WEBVTT 00:00:01.259 --> 00:00:05.940 But, he went on to say, there is one thing that 00:00:05.940 --> 00:00:12.519 we can try. That little bit of light makes a 00:00:12.519 --> 00:00:17.039 whole lot of difference. You and I live today 00:00:17.039 --> 00:00:21.559 in a world that is dark. It is dark with the 00:00:21.559 --> 00:00:26.039 despair of its own godlessness. The philosophies 00:00:26.039 --> 00:00:32.200 of man void as they are of anything eternal and 00:00:32.200 --> 00:00:37.659 transcendent, produce despair and hopelessness. 00:00:40.039 --> 00:00:44.640 The Apostle Paul calls God the God of hope in 00:00:44.640 --> 00:00:51.340 Romans 15 -13. Where there is God, there is hope. 00:00:52.240 --> 00:00:58.060 Where there is no God, there is no hope. The 00:00:58.060 --> 00:01:03.520 apostle further describes the unsaved in Ephesians 00:01:03.520 --> 00:01:08.680 as saying, having no hope, they are without God 00:01:08.680 --> 00:01:16.319 in the world. No hope because without God. The 00:01:16.319 --> 00:01:19.060 darkness that we see around us did not begin 00:01:19.060 --> 00:01:22.540 in this century, although we often think of it 00:01:22.540 --> 00:01:26.349 that way. Actually, the darkness of the human 00:01:26.349 --> 00:01:29.829 race began as a result of the fall and right 00:01:29.829 --> 00:01:35.730 after it. The fall brought death, destruction, 00:01:36.549 --> 00:01:41.109 idolatry, and godlessness that overtook the human 00:01:41.109 --> 00:01:46.209 race. Despite the revelation of God in the Old 00:01:46.209 --> 00:01:50.219 Testament and through His people Israel, The 00:01:50.219 --> 00:01:53.299 world 2 ,000 years ago was a world much like 00:01:53.299 --> 00:01:57.219 the world today, a world that was in darkness 00:01:57.219 --> 00:02:02.099 and despair. The oppression of Rome throughout 00:02:02.099 --> 00:02:07.700 its empire and the silence of God for that 400 00:02:07.700 --> 00:02:13.159 -year period following Malachi's ministry left 00:02:13.159 --> 00:02:20.459 the world in an inky, malevolent misery. And 00:02:20.459 --> 00:02:26.060 then, one night, in the village of Bethlehem, 00:02:26.680 --> 00:02:32.659 the dawn of a new era came. Luke 1 says, because 00:02:32.659 --> 00:02:36.460 of the tender mercy of our God, the sunrise from 00:02:36.460 --> 00:02:41.319 on high visited us, to shine upon those who sat 00:02:41.319 --> 00:02:45.939 in darkness and the shadow of death. The angel 00:02:45.939 --> 00:02:51.039 broke the news to the most unsuspecting of people, 00:02:51.280 --> 00:02:54.280 the shepherds. They were the first to witness 00:02:54.280 --> 00:02:58.460 the sunrise. Eight days later, the righteous 00:02:58.460 --> 00:03:02.800 and devout Simeon held this baby in his own arms 00:03:02.800 --> 00:03:08.919 and said, My eyes have seen thy salvation, a 00:03:08.919 --> 00:03:13.599 light of revelation to the Gentiles and the glory 00:03:13.599 --> 00:03:19.020 of thy people Israel. The Apostle John puts it 00:03:19.020 --> 00:03:23.159 this way in the prologue of his Gospel, verse 00:03:23.159 --> 00:03:30.599 5, talking about the Word, calling Him the One 00:03:30.599 --> 00:03:34.300 in Whom there was life, that is, the One in Whom 00:03:34.300 --> 00:03:38.580 there dwelt spiritual life, self -existent life. 00:03:39.659 --> 00:03:42.780 And he says, that One whose life was the light 00:03:42.780 --> 00:03:47.949 of men, He says that light shines in the darkness, 00:03:48.770 --> 00:03:54.030 and the darkness did not comprehend it. Or as 00:03:54.030 --> 00:03:57.930 some translations put it better, I think, and 00:03:57.930 --> 00:04:04.250 the darkness did not overtake it. The light shines 00:04:04.250 --> 00:04:09.289 in the darkness, and the darkness did not conquer 00:04:09.289 --> 00:04:13.969 it. And so today I want to talk about Jesus Christ 00:04:14.270 --> 00:04:18.269 who is the light of hope. Christ's entrance in 00:04:18.269 --> 00:04:22.709 the world provoked an intense battle, a cosmic 00:04:22.709 --> 00:04:26.769 battle between light and darkness. On the one 00:04:26.769 --> 00:04:31.370 side the powers of darkness, on the other the 00:04:31.370 --> 00:04:36.889 purpose of God and His angelic host. The powers 00:04:36.889 --> 00:04:40.310 of darkness opposed the coming of the light. 00:04:41.110 --> 00:04:46.310 They sought to destroy the light. What they failed 00:04:46.310 --> 00:04:51.550 to accomplish through Herod in Bethlehem They 00:04:51.550 --> 00:04:55.069 thought they had accomplished at the cross in 00:04:55.069 --> 00:05:01.649 Jerusalem and for three days the powers of darkness 00:05:01.649 --> 00:05:09.389 partied and Then their party was crashed because 00:05:09.389 --> 00:05:14.120 the light conquered the darkness Jesus Christ 00:05:14.120 --> 00:05:20.680 rose from the grave. The light of the world is 00:05:20.680 --> 00:05:25.180 the victor in this most important and contested 00:05:25.180 --> 00:05:29.379 battle of the ages. John writing later says, 00:05:29.879 --> 00:05:33.220 the Son of God appeared for this purpose that 00:05:33.220 --> 00:05:38.079 he might destroy the works of the devil. The 00:05:38.079 --> 00:05:40.620 word destroy there does not mean to immediately 00:05:40.620 --> 00:05:44.120 execute. the works of the devil. But it's really 00:05:44.120 --> 00:05:48.620 the word loose. He appeared that he might loose 00:05:48.620 --> 00:05:54.399 the works of the devil. The idea is to undo the 00:05:54.399 --> 00:05:58.420 bonds holding the devil's power base together. 00:05:59.259 --> 00:06:02.019 As our guest at the Christmas Eve service said 00:06:02.019 --> 00:06:06.139 on Friday evening, it was the pulling out of 00:06:06.139 --> 00:06:11.680 the thread that began the unraveling of all of 00:06:11.680 --> 00:06:18.160 the devil's empire. He loosed the works of the 00:06:18.160 --> 00:06:22.600 devil. In this context of the victory of light, 00:06:22.819 --> 00:06:30.240 Jesus Christ is the hope of the world. His victory 00:06:30.240 --> 00:06:35.699 over darkness secures hope for you in life's 00:06:35.699 --> 00:06:38.680 journey through this dark world that you live 00:06:38.680 --> 00:06:42.069 in. It is important for us to define the word 00:06:42.069 --> 00:06:45.689 hope before we go any further. Reminding ourselves 00:06:45.689 --> 00:06:48.769 that hope in the biblical sense is not a wish. 00:06:49.649 --> 00:06:54.670 It's an expectation. It is an expectation that 00:06:54.670 --> 00:06:57.889 is noted for being favorable. In other words, 00:06:57.910 --> 00:07:02.730 it's not a dread. It's a good thing. And for 00:07:02.730 --> 00:07:08.990 being confident. It's certain. Nothing can keep 00:07:08.990 --> 00:07:12.509 it from coming to pass. So when you think of 00:07:12.509 --> 00:07:14.810 the word hope this morning, as we think of Jesus 00:07:14.810 --> 00:07:18.110 being the light of hope, understand we're talking 00:07:18.110 --> 00:07:20.589 about something that's good. We're talking about 00:07:20.589 --> 00:07:25.370 something that is for sure. Your hope in Jesus 00:07:25.370 --> 00:07:28.569 Christ can be explicated in three, in various 00:07:28.569 --> 00:07:32.589 ways. The light of hope is in the first place, 00:07:33.329 --> 00:07:35.709 the hope that your past failures are forgiven 00:07:35.709 --> 00:07:40.279 by God. He is the light of hope and that hope 00:07:40.279 --> 00:07:44.180 includes this wonderful thing that your past 00:07:44.180 --> 00:07:49.100 failures are forgiven by God John in verse 29 00:07:49.100 --> 00:07:52.360 of this same chapter Talks about John the Baptist 00:07:52.360 --> 00:07:55.319 seeing Jesus coming to him and saying behold 00:07:55.319 --> 00:08:00.420 The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the 00:08:00.420 --> 00:08:04.220 world In his epistle he writes you know that 00:08:04.220 --> 00:08:10.579 he appeared in order to take away sins. Human 00:08:10.579 --> 00:08:17.519 sin is our failing to hit the mark, our failing 00:08:17.519 --> 00:08:22.379 to measure up to God's necessary standard of 00:08:22.379 --> 00:08:27.079 righteousness. Romans 3, 23, most of us can quote 00:08:27.079 --> 00:08:32.799 it, for all have sinned and what? Come short. 00:08:33.049 --> 00:08:36.710 of the glory of God. There's a failure. We have 00:08:36.710 --> 00:08:39.190 not hit the mark. We haven't measured up because 00:08:39.190 --> 00:08:44.870 of our sin. And our failures do two things to 00:08:44.870 --> 00:08:48.409 us. First, they bring us under the judgment of 00:08:48.409 --> 00:08:53.730 God because God is holy. Secondly, they deliver 00:08:53.730 --> 00:09:01.610 us to a guilty conscience. The only remedy for 00:09:01.610 --> 00:09:05.240 the judgment of God and a guilty conscience is 00:09:05.240 --> 00:09:09.860 forgiveness. Forgiveness from God because all 00:09:09.860 --> 00:09:14.279 sin ultimately is against Him and only He can 00:09:14.279 --> 00:09:18.419 forgive it. Christ's death for our sins and His 00:09:18.419 --> 00:09:22.659 victorious resurrection provide the only valid 00:09:22.659 --> 00:09:29.480 means by which God can extend pardon to us. But 00:09:29.480 --> 00:09:33.320 because of the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:09:33.639 --> 00:09:38.919 God is able to extend to us forgiveness. So that 00:09:38.919 --> 00:09:41.759 when we receive that gift and we have this light 00:09:41.759 --> 00:09:46.139 of hope in Jesus Christ, it includes the fact 00:09:46.139 --> 00:09:50.860 that our past failures are forgiven by God. If 00:09:50.860 --> 00:09:53.019 you sit here on this Christmas Sunday morning 00:09:53.019 --> 00:09:56.019 wondering about your past, feeling guilty over 00:09:56.019 --> 00:09:59.169 what you've done, Understand that with God there 00:09:59.169 --> 00:10:04.889 is forgiveness because of Jesus. You don't have 00:10:04.889 --> 00:10:07.429 to live in the darkness of guilt. You don't have 00:10:07.429 --> 00:10:10.629 to live in the darkness of God's judgment. You 00:10:10.629 --> 00:10:16.450 may come to the light and be delivered. Now the 00:10:16.450 --> 00:10:18.509 hope that we have for life's journey through 00:10:18.509 --> 00:10:22.570 this dark world also embraces the hope that your 00:10:22.570 --> 00:10:27.899 personal weaknesses are purposed by God. John, 00:10:27.899 --> 00:10:31.940 again, talks about this in chapter 9, verse 1. 00:10:34.460 --> 00:10:37.100 As he talks about Jesus passing by and seeing 00:10:37.100 --> 00:10:41.639 a blind man, blind from birth, his disciples 00:10:41.639 --> 00:10:46.539 ask him, Rabbi, who sinned? This man or his parents, 00:10:46.639 --> 00:10:49.340 that he should be born blind? Jesus answered, 00:10:49.419 --> 00:10:52.799 it was neither that this man sinned nor his parents. 00:10:53.580 --> 00:10:55.840 But it was in order that the works of God might 00:10:55.840 --> 00:10:59.450 be displayed. in Him. Verse 5, it goes on to 00:10:59.450 --> 00:11:02.629 say, while I am in the world, I am the light 00:11:02.629 --> 00:11:06.629 of the world. Here we have the hope that your 00:11:06.629 --> 00:11:11.470 personal weaknesses are purposed by God. On our 00:11:11.470 --> 00:11:14.070 Christmas Eve service, it was a delight to meet 00:11:14.070 --> 00:11:16.769 for the first time Kenny and Barbara King's little 00:11:16.769 --> 00:11:22.309 grandson, born blind. What a wonderful little 00:11:22.309 --> 00:11:27.659 boy, three years old perhaps at this time. growing 00:11:27.659 --> 00:11:30.480 up with his acute sensitivity to other things 00:11:30.480 --> 00:11:34.820 because he has no eyes. Here we have a man like 00:11:34.820 --> 00:11:37.720 that. He had grown up to an adult stage of life. 00:11:39.139 --> 00:11:42.759 And Jesus says he didn't sin. His parents didn't 00:11:42.759 --> 00:11:49.299 sin. God purposed this for himself. And so I'm 00:11:49.299 --> 00:11:52.320 not thinking now of sins or even the results 00:11:52.320 --> 00:11:56.029 of sins. I'm not even thinking about weaknesses 00:11:56.029 --> 00:12:00.970 like occasional sore throats or a bad golf game. 00:12:02.730 --> 00:12:05.429 I'm talking rather about those afflictions and 00:12:05.429 --> 00:12:08.870 marks, those weaknesses as we call them, that 00:12:08.870 --> 00:12:15.570 we bear long term, over a lifetime perhaps, challenges, 00:12:16.730 --> 00:12:22.080 handicaps, scars that we bear. Those things that 00:12:22.080 --> 00:12:26.639 so often become points of comparisons as we see 00:12:26.639 --> 00:12:30.480 other people and we wish that we were different 00:12:30.480 --> 00:12:38.340 like them. Whatever weaknesses we may have are 00:12:38.340 --> 00:12:43.539 ours by God's sovereign choice. We see this, 00:12:43.779 --> 00:12:47.299 don't we, in Moses? As he complained to God, 00:12:47.340 --> 00:12:50.559 I can't speak, I'm not eloquent. I don't have 00:12:50.559 --> 00:12:54.840 a quick reply for Pharaoh. And God said to Moses, 00:12:54.899 --> 00:12:58.940 who made your mouth? Moses, don't you know that 00:12:58.940 --> 00:13:04.039 I made you the way that you are? I think of our 00:13:04.039 --> 00:13:08.000 friend Gene Jordan who, goodness has it been 00:13:08.000 --> 00:13:11.759 three, four years now, right at this season when 00:13:11.759 --> 00:13:15.700 he went to be with Christ, born with a cleft 00:13:15.700 --> 00:13:21.250 palate and lip. Grew up as a young boy with that 00:13:21.250 --> 00:13:25.190 problem, being teased about his being unable 00:13:25.190 --> 00:13:28.090 to speak and so on. God laid His hand on him 00:13:28.090 --> 00:13:30.669 and his family, called him to Himself, and sent 00:13:30.669 --> 00:13:35.070 him into Christian work. And it wasn't until 00:13:35.070 --> 00:13:37.929 years later that he had surgery so that he could 00:13:37.929 --> 00:13:41.809 be corrected somewhat with this problem. Willing 00:13:41.809 --> 00:13:45.710 to serve Jesus Christ with that weakness that 00:13:45.710 --> 00:13:50.240 God had purposed in him. I don't know what your 00:13:50.240 --> 00:13:55.000 weakness may be. Paul had a weakness, though 00:13:55.000 --> 00:13:58.820 we don't precisely know what it was. But he said 00:13:58.820 --> 00:14:02.279 about it, most gladly I will boast about my weaknesses, 00:14:03.460 --> 00:14:06.659 that the power of Christ may dwell in me. I am 00:14:06.659 --> 00:14:09.580 well content with weaknesses for Christ's sake. 00:14:10.340 --> 00:14:17.009 For when I am weak, then am I strong. What a 00:14:17.009 --> 00:14:19.210 contradiction, so it seems, and yet it is in 00:14:19.210 --> 00:14:22.590 our weakness that Christ's strength and grace 00:14:22.590 --> 00:14:25.730 is made perfect. The light of hope that we have 00:14:25.730 --> 00:14:29.330 in Jesus Christ is that your weaknesses are by 00:14:29.330 --> 00:14:33.049 God's design and he will use them to glorify 00:14:33.049 --> 00:14:36.710 himself. We don't have to walk in the darkness 00:14:36.710 --> 00:14:40.070 of comparing ourselves to others or wondering 00:14:40.070 --> 00:14:42.809 why this has happened or why we've experienced 00:14:42.809 --> 00:14:46.590 that. The fact is that we can accept our weaknesses 00:14:46.590 --> 00:14:50.450 with gladness because we have the light of hope 00:14:50.450 --> 00:14:55.549 in Jesus Christ. Third, the light of hope that 00:14:55.549 --> 00:14:57.929 we have for life's journey through this dark 00:14:57.929 --> 00:15:01.710 world is that this hope that our daily temptations 00:15:01.710 --> 00:15:06.470 are conquerable through God. That our daily temptations 00:15:06.470 --> 00:15:10.970 are conquerable through God. John chapter 16 00:15:10.970 --> 00:15:14.889 talks about this hope. As Jesus says in verse 00:15:14.889 --> 00:15:20.769 32, Behold, an hour is coming, and already has 00:15:20.769 --> 00:15:24.710 come, for you to be scattered, each to his own 00:15:24.710 --> 00:15:29.090 home, and to leave me alone. And yet, I am not 00:15:29.090 --> 00:15:33.690 alone, because the Father is with me. Maybe you 00:15:33.690 --> 00:15:36.129 feel alone this morning, I don't know. Do you 00:15:36.129 --> 00:15:38.710 notice what Jesus says here? He knows what aloneness 00:15:38.710 --> 00:15:42.269 is all about. But he says, truly I'm not alone, 00:15:42.370 --> 00:15:44.350 the Father is with me. And if you're a Christian, 00:15:45.149 --> 00:15:47.690 you may feel lonely, remember the Father's with 00:15:47.690 --> 00:15:51.210 you. Then Jesus says, these things I've spoken 00:15:51.210 --> 00:15:54.210 to you, that in me you may have peace. In the 00:15:54.210 --> 00:15:56.909 world you will have tribulation, but take good 00:15:56.909 --> 00:16:01.330 courage. I have overcome the world. The light 00:16:01.330 --> 00:16:03.629 shines in the darkness, and the darkness did 00:16:03.629 --> 00:16:07.330 not overcome it. We have the light of hope that 00:16:07.330 --> 00:16:09.570 our daily temptations are conquerable through 00:16:09.570 --> 00:16:14.250 God. In this world we will have temptations. 00:16:15.690 --> 00:16:18.110 The disciples had temptations and they were facing 00:16:18.110 --> 00:16:20.850 their greatest temptation when Jesus spoke these 00:16:20.850 --> 00:16:25.029 words. They were going to be tempted to leave 00:16:25.029 --> 00:16:28.190 him and Jesus says prophetically, you will leave 00:16:28.190 --> 00:16:32.659 me. They would fail this temptation. But he says 00:16:32.659 --> 00:16:35.399 I want you to be of good courage remember this 00:16:35.399 --> 00:16:40.940 I've overcome and Later when temptations came 00:16:40.940 --> 00:16:44.620 to them to forsake Jesus or to deny him they 00:16:44.620 --> 00:16:48.220 were willing even to lay down their lives They 00:16:48.220 --> 00:16:52.860 conquered that temptation What are your temptations 00:16:52.860 --> 00:16:57.259 on this Sunday after Christmas What are the areas 00:16:57.259 --> 00:17:01.139 of life Where you meet the enemy head -on and 00:17:01.139 --> 00:17:12.079 you're allured to disobedience Or to denial Jesus 00:17:12.079 --> 00:17:14.440 Christ says to you this morning. I want you to 00:17:14.440 --> 00:17:17.400 know you can conquer that temptation. You are 00:17:17.400 --> 00:17:21.000 not a victim You are a victor because I have 00:17:21.000 --> 00:17:23.859 overcome the world He went right on from making 00:17:23.859 --> 00:17:26.720 that statement to pray to the father and he says 00:17:26.720 --> 00:17:31.519 father keep them Keep them from the evil one 00:17:31.519 --> 00:17:37.059 You see we don't have to yield to the temptations 00:17:37.059 --> 00:17:40.680 that come to us in this world of darkness Jesus 00:17:40.680 --> 00:17:44.160 Christ lives in us by his Holy Spirit and in 00:17:44.160 --> 00:17:48.559 heaven he prays for us Enabling us to say no 00:17:48.559 --> 00:17:53.900 to temptation and say yes to obedience You and 00:17:53.900 --> 00:17:57.299 I have this hope for our life in this dark world. 00:17:57.759 --> 00:18:02.670 It is this that our daily temptations are conquerable 00:18:02.670 --> 00:18:08.369 through God. Our hope for this dark journey through 00:18:08.369 --> 00:18:13.289 life also embraces this fact that your individual 00:18:13.289 --> 00:18:16.930 troubles are measured by God. Go back to John 00:18:16.930 --> 00:18:22.509 chapter 11 for a moment. We return to this passage 00:18:22.509 --> 00:18:27.410 where two sisters are troubled. over the death 00:18:27.410 --> 00:18:32.250 of their brother Lazarus. We talked about Martha. 00:18:32.269 --> 00:18:35.390 We look at Mary this week, verse 32. When Mary 00:18:35.390 --> 00:18:38.089 came where Jesus was, she saw him and fell at 00:18:38.089 --> 00:18:40.509 his feet, saying to him, Lord, if you had been 00:18:40.509 --> 00:18:44.710 here, my brother would not have died. Sounds 00:18:44.710 --> 00:18:47.410 a little familiar, doesn't it? Same thing Martha 00:18:47.410 --> 00:18:50.769 had said earlier. When Jesus therefore saw her 00:18:50.769 --> 00:18:54.410 weeping, and the Jews who came with her also 00:18:54.410 --> 00:19:00.930 weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was 00:19:00.930 --> 00:19:04.869 troubled, and said, Where have you laid him? 00:19:05.430 --> 00:19:09.950 And they said to him, Lord, come and see. Jesus 00:19:09.950 --> 00:19:16.269 burst into tears. And in verse 40, Jesus said 00:19:16.269 --> 00:19:19.029 to her, Did not I tell you, if you believe, you 00:19:19.029 --> 00:19:23.069 will see the glory of God? And then he raised 00:19:23.069 --> 00:19:26.559 Lazarus from the dead. What I want to point out 00:19:26.559 --> 00:19:28.799 here is that Mary and Martha were passing through 00:19:28.799 --> 00:19:32.539 a trouble in life. Their hearts were troubled 00:19:32.539 --> 00:19:37.160 and Jesus' heart was troubled with them. Jesus 00:19:37.160 --> 00:19:42.279 felt with them the pain and the loss that they 00:19:42.279 --> 00:19:48.759 so keenly felt. He wept with them. What they 00:19:48.759 --> 00:19:53.519 were experiencing was measured by God. God was 00:19:53.519 --> 00:19:56.619 not laying upon them something they could not 00:19:56.619 --> 00:20:00.299 carry, nor something that he himself did not 00:20:00.299 --> 00:20:05.220 feel, for he did. This experience for Mary and 00:20:05.220 --> 00:20:10.700 Martha, just like your individual troubles, are 00:20:10.700 --> 00:20:14.440 measured out of the hand of a loving and sovereign 00:20:14.440 --> 00:20:19.180 God who delights in you. Is it the illness of 00:20:19.180 --> 00:20:23.339 a loved one that you face? Have you received 00:20:23.339 --> 00:20:26.579 word from your employer that because the company 00:20:26.579 --> 00:20:29.720 has been bought by another corporation your job 00:20:29.720 --> 00:20:34.380 is going to be phased out in six months? Do you 00:20:34.380 --> 00:20:37.000 have the individual trouble of having a sexual 00:20:37.000 --> 00:20:39.859 assault that has occurred with all of its horrors? 00:20:42.200 --> 00:20:44.539 What about the persistent pain that you bear 00:20:44.539 --> 00:20:49.240 of a child that's gone astray? I don't know what 00:20:49.240 --> 00:20:53.160 the trouble That you have in your individual 00:20:53.160 --> 00:20:55.519 life is today, but I want you to know something 00:20:55.519 --> 00:21:01.480 because Jesus Christ has conquered Because the 00:21:01.480 --> 00:21:03.859 light shines in the darkness and the darkness 00:21:03.859 --> 00:21:08.640 didn't overcome it You can have hope in the midst 00:21:08.640 --> 00:21:11.640 of your darkness today the hope the light of 00:21:11.640 --> 00:21:16.599 hope in Christ Because he is the victor He is 00:21:16.599 --> 00:21:19.700 the one who comes to us in our troubles who weeps 00:21:19.700 --> 00:21:23.599 with us and who keeps us encouraged in the midst 00:21:23.599 --> 00:21:30.720 of our troubles. I must go on to the next hope 00:21:30.720 --> 00:21:34.500 that we have in Christ, He who is the light of 00:21:34.500 --> 00:21:38.319 hope. That is the hope that your life's mission 00:21:38.319 --> 00:21:42.980 is determined by God. Let's go to the last chapter 00:21:42.980 --> 00:21:45.599 of the Gospel of John to see this light or this 00:21:45.599 --> 00:21:50.200 hope played out in the lives of Peter and John. 00:21:50.960 --> 00:21:55.680 You recall that here in John chapter 21, Jesus 00:21:55.680 --> 00:22:02.160 gives to Peter his instructions. He says to him, 00:22:02.160 --> 00:22:08.240 follow me, Peter. Do what I tell you to do. And 00:22:08.240 --> 00:22:11.079 Peter looks around and he sees John and he says, 00:22:11.319 --> 00:22:15.880 Lord, what about this man? And verse 22, Jesus 00:22:15.880 --> 00:22:20.230 says, if I want him to remain until I come, What 00:22:20.230 --> 00:22:25.450 is that to you? You follow me. This saying therefore 00:22:25.450 --> 00:22:27.910 went out among the brethren that that disciple 00:22:27.910 --> 00:22:30.430 would not die, yet Jesus didn't say to him he 00:22:30.430 --> 00:22:33.089 wouldn't die, but only if I want him to remain 00:22:33.089 --> 00:22:37.650 until I come. What is that to you? You see the 00:22:37.650 --> 00:22:42.750 point here? Jesus had a purpose for Peter. He 00:22:42.750 --> 00:22:46.250 says, Peter, here's what I want you to do. Peter 00:22:46.250 --> 00:22:47.589 looked over at John and said, Lord, what about 00:22:47.589 --> 00:22:50.690 him? He says, I have a purpose for John Peter. 00:22:51.630 --> 00:22:54.750 That's not your concern. You follow me. I'll 00:22:54.750 --> 00:22:57.230 take care of Peter. I'll take care of John, rather. 00:22:57.829 --> 00:23:01.490 I'll tell him what I want him to do. What we 00:23:01.490 --> 00:23:04.029 see here is the hope that your life's mission 00:23:04.029 --> 00:23:09.349 also is determined by God. When there is no meaning 00:23:09.349 --> 00:23:14.369 to life, we wind up in despair. That's one reason 00:23:14.369 --> 00:23:17.589 that teenage suicides are skyrocketing in our 00:23:17.589 --> 00:23:21.059 day. The philosophies of man are beginning to 00:23:21.059 --> 00:23:23.539 take their toll upon our younger generation. 00:23:23.859 --> 00:23:28.660 They see no purpose, no meaning to life. If there 00:23:28.660 --> 00:23:30.779 is no meaning to life and you're in pain, then 00:23:30.779 --> 00:23:35.059 get rid of it. Be done with it. Kill yourself. 00:23:36.099 --> 00:23:42.720 It's very logical. The problem is that it's based 00:23:42.720 --> 00:23:46.660 upon a false philosophy. That life has no meaning. 00:23:46.740 --> 00:23:52.619 It does. And especially for those of us who know 00:23:52.619 --> 00:23:56.799 the light of hope, Jesus Christ, life has meaning. 00:23:58.460 --> 00:24:01.480 We have this hope that our life's mission is 00:24:01.480 --> 00:24:05.799 determined by God. You have significance beyond 00:24:05.799 --> 00:24:09.220 what you can possibly grasp as you live day by 00:24:09.220 --> 00:24:13.539 day. But someday your life's purpose will be 00:24:13.539 --> 00:24:17.359 realized as you follow Jesus Christ and do His 00:24:17.359 --> 00:24:21.029 will. The opposite of that is to waste life. 00:24:21.609 --> 00:24:25.250 Life is too precious to be wasted. Therefore, 00:24:25.369 --> 00:24:27.950 let's press ahead with what the will of God for 00:24:27.950 --> 00:24:31.490 us is. What we understand that mission to be. 00:24:32.430 --> 00:24:35.410 Understand that Jesus says to you, as he said 00:24:35.410 --> 00:24:40.630 to Peter, you follow me. Do what I want you to 00:24:40.630 --> 00:24:43.789 do. Don't worry about others. You do what I want 00:24:43.789 --> 00:24:47.609 you to do. What a wonderful hope there is in 00:24:47.609 --> 00:24:50.819 Christ. To know that as we pursue what He tells 00:24:50.819 --> 00:24:54.500 us to do, as we follow Him, our life has meaning. 00:24:55.779 --> 00:24:59.079 And finally, as we think about the light of hope 00:24:59.079 --> 00:25:02.319 in the midst of this dark world, and our life's 00:25:02.319 --> 00:25:06.160 journey in it, we have the hope that our promised 00:25:06.160 --> 00:25:10.099 destiny is guaranteed by God. Those familiar 00:25:10.099 --> 00:25:14.500 verses in John chapter 14, where Jesus says to 00:25:14.500 --> 00:25:17.509 His disciples, not your heart be troubled. Believe 00:25:17.509 --> 00:25:22.450 in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house 00:25:22.450 --> 00:25:25.509 are many dwelling places. If it were not so, 00:25:25.509 --> 00:25:27.750 I would have told you, I go and prepare a place 00:25:27.750 --> 00:25:31.809 for you. And if I go and prepare a place for 00:25:31.809 --> 00:25:35.369 you, I will come again and receive you to myself, 00:25:35.450 --> 00:25:40.069 that where I am, there you may be also. Here 00:25:40.069 --> 00:25:43.250 we have the hope that your promised destiny is 00:25:43.250 --> 00:25:49.400 guaranteed by God. As a child of light, you are 00:25:49.400 --> 00:25:55.160 called to inherit glory, the glory of God. Paul 00:25:55.160 --> 00:26:00.700 says God calls you into his own kingdom and glory. 00:26:02.980 --> 00:26:05.259 Turn with me to Romans chapter 8 where we see 00:26:05.259 --> 00:26:10.039 this further elaborated upon. Jesus in John 17 00:26:10.039 --> 00:26:13.700 prayed, Father, I want those that you have given 00:26:13.700 --> 00:26:18.210 to me to be with me where I am. Where is that? 00:26:18.269 --> 00:26:25.430 In glory. In Romans chapter 8 verse 18 he says, 00:26:25.730 --> 00:26:28.230 I consider the sufferings of this present time 00:26:28.230 --> 00:26:31.529 are not worthy to be compared with the glory 00:26:31.529 --> 00:26:36.069 that is to be revealed to us. The anxious longing 00:26:36.069 --> 00:26:38.710 of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing 00:26:38.710 --> 00:26:42.769 of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected 00:26:42.769 --> 00:26:46.049 to futility not of its own will but because of 00:26:46.049 --> 00:26:48.910 him who subjected it in hope that the creation 00:26:48.910 --> 00:26:52.910 itself also Will be set free from its slavery 00:26:52.910 --> 00:26:56.470 to corruption into the freedom of the glory of 00:26:56.470 --> 00:26:59.789 the children of God For we know that the whole 00:26:59.789 --> 00:27:03.289 creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth 00:27:03.289 --> 00:27:07.589 together until now and not only this but we ourselves 00:27:07.880 --> 00:27:10.220 having the first fruits of the spirit even we 00:27:10.220 --> 00:27:14.119 ourselves grown within ourselves waiting eagerly 00:27:14.119 --> 00:27:16.720 for our adoption as sons the redemption of our 00:27:16.720 --> 00:27:22.019 body for in hope we have been saved but hope 00:27:22.019 --> 00:27:25.960 that is seen is not hope for why does one also 00:27:25.960 --> 00:27:28.299 hope for what he sees but if we hope for what 00:27:28.299 --> 00:27:32.960 we do not see with perseverance we wait eagerly 00:27:32.960 --> 00:27:38.140 for it what the hope what is the hope glory You 00:27:38.140 --> 00:27:41.380 and I have the hope that our promised destiny 00:27:41.380 --> 00:27:46.400 is guaranteed by God. The Apostle Paul, knowing 00:27:46.400 --> 00:27:50.660 that his own death was near, testifies to Timothy, 00:27:51.019 --> 00:27:55.180 the Lord will deliver me from every evil deed 00:27:55.180 --> 00:27:59.759 and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. 00:28:00.819 --> 00:28:04.839 We have that hope. We have that light of hope 00:28:04.839 --> 00:28:08.779 in this dark world. that this life is not all 00:28:08.779 --> 00:28:11.980 there is, and that with all of its sufferings, 00:28:12.200 --> 00:28:15.079 it's not worthy to be compared with what's coming 00:28:15.079 --> 00:28:19.519 in the future. What I've tried to explain to 00:28:19.519 --> 00:28:22.960 you this morning in my own weakness is that the 00:28:22.960 --> 00:28:26.380 story of Christmas, the story behind it, is the 00:28:26.380 --> 00:28:28.740 story of the battle between light and darkness. 00:28:30.200 --> 00:28:33.940 The battle is over. It's finished. And the light 00:28:33.940 --> 00:28:38.650 has won. The darkness has not overcome the light. 00:28:38.970 --> 00:28:45.690 It still shines in the darkness. And so we celebrate 00:28:45.690 --> 00:28:51.369 His coming and His conquest. That triumph has 00:28:51.369 --> 00:28:54.549 secured hope for all of those who come to the 00:28:54.549 --> 00:28:58.990 light, Jesus Christ, and who follow Him. The 00:28:58.990 --> 00:29:01.049 world that we live in is dark and it's getting 00:29:01.049 --> 00:29:05.450 darker, but not to fear. We are the children 00:29:05.450 --> 00:29:10.430 of light who trust Jesus Christ. We are not given 00:29:10.430 --> 00:29:15.450 to despair, but to living in hope. And though 00:29:15.450 --> 00:29:18.309 we may be tempted to upset and to troubled hearts, 00:29:18.710 --> 00:29:22.970 Jesus says let not your heart be troubled. Believe. 00:29:23.789 --> 00:29:32.450 Believe. Let's pray together. What aspect of 00:29:32.450 --> 00:29:37.150 hope this morning brings light to your journey. 00:29:38.049 --> 00:29:41.609 I hope we've touched on it. I hope that as you 00:29:41.609 --> 00:29:45.690 leave from here that some area of life where 00:29:45.690 --> 00:29:50.769 there has been darkness may be lightened, illumined 00:29:50.769 --> 00:29:53.509 by the light of hope in Jesus Christ. I hope 00:29:53.509 --> 00:29:57.609 that you know Him as your Savior and Lord. If 00:29:57.609 --> 00:30:03.009 not, we invite you to trust Him today. Those 00:30:03.009 --> 00:30:05.529 of us who are the children of light who've been 00:30:05.529 --> 00:30:10.109 translated, transferred out of the kingdom of 00:30:10.109 --> 00:30:12.650 darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son, 00:30:13.390 --> 00:30:18.529 we have the light of hope for our journey. And 00:30:18.529 --> 00:30:20.869 because of that our hearts can be still and be 00:30:20.869 --> 00:30:26.730 at rest, trusting in Him as we journey on faithfully 00:30:26.730 --> 00:30:33.259 through life following Him. Father God, I pray 00:30:33.259 --> 00:30:36.660 today that you will apply this truth to our lives 00:30:36.660 --> 00:30:39.160 in such a way that it will bring renewed hope 00:30:39.160 --> 00:30:43.799 for any who are tempted to despair. And wherever 00:30:43.799 --> 00:30:47.599 we may be walking in darkness through life's 00:30:47.599 --> 00:30:50.579 journey in this dark world, may the light of 00:30:50.579 --> 00:30:56.359 hope in the sun illumine our path and dispel 00:30:56.359 --> 00:31:00.819 our darkness as we walk on toward the glory that 00:31:00.819 --> 00:31:07.099 waits. In Jesus' name, Amen. I'd like for us 00:31:07.099 --> 00:31:11.920 to sing a hymn in closing. And it is hymn 347 00:31:11.920 --> 00:31:15.779 that says, Be still, my soul, God's on your side. 00:31:16.259 --> 00:31:20.920 Bear patiently your daily trouble, your cross 00:31:20.920 --> 00:31:24.059 of grief or pain. Leave to God to order and provide. 00:31:25.059 --> 00:31:30.019 In every change He faithful will remain. Let's 00:31:30.019 --> 00:31:32.599 stand and sing about this light of hope that 00:31:32.599 --> 00:31:36.000 we have that allows us to be still and quiet 00:31:36.000 --> 00:31:38.680 and know that He is God. 347.