Fighting for Hope.

Steve Gentry

[0:10] I think I have some friends that are going to join me on stage right now so that I can [0:15] talk about all the good work that they have done. [0:19] One specifically is better than the rest.

[0:23] He has a bright future. [0:25] Has amazing genetics. [0:28] Brilliant mind from a very brilliant source. [0:34] But over the past month or so, these kids have been raising money for the Lottie Moon [0:39] Christmas offering. [0:40] I hope you were able to take part in the marketplace that we had a few Friday

[0:45] evenings ago. [0:46] And I am proud to announce that these children have been able to raise eight more [0:51] than $8000 for the Lottie Moon Christmas offering so that we can get the gospel to [1:00] all over the world. [1:02] And I’m proud of you guys. [1:03] I’m proud of Stoneface here, the poker man never lets you know what he’s thinking.

[1:09] Keep that. [1:11] But I’m also here to guilt trip the adults. [1:15] I’ve said it a few times, but I don’t know if you know this, but it’s illegal for [1:18] any of these children to have employment. [1:20] We have a fascist nation that outlaws child labor. [1:25] But through their hard work, through their dedication, raising $8000 for international

[1:32] missions is amazing. [1:33] And so I’m proud of every single one of you. [1:35] And what I want to do right now is I want to pray over that money. [1:39] Do you guys want me to pray over it? [1:40] Do you guys want me to get God to bless that money so we can make some disciples all over [1:45] the world?

[1:45] You guys good with that? [1:47] Do you want to pray for me? [1:48] You know? [1:49] Yeah. [1:49] No, you want me to do it? [1:52] That’s what I figured.

[1:53] But guys, I want you to join me. [1:54] Let’s pray over that offering. [1:57] Father, you’ve blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places [2:01] through your son, Jesus Christ. [2:04] And what we see here is evidence of that applied through everyday life. [2:10] Lord, I want to pray over these children.

[2:11] I pray that even just from the children on this stage that thousands of disciples [2:17] would be made. [2:18] But Lord, we also want to pray for more than eight thousand dollars that they were [2:23] able to raise for international missions. [2:26] Lord, we pray that that money would be used well, that that money would be used [2:29] wisely.

[2:31] And we pray that that money would be doubled, tripled, quadrupled in impact so [2:36] that thousands of disciples can be made all over the world. [2:40] May people who’ve never heard the name of Jesus Christ hear the name of Jesus [2:44] Christ because of the work that these kids and their parents have done over the [2:50] last few weeks. [2:51] Bless them.

[2:52] Bless the offering. [2:54] And Father, bless us. [2:56] And then, you know, Jesus, I pray. [2:57] Amen. [2:58] All right. [2:59] Who’s preaching?

[3:00] Me? [3:01] Oh, OK. [3:03] He always tells me through. [3:04] Thank you guys so much. [3:05] You all go have fun in village. [3:07] I like your sweater.

[3:07] Your cat sweater is nice.

[3:10] My Santa shirts better.

[3:13] But now you have an opportunity to bless that generation. [3:19] See, I always tie it together. [3:21] What you saw right up on this stage is representative of the next generation of [3:25] disciples of Jesus Christ. [3:27] I fully believe that out of our kids, ministry are just going to come a movement [3:32] of discipleship, a movement of worship unparalleled.

[3:36] I pray that God would use them more than he uses any of us. [3:40] And so this year, the theme of our yearly offering that we’re going to take up [3:45] today is legacy. [3:47] My prayer is that each and every one of you can form a vision in your life to [3:52] leave a legacy for the gospel. [3:55] There’s a lot of things that you can leave for the next generation to have.

[3:59] There’s a lot of material that we can leave them. [4:02] There’s a lot of career advancement that we can train them for. [4:05] But I will tell you, if you keep your eyes on the gospel, there’s nothing more [4:09] important than training the next generation of disciple makers, the next [4:13] generation of pastors, the next generation of church leaders, the next [4:17] generation of missionaries, the next generation of people who will engage the

[4:21] culture in order to evangelize so that we can see more and more people come to [4:26] faith in Jesus Christ. [4:28] And so this year, the offering that we’re going to take up today is going to be [4:33] focused completely on that. [4:35] It’s going to be focused on our kids ministry. [4:37] It’s going to be focused on building a next generation building here at the

[4:41] church. It’s going to be focused on international missions. [4:44] It’s going to be focused on pastoral training. [4:47] It’s going to be focused on our student ministry so that we can build up our [4:51] teenagers to defy the generation that says that they are hopeless. [4:55] The people that say that they’re not going to be followers of Jesus Christ do [5:00] not believe that nonsense.

[5:01] I believe that the millennials, the zoomers, the Alphas, I believe that they’re [5:05] going to impact the world for the gospel, unlike my generation has. [5:10] And today we have an opportunity to fund that. [5:12] But not only do we have an opportunity, see, I believe we have a responsibility. [5:17] And so this morning, if you give, if you put an offer, there’s three things I want [5:21] you to do. If you put something in the offering boxes on your way out, that’s

[5:25] going to be used for our legacy fund. [5:27] If you use the QR code that’s on your handout this morning, that will go to the [5:31] legacy fund. [5:32] And if you go onto our website and give, you can mark that to go to our legacy [5:37] fund as well. [5:38] I believe that in twenty twenty five, God is going to give Village Church

[5:42] opportunities that are going to blow us out of the water. [5:46] But here’s the deal. [5:46] We got to be able to fund them. [5:48] We’ve got to be able to pay for them. [5:50] And it’s going to require you worshiping with your tithes and offerings and you [5:55] worshiping by going above and beyond with the generosity.

[5:58] That here’s the deal. [5:59] I know God has gifted you with an order to steward it for the next generation of [6:06] disciples of Christ. [6:08] And so let’s take that seriously and let’s give faithfully out of the abundance [6:12] that God has given us. [6:15] Now, over the past few weeks, we’ve been fighting for certain aspects of the

[6:20] Christmas season. [6:22] You know, many things can distract you from the posture and attitude that God [6:27] wants you to have during the Christmas season. [6:30] I believe the scripture points us toward what this season should actually be [6:35] focused on. [6:36] And this week, what I want to focus on is hope.

[6:39] Nothing robs you of joy, purpose and worship quite like hopelessness. [6:46] It’s been said that hell is the absence of hope. [6:51] And I say in the human experience, that can be undoubtedly true. [6:56] A recent study noted that 64% of people who struggle with mental illness have [7:03] their condition worsen during the holidays. [7:08] 89% of U.S. adults feel stressed during the holidays.

[7:13] Twenty five percent of those people admit that they feel lonelier this time of year [7:18] than any other time of the calendar year. [7:21] This past week, I was reading through one journal article in an academic journal [7:26] that listed all of the reasons for the uptick in struggling with mental health [7:31] during this time of the year. [7:32] And I considered sharing all of those reasons with you.

[7:35] But when I realized how much that list was stressing me out, I decided against it.

[7:41] Every person in this room has struggled with discouragement at some point this [7:46] year. [7:46] Maybe you’re going through a season of discouragement right now. [7:50] Maybe last week, Pastor Jake’s introduction about how much you need to celebrate more [7:56] than you are. [7:57] Maybe that caused you a little bit of stress as well.

[7:59] I know it did me and you got discouraged. [8:04] And so this morning, I think it’s important to focus on why Christmas is a season of [8:09] hope and how regardless of what you are enduring, that if you trust God, he will [8:15] give you the hope that you need. [8:18] And it’s not just a hope for the Christmas season. [8:21] It’s a hope that will endure you through each and all seasons.

[8:27] Season has not been what I wanted it to be. [8:31] I’ve had discouraging moments. [8:33] I’ve had a few discouraging weeks over these last few weeks. [8:37] But the key is not to discount your discouragement. [8:42] The key is not to deny your discouragement. [8:45] The key is to anchor your hope in the face of discouragement to the objective reality

[8:53] of Jesus Christ so that you can walk through discouragement, so that you can walk through [8:58] criticism, so that you can walk through sickness, so that you can walk through people [9:03] seeking to vilify you, so that you can walk through seasons in which you are not living [9:09] what you would call your best life, but rather you don’t even know what’s wrong with you. [9:13] But you are discouraged. [9:16] You’re tired.

[9:18] You’re lonely.

[9:21] Life is incredibly difficult. [9:26] And attempting to deny that reality will not help you in any way. [9:32] If life wasn’t difficult, I read one author yesterday say, what would have been the [9:38] purpose of Jesus Christ dying on the cross for us? [9:42] He didn’t die for us because everything is rainbows and unicorns.

[9:50] So this morning, I want to start by reading the prophet Isaiah so you can understand [9:56] where your anchor of hope needs to be. [9:59] And it is in the fact that God is a God of promise and he keeps his promises. [10:05] Look in Isaiah nine, verse six, for to us, a child is born, to us, a son is given. [10:14] The government shall be upon his shoulder. [10:16] His name shall be called wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father,

[10:23] prince of peace, of the increase of his government and of peace. [10:30] There will be no end on the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and [10:36] to uphold it with justice and righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. [10:43] The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. [10:49] Number one, this morning, what I want you to understand is that hope is found in God [10:52] keeping his promises.

[10:55] Hope is found in God keeping his promises. [10:57] You know, God is faithful to his word. [11:01] For me personally, Isaiah nine, six is possibly my favorite Christmas passage [11:07] that isn’t really about Christmas at all. [11:11] I mean, it is, but it’s more about the power of Jesus than the birth of Jesus. [11:17] Throughout this series, I’ve tried to focus more on God’s purpose through

[11:20] Christmas than solely just the event of Christmas. [11:26] Isaiah was a prophet from God that God chose to speak through and what really is [11:32] a large book of prophecy. [11:33] That’s why it’s called a major prophet. [11:36] But throughout it, Isaiah mixes contemporary prophecy with future prophecy. [11:41] The book as a whole has a special focus on the Messiah that would come, who would

[11:48] be what he refers to throughout the book as the faithful servant of God in [11:53] juxtaposition to the unfaithful servant that Israel was.

[11:58] Jesus would fulfill these prophecies around four centuries later. [12:04] Jesus is the child who was born. [12:07] He was the son who was given the famous prophecy of Isaiah, of course, is in [12:12] chapter seven, verse 14. [12:14] Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. [12:16] Behold, the Virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name

[12:21] Emmanuel, which means God with us. [12:26] This text would ultimately be fulfilled in Jesus’s birth to the Virgin Mary. [12:33] I’m presuming at a baseline, we can agree on that point because there’s more than [12:38] enough linguistic evidence to prove the case on the identity of who Isaiah was [12:42] talking about. [12:43] And so not going to spend much time trying to prove that case to you this

[12:47] morning. [12:49] But the key for what I want to talk about this morning is understanding why [12:54] God would work such a great miracle of biology into his creation.

[13:01] I saw a liberal pastor this past week talk about how the Virgin birth was a [13:06] biological impossibility, impossibility, therefore it didn’t happen. [13:09] And my response to all of those morons is always, well, yeah, that’s why it’s [13:14] called a miracle dummy. [13:15] Yeah, wouldn’t be a miracle without that.

[13:21] The identity of Jesus Christ is Emmanuel.

[13:28] God become a human being, God with us, and that is vital for every promise God [13:35] ever made. [13:37] That next stanza in Isaiah nine is vital. [13:43] When it says the government shall be upon his shoulder.

[13:50] See, right there, he gets to the point of what he’s talking about. [13:56] This is a passage that is focused on the authority of Jesus Christ in his [14:03] kingly rule that even in the manger, [14:08] he was the king of the universe. [14:13] Isaiah nine begins in verse one by noting that God was going to make light [14:17] shine into the darkness. God was going to make Israel’s oppressors be vanquished.

[14:25] Then in verses six and seven, the focus goes to the future, [14:30] predicting a son who would reign forever. [14:35] That’s what the text refers to as a righteous Davidic ruler. The line of King [14:41] David, his shoulder represents his responsibility

[14:48] says that he bears a responsibility in his life, a willful responsibility.

[14:57] And this is a responsibility that no mere human ruler would be able to handle. [15:03] We see picture after picture in the Old Testament [15:08] of the failure of kings, [15:11] the failure of human rulers.

[15:15] Even good kings like has a Kaia

[15:20] were flawed. [15:22] Had faithless moments, they had sinful moments, they had moments where they [15:25] didn’t trust God. [15:27] And so the hope of Israel was never to be [15:32] a mere human to shoulder [15:36] that responsibility. Instead, it was a God sized responsibility.

[15:45] And that child born

[15:49] for eternity [15:51] has been shouldering that responsibility. You know, present [15:56] circumstances never nullify future promises where God is concerned. [16:02] Life is defined by God’s word is your life defined by God’s word.

[16:09] What are you chasing? What are you pursuing? [16:12] What does it take for you to lose all hope? [16:16] How bad does a day have to be for you to just be hopeless? [16:21] For you to just give up. [16:24] For you to not make disciples. [16:27] For you to throw your life at material rather than eternality.

[16:32] See, it’s important to see how the dots in the scripture connect.

[16:39] In Isaiah 22, 22, it notes that the shoulders of the sun have the key of [16:44] David says, I will place on his shoulder the key of what of the House of David. [16:50] He shall open. [16:52] None shall shut. He shall shut. None shall open. That’s where the Old [16:57] Testament starts to seem like a Dr Seuss book.

[17:01] But it’s vital for you to understand what that means. What that means is that [17:05] if Jesus opens a door, none of your enemies can close it.

[17:13] None of your detractors can come in and close that door. [17:15] Yeah.

[17:18] And if Jesus closes the door, [17:22] no one’s getting through that door. [17:24] No one will ever open that door. But then in Matthew 16, 19, Jesus makes a [17:32] fascinating statement that comes from Isaiah. He says, I will give you the [17:36] keys to the kingdom of heaven and whatever you bind on earth shall be [17:40] bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. This

[17:44] is the Church of Jesus Christ, [17:47] the one whose shoulders bear all governments. [17:53] He looks to the church and he says, You are my people. [17:57] You will do my work. [18:00] You will reach the world. [18:02] And when you take my gospel out, you’re opening doors and you are closing doors,

[18:07] and I will work through you. [18:08]

[18:11] In Revelation 3 7

[18:16] and to the angel of the church in Philadelphia, right? The words of the [18:20] Holy one, the true one who has what? The key of David who opens and no one will [18:27] shut who shuts and no one opens. [18:32] And so what’s the point? [18:35] When you look at your life [18:38] and the world around you,

[18:41] friend, make no mistake. You are tempted to lose hope.

[18:49] I mean, if you’re paying any attention, probably on a daily basis,

[18:54] but you must never give in to that impulse regardless of circumstances. [19:01] Whoever is ruling from a physical posture of power in any age can never [19:09] nullify the power of Christ. [19:14] The son who was given [19:18] to you.

[19:23] Second Corinthians, 120 States [19:25] that every promise of God finds its what in Christ. [19:31] Christ. Yes.

[19:36] Why are you discouraged

[19:39] when God’s promises are as rock solid as the son who was given? That is the [19:47] power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. From Genesis 3 15, the proto [19:52] Evangelium, where he says a son will come who will crush the head of Satan [19:57] to the Abrahamic covenant, to the law through Moses, to the Davidic covenant, [20:04] to revelation itself. Every promise God has ever made is fulfilled and [20:10] empowered through the work of God, the son Jesus Christ, his life, his death,

[20:16] his victorious resurrection, anchor this world to eternal hope because he shall [20:27] rain forever.

[20:31] What are you anchored to? [20:34] What is your life’s hope? What is your life’s purpose? [20:40] If it is not Christ,

[20:44] it is foolish and will crumble.

[20:51] But secondly, hope is found in walk in God walking with you every day. [20:56] There’s a temptation with preachers. There is a temptation with people [21:02] to proclaim this magnificent reign of Christ, this amazing hope of Christ, [21:08] but always keep it as this external thing. He rules over nations. He rules [21:12] over the cosmos. He rules over the world. He rules over the government. [21:16] And we say, yes,

[21:20] but that’s not sufficient because that’s not what the text does. I love what [21:25] the text does. The text says the government shall be on his shoulders. [21:28] And then the text comes to your living room.

[21:33] Text comes to your dining room table [21:36] and says he’s not just shouldering the responsibility of the government. He’s [21:40] shouldering the responsibility over you. [21:43] Look at what the text is. And this is this is so important from a counseling [21:48] mindset. [21:50] His name shall be called.

[21:54] Wonderful. [21:56] Counselor, [21:57] mighty God, [21:59] everlasting father, Prince of Peace. I want to pause there.

[22:06] Verse six

[22:09] takes us from this future kingdom [22:13] from the sovereign ruler who’s moving governments towards his will [22:20] and then comes in and says [22:23] none of that is significant unless he’s ruling over you.

[22:29] You can be helpful for the government all day, but are you hopeful for [22:32] yourself? [22:34] You can trust God to rule over nations all day, but are you trust them to rule [22:38] over your life? And when you trust him to rule over your life, that means are [22:42] you personally submitting to his lordship? [22:45] Are you living in a relationship with the king who walks with you?

[22:50] Now I want to take some time [22:53] to go through the implications of these attributes.

[22:58] The first one, and it’s connected to counselor, but it’s such an important [23:02] word that I want to just look at it by itself. It’s that word wonderful. [23:07] I think we think we know what wonderful means. I know. I think I’m wonderful.

[23:14] But when it says that about Jesus, it’s something that I could never attain to [23:19] in the original language in the Hebrew. It’s the same term as astonishment. [23:23] It’s a term in the Hebrew that’s used to describe something so unusual [23:30] that it’s miraculous. [23:33] Commentator Gary Smith notes that the life of the sun was through this word [23:39] to exhibit something so unusual

[23:43] that it would exhibit the very miraculous acts of God in life. [23:49] Same concept displayed at the end of the sermon on the mount. [23:54] In Matthew 7 28, when Jesus finishes his long sermon, [23:58] says in Jesus finished his saying, the crowds were astonished at his teaching. [24:05] The crowds reacted with astonishment. The reason for this reaction is that they [24:10] had just sat under the very words of God.

[24:17] You see, friend, understanding the source of Jesus and the necessity [24:22] of reacting with astonishment to who he is and what he has done [24:28] is vital for your life of hope.

[24:34] So many of you

[24:38] replay. [24:40] In your mind, discouragement.

[24:45] You don’t have a greatest hits record going on in your mind. [24:49] It’s like the old sports bloopers. [24:53] It’s the worst hits.

[24:56] You watch highlights. [24:57] I don’t have the attention span for sports ball. [25:02] Hey, I don’t get it. [25:05] Watch a bunch of 20 year olds throw a ball down a field dream big.

[25:10] But I’ll watch highlights because they’ll do a three hour game in a minute.

[25:16] But so many times the stinking thinking that goes on in the minds of so many [25:20] people isn’t a highlight reel where you see your greatest hits. [25:26] It’s a highlight reel where you see your worst moments.

[25:31] And you sit in that. [25:33] And when you sit in that long enough, [25:37] you form a habit in your mind. [25:40] And that habit is you could have 10 people encourage you. [25:46] But all you heard was that one negative person.

[25:51] You know, I think stays with you is what that one negative person said.

[25:56] It’s the rest of your season is defined by your worst hits and you sit there [26:00] and you stew and you think about it and then you believe it. [26:03] And then here’s the problem. [26:05] And here’s what most people don’t think through. [26:09] You believe it, you become it.

[26:14] And so often the discouragement becomes a prophecy in your life that you [26:18] fulfill simply because you believe the discouragement. [26:23] If you are negative about yourself long enough, [26:25] you will become negative in action, attitude, posture, everything.

[26:34] Jesus is wonderful. [26:37] But he’s the wonderful counselor.

[26:42] I mean, this is one of my favorite things about the Bible is what I want to focus [26:46] on the Bible says, well, don’t focus on that right now. [26:49] He walked on water, he turned water into wine, he rose from the dead. [26:55] But Isaiah says he’s a wonderful counselor, too.

[27:01] It’s miraculous. [27:03] The effect that the gospel should have on your mind. [27:10] It’s a form of the term counselor [27:14] that describes a continual action.

[27:18] In Hebrew, something can be a noun and a verb at the same time. [27:22] That’s why Hebrew is maddening. [27:25] And it describes him, but it’s also a descriptive term that says what he’s doing.

[27:32] Jesus came to be the person who constantly advises you on what to do, [27:39] how to live and how to think. [27:42] This is something that I see people continually looking for. [27:48] I don’t know what to do. [27:50] I don’t know what to think. [27:52] I don’t know where to go.

[27:54] I don’t know how to be.

[27:58] Do you have the wonderful counselor in your life? [28:01] Because he wants to tell you what to do. [28:03] He wants to tell you where to go. [28:04] He wants to tell you who to be, and he wants to tell you how to be it. [28:10] Question is, are you listening?

[28:14] Here’s the key to scripture. [28:16] If you aren’t hearing from God, [28:20] it’s not because he stopped talking. [28:23] It’s because you stopped listening.

[28:27] One of the great promises of Matthew 28 20, the end of the Great Commission, [28:32] is that Jesus closes it by saying, I’m with you always to the end of the age.

[28:40] Sometimes I have to sit and remind myself that I am not walking through [28:45] anything in life alone.

[28:49] But the same Jesus who gave his life for me and says, he’s with me, [28:54] he’s there. [28:56] He’ll tell me how to think. [28:57] He’ll tell me what to do. [29:00] Some of y’all are just looking for people to tell you what to do. [29:04] Here’s the deal.

[29:05] I don’t blame you for asking me what to do. [29:08] I would ask me to. [29:10] I wake up every morning, look in the mirror and say, Steve, what do I do? [29:15] I got nobody to ask. [29:16] All right.

[29:19] But here’s the key. [29:21] I am no substitute for Jesus Christ [29:27] who made a promise 400 years before he was born. [29:32] You know, nobody does that.

[29:35] 400 years before I was born, I wasn’t making any promises, [29:39] but Jesus was and he didn’t just say, I’m gonna do some crazy stuff. [29:43] I walk on water. [29:44] No, he said something that comes to my house and says, I will instruct you [29:49] if you will listen. [29:52] I will talk to you.

[29:53] I will advise you. [29:54] I will counsel you in miraculous ways. [29:57] I got to move.

[29:59] He’s also the mighty God.

[30:04] I love how they build on each other. [30:06] It’s one thing to be the wonderful counselor. [30:08] That’s fine. [30:09] But if you’re going to counsel me, you better be able to back it up.

[30:14] The son given is mighty God. [30:18] This is a combination that notes that he is the supernatural being [30:22] who rules over the universe. [30:25] But he adds the term mighty

[30:30] as a statement of his leadership in your life.

[30:35] This is the power of Christ for you. [30:39] It gives the idea that he is a warrior who is fighting for you. [30:44] And this warrior rose from the dead. [30:49] And the scripture tells us is interceding to the father for you right now. [30:57] There is no conflict. [30:59] There is no turmoil that you will face in life where Jesus is not already

[31:05] fighting the battle for you. [31:08] Before I even knew the fight was coming. [31:11] Jesus was in it and he was in it for me.

[31:18] Don’t be belligerent to his leadership in your life.

[31:26] Do you know when you disobey God? [31:29] You say I don’t need you to be the mighty God for me. [31:31] I got this.

[31:34] Kind of a stupid mindset is that you ain’t got nothing. [31:37] And he’s the mighty God [31:43] who stands with you, fights for you. [31:48] Why would you ever resist him?

[31:56] Oh, but he’s also the everlasting father.

[32:01] Fatherhood is the greatest privilege of my life. [32:06] Some of you have good fathers [32:09] to which you should thank God and I do every day.

[32:14] And some of you,

[32:17] unfortunately, walk through life with a father wound.

[32:22] You don’t have a good relationship with your father. [32:25] Maybe you would even make the sad statement. [32:27] I’ve never learned anything from my father by God’s grace. [32:30] That’s not everybody, but I know it’s some of you.

[32:34] And you don’t think that father wound can ever heal. [32:37] And a lot of your life and a lot of the decisions you are making [32:42] is to get back at an earthly father, maybe even a mother.

[32:48] But the text tells us that if we will have faith,

[32:54] Jesus can heal that wound. [32:57] He is the archetype of what a father is meant to be [33:04] and what you can have through faith in him. [33:06] He’s the one here’s I love this. [33:08] He is the one who has always been. [33:12] He is the one who started it all.

[33:14] But here’s the key. [33:15] Here’s why he’s everlasting father, because he is the one [33:18] who is never walking out on you.

[33:22] He is the one who will never abdicate his responsibility [33:25] to love you and lead you. [33:28] He is the one who will always listen to you. [33:32] He is the one who will always care for you. [33:36] And he is the one that when you need him, [33:40] he’ll carry you as well.

[33:42] That is who Jesus is. [33:45] Everyone wants the type of father [33:48] that’s always got your back and he’s with you through it all.

[33:54] That’s who Jesus Christ is. [33:58] He will endure through every moment, [34:00] and there will never be a moment that you can’t depend on him. [34:05] And for you young fathers, if that’s who you want to be, [34:08] that’s who you learn it from.

[34:12] Don’t reinvent the wheel. [34:13] You’ll be an idiot. [34:16] You want to be the type of father that Jesus Christ examples. [34:19] He’ll never leave you. [34:20] He’ll never forsake you. [34:22] He’s also the Prince of Peace.

[34:26] And that might be the most important attribute for you right now [34:30] because of the turmoil you may be enduring.

[34:33] Sometimes there’s a temptation to look at such a thing and say, [34:36] oh, you know, Prince, he’s some kind of figurehead. [34:39] But in this context, that’s not what the term means.

[34:44] Prince in this context is the person to whom authority is given. [34:51] He’s the chief. [34:53] He’s the chief done. [34:54] He’s the ruler. [34:56] He’s the leader. [34:57] He’s the commander.

[34:58] The king gives authority to the prince to rule. [35:05] And Jesus reveals to us that he has real authority [35:10] and that he is the one who can be trusted to lay down the law. [35:15] He uses his authority to give you peace, though. [35:19] See, Jesus came to provide what you cannot [35:24] and will never be able to attain on your own.

[35:27] Philippians four, seven calls it a peace that surpasses all understanding.

[35:33] You might even call it an astonishing. [35:36] Peace. Couple that with counselor. [35:41] And you get the promise of John 14, 26 to 27. [35:45] Jesus says the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the son will send in my name. [35:49] See, that’s the authority. [35:50] That’s the chieftain.

[35:52] He says he’s coming in my name under my authority, under my power. [35:55] He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance [35:59] all that I have said to you. [36:00] But what does verse 27 say? [36:02] Peace. I leave you. [36:06] My peace. I give to you.

[36:09] Not as the world gives, do I give to you. [36:12] Stop seeking it in the world.

[36:15] Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

[36:20] Jesus gave his word because he would send the helper or the guide. [36:24] The Holy Spirit would give us peace directly from Jesus and to our lives. [36:29] I don’t know what you’re doing [36:31] if you’re not finding your peace in Christ. [36:34] You can’t have any. [36:36] When we celebrate Christmas, that’s what we’re celebrating.

[36:40] It’s not just some external idea of Christ’s reign over our country or our world. [36:46] It is the rain that goes straight to the core. [36:49] Of who I am and what I am living for. [36:53] And how I am actually experiencing the life I’m living.

[37:00] That’s why number three, hope is found in God delivering us from sin.

[37:06] Hope is found in God delivering us from sin. [37:11] His victory is eternal. [37:13] That’s the point in this passage. [37:17] Don’t be gripped by fear and discouragement [37:21] because of what is guaranteed to come.

[37:27] What is the world’s greatest problem? [37:30] I’d get a thousand different answers today if I actually asked you. [37:34] But it all boils down to one thing, sin.

[37:38] The curse of sin has brought corruption to everything that God made good. [37:44] That’s your problem. [37:47] That’s the other person’s problem. [37:50] That’s the system’s problem. [37:51] That’s nature’s problem. [37:53] And on and on, the Book of Romans spells it out pretty effectively

[37:56] in the first six chapters. [37:59] But that is why Christ’s victory is the anchor for hope in all circumstances. [38:04] Ephesians 2 14 puts it this way. [38:06] He himself is our peace, who has made us both one [38:10] and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility. [38:15] What dividing wall of hostility?

[38:16] The dividing wall that sin erected between us and God [38:21] and between us and God’s people. [38:24] And he says, come on in, you’re my people. [38:28] You see, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the definitive victory over sin [38:33] and sins sting is most effectively felt through death.

[38:40] Are you lost in sin, friend? [38:43] God will deliver you through Jesus. [38:46] Are you struggling through the hurt of someone else’s sin? [38:52] God will deliver you through Jesus. [38:56] Are you mourning loss? [38:58] Jesus. Is your world in chaos?

[39:03] Jesus. Are you being persecuted? [39:07] Jesus. Are you lonely? [39:11] Jesus. [39:11] Jesus. Whatever your struggle, [39:16] the power and authority of Christ [39:20] is the hope you need to keep going.

[39:23] Look at verse seven. [39:25] Of the increase of his government and of peace, [39:28] there will be no end [39:31] on the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold it. [39:35] Justice, righteousness this time forever more.

[39:41] Who’s going to do all that? [39:44] You. I think you overestimate your ability.

[39:51] Only the sun can do any of it. [39:55] Begins with this idea in verse seven of increase, [39:59] something that is continually growing. [40:03] It is true, and it is in a sense [40:07] to be felt to become truer [40:10] as time goes on.

[40:12] That’s the amazing thing about the gospel is it is true.

[40:17] But then as you follow, it feels truer

[40:22] because it feels more real. [40:23] You experience it more. [40:26] It is not Christian to sit stagnant,

[40:31] cynical and defeated. [40:34] He has delivered us from sin, [40:37] therefore. [40:40] The point is, be hopeful.

[40:45] First Corinthians 1525 makes this weird statement. [40:49] He must reign until

[40:53] his enemies are put under his feet.

[40:59] And that’s why the ending of verse seven is so good, [41:03] because between six and seven, it’s static. [41:07] In reading. [41:09] This is this is true. [41:10] This is true. This is true. This is true. [41:13] But then he ends verse seven with this weird statement.

[41:16] What does he say? [41:18] He says, the zeal of the Lord of hosts

[41:22] will do this.

[41:25] And that happens so often throughout scripture.

[41:29] This is true, and it’s going to happen. [41:33] This is the present reality. [41:35] Aren’t you looking forward to it? [41:38] Really? That doesn’t make any sense.

[41:42] Because we are so tempted to look at that kind of statement. [41:47] Look at all of the static statements of the truth.

[41:52] And in discouragement, you look at it and you say, when? [41:57] Because it doesn’t feel like that right now. [42:02] And what’s so amazing about the Holy Spirit [42:04] is that he presupposes our reaction.

[42:09] And he just says, God will do it. [42:13] It is his passion to do these things.

[42:18] He states that God will do it with unparalleled zeal. [42:22] That’s the word. [42:22] There is a passion that is uncommon, a passion that you cannot parallel [42:26] with any other type of passion. [42:28] He means God is so determined for this to happen that he will do it himself. [42:33] And he won’t put the responsibility on anyone else to accomplish it.

[42:36] And no one can stop him.

[42:41] Therefore, when God seems slow,

[42:47] what the text is telling us is look to the son who was given.

[42:53] Look to all that he did in his life. [42:56] Look to all that he did in his death. [42:59] Look to all that he did in his resurrection.

[43:04] And keep trusting.

[43:08] God is a God who loves to save. [43:12] He’s proved that. [43:15] Therefore, keep waiting. [43:19] And keep going. [43:22] Because he sent his son to do it.

[43:27] Few application points this morning.

[43:31] The first one is static. [43:34] Jesus fulfills God’s promises. [43:37] Some of you are determined to trust in your ability to deliver the best life [43:42] ever.

[43:45] And it’s going to wear you down.

[43:49] You are not the promise keeper.

[43:53] Jesus is.

[43:55] So, secondly, anchor your hope to the authority of Jesus, [44:00] not to the authority of self. [44:02] Thirdly, applying God’s promises to your personal experience.

[44:07] Tell you, you can go through these past three sermons and say good night. [44:12] I am a failure at celebrating. [44:14] I got a bad attitude. [44:16] Life isn’t going my way.

[44:19] Good news. [44:21] Jesus came to save you from that. [44:24] And then finally, live hopeful.

[44:30] Because God is going to deliver on every single promise [44:36] he has.

[44:40] And he will.