Flipside Christian Church

Thank you. David.

I'm excited for this season
that we're entering into.

Coming out of Thanksgiving,

which is always
just a fun time to be together.

At least for us with our family,

were able to be together in Idaho
with our entire family.

It was a lot of fun.

And then moving into the Christmas season.

I'm looking forward to the series
that we're in that I'm calling

the King has come.

So the book of Matthew,
you're looking at your kingdom.

Come, and the Christmas
is the advent of Jesus coming to earth.

Advent means his appearing.

And so through this advent season,
we're looking at this truth

that the King has come, and we're going

to look at different passages
through the New Testament

centering on certain qualities and,

and that are, that are present in Christ

and that he brings to us, by his appearing
and by his presence.

And so we're going to start that today.

Five weeks long.

I'm excited about that.

But before we get into that,
I want to introduce you to another

one of our lead church planters
throughout these next week.

So I'm going to introduce you
to our different planters that we support,

and those who are

leading our church
planting work around the world.

And locally, last week
I introduce you to O'Neill and Heidi,

who's leading our church
planting work in Cuba right now.

Over the past

ten years, I think they're at 120 churches
or so that that they have started.

And we we support them.

We fund them.

We've done
the training there, to propel them.

And so this week
I'm going to introduce you to a, our other

church planting lead couple in Guatemala.

This is Matilde and Elsa Alonso.

Matilda has taken over our church planting

work in Guatemala up in the hills.

And over the past two years
or so, they've.

I think they're on church now.

11 or 12.

He's doing an incredible job.

There he is relentless in his pursuit

of building
the kingdom of God in Guatemala.

I think they,

they,

are on church.

I think they're working
on, like, 13 to 14 now.

Like just in the beginning stages of that.

We're going to do
Discovery Center in Guatemala in February

to help train these new church plant
leaders.

Matilda, for funding,

does a lot of construction work,

in for different organizations
and opportunities?

Up in the hills in Guatemala.

God has saved Matilda out of alcoholism

and, violence.

Out of out of prison, womanizing

and completely changed his life.

It's just an incredible story of a man
who's

given himself to Christ,
the work of Christ in his life.

And through that, the building
of the kingdom of God.

In his in the surrounding communities,
in the hills up in Guatemala.

So we're super proud of him,
super proud of them.

And so as we talk about our church
planters around the world,

I want you to
keep in mind Matilda and Elsa

and the reason why I'm

introducing you to all of these people
is because you need to know them.

You need to be praying for them.

We continue to support them.

And what I'm asking of this church
is for you to prayerfully

consider giving over and above
your regular tithes and offerings

so that we can bless all of our church
planters

or lead church planters

around the world and locally,

with a special offering
at the end of this year.

Just to say we love you.

We believe in you.

We are for you, not against you.

And so please consider

what your part in that is.

Would desire of our church collectively
between now and Christmas Eve,

to give another $20,000
to our church planters

and our network leaders around the world
and and locally as well.

So that's why I want to introduce them
to you every Sunday as we go through this.

You got it. Yeah. One other thing.

In an effort to,

to enable us to get into the Bible

every day through this advent season,

leading through Christmas,
I've developed a devotional for you

that, might help springboard
you into the Bible.

If that's not something
that is part of your normal routine.

Every morning, starting tomorrow
morning around 6 or 7:00,

there will be posted
a little devotional for you,

a passage of Scripture
that you'll look up and read, and then

and then a paragraph or so, and a prompt
to get you thinking and praying

along the lines of Jesus and His advent,

and, and and recognizing Christ
as we go through this Christmas season.

And so I hope it's helpful to you.

It will be posted on our website,
on our socials and on our app

every morning, each morning
now through Christmas.

And so

I encourage you to take advantage of that
if it will help springboard you into,

thoughtfulness of Jesus and His presence
through this Christmas season.

Now, having said all of that,
let me introduce this series again.

Looking at commodities.

Characteristics that

that are inherent in Christ,
that are, that are part of, of God

in his to the Father and his kingdom
and what he produces,

in the lives of those who would trust him
and give themselves to him.

And through these five weeks of the advent
season, we're going

to look at these different characteristics
and qualities and commodities.

And the first one is this issue of hope.

Hope is is it?

It's part of the fruit of the spirit.

It is what God produces in those

who would trust him and follow him
and be obedient to him.

And without hope we languish without hope.

We're destitute and doomed.

Medically speaking, there's

this this, this horrific

thing that happens in
some infants is called failure to thrive.

And there's not a lot of

understanding about what
what the reasons behind failure.

It could be any number of reasons worth
where the little baby is

just,

just really languishes for life.

And sometimes it cost them their life.

And there's not a lot of understanding
about what makes this happen.

In, in a, in an infant.

But it's just horrific with parents after

have to go through that

and, and failure to thrive

is what happens in our lives

when we're without hope.

And it can't be for any number of reasons.

But if a life is live without hope.

It fails to thrive.

And it can be deadly.

And so my hope and my and my prayer for us

is that we understand
what hope is, where it resides,

and that it

becomes a real thing in our lives,
a bubble up inside.

And so I want to talk about hope
this morning.

Biblically,
the definition of hope is this.

It's not a wishful thought,

but it's a confident
and certain expectation of future good

that's grounded in God's promises
and faithfulness.

It's more than just I hope this pans out.

It's a confidence

and a certain expectation
that good is on the horizon,

and it's not grounded
in a wishful thinking.

It's grounded in who God is

and what His Word is and his faithfulness.

The big idea behind this message

this morning is this.

That hope grows

when we learn to see God at work,

before we see God's completed work.

Please understand this

hope grows when we learn to see God

at work before you see his completed work.

And this is one reason
why so many struggle being people of hope.

Because what we look for
is God's completed work.

Want him to do something, to see him doing
something.

Hope doesn't reside
in the realization of his completed work.

That's Thanksgiving,
and we just got done celebrating that.

But hope resides
when we learn to see God at work.

Before you see the completion of it,
do you understand the difference?

And because so many of us

want to look for his completed work,
we miss hope and it eludes us

because we haven't trained our eyes
and trained our spirit

to see God at work.

The four see the completed work.

Hope is a sure foundation

is the anchor for
our souls is the stability

and the strength that is present
through suffering and difficult times.

It's the thing that enables one to wait
and to wait

and to wait and not give up.

And I want to introduce you
this morning to 2

to 2 elderly saints

that aren't well known nor talked about.

They're found in Luke chapter two,

and their names are Simeon and Anna.

Everybody see Simeon

and Anna.

They are two elderly saints
who were at the temple

when Mary and Joseph bring baby
Jesus to the temple to present him

when Jesus was 40 days old.

According to the law,

parents were to bring the firstborn

to the temple and present the firstborn,
the firstborn male, to God,

and present him
as God's, as God's own possession.

And so in obedience to the law of God,

Mary and Joseph
bring their firstborn, male

and present him to God
as God's own possession.

What I love about that is this

what I see in Mary and Joseph,
in presenting Jesus

to God at the temple at 40 days,

is that they are modeling obedience.

Parents pay attention, grandparents
pay attention.

They're modeling obedience.

I've said

it many, many times
and you understand this

that our kids learn more by
what is caught than by

what is taught right?

Right, right.

We would love it if it were true.
Do what I say.

Not as I do, but that's not what kids do.

Kids do what we do, not what we say.

And what I see in Mary and Joseph,

this little poor couple.

The law was to represent
the firstborn child

along with an offering of a lamb.

Unless you were really poor,
then there were stipulations

where you could present
a couple little birds,

and Mary and Joseph present a couple
little birds, because they are so poor,

and they didn't use their poverty
as an excuse

not to give, not to be obedient.

They said, this is what God has required,
and this is what we will do.

And apparently they raised their children
this way.

They were the examples of obedience.

They were the examples
of those who worship.

They were the examples
for their children of generosity.

They were the examples
to their family of lives of service.

They were the examples to their kids
of what it meant to be devoted.

They were the examples of
what it was to be righteous.

Parents, grandparents,

please pay attention.

Our kids will replicate

what they see, not what we say.

And when our children see us hold this

more than they see us.

Hold this.

What will they replicate? For?

You follow.

And so

Simeon and Anna.

Luke chapter two,

verses 25 and following.

I'm going to read a little bit
from from these passages,

Luke chapter two, verse 25.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem
whose name was Simeon.

And this man was righteous and devout,

waiting for the consolation of Israel.

And the Holy Spirit was upon him.

I'm just going to add verse
26 of this is not on the screen,

but let me just add this.

And it had been revealed to him
by the Holy Spirit that he would not see

death before he had seen the Lord
Jesus, the Lord's Christ.

I think that's awesome.

Don't know how it happened,
but somehow God told him, Simeon,

you're not going to die
until you see the Messiah.

What an awesome promise.

If I got a promise.

I like a God. I'm invincible.

Like you can't touch me.

I'm not going to die
till I get to see the Messiah.

You don't know what kind of joy
and confidence and power you live with.

Listen, friends,

when you are on mission with God,

you are invincible until you've completed
all he's given you to do.

The best thing you can do in
life is get on mission with God.

Because then you live with this incredible
confidence and certainty.

I'm going nowhere
until I've completed my mission.

Get on mission with God.
Does it make sense?

And so here's this little old man.

He's got this promise of God, devout
and righteous.

And then you look at a couple other
verses, verses 36 and 37,

same chapter two.

And there was a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of renewal, of the tribe of

Asher.

She was advanced in years,
having lived with her husband seven years

from when she was a virgin,
and then as a widow until she was 84,

and she did not depart from the temple,
worshiping

with fasting and prayer night and day.

These two elderly saints,

Simeon and Anna.

Here's
one of the things I love about them.

They didn't just meet Jesus,
they recognized

Jesus.

Let me tell you a key difference

between people who live

as people of hope
and people who live in despair,

those who live in hope,
and those who live in despair.

Both walk through the same world,

but only one of those
two sees God in a real time.

The others miss him.

These are two elderly saints.

These are two who had waited a long time.

These are two quiet figures

tucked away in the temple.

When one ordinary day hope

walked in, wrapped in baby's clothes,

and they recognized him.

Before they ever held Jesus,

Simeon and Anna had one thing in common.

They were faithful, in obscurity.

They were faithful when nobody saw.

They were faithful in the shadows.

Simeon and Anna were not flashy.

They were not front page people.

They weren't famous.

They were just simply a picture
of everyday faithfulness

and what it looks like
when their hope is realized.

This message
today, please pay attention, is for anyone

who has ever prayed a long time

and who is still praying.

This message is for anyone

who has had to wait a long time

and is still waiting.

Is for anyone who's had to hope

for a long time

and is still hoping.

And it's it's for anyone who is maybe.

Through a long time of praying
and a long time of waiting.

And a long time of hope and wonders.

If God still sees you.

Anyway, like that.

Listen.

Please understand
God never overlooks the faithful.

He rewards him with himself.

And he did for Anna and for Simeon

from their lives.

I want us to learn a couple things
about hope.

Here's the first thing.

Hope grows in the quiet places.

The faithfulness.

The Bible says
Simeon was righteous, devout,

and waiting.

The Bible says Hannah
was a widow for decades,

and she was one

who worshiped, prayed, and fasted daily.

According to the
the the laws of the time in their culture.

When a woman was widowed
and had no family to take care of her,

the community of faith
took responsibility for her.

But in exchange for that,
she gave herself,

in essence,
to full time ministry, to that community

in response to the church
taking care of her needs,

she then gave herself in full time
ministry

to that faith, community and worship
and prayer and service.

And so apparently this is
what she's been doing for decades

serving the church faithfully.

And what I love about both Simeon and Anna

is that when life hit hard,

they didn't quit on God.

Both of these people

continued
day after day, week after week, month

after month, year after year,
praying unanswered prayers.

Have any of you prayed unanswered prayers

where you're praying
and praying and praying

and despite your faithfulness, just pray.

There's still no answer.

There's still no resolution.

There's still no activity.

Simeon and Anna, elderly saints

who continue to continued and continue

to pray unanswered prayers.

And just because their prayers
were unanswered decade after decade,

they didn't give up on God
just because life was hitting hard.

They understood what would be written
later in Galatians six nine.

Don't grow weary in due season.

The season of answer
prayer hadn't happened yet.

But just because the season of answer
prayer hadn't happened, it didn't mean

they quit praying.

Psalms 37 three through
seven is a great little passage.

It tells us, continue to trust.

Continue to do good, continue
to commit your way to the Lord

and be still before the Lord.

Because faithfulness

is the soil where hope grows.

You want to grow hope in your life.

You got to be faithful first.

We cannot be hopeful

if we're not first faithful.

Hope will continually elude

the faithless and the disobedient.

Hope grows out of faithfulness.

Faithfulness is a prerequisite for hope.

Those who are disobedient,
those who are faithless,

will never know the joy
and the certainty of hope.

Eugene Petersen says of faithfulness this

it is a long obedience
in the same direction,

seeming it out
ahead, a long life of obedience

in the same direction of prayer
and worship and hope.

Oswald
Chamber says this about faithfulness

trust God and do the next thing.

You cannot have hope without faithfulness.

So hope grows
in those quiet places of faithfulness.

Oh dear friends.

Don't let your faithfulness wane.

When life hits hard,

continue to be faithful.

It's the seedbed of hope.

The thing we learn from seeing it
in also is this.

That hope is rewarded
when God breaks the silence

because he will.

Simeon and Anna's story

is for everyone who has trusted God

and still wrestled with disappointment.

Has that been any of your story?

Nobody's been.

Am I the only one in this place

that's trusted God and still wrestled
with this one person?

Thank you Sarah.

When I've trusted God

and I've been faithful

and I've relied on him,

but I'm still disappointed.

It's a difficult place to be.

But God will reward the faithful

with hope

when he breaks the silence.

Before God spoke

to Simeon and Anna, before he revealed
what he was orchestrating,

their experience appeared to be one
who had been forgotten by God.

They've been faithful for years.

They prayed. For years.
They continued to hope.

But their experience before God said,
this is what I'm doing.

I'm going to reveal to you what I've been
orchestrating before that happened.

Their experience was one of one
who felt like they'd been forgotten

about right?

Listen, there are some times

when God delays our preparation

for God's deliverance.

There are some times

when it looks like he's
not doing anything.

And it's not.

It's one delay
after another, after another.

And no answered prayer and no, no,
no sign of anything.

And it's not that he's forgotten

that he's preparing.

Here's here's what we have to understand.

Just because we can't hear
God doesn't mean he's not active.

Like God has the prerogative
to work in silence.

I want you to hear that.

God has the prerogative
to work in silence.

He's not indebted to us to say, listen,
let me let me just.

Look, Bobby, here's the thing.

I want you to understand
what I'm doing right now.

So. So you'll understand.

This is how I'm working.
This is how it's going to work out.

Because I don't want to have.

I don't want you to have to trust me so
much.

That's not what God does.

It doesn't say,
look, Billy, here's the thing.

This is what I'm doing now.

And then the next step
is going to be this little thing.

And then the next step
is going to be this little thing,

because I don't want you
to have to have that much faith.

I just want you to know every little step.

And that's not how God works.

He says,
look, I'm going to work in silence.

I have that prerogative,

and I'm not going to tell you
what I'm orchestrating right now,

and I'm not going to tell you
how far along the road I am,

because I'm going to force you

to trust me.

I'm a force. You

to be faithful
when you don't know, when you don't see.

That's what God does.

Some of you need to hear this morning

that it's God's
prerogative to work in silence.

That's what he chooses,
but it doesn't mean he's not active.

And so the question

we have to wrestle with is,
will I continue to pray?

Will I continue to trust?

Will I continue to be faithful
when God chooses to be silent?

This is what Simeon and Anna did.

Lamentations 325 and 26

says, the Lord is good to those who
wait for him.

I like what Tozer said.

He said this when God is silent,
he's still saying something.

And what it could be saying to you
in a silence right now,

so we can just relax and trust me,

this does not mean I'm not active.

Charles Spurgeon, one of the
greatest preachers the world has known,

says this God is too good to be unkind

and is too wise to be mistaken.

You may be in that season

of waiting and silence right now,

but God's
silence is not because he's unkind.

It may be kind for him to keep you
in that season of waiting.

He's not making mistakes.

Another thing
we learned from Anna and Simeon is this

is that hope sees Jesus even in the small
things, the small beginnings.

Let me read this passage verses 27 to 30.

It's a little bit long,
but you'll be okay.

And he came in the spirit into the temple.

This is talking about Simeon.

And when the parents brought in the child
Jesus to do for him

according to the custom of the law,
likes it in 40 days to present him to God.

He took him up in his arms
and blessed God.

So this old man walks up to Mary
and it just picture

this scene, this old man at church

walks up to Simeon to, to, to

to Mary and Joseph, and Joseph grabs
your little baby

like I've seen some of you parents
and newborns.

After about seven months,
you start bringing them back

into public, into the church,

and they're in the carriers
and they're all bubble wrapped

and they don't want anybody touching them
because you

want them to get sick around them,
you know?

Well, at 40 days
they bring Jesus to church,

and this old man
just walks up and scoops him in his arms.

And he blessed him and said,

Lord, now you are letting your servant
depart in peace according to your word.

I love that.

Oh, now I can finally die in peace.

You've been faithful to your word, for
my eyes have seen your salvation,

that you have prepared the presence
for all the people,

light for the of revelation to the
Gentiles, and for glory to your people.

Israel and his father's mother marveled
at what was said about him.

And Simeon blessed them
and said to Mary, his mother, behold,

this child is appointed for the fall
and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign

that is opposed, and a sword will pierce
through your own soul.

Also,
can you imagine hearing that as a mama

your soul is going to be pierced
because of this baby?

So that's the thoughts from many hearts
may be revealed.

And there was a prophetess
and of the daughter,

and you all, the tribe of Asher.

She was advancing years later,
the husband, seven years

from the time she was a virgin,
and then as a widow till she was 84.

She did not depart from the temple,
were of fasting and prayer night and day.

In verse 38, and coming up at that
very hour, she began to give

thanks to God,

and to speak of him to all who are waiting
for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Here's why I love.

Simeon and Anna

never heard Jesus preach a sermon.

They never saw him.

Hill, Hill, a blind man.

They never saw him give,

give, the ability
to walk to a crippled man.

They never saw him,

perform a resurrection.

All they saw was a baby.

That's all they saw.

A small beginning.

But they were able to see his identity

before they saw his activity.

This is where Hope lives.

When you can see.

When you can see our father's identity.

Well before you see his activity.

See, here's what happens

when we don't know God by his identity.

We become desperate for his activity.

So when we don't see his activity,

we doubt his reality.

That was really good

and I hope you didn't miss it.

If you don't know

God's identity,
you'll be desperate for his activity.

So much so that when you don't

see his activity,
you will doubt his reality.

Hope lives in those who know

the identity of the father

without having to see his activity.

So the question

we have to ask ourselves, do I know

God's character apart from his activity?

If God did nothing else?

If the prayers remained unanswered.

Do you still know him as the Almighty?

If you didn't see his hand again,

would you still know him as the provider?

If you saw no more activity from him,

if you didn't feel,
would you still know him

as the comforter?

If we didn't see his activity,

would we still know him as good?

Or is our knowledge of him
only tied to what he does for us?

See, Simeon and Anna

knew his identity
before he ever did a thing

they knew, and they trusted
in the character of the father.

Before Jesus ever did anything.

And apparently they died
without ever seeing Jesus do anything.

But they lived in the knowledge

and the certainty of the character
of the father.

It's people of hope.

Before Jesus did anything, Simeon saw him

as the God who would provide salvation
for his people.

Before she saw him do anything,
Anna saw him

as the child who would give redemption
to all who were waiting.

See the heartbeat of hope

is to recognize God's work when it still

looks like a seed, not a harvest.

When all you know is there's a seed

that's
germinating underground in the short.

The dark places in the quiet places,

in those places where nobody knows
and nobody sees you.

When you know that the seed is germinating
there before you ever see the harvest.

Can you recognize the God's

God's work in that which is unseen?

Jesus didn't look like a Savior yet

he didn't look like a deliverer. Yet

he certainly didn't look like a king yet.

But Hope doesn't need the full picture.

In order to praise the father.

Hope just needs a glimpse.

And this is why it's so important
for us to be in the Bible every day.

That's why I did that devotional for you
every morning.

Just look at that devotion.
Do a little bit

because you'll get a glimpse

of the father

through the pages of Scripture.

And sometimes all you need is a glimpse.

Do you understand?

You understand.

Some of you waiting for a harvest.

And I feel like God wants to tell you.

Until you can see my work in the seed,
I'm not going to give you a harvest,

because
then you only know me by my activity

and not by my identity.

Three things about hope, and I'll wrap up.

Hope celebrates the seed
because it becomes

the harvest.

You know what's coming.

And so you celebrate that which is unseen.

If you didn't know a harvest was coming,
it would be hard to celebrate

the planting of a seed. Right?

But you know.

And how do you know?

Because the hope

who pushes us to the future without hope,

we languish in the darkness of the past

or the despair of the present.

But hope is that conviction

that grows beneath the soil.

Tim Keller says, this hope

is the confidence
in God's future that shapes your present.

That's
how you know you're a person of hope.

You have a

confidence in God's future, so much
so that it shapes your present

right now, in the silence,
in the darkness.

The second thing we learn

is that hope belongs to the faithful
who just keep

showing up.

I'm gonna keep praying, man.

I've been praying for a long time
and my prayers are answered.

But I'm gonna keep praying day
after day after day.

And there's going to be some days
when I feel like I'm not praying anymore.

I'm done.
I'm too tired. Ain't nothing happening.

I'm going to quit.

And then something bubbles up and you say,

and you say,
you know what, I'll quit praying tomorrow.

But I'm not going to quit praying today.

And I'm going to pray another day.

And the days turn into weeks.

And you keep praying week after week
after week.

And there are some times
when a week shows up

and you think, I'm tired
and I'm worn out and I'm beat up

and I'm done with this prayer thing,
and then something bubbles up inside

and you say, I might be done next week,
but I'm not done this week.

And you keep praying.

And hope belongs to

the faithful who keep showing up.

And those weeks turn in the months
and the months turn into years.

And you have those times in the season.

You say, God, I'm tired
and I'm going to quit praying

and I'm going to quit serving,
and I'm going to quit believing

because I'm just worn out
and you've been nothing but silent.

And you say, I might quit,
but it's not going to be today.

Because something bubbles up

inside
and it's this commodity called hope.

Because you know the character of God
before you ever see the idea,

the activity of God, you know his identity
and you know he's doing something

underneath the surface.

And so you just keep showing up.

Friends, listen, don't tap

out of your prayers, of your faithfulness,

of your serving, of your generosity,

of your devotion, of your righteousness.

Because hope is found by those

who look for
Jesus before anything changes.

We used to do a thing

with our boys when they were little,
and I didn't do it enough.

It's one of those things.

As a parent, you look back and say, man,

if I could go back, I
this is one thing I do different.

I wish I would have done
it more as a daddy, but there were times

I would sit around the table
and I would say, okay,

tell me somewhere you saw Jesus today

just to start tuning their eyes

to see Jesus in the real world.

You know why?

Because hope is found by those
who look for Jesus in the little things.

Before anything radical happens,

before anything changes.

These two were faithful

and people of hope for decades,

so that when this little baby came

into the temple,
they recognized him instantly.

So this is a charge for us,
my dear friends.

Keep walking faithfully.

Keep worshiping consistently.

Keep praying regularly
even when God is quiet,

keep watching

for the small ways

that Jesus is working in you, around

you right now.

Hope is not just about the future.

Hope is about recognizing the King

when he walks into your present.

Train your eyes to see him.

Train your spirit to recognize him.

Hope is not just about the future.

Hope sees Christ clearly

even when everything else is blurry.

There are so many things

we wish we had clarity on right
now, right?

So many things.

God, if you would just give me clarity
on this.

Listen, Hope sees quite Christ clearly
even when everything else is blurry.

Can you see the eye,
his character clearly?

I know you're the God who is.

Who you are

is clear to
me, even though everything else is blurry.

And when I can see you clearly

like that, then
I can believe your promises with clarity.

Like Romans 828
I know that you work all things together

for the good of those who love you, called
according to your purpose.

I don't just believe that
because the Bible says I believe

because I see you clearly,

my Lord and my God.

Listen.

Yours.

My hope is increased when we choose
to believe the person of Jesus,

and we choose to believe
the character of the father.

I want us to be people of hope,

because without us,

there's a failure to thrive.

Faith, hope, and love

right?

On invite you into this

to pray with me.

Father, thank you for coming.

And Anna,

thank you for their faithfulness

through years and years and decades

where they just kept showing up.

Thank you for the hope that lived in them
before

you ever did a seeing what great examples
they are to us.

Oh God, would you make us like
Simeon and Anna?

And would you give us grace to believe

and grace to have hope?

Father, we cannot orchestrate this
and conjure this in ourselves.

This is beyond us.

Some of us have been waiting a long time

and praying a long time.

By your grace,

would you remind us of your identity?

That we would be faithful and believe

ever before your activity?

Would you help us see you clearly?

Jesus,

when everything else is blurry?

And would you

raise in us?

This fruit of your spirit,

this commodity called hope.

That we would thrive

not just in your activity,

but because we are convinced
of your identity.

You are a good God.

In your name I pray.

Amen.

Be people of hope this week.

Yeah.

Listen, you have two responsibilities now.

One of your responsibilities
is to make sure

that this is in here and this is in here.

You understand?

You understand.

This is where hope lives.

The revelation of Christ put it in here.

But this whole Christmas,
this is why Jesus came that night.

God coming to us.

But it's not just about us.

He came so humanity would know him.

And so your first responsibility
is put this here.

Your second responsibility

is for those who are far from God or two
who don't have a church home.

It's your responsibility to invite them

because it's not just about you.

Did you know that that people are 30 times
more likely to come to church

if they're invited
repeatedly by a friend, than they are

just to show up on their own 30 times.

More likely,

they're 80 times more likely
to come to church invited by a friend.

If that friend says either before
or after, let's go grab a coffee

or go to the diner 81st
80 times more likely.

So it's really easy

to get people to hear about Jesus,

say, hey, come to church
and before or after, let's go hang out

and have a cup
of coffee, or get a burrito.

Challenge me on that.

Test me on that. See if I'm not right.

You don't understand this,
all right, I love you.

I'm proud of you. Let's sing another song.