Let me understand the teaching of your precepts; then I will meditate on your wonders.              Psalm 119:2

Your Blessed Hope

December 24, 2007

Noon Worship

Titus 2:11-14

Titus 2:11-14 ¹¹ For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.  ¹² It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,  ¹³ while we wait for the blessed hope-- the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,  ¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

It doesn’t take long for us to forget about the hope of Christmas.  Christmas has become a commercialized holiday in many aspects. Christmas, it seems, has become all about gifts and glitter. The holiday season glazes over Thanksgiving, only to run full steam ahead into Christmas. It seems that each year, stores put up their Christmas decorations earlier and earlier. They begin marketing some of the “big ticket” items and tell us what it is that everyone “must have”.   As we dash from store to store, looking for the latest gadgets, gizmos and toys we quickly become irritated by un-friendly and un-helpful store personnel, the fight for parking, traffic, long lines, and Christmas lists that seem to never end. The hope of Christmas is lost.

                It doesn’t even end when December 26 rolls around.  Now everything is 50% off or more, and the bustle begins all over again. You have gift cards and Christmas money that is burning a hole in your pocket, and its time to rush out and get those things that you didn’t get for Christmas. We rush straight into the New Year barely catching our breath. We only begin to rest when January 2 comes, only to find ourselves back in the normal routines, packing up the Christmas décor for another year of storage.

We can quickly forget what Christmas is all about.  Come the end of January when those credit card bills start flooding our mailboxes, we are faced with the reality of our Christmas celebrations. And often times you may mutter under your breath at the financial bill that accumulated for your Christmas celebrations. The hope of Christmas is lost.

In all the hustle and bustle that Christmas has become, we have lost the hope that Christmas brings us. As we weave through the three passages we heard a few moments ago, we are reminded of the blessed hope that Christmas is truly all about.

                Isaiah prophesied the first Christmas  with those famous words: ⁶ For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

 The title Wonderful Counselor points us to our Messiah as a king. He is coming determined to carry out a specific program of action and royal regime that the entire world will benefit from: death on a cross and resurrection from the grave.

Mighty God points us to the divinity of our Savior and Messiah. Our Messiah is God-himself. God’s love is demonstrated for you in that he didn’t send just anyone to be your Messiah. He sent his only Son, Jesus Christ.

Everlasting Father shows us that the Messiah will be a compassionate protector. As a father protects, loves and cares for his children, your Everlasting Father will be compassionate and loving.

 Prince of Peace is not pointing us to an earthly peace, but rather peace restored between God and man. Peace that was disrupted by sin.

The Messiah, Jesus Christ, is all these things: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. The fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy is recorded in Luke chapter 2.

                God promised to send us a Savior, and He kept His promise in the baby Jesus. He sent the long-awaited Messiah. He went above all expectations. Your Messiah didn’t come to earth with glitter and hoop-la. Your Messiah came to earth and he was born in a stable. His first bed was a manger. His first visitors were shepherds. Jesus’ first blanket was not micro-fleece or 400 thread-count sheets. His first blanket was strips of cloth and hay. He didn’t just send any man, but He sent His one and only Son, Jesus, your Mighty God.

                Your Messiah lived a very simple life. He was the boy of a carpenter. Your Messiah experienced all the hurts and pains of our lives. He experienced sadness, loneliness, and pain. He experienced all the pain and hurt that this life can dish out. He did it all for you. He lived an exemplary life for all of us to follow. He did it all for you. Jesus, your Everlasting Father.

                Then after 33 years of his life here on earth, He suffered, was crucified, and died on a cross. Jesus sole purpose in coming to this earth was to die: Jesus, your Wonderful Counselor. He didn’t come to live a pampered life, He came to suffer and die. The hope that Christmas brings was fully revealed on that Friday afternoon, when your Savior, Jesus, was hanging on the cross. Jesus’ death on the cross paid the price of your sin. Jesus gave up his spirit, crying out that it was finished. Jesus paid the debt of sin. His life came to a screeching halt on that wooden cross.

                The story was not over, because three days later, your Messiah rose triumphantly from the grave. Death did not finish your Savior. Jesus’ death and resurrection brought with it a new blessed hope. Hope that we will one day rise from the grave victoriously to reside with our Creator, Father, and Savior in heaven. Jesus, your Prince of Peace.

                When Jesus returned to the Father He promised to come again. We are reminded of that promise in our passage from Titus. Now, we are waiting for that blessed hope—the blessed hope that our Savior and Lord will come again to take us home to be with him. We have seen the promise and fulfillment of a Savior and Messiah. Now, we wait with the blessed hope that our messiah, Jesus Christ will come back again to take you to be with Him forever in heaven, your eternal home.

                Jesus didn’t do all this for the elite or select few. He did this for the entire world. Jesus accepts you for who you are right now. Jesus does not care about your past, or those deeds and acts that are buried in the back of your “life’s closet”. All of your sordid past has been paid for by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Jesus now waits for you with open arms, ready to accept you into His kingdom. Jesus gives you His grace and mercy at no cost. It is a totally free gift, with no strings attached. The hope of life eternal is right there in front of you. The gift is yours for the taking.

                As you tear through the Christmas packages tonight or tomorrow morning, do not lose the hope of Christmas. Christmas is not about the packages, and glitter. Christmas is about a promise fulfilled. Jesus is your Wonderful Counselor, your Mighty God, your Everlasting Father, Your Prince of Peace.

Your blessed hope is lying in a manger bed; your blessed hope hung on the bloody, wooden cross;  your blessed hope rose triumphantly from the grave; and your blessed hope will come again to take you to your eternal home. Amen.