Jesus Our Hope

 Jesus: Our Hope 

John 1.1–18 

When we read a story, we know that one of the first things we need to look for is the main character, or the protagonist. We know that this person, though they may not seem like it immediately, will usually be the hero of the story. Every other character we meet will only be important because of their relationship to the main character. 

It’s only fitting, then, that the first person we meet on our Advent journey is the main character in this story, Jesus Christ. Because it is only through trusting in Christ that we can have all our needs and longings met. 

Who Is Jesus? 

The story of the Bible is the story of Jesus Christ, but it’s also our story. It’s the story of our creation and the story of our rebellion. But God, our Creator, loved us too much to leave us in our sin and brokenness, and He decidedly and mercifully intervened. In that way, the story of the Old Testament is the story of Advent. It tells us of God’s plan of redemption in which He promised to send a Messiah, a King, to His creation, to us, to meet our needs by saving us from sin and death. 

Today’s passage from John 1 tells us that this Messiah was with God in the beginning and that He is God Himself (John 1.1). John calls Him the Word (John 1:1, 14) and the Light (John 1.4–5, 7–9). And at the end of the passage, John finally reveals that He is writing about Jesus Christ, “the one and only Son, who is himself God” (John 1.18). 

Jesus Christ is God. He was there at the very beginning of creation. Before there was an earth, before there was water, and before there was sunlight, there was Jesus, the Light of the World (John 8.12). Through Him, all of creation came into being. Stars, land, plants, animals, and human beings, all were created through the power of Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God. 

But John also tells us that Jesus became human and walked on the earth. This means that God, the Creator of all things and Giver of all life, took on human flesh. This is what we remember when we celebrate Advent, that God came into the world as a human being, the same way you and I did. He came as a baby, small and weak. But in His great power, He also came as One who would save us from our sin. 

Jesus Shows Us the Heart of God 

At the end of this passage, John tells us that Jesus has revealed God to us (John 1.18). This means that the God of the universe, too great for our small, frail human minds to understand and too perfect for our sinful selves to measure up, chose to reveal Himself to us as a human in Jesus Christ. Therefore, Jesus is definitely the main character! We are told that when we look at Jesus, we see God. In listening to Jesus’s words, we hear God’s words. In Jesus’s miracles, we see God’s miracles. In Jesus’s actions, we see God’s actions. 

The heart of God was ultimately revealed when Jesus died on the cross on our behalf and was resurrected on the third day. Now, all who place their trust in Him for salvation will have their ultimate need met, their need for a relationship with God. They will spend eternity with Him rather than face the consequence of their sin, which is death (Romans 6.23, John 3.16). 

Our Hope Is in Jesus 

Before Jesus was born, God’s people longed with hope and confidence for the promised Messiah. And God showed Himself to be truly trustworthy when He sent Jesus, fulfilling His promise and the deepest longing of His people. Now, God’s people long, with the same hope and confidence, for Jesus’s return, when He will once and for all remove sin and brokenness and set all things right. 

What Does This Mean for Me? 

This is why Advent matters for Christians. It reminds us of God’s character and trustworthiness. We wait for Christmas each year, knowing that God has already given us the gift of salvation through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus. But as we wait, we are also reminded of the hope we have when Jesus comes again. Because God was faithful to send Christ the first time, we can have all the more confidence that He will do it again. 

When we choose to trust Jesus as our Lord and walk in obedience stemming from that trust, we find hope that the things of this world are not all there is. Jesus, God Himself, came to earth as a human baby, lived life in human flesh, and died a human death for your sake. He has promised now that He is coming again. Will you trust Him? 

Application Questions 

Is there anything in your life preventing you from trusting Jesus? 

Read John 3.16–17. What hope is there for those who trust in Jesus? 

Pray and thank God for taking on human flesh that first Christmas Day two thousand years ago so that you might have eternal life.