Christmas Hope. (398)

Hope

Isaiah 7:10-16

10 Then the LORD spoke again to Ahaz, saying,
11 “Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven.”
12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!”
13 Then he said, “Listen now, O house of David! Is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God as well?
14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign:

Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son,
and she will call His name Immanuel.

15 “He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good.
16 “For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.

This is a difficult passage with widely varying interpretations.
• The central fact is “Immanuel,” of God with us.
• It shines through clearly.

“Immanuel” is a fitting summary of Advent and Christmas,
• hope
• Fulfillment.

Matthew 1:18-25

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows:
when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.
19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.
20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying,
“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife;
for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21 “She will bear a Son;
and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

23 “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON,
AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,”

which translated means, “GOD WITH US.”
24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife,
25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

Matthew reasserts that God is with us in the birih of Jesus.

Joseph, initially troubled, proves himself to be
• A person of integrity.
• A person of faith.
• A person of obedience.

Romans 1:17

17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written,
“BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”

Paul alludes to both the sonship and the lordship of Jesus, referring to his birth as well as to his resurrection.

Paul and the prophets preach the same message:
• Hope from and obedient heart.
• The God whom we worship is the great God who founded the earth
• is victorious rule governs in history:
• ”The earth is the Lord’s,”
• “He is the King of glory.”

We can worship this God rightly only if we have “a pure heart” acknowledging his kingship in our lives.

Hymns:

Links to the hymns are provided by various YouTube channels.

Lift Up Your Heads

O Come, O Come, Immanuel

O Lord, How Shall I Meet You

Savior of the Nations, Come

Lift Up Your Heads, O Gates

The Earth and the Riches

The Earth with All That Dwell Therein