The main plot of Christmas Vacation is seeing whether Clark gets a Christmas bonus. He gets a bonus, but it's nothing like he imagined. He's so disappointed. It's just a lousy gym membership! That's like getting socks for Christmas, or a fruitcake.
You know everyone is talking about hope. So let me ask, "What is Christmas hope? What is your hope? What do you want more than anything else this Christmas?" For a lot of people Christmas isn't about hope at all, it's about struggle, and unresolved struggle at that. As you look toward Christmas what's your greatest struggle? What's not quite right in your life? What has you on edge, keeping you awake at night? What's the conversation around your kitchen table? Are you feeling hopeful or disappointed?
A few weeks back, I saw book advertisement. I wonder if you agree. It read, "God designed you for more than an endless frustrating search, he designed you for finding hope" (John Dickerson, author "I am Strong"). Do you agree or disagree? Do you believe God destined you to find hope? Or do you think he's destined you for long, unending struggle? Proverbs 13:12 says, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." Does God want you to be heart sick, or does he have a tree of life in store for you? Let's talk about this struggle to find hope...
[Symbol] One area of struggle concerns our needs, the worries of life.
Now one of two things is true about you. Some of you may be in need this Christmas. Maybe you are ashamed to admit it, but you don't know how you're going to get through Christmas. Maybe you can relate to Mary and Joseph. An angel of the Lord had showed them God's grand plan, but they had all these practical needs.
How would they deal with their family? Would anyone believe their story? How would they quell all the rumors, and speculation about their baby? Should they end their relationship? Would they be safe from Herod's murder squad? Should they run? Could they afford to run? The questions kept piling up.
Maybe like Mary and Joseph, your mind has been churning. You are against the ropes. You feel sick to your stomach. You don't know how things are going to work out. You feel overwhelmed, and maybe you're doubting God.
If you're not in need, maybe you fit into a second category. Maybe you've been trying to help someone, and now you're feeling overwhelmed. This Christmas so many families have contacted us wanting help w/Christmas. Moms. Dads. Kids. (54 total) At same time people are calling about rent, utility bills. Everyone has a legitimate story and need. I never feel a greater sense of inadequacy then when I'm trying to help a person. You help one, then that one tells another, and another and another. There is a point where we can only provide so much hope for people... but this is by God's design.
One level of hope is that God promises to meet all our needs in Christ Jesus. Hope is Philippians 4:19 which promises, "... God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." I've often told you about my older brother. Up until a few years ago Chris had spent most of his adult life incarcerated. He never trusted God. He was so stubborn, he had his own way of doing everything, that always led to one dead end after another.
One night when Chris was on the run, and high on whatever, he drove down to see me. We wept about what his life had become. He was afraid he'd die in prison, alone. So we prayed and I pleaded with him to begin trusting God. I said Chris, "In my ministry I've seen God change other men's lives... so I know he can do it. But will you trust God, and give your life to him?" When Chris was being sentenced, a judge rebuked him, because Chris's life had gone from bad to worse.
Today Chris is one of the greatest inspirations of my ministry. Because when Chris finally got out of jail, he started trusting Jesus. He had so many personal, financial, physical needs I thought he was going to bankrupt our family. Every day there was some major need. I agonized how to help him. But you know who helped him? God met all of Chris's needs with one miracle after another. He found work. He got Christian employment. He paid off fines. He got his license. He got a car, insurance. He got a house, with a garage! He got into a church. He got health care, free knee surgery.
Friends, when God starts fighting for you, watch out! In the Christmas story God sent three wise men with gold, frankincense, myrrh to provide for Mary and Joseph needs. One Christmas, after I'd preached, a man handed me a gold coin and told me it was to help my brother. One level of Christmas hope is that if you would trust God the same, he would fight for you, he would meet all of your needs in Christ Jesus.
[Symbol] Another area of struggle concerns our sin/utter depravity.
This Christmas we have two major problems. Our first problem is our struggle against the flesh. There is this verse in Genesis 4:7, right before Cain has kills his brother Abel, where God asks him, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it."
Just read the words again. How many times has this scenario played itself out in your life? How many times have you been blindsided by the dark undercurrents of your heart? You were angry. You were sad. You were depressed. You were this, or that. How easy it is to be swept away by such dark undercurrents. The heart is beyond understanding. It's stubborn and rebellious. It's corrupt. We know what is right, but again and again we sin. Our sin ensnares us, then enslaves us. Our sin has made us utterly unacceptable in God's sight.
James 1:13-15 says, "When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." Our first problem is how can we stop living/reliving this nightmare?"
Our other problem is that our culture is corrupted just the same. Genesis 6:5 says, "The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time."
Are we thinking about these things this Christmas? You bet we are. Not a single world leader has a clue how to change hearts and minds. But forget about the scale of corruption. As hard as it is break the pattern of sin in our own life (where we have some level of willpower), its infinitely harder to do so in that of our spouse, kids, neighbors, and especially our enemies. We can affect others, with charisma and leadership. We can control them for a while, with laws. We can suppress them with threats of punishment or violence. But we're powerless to really change others.
So can there be any hope given the extent of our sin/utter depravity? Another level of hope is that in Christ Jesus God promises to destroy the power of sin. First and most importantly, God makes us acceptable in his sight by virtue of Christ's righteousness. It was Isaiah the prophet who first explained what God would do through Jesus. Isaiah 53:5-6, "But he [Jesus] was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him [Jesus] the iniquity of us all." Over and over Isaiah emphasizes, "Jesus bore the sins of many."
But then God does something equally spectacular. Having made us acceptable in his sight, by Jesus' shed blood and righteousness, God surgically destroys the sin in us, by the power of his Holy Spirit. First he justifies us, then he sanctifies us. God destroys our sin nature and imparts his Divine Nature. And now, "His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires."
"For this reason, [you can!!] make every effort to add to your faith goodness, and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness, and to godliness mutual affection; and to mutual affection love..." [2 Peter 1:3-7]. Hope is corruption giving way to love; Hope is God reigning from our hearts and minds--its God both giving his righteousness, but then also making us righteous, and not us only... but all who but trust in Jesus. GOD IS DOING IT!
[Symbol] A final area of struggle concerns Life/Immortality.
Christmas is a season filled with many emotions. Every year our families welcome new life into the fold. In the Morrissette home, its CRAZY. When everyone is together there are kids screaming, crying, laughing, playing, flying around (literally). It's overwhelming, but it's awesome. I just try to find a safe, quiet corner. None exists.
But you know, every few years our families seem to say goodbye as well. There is one final struggle that we have, and it's the enemy death. If you think you're powerless in the face of sin, what about death? The power of sin was destroyed on the cross. Jesus bore our sins. He offered his life for our life, the righteous for the unrighteous.
But Jesus did something more. Jesus conquered death itself. Our hope this Christmas is that though we die, yet shall we live. How can we know this is so? By virtue of Christ's death, burial and resurrection. Jesus conquered the grave. To those who will trust in his Death, Burial, Resurrection he offers hope of life everlasting!
Here's a few verse you might read this Christmas... [1 Corinthians 15:50-57]
Just so you know, I agree with that John Dickerson quote. Yes. Unequivocally. "God designed you for more than an endless frustrating search, he designed you for finding hope."
What a great hope we have!
God promises to meet all our needs in Christ Jesus.
God promises to destroy the utter power of sin, and make us acceptable in his sight, not by virtue of our righteousness, but that of Jesus.
God promises to destroy the power death.
Proverbs 13:12 says, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." God does NOT want your heart be sick. He has tree of life in store for you!