Advent: HOPE

Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

2 Corinthians 9:15

Christmas time is here! I am one of those who does not like starting Christmas early. I want to wait until after Thanksgiving Day before I gear up for Christmas. But once Thanksgiving is over, it’s Christmas time!!

Growing up, it was always the Saturday after Thanksgiving that we set up our Christmas tree and put up decorations. In a matter of hours, the house would go from fall decorations to being adorned for Christmas: a Christmas wonderland. Mom still does a fantastic job of making their home a cozy Christmas home that inspires anticipation for Christmas day.

This year, on Black Friday, I saved 100% of my money by staying home and cleaning in order to set up my decorations. I wait until Thanksgiving is over because it builds up the anticipation for the Christmas season, but now is the time to enjoy the season, the decorations and the festivities.

One thing that is left for me at home, is to adorn my tree with ornaments. Right now, it is a plain tree with lights on it. It looks nice, but when a tree is properly adorned it looks beautiful and inviting.

Ornaments for Adorning

Did you know that we are called to be ornaments to adorn the doctrine of God (Titus 2:10)? I was caught in wonder at this phrase as I read through Titus 2. The doctrine of God is not lacking anything in itself, so what does it mean to adorn the doctrine of God?

If we are Christ followers then we have the opportunity to follow Christ in such a way that it causes others to be attracted to the message. On the flipside, we can live in such a way that causes people to have no desire for the message because we are unloving or hypocritical. Paul is commanding us to live in such a way that brings glory to God and inspires others to follow Jesus (Matthew 5:16).

Here are some of the Ornaments from Titus 2:10-14

1.     1^st Advent – “the grace of God appeared”

2.     Faith

3.     Grace

4.     Salvation

5.     Saying “NO” to sin

6.     Saying “NO” to worldly passions

7.     Self-Control

8.     Upright

9.     Godly

10.  Hope

11.  2^nd Advent – “the appearing of glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”

12.  Redemption

13.  Purification

14.  Zeal for Good Works

This is an amazing list, and we could spend a lot of time on each one. But this week I want to focus on Hope. Before we dig in to the Hope here in Titus 2:13, let’s consider what Hope means throughout Scripture by watching this Word Study on Hope from The Bible Project.

Hope is so much more than wishful thinking or optimism based on odds. It is looking back at God’s past faithfulness and having a confident anticipation of the future. As Christians, we look back at the resurrection of Jesus Christ as the basis of our hope for today and tomorrow.

Hope prior to the 1^st Advent

Have you ever been promised something in the future that you didn’t get until later? Or are you waiting for the fulfillment of that promise? Maybe your parents promised you $20 if you get an A in your class, or a car when you turn 16, or a trip to Disney World.

What was(is) it like waiting for it? How does that motivate you?

Confidently looking forward to something we desire brings motivation to continue to study hard, to stay focused and endure.

What happens when that promise seems to get delayed or pushed off? It affects our excitement and motivation, right?

God promised His people that He would not forget about them, but that He would send a Messiah to deliver them from their oppression. Here’s a summary of God’s promises: a “seed of the woman” who would crush the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15; Romans 16:20), a prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15, 18; Acts 3:22; 7:37), a priest who would surpass the first-covenant order (Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 5:4–6; 7:11–17), a son of king David and heir to his throne (Isaiah 9:7; Matthew 1:1; 22:42) who would be greater than David, as his Lord (Psalm 110:1).

Throughout the history of Israel, they waited with anticipation and hoped for a Messiah. They had to wait for centuries, hoping for the deliver to come. Along the way, God provided prophets to remind His people of His promises to encourage their hope in Him. Until the end of Malachi, the last OT prophet. From the time of Malachi until the angel Gabriel delivered a message to Zechariah, there was a gap of 400 years of silence from God.

The people of Israel had to hope in the silence. They had to remember the faithfulness of God in the past to fuel their hope for God’s deliverance in the future. Promises such as this:

Isaiah 9:2, 6-7

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone…For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

And so they waited. Could you imagine waiting for your whole life for something and never getting a chance to see it come to pass, all the while holding fast to your hope? Their hope wasn’t wasted. God proved to be faithful to His promise with sending Jesus that 1^st Advent.

In Titus 2 it says, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people.” Advent means appearing. The first-time Jesus came, He came as a baby bringing peace to the world, for all who would believe. Jesus first Advent was to bring salvation through His sacrifice. Some define grace as God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. The arrival of baby Jesus is when grace appeared. His faithful life, death and resurrection is what provides salvation for all who believe.

Jesus is the Messiah that was promised. He did come to fulfill the hope of all those who believed in the promises of God. His resurrection testifies to the truth and power of His message.

Hope in the 2^nd Advent

The hope of advent doesn’t end with Christmas, remember the first appearing of Jesus. That is just the start. No, the hope of advent continues with us today as we look forward to Jesus’ return, which Paul calls our “blessed hope!”

“waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

As Christians, we need to hold fast to the hope of His return. We wait expectantly for Him to come back and make all things new. Salvation has come in the 1^st advent and begun it’s work in and through us. In the 2^nd Advent, salvation will have its complete work and put an end to sin, darkness, evil, disease, and death. Most importantly, Jesus will come back to take us to be with Him.

John 14:3

“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

Looking forward to our future hope with Christ should motivate us to pursue Christ today. When our eyes are fixed on the hope we have in the person of Jesus, we will say no to ungodliness and yes to being like Jesus. We will forsake the worldly desires and we will desire Christ above all else.

How will you adorn the doctrine of God this Christmas?

Here are three ways to make the most of this Advent season:

Ask God to reveal His presence to you. As a result of the first Advent, Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit who is ever present with us. He promises that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. Nothing can give us more hope than awareness of God’s presence.

Look for God working around you. God is always working, but often we go through our days without seeing it. If we are not looking for it we might miss it. Look for God working and get involved.

Keep record of what God does, thank Him for it and tell others. God’s faithfulness gives us hope in His promises. You need to see what He does, celebrate it and thank Him for it. Tell others about what God is doing. It is a good thing to boast about Jesus.