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Series: God With Us
Date: November 30, 2025
Speaker: Reg Lewicki
Topic: Advent Week #1 - Hope

IV. Exile

Israel goes into exile - losing their land, king and temple. They return 70 years later as God had promised but were still waiting for His Messiah.

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn. - Isaiah 61:1-2

This freedom would lead to a renewed covenant between God and His chosen as Ezekiel announced,

I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. - Ezekiel 37:26-27

Freedom and renewed covenant was still being waited for, 400 years after Israel had returned to their land and it was a promise or a hope that was largely out of their control.

V. Jesus

Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.- Matthew 1:17

The number seven was a significant number to the ancient people of Israel. It represented completeness and wholeness, a divine number. Here Matthew tells us there are 14 generations, 14 generations, 14 generations and Jesus.

14 is 2 7’s and so another way to look at this is that there 6 7’s of covenantal promises and covenantal waiting and now here is Jesus, the beginning of the seventh seven - the fulfillment, and ultimate answer to all the promises of God.

The one through whom would come freedom and renewal of covenant. The one who would be the son of David ruling over God’s kingdom forever. The one who is the seed of Abraham by which the whole world would be blessed. And this one, the seventh seven, this Jesus is Immanuel, God with us.

II. Abraham

So we begin with Abraham who is the beginning of Israel’s history. God called Abraham out of the land of his fathers to bind himself to God and promised him that he would become a great nation.

After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” But Abram said, “O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. - Genesis 15:1-16

But the arrival of Isaac was the answer to only part of the larger covenantal promise that God made to Abraham

“I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” - Genesis 12:2-3

III. David

Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered, “but he is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.” So he sent and had him brought in. He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; he is the one.” So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power. - 1 Samuel 16:10-13

David is anointed and told he will become king, but it does not happen immediately, it would take time. And worse than that, this waiting comes with him being hunted by King Saul.

David getting to the throne is only part the larger covenantal promise God makes to Israel through David.

Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth…“ ‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son… Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’ ” - 2 Samuel 7:8-9, 11-14, 16

VI. The Hope Yet to Come

“Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,” declares the Lord. “Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. = Zechariah 2:10-11

Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost. It will be a unique day, without daytime or nighttime—a day known to the Lord. When evening comes, there will be light. On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter. The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name. - Zechariah 14:5-9

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” - Revelation 21:1-5

We must not forget that we too are people of Advent, waiting for the final promise of God to be answered in the arrival of Jesus again in which He will set all things right and we will be with Him forever in peace.

So may you not lose hope but have confidence in the One who has proven Himself faithful.

May you remember and believe God with us in the places where you wait for Him to show up even as we look forward with full confidence in the Great Day of peace and redemption which He has promised us and is sure yet to come. Amen