Pastor Dirk presented the following three sermons at Roser Church, during the Advent season, 2020. Sermon Notes and Discussion Questions are provided for each session.
Week 1: Hope for a Young Mother (Luke 1:26-38)
While a young woman in Nazareth prepares for her wedding, she receives a stunning message. She would soon be the mother of the new king of Israel, and His kingdom would never end. This was no ordinary child; He would be the Son of God. For a virgin, this news seems impossible, but, for God, this challenge only demonstrates His glory and invincible will. Hope gives us this power to believe and engage in God’s sovereign plan.
Sermon Notes & Discussion Guide
Week 2: Hope for a Troubled Father (Matthew 1:18-25)
While God works through His Spirit to bring His Son into the world, the couple chosen to raise this child face a crisis that threatens this plan. God, however, will not give up on His plan. Joseph learns that God is both beyond us and with us.
Sermon Notes & Discussion Guide
Week 3: Hope for Faithful Servants (Luke 1:5-25)
Two faithful servants wait for God to answer prayer, and God comes through in an epoch-changing way.
Sermon Notes & Discussion Guide
Week 4: Hope for Seeking Souls (Matthew 2:1-12)
To those living in Israel, the coming of Jesus made sense. God had promised a king in the line of David, and now He had arrived to assume His throne. But what does His coming mean to those outside of Israel, who were not yet part of Israel’s story? Then mysterious visitors appear from a distant land, because the heavens have told them of this glorious birth. God has summoned them to find in Israel the child that would reign over all the earth. Their presence reminds us that this hope has power to reach every seeking soul.
Sermon Notes & Discussion Guide
Week 5: Hope for Everyone (Luke 2:1-21) – Christmas Eve
While Caesar flexes his tyrannical muscle, God reveals a new, powerful phase in His heavenly kingdom. The new king is announced to lowly shepherds because He would be a different kind of ruler. His humble beginnings merely highlight His power. He comes for all people. He brings joy to everyone, not just those in power. Hope gives us this power to rejoice, even in troubled times.
(No Sermon Notes or Discussion Guide for our Christmas Eve Service)