Worship Service for November 28th
WELCOME
Good morning and welcome to CrossPointe Community Church’s online worship. If you are visiting or new to the congregation, my name is Jim. I am filling in for Pastor Randy this week. I am so thankful for the opportunity to share this time with you.
This is an exciting day for all believers in the Lord Jesus. This is the first Sunday of Advent. Which means we have now, “officially” entered the Christmas season. This Sunday is traditionally celebrated as the Sunday of Hope… There are four candles for the four weeks of Advent, symbolizing hope, love, joy and peace. And finally the center candle is lit for Christmas.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Watch for more details about our Christmas Adopt-a-Family coming soon.
CALL TO WORSHIP
A psalm of David.
Psalm 25:1-7
O Lord, I give my life to you.
I trust in you, my God!
Do not let me be disgraced,
or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat.
No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced,
but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.
Show me the right path, O Lord;
point out the road for me to follow.
Lead me by your truth and teach me,
for you are the God who saves me.
All day long I put my hope in you.
Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love,
which you have shown from long ages past.
Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth.
Remember me in the light of your unfailing love,
for you are merciful, O Lord.
OPENING WORSHIP SONGS
To You, O Lord
Kendrick, Graham
To You O Lord I lift up my soul
In you I trust O my God
Do not let me be put to shame
Nor let my enemies triumph over meShow me your ways and teach me your paths
Guide me in truth lead me on
For you’re my God, you are my Saviour
My hope is in you each moment of the dayNo one whose hope is in you
Will ever be put to shame
That’s why my eyes are on you Oh Lord
Surround me, defend me
Oh how I need you
To you I lift up my soul
To you I lift up my soulRemember Lord your mercy and love
That ever flow from of old
Remember not the sins of my youth
Or my rebellious ways
According to your love remember me
According to your love
For you are good O LordNo one whose hope is in you
Will ever be put to shame
That’s why my eyes are on you Oh Lord
Surround me, defend me
Oh how I need you
To you I lift up my soul
To you I lift up my soulNo one whose hope is in you
©1998 Ascent Music, Ltd. Admin by Music Services
Will ever be put to shame
That’s why my eyes are on you Oh Lord
Surround me, defend me
Oh how I need you
To you I lift up my soul
To you I lift up my soul
CCLI License No. 1843349
Everlasting God
Riley, Kenneth Henry/Brown, Brenton/Gifford Brown, Brenton
Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
Wait upon the Lord, we will wait upon the Lord
Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
Wait upon the Lord, we will wait upon the LordOur God, You reign forever
Our hope, our Strong Deliverer
You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint
You won’t grow wearyStrength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
Wait upon the Lord, we will wait upon the Lord
Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
Wait upon the Lord, we will wait upon the LordOur God, You reign forever
Our hope, our Strong Deliverer
You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint
You won’t grow weary
You’re the defender of the weak
You comfort those in need
You lift us up on the wings
Like eaglesOur God, You reign forever
©2006 worshiptogether.com.
Our hope, our Strong Deliverer
‘Cause You are, You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint
You won’t grow weary
You’re the defender of the weak
You comfort those in need
You lift us up on wings
Like eagles
CCLI License No. 1843349
I Waited For The Lord
Batstone, Bill
I waited, for the Lord on high
I waited, and He heard my cry
I waited, for the Lord on high
I waited, and He heard my cryHe pulled me out of my despair
He taught me how to walk
From fear into security
From quicksand to the RockThere’s a new song
In my heart to sing
A new song
Praises to the KingI’ll sing to let the people know
That I have been restored
And they will kneel and understand
To return and trust in the LordI waited, for the Lord on high
© 1982 Maranatha Praise, Inc.
I waited, and He heard my cry
I waited, for the Lord on high
I waited, and He heard my cry
CCLI License No. 1843349
OPENING PRAYER
O Lord, Almighty Father in heaven, we humble ourselves before you. We give you thanks and praise. You are the everlasting God. The God of hope. Our deliverer.
From the heavens you rain down mercy and kindness, so that all the earth may stand in awe and wonder before your marvelous deeds. As we raise our faces in expectation towards the heavens, we yearn for the coming day of your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.
THE GIVING OF THE LORD’S OFFERING
Lord, you have given abundantly because of how you love us. Our cups overflow with blessings. Your word says that we should give honor to you with the first fruits of our wealth. Please accept our tithes and offerings as a gift of worship to you. Multiply what we give for the effective growth of your kingdom. May Christ dwell in our hearts through faith so that we, being rooted and grounded in love, may have the strength to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge. May we be filled with all the fullness of God. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen.
PRAYER SONG
The Solid Rock
Kauflin, Bob/Mote, Edward/Bradbury, William
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.His oath, His covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
© Public Domain
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
CCLI License No. 1843349
MORNING PRAYER
Karen Tate
Dear God, Creator of Heaven and Earth,
Please forgive us when we do not stand on the solid ground of Christ. Please forgive us when we put our trust in our own strength, instead of in yours.
We thank you for sending your Son, Jesus Christ, on Christmas so those of us who have put our hope in Him, can know we are standing on solid ground. We pray that anyone here that has not accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior would do so today. Please help us be witness to your love.
We pray for those who are hurting in body, mind, or spirit. Please be with them and may you open our eyes to the ways we can help those in need.
We thank you for this time we have together as a church family.
It is in Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
SCRIPTURE
The first Sunday of Advent gives us the opportunity to center our thoughts on hope. The hope that God offers to our lost and broken world, and the hope that He’s given us through the coming of Jesus.
Galatians 4:4-8 says:
But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir. (Abba was used in an intimate family context meaning Daddy. Jesus also uses the word Abba to address God in Mark 14:36)
Pray with me please. Father, thank you for the words of hope you gave to Paul. Be close to me as I share in the delivery of this message. Rouse the Holy Spirit in us so that each of us can receive with excitement, your hope-filled promises.
MESSAGE
James Brandenburg
He’s Coming
The word “Advent” comes from the Latin word adventus, which means an “arrival” or “coming.” Advent has probably been observed since the fourth century. In early days Advent lasted from November 11, which is the feast of St. Martin, until Christmas Day. Advent was considered a pre-Christmas season of Lent, when Christians devoted themselves to prayer and fasting. Advent in the 4th and 5th centuries was a time of preparation for the baptism of new Christians.
Over time, Advent was connected to the coming of Christ. Originally Christians used this term to reference Christ’s second coming, but by the Middle Ages, Advent was connected to Christ’s first coming that we celebrate at Christmas.
The tradition for the first Sunday of Advent includes lighting the candle of hope. This candle of hope symbolizes promises delivered through the prophets from God as well as the hope we have in Christ. God crafted a great rescue plan that he lays out in Scripture. This plan foretells years in advance of the arrival of Christ. The Bible also gives us a glimpse of the future and promises that God will come down to create a new Heaven and Earth. 1
Paul, the writer of Galatians, articulates so perfectly the great hope we celebrate at Christmas. Without God’s intervention, we were all slaves… bound up by our sinful nature and hopelessly headed to the grave. Because of God’s great love for us, He came down and rescued humanity by sending his Son as a sacrifice for our sin, so we could be free from the chains of sin and become fully part of God’s glorious eternal family.
A few weeks ago we talked about hope and battles. Remember, it’s not your battle but the Lord’s. He has never failed to follow through. He’s not walked away from us. It’s quite the opposite. His life-long battle has been trying to convince us to trust in Him and be patient and confident. Hope-Full. Why? We’ll get to that in a minute.
Paul writes in Romans 8:18-25
The Future Glory
Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)
Patiently and confidently. Confident expectation.
That’s tough sometimes! Do you agree? Sometimes it’s difficult just to wait a few minutes for your order at the drive thru. How can I wait a whole lifetime to see Jesus?
My wife is an excellent example when we talk about patience. Lindsay enjoys the Christmas season. She is a terrific gift finder. She has always had the ability to recall something from the past year that was needed or would make a great gift. I don’t know if this is just her or if all women have this super power. Anyway, a couple months ago, we went to visit our son Chris, in Morgantown, WV. While we were there, he showed us something called an Oculus 2 virtual reality headset. You put this headset on and it has hand controllers that you hold in each hand. This is how you manipulate the task in the headset game. I tried it out and was thoroughly impressed by how real the game seemed. Anyhow, Lindsay tried it out as well. It was a lot of fun.
So not long ago, maybe a month, my wife decided that this VR headset would make a great family gift for us. She found a terrific deal on a slightly used one and ordered it. The VR headset arrives a few days later. Now, the process of how this works is confusing to me but here goes. The package arrives and Lindsay says, “well I should open this and charge the headset.” It doesn’t stop there. She later says, “well it’s fully charged now so maybe I should try it out to make sure everything works.” So I say, “Sure honey. That sounds like a great idea.” And ever since, we have been playing with our future family Christmas gift.
I tell you that story, not only for a small chuckle, but to point out how we all, to some degree, have issues with patience. We are human and have a tendency to fall short.
Here’s another story. This one is about Moses and the people of Israel. In Exodus 20, we read about the Ten Commandments and the Law of the Altar.
Then God gave the people all these instructions:
Exodus 20:1-6
“I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.
“You must not have any other god but me.
“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.
That seems pretty concise and to the point, right? Throughout the next few chapters of Exodus, Moses talks with the people about the laws that God has given him for the people of Israel. So now we reach the end of Chapter 24 and God tells Moses to come back up the mountain and he will be with him for forty days and nights. 40… Now it gets interesting.
Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” Aaron said to them, “Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. He took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” Now when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” So the next day they rose early and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
Exodus 32:1-8
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it and have sacrificed to it and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’ ”
I am assuming this catastrophe happened around day 40 of the meeting with God. The people went from trembling fear and worshipping God to making a golden calf to worship. Patience was not a strength of the people then and is definitely not in these times either.
Paul tells us that we must wait patiently and confidently. But Paul… we live in a time of instant gratification. We have the internet. When we order on Amazon, we like our delivery to be 2 or 3 days. And if you need it sooner, then sign up for Prime and get it the next day! Wow! Why can’t life be more like Amazon Prime. Just think if we could somehow go online and pray to God and then he sends a confirmation saying that you will receive your healing by the next day at 7 pm.
We started the service today with “To You Oh Lord” – No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame. That’s why my eyes are on you Oh Lord.
Then “Everlasting God” – Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord.
“I Waited For The Lord On High”
The prayer song was “The Solid Rock” – When He shall come with trumpet sound, Oh, may I then in Him be found; Dressed in His righteousness alone, Faultless to stand before the throne.
These songs are songs about waiting but also about our hope. Our hope in Jesus.
So here we stand at this point as Christians. We are between two advents, you see? We look back in remembrance, at the arrival of Jesus. The first coming which was talked about by the Prophets many years before that happened. The birth of Jesus.
And we also stand here looking to the future coming, the second coming, when Jesus comes back for us. When the trumpet blasts and we are all taken to our heavenly home to spend eternity with God. We have a longing, an expectation for what was promised to us. Hope. Kind of like that next day Amazon delivery. One difference though. God’s guarantee is solid. He has never failed to deliver.
Hope is probably one of the most used words or should I say misused words, in our everyday vocabulary. I hope our team wins. I hope it doesn’t rain this weekend. I hope I get a raise. These are not REAL hopes. These are more like wishes.
Hope appears 146 times in the NLT bible. 30 times in the book of Psalms alone. 17 times in the book of Job. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:13 what hope is… Hope, desire with expectation, is one of the great virtues a person should possess. Desire with expectation. I like that.
Hope is said to have three basic elements:
Assessment: We need to figure out what it is we need in order to be satisfied.
Expectation: Once we’ve decided what our need is, then we have to pursue it with hopeful expectancy..
Object: Hope only works if we have something, or someone, to deliver the happiness and satisfaction that we’re expecting.
In order to be truly satisfied, we need to be saved. We are dirty, sinful beings. We need to be cleansed. We need a savior.
Our hopeful expectancy comes from this book that we call the bible. This book includes everything we need to know about God and His people… His promises and His love for us. This book is filled with promises, covenants, stories of failures, stories of accomplishments. Immeasurable grace. Stories of Hope.
I would like to take a moment right now for all of us to quiet our hearts and minds. I want to make sure that you are truly listening to what I am about to say. Please close your eyes. What I am about to tell you will resonate with the Holy Spirit living inside of you. I need you to listen deeply to the sound of my voice and what is being said.
God loves you. There is nothing you can do to make him stop loving you. There is nothing you can do to make him love you more. The father loves his child deeply and unconditionally. No matter how many times you fail, the father will be there to help you and encourage you. He will not abandon or forsake you.
God knows about the hard times. He brings the sunrise to remind us of a fresh start. The birds begin to sing in anticipation of what’s to come. We also know what is to come. Take in a deep breath and when you exhale, exhale all of the worries and doubts. Take another breath and breathe out. Open your eyes and feel his love and his presence.
This is Matthew’s account of “The Birth of Jesus the Messiah.”
This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.
As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:18-25
All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: (The prophet Isaiah.)
“Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
which means ‘God is with us.’”
When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus. Jesus or Yeshua means to deliver or rescue.
Jesus is Our Hope…
This takes us to the third and final element of hope which is Object. Our someone, to deliver the happiness and satisfaction that we’re expecting. Jesus. Son of God. Son of Man. Hope came down and rescued us. He did it once and He will do it again. God says we are worth it.
I have one last story for you.
The school system in a large city had a program to help children keep up with their school work during stays in the city’s hospitals. One day a teacher who was assigned to the program received a routine call asking her to visit a particular child. She took the child’s name and room number and talked briefly with the child’s regular class teacher. “We’re studying nouns and adverbs in his class now,” the regular teacher said, “and I’d be grateful if you could help him understand them so he doesn’t fall too far behind.”
The hospital program teacher went to see the boy that afternoon. No one had mentioned to her that the boy had been badly burned and was in great pain. Upset at the sight of the boy, she stammered as she told him, “I’ve been sent by your school to help you with nouns and adverbs.” When she left she felt she hadn’t accomplished much.
But the next day, a nurse asked her, “What did you do to that boy?” The teacher felt she must have done something wrong and began to apologize. “No, no,” said the nurse. “You don’t know what I mean. We’ve been worried about that little boy, but ever since yesterday, his whole attitude has changed. He’s fighting back, responding to treatment. It’s as though he’s decided to live.”
Two weeks later the boy explained that he had completely given up hope until the teacher arrived. Everything changed when he came to a simple realization.
He expressed it this way: “They wouldn’t send a teacher to work on nouns and adverbs with a dying boy, would they?” 2
God wouldn’t send His Son to die on the cross if He didn’t plan to save us all.
God wouldn’t send His Son to be born and placed in a manger if He wasn’t trying to make a point. He lowered himself to give us hope. He lived among us to give us hope. He healed and loved us to give us hope. God is not an untouchable God. He is a personal, loving God. Abba, Father.. We can’t comprehend God, but Jesus we can grasp. We can understand Jesus because he was part human. We can relate to that. We can aspire to be more like Jesus. He redefined what is possible for people.
This Christmas season, I want you to do a few things. This is not for me but for you and for your Savior. I want you to please take one of the Advent Devotionals. Take it home and start reading it today. I want you to make it a point to read it every day until Christmas.
I want you to pull out that book of promises. The book of hope. If you normally read your bible a couple times a week, I want you to double that. If you read your bible every day, I want you to read it twice a day. I want you not only to spend more time with God but I want you to know Him better. I want you to know that He keeps His promises.
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
Trust in…Cling to…Rely on…
Jesus… Our Hope, Our strong deliverer.
CLOSING SONGS
Hope Is Here
Macaulay, Dan
Joy to the World, the Lord is come
Let earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him roomHeaven and nature singing
He is our new beginning
Can you hear
Hope is here
Joy in a baby’s birth
Heaven is flooding earth and
God is near
Hope is hereJoy to the World, the Savior reigns
Let men their songs employ
He comes to make His blessings flowHeaven and nature singing
He is our new beginning
Can you hear
Hope is here
Joy in a baby’s birth
Heaven is flooding earth and
God is near
Hope is hereAnd the wonders of His love are on display
That The King would come for us
This changes everythingHeaven and nature singing
©2011 Keith Everette Smith Music
He is our new beginning
Can you hear
Hope is here
Joy in a baby’s birth
Heaven is flooding earth and
God is near
Hope is here
CCLI License No. 1843349
Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
Wesley, Charles
Come, Thou long-expected Jesus,
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.Israel’s Strength and Consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.By Thine own eternal Spirit
©Public Domain
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all-sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.
CCLI License No. 1843349
BENEDICTION
I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13
2 Bits & Pieces, July 1991 http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/h/hope.htm