The Story of a Promise Made

November 27, 2022

In “The Story of A Promise Made,” Pastor Dave Gustavsen tells of a promise God made to His people thousands of years ago, that light was coming to the dark and hopeless world. That promise was kept when Jesus showed up in Bethlehem, but it hasn’t been completely fulfilled yet, so we keep trusting, waiting, and hoping – because we know God keeps His promises.

Good morning Chapel family. And welcome to the first Sunday of Advent. The word “Advent” simply means “arrival.” So over the centuries, the church has set aside the four Sundays leading up to Christmas as a time to await the arrival of Jesus. So, just like the Jewish people did during all those years leading up the birth of Christ, we put ourselves in their shoes, and we try to feel some of the longing that they felt for their Messiah to show up. Because even though we are now on the other side of the birth of Jesus, we still need him to show up in our lives just as much as they did back then. Don’t we? So…welcome to the Advent season. I hope you love this time of year as much as I do.

But as much as I love it, Advent is a challenging time of year to be a pastor. There’s a running debate that I have with Norma Jean every year. I say, “I’m trying to figure out what to preach at Christmas. I’ve done this so many times—I feel like I’ve said everything there is to say. I’m trying to think of something original.” And my wife says to me, “Just tell the story.” To which I say, “You can’t just tell the story. They already know the story. I have to be more interesting than that!” And she says, “I don’t know—I think at Christmas, people really just want to hear the story.” She’s such a know-it-all.

So last month, I sat down with Pastor Ted and Brandon, our Tech Director, to bounce some ideas off them. I said, “Guys, I have two options for Advent this year. Tell me which one you like better. The first option is called ‘The Word Became Flesh’—it’s all about the theological implications of the incarnation—God becoming flesh in Jesus.” They said, “Okay—what’s the second option?” I said, “This is going to sound silly, but it’s called ‘Tell Me The Story of Christmas.’ So I would sit on a stool like a grandfather gathering his family around, and just basically walk through the biblical stories of Christmas. I know—it’s kind of corny, right?” And in unison, Ted and Brandon both said, “Go with the second one. The first one sounds kind of heavy and dreary; the second one sounds inviting.” In other words: they agreed with my wife.

Actually, I think what Norma Jean and Brandon and Ted all realize is that there’s nothing more powerful than a good story. And Jesus knew that better than anyone, didn’t he? Like, when Jesus was teaching about how God feels about people who’ve walked away from him, Jesus could have said, “Even if you walk away from God, if you return to him, he will accept you back.” He could have stated that theological truth. But instead, Jesus said, “A certain man had two sons. The younger son took his share of his father’s money, and he went to a far country and wasted it on wild living. He became so desperate that he got a job feeding pigs, and he was so hungry, he wished he could eat some of the pig food. Finally he came to his senses, and he went back home. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and ran to his son and embraced him. He said, ‘Father, I’ve sinned against heaven and against you. I’m no longer worthy to be called your son…” But his father said, ‘Quick—put a robe on my son; put sandals on his feet and a ring on his finger; kill the fatted calf—we need to celebrate because this son of mine was lost, and now he’s found.’” So…which of those two ways is a more powerful way to teach that truth? The theological statement or the story? Is there even a question? Stories are powerful.

So—because of the wisdom of Norma Jean and Ted and Brandon, and especially Jesus, this Advent season, I’m going to tell you the story of Christmas. Like any good story, this one has main characters and supporting characters; it has a hero and a few villains; it has suspense and conflict and action and

all kinds of emotion; and it all leads up to this climactic moment in a stable in Bethlehem. And like the best stories, this one is not just about some other people doing things out there; it’s about us—it connects with our lives in deeply personal ways. This really is the greatest story ever told.

So today, I want to tell you The Story of a Promise Made. Let me share with you one other little debate I have with Norma Jean. If there’s something she really wants me to do, usually involving a household task, she will often say, “Promise me you’ll fix that leaky shower today. Promise me you’ll paint that room today.” And I always say to her, “Promise is a strong word. I will try to get that done, but I’m not going to promise you I’ll do it.” And she says, “Oh—you know what I mean.” But I take that word really seriously. When you promise something, you are binding yourself to do it. You’re completely committed. Like, you better do it. And frankly, I’m not that committed to fixing the leaky shower. Promise is a strong word. And here’s the point: we humans might sometimes use that word lightly; God never does. When he makes a promise, he always keeps it.

So the story of Christmas begins with a promise made. And I want to jump into the story around the year 700BC. Brian just read that Scripture from Isaiah chapter 9—didn’t he do a great job? And it was talking about a group of people who were having a hard time with life. It says they were living in gloom and distress and deep darkness. Why? What was happening?

Well, about 200 years earlier, Israel had divided into two separate nations: “Israel” in the north and “Judah” in the south. Isaiah was writing to the people of Judah, and this was a shaky time for them. Nearby nations like Egypt and Assyria were well-armed and restless. The people of Judah felt a little bit like the people of Latvia and Lithuania and Finland must feel, with Vladimir Putin right next door. Did you see in the news last week, Finland is planning to build a wall on the Russian border to keep them secure? Can you blame them? So that’s why Isaiah says it was a time of gloom and distress—there was a growing sense of fear. And because of that, many of the people were losing hope.

What is hope? I would say it like this: hope is the belief that the future holds good things. It’s not a denial of reality, because it looks squarely at the way things are, and says, “Okay, this is bad. But, I believe…I know…things aren’t going to stay like this. It’s going to get better.” That’s what biblical hope is. The belief that the future holds good things.

So let me pause the story for a minute and ask you a personal question. As we enter into this Christmas season, where do you need hope? Maybe you’re like the people of Judah—you feel unsettled because of the war in Ukraine, and how it could trigger World War 3. Or, much closer to home—the mass shootings that just keep happening—two this past week, in Colorado and Virginia. It’s heartbreaking. And it can start to feel hopeless. Or maybe it’s more personal: a broken relationship that hasn’t gotten better. That stupid habit or phobia or addiction that won’t go away. The financial stress that puts a cloud over everything. That prodigal son or daughter, who’s showing no signs of returning. Where do you need hope this Christmas?

Hope is the belief that the future holds good things. And in different ways, all of us need hope. Because even if things are bad right now, if you have hope, it makes you feel: optimistic… expectant… energized…confident. Like the future is worth living for.

When you don’t have hope, you feel: despair…depressed…cynical…afraid. You question whether life is worth living. In his book Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl reflects on his experience in a concentration camp. He says, “The prisoner who lost faith in the future – his future – was doomed. With his loss of belief in the future, he also lost his spiritual hold; he let himself decline and became subject to mental and physical decay.” In other words, the difference between having hope and not having hope can be the difference between life and death.

So things had gotten so dark for the people of Judah that they were struggling to find hope. And into that dark situation, God spoke. Through the prophet Isaiah, God gave a promise. Look at Isaiah 9, verse 2: The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. Did you notice this is in the past tense? This is something prophets would do. Because God sees the future just as well as he sees the past. And so when a prophet spoke, he was being lifted up to see things from God’s perspective. So…when Isaiah wrote this in 700BC, it hadn’t happened yet! But from the perspective of God, this was as good as done. So in this future picture, he says a light is coming. And because of this light, look what’s being promised…

Verse 3: You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder. So Isaiah gives two beautiful images. First, he says, when this light comes, it’s going to be like harvest time. Why is that so special? Because after months of plowing the soil, and planting the seed, and praying for rain…knowing so many things could go wrong…when the harvest finally came, it was like a party. Like, “We’re going to live! For another winter, the kids aren’t going to go to bed hungry! We’re going to have dinner parties!” So in a farming culture, a good harvest was everything. And Isaiah says, “When this light comes, it’s going to be like that!”

And then a second image: warriors dividing the plunder. Why is that special? Because after the stress and fear of battle, the war is finally over, and we won. Our land is secure; our families are safe, and now we get to go back home! Did you ever see a soldier returning home, knowing the war is finally over? It’s hard to describe that joy. And Isaiah says, “When this light comes, it’s going to be like that. Like soldiers returning home from battle. Like harvest time. Man, this is a hopeful vision, isn’t it?

But it gets better! Look at verse 5: Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. There will come a day when army boots and combat uniforms will not be needed any more. Can you even imagine? Back in 2003, there was a journalist named Chris Hedges who tried to find out if there’s ever been a sustained period of peace in our world. Have you heard about this? He defined war as any “active conflict that has claimed more than 1,000 lives.” How many years of human history do you think there was no war? He went back 3,400 years, and he found out there have been 268 years where there was no war. In other words, for 92 percent of recorded history, the human race has been engaged in significant war. Including right now, of course. It almost seems like we can’t help ourselves.

But here’s what Isaiah was saying, “This light that’s coming will actually have the power to transform human nature so deeply, all war will cease.” Wow.

So here’s the vision: when this light comes—and he hasn’t told us what it is yet—it will bring us deep joy like harvest and soldiers coming home; it will bring lasting peace to the world. Stop for a minute and think about the things in your life that look dark right now. Things that look hopeless. And then imagine God flooding those things with deep joy and lasting peace. Can we just get excited about that? Can we allow ourselves to dream a little this Christmas? “Promise” is a strong word. And God promised his people that this light was coming, and everything would change. So the obvious question is: when and how does this happen?

Here’s where it starts to get good! And here’s where it starts to get Christmassy. Look at verse 6: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. So he says all those amazing things will happen when this child is born. Did you see the different names for this child? Listen to these: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Whoa. I mean, I’ve heard of ambitious nicknames before. A few years ago there was a professional basketball

player named Ron Artest. And one day he said, “I’ve legally changed my name. My new name is Metta World Peace.” Any sports fans remember that? And it was funny, because he was one of the least peaceful players in the league—he started lots of fights. But that was his new name—on the back of his jersey it said, “World Peace.” And I don’t think anyone took him seriously. If you’re going to have a name like that, you better do something amazing to live up to it. And Isaiah says this coming child would be amazing beyond anything we’ve ever seen: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Who could possibly live up to that description?

Well, let’s back up for a minute. Because the story of this promise actually stretches back even further than 700 BC. It goes all the way back to the beginning. In Genesis 22:18, listen to what God said to Abraham: through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed. That was spoken around 1800 BC, and even though Abraham didn’t fully understand it, the New Testament clarifies that God was speaking about one particular offspring. So we know that the coming Messiah would be a descendant of Abraham.

A little bit later, in the book of Numbers, we find this mysterious prophecy—Numbers 24:17…

I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.

So we know the Messiah would be a descendant of Abraham’s grandson, Jacob.

We find out more from the prophet Jeremiah—look at Jeremiah 23:5…

5 “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteous Savior.

So based on that prophecy, we know the Messiah will be a descendant of King David. So it keeps getting more specific, right? But there’s more…

Micah chapter 5, verse 2:

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

This tells us the Messiah would be born in this obscure little town called Bethlehem. Not the kind of place anyone would expect a Messiah to be born, but God’s ways rarely fit our expectations.

And then here’s the most amazing one—Isaiah 7:14… Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel, which means “God

with us.” So apparently, this coming child would defy everything we know about how babies are made, because he would be born of a virgin.

So as the centuries went by, and the people of Israel continued to deal with the darkness around them, God kept reiterating this promise, like a drumbeat of hope: the Messiah is coming. He will be the offspring of Abraham…descendant of Jacob…in the line of David…born in Bethlehem…born of a virgin. And when he comes, the darkness will be flooded with light. And there will be a joy like there is at harvest time—like when soldiers come home safe from battle, and they’ll stay home from battle, because the world will finally be at peace. Who could possibly live up to that?

Well after the last book of the Hebrew Scriptures, there were 400 years of silence, where the prophets didn’t speak. And then all of a sudden, God continued the story. Look with me at Matthew 4:13… 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:

15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16 the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”

Where have we heard those words before? This is what Brian read to us a few minutes ago, right? Direct quote from Isaiah! So here’s what Matthew was saying: the Light that Isaiah talked about—who would enter this world as a child, and bring hope—was here! All of those incredible prophecies were fulfilled in this one person: Jesus of Nazareth. Isaiah said the people walking in darkness are going to see a great light, and when Jesus came, he said, “I am the light of the world.” And he lived up to every one of those incredible names. So after centuries of waiting, it all came together in Jesus. Joy to the world, the Lord has come! Amen?

So can I just ask a really practical question? If the light has come and the promise is fulfilled, why is there still darkness in the world? Why are there still parts of my life that feel dark, and times when I feel hopeless? Those are fair questions, don’t you think? And here’s what I would say…

Think about the way Jesus affected the people he met in the Gospels. At the Pool of Bethesda, Jesus met a disabled man who hadn’t walked in 38 years. You talk about hopeless, right? But Jesus really didn’t care about his past. He helped the man believe that his future could be radically different. And the guy walked away changed. There was still darkness in the world, but now he engaged in the world in a totally different way.

By the side of a well, Jesus met a woman with a terrible moral reputation—five marriages and counting. And she was so used to being rejected. But Jesus refused to judge her for her past; instead, he gave her hope for her future. The world still had problems, but she was different. See hope is the belief that the future holds good things…and Jesus was a master at delivering hope. It was just the way he looked at life.

Up in a tree, Jesus spotted a guy named Zacchaeus. He was a wealthy man, but he gained his wealth by being a tax collector for the hated Roman government, and his people despised him for it. In fact, none of Zacchaeus’s Jewish countrymen would set foot in his house, but Jesus did. He came over for

dinner, and he gave Zacchaeus a whole new vision for his future. That became the turning point in his life.

Time after time, Jesus encountered hopeless people, and he transformed the way they looked at their future. And here’s the thing: it wasn’t just because Jesus was a glass-half-full kind of guy! He wasn’t just super optimistic. We all know annoying optimists, right? Those people who are a little too happy? You just lost your job, and they’re like, “That’s okay—you’ll find a better one! When the going gets tough, the tough get going! When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!” And you just want to go, “Shut up.” Jesus wasn’t that guy. When Jesus gave people hope, it was specifically because of what he would do for them. He was saying, “Because of your connection with me, your future is good.” And by the way, the ultimate hope comes from what happened on the first Easter: Jesus actually conquered death by rising from the grave, and he says, “When you’re trusting in me, you don’t even need to fear death! Because you’re going to rise just like I did.”

So listen: think about all the people Jesus encountered when he walked this earth, and how their life pivoted on that moment—like “before Christ” and “after Christ.” And then realize, “Wait a minute—I’m one of those people. He’s found me.” What is the future story of hope he wants to write in your life? Trust God for that. Believe that he has that good future for you.

But can we be completely honest? Sometimes that good future takes a really long time to get here. So what do you do? Well, you wait. You trust God’s timing. So let me ask you something: Is there a part of your life where you’ve been unwilling to wait? Where you’ve just been frustrated with God? Or you’ve been frustrated with people—why can’t you just change?? Maybe God is calling you step back and wait. It doesn’t mean you’re giving up—not at all! It just means you’re realizing you can’t force it, and God is fully able to handle it.

Remember, Advent is a season of…what? Of waiting for the arrival of Jesus. Because yes—he arrived 2,000 years ago, but his arrival didn’t instantly solve everything, right? Lots of things aren’t the way they’re supposed to be yet. So we wait for Jesus to change those things in his timing. So yes, we still have to wait, but we wait with Jesus, and we trust his timing. And because of that, the waiting is bearable…and sometimes it’s even joyful.

A few years ago, we were hosting a gathering at our home for Christmas Eve. And Norma Jean said, “Okay: this year, we’re going to raise our game. No more Pillsbury crescent rolls.” Which was tough for me to hear, because I really like those. A lot. But she said, “This year, I need you to get up early in the morning, and drive over to Fairfield, to Calandra’s Bakery. Because they have the best rolls in New Jersey.” Any of you guys get your Christmas rolls at Calandra’s? Apparently, half of North Jersey does. Because I got there, early on Christmas Eve morning. And it was insane. The line filled up the entire inside of the store and spilled out into the parking lot. So I was there with my youngest son, Ben. And we got in line. And I was dreading the wait—it looked like at least an hour.

And this is going to sound funny, but it was one of the best memories of that Christmas. Because while we were waiting, there was an atmosphere of anticipation. People were festive and friendly. There was Christmas music playing. I saw people I knew from my neighborhood, and from The Chapel—and we’re waving to each other. While we were in line, my son and I were brainstorming words to use in a Christmas word game we were going to play that night, and I was putting the words into my phone, and there was a mother and daughter in front of us—total strangers—and they overheard what we were doing, and they started giving us words. And we were laughing with them. But most of all, you could smell the rolls! So there was so much hope that the future held good things.

I don’t know how long we waited on that line, but it didn’t matter that much. Because there was joy in the waiting. That’s what hope does.

Christmas is the story of a promise made thousands of years ago. And that promise was kept when Jesus showed up in Bethlehem. But it’s not completely fulfilled yet. So keep trusting; keep waiting; keep hoping. Promise is a strong word, but I’m going to use it right now: because Jesus has come, I promise the future is good.