First Week of Advent (Hope) - Part 3

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.

There is only one hope for this sin -sick world, and this is a sin -sick world.

It needs hope. It has one hope, and Christ is that hope. There are countless people living in the world right now that do not have hope.

Why? Because they do not have Christ. Especially now, with all the things going on.

People, you know this, they're more isolated, they're more anxious, they're more afraid, some confused, perplexed.

All the things they thought they could depend on, just a normal life. It's all been turned upside down, or so it seems.

But for the one who has Christ dwelling in their heart, that hasn't changed.

That will never change. And things, yes, they may be difficult at times.

But if you're rooted and grounded in love, if you're trusting in Christ by faith, you have hope.

You will always have hope. Can I get a witness on that? You have hope because you have

Christ. Now I'd like you to turn to the book of Hebrews chapter 12. There's a passage that, in our

Thursday night men's group, we covered this several weeks ago. And it's kind of been stuck in my head, and I think it fits in here.

Hebrews chapter 12. To have ongoing hope in your life, that requires a few things.

One of the things that it requires, that there are going to be some things that just don't change. To have hope, there has to be something that doesn't change.

When everything changes moment to moment, there's uncertainty. So there has to be something that does not change.

Just take this as an example in the Old Testament. God gave the law, right? And the

Israelites, they were under the old covenant. But that changed, didn't it?

And it came to an end. It was always meant to come to an end. But as the author of Hebrews says, that Jesus, who is the

Lord, he is what? He is the same, both yesterday, today, and forever.

Now that's the next chapter. But we're going to look at chapter 12. Here's what I want you to remember.

Yes, the law came and went. But the promise that God made to Abraham, that continues.

That endures to this very day. If you say, well, I'm not Jewish. I'm not descended from Abraham.

Well, if you have the faith of Abraham, Paul tells the

Galatians in Galatians chapter 3, speaking of those who have the faith of Abraham, they are partakers of the same promise.

So speaking of hope, that's something that will never change. The promise doesn't come and go.

The promise remains. That should give you hope if you believe it, right? It's by faith.

All right. So the point is, some things need to not change. Some things do change.

Other things never change. Look at Hebrews 12, verse 22. And of course, the things that do not change, that's what we need to depend on.

That's what we do depend on. Hebrews 12, starting in verse 22. But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living

God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God, the judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

Verse 25. See that you do not refuse him who speaks.

For if they did not escape who refused him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth, but now he has promised, saying, yet once more,

I shake not only the earth, but also heaven. Now this, yet once more, indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken.

As of things that are made, listen now, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.

Just as a spiritual application, I think it's safe to say that things are being shaken right now.

God is shaking our nation. God is shaking this earth.

The people who once trusted in man -made structures and institutions, they're starting to see those things crack.

This understandably leads to fear and uncertainty. But for the one who has

Christ as their hope, we understand that you know what? One day it's all not only going to be shaken, it's all going to come down.

And it needs to come down, and we need to trust in the thing that does not change.

The author of Hebrews continues in verse 28. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom, which what?

Can not be shaken. I love that. Amen? Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom, which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve

God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. Verse 29,

For our God is a consuming fire. You remember last week we looked at 1

Corinthians chapter 3, in regards to the rewards given out to believers, how there will be wood, hay, and stubble that will be consumed at the judgment seat of Christ.

When He returns, what's going to endure? Well, it will be the gold, and the silver, and the precious stones, which represent spiritual things that have eternal value.

That's what we need to be focused on, the things that have eternal value. You turn on the television, you're watching things that they have some value here and now, they don't have eternal value.

Some people are more focused on those things than what's in here, the things that are eternal.

So, we looked at that last week in 1 Corinthians chapter 3. And this leads us to the 3rd element of Advent, because the judgment seat of Christ happens when?

When Christ comes back at His 2nd Advent. So, we looked at His 1st Advent, His coming in Bethlehem, His 2nd coming, or Advent if you will, is coming into the hearts of the believer.

And now, number 3, the eschatological 2nd Advent of Jesus Christ.

So, turn if you would now to the book of Titus chapter 2. The book of Titus chapter 2.

Let me just say this, if you thought, because it did, but if you thought the 1st

Advent of Christ changed the world, you ought to see what happens at the 2nd Advent. Yeah.

But here's the thing about the 2nd Advent, the thing that sets it apart from everything else that we believe and hold fast to, we're still waiting for it, it's still in the future.

Christ already came once. And if you're saved, He already came again into your heart, so to speak.

And both of those things give hope and bring hope. But this is the ultimate hope. Christ, our blessed hope.

Titus chapter 2 verse 11, For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great

God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Now notice there's two appearances spoken of here.

This could be something that you might miss. The appearance of the grace of God that brings salvation.

And parallel with that, though at the same time contrasted with it, is the appearing of our great

God. The 1st Advent, we know it's already taken place. And this out of this gets me excited, ok?

That was, we know, about 2 ,000 years ago, right? And because you say, well 2 ,000 years, that's a really long time.

And it causes some people to scoff, and where is the promise of His coming, right? 2nd Peter chapter 3. Well, yeah, it does seem, 2 ,000 years to us seems like a long time.

But do not forget, what? That with the Lord, one day is as 1 ,000 years and 1 ,000 years as a day.

So yeah, it's been 2 ,000 years, but consider the time period when

God made the promise to Abraham, to the coming of the Messiah, how long was that?

About 2 ,000 years. Also, the time where God created the heavens and the earth, created

Adam and Eve in the garden, from Adam to Abraham was also, guess what?

About 2 ,000 years, and you know, it almost seems like, it almost seems like a pattern is starting to emerge.

Could it be that from the 1st advent to the 2nd advent, could it be that it will also be a time period of about 2 ,000 years?

If so, if so, that puts us in that generation.

That's why it gets me excited. So then, the grace of God that brought salvation, it has, that is past tense, already done this, but it teaches us something, that we should do what?

Live soberly, that is, we should have a sound mind, we should live righteously, that is, to have a sound life, and to deny ungodly behavior, deny all that is ungodly and worldly.

And here's the thing about the Christmas season, it is so easy, and you know it's true, it's so easy to get entangled with the worldliness of the holiday.

It's so easy. So, because of that, we should be even more diligent to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, to live soberly, righteous.

Listen, if you want to talk about Santa Claus and Rudolph, and if you want to talk about all that, that's up to you.

But if you mentioned Rudolph once, you should mention Jesus three times, or 30 times, or 300 times.

You know, we need to realize what's important. So, the blessed hope.

As we conclude, just think about that term. You know what that means? The word blessed, or blessed, one of the ways that can be translated is happy.

It should be a happy time of year. Why? Because we have a happy hope. We have a blessed hope, and that's what it means, a happy hope.

I think blessed hope sounds better personally, but it is a happy hope. So, as we prepare to close, just remember one thing.

We have more to look forward to than a holiday. We have much more to look forward to than December 25th.

We have a kingdom. We have a kingdom that is coming, a kingdom that shall have no end.

This was the hope of the Jews in the days of Jeremiah. This was the hope of Joseph and Mary and the shepherds when tidings of great joy were proclaimed, tidings of great joy which shall be to all people, to the whole world, not just to the

Jews, and not just to Israel, but to the whole world, that a

Savior has been born who is Christ the Lord. So, whether we call it

Adventus or Advent or Parousia or His coming for the next several weeks, let's renew that commitment, amen?

Let's renew that commitment to both celebrate His arrival at Bethlehem, to appreciate and celebrate

His coming into our heart, and also, of course, most of all, perhaps, to look forward to that blessed, happy hope, the manifestation of the glory of God, Christ, our blessed hope.

Let's close in prayer. Lord, we thank You for the first Advent of Christ, and we thank

You now for the Holy Spirit who has come to dwell within our hearts to give us hope and peace and contentment, and how amazing the glorious riches of this mystery, which is

Christ in us, the hope of glory. Lord, if there's anyone here who has never trusted in Christ as their

Lord and Savior, I pray that they would receive Him into their heart even now to forgive them of their sin and to give them a hope that cannot be shaken.

And especially in this dark season, Lord, cause our hearts to remain steadfast, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great

God and Savior, Jesus Christ. It's in His name we pray. Amen. 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.

And we'd love to have you join us some Sunday morning here in Leverett. Until next time, with the grace of God be with you.