Last week, I shared about hearing the first message in our church’s Advent series at both campuses. I focused on the message from one of the campuses where the pastor focused his hope message on how we can maintain our hope in God while we’re in a time of waiting.
One of the things that I love about our multisite setup is that our pastors have the same outlines and the same timeless truth to share, but each one can cater the details of the sermon to fit his personality and what the Lord is leading him to preach.
Kurt, our East Campus pastor, took a different look at the hope of Advent, tying it to our eternal hope that comes with salvation and repentance.
(I've known Kurt since he was born and even babysat him and his siblings when they were young. He's always been one of the most intelligent people I've ever known, and he exposits God's Word wonderfully. Bear in mind that I'm reconstructing this sermon from my notes a week later if it sounds a little disjointed.)
“Advent is a season of reflection, repentance, prayer, worship, looking forward, and looking back,” Kurt said in his intro, adding, “Advent is the answer to the commercialism of Christmas.”
Kurt shared some scriptures that remind us that Jesus came to earth to give us the opportunity to become sons and daughters of God. He said, “The sons and daughters of God are those who come to faith in Jesus.”
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
1 John 3:1-3 (ESV)
Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
1 Peter 1:8-9 (ESV)
The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 1:9-13 (ESV)
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
Romans 8:14-17 (ESV)
Kurt reminded us that “We are His children now through faith in Jesus, but even more great hope awaits us.” As the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:19, “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.”
This is the hope that we have. It’s the hope that the world needs us to share. Or as Kurt put it, “The world needs to see more than your Christmas lights.”
Related: Sunday Thoughts: Hope in Waiting, an Advent Meditation
At Christmastime, our culture focuses on Santa Claus, especially for those who have kids. The whole Santa thing emphasizes works-based living (and don’t get me started on the Elf on the Shelf). But that’s not the gospel. If we get this teaching backward, we think we have to earn our relationship with God.
“Santa says, ‘Be good and you get something,’” Kurt said. “Jesus says, ‘You’re not good and you get everything.’” The follow-up thought to this is that God does not save the pure; He purifies the saved.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Matthew 5:8 (ESV)
And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
Luke 9:23 (ESV)
Kurt added that as we celebrate Christmas, we should focus on repentance. Naturally, we repented from our sins when we came to faith in Jesus, but, as Kurt said, "Repentance isn’t a one-time act. It’s a daily occurrence, not to make God love us but because He already does."
This Christmas season, as we celebrate Jesus' birth, let us also consider our salvation, joyfully repent of our sins, and keep our focus on Him.
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