(Combined) Garden Church and GIBC (30 Nov 2025 – 1st Advent Sunday).
1.1. Seasons and Times: The year has passed so quickly. The seasons have changed and today is the 1st Sunday in Advent and Advent is a time for preparation. Christmas is a few weeks away and it reminds us of something earth-shaking: God became human. How do we prepare for a season in a way that involves our spiritual senses when that season is usually a festival of presents and celebration?
1.2. This Sunday is about Hope! We use “hope” as in ****“hope you’ll have a nice day” or “hope to see you soon.” That kind of “hope” really means good wishes. We don’t know what is going to happen so we wish.
1.3. Grounded Hope: Our hope is not wishful thinking. Our hope is grounded. In 7 verses of Rom 8 - Our hope is a certainty because it is grounded in God’s character.
A Personal Point: In the last few months, I have been again exposed to the frailty of life. A few months ago, I received an SOS. So and so, a 33-year-old, was in VGH after having a massive heart attack. He passed on after a week. I kept in contact with the family. Over a week ago, I got news that his father also had a heart attack and passed on. 2 tragedies in a short space of time for this family. I spoke to a mutual friend who’s in his late 70s, “Have you begun thinking of the life hereafter?” What’s your hope in the after? Answer: no!
1.4. Responsible Living: foresees the time when one day, we’ll all breathe our last. And we all know that physical death is not the end of life. We have to confront the issue now and ask what happens after death? People who are not spiritually regenerate - those not born again of the spirit - have no assurance. They don’t know what will happen. Many avoid thinking of it because there is no hope. The spirit- regenerate person says my hope is in the Lord, he knows he will see God. Let’s examine this.
2.1. Hope, Faith and Love: Paul writes about this in 1 Corinthians. Of course, the greatest is love but how are the three connected? Using a metaphor from farming, there is a sequence; hope is the root, roots make their way down the ground and bring the nutrients up.
Plants Grow Hidden Second Root System ...
Faith is a consequence of hope in action. Faith is fed by hope; Faith is the plant that grows out of the assimilated nutrients. When the roots have travelled some and the plant is fed, it becomes viable, you then get fruit. Love is the fruit of the interaction of hope and faith. Hope without faith misses a body to channel its goodness and there is no outcome for the absorbed nutrients. The plant that emerges out of the soil must have an outcome**; it must produce something**.
Plant Tops and Bottoms — Kentucky ...
That’s the fruit. It is the fruit of discipleship. It is Christian character and life, and love is the chief fruit. Jesus says: by their fruit you will know them.
2.2. Hope for the Future: Rom 8 is one of the great chapters in Romans. It speaks of the future when life passes away and the future is not just existence like now. It is spoken of in terms of glory. Look at 8:18-19, one day, our suffering will be over. When you really think of it, life contains its share of pain. We are living in one of the best places in the world. We have a roof over our heads; we have more than enough to eat; more than enough clothes to wear and when we get sick, there is free medical care. What more do we need physically? However, we have our own personal issues to deal with but these are 1st world problems like stress, like anxiety, like phobias, and our problems are still problems. It’s a good idea every now and then to go to an undeveloped place in the world and to be reminded. Paul speaks of a future glory. (We catch a glimpse of that glory when our spirit gets regenerate). He writes that creation waits for the revealing of “the sons of God” – that means there will come a time when we will take our place as the true children of God; we will receive an inheritance to reign with Jesus! The deposit is for now but the full inheritance will come.
In the life hereafter, we will defeat decay and sickness but for now, creation groans just as a mother to be groans during childbirth but after the baby comes, the pain is behind her and she holds the child in her arms. It is worth it! Is there an assurance in the here and now? What is the deposit?
Yes, Paul uses the words “first fruits” and links that with the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, which means God’s very own presence in and with us. Fruits means there is tangible, real evidence of that presence. “First” means the initial outcrop of the work of the Spirit. It is not only spiritual but the work of the Spirit works itself into a real experience of God’s presence. So, do we have evidence of God’s Spirit in our life?
Do you know the presence of the Spirit in your life? The Spirit who alerts us, the Spirit who gives us a check and who empowers and lifts us up and shapes our character!
It is this initial evidence of God’s Spirit that gives us hope for future glory.