Jesus Is Our Hope: The Name That Means God Saves

Hey, carpool crew. Happy Friday. I hope you are having an incredible start to your day. I'm Pastor Justin, and I'm so glad you're here. As we finish our first full week of Advent together, I hope you have learned something incredible as we journey toward the beautiful celebration of Christmas. All week long, we've been talking about hope, how God keeps his promises, how his timing is perfect, and how his light breaks through, even when things feel dark. But today we're gonna talk about something even deeper. Hope isn't just an idea, it's not a wish or a good feeling. Hope is a person and that person's name is Jesus. In the Bible, in the book of Matthew, which is the first book of the New Testament, chapter one verse 21, it says, "She will give birth to a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." So what's the story behind this verse? Well, these are the words of an angel spoken to Joseph before Jesus was even born. Joseph had learned that Mary, the woman he was engaged to, was going to have a baby. He was confused, afraid, and unsure of what to do, but the angel told him, don't be afraid. This child is from God. He will save his people. And then the angel gave the baby his name, Jesus. The name Jesus means the Lord saves. So if anyone ever says, what does Jesus mean, now you know, it means the Lord saves. That's what makes it so powerful. Every time we say his name, the name of Jesus, we're saying God saves. See, God loves us. He rescues us. God keeps his promises to us. That's what Advent is all about, remembering that the one we hoped for has already come. And his name means everything. If Jesus were sitting next to you right now in the car or at the breakfast table, I think he'd say something like, hope isn't a wish or a feeling. It's me. When you remember my name, you remember your hope. See, Jesus would probably remind you that you didn't have to look for hope somewhere else or wait for life to get easier. You can have hope right now because Jesus is with you right now. Sometimes we use the word hope to mean I wish, like, I hope it doesn't rain, or, I hope I get that present I really want. But the kind of hope Jesus gives isn't about luck or guessing. It's steady. It's certain. It's personal because hope has a name and that name reminds us that we are not alone. So if you've ever felt nervous or maybe lonely or unsure, you can whisper Jesus. Saying his name reminds you, he's close. Because he hears you and he's still the same Savior who came to rescue the world. So remember his name, whisper Jesus. Whenever you feel nervous, whenever you feel thankful, or even just to quiet your heart before a test or before a hard conversation, maybe even before a game, just say Jesus, and you know he's with you. It's the name that brings peace. Share his name. If someone you know feels sad or scared, remind them that Jesus cares and listens. Remember, no matter where you are or how you're listening, God loves you. And parents, if you like today's podcast, share it with a parent friend, send a text and let other parents know about Carpooling with Jesus. Before you go, let's answer this question together. What does it mean to you that Jesus is our hope? And parents, this weekend we're gonna be talking about how to hold on to hope and how Jesus brings peace when life feels loud. I hope you subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and everyone else will see you Monday for a whole new episode of Carpooling with Jesus.