A Look Back at Sunday’s Sermon: Adventus: The Coming!

(Isaiah
11:1-9)

Isaiah 11:1-9
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+11%3A1-
9&version=NIV

As Christmas approaches, Pastor Danny put the book of Mark on

hold, and talked about Advent. In Greek, Adventus means: Coming,
referring to the first coming of Jesus Christ. Advent is a time for believers
to prepare their hearts for the celebration of Christmas. It also means the
final coming of Jesus with hope and glory.
The passage is from Isaiah, Isaiah was considered a prophet.
What defines a prophet? In today’s world people think a prophet is
someone who comes and tells the future. Many people claim to be
prophets, or the world would also call them fortune tellers and psychics.
However, a true prophet, according to the Bible, is someone who brings
the Word of God. The prophets from the Old Testament brought the Word
and when they did it caused repentance. Prophecy belongs to the Lord. If
you truly believe God is in control, then you shouldn’t try to take control
of your life by wanting to know the future. Prophets should also stand up
and tell the truth in love. This caused the prophets from the Old
Testament to be killed because of it. Telling the truth in love is hard, but
it is necessary in order to bring people to repentance. The prophets of
today are preachers. God has called them to stand amongst their
congregations and speak truth, even if it’s not the popular thing to do. A
true prophet will bring change.
Back to Advent, there are three parts to Advent: the past- Jesus
is coming so let’s prepare, the present- Jesus is here and the future-Jesus
is coming back again. Theologians call advent the already and the not
yet. Pastor Danny says, “Jesus and his reign have already begun - his
kingdom has already here - and yet, there is more that is still to come.”
 The main theme of Advent is Hope. Oftentimes, we use the
word Hope to talk about something that’s unlikely – our pie in the sky –
like, “I hope I get a new car or house for Christmas!” That’s more a
statement about what we want, more than anything else. Or, we might
use the word Hope about something we have absolutely no control over –
like, “I hope it doesn’t rain”-Pastor Danny. In Scripture, hope is based on
faith. It means the active anticipation of something that is sure. The
hope that God is going to accomplish what he says he will. “Hope is
looking forward into the future and waiting for Gods faithfulness”-Pastor
Danny. Our faith and hope should not be based on circumstance or how
we feel. They should be rooted in Jesus.
The passage of Isaiah doesn’t make sense without God. It
talks about things that any sane person would not do. It is a prophecy
about Jesus. Christmas doesn’t make any sense without God. Christmas
means ‘Christ for All Nations’, it means the hope of Jesus. It shouldn’t be
about getting the perfect present or spending the most money. The
meaning of Christmas has been lost. Christmas should be a transforming
part of your life.
Isaiah 11:1-9 is about hope, about what awaits us. As 2011
draws near, this is a promise of what awaits Grace Covenant Church in
2011. God is going to bring in more families; lives are going to be
transformed. If you are in the same place as you were last year,
something is wrong. Christians need to be continually growing and
transforming.

Pastor Danny left the congregation with a promise from Revelations 21:3-
5:

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of
God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and
God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear
from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or
pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on
the throne said, “I am making everyone new!” Then he said, “Write this
down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Who will you place your hope in 2011?