Living Out Our Hope

This Advent message invites us into a revolutionary understanding of hope—not as mere wishful thinking, but as something we actively live into. Drawing from Jeremiah 33:14-16, we discover the promise of the righteous branch who will execute justice and make all things right. But here's the transformative insight: we're living between two advents, two arrivals of the King. The first advent—Christ's birth—inaugurated God's kingdom. The second advent—His return—will complete it. And we? We live in the tension between already and not yet. This sermon challenges us to expand beyond a truncated gospel that only addresses personal forgiveness. Instead, we're called to embrace the full narrative: creation, fall, redemption, and renewal. God's plan isn't just to save souls for heaven—it's to renew everything. The Greek word 'kainos' reminds us that God isn't starting over; He's renovating, restoring what was broken back to its original glory. Just as Jesus' resurrected body still bore scars yet was gloriously transformed, so too will all creation be renewed. This means our physical world matters. Our work matters. Our creativity matters. We're not escaping earth for some ethereal existence—we're participating in God's restoration project right now, bringing glimpses of that coming renewal into our present reality through faithful presence and wholehearted attention to both God and the people He places in our lives.

Chapters

Chapter 1: The Promise of the Righteous Branch

0:00 - 7:00

We begin Advent by exploring Jeremiah's prophecy of the righteous branch who will execute justice and righteousness, understanding how this promise points to Christ as our hope.

Chapter 2: Living Between Two Advents

7:00 - 15:00

We live in the tension between Christ's first coming and His second return, experiencing partial renewal now while awaiting complete restoration when He returns.

Chapter 3: The Full Gospel and False Hopes

15:00 - 27:00

We need to embrace the full four-part gospel story rather than just focusing on personal salvation, and we must recognize that neither evangelism alone nor politics can change culture.

Chapter 4: Faithful Presence Through Attention and Love

27:00 - 39:00

We are called to live out our hope through faithful presence, stewarding our attention wisely by loving people and doing our work with excellence as unto the Lord.

Keywords

#Advent

#Hope

#Renewal

#Restoration

#Messiah

#JesusChrist

#Gospel

#RighteousBranch

#Jeremiah

#Daniel

#Creation

#Fall

#Redemption

#SecondComing

#KingdomOfGod

#FaithfulPresence

#Evangelism

#Attention

#Love

#HolySpirit

#Justice

#Righteousness

#Parousia

#BornAgain

#Resurrection

#Transformation

#Discipleship

#Shalom

#Flourishing

#ChristianLiving