Episode Transcript
UNEXPECTED: THE STORY THAT SHOCKED THE WORLD
WEEK 1: Unexpected Hope
Let’s open our Bibles together to Isaiah 9
Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. There are many reasons for this, but the main one for me is that Christmas is a season of hope. If the Christmas story teaches us anything, it teaches us that God brings hope in hopeless situations.
We live in a world that understands the feeling of hopelessness. We live in a country that understands hopelessness. Which should cause us to pause and ask why. We live in the richest country in the world. We have access to more money, entertainment, luxury, comfort, pleasure, education, power, and freedom than anywhere else in the world. Yet…
[The Biden-Harris Administration Reported that 44.2% of Americans experience persistent hopelessness.
Of those who struggle with hopelessness, 19.9% considered suicide, and 9.9% attempted suicide.
The prevalence of hopelessness has dramatically increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hopelessness is a Primary Symptom of Major Depressive Disorder] - Brian Edwards
It has been said that, “Human beings can live for forty days without food, four days without water, and four minutes without air. But we cannot live for four seconds without hope.” - Mark Cole
We are starting our Christmas Series today called:
“Unexpected: The Story that Shocked the World”
Our topic today is Unexpected Hope
We are going to be spending this month exploring the Christmas story, but today we are going to start by looking at the backstory of Christmas.
Isaiah 9:2-7
2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.
3 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.
5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Prayer:
Unexpected Hope
1. The Hopeless background of Christmas
Think with me back through the history of the Old Testament
God, Creation, Fall, Promise, Israel, Christ
God - Glorious, perfect, Father, Son, Spirit, Wise, Love
Creation - Good - Paradise -
Fall - Rebellion, Disobedience, Rejection, Separation
(Pervasive - affected every area of creation)
God Promised a Deliverer in Genesis 3:15
Adam & Eve, Cain & Abel, Every thought of man was only evil continually, Flood - So bad that every living thing on earth except for the animals on the ark and 8 people were killed - God is good, loving, king, gracious, and righteous - this shows how bad people must have become.
Israel - God called Abraham - He was chosen, but he was far from perfect, Isaac, Jacob and Esau, Sons of Jacob, Slavery in Egypt, Deliverance, Doubt, Complaining, Idolatry, Rebellion, Doubt, Wandering in the wilderness, Promised Land, Disobedience, Cycles of Judges - Everyone did what was right in their own eyes, Idolatry, Kings (disobedience - Wanting to be like pagan nations), More Idolatry, Split Kingdom, Israel crushed by Assyrians; 10 tribes exiled (Ten Lost Tribes), Judah conquered by Babylon; Jerusalem and First Temple destroyed; most Jews exiled, Return to land - Ezra, Nehemiah, Conquered by Greeks, Conquered by Rome - Israel failed miserably by human standards…
This is only the history of one nation. All the other nations of history have their own stories of hopelessness. Death, Disease, Murder, Oppression, Betrayal, Usurpers, Despots, and Tyrants litter the annals of History.
In this Darkness… Hopelessness… We find…
2. The Unexpected Hope of Christmas
Mary - Virgin, Pregnant out of wedlock, about to be put away by Joseph
Joseph found out his fiancé was pregnant… by someone else.
Elizabeth was barren
Romans oppressed Jews, Pagans, banished from Rome in 139 BC, Jewish uprisings, Rebel crucifixions, Overbearing taxation, corrupt leaders, ultimately Rome destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple within 40 years of Jesus’ lifetime
In the middle of all of this hopelessness…
Luke 1:
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. (Because it didn’t match her reality) 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
I can not explain to you how good this good news was to the people who heard it, but I will let them tell you themselves… Here are 7 voices from the Christmas story who give us a glimpse of the hope they felt.
Voice 1: Elizabeth -
39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” (These are the words of a woman who was barren and hopeless)
Voice 2: Mary -
Mary's Song of Praise: The Magnificat
46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; 52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” 56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home. (Words of a teenage Jewish Peasant living in the slums)
Voice 3: Zechariah
Zechariah's Prophecy
67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, 68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people 69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, 70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 71 that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; 72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us 74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
Voice 4: The Angels
8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
Voice 5: The Shepherds
15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. (We don’t know their exact words, but we know they told the story of Jesus) (These are outcasts, dirty, untouchables)
Voice 6: Simeon
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation 31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”
Voice 7: Anna
36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Christmas tells us that No Situation is Hopeless with God!!!
The words we started out reading were written 750 years before Jesus was born!!! Listen again to how perfectly Isaiah explains the explosion of Hope into a Hopeless Situation:
Isaiah 9:2-7
2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.
3 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.
5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
If you need Hope, You need Jesus! If you belong to Jesus, Hopelessness is banished! Hope has come. Hope is Born! Hope is here! Hope is alive!
Paul told the Christians in Rome that of Jesus’ birth was the fulfillment of all of God’s promises and the result of believing in Him is this:
Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Jesus is Hope incarnate… Hope in the flesh.
We celebrate Christmas because it is the season of Unexpected Hope.
