God with us brings hope

Topics: hope, gratitude, Advent

I. What is HOPE?

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).
For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it (Romans 8:24-25).

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).
"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14).
See Matthew 1:18-25
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance (Acts 2:1-4).

"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. "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. "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)
They also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven (Acts 1:11).
See also Luke 17:22-24 and Luke 21:25-28

Sermon by Pastor Dane Nissen, December 1st, 2024

An important Guideline of Life Groups: Discuss in your Life Group the importance of living a life of Hope.

Getting Started:

What are some things that build your hope?
Reflect on your own hope. Does the hope that you have and the hope that you share more closely American hope or the biblical hope we are called to have.

Discussing Truths:

Where is your hope found?
In light of 1 Peter 3:15 are you prepared to give a reason for the hope that you have?
Have you ever felt hopeless? What do you think caused it?

Now What? Application: