First Week of Advent (Hope) - Part 1

Thank you for listening to this message from the ministry of Morse Corner Church in Leverett, Massachusetts. Morse Corner is a non-denominational church that is committed to the preaching and teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our church was founded in 1896 by two students of the famous evangelist D .L. Moody. We seek to encourage and edify the body of Christ through the proclamation of God's word through the ministries of the local church.

If you'd like more information, visit our website, morsecornerchurch .com. We hope you enjoy the message. As most of you know, we've been going through the book of 2 Corinthians here at Morse Corner Church, and Lord willing, we will pick up again in 2 Corinthians, most likely on December 27th.

The Meaning of Advent and the Threefold Hope of Christ's Coming

So until then, we're going to be following the themes of the Advent season, which are starting this week, hope, peace, love, and then joy. So let's begin with a word of prayer. Our Father, we are thankful for all that you have blessed us with, and we praise you for you and you alone are the giver of hope.

Also, Jesus is the prince of peace. You are the author of love and the reason for our joy. So Lord, may we be filled with these things so that our cup runneth over. And Lord, we ask that you would bless us this holiday season, that we would be able to be a blessing to others.

And we ask it all in the name of Christ our Lord. Amen. All right, so if you would, please open in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah, the Old Testament book of Jeremiah chapter 33, and the title of this morning's message is Christ, Our Blessed Hope.

Jeremiah 33, you'll remember, that is where the Advent reading was found earlier in the service. And before we look at the text, because this is the first Sunday of Advent, I want to give a brief summary, even though we just heard one a few moments ago, and he was kind of stealing some of my material, but that's OK.

I won't hold it against him. But let's start out with a brief summary of what Advent is all about. Let's start with the word itself. It does come from the Latin Adventus, and it does mean literally coming or arrival.

But in the Greek, the word is parousia. And that's an important word that you should know in the Greek, parousia. And as every serious student of the Bible knows, parousia is a term used in the New Testament to refer to the second coming or the second Advent of Christ.

Thus, the Advent season in the Christian calendar anticipates the coming of Christ, but it is anticipated from three different perspectives. And this will kind of serve as an outline to the message. What are these different perspectives?

Number one, the physical nativity at Bethlehem. Number two, the reception or the arrival of Christ into the heart of the believer. And then finally, number three, the eschatological second Advent or second coming of Christ.

So, we have hope because of the first Advent certainly is coming in Bethlehem. And that, we all know, is what we're building up towards to celebrate on December 25th. And some have speculated, well, was Jesus.

We know Jesus was not born on December 25th. There actually is a credible argument that he was, but that's beside the point. But the Advent season is building up. We think of it in preparation for that.

But in the meantime, we have that living hope within us. If you have trusted in Christ as your Savior, you have a living hope within you. And then, of course, we have the greatest hope of all when Christ returns in glory at his second Advent, where we will forever be like him and we will forever dwell with him.

Jeremiah's Message of Judgment and Hope for Judah

So, with all of that said, let's begin reading in Jeremiah chapter 33, starting in verse 1. Moreover, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still shut up in the court of the prison, saying, Thus says the Lord who made it.

This is most likely a reference to the city of Jerusalem. The Lord who formed it to establish it. The Lord is his name. Call to me, verse 3, and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you do not know.

So, the prophet Jeremiah, to get a little background of this passage, Jeremiah was given the unpleasant task of preaching God's judgment that was about to come upon the nation of Judah. The people, and certainly the leaders of the nation, they greatly preferred the true prophet Jeremiah.

No, no, no. They greatly preferred the false prophets, who did what? They preached peace, peace, when there was no peace coming. Judgment was coming, for God had declared through Jeremiah that the nation would be destroyed, the city of Jerusalem would be ransacked, and the people would be taken away captive to Babylon.

This message that Jeremiah was preaching, as you can imagine, it made him unpopular, to say the least. And it got him imprisoned. But the word of the Lord came to him, and God who established the city of Jerusalem, he is a God who gives hope.

Amen? He's a God who gives hope to those who call on his name. Yes, Jerusalem would be destroyed. Yes, Jeremiah preached a message that was unpleasant, but he also had a message of hope. Skip down to verse 14.

This is the word of God. Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days, and at that time, I will cause to grow up to David a branch of righteousness, and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.

In those days, Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell safely. And this is the name by which she that is the city will be called the Lord our righteousness. And then look at verse 17. For thus says the Lord, David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel.

The Branch of Righteousness and the Promise of Messiah

Now I'd like you to go to the gospel of Luke chapter 1. Luke chapter 1. Now when the Lord spoke to Jeremiah, and he says, I will show you great and mighty things which you do not know. What was he speaking of?

Well, I think what the Lord is saying is there are things, Jeremiah, that you cannot know unless I reveal them to you. So what the Lord appears to be saying is that there is hope for you. There is hope for the nation.

There is hope for the people. Yes, the Jews will be taken captive to Babylon, but you know what? I'm going to bring them back. I will rebuild Jerusalem. And of course, all of this came to pass. But even more than that, the hope of the Jews returning after the 70 years, the greatest hope of all is that blessing that would be bestowed upon the people during the days of Messiah.

That was the real hope that they were looking for. For the Lord says, I will cause to grow up to David a branch of righteousness. What is there? Something like 300 different names by which Christ is called.

Well, one of them is the branch. Now to a new believer or someone hearing that for the first time, that may sound a little strange that the Messiah, the Christ, would be called the branch. What does that mean?

Well, how many of you have ever gone outside and gone in the backyard or whatever and you've cut down a tree? And sometimes when you cut down a tree, what's left? The stump and the stump may dry out and it's dead.

That's it. Other times you might cut down a tree and come back a couple months later. And what do you see? A branch is growing out of the stump. And if you let that thing grow, the tree is going to grow back.

You see, there were times in Israel's history. It looked like a dead stump. Judah is a dead stump. And that's probably what some people thought. But if they trusted in the Lord, if they had hope and they called upon his name, a branch would grow.

Why? Because the Lord promised a branch would grow. The Lord promised that the Christ would come. Now, as we read from Luke chapter 1, remember the context of this time period. In Luke chapter 1, the Lord had been silent for about 400 years.

Just think about that. I know you say, well, that's nothing. He's been silent now for 1900 years. We have his word. He still speaks through his word and leads through the Holy Spirit. But God has been silent now for 400 years.

It is true Israel is no longer oppressed by the Babylonians. That's good. But they are being oppressed by an even mightier empire, which, of course, was the Roman Empire. And because of these things, some people, you can imagine, God's been silent.

We're under the oppression of Rome. Some people were probably starting to lose hope. Look at Luke chapter 1, starting in verse 26. Now, in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David.

And the virgin's name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, rejoice, highly favored one. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women. But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying and considered what manner of salutation this was or greeting.

King James is still fresh in my mind. Verse 30, the angel said to her, do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son and shall call his name Jesus.

He will be great and will be called the son of the highest. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David. And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom. What does it say?

There will be no end. So what's happening here? The branch is starting to grow. And hope came to this earth in the form of a little child. Not what people expected, but this is the way God works. God works in ways that you do not understand oftentimes and do not expect.

And do you remember the words the Lord spoke through the prophet Jeremiah? David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel. At this point, again, 400 years of silence under the oppression of Rome.

Somebody was probably questioning that promise. The branch was starting to grow. So just when it looked like there was no hope, just when it appeared that the kingdom of Israel would never be restored, God sent them a king.

Christ's First Advent and His Reign in the Hearts of Believers

So this is the first advent of Jesus Christ. We know that the first coming of Christ to the earth in Bethlehem. But before Jesus sent a king and Jesus was born the king of the Jews, and we know the story.

But before Jesus sits on any physical throne in the earthly city of Jerusalem, before he reigns over any earthly kingdom, Jesus must first reign in the hearts of men. Thanks for listening. I'm Pastor Michael Grant from Morris Cornick Church.

If you'd like to listen to the complete message or if you'd like more information about the ministry, visit our website, morriscornickchurch .com. We'd love to have you join us some Sunday morning here in Leverett.

Until next time, may the grace of God be with you.