The Gift of Hope

Isaiah 9:6-7
By Harold Dinsmore, M.Div.
© 2007 Harold Dinsmore

             Thus far for Advent we have celebrated a few gifts.  The first Sunday we were together we learned from the visit of the Wise men something about the gift of love. This was God’s greatest gift that he could ever lavish upon us.  The gift of his Son was primary to everything else he had in store for us as his children.  Had there been no Jesus there would have been nothing else.  “Thanks be unto God for his indescribable gift!”  II Cor. 9:15.

            The second Sunday we were together we learned of a second gift.  It was the gift of faith so very well exemplified by the shepherds.  God has supplied us everything we need to have a relation ship with him.  Even faith is a gift of God!  “For it is grace are you saved through faith, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast.”  Eph. 2:8-9.

            Today we move to the third gift I would like for us to focus upon.  This third gift is by no means any less than the others….it just so happens to be our third aspect of the gifts that God gives us as his children.  It is one that is found in what is called Messianic prophecy.  In the Old Testament we find in the Law, the Writings, and the Prophets passages of scripture that contains messages about the coming Messiah…thus we call them Messianic prophecies.  Today we are centering our thoughts on the promise of hope.  God informed Israel and the entire world that His Messiah was going to come.  Look at our passage again in verse 6.