Introduction:

This week I had an appointment with my dentist, first I had a filling that needed to be replaced and second I noticed of late a few teeth quite jagged. Dr. Nevid took one look and said, “You’re grinding your teeth! I did not know this and wondered what might be causing that when he continued, “Folks, stressing over the covid-19 pandemic had kept him busy all year making mouth guards for his patients. He told me he has never made so many in all his years of practice. It was to me a subtle sign of the effects and impact of the virus. It has for now changed all our lives but with hope we will overcome these concerns.
Let God be responsible for your anxieties. Stop worrying and start trusting Him completely. (Proverbs 3:5, 6) We cannot fail in our faith we must implement hope. When we’re feeling breathless with anxiety, we can rest assured in Jesus’s power.
I read this recently that David Barlow, professor of psychology at Boston University remarked on Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). It is characterized by persistent and excessive worry about a number of different things. “Yes, a little anxiety is normal, but constant worry is not. Instead of succumbing to GAD a child of God must look to Jesus, our living hope.
“A world without God is a world without hope”. Do you remember the devastation of hurricane Katrina in 2005? National Guardsmen confiscated guns, knives and letter openers from people before they got on the buses to be evacuated. People lost hope! When that happens they can become dangerous. Stories of looting, shootings and passing blame surfaced because many thought it was beyond hope. The Bible teaches us that principle it states in Proverbs 13:[12] Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.
“A world without God is a world without hope”. That is why the most important event in human history was the birth of Jesus Christ.” It seems to me the secular world does not want to admit this truth nor even mention His name. Jesus, is our Living Hope’. He is the hope of the world, the long awaited hope of His people and a world condemned by its own evil. Let this Christmas, be an Emergence of Hope. For Christmas is about our eternal hope. Hope is a yielded fruit of our salvation. We have the hope of eternal life. -Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.

Without hope outside of ourselves we have nothing. Hope in ourselves will not sustain us in times of trials, tribulation and testing that comes upon us. Hope has to be something outside of ourselves. Paul said without Christ we are hopeless.–Eph. 2:12

Our world is experiencing uncertain times we have enter a defining moment in the history of the globe. That is not an over dramatization of the events of the last decade but rather a prophetic perspective of the year 2020 with terrorist, food shortages, and natural disasters and a once in a century pandemic.

Someone once said, ‘More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and the other hopefulness. When people lose hope they become desperate and heart – sick. I want to talk to you about the emergence of hope this morning and what you and I can do to bring real hope to our world. First,

I. What is Hope?
1. In the New Testament the word translated hope means confident expectation. Hope is the glue that keeps us together in the midst of adversity and suffering and pain! It is what kept Israel steadfast together awaiting the birth of the messiah, the promise of their anointed one. Everyone needs to have hope! For hope is the opposite of despair and defeat. Christians should be people of hope and sower’s of its Divine virtue in our world. Jesus, is our Living Hope’.

2. Hope is so very important in this life. Hope is mention in the Old Testament 68 times and in the New Testament 58 times. So 121 times we find hope in the Bible. It must be an important.

Psalms 31[24] Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.
Psalms 71: [5] For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.
Psalms 119 :[81] My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word.
Psalms 147:[11] The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.

3. “Unbelievers are without this hope (Eph. 2:12; 1 Thess. 4:13).

Many people despair when all is lost, but for the believer all is never lost with Christ. People need hope to live. To know Christ is to live with hope. His incarnation was and is the hope of the world. If there is any one word besides Love that should be predominating to Christians it is the word Hope! We need to spread God’s hope around.

II Jesus is the Hope for Hopelessness -Hebrew 6: 13-20

1. Hope is not a word that means a mere possibility, a good chance. Hope, as it is used in the Scriptures is speaking of a resounding certainty. That is the certain hope of everyone who has been justified by faith. If you really have been justified by faith, you know that you have the promises of God. The best reason for hope is God’s faithfulness! God promise His only begotten son to be the savior of this world. For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming. — I Thessalonians 2:19

Many people are hopeless because they have lost all they had. I don’t want to undermine that…life can be difficult but with the Lord all things are possible. — Illustration:

On May 31, 1889, a massive rainstorm filled Lake Co-ne-maugh in Pennsylvania until its dam finally gave way. A wall of water 40 feet high traveling at 40 mph rushed down the valley toward the town of Johnstown. The violent flood picked up buildings, animals, and human beings and sent them crashing down the spillway. When the lake had emptied itself, debris covered 30 acres, and 2,209 people were dead. At first, stunned by the loss of property and loved ones, survivors felt hopeless. Community leaders and pastors gave speeches of God’s faithfulness and about how local industry and homes could be rebuilt if everyone would cling to hope. Johnstown was rebuilt and today is a thriving town with a population of approximately 28,000.
How many have no spiritual hope, they are lost without Christ…this is the greater tragedy.
Luk 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

2. We were once hopelessly bound to an existence without God and without His Son. We know now we have an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you. Life may be hard and cold, it may be filled with pain and sorrow, but the minimum promise to all who are justified by faith is that there is a glory beyond death that is absolutely certain. “Christmas, was the Emergence of that Hope”. Christmas means Christ mass and from that we then get “Christ sent”. Christ-mas becomes’ a remembrance of the time when the Son of God was given unto mankind. Christ could have marched into our world at the head of a great army of angels, or erupted into the world like a missile, but instead he was born into this world as a child to later die bearing humanity sin.

3. Too many Christians have given up on proclaiming this truth of this holiday. We are to abound in Hope. He is our hope of glory- the Lord Jesus and not a man. Veneration belongs to God not a man, not any man. He is our hope.
Jer 17:7 Blessed [is] the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.

Satan is trying to rob our society from the Hope of Glory. He could not defeat Jesus Christ so the only thing left to do is to rob folks from the hope of Christ. The world’s problems will become increasing worst and the masses will seek a person, one individual to get us out of the mess we are in. When they do they will choose the antichrist. Christ is the only true Potentate- I Tim 6:15. /Rev 13: 1-9 & Psalm 42:11 ; 43:5

4. In our society hope often carries the weak idea of wishful thinking. We say, “I hope so” and often mean “I doubt it.” But when you read that word in the New Testament understand that we are talking about a firm expectation. Hope is not wishful thinking, or a vague aspiration. Hope is the absolute certainty we have, that God is good and that His promises are true. —gospel

That kind of hope has a profound influence on the way we live. It rises above the adversities. Eternal hope infuses us now with the ability to turn our eyes away from the glitter and attraction of the world to a much, much greater Light. — Romans 8:24-25

Conclusion:

The real ’Spirit of Christmas’ is the joy and peace that comes only from knowing that the promises and realities centered on the person and works of Christ as recorded in Scripture and that cannot be changed or taken away by anyone or anything! They are eternal gifts. God loves you and He wants to fulfill all His promises to you in your life. God wants you to be convinced of His love for you in that specific area of promise. God cares deeply about you and your situation and He wants you to trust Him. God desires good things for you. He wants the very best for you and is actively seeking to bring about his plans to prosper you. You may have tried many times before to believe God in your situation but He hasn’t given up on you yet, don’t give up on Him. You can trust Him, He is your Heavenly Father who loves you dearly.

1) Connie Di’bono asks prayers for her health situation and special prayers for her friend Pam who fell and is in bad shape.

2) Praise the Lord Irene’s surgery went well and she is home. It was not uneventful but the procedure was a success.

3) Bob & Pam Paughs’ friend Laurie Robinson requested prayers for her husband, Walter who had a younger brother who died suddenly of a heart attack today. Walter is extremely upset and this was totally unexpected.

4) Brianna is still in the hospital. She’s still coughing and has a gurgle in her chest. Her chest x rays have been normal, but they usually are when she aspirated. Her heart rate is still elevated as well. Please everyone pray for this sweet child who has suffered all too much and for the family.