Foundation of Hope
Pastor Rollan Fisher
Focus: Our foundation of hope is God’s peace which was promised and is fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
Family Planning
Prophetic Promises
Our Benevolent King
Family Planning
We have hope because Jesus came in God’s perfect timing through an imperfect family to save a lost and dying world.
There are those that say that Jesus attempted, like others before and after him, to intentionally present himself as the promised savior of the world.
However, in his first advent, some of the greatest evidence for the identity of Jesus as the Messiah were the prophecies fulfilled about him regarding elements Jesus could not control - including God’s sovereignty in arranging Christ’s exact family line.
To Abraham, God spoke:
Genesis 22:18 ESV
“and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice."”
Of Jacob’s line, the Scripture predicted a ruler would come:
Numbers 24:17 ESV
“I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.”
God made it clear that rulership would continue through Judah’s line:
Genesis 49:10 ESV
“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.”
Isaiah would bring things home through Jesse:
Isaiah 11:1 ESV
“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.”
And keep it in the family through an eternal lineage established through King David, Jesse’s son:
Jeremiah 23:5 ESV
“"Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.”
Despite challenges, how has God used your natural and spiritual family line to bring you into his Kingdom purposes?
Galatians 4:4-5 ESV
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”
Prophetic Promises
God has a plan to bring peace that has been and will ultimately be fulfilled through the first and second advent (coming) of Jesus Christ.
The prophetic promises of God spoke of Jesus who, though having humble beginnings in a manger, would be prophet, priest and ultimately the world’s eternal ruler and King.
In addition to being unable to control his family line, Jesus could not determine his place of birth if not for the intervention and direction of God.
Micah 5:2 ESV
“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.”
This ruler in Israel would have the wisdom to define and shape all of life because he is from of old, from ancient days.
“God made life, and God alone can tell us its meaning.”
-J.I. PACKER
Our Benevolent King
In the first advent of Jesus, we have the benevolent king revealed who was God in the flesh to initiate God’s Kingdom rule without end.
Isaiah 9:1-7 ESV
“But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.”
Isaiah’s prophecy, delivered approximately 700 years before Christ’s birth, is a beautiful picture of the incarnation and Jesus revealing the triune God through as he took on flesh.
In coming to the earth, Jesus fulfilled in his person four of the greatest needs that we have as humanity and paved the way for our salvation.
Wonderful Counselor (a name later given to the Holy Spirit - John 14-16)
Mighty God (as Jesus was recognized in the early church - John 1:1; Titus 2:11-13)
Everlasting Father (the one with whom Jesus would say he is one - John 10:30; 14:9; Philippians 2)
Prince of Peace (Jesus as the Son of God came to bestow the peace of which Isaiah speaks through the cross - Romans 5)
“A God whom we could understand exhaustively, and whose revelation of Himself confronted us with no mysteries whatsoever, would be a God in man’s image, and therefore an imaginary God, not the God of the Bible at all.”
-J.I. Packer
What we do understand fully is the good news that:
The government will be on his shoulders.
Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.
He would sit on the throne of David.
His rule would be marked by justice and righteousness.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
This will all be fully accomplished through the second coming (advent) of Jesus Christ.
How should we respond?
Another prophecy that many believe would speak of the three wise men coming to worship Jesus:
Psalm 72:10-11 ESV
“May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!”
“We cannot worship the suffering God today and ignore him tomorrow. We cannot eat and drink the body and blood of the passionate and compassionate God today, and then refuse to live passionately and compassionately tomorrow. If we say or sing, as we so often do, ‘Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit’, we thereby commit ourselves, in love, to the work of making his love known to the world that still stands so sorely in need of it. This is not the god the world wants. This is the God the world needs.”
― N.T. Wright
We can turn to Jesus in repentance and faith to serve him through faith and enjoy the new life and peace the prince has come to bring!
Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher