Following Jesus, fulfilling His mission, in community together.

Advent 1 And his name will be the hope of all the world

Matthew 12:15–21 (NLT) 15 But Jesus knew what they were planning. So he left that area, and many people followed him. He healed all the sick among them, 16 but he warned them not to reveal who he was. 17 This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah concerning him: 18 “Look at my Servant, whom I have chosen. He is my Beloved, who pleases me. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. 19 He will not fight or shout or raise his voice in public. 20 He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally he will cause justice to be victorious. 21 And his name will be the hope of all the world.”
cf Isaiah 42:1-3

What is hope? It’s not the finger crossing wish like
PPT the desire for something good in the future – PPT Malcolm Turnbull; PPT Manus island; PPT Adelaide Crows;
There is also the sense that hope is something that brings about good outcomes in the future, ie. his only hope is that he gets on the back of the other kayak… [hope will somehow impact outcomes]
The hope that the bible talks about is unlike any of these ideas of hope.
You see, most of the time that we use the word ‘hope’ we use it expressing uncertainty rather than certainty…
I hope I pass my exams… means ‘I don’t have certainty that I will pass my exams, but that is my desire’
When I tore my calf last year and had a DVT and after two months went for an ultrasound to see if the DVT had gone – I hope it’s gone… ‘I didn’t have any certainty, but that was my desire.’
Hope is not a matter of logic. Logically speaking, a situation may appear hopeless, but that does not assume the absence of hope.
See when the bible talks about hope it is not in the sense that we use it.
It is not just about a desire for something good in the future, but as one writer puts it is ‘a confident expectation and desire for something good’ not just in the future, but in the now.
There is the ‘present hope’. And it rests not in our ability to produce that certain desired outcome – it rests outside of ourselves.
Matthew 12:15–21 (NLT)
And his name will be the hope of all the world.