A promise brings hope. Hope brings an attitude of expectancy. You begin to long for an anticipated outcome. Hoping causes us to believe and trust that the promise will become a reality.

God gave Abraham a promise. A promise that he would be the Father of many nations. Hebrews 6:13-15 tells us, “For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, ‘I WILL SURELY BLESS YOU AND I WILL SURELY MULTIPLY YOU.’ And so, having patiently waited, he (Abraham) obtained the promise.”

In Isaiah 9:6-7, God made this promise to the children of Israel, “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.”

And in Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”

This begs the question, “What promises has God given to each of us?” John 1:12-13, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

1 Peter 1:3-4, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.”

Today, we begin our celebration of Advent. We celebrate Jesus’ first Advent. God fulfilled his promise to the children of Israel and sent a Savior. Our Savior, Jesus, has taken away our sin, causing us to be born again to a living hope. We also celebrate Jesus’ Second Advent. Jesus is coming again soon, and we will see Him face to face! Just as the children of Israel waited expectantly for the Messiah to come, we patiently wait for our blessed hope, “the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (see Titus 2:11-14).

As we light the Candle of Hope, it reminds us that God has given us His promises. It is impossible for God to lie. “Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls” (Hebrews 6:18-19).

Jesus is returning soon,
Pastor Tom