Unhurried Hope
Advent 2024 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Psalm 131
Psalm 131
vs 1
We hope in the face of uncertainty. Not with arrogance, but through agreeing with God’s word which anchors us.
We hope in the face of uncertainty. Not with arrogance, but through agreeing with God’s word which anchors us.
Fickleness to life at times.
Faith is not certainty. Nor is Hope. We hold to a reality of Truth, absolutely held by God almighty. Future plans don’t have to be fantasy, when they begin and end with Jesus.
We easily consume ourselves with matters beyond our scope of sovereignty, which can produce anxiety.
“what if” anxiety
Psalm 130 (NLT)
VS 2
Hope, real hope, always begins with a whisper from God.
Hope, real hope, always begins with a whisper from God.
(yāḥal). vb. to hope; to wait expectantly. This verb expresses the idea of hopeful waiting.
This verb basically refers to hoping or waiting expectantly; such waiting involves trust that the awaited event will occur. The word is often used to indicate waiting hopefully for God (e.g., Isa 51:5; Ezek 13:6; Pss 31:24; 33:18; 42:6).
illus: struggling or down, and you hear a song, a sermon, or have a chat and it sparks life within you?
when you find yourself struggling, you have to go to the word of life.
Hope matures us past fleeting feelings of the moment. Ween yourself off the hype with God’s truth.
Hope matures us past fleeting feelings of the moment. Ween yourself off the hype with God’s truth.
God does this for His people again and again…
waiting is not easy, especially when you don’t know when a time is coming…this was israel’s deal...
Finally, Israel became a dying nation, filled with confusion and doubt. It was against that scene that the great age of the prophets came. Many of the Jewish people had been carried away into slavery. Some had lost their sense of national identity in exile. Many were cynical, faithless, embittered. Everyone yearned for the great days of the kings—David and Solomon and all their glory. And it was here that the prophets—men such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Micah—urged the people to keep the faith. Their message was, Wait for one more king. This one will be the greatest of all, and he will end our struggle forever.
Just when people most needed hope, God sent spokesmen to offer a foretaste of a better future. Throughout the words and work of the prophets, there were glimmers of a savior—a king who would rescue his people and restore them to God. In fact, there were more than three hundred specific prophecies in the Hebrew scriptures about the promised “Messiah,” as they called him.
“The sooner we turn to Jesus and accept our contingence, our dependence, and our limitations, the sooner we become more “like a weaned child with its mother” — deeply content and calm. And with that peace, we become more present to God, to ourselves, and to those we love.”
You have to quiet your soul and life to hear the whisper of hope.
You have to quiet your soul and life to hear the whisper of hope.
Your hustle is slowing choking your hope.
How do we wait with unhurried souls, yet full of hope?
VS 3
Hope in the Lord — now and always.
Hope in the Lord — now and always.
what we behold we become……a hope of future glory.
Romans 8:18-30
God gave the law, in part, to help them live holy as He is holy. He used the law a standard by which he wanted them to pursue, so that Israel might become like the image of His Son (vs 29). They failed, but it helped them recognize Jesus as the clear epitome and full image of the law.
Now, we look back and the SPIRIT, not the law, is helping conform us to the image of His son until the Son comes again and renews our entire body to be like Him!
Israel awaited the Messiah’s advent, having been given the law.
We await the messiah’s second advent, having been given the Spirit.
What begins in a manger, ends on a throne.
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PRACTICING THE WAY
As disciples of Jesus, we know our allegiance to Him as King is expressed in our daily practice. We are not pursuing perfection but want to practice our faith each day. These practices will point you toward spiritual formation as an apprentice (disciple) to Jesus.
(1) Start the Bible Recap reading plan.
(2) Recite this prayer/liturgy daily: Father, when I’m turning from others and from my own heart; when I’m lost in uncertainty and fear and fleeing what I should face; when I’m anxious for the future, for matters beyond my reach; calm and quiet my heart. Keep me present to you, to your peace, and to those I love. Amen
(3) Talk it Over (with friends, a spouse, or your Group)
The message was about cultivating unhurried hope. What is one idea from Sunday’s message that impacted you?
Read Psalm 131. What does this passage reveal about God? What are some other things you observe in the text?
What is one thing, in the past, you waited a long time to see occur?
How does understanding the concept of waiting on the Lord shape our view of faith?
Read Psalm 130. What do you observe about hope in this text?
Read Romans 8:18-30. What are some things you see about the christian life in this text?
In what ways can we quiet our souls to hear God's whispers of hope during times of anxiety?
