May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
Everyone is looking for something or someone to place their hope in. I hope they like me. I hope I win the lottery. We often invest our time and energy and hope in things that can never satisfy. Hope is not found in these things. The English language has skewed and watered down the true definition of hope. The word hope, as used in the Bible, means to look for something with eager and confident expectancy and waiting patiently for it to happen. It is much more than a longing, a perceived want, or even need.
Christian hope is built on faith. It is confident expectation that stems from faith. Faith is based on the reality of the past but hope looks to the reality of the future. Biblical hope is trusting that something will be accomplished according to Biblical promises not just according to our wishes. In the Old Testament, hope in God was developed by knowledge of His mighty deeds in history. Israel knew of what God had done for them and of His promises for their future.
A major part of Israel’s hope was the expectation of a messiah from David’s line. This expectation grew out of the promise that God would establish the throne of David forever (2 Samuel 7:16). The good news of Christmas is that God brought hope to all people. The angel’s announcement of Christ’s birth to the shepherds made that clear.
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. Luke 2:10-11
We aren’t told much about the shepherds. We don’t know if they knew about the prophesy of the Messiah. What we do know is that when the angels appeared to them, and they moved past their fear, they went in search of the Messiah immediately.
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. Luke 2:16
They acted on hope (confidence) that it was worth leaving their sheep to find the Messiah. The shepherds did find the Messiah and they worshiped him and then told others about him.
The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they hadheard and seen, which were just as they had been told. Luke 2:20
We too can act in hope and find the Messiah, not just at Christmas but every day. God stepped into our world by giving us Emmanuel, God with us.
The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means “God with us”). Matthew 1:23
The story does not end with a baby in a manger.
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. Matthew 1:21
Jesus lived a perfect life and willingly took on our imperfections and sin on the cross so that we could be reconciled to God. He is the Messiah who through His life, death and resurrection brought salvation to all who believe. Because of the resurrection of Jesus, we have hope (assurance) that He will return one day to claim His people. Let go of your wishes and expectations of Christmas and rest in the hope of a resurrected Savior.
We have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all. 1 Timothy 4:10
This kind of hope produces joy and is an anchor for the soul.
The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish. Proverbs 10:28
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. Hebrews 6:19
As you await Christmas, remember the true Hope given at Christmas and know that He will come again. Let hope anchor you in God as you wait joyfully in expectant anticipation of His return.
Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. Matthew 24:42