[0:00] All right. Please join me in Isaiah chapter number 8 this morning. What a wonderful song. Hallelujah. This is our God. Sing praise. That's what we've been doing this morning.
[0:11] And I've loved it. I often think that songs will pass the test of time. What I mean is I believe that we may sing that song in all of eternity.
[0:22] In Revelation it says that they will sing the song of Moses. We saw this the other night. And the song of the Lamb. We know that there will be old songs and new songs. And it would just be neat to see some of the old songwriters. Those that wrote psalms says, hey this is how we sung that song that you knew about.
[0:36] And then we would say, this is a song that we sung during our time. And them coming together. And just you will never sing of a greater truth than we just heard about. And we should be all so grateful that we knew it.
[0:47] If you knew what was this song about, you already knew about it. You are just such a blessed people. And I'm just so blessed to be here this morning. Looking at Isaiah chapter number 8. We will end in Luke 9 which has already been read.
[0:59] But we are going to start off in Isaiah chapter number 8. Kind of like a Christmas carol. Which starts in the past and then comes to the present and goes to the future. We are going to go to Christmas past, the promise of Isaiah.
[1:11] Then look at it in the present time. What this would have meant to the disciples. And then how that would affect us in our present and our future as well. So before we get to Luke 9, we will go back some over 500 years to Isaiah chapter number 8.
[1:26] And we are going to visit a weary world. The major premise of the day is let a weary world rejoice. And I want that to happen in this world starting with the people in this room today. I want us to rejoice even though we live in a very weary world.
[1:41] I was told that as a pastor even if I preach through the Bible that I'm going to feel like I'm saying the same thing over and over again to you all. And I've already begun to experience that in this six months. But what I feel like I'm saying to you over and over again is that Jesus is the answer.
[1:56] That He's the only answer. Whatever the question is, Jesus is the only answer. And I'm feeling pretty comfortable about doing that. I feel pretty comfortable to say He said the same thing again today. He said that Jesus was the answer.
[2:08] Because we can do that from God's Word. Because you're going to go back into a weary world. And that's a consistent truth as well. Is that we live in a weary world. And let's look at it, what the weary world looked like in Isaiah chapter number 8 verse number 17.
[2:24] It says, I will wait upon the Lord that hideth His face from the house of Jacob and I will look for Him. Oh, there's so much about that.
[2:35] That Isaiah says, I will look for Him. Verse 18. Isaiah and the children that He was given were given as a sign and wonder to Israel.
[2:53] Isaiah's name means Yahweh is salvation. He had a son named Malerhaler Shalarpaz. I won't say that the same next time I say it, all right? Longest name in the Bible, Isaiah X1.
[3:05] That's Isaiah's son's name. I don't know how they got by with that. The wife's like, look, why don't we call them that name? Like, nah, I'm not going with that, all right? But, oh, it's beautiful. It means that He comes, that we're going to take the battle, that the spoils are coming.
[3:19] It's a beautiful thing. And then all of them had names that were going to prophesy and say salvation is coming. That's what the family, their name meant salvation was coming.
[3:32] You've already named your children. You can't change it, and you probably won't be changing it to what I just said, Malerhaler Shalarpaz, all right? But, man, I hope our names would be the people that salvation is coming.
[3:43] That is everything that our family would say that hope is coming into the story. But now here comes the weariness in verse number 19. And when they shall say unto you, seek unto them that have a familiar spirit, and unto the wizards that peep and that mutter, should not a people seek unto their God?
[4:01] For the living, to the dead, to the law, and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. It's a weary and a dark world.
[4:12] And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry. And it shall come to pass that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves and curse their king and their God and look upward.
[4:26] And they shall look unto the earth, and behold, trouble and darkness and dimness of anguish, and they shall be driven to darkness. That last verse takes us and gives us such a strong picture of where the story is in Isaiah chapter number 8.
[4:44] But you can just copy and paste and put it into the world that we're living in today, that outside of Jesus, there's just no light. There's trouble, there's darkness, there's dimness of anguish, and that people are just driven into darkness.
[4:59] In the verses, it says that the world has a strong desire for hope in the future. Did you see it says they went to familiar spirits and to wizards that peep and that mutter? And they go, and they're wanting to know something about the future.
[5:13] I mean, what drives people to the wizards and all these different things is they, we want hope. People need hope. They're hungry for hope, and they go looking for it all the time.
[5:25] It's what you have many times when you're waiting at the gas station, and that person's in front of you, and they bought the lottery tickets, and they couldn't even get out of the way for a moment, so they could scratch off the lottery tickets.
[5:36] They got to do it right there, because in the moment of scratching the lottery ticket, there's hope for a moment. That in a second, maybe everything in my life is going to change.
[5:49] And so why will they do it again, even though they didn't win and their situation hasn't been changed? Because from the moment that they get the ticket and that they scratch it off, there's a moment of hope.
[5:59] All right? For those of you that gave me lottery tickets for Christmas, I'm not coming after you. All right? No, nobody's done that. The point isn't that. That's just one way. But there's just all kinds of little ways where people are just looking for hope in this world.
[6:13] When people ask me, you know, what's your zodiac sign? I say, well, I'm a unicorn. And they're like, that isn't real. I'm like, well, none of it's real. Okay? You know, like, so, like, why are we playing this game here, right? And so why do people, like, look at a newspaper and they're saying, oh, I'm going to have a good year because this person says that all Capricorns are going to have good years.
[6:32] They were just selling hope. That's what the world is trying to sell because we, without it, we are just miserable. We live with anguish. We live in darkness and trouble. And, man, don't we just love a story of hope?
[6:45] Don't we just love seeing it when there's some hope? And so here, we're just looking for something good in the future. They recognize there must be more to this world, a desire to be connected to the supernatural, a desire to be connected to the world to come.
[7:02] Looking at the wizards and all these different things because they say, there's just got to be more to this world than what I am seeing. This desire to communicate with another world is in people as well.
[7:14] Other people, they would self-medicate. They would just say, this world is not enough. And so I need something that would give me a moment of relief from the world that I'm in that would take me to another place to get away from this because there has to be more than the world that we live in.
[7:33] I want to have hope. I was told as a kid, like what many of you would have heard, take a look in a book. It's reading Rainbow. You can go anywhere. You know, forget how it goes. But it's like that you could take a journey if you would just read a book, right?
[7:47] And sometimes we want to escape the world that we're in and go to another world. And that's what the value we find sometimes of entertainment is like, take me away from where I'm at right now because it's a dark and weary world.
[8:00] And I need some hope. I need help imagining that life could be different than it currently is. And so there's all these different places you can turn to looking for hope.
[8:12] And they all just leave you feeling empty. And they just all make you feel like you need more of it and to get less of it every time. And so we don't need to convince the world that it's empty.
[8:24] They just don't know how to be filled. Verse 21, A person's failure to heed God's word means that they have no spiritual light.
[8:49] Verse 20, To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to his word, it is because there is no light in them. Many of you probably have dealt with Christmas trees that have no lights on them, right?
[9:04] And we've had that every year. You know, you just don't know what it is, which light is not going to. And it seems like if one lights out, then they're all loud and that some lights aren't like that.
[9:14] But everyone we've ever had seems to be like that. And there's just strands of light, just big portions of light. Some of you may come from families where you're just the only light that is in the strand right there.
[9:25] It's the only one standing. It's just they have no light. And you just want them to have it. There's situations that are going on. People are miserable. And what you want to do is you want to forget for a moment that they live in darkness.
[9:38] And you want to come into the room and you want to set the table. And you want to spread the table. And you want to turn on all the lights. And you want to turn on all the music. But it's a dark world because the darkness is on the inside.
[9:49] And so you can turn on the lights of the room. But they're still spiritually dark because they don't know and love His Word. And so the light that the world needs is going to start in the hearts of people. And it ought to be in the hearts of every one of us in here.
[10:01] We live in a dark and weary world because we live in a world with so few people who have light. Our minds are hostile towards God. Isaiah 8, 21, it says, And it shall come to pass that they shall be hungry and they shall fret themselves.
[10:15] And they curse their king and their God. And they look upward. That upward is that look of a rebellion. They curse their king and their God. And they're just looking for everything in all the wrong places.
[10:27] And they're looking for it. The way it says it in the New Testament, Romans 8, 7, Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, it is at war against the things of God. For it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
[10:43] Their great enemy of hope is that people are finding it, looking for it outside of God. These were fearful and weary people.
[10:54] And as one person says, looking for love in all the wrong places. These people were looking for hope in all the wrong places. They were going to the wizards. They were going to different places. And they were not people that were giving themselves the God's Word.
[11:09] And so there's nothing wrong. And I hope every one of you have a pleasant holiday, a great Christmas. But more than a pleasant holiday, what this world needs is profound hope.
[11:21] And they don't know it. We need to be reminded of the weary world so our hearts will be fully emptied and ready to be filled with hope. We need to pause here for a second just to recognize the condition of this world without Christ.
[11:35] They're not going to put it on their Christmas list, right? If you ask them, my kids are real good at making their list. Their mom's not so good at making their Christmas list. But none of us are very good at making a list of what we really want and what we really need.
[11:48] At the top of the list of what this weary world needs is they need hope. And they don't know how to communicate it to you. And so they're asking for it and looking for it many different ways, but they need it. But some of you in here may be having your first Christmas without somebody that you love.
[12:03] And you need hope. Some of you may wonder if your marriage will make you another year. And you need hope. Some of you might simply be miserable because you know there is more to life. And you just don't know what it is.
[12:15] And you need hope. We need hope. God loved us so much that he would not provide anything in this world or anyone in this world that could meet our need for hope outside of him.
[12:29] We are meant to feel hopeless without God. So we should experience the weary world when we turn our back on him. When we try to find happiness and joy and peace in anything outside of him.
[12:40] That we have to come to him. So that's the sad part. That's Christmas past, all right? So stay with me, Scrooge, here. All right? We've been to the past. And now we're going to go into more to the present here.
[12:51] And it starts in verse number 1. And it's such a good word that I don't want to say it all by myself, all right? Here we're in this weary world. But verse number 1, chapter number 9 of Isaiah, it says, read it with me.
[13:06] It says, Nevertheless, the dimness shall not be such. All right? Nevertheless. What a great word, right? We read through the Bible and it says it's a situation.
[13:17] But then it'll say, but God in his goodness and mercy, you know, it's that great transition. Here in Isaiah, it says, nevertheless, in the darkness comes light.
[13:28] It's the greatest promise. And it's a promise for where you're at today. They're in the middle of a battle. They're in the middle of a war. And you're going to tell us, nevertheless, what light is coming to me? How is light going to come?
[13:39] It is so dark. What is going to shine through the darkness of the situation that I am in? There's vexation when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali.
[13:50] Don't forget these things. They're going to come to us again in a moment. And afterwards, they more egregiously afflict her by the way of the sea. Behold, Jordan and the Galilee of the nations. The people that walked in darkness have seen great light.
[14:04] They that dwell in the land of the shadow of death upon them hath the light shined. Man, do you remember that being your testimony? Do you remember living in darkness? Do you remember your family living in darkness?
[14:15] Do you remember when that great light came into the shadow of death and it shined upon you? Thou hast multiplied the nations and not increased the joy. The joy before thee according to the joy in the harvest.
[14:28] And as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, and as of the day of Midian. For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise and garments rolled in blood.
[14:43] But this shall be with burning and the fuel of fire. Verse number 6. Chapter number 8. There was the darkness, the weariness, people looking to the things of this world and finding no hope.
[14:56] But then it says nevertheless in this darkness is going to shine the light. And so what is the promises they're going to give us that is going to change everything about our hopeless situation? It says, For unto us a child is born.
[15:10] Unto us a son is given. And the government shall be upon his shoulder. And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
[15:23] You know, how is the answer to this that a baby would be born? One comedian says, What is it like having a third child? Imagine that you're drowning and somebody says, Here, hold a baby, right?
[15:34] It's like, typically a baby is not the answer to any great problems. You know, if I said, Hey guys, will you come over and help me? I'm building something. And Josh says, Yeah, I'm going to come. I'll bring Corbin with me.
[15:45] I'm like, Don't worry about it. All right? I mean, either you come, But you don't need to bring Corbin. The baby is not going to help make anything better. All right? That's typically.
[15:56] But the answer of people that without hopeless is that, For unto you a child is going to be born. In every hopeless situation in the world from eternity, from all throughout history, The answer of hope is going to be found.
[16:11] And for unto us a child is born. Unto a son is given. Sometimes you recognize when it's the answer. And other times you may say, I'm in the middle of a military battle. How is this the answer to anything? But it most certainly is the answer.
[16:24] People have been to the world and getting only what the world would give. Verse 22, it says, And they shall look unto the earth. As they were looking unto the earth, there was trouble, there was darkness, there was dimness and anguish, and there was need of something that was not of this earth.
[16:38] Something that was supernatural. Something that would pierce the darkness that would come from God. And then that's when the child is born. This promise of hope is the promise that a child will be born.
[16:51] In verse number 10 of Isaiah 8, it said, Take counsel together, and it shall come to not. Speak the word, and it shall not stand. And then look what it says, For God is with us.
[17:05] What is God is with us? What is that name? That is Emmanuel, right? The promise of hope in this situation is that God was going to be with us. That God was going to come down into our hopeless and weary world, and He was going to be with us.
[17:21] And when it said that Isaiah 8, 17, He says, I will look for Him. He was looking for hope, and not of the things upon this earth, but He was looking for the coming Messiah.
[17:32] And that promise of hope will be found in a manger. For unto us a child is born, and unto us a son is given. And so the life of the Messiah will be a life of bringing hope.
[17:43] And He does. Everywhere that Jesus goes, hope is brought. I want to read some portions of Scripture to you. And as I do, put yourself in the situation of those people.
[17:55] And when they saw the Messiah, that meter of their heart, that might not have been at 100% of hope, how it must have just went off the charts. First of all, we see Jesus coming to the working man.
[18:08] He comes to the shepherds in a field. That's Luke chapter number 2, verses 7 through 11. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, which is a lot harder to do if you've ever tried it before, all right?
[18:22] I've never been able to put the baby wrapped back up like a burrito, like mothers do, all right? And wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
[18:35] And there were in the same country shepherds, abiding in the flock, keeping watch over their flock by night, busy about the work that they were called to do. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid.
[18:51] And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
[19:07] They come to these working men in the field, and they say, We got good news. A baby is born. And that's only exciting to them, as they know the promise of the Messiah.
[19:19] It's only exciting to them that they would know that all of their hope has been placed in this person, Jesus. Now we have hope to an old man with a persistent prayer.
[19:31] So there's Jesus bringing hope to a group of shepherds. Then Luke chapter number 2, verse number 25. And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon. And the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel.
[19:45] And the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. If you'll notice like that, the Lord's Christ.
[19:57] We're going to pay attention to that in Luke chapter number 9, how it speaks about the Christ of God, because what does that word Christ mean for us? And it came by the Spirit into the temple.
[20:08] And when the parents brought in the child Jesus to them for him, after the custom of the law. So here they are, they walk in with a baby. Then this man Simeon, he took him up in his arms, and he blessed God, and he said, Lord, now lettest thou the servant depart in peace according to thy word.
[20:32] For mine eyes had seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
[20:46] Where did he say this, and when did he say this? He said this as an old man. And what is he seeing? Is he seeing a mighty army coming out of a window? Is he seeing something of great, what would appear to be of great force and of great strength?
[21:01] No, he says this as he's holding a baby. And he looks into the eyes of an infant Christ, and he says, the salvation of my people has come.
[21:13] And then he says, let me die in peace. He says, the meter of my heart is about to explode, and I'm going on to heaven, because there is nothing in all this world of greater consolation to my people, which is to say that everything for my family is going to be okay.
[21:32] Everything that I could want for my people, anything that I could ever want for this weary world has now been given because of this baby that is there. All the hope that was there is found in Christ the Lord.
[21:48] So that meter of hope must have been going off in their hearts as they say this is the Christ. And so wherever Jesus is found, the weary world rejoices. I don't know if this story is true, but it's not necessary for a sermon illustration.
[22:01] And in World War I, it says that on Christmas Eve, a French man started singing Holy Night. And as he was singing it, on the other side, there's French and British and the Belgian with them, but on the other side, the Germans began to respond, singing the same song, and they set their weapons down, and they mingled together on Christmas Eve, and they started a friendly soccer game, and it all started on the singing of Oh Holy Night.
[22:30] How many of you have heard that story before in here? It must be true. All right. And what a beautiful picture is that on Christmas Eve, that they would put down their weapons, and they'd all be coming together upon the song, Oh Holy Night, and the celebrate.
[22:46] That's a beautiful picture. What I think would be an awkward picture is after the soccer game, like, hey, I'm going to go back over here and get my gun. Okay, I'm going back over here. All right. I don't know how you really end a day like that. All right. And so there's a peace that was made, and all peace that's ever going to happen is going to come around the story of a baby, this Christ that had come into this world.
[23:07] And that's what it was really needed. It really needs a story of a baby that is there. Maybe inside of your family there's not peace. Maybe inside of your immediate family or family at large, and there's so many things.
[23:17] What they need is a holy night. What they need is to hear the story of hope. And hope has a name. That name is Jesus. And look where hope is going. So I've told you about an old man of a persistent prayer.
[23:30] I told you about those working men with the shepherds. I could tell you story after story where Jesus went. He goes into the temple, and they would say, for like, they would say, who is this person?
[23:41] How does he know this? Everywhere people went, their lives were being changed. Hope was coming into their stories. Because Jesus was there. Well, in Isaiah chapter number 9, it tells us some of the places that he is going to go, and some of the places of darkness he's going to go.
[23:57] And to you and I, it's just the story of the land of Zebulun, and the land of Naphtali. And that was prophesied that he was going to walk in the darkness, and they were going to see a great light. In Isaiah 9 verse 2. Well, then skip ahead some 500 years later.
[24:10] And then you get into Matthew chapter number 4, verses 15 and 16. And the same name that you had seen in Isaiah chapter number 9. And the land of Zabulun, and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea beyond Jordan, the Galilee of the Gentiles, this baby has grown up 30 years now later, which is, the people which sat in darkness saw great light, and to them which sat in the region, in the shadow of death light, is now sprung up.
[24:39] And so why does this happen? The promise of the past, and now the passage that we were looking at today, they come together, because that was the fulfillment of the promise that was given, in Isaiah chapter number 9.
[24:52] All the way back in Isaiah chapter number 9, it says, I'm going to go to this region, and they're going to be sitting in darkness, and I'm going to bring hope to them, and I'm going to bring light into a dark place.
[25:03] And you may say, well that story is just a bunch of names, and places I don't know about, but in Matthew 4, 17, it goes on to say, from that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
[25:16] And Jesus walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers.
[25:27] The promise of hope had made its way in the darkness, and now it had found Peter. And so there he was sitting in darkness, when this weary world, and the promise of Isaiah chapter 9, the hope of all of the world, walks into his story, and changes everything for him.
[25:48] So can you imagine, in Luke chapter number 9, verse number 20, we don't have exclamation marks, in our Bible here, but did you not imagine that there would be?
[26:01] So when Peter says, and he said unto them, but whom say that I am? Peter answering said, the Christ of God. Even though there's no exclamation points, it most certainly could be said there.
[26:14] Because when he said that is the Christ of God, he knew what he was saying. Knowing Peter, knowing what Peter experienced, when he says, that Jesus is the Christ of God, should help you and I understand, what it is that we are saying, when we say Merry Christmas.
[26:33] What are we saying, when we say Christ? It's very important. I wouldn't expect in this room, but some people don't realize, that Christ was not Jesus' last name.
[26:45] It was not Mr. Christ. Alright? It was, that was not his last name. Christ means, the anointed one. The chosen one. There's Peter that says, there is the anointed one.
[26:58] There's the chosen one. There's the Messiah has come. Peter was acknowledging, that was the promised Messiah. This is the child that would have been promised, all the way back there.
[27:10] John 4, 25 puts it together in one verse, so you can see it. It says, the woman saith to him, I know that the Messiah cometh, which is called Christ. When he comes, he will tell us all things.
[27:22] Jesus Christ means, Jesus, the Messiah. And what do we know about the Christ, the Messiah, that should cause the weary world, to rejoice?
[27:34] What would cause Peter, who was sitting in darkness, to say, there's the Messiah, hope is now here? What would cause Simeon to say, here's the baby, my hope, my life is now filled with hope?
[27:46] What would cause it, when shepherds hear about him, to say that peace has been brought? Here's a few things, that when we think about our Christ, the Christ of God, the Messiah, that should bring you, this endless hope.
[27:59] Isaiah chapter 9, verse 6, it says, for unto us, a child is born. 1 Timothy 2, 5, it says, for there is one God, and one mediator, between God, and men, the man Christ Jesus.
[28:13] Because Jesus was, fully God, and fully man, we can now be reconciled, unto God. For unto us, a child is born, among us.
[28:25] We should rejoice, that he was born, in a manger. Because that's where, a common person, was born. That's the way, we would have been born. He came unto us, he put on a robe, of flesh, and he brought hope, down to us, by becoming, a man, for us.
[28:44] He is God, with us. He dwelt, among us. He lived, the life, among us. Our desire, to be connected, to another world, and to know, the supernatural, is now, filled, fulfilled.
[28:58] We can know him. So they were looking, for wizards, and they were trying, to find some connection, with the supernatural, and God came down, to us. Isn't that wonderful? You've heard the story, before, how they say, all religions, are all the same.
[29:11] God's at the top, of the mountain, and all religions, are just on different, sides of the mountain, all trying, to make their way, to the top, of the mountain. But we say, that's not the story, of Christianity. The story, of Christianity, is that God, came off the mountain, and he came down, to where we were, and he dwelt, among us, so that in any situation, we have hope today.
[29:31] Nothing is now, hopeless, because he came, unto us, where we were at. For unto us, a son was given, John 3, 16, for God, so loved the world, that he gave, his only begotten son, he came to us, and he was a gift, to us, he was given, and he will fulfill, every one of the names, that were given to us, he says that he is, his name will be, wonderful, counselor, mighty God, the everlasting father, the prince of peace, and that is just a fraction, of who he is, in some of those names.
[30:09] Some of you have people, in your life, maybe it was friend, maybe it was father, maybe it was mother, whoever it was, and they did not live up, to their name, that was given, and you're hurt, and you're hopeless, but God always lives up, to the names that are given, he is wonderful, he is the counselor, he is the prince of peace, he is the everlasting father, and so this text here, is a bright lantern, that you can take, into any place, in a weary world, maybe you need to take it, home with you today, and let it light up, everything about your story, maybe you're living, in a weary world, and you just feel miserable, because all you see, is darkness, this promise, that a child has been given, of Jesus, can bring hope to you, but it can also be taken, in any situation, where hope is needed, in Isaiah chapter number nine, when Judah was worried, about the battle, they were offered hope, by hearing that a child, would come, and that he would be, the ruler of nations, when Peter sat in darkness,
[31:10] Jesus showed up, and he met Jesus the Messiah, and he was on his way, to a cross, to die for his sins, and that's why Peter, could say that's the anointed one, that's the chosen one, when there's an internal war, that going on in your heart, and mind, you can turn to the prince of peace, when you know, that you're out of answers, and you do not know, where to turn, and to look, you can turn to the counselor, when you feel all alone, you have an everlasting father, when your mind, is filled with trivial, and meaningless things, of this world, you can turn to Jesus, because he is wonderful, and he can help you escape, all the meaningless things, of Christ, on the very beginning, of the story, of all mankind, when man had fallen, into sin, and he was without hope, the promise that was given, in Genesis 3 15, and I will put enmity, between thee, and the woman, and between thy seed, and her seed, the answer was, there will be a child, that is born, in the background, of everything, in the Bible, there's this promise, that a child is coming, that a child has come, that now a child, had lived, and died for us, the answer of hope, is always going to be found, in Christ Jesus, so on Christmas, we should celebrate, that we have found, eternal hope, how are we going to gather, around the celebration, of the birth of Christ, and be people, without hope, how are we going to allow, other people to gather, around us, and celebrate, the birth of Christ, and not know, the hope that is found, in him, we are celebrating, as much as anything, the thrill of hope, that is found, in Christ coming, to us, probably few days, go by, without you using, the word hope,
[32:54] I hope we're on time, I hope it doesn't rain, I hope it's not cancer, I hope she'll understand, I hope he'll be okay, I hope he isn't angry, I hope we can find our keys, that's me and Stephanie, I hope God hears this, I hope they love me, from the smallest concerns, to the ones our lives, to ones, our lives are shaped, and directed, and motivated, and frustrated, by hope, you need hope, more than you may recognize, today, in your life, people don't know, to ask for it, but it's the greatest, Christmas gift, that you could ever provide, to somebody, a friend of mine, in Lyons, Georgia, named Michael Plowman, told this story, to a few people, the other day, and I just love it so much, so it's coming again, he goes to church camp, with his grandmother, and I'm at the church camp, he's around fifth, or sixth grade, and at the church camp, a new kid, came that was in the youth group, went to camp with him, and he was just kind of, an awkward kid, didn't have a lot of friends, and on the first morning of camp, they all wake up, and everybody runs off, early to go play games, and the kid doesn't leave his bunk bed, he just, he stays there, and Michael's in the cabin, and his grandmother is there, and she got up early that morning, and was getting everybody in place, and went and got her a big cup of coffee, and she comes over, and she's standing there, talking to Michael, and the young man won't get out of bed, and they just said, come on, you're going to have a good day, and he doesn't want to, and eventually the young man gets up, and he's just, you can tell, he's just scared, and he's trembling, and he had in the middle of the night, he had wet the bed, he had wet himself, and he wanted all the other kids to leave, he did not want the shame, and the disgrace that was along with that, and he just thought his life was over, the first day of the week of camp, what am I going to do, he didn't want to move,
[34:43] Michael says, he just looked at his grandmother, and she was standing there, with her there, and she just looked over, took her cup of coffee, poured it out on the bed, and said, son, I'll be here every morning, and I can spill this cup of coffee, every time that you need me to, and she just poured grace out, upon this kid, and how do I tell a story, about a middle school kid, wetting himself, and all of you in here, are getting teary eyed in here, all right, is because you know what it's like, to be that kid, where you just live in guilt, and you live in shame, and you just feel like, there's no hope, and so you don't want to get out of bed, because you're like, the day is not going to be good for me, that I'm not like everybody, else, there's something different, and so I just want to live here, because it's a weary world, and then somebody just comes, and they just pour grace upon you, and they just fill you with hope, and in that moment, that kid realized, you know what, I want to get to have a normal day, like everything is, man, isn't it so much fun, to help people's heart, be filled with hope, isn't it so much fun, to see people, who feel like there's no chance, that their life will ever be the same, to come beside them, and say, the story is not over, let me tell you, for unto us a child was given, unto us a baby was born, and that was Christ Jesus, and he died for you, and so here we are, and we're going to be surrounded, with presents, and gifts, and stories, and it's going to be the perfect setup, for a perfect story, but we're going to be around people, whose hearts are not filled with hope, because they don't see, that there's a connection, from this baby that was born, that we're celebrating, and the hope that they need,
[36:25] Matthew 11, 28, and 30, come unto me, all you that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest, take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek, and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest, unto your souls, for my yoke is easy, and my burden, is light, Jesus says, come unto me, unique to anyone, else, in human history, Jesus simply offers himself, as the universal solution, to all that burdens us, come unto me, how does a weary world rejoice, they hear that call of Jesus, which is, come unto me, all you that are weary, come unto me, all of you that heavy, are heavy laden, and that labor, and bring it unto me, and so that's why we have sung, maybe we could sing it one more time, as Stephen went in mine, before we leave the day, and we have sung, long lay the world, and sin and error pining, till he appeared, and the soul felt its worth, a thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks, a new and glorious morn, for that young man, it was a new and glorious morn, when that shame had been wiped away, in this weary world, people are waiting, for a new and glorious morn, and we get to be the ones that say, that is the Messiah, that is what we're talking about, this baby in the story, that's the promised Messiah, he is the hope of all the world, he is the prince of peace, he is wonderful, he is counselor, and we need to help people know, what it means, about the Christ of Christmas,
[38:07] I told Stephanie, I said, I got this great idea, I got this message, we're going to say, putting Christ back in Christmas, she said, you and every other pastor, in America, forever, ever, she says, that is not original, all right, and I said, what about putting the moss, back in Christmas, she's like, we don't even know, what that means, all right, I'm like, okay, good point, all right, we're not going to put, the mass back in Christmas, either, but what about, if we put, the thrill of hope, back into some people's Christmas, what if you fought for it, right now, what if you reckoned, what I said, to be true, what if you didn't just say, well that was really nice, and what he said, he tried to say it poetically, he tried to say it, and he seems to be really moved by it, but no, what if you took this truth, and you brought it into your life, and you'd say, that this thrill of hope, it's, it is going to work in my situation, see some of you think, that your situation is so dark and bad, that the story of a baby Jesus, isn't going to change anything, but some of you think, it's so small and insignificant, that the story of Jesus, is not the answer, but the answer always, the answer is always going to be back, to looking to Jesus, that the hope is going to be found, in him, and when you're around family, and they may be feeling, that desire they have,
[39:18] I don't expect you're going to find, any families that looking, the wizards that peep, and mutter, as it said in Isaiah 8, I don't imagine, that's what you're going to be walking into, but when you're going to have friends, and family that are just trying, to fill that need, with presents, and everything else, and try to distract themselves, from it, why don't you bring, to the Christmas party, the real message, that Jesus Christ, is what they are looking for, Jesus Christ, is what we need, so the soul felt, its worth, and have you, because he did not, abandon us, to the darkness, he did not leave us, nor forsaketh, dawn breaks, as the victorious one, puts on flesh, to redeem us from sin, the weary world rejoices, because we have found, our answer to be, where, the answer to the question, where can we find, hope, and just like Peter, Peter says, there's hope, there's the Messiah, that's who you are, you're not just the prophet, you're not just John the Baptist, you are the hope, that the world needs, the promises, of a baby being born, in Isaiah, they were talking about, wars and battle, and how is the answer, a child will be born, consolation, because the government, will be upon his shoulders, he is the answer, to all problems, in this world, people who do not know, the full story, do not know, how the baby, does not only represent, hope, but is our hope, it isn't a motivational story, where hope can come into it, he is hope, in every story,
[40:44] Jesus is the one, answer to every question, concern, fear, and need, we will ever have, that is what, Peter was saying, when he declared, that Jesus Christ, Jesus is the Christ, of God, he is all our hearts, have ever longed for, and I would like, to encourage you today, let's help, this weary world, rejoice, this Christmas, and let's let it happen here, by recognizing, that this child being born, ought to set your hearts, at 100%, when it comes to hope, no matter what's going on, in your life, I'm going to say a prayer here, in a second, and then we're going to stand up, and we'll sing, and as we sing, you can feel free, to come to the altar, and pray there, if you would like, I will slip out, part of the way, during the song, and go to the fore here, and if you're in here today, and you just say, I'm fighting for hope, and I need help, would you sit down with me, and talk to me about Jesus, we'll go to another room, into a counseling room, and we'll talk about, the thrill of hope, that is found in Christ, but let's leave here today, at over 100%, in regards to hope, because we live in a weird world, that is lacking so much,
[41:55] Heavenly Father, thank you for the message, of Christmas, thank you for giving us, this thrill of hope, Lord, we needed it, and we would not have found it, at anything else, we look for it, in other places, and we found nothing, in this world, that is satisfied, where I know, stories in this room, right here, of people that are, just very much hurting, and they're in places, where they feel hopeless, they don't feel like, that anything will ever, change to the good, Lord, I pray that the story, of the birth of Christ, Lord, will be all, that they need today, for their hearts, to be set, at 100% in regards, the hope, with every head bowed, and every clove, Lord.