A Thrill Of Hope Week 4: The Person Of Hope
Read
Isaiah 7:14
14 Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: See, the virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.
Matthew 1:18-25
18 The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant from the Holy Spirit. 19 So her husband, Joseph, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly. 20 But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel, which is translated “God is with us.” 24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the Lord’s angel had commanded him. He married her 25 but did not have sexual relations with her until she gave birth to a son. And he named him Jesus.
Summary
We find ourselves today in week 4 of our Thrill Of Hope Series. We have two passages today: Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:18-25. One thing that we cannot overlook in the Matthew 1 passage, which is the fulfillment of the Isaiah 7:14 passage, is that there are two names for Jesus. These two names speak of the same person yet one name supports and stands above the other. This Christmas season, and every other day, we find our hope in Jesus. We find hope in Him because He is Immanuel, God with us. When hope seemed to have been choked out, God sent Jesus, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. God never breaks His word; this was His plan all along. Jesus, the name that is above all names, is the HOPE that everyone had been waiting for.
Todays three points will help us understand why Jesus is the Person of Hope and why He can be trusted. Jesus is the Person Of Hope because He is the Person of Promise, He is the Person of Proximity and He is the Person of Power.
Jesus is The Person of Promise. If you are married, you made a vow that you would pursue your spouse. God promised to pursue us. From the time Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, God’s plan has been unfolding. Throughout the Bible we see stories that bring that promise closer and closer to us. We hear of prophesies that tell of Jesus being made in the Old Testament. He will be born in Bethlehem, he will be a descendant of Abraham, he will be from the Tribe of Judah, he will be of the lineage of David. As these prophesies are being fulfilled, promises are being fulfilled.
Jesus is The Person of Proximity. It’s in the name Immanuel, God with us, not God near us or God watching us. God made flesh and in the world WITH us. It is the only story of faith where God came near. Why did He come near? Because sin required a sacrifice, the sacrifice had to put on flesh and be with us. Jesus could not be the sacrifice if He was not here with us.
Finally, Jesus is the Person of Power. Jesus, the one who would wash away our sins. The pharisees did not get it, time and time again He revealed Himself to them and they did not see Him for who He was, Jesus, the Son of God. How many times have we seen Him working in our midst. Orchestrating our lives, leading us to where we should go and what we should do. Yet how many of us still fail to see Him for who He is.
The POWER that comes from a relationship with Christ can only be yours when you are close (PROXIMITY) to Him and accept Him as the PROMISE.
Discussion
How does your life reflect a HOPE in Jesus? Share
How do you share that HOPE with others? Share
How do you draw CLOSE to Christ? Share
Recall a time when you felt Christ near? Share
How has the POWER of Christ affected the way you live your life? Share
Announcements
Please pray for our Adult Discipleship Ministry, we are wanting to expand what we offer the people of BT. More information to come.
CG Leaders, please be on the lookout for an email from my assistant Meichelle. It should be coming your way this week.
Let’s continue to pray for each other and send prayer requests through our WhatsApp thread. If you are a CG Leader and are not on our WhatsApp thread please contact Meichelle at meichelle.vasquez@bt.church
Pastor Isuaro Medina
Isauro.medina@bt.church
Cell: (956) 984-9380
