Intro: 

Good Morning,  Discovery Church!

It is an honor to be with you today on this first Sunday of Advent. Traditionally within the church, this begins a season of preparation for God’s people to fully embrace the birth of Jesus Christ. This is one of my favorite times of year because you can start to sense that Christmas is coming. Houses down the street are strung with lights, stores play festive music, and you can eat all kinds of holiday goodies.

This morning we are beginning a brand-new sermon series called Behold A Savior Is Born. To kick things off we’ll see that thousands of years ago there were prophets in the Old Testament who wrote about a future day when God would send a savior to His people. He would make a way for all things to be healed from the devastating effects of sin. It is during this season we celebrate that in a dirty stable in Bethlehem long ago, there was born a baby who would change the world by bringing eternal hope.

Story: Christmas really is about hope, isn't it? When I was little, I didn't write letters to Santa. Instead, every Sunday, I'd dive into the newspaper flyers from Toy's R Us, Bradlee's, and Caldor's. I'd eagerly circle all the gifts I wanted, handing these pages to my folks, my heart full of hope. This wasn't just a kid wanting toys, but me learning to hope, to expect joy and surprises.

That's what Christmas does, right? It's not just about gifts under trees. It's about that bigger hope, the kind we find in a humble manger, reminding us of the greatest gift. Christmas, in its essence, is hope for something much greater than what we see.

As fun as it was to make lists and wait to open presents during the holidays, the bigger picture behind this holiday is that because of Jesus’ birth, we have hope that our greater desires, beyond electronics, toys, and jewelry…things like purpose, meaning, significance, forgiveness, and wholeness are available to us. These are gifts that we don’t have to wait to open. When we place our faith in Jesus, they are ours, and that reality fills us with hope no matter what circumstance or situation we find ourselves in. 

POINT #1 – THE SIGNS OF GOD GIVE US HOPE

The people of God in the Old Testament were waiting and hoping for God to fulfill his promise to bless them and through them, bless the entire world. They were hoping for a Messiah. The word Messiah means the “anointed one”. The Messiah would be sent to rescue and heal all of creation from the destructive effects of sin. The prophet Isaiah wrote about this hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus. 

Story: Consider the remarkable story of the Apollo 11 mission, mankind's first journey to land on the Moon. This historic event, watched by millions around the globe, was a culmination of years of anticipation and scientific endeavor. As the spacecraft made its long journey through the vastness of space, the world waited with bated breath, tracking its progress through every stage. The moment the lunar module, the Eagle, finally touched down on the lunar surface, with Neil Armstrong declaring, 'That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,' was a profound realization of a promise made years earlier by President John F. Kennedy, to land a man on the Moon and return him safely to Earth. This moment of fulfillment, after a journey fraught with challenges and uncertainties, echoes the profound anticipation and fulfillment we find in the prophecies of Isaiah. Just as the world watched and waited for that 'giant leap,' so did the people of God look for the signs of the coming Messiah, a hope that would change the world forever.

Hundreds of years before Mary and Joseph ever came to Bethlehem; hundreds of years before there was ever a crowded inn and a dusty old stable, God had spoken hope through the prophets. God told his people to watch for a virgin who would become pregnant. Now this is an interesting sign. First of all, this does not happen every day. In fact, it would be a miracle. But this miracle would indicate that it was of God and not of man. Also, this pregnant woman would give birth to a son and his name would be Immanuel. 

The signs of God working in your life will often be things that you could not produce on your own. They will be things that only God can do. This is where hope is born. If I could do things on my own, then I would have no need for God. The truth is, I need divine power to save my marriage, to fight this diagnosis, to kick this addiction, or to be freed from depression.  When a virgin gives birth to a son, that is a work of God and a sign He can do anything! When the angel Gabriel visited Mary He said, “For nothing will be impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37, ESV) 

POINT #2 – GOD WITH US IS THE HOPE WE NEED

When we delve into the name given to this child in Isaiah's prophecy, we find a profound revelation. 'Immanuel' – a Hebrew word that simply, yet powerfully, means 'God with us.' This isn't just a name; it's a declaration of God's intimate involvement in our lives. Let's pause and consider the weight of this.

In the book of Isaiah, where we first encounter 'Immanuel', the people of Israel were facing daunting challenges. They were a nation under threat, a people walking in darkness. Into this context, God promises a sign: a virgin will conceive and bear a son, and they will call him Immanuel. This promise wasn't merely about a miraculous birth; it was about the nearness of God in their struggles. It was a promise that God wasn't a distant deity, but a God who would walk with them, share in their pain, and ultimately bring redemption.

Fast forward to the New Testament, where Matthew's Gospel reiterates this prophecy while narrating Jesus' birth. Here, 'Immanuel' takes on flesh and blood. In Jesus, God isn't just with us in spirit, but in physical form – walking our streets, breathing our air, experiencing our joys and sorrows. This changes everything.

In Romans 5:8, we're reminded that 'God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.' This is 'Immanuel' in action – God not just with us, but for us. In Jesus, God comes close not because we've earned it, but out of His boundless love.

Imagine the reassurance this brings. In our moments of despair, when hope seems distant, we are not alone. God is intimately involved in our struggles. When you face trials, remember, it's not just you against the world; it's you with 'Immanuel'.

STORY: Think of a child lost in a crowded place. The fear and panic they feel is overwhelming. Now imagine the relief and security they experience when they see their parents' familiar face. That's 'Immanuel' for us. In our lost and fearful moments, God reaches out, not to scold, but to embrace, to guide, to be with us.

This Advent, as we ponder the birth of Jesus, let's embrace this truth. God is not distant; He is 'Immanuel'. He is with us in our struggles, our doubts, and our fears. And in Him, we find the hope we need to face each day, knowing we are never alone.

POINT #3 – JESUS’ SACRIFICE GIVES US HOPE

The story of Jesus is bookended by two major events. The first is his birth that we read about in Isaiah 7. The second event is what confirms our hope is in the right place. The second event we find prophetically spoken about only a few chapters later in chapter 53 of Isaiah. 

Hundreds of years before Jesus grows up to be a man and carries out three years of powerful ministry. Hundreds of years before he will be arrested, crucified, and killed, Isaiah writes about how the manger will lead to the cross. Jesus was pierced in his hands and feet by nails holding him to the cross. He was crushed and beaten by his accusers. He was punished for wrongs he never committed himself. He received wounds on our behalf. It is by the suffering that he went through that we have freedom from our own sin and rebellion. Though you and I are deserving of death and the penalty for all the sinful things we have done, Jesus took it on himself. Your hope of healing, freedom, wholeness, and eternal life is made possible because of Jesus. 

I heard someone once say that if Christmas is the promise, then Easter is the proof. That is a good word. We celebrate Christmas because we know that resurrection is coming! We have been given the awesome privilege of offering the hope that we have found in Christ to others. What better season to do this in than Christmas. It may cost us something. It may be a sacrifice, but considering all God has done for me, it is the least I can do.

STORY: David Livingstone was a Scottish missionary and explorer who spent thirty-three years in the heart of Africa. He endured much suffering as he labored to spread the Gospel and open the continent to missionaries. This godly missionary once remarked:

“People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. Can that be called a sacrifice which is simply paid back as a small part of a great debt owing to our God, which we can never repay?...It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger now and then with a foregoing of the common conveniences and charities of this life, may make us pause, and cause the spirit to waver, and the soul to sink, but let this only be for a moment. All these are nothing when compared with the glory which shall hereafter be revealed in and for us. I never made a sacrifice. Of this we ought not to talk, when we remember the great sacrifice which HE made who left his Father’s throne on high to give himself for us.”

This holiday season may our hearts be filled with the hope that is ours in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. May we be so overwhelmed with gratitude that we would be compelled to serve and sacrifice for others as a way of sharing our hope with the world. 

Our servant king has been born and he has given us an example to follow. What is one way you can offer hope to someone this week? Perhaps it would be by sacrificially giving to an organization or an individual in need. Perhaps it would be writing a letter or note to encourage someone and share the hope that you have in your life.

Let’s pray together.