Hope When It’s Impossible

Robby Pollard, Lead Pastor

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Hope

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Luke 1:1-4

¹Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, ²just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, ³it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, ⁴that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

A text cannot mean what it could never have meant for its original readers/hearers.” - Gordon Fee, Professor of NT Studies at Regent College

Luke 1:26-38

²⁶In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” ²⁹But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. ³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, ³³and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” ³⁴And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” ³⁵And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. ³⁶And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. ³⁷For nothing will be impossible with God.” ³⁸And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

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Jesus is the Hope of Christmas.

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Luke 1:26-29

²⁶In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” ²⁹But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.

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Isaiah 7:14

¹⁴Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

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Genesis 3:15

¹⁵I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

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Isaiah 7:14

¹⁴Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

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Matthew 1:22-23

²²All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ²³“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

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Galatians 4:4

⁴But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,

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Jesus is the Hope of Christmas.

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Luke 1:12

¹²And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.

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Luke 1:29

²⁹But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.

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Luke 2:9

⁹And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.

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Luke 1:30

³⁰And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

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Luke 1:31-33

³¹And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. ³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, ³³and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

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Isaiah 9:6-7

⁶For 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. ⁷Of 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.

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Jesus is the Hope of Christmas.

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Luke 1:34

³⁴And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

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Luke 1:35

³⁵And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.

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Luke 1:36

³⁶And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.

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Luke 1:37

³⁷For nothing will be impossible with God.”

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Luke 1:57

⁵⁷Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son.

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Nothing will be impossible with God.

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John 11:39, 43-44

³⁹Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.”

⁴³When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” ⁴⁴The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

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Nothing will be impossible with God.

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Luke 24:6

⁶He is not here, but has risen.

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Ephesians 2:3-5

³…were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. ⁴But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

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Nothing will be impossible with God.

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Luke 1:39

³⁹In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah,

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Hope in God and his Word.

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Jesus is the Hope of Christmas.

Nothing will be impossible with God.

Hope in God and his Word.

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Luke 1:46-55

⁴⁶And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, ⁴⁷and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, ⁴⁸for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; ⁴⁹for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. ⁵⁰And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. ⁵²he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; ⁵³he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. ⁵⁴He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, ⁵⁵as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” ⁵¹He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;

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Jesus is the Hope of Christmas.

Nothing will be impossible with God.

Hope in God and his Word.

We have hope, therefore we worship.