The Birth of Hope!
Matthew 1:18-25 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. (19) Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. (20) But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. (21) And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. (22) Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, (23) Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. (24) Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: (25) And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
Hope. We desperately need Hope!
Hope is needed as a result of despair, misery and distress. The problem with despair is it tends to be like a snowball going down a hill. The longer it goes on, the bigger the burden gets and the faster the catastrophic conclusion comes. The result: the more hopeless everything seems. And the more impossible the prognosis seems to be.
How do we shake despair from our lives? Hope! There has to be a reasonable belief that there is light at the end of the tunnel that the burden will end! That somehow, some time, normalcy and happiness can and will return.
Hope isn’t a pipe dream. Hope isn't a delusion. For it to be real Hope, there has to be an expectation of a desired outcome.
At the root of all despair, misery, and distress is Sin. Sin has always been and will always be the root of agony. Just ask the family suffering from the loss of a loved one at the hands of a drunk driver. Just as the family broken apart by sexual immorality. Or ask the number of people in our jails and prisons. Some misery is not a direct result of sin like our examples above. However, sin is the ultimate foundational cause of all evil, pain and suffering.
In our text today, we find the Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth. The key to our blog today is found end of verse 21. The description of Jesus as promised to Mary was:
“For he shall save his people from their sins”.
So with the coming of Jesus, we have the possibility of have the source of despair removed. This passage doesn’t just tell us of the coming and birth of Jesus, it promises the Birth of Hope. The hope of having our sins removed! The Hope of eternal life. The Hope of Heaven! The Hope of a relationship with God!
With that kind of Hope, a person in despair can now see a new light at the end of the tunnel that they could not see before. This hope can rejuvenate us to give us a renewed vigor to face our burdens. But it is even better than that. With Jesus, we get a partner in life! A person to help us bear our burdens.
1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: (7) Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Does your life feel hopeless? There is no reason to feel this way a moment longer. Jesus came to this world to give us life and to give it more abundantly! (John 10:10). Take charge of your life by submitting it wholly to a merciful master that came to give Hope!
Reflecting the SON,
Dennis Hogan
Questions, comments or further explanation? Contact me at: dennis.hogan@icloud.com
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