Friday, December 25, 2009
At Christmas "The Grace of God Has Appeared," Part 5 of 9
TEXT: "That they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works" (Titus 2:10b-14).
IDEA: The comings of Jesus give us hope.
PURPOSE: To help listeners rejoice in the fact that, as Christians, they have a blessed hope.
Do you think there’s a danger that Christians might take their faith for granted?
If so, why would that occur?
If you were to single out what Jesus gives us that the world around us wants, what would that be?
One answer is hope.
I. In the ancient world and in the modern world, people lack hope.
Matthew Arnold, the historian, stated about the ancient world:
On that hard pagan world,
Disgust and secret loathing fell.
Deep weariness and sated lust
Made human life a hell.
The modern world also lacks hope.
Just listen to conversations around us:
“Don’t talk about death.”
“We can’t change the world.”
“Get real!” = “What’s the use?”
II. In the second advent of Jesus Christ, there is great hope for us: “. . . looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Paul talks about “the blessed hope” which is the glorious appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. Did you in your growing-up years attend churches where they preached about “the blessed hope”? How did you feel about it?
When Paul speaks about the “blessed hope,” why was it blessed?
What do you think the word blessed means?
Why is this anticipation of the coming of Jesus something that should fill us with delight?
Illustration: suppose God took you on some kind of trip into the future and you could see that, despite everything–your sin, your smallness, your stupidity–that you could have, free for the asking, with utter certainty, your crazy heart’s deepest desire. You were absolutely certain that the story, as muddled as it is now, is going to come out right. How would you return from that trip?
You’d be fearless and singing. What could happen to you now, if you’re absolutely certain that the future belonged to you in all its fullness? To fear some loss now would be like a millionaire losing a dime. Living in hope would bring a totally different perspective. And therefore it is a “blessed hope.”
III. How are the two comings of Christ linked?
The future hope is linked to the great grace of our Lord Jesus Christ so that the two comings are not only connected in the Scriptures, but should be connected in our lives.
The second coming doesn’t give us hope unless we know the reality of the first coming.
What should be the proper mood in our celebration of Christmas?
The pagan world instinctively realizes that they should enjoy themselves.
The great danger is that in the rush of Christmas, we squeeze the joy out of it. But the emphasis on pleasure and having a good time doesn’t make Christmas pagan.
What better way to celebrate the fact that we live in hope between the two comings than by having a boisterously good time?
