Advent 2021: Believe
Quote
Jesus Christ was treated as we deserved so that when we believe in Jesus, God treats us as Jesus deserves.
Timothy Keller
Passage
16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
17 "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
18 "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
John 3:16-18 (NASB)
Background
Quote-Timothy J. Keller(born September 23, 1950) is an American pastor, theologian, and Christian apologist. He is the Chairman and co-Founder of Redeemer City to City, which trains pastors for service around the world. He is also the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, New York, and the author of The New York Times bestselling books The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith(2008),[1]Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God(2014),[2]and The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism(2008)
Passage-The book of John is a Gospel that contains Narrative History, Sermons, Parables, and a few Prophetic Oracles. It was written by the Disciple/Apostle John around 85-95 A.D. The key personalities of this book are Jesus Christ, His Twelve Disciples, Mary Magdalene, John the Baptist, Lazarus, his sisters Mary and Martha, Jewish religious leaders, and Pilate.
It was written so that all may believe in Jesus Christ the Son of God who gives eternal life. John’s gospel uses the word “Believe” 98 times and the word “Life” 36 times, in an effort to embed the importance that one must believe in order to live eternally. John is not one of the three synoptic (common view) gospels, but instead was written with a more theological substance, yet equally as inspired and important as the first three gospels.
Advent Opening Statement
This first Sunday of Advent 2021 we are in a state of preparation for many things. For us we prepare for the coming Christmas holiday and the New Year. Houses are cleaned, gifts researched and purchased, and travel plans laid. For Mary and Joseph they too were preparing. They had to return to their hometown, to Bethlehem for the Roman census. They too were setting travel plans, but they were also preparing for the birth of their first child at any time.
Ask: How is the birth Mary and Joseph were preparing for similar to what modern Christians are in preparation for as we mark this first Sunday of Advent?
Point: Mary and Joseph both knew she was pregnant. They had unquestionable faith a baby was on the way. They just didn’t know when that child would arrive.
First Reading (Matthew 24:42-44 (NASB)
Ask: What other similarities between what Mary and Joseph waited for and what we wait for do you see?
Point: They expected the simple birth of a child but what they got was the arrival of a messiah. Even though they were told by an angel what was coming their minds could not prepare them for the truth of that arrival. Likely we will be similarly unprepared for what the return of Jesus is truly like even though we already know it is going to happen.
Ask: Do you believe we should be in a time of preparation, a time of advent for the arrival of Jesus a second time?
Point: Scripture says we should Second Reding (Matthew 24:29-31 (NASB)
Ask: Jesus is coming, and we don’t know when. Do you believe that? Why?
Point: Regardless of our individual involvement in evangelism we should all be prepared to explain to anyone why we believe in Jesus.
Third Reading (1 Peter 3:13-16 (NASB)
Ask: Why does the third reading use the word Hope for what scripture says should be in you as a follower of Jesus Christ?
Point: Hope is an emotion that is looking to the future for something that improves on what is in the now. Peter used the Greek word we translate as hope because it was also colored with a sense of certainty for what is hoped for. See the Greek word for Hope in the Definitions.
Ask: If our sense of hope has a flavor of certainty around it this becomes something we believe in. What does that mean if we truly believe Jesus is coming back in a real way?
Point: Not necessarily does mean but what it should mean. It should mean we take the words of the Bible seriously. It should mean we order our lives around the precepts and ideas contained in that book. It should me we draw clear distinctions openly about what right and wrong are.
Ask: When does hope and faith turn into belief? How do we know? What do we do if we are in one place or the other?
Point: This is an open ended question to spark discussion about current state and what to do based on where we are right now.
Closing Statement
When does hope become belief? Is it important to realize that point? Is it important to know that one is what feeds the other and builds a faith in things unseen? It is if we expand the idea outside ourselves and begin to look at the larger picture of mankind as a whole. If we try to grasp God’s bigger picture of salvation for the world through the heart and eyes of God, then what we believe in becomes very important. How we demonstrate what we believe in becomes just as important. In the arena of Christian beliefs that means what we say, what we do, and what we agree is true are vital to securing a solid witness. We cannot be a light to the world if we constantly cast shadows of doubt out to the world around us.
Question for the Week
How can my belief in Jesus bring hope to someone else planting a seed that can grow into belief one day?
Scripture
First Reading
42 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.
43 “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.
44 “For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.
Matthew 24:42-44 (NASB)
Isa 13:10 (as well as verses from Ezekiel, Joel, Amos, and Zephaniah)
Daniel 7:13
Exodus 19:16 (as well as verses from Deuteronomy, Isaiah, and Zechariah)
Second Reading
29 "But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
30 "And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.
31 "And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
Matthew 24:29-31 (NASB)
Third Reading
13 Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good?
14 But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED,
15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;
16 and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.
1 Peter 3:13-16 (NASB)
Definitions
Greek Strong's Number: 1680
Greek Word: ἐλπίς
Transliteration: elpis
Phonetic Pronunciation: el-pece'
Root: from a primary elpo (to anticipate, usually with pleasure)
Cross Reference: TDNT - 2:517,229
Part of Speech: n f
Vine's Words: Hope, Hope (for)
English Words used in KJV:
hope 53
faith 1
[Total Count: 54]
from a primary elpo (to anticipate, usually with pleasure); expectation (abstract or concrete) or confidence :- faith, hope.
James Strong, Strong's Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary, (Austin, TX: WORDsearch Corp., 2007), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "1680".