Against All Hope

Easter Sermon – Lanier Christian Church

April 16, 2017

David Simpson

Against All Hope

Romans 4:18-25

Romans 4:18-25

18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22 This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” 23 The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

Against all hope the little country of Fiji won the gold medal in Rugby in last year’s Olympics in Brazil. Against all hope, the Chicago cubs won the World Series last fall, their first championship since 1908. It pains me to say it, but against all hope, the New England Patriots had the greatest comeback in Super bowl history and defeated the Atlanta Falcons back in February. Against all hope, the Mississippi State Bulldogs women’s team beat the Connecticut Huskie women’s team in college basketball a few weeks ago. Connecticut had won a record setting 111 games before their defeat. But Mississippi shocked them and made it to the finals where against all hope the South Carolina Gamecocks women’s team won their first national championship in basketball. Against all hope, Sergio Garcia, who had never won a major golf tournament in 74 starts, won the greatest tournament of them all when he won the Masters last Sunday. Yes, it’s been quite an amazing year in sports over the last seven months.

Many of us relate to sports. We get excited about a team or player making a comeback or achieving a victory when it seems all hope is lost.

But, the reality in each of those situations is that great effort and preparation and hard work paid great dividends and resulted in victory for the participants.

What happens when you’re not playing a game? What happens when real life meets you head on? What happens when you are faced with a challenge for which you are not prepared? What happens when you are powerless to do anything about the situation that you are in? What happens when all you have left is hope? What happens when all hope seems lost?

These are real situations, where “against all hope,” we must continue to believe in our powerful God, that no matter what happens, HE WILL win in the end!

The apostle Paul chose to use Abraham as an example of belief against all hope. God had promised Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation and that all peoples on earth would be blessed through him.

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

2 “I will make you into a great nation,

and I will bless you;

I will make your name great,

and you will be a blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you,

and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth

will be blessed through you.” - Genesis 12:1-3

This was God’s promise, but Abraham wavered at times. In fact, he and his wife, Sarah had given up on God at one point. Sarah offered Abraham her handmaiden, Hagar and indeed she bore a child by Abraham, Ismael…but this was not the child God promised.

At the age of 99…99 years old folks… God spoke to Abraham and reassured him that indeed he and Sarah would be the parents of a special child, a miracle child, one that would spark the beginning of a great nation, a nation that would grow to bring into the world the promised Messiah, the Savior, for all the world.

Here is Abraham, 99 years old and he is to have a child with his wife Sarah, who… oh by the way, was 90 at the time. The amazing truth is that Abraham actually believed God at this point, against all hope, that what God said would be true. But, when Sarah overheard the news… she laughed. She couldn’t believe that she could possibly have a child at the age of 90. She had no hope that this promise could possibly be true and she laughed.