Sermon Notes, December
15, 2013
Pastor Jan Sinozich
On the second
Sunday of Advent, services at Hope Church were cancelled due to inclement
weather. Therefore, on the third Sunday
of Advent, we celebrated both, lighting the Bethlehem candle, representing
Love; and the Shepherd candle, representing Joy.
The message for
the second Sunday was titled “Be Fruitful,” and its scripture was Matthew
3:1-12, the story of John the Baptist preaching repentance in the desert. He prepared the way for the Lord, as predicted
in Isaiah 40:3. We are called to be
fruitful, (Galatians 5:22-23) preparing the way for others to encounter Jesus,
through confession, repentance, and humbling ourselves before God. Being fruitful means sharing the good news of
the gospel with others. And being
fruitful means we must both possess and practice faith. A fruitful life is not lived by our own
strength; it is empowered by the Holy Spirit.
The third
Sunday’s message was titled “Be Blessed,” and was based on Matthew 11:2-11,
when Jesus was preaching in Galilee and John was in prison. John sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he
was the Messiah, and Jesus sent them back to tell John what they had seen and
heard. Jesus is the Messiah in both word
and deed. God blesses those who
faithfully do the work He has called them to.
We must be willing to surrender and embrace Jesus’ way of life in order
to be blessed. God doesn’t force us to
believe; He gave us free will—we must choose.
Some will not believe in spite of everything, but for those who do
believe and surrender their lives to God, He promises to guide and direct their
lives. (Proverbs 3:5-6) God blesses
those who put their faith in Jesus, the Messiah (Jeremiah 17:7); follow God’s
Word (Proverbs 8:34); serve others (Acts 20:35); and persevere (James 1:12).
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