Let’s start with this:

• Hope is ___________!
• Hope ___________ and Hope is ___________ today!

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This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. Matthew 1:18-25

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Today’s main ideas:

1. Hope arrived to ___________ ___________.
2. Hope arrived to be ___________ ___________.

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It was a gift of salvation once and for all and was a gift of salvation given for all.

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“The Hebrews had such an exalted conception of God that they did not even make any image of Him—something which so amazed their Roman conquerors that they dubbed them ‘atheists,’ people without gods. Against this background, Matthew claims, not that God has given us a representation of himself, but that he has come in person to share our situation. What a claim, right at the outset of the Gospel! (Green, The Message of Matthew, 59–60).

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“He is ‘God with us.’ That is the essential claim on which Christianity is built. It is a claim that cannot be abandoned without abandoning the faith in its entirety” (Green, The Message of Matthew, 59–60).

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Today’s application

1. Where do I most need the hope of God’s saving (Savior) in my life?
2. Where do I most need the hope of God’s presence (Immanuel) in my life?

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Christmas At Turning Point Church

• Make sure you check out our events page for Christmas Eve details and for all of the great Christmas elements at Turning Point Church during the month of December.

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For The Love

• We are trying to finish the year strong and you can help! To learn more about giving to our For The Love initiative, check out our “For The Love” page online.

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