Pastor Scott Applegate
- The gift that keeps on giving: Hope
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14 NIV
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). Matthew 1:23 NIV
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 NIV
Hope filled gift #1:
- As our Wonderful Counselor, He reveals God’s love for us
“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-19 NIV
Hope filled gift #2:
- As the Mighty God, He reminds me that He is in control
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” Hebrews 1:3 NIV
“I AM the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. In Me all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created by Me and for Me. I AM before all things, and in Me all things hold together. And I AM the head of the body, the church; I AM the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything I might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Me, and through Me to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through My blood, shed on the cross.” Colossians 1:15-20 NIV (Emphasis mine)
Hope filled gift #3:
- As the Everlasting Father, He represents all of God’s promises for me
“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.” 2 Corinthians 1:20 NIV
Hope filled gift #4:
- As the Prince of Peace, He reconciles humanity to God and each other
“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 NIV