:26] and they move on to the next guy, [25:28] the next new thing. [25:29] There’s an entire kind of industry built on that idea. [25:34] So when you put your hope in the esteem of other people, [25:37] you’re going to be disappointed. [25:39] That’s why Paul says this.

[25:41] He says, you need a hope that doesn’t put you to shame, [25:43] because there’s so many countless hopes [25:46] that will put you to shame. [25:48] And he gives us that, he continues, he says, [25:50] because God’s love has been poured into our hearts [25:53] through the Holy Spirit who’s been given to us.

[25:56] For while we were still weak at the right time, [25:58] Christ died for the ungodly. [26:01] For one will scarcely die for a righteous person, [26:03] though perhaps for a good person, [26:05] one would dare even to die. [26:07] But God shows his love for us,

[26:09] and that while we were still sinners, [26:10] Christ died for us. [26:11] Since therefore we have now been justified by his blood, [26:15] much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. [26:19] He says, you want a hope, [26:20] it’s never going to put you to shame,

[26:21] put your hope in Jesus Christ, [26:22] because Jesus Christ found you in your sinful, [26:25] just disappointing self. [26:28] And he still gave his life for you. [26:31] He died for you. [26:32] He died to save you.

[26:34] He died to justify you. [26:37] He died to take all the wrong that you had done [26:39] and make it right. [26:41] Jesus paid the penalty for your sin. [26:45] And he says, if you want a hope [26:47] that’s not going to disappoint you,

[26:51] you better put it there. [26:53] Friends, I will tell you, this morning, [26:56] there will be dozens and dozens and dozens of people [26:59] that are putting all of their hope in the wrong thing. [27:03] Put it in Jesus Christ. [27:05] Only Jesus Christ can give you the hope that you need,

[27:09] because he can pay the penalty, [27:11] but the good news is even better than that, [27:13] he has already done it. [27:15] The title Christ is significant. [27:18] It’s not his last name. [27:21] It’s a title.

[27:22] It’s used a few times early on in Matthew [27:25] to set the stage for the rest of the book. [27:27] It is a reference to the Old Testament term, [27:30] Messiah, which means God’s anointed. [27:32] So in the context of Jesus’ day, [27:35] it came to signify a special office.

[27:39] It was a kingly designation. [27:42] The Christ was the anointed king [27:44] that would deliver God’s people from their sin. [27:48] See, the prophecy in Isaiah [27:50] that promised Jesus’ coming to show God’s faithfulness [27:54] to our people, also later on in the book,

[27:56] prophesied exactly what Jesus would do [27:59] in his death for our sin. [28:01] Further on in Isaiah 53, starting in verse 4, [28:04] I just want to read a little bit of that prophecy. [28:06] It contains the hope that every aspect of sin [28:09] that we carry would be placed on Jesus.

[28:12] It says of Jesus, 400 years before his birth, [28:15] surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, [28:18] yet we esteemed him stricken, [28:20] smitten by God and afflicted, [28:22] but he was pierced for our transgressions. [28:24] He was crushed for our iniquities.

[28:26] Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, [28:29] and with his wounds we are healed. [28:32] All we, like sheep, have gone astray. [28:34] We’ve turned everyone to his own way, [28:36] and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. [28:42] Friends, this is the peace of knowing

[28:45] that whatever comes your way in the future, [28:47] God not only understands God will never forsake you, [28:52] and he’s proven it through Jesus Christ. [28:55] God will always be there to receive you in the end. [28:58] What is it that Jesus took that’s so important? [29:01] Friend, he took every ounce of sin

[29:04] that those who trust him have in their lives, [29:07] and that’s vital because that means [29:10] that the Father crushed him [29:12] under the weight of his wrath for that sin.

[29:17] Friend, God’s wrath is all-consuming. [29:21] Friend, God’s wrath is something [29:23] that you could never endure, [29:26] so Jesus did it for you. [29:28] Jesus did it wholly. [29:30] Jesus did it completely.

[29:32] Jesus is the fulfillment of that price. [29:35] His birth matters [29:39] because he was born to pay the price for your sin. [29:43] Friends, the integrity of Jesus’ miraculous birth [29:46] stands as a testament that he was qualified [29:49] to redeem God’s people from their sin.

[29:52] His deity itself, his very godness, [29:56] is vital for him to fulfill the promises of God, [29:58] and the good news is he is God. [30:01] He is Lord. [30:02] God has and always will hate sin.

[30:09] The key is only he himself then [30:12] could vanquish the wrath for sin, [30:14] and he’s done that if you’ll trust him. [30:19] If you’ll turn from your sin [30:20] and you’ll trust Jesus Christ paid in full, [30:25] you will never have to worry about the wrath of God

[30:29] because Jesus has completely and totally [30:33] absorbed that wrath for you, [30:37] so that you could be redeemed from the penalty [30:39] that I owe to God and I can never pay off [30:41] even in all of eternity. [30:44] But the news gets greater.

[30:47] Number three this morning, understand Jesus gives hope [30:49] by defeating sin and death. [30:52] Jesus gives hope by defeating sin and death. [30:55] If all that Jesus had done [30:59] was been born under fascinating circumstances, [31:03] lived life, giving sage wisdom and good teachings,

[31:07] and then die on the cross, and that’s it.

[31:12] I don’t need that.

[31:16] I don’t need that. [31:16] I need more than death. [31:18] I have death. [31:20] Death I understand. [31:22] If Jesus had just died on the cross, end of the story, [31:26] that would have meant he had sin of his own to pay for

[31:31] so he couldn’t have paid for my sin. [31:34] I needed him to have more than death. [31:38] The angel revealed to Joseph that the child that Mary [31:41] would have was going to save his people from their sin. [31:47] And for that to be true, [31:50] Jesus needed to rise from the dead.

[31:53] Again, I know, impossible. [31:57] But if you’re born of a virgin, maybe there’s a shot.

[32:02] Jesus defies the impossible. [32:04] Jesus accomplishes the very mission [32:07] that he was born to do. [32:11] Friend, I didn’t need a savior that would be crushed [32:13] under the weight of sin and then defeated [32:16] by the weight of sin.

[32:18] Our need was for a savior that could be victorious [32:22] over the penalty of sin and death. [32:25] And that’s the amazing thing about the gospel [32:27] of Jesus Christ. [32:30] Just when Satan was probably celebrating, [32:32] trying to take a victory lap, aha, I did it.

[32:34] The angel of God, the son of God, [32:35] killed God the son. [32:37] Imagine how disappointed he was three days later [32:39] when God the son got up, walked out of the grave, [32:44] and he lives to this day. [32:47] It’s exactly what Matthew 1-21 stated that Jesus would do,

[32:51] that he would save his people. [32:53] He would have that victory. [32:54] In 1 Corinthians 15, starting in verse 16, [32:57] again, the apostle Paul puts it very well. [33:00] He says, [33:01] If the dead are not raised,

[33:02] not even Christ has been raised. [33:03] And if Christ has not been raised, [33:05] your faith is futile and you are still in your sin. [33:10] Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ [33:13] have perished. [33:14] If in Christ we have hope in this life only,

[33:17] we are of all people most to be pitied. [33:20] Think about that. [33:22] This kind of challenges what some people think [33:25] about Christianity because some people think [33:27] about Christianity and they say, [33:28] Paul says, even if Christianity isn’t true,

[33:30] it gives you a better life. [33:32] Paul says, [33:33] That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard in my life.

[33:37] Christianity isn’t about a better life. [33:40] Christianity is about resurrection. [33:43] Christianity is about meeting God [33:46] and not being judged by him because of all of your sin. [33:51] He says, [33:52] If in Christ I have hope only in this life,

[33:56] I am of all men to be pitied because I’ve banked [34:00] everything, I’ve risked everything, [34:03] I’ve given everything because I believe [34:06] that on the other side of death, [34:07] I’m going to raise from the dead [34:08] and Jesus is going to do it for me

[34:09] and his resurrection is a down payment on my resurrection. [34:12] So if he didn’t rise from the dead, [34:14] I’m out because it’s not worth it. [34:17] It’s not. [34:19] Friend, you do not just need an opiate [34:23] for your disappointments.

[34:26] You don’t just need chicken soup for the soul. [34:30] You don’t just need sage wisdom. [34:32] You don’t just need a Jesus that gives you meaning today.

[34:39] Friend, you need redemption from your sin. [34:42] You need salvation for your soul. [34:46] You need resurrection from death. [34:49] You are without Christ dead in your sin. [34:52] [34:53] Therefore, if all that Jesus had done was die on that cross,

[34:58] then you would still be condemned. [35:00] You would still be dead in your sin [35:02] and there would be no pathway to salvation for you. [35:06] Again, we already covered that, didn’t we? [35:08] You can’t work it off.

[35:11] I love the way the apostle Paul writes in verse 20. [35:16] He just very matter of factly says, [35:18] He says, but in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. [35:22] He says, yeah, if it wasn’t true, feudal. [35:26] If it wasn’t true, pity. [35:30] But then he doesn’t beat around the bush.

[35:31] He says, but in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, [35:34] the first fruits of those who’ve fallen asleep. [35:37] For as by a man came death, [35:40] by a man has also come the resurrection of the dead. [35:46] Jesus came to give us resurrection hope [35:50] by rising from the dead.

[35:52] That is the greatest hope you can ever have. [35:54] I don’t know if you’ve known anyone that’s faced death, [35:58] but it’s a dark walk. [36:01] It’s a hard path. [36:03] Sometimes it’s a hard path at the end of a very hard life. [36:08] That’s why, friends, I’ve walked with people through death

[36:10] that knew Christ, and I’ve also walked with people [36:14] through death that did not know Jesus Christ. [36:18] My goodness, I cannot even put into words the difference.

[36:23] Friends, when you walk with someone [36:26] through a loved one’s death or even their own death, [36:30] which I have, when someone has the hope of Christ, [36:36] changes everything, you find out that there is such a thing [36:40] as joy in the face of the curse of sin. [36:45] Because when you know that Jesus Christ

[36:49] not only has power of life, but he has power over death, [36:54] you can face death head on and say, [36:58] do your worst. [37:01] I’ll live forever. [37:06] Because you can’t keep a good Christian down. [37:08] Because Christians even get up after they’re dead

[37:11] to the kingdom of heaven forever and ever. [37:14] Friends, Christmas wouldn’t be about Jesus [37:16] if all that we had was that baby in a manger. [37:20] Now, I know he’s the cute one. [37:22] Eight pounds, six ounce baby Jesus.

[37:26] But we need the mission of hope. [37:29] We need the mission of death, and we need importantly [37:33] the mission of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. [37:35] Because Jesus Christ, God became part of his creation [37:38] in order to know us. [37:41] He then lowered himself to pay the penalty for our sin

[37:45] to die and in that death take the wrath that he had [37:49] for sin onto himself so that he could save us from it. [37:53] But he also had to rise from the dead [37:58] in order that you and I could face death [38:03] with the hope that God will raise us [38:06] to a promised eternal kingdom

[38:09] where there will only be joy. [38:11] No tears, not tears of pain. [38:14] No loss, only gain. [38:17] No death, only life. [38:20] That is the promise that you have in Jesus Christ. [38:24] And so, that’s what I mean when I say,

[38:27] following Jesus is about hope. [38:30] And so Christian, I ask you this morning, [38:34] walking into the Christmas season, are you hopeful?

[38:39] If you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, [38:42] I give you the imperative, you must be hopeful. [38:46] Because it is a hope that is defined and completed [38:50] by God for the sake of a world that is dead [38:54] under the curse of sin, and Jesus saved you from it. [38:58] Now, I know some of you have had a hard season.

[39:02] We’ve talked about that for the past few weeks. [39:05] I know that some of you, you kind of dread holidays [39:10] because it brings up bad memories. [39:14] I know for some of you, you’re walking into a season [39:16] where you don’t know if you’re going to come out [39:18] on the other side with all of the loved ones

[39:20] that you have right now. [39:22] I know some of you have lost loved ones over the holidays. [39:25] And I know that some of you wish you would lose [39:28] some loved ones over the holidays [39:30] so that you wouldn’t have to see them on Christmas morn. [39:33] Ha ha ha.

[39:35] Lighten up.

[39:39] But here’s the deal.

[39:43] Christians are a hopeful people. [39:46] Because even at the end of the worst day of your life, [39:52] Jesus saves. [39:54] Jesus is alive. [39:56] Jesus will never leave you. [39:58] He’ll never forsake you.

[40:00] And at the end of your days,

[40:04] after death, He’ll say, welcome. [40:07] Welcome home, forever.

[40:10] A few application points this morning. [40:12] First, build your faith on God keeping His promises. [40:16] Your faith is not some pie in the sky denial of reality. [40:19] No, it is anchored in real fact. [40:23] It’s anchored in reality. [40:25] Secondly, believe the facts that Scripture gives about Jesus.

[40:28] They’re true. [40:29] They’re all true. [40:31] Thirdly, trust that Jesus has dealt with your sin. [40:35] If you’re walking with a lot of shame, [40:37] you’re walking with a lot of guilt, friend, I’ll tell you, [40:40] you can find relief, eternal relief, in Jesus Christ.

[40:45] And then fourthly, follow Jesus into a life filled with hope. [40:49] He’s the only one that has hope that won’t put you to shame. [40:53] So love Him for it.