Preparing for the Lord's Day
The First Sunday in Advent: “Confident Hope in Jesus Christ”
Giving thanks to God for His goodness to us in all things is always appropriate for Thanksgiving and Advent. I pray that each of you will ponder Jesus Christ in all His beauty and love as you walk through Thanksgiving Day. Enjoy God’s provision and celebrate His grace!
As we look to this coming Lord’s Day, we enter the Advent Season, praising God for the blessing of our hope in Christ. And yet we realize that the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons are not always easy. We navigate family relationships and remember those whom we have lost. We embrace the beauty of the coming of Christ yet couple His birth with the reality of His life and death for our salvation. Biblical contrasts demonstrate how the advent of God’s Son into this world speaks hope and joy for abundant life while recognizing the great cost to our Savior for our wholeness.
This Sunday, in our sermon entitled, “Confident Hope in Jesus Christ,” we’ll examine Titus 2:11-14. We’ll see how we cannot separate the experience of God’s grace and steadfast hope apart from Jesus Christ as loving Savior and almighty King. To enjoy all the benefits of being His, we embrace an intimate relationship with Jesus as His changes and shapes our hearts according to His image. To come prepared for worship, please be in prayer! Meditate upon Titus 2:11-14 and ponder the two appearing of Christ in our text. One looks back to the appearing of grace and the second looks forward to the appearing of glory. Consider how those realities shape our current experience in His power and love. In celebrating the Advent theme of hope, please also read 1 Peter 1:3-5.
The hopeful expectation and anticipation of the Advent of the Lord Jesus is captured in our singing the Hymn of Praise “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” the Acclamation of Praise “Joy to the World! The Lord is Come,” and the Hymn of Response “Hail to the Lord’s Anointed.” Come this Lord’s Day, ready to have the hope of the gospel poured into your lives.
SERMON TEXT: Titus 2:11-14
THE SERMON: “Confident Hope in Jesus Christ” Pastor Ron Cox
- We rest in Christ’s past appearing for redeemed life.
- We reflect Christ’s present renewal for godly life.
- We rejoice in Christ’s future coming for resilient life.