Community Baptist Church - Bracknell
Sunday 30 November 2025

      • John 12:46NKJV

  • Verse 2 - Down from His glory
  • Down from His glory
  • CAROL: O Little Town Of Bethlehem

      • Isaiah 9:1–7NKJV

  • Shine Jesus Shine
  • O Come O Come Emmanuel

      • Matthew 4:12–25NKJV

      • Isaiah 9:2NKJV

      • Isaiah 9:1NKJV

      • Isaiah 9:6–7NKJV

      • Psalm 130:5–8NKJV

      • Ephesians 2:12NKJV

      • Genesis 3:15NKJV

      • Matthew 4:13NKJV

      • Matthew 4:13–16NKJV

      • John 1:4NKJV

      • John 8:12NKJV

      • 2 Corinthians 5:21NKJV

      • John 1:12NKJV

      • Colossians 1:13NKJV

      • Ephesians 5:8NKJV

      • Romans 13:11NKJV

      • Matthew 28:20NKJV

      • Philippians 4:19NKJV

      • Philippians 1:6NKJV

      • 1 John 5:19NKJV

      • 1 John 2:2NKJV

      • 2 Corinthians 5:20NKJV

      • Matthew 11:28–30NKJV

      • Romans 8:23NKJV

  • There Is A Hope

  • Introduction

    Today we begin a four-week Advent journey. Advent is from the Latin adventus and means “coming” or “arrival”. Traditionally since the very early days of the church, Christians have taken this season of Advent to step back and consider Christ’s comings.
    Over the next weeks, we will explore the three arrivals into this world of Christ that are mentioned in the scripture:
    Week 1: Christ’s past coming in the incarnation when He although fully God was born as fully man in Bethlehem. Christ’s first coming brought HOPE.
    Week 2: Christ’s present coming to you and I who believe in Him through the Holy Spirit. Christ’s presence with us now gives us PEACE.
    Week 3: Christ’s future coming in glory as King to complete our redemption and how this brings us JOY despite trouble.
    Week 4: God’s heart towards us that causes Him to send Jesus - LOVE.

    Waiting in Darkness

    Isaiah describes the people of his day in the northern Kingdom of Israel as being in darkness. He had witnessed the ravaging army of the Assyrians first sweep into the area of Zebulun and Naphtali in 732BC. Then just 10 years later, he witnessed the complete destruction of the northern kingdom. Many were deported out of the land, never to return. And the kingdom ceased to exist as a nation.
    He describes them as being in darkness.
    Refugees fled south into Judah where Isaiah lived. He likely personally met many who experienced this political and economic darkness. But as a prophet of God he also understood the darkness the people experience ran much deeper.
    They were in darkness because they had chosen to reject God’s covenant, ignore the message brought to them by God’s prophets. At the end of the previous chapter, he describes how they rather went to mediums and wizards to get advice for the future rather than listen to God. They were now reaping darkness and trouble because of what they had sown.
    But despite being in the midst of this darkness himself, Isaiah writes about how people in those regions would in the future would see a great light that would dispel this darkness. When this light comes, they would experience joy, freedom from oppression, and peace from war.
    Isaiah wrote this light will come when a special child is born. He gives the child amazing titles that no human could fulfill. God through Isaiah is filling in more details about the coming person spoken of by many others in the Old Testament. For centuries God promised a One who would come and redeem them, who was referred to as the Messiah or Anointed One.
    And many were longing for this One to come.
    Psalm 130:5–8 NKJV
    5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope. 6 My soul waits for the Lord More than those who watch for the morning— Yes, more than those who watch for the morning. 7 O Israel, hope in the Lord; For with the Lord there is mercy, And with Him is abundant redemption. 8 And He shall redeem Israel From all his iniquities.
    God’s promises on this One began 4000 years earlier at the very beginning of creation.
    In Genesis 3 we watch with horror as sin enters the world through Adam and Eve’s rebellion against God who made them.
    The darkness the people of Isaiah’s day experienced, that those who Jesus lived among and that we see in this world is a result of that rebellion. It has brought
    Brokenness in our (disease, aging, death)bodies
    Brokenness in our (shame, guilt, disordered desires) soul
    Brokenness in our (conflict, betrayal, loneliness)relationships
    Brokenness in (thorns, natural disasters, decay)natural world
    Brokenness in (injustice, oppression, war)culture and society
    But worst of all that initial rebellion and our continued sin has brought brokennes in our relationship with God Himself. Sin separates us from God. Sin enslaves us and morally corrupts us. Sin brings God’s condemnation. Sin brings hopelessness.
    Ephesians 2:12 NKJV
    12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
    ILLUSTRATION: On March 24, 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez struck a reef in Alaska's Prince William Sound. Eleven million gallons of crude oil spilled into pristine waters. What happened next was devastating. The oil spread rapidly—covering 1,300 miles of coastline. Sea otters, seals, and birds were coated in the thick black sludge. They couldn't eat, couldn't move, couldn't survive. The entire ecosystem was poisoned.
    "Cleanup crews worked for years, but they couldn't reverse all the damage. Some of that oil is still there, buried in the sediment, thirty-five years later. One spill. Total contamination. Lasting consequences.
    "That's what Genesis 3 describes. One act of rebellion—'poison poured into the stream of humanity'—and the contamination spread to everything. We can’t clean it up ourselves. We need someone from outside of creation to rescue us.
    And at that very first entrance of darkness into the world, God of a special person who would come and bring hope.
    Genesis 3:15 NKJV
    15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”
    Some ancestor of Eve would be born who would bring hope.
    And so through the centuries in the old testament, God spoke again and again through the scriptures about this One who would come and bring hope. Byt the day of Mary and Joseph, people who loved God were waiting with great expectation and longing for this One to come.
    ILLUSTRATION
    In September 1941, Nazi Germany surrounded the city of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) and began a siege that would last 872 days—nearly two and a half years. The citizens were cut off from food, fuel, and supplies. That first winter, temperatures dropped to -40°F. People burned furniture to stay warm. They ate wallpaper paste, leather, and sawdust. Over a million civilians died.
    "Dmitri Shostakovich, the composer, was trapped in the city. In his diary, he wrote about the darkness—not just the physical darkness of winter and blackouts, but the psychological darkness of hopelessness. Yet somehow, people kept going. They formed orchestras and performed concerts by candlelight. They told each other: 'The siege will be broken. Help is coming.'
    "For 872 days they waited. And on January 27, 1944, Soviet forces broke through the German lines. The siege was lifted.
    "That's a picture of the waiting in darkness we remember as part of Advent. Hoping against hope. And then—finally—the Light breaks through.
    The carol we sang O come O come Emmanuel helps us to feel some of this longing. The tune is from the 1400s and is written in the Dorian mode, a medieval scale that sounds both sad and hopeful. It is a minor key that creates a sense of longing and darkness, but the rising melody in Rejoice, Rejoice boosts our emotions with hope.
    That carol itself is a translation of a set of 7 prayers that were said by the church from the 700s AD or earlier. Those prayers are known as the O Antiphons because each was said by the church leader and then repeated by the congregation. Each of the prayers uses an OT verse where God described the Messiah.
    (O Wisdom) - Dec 17O Sapientia
    (O Lord) - Dec 18O Adonai
    (O Root of Jesse) - Dec 19O Radix Jesse
    (O Key of David) - Dec 20O Clavis David
    (O Dayspring/Morning Star) - Dec 21O Oriens
    (O King of the Nations) - Dec 22O Rex Gentium
    (O God-with-us) - Dec 23O Emmanuel
    When the church said these prayers, they were of course after Christ had come! And so the church was praying for Christ’s future coming at the end of the age. But they show us the kind of knowledge that the OT believers had of the Messiah.
    By the time Jesus was born, most of Israel had stopped looking for the Messiah. God had taken too long in their eyes. The religious leaders became politicians. The Romans occupied the land. God had not spoken through prophets for 400 years. Most people assumed God had forgotten His promise. But a few were still watching. Still waiting. Still hoping.

    Light comes

    Matthew in his gospel tells us clearly that Jesus is the one that Isaiah spoke about.
    Matthew 4:13–16 NKJV
    13 And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: 15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: 16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.”
    Before these verses, Matthew records how Jesus has successfully passed through the temptations of Satan in the wilderness without sin. Jesus is able to bring light to darkness because He is without the sin that causes darkness.
    Matthew goes on to say Jesus brought light to people through His message - “repent, because the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”. He brought light to Peter, Andrew, James and John by calling them to follow Him and His word. He brought light by healing all sick people, no matter what their illness was. One day He will restore the whole of creation to perfection.
    John writes:
    John 1:4–9 NKJV
    4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shined in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
    Jesus brought light to those in spiritual darkness, who were separated from God, by giving those who believed in Him spiritual life - making them children of God.
    The light we need in our darkness is Jesus Himself.
    John 8:12 NKJV
    12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
    As we read on in the gospels we find that the giving of this life was very costly. Our wrong doing has put us under God’s anger and judgment. God can’t just overlook the wrong things we do and pretend everything is OK. He is too holy and just to do that. But because He loves us, He sent His own Son Jesus that first time to make it possible for us to be changed from being dark to being light.
    Paul writes
    2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV
    21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
    On the cross, God took our sin and its penalty and put it on Jesus. He took the judgment in our place.
    To benefit from what Christ did, all God asks is that we accept who Jesus is and what He has done to take away our sin.
    John 1:12 NKJV
    12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:

    Living in Light of Christ’s Coming

    Jesus’s first coming from the glory of heaven as a baby at Bethlehem in order to die in our place reminds us:

    What Jesus has saved us from

    At advent, when we act out the Christmas story through carols and readings and nativity plays, we are reminding ourselves of why Christ came. We are putting oiurselves in the shoes of those who in darkness were longing in hope for God’s promised one to come. We remember Jesus saved us from the darkness that sin causes:
    Colossians 1:13 NKJV
    13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
    Jesus is the only hope this world has to escape the darkness it is in. But He is a solid certain hope.

    It reminds us of what Jesus is changing us to be

    For those who believe in Him, Jesus changes us to be light:
    Ephesians 5:8 NKJV
    8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
    Sometimes the early Christians would refer to this first coming first advent of Christ as
    adventus redemptionis
    Because Jesus came that first time we have hope of redemption. We are not yet perfect, Christ is changing us to walk as children of light. As
    Romans 13:11 NKJV
    11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.

    It reminds us it is right to hope in God

    It reminds us that in this world around us that seems to dark, that we can trust God will sort things quit. Despite 4000 years of waiting, God kept His promise to send Christ to redeem us. And He will keep His promises to us:
    To be with us
    Matthew 28:20 NKJV
    20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
    To provide for us Phil 4:19
    Philippians 4:19 NKJV
    19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
    To never give us up Phil 1:6
    Philippians 1:6 NKJV
    6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

    It reminds us that most people are still in darkness

    Christ’s first coming to a world in darkness reminds us that most of the world today still lies in darkness.
    1 John 5:19 NKJV
    19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.
    There are billions of people, the majority of the world, who have never seen the light of Christ. Though they may not outwardly express a longing to do so, Christ invites each one to repent and believe in the One who loved us and gave Himself for us.
    1 John 2:2 NKJV
    2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
    We who have been changed from darkness and made light in the Lord, now are to shine to show the light of Christ to those still in darkness.
    2 Corinthians 5:20 NKJV
    20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.
    Through us, the Lord, our master and the head of our church, wants to invite other to come to Him, who came for them
    Matthew 11:28–30 NKJV
    28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

    Closing Illustration

    Tomorrow December 1st is the 35th anniversary of one of the greatest engineering triumphs of the 20th century.
    On December 1, 1990, the breakthrough moment came. British and French workers shook hands through a small hole in the rock—proof the tunnel was aligned correctly. But that wasn't the end. The tunnel wasn't finished. They still had to enlarge the bore, install rails, add electrical systems, complete safety features. The breakthrough was in 1990, but the tunnel didn't open for passenger service until 1994.
    That's where we are as Christians. The breakthrough happened at the cross and the empty tomb—we're connected to God, the way is open, the condemnation is removed. But the work isn't finished. Romans 8:23—we have 'the firstfruits of the Spirit, who as we will see next week is transforming us to be like Christ. But we're waiting for 'the redemption of our bodies.'
    Romans 8:23 NKJV
    23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

      • Colossians 1:13NKJV

      • Ephesians 5:8NKJV

      • Romans 13:11NKJV

      • Matthew 28:20NKJV

      • Philippians 4:19NKJV

      • Philippians 1:6NKJV

      • 1 John 5:19NKJV

      • 1 John 2:2NKJV

      • 2 Corinthians 5:20NKJV

      • Matthew 11:28–30NKJV

      • Romans 8:23NKJV

  • Give Me A Heart
  • Restore O Lord
  • Fight the good fight
  • Forth In Your Name
Community Baptist Church - Bracknell
information@cbcb.co.uk
01344 641334
http://www.cbcb.co.uk
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