Sunday - 01 December 2024
[Series] Christmas Unwrapped
[Message] Part 1: Hope
Romans 10:11, Genesis 3:4-7, Isaiah 8:19-22, Isaiah 9:1-7, 2 Corinthians 5:17, John 1:4-5,
John 15:11, Luke 4:18-19.
Pastor René Dekker

MAIN IDEA:
Hopelessness is part of the human experience ever since sin entered the world. God fulfilled His promise to resolve our hopelessness in the coming of Jesus, and He is deeply committed to see the hope that Jesus gives come true in our lives.

1. INTRODUCTION:

▪ What you build your

Reveal Answer
on is essential to your experience of a
Reveal Answer
life.
▪ Broken
Reveal Answer
are often the reason for
Reveal Answer
hope.
▪ Because people relied on a
Reveal Answer
promise, sin entered the world, and
Reveal Answer
became part of the human experience.
▪ God made a series of
Reveal Answer
promises in the Old Testament, announcing Jesus as the solution to restore
Reveal Answer
with Him and for
Reveal Answer
of life to be enjoyed again.
▪ The times during which
Reveal Answer
prophesied were characterized by spiritual
Reveal Answer
, caused by the people turning their backs on God.

2. GOD’S UNBREAKABLE PROMISE OF HOPE:

▪ Hope that is built on God’s promises is the

Reveal Answer
of things that will happen, because He always does what He says.
▪ The hope we have in
Reveal Answer
:

• A new

Reveal Answer
against all
Reveal Answer
.
•
Reveal Answer
into our darkness.
• Abundant
Reveal Answer
.
•
Reveal Answer
from oppression.

▪ Hope in Jesus is grounded in the

Reveal Answer
of Who He is:

• Wonderful

Reveal Answer
,
Reveal Answer
God, Everlasting
Reveal Answer
, Prince of
Reveal Answer
.

▪ God is deeply

Reveal Answer
to see the hope of Jesus come
Reveal Answer
in our lives.

3. REFLECTION

▪ What keeps you from putting your hope in Jesus?

LIFE GROUPS REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

  1. Someone once said that a human being can live 40 days without food, 4 days without water, 4 minutes without air, but only 4 seconds without hope. The bottom line is this: we cannot live without hope.

    a) When someone would ask you the question, “What you are hoping for in life,” what would be your answer?
    b) How are you pursuing the fulfillment of these hopes?

  2. What you build your hope on is essential to your experience of a flourishing life. There are many things in life that look promising for giving us hope, but as these turn out to be false promises we get discouraged and can easily lose our hope.

    a) What experiences have you had with losing hope because of relying on things or people that you expected would bring you fulfillment?
    b) How did you involve God in these times of discouragement?

  3. Through the passage we studied on Sunday (Isaiah 9:1-7), we learned that hope in Jesus is reliable because it is built on God’s unbreakable promises. It is in Jesus where we find:

    ▪ A new beginning against all odds (v1).
    ▪ Light into our darkness (v2).
    ▪ Abundant joy (v3).
    ▪ Freedom from oppression (v4).

    a) How can you testify of the impact that your hope in Jesus has in your life? Choose one of the above areas to tell your story, so that as many people as possible can share.
    b) Knowing what Jesus has on offer, what are you hoping to experience next in your relationship with Him?

  4. Close your LG gathering with a time of praise, thanksgiving and intercession. In preparation for this, read Matthew 12:18-21 as “fuel” for this prayer time.