One of the best messages of the Christmas story is that we shouldn’t give up hope. Yes, there are things that we don’t yet have, things that we hope for, but Jesus’ coming reminds us that God keeps his promises and therefore we are justified in our hope.
What Is Hope?
But what is hope? In our own world and use of the language, hope is often just a wish that we have. We hope it will snow or we’ll get a raise or we’ll meet a guy. There isn’t necessarily any guarantee that the thing will happen or any indication that it will happen, we just want it to happen. No one has promised us anything, but we wish for it regardless.
The Bible’s Definition
That’s not how the Bible talks about hope though. Biblical hope is much more than a wish. Romans 8:24-25 reminds us that we hope for something we don’t yet have, but something we know is coming, something that’s been promised. There are things that we don’t have yet and those are the things that we hope for. This passage also reminds us that hope displays itself by waiting patiently for the thing we don’t yet have. We don’t give up, we wait patiently.
Our Hope Is Justified
Romans 5:5 also teaches us something important about hope. We can wait patiently because our hope is justified. We can rest assured that our hope will not be disappointed because God is the one who holds our hopes and he will not put us to shame. God has been faithful to his promises in the past, so we know he will be faithful to the promises that we’re still hoping for.
Last week we talked a little about some of those promises. God promised in Genesis 3 that someone would come who would crush the head of Satan and put an end to his schemes. That someone is Jesus and he has come and death and sin have ultimately been defeated. We know that has been accomplished, but we don’t yet see it here on earth, so we continue to hope.
Again, this isn’t just a blind wish. We know that Jesus came and that Jesus defeated death. We know that God has promised that all things will be set right when Jesus returns. God fulfilled the first part of the promise: Jesus coming, God being with us. We know he can do what he’s promised. Now we’re just waiting for the second half of the promise to be totally fulfilled.
God’s Deposit
It’s like Jesus’ coming, the fulfillment of the prophecies about Jesus, and the coming of the Holy Spirit is a deposit showing us that God is serious about keeping his promises. We had to make a deposit (called ready money) when we put in an offer on a house and it was accepted.
The deposit wasn’t the whole payment for the house. It was a small percentage of the price. It was still a decent amount (in the thousands of dollars) that didn’t pay for the house itself, but showed that we were serious about buying it. That deposit was sitting there while the details of the negotiations were worked out and we got our mortgage together. The whole time that deposit was sitting there, reminding the buyer that we were coming to buy that house once everything was in order.
Jesus’ first coming as a baby is like that deposit. All things aren’t yet made new. We still live in a world with plenty of suffering and injustice and unmet desires. However, Jesus’ presence in the world is a reminder to us that God sees and hears us. He knows all about humanity and has taken steps to free us from the bondage of sin and brokenness. He’s made the deposit. One day he will return and make the rest of the payment. He’ll set all things right.
A Yearly Reminder
The season of Advent/Christmas is a yearly reminder to us that our hope is not in vain. We can continue to wait patiently for those things that have been promised. God has put down his deposit. He’s started the work and he always finishes what he’s started. He was faithful to the Israelite people. He’s been faithful to his people through the ages. He’ll be faithful to us.
Don’t give up hope. Continue to wait patiently, even when it’s hard. May your hope be strengthened this Christmas season, no matter what it is that you wait for.
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