Read Colossians 1:27
Hope was Born
Scripture: Colossians 1:27
The Big Idea: Hope was born so it could be born in us and present with us at all times.

Colossians 1:27 (ESV)
27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Introduction:
Christmas can have a painful dread or a hopeful feeling for us. Much of this depends upon past experiences, losses and rewards.
However, Christmas is about much more than past experiences or the pain of remembering. Christmas is about HOPE. The Hope for all mankind.

Hope builds expectation and excitement, and creates passion and purpose for those who live with it. Many of you may feel guilty for
trying to enjoy the holidays while others are sad and can’t enjoy the season. Today, I want us to remember the real reason we celebrate Christmas and provide a pathway for HOPE to be born, renewed or remain.

Paul is writing to the church at Colosee to inform them of the diety of Christ from birth to present and how this should affect their life. Paul is also explaining how Gentiles are part of God’s plan for redemption and that through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, a mystery has been revealed.

Paul says this mystery was hidden for ages and generations but has been revealed for the saints today. Paul is explaining that God had reserved a gift for believers from the time of Pentecost forward,
including today.

This gift is the embodiment of Jesus inside all believers. God gave the law to the Old Testament people of God. God gave the physical life of Jesus to the disciples. Today, He has given us a greater gift; the gift of Hope-Himself.

John 16:7 proves this.
7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.

Jesus declares that it is better if He goes. So what He has been for them on the outside, He can be on the inside, permanently. Jesus even went as far as to say that they would do greater works than Himself.

Jesus did not leave the Church. Jesus made himself more available to the church.

According to Paul, Jesus was born, to be born inside believers, to give HOPE- the Hope of glory.

The word glory can be translated to praise. We tend to view this word in association with heaven or being with God one day. This is part of what the word means. Believers should live with Hope,
because one day all sickness, sin, strife, hurt, pain, loss, etc. will be
removed.

But Hope is more than what will be eliminated from our lives. It is really about what will be gained. For a believer, it is the climax of life. The top. When believers get to heaven they gain sight, complete salvation and the joy of everlasting praise of God.

However, this HOPE of glory carries weight and value. Hope means confident expectation. Mixed with glory you get, The confident expectation of good in our lives.

This means believers can live with the certainty and assurance of better things to come. Life may seem over, pointless, fruitless, and that the BEST DAYS are behind you. However, with God, the best is yet to come. We are living with the expectation that with God, it is
always getting better. God is always working to give a reason to Praise. The reason is Himself because HOPE has a name and that name is Christ, Christ in you, the HOPE of GLORY!

When it comes to HOPE, don’t trust your perceptions, trust in a
person, Jesus Christ. Jesus was born and reborn (resurrection) so you could have HOPE born in you today and every day. This is not a
fairy-tale message or a prosperity message. It’s a message of Praise. So, let your Christmas be filled with Praise this year. Talk about what it means to be born again because He was born. Enjoy and remind each other of the blessing of Jesus Christ in your life.

Now that I have laid the foundation for HOPE, let me give a few thoughts to make it practical.

1. Hope’s existence is dependent upon change.

Paul explains in 1:15 that Jesus was the image of God. His flesh embodied the heart, nature, and character of God. God brought grace down to mankind. Paul is explaining the purpose and power of Jesus’ earthly existence.

When Jesus was born, things changed for Him. He remained God but became a man. This had to happen if we were to find HOPE in Him.

Most of us believe that we would have HOPE if life would have
remained care free, pain-free, etc. However, Jesus birth reminds us that HOPE sometimes is born in change. Therefore, don't let your pain of the past blind you of the opportunity to have HOPE today.

For us to have HOPE born inside of us, two things had to happen:

• Jesus had to be born.
• We must be born again.

HOPE is born through change. It may be that your perceptions and focus need to shift for HOPE to be born in you.


2. Hope is better than help: Help relieves me, Hope revives me. I would rather have HOPE if I had a choice because HOPE leads people from depression to joy, discouragement to passion, and from fear to focus.

Hope has a greater impact than help. If you have the choice to give help or Hope, always give HOPE.

Romans 5:5
5 and hope do not put us to shame because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Many times, we are asking God to relieve us when He wants to
revive us. Sin has affected our world but so can HOPE. HOPE is more powerful than sin.

3. Hope’s reward is that He (Jesus) is always available.

Paul said Christ in you, the HOPE of glory. Every person who is born again has Jesus Christ living inside of them through the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 1:13
13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

This means HOPE comes from within and is always available. The source of it is Jesus, so the best we can do is look to Jesus for our HOPE. When we do, we can expect God to rise and grant it through Jesus Christ.

Conclusion:
If you want to have Hope, Hope is available, but you must let HOPE be born in you. All you may need is a change of perception or you may need to be born again.

Hope was Born
Scripture: Colossians 1:27
Christmas is about Hope

Questions to Consider
1.Read Colossians 1:27. Fill in the blanks.
a. To them God __________ to make known how great among the ______________ are the riches of the _________ of this _____________, which is ____________ in ________, the __________ of _____________. (ESV)

2. In Colossians 1:27 who is “them”?
a. What does the word “chose” mean to you in the context of this verse?
b. Who are gentiles and what is the significance of God making it “great” among them?
c. What is the “glory of the mystery”? What is the mystery?

3. Christmas is about _____________.
a. Define hope. Use whatever reference you need like the dictionary, scripture, etc.
b. What is the definition of hope in your life? Is it wishful thinking, a feeling, a goal, a promise, etc.?


4.God gave something to the Old Testament people of God and gave some one to the New Testament people of God.
a. What was given to the Old Testament people?
b. What was given to the New Testament people?
c. How significant is the difference between these 2 gifts?

5. When Jesus told His disciples that He was going away, what did He mean? Was that the end of the church or the beginning? Support your answer with scripture.

6. Hope has a name. What is the name of hope? So, to have hope, you must have who?

7. What makes Hope better than help? Apply the old saying, “Give a man a fish, he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish…”


Discuss and Apply
Take time to discuss your answers with your group.

8. Which scenario would bring Hope? Defend your choice.
You see a homeless man/woman, obviously hungry. You give them some cash as you walk by thinking to yourself, “he/she can walk to ______ and buy a hot meal.”
Or
You see a homeless man/woman, obviously hungry. You offer to eat a meal with them at the nearest restaurant. During the meal you learn a few things about the person, offer companionship, compassion, and demonstrate the love of Christ.

In which scenario do you “give a man a fish, or teach a man to fish?”
In this Christmas season, you could say we gave a lot of “fish” (presents). How much of your time was spent “teaching to fish” (offering your time, resources, gifts, talents, or sharing the love of Christ; the reason for which we celebrate Christmas)?



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These questions can be used for personal study and/or Small Group discussion. We’d love to hear how you are putting them to use. Let us know at fbchurch@yahoo.com