Hope That Does Not Disappoint (May 26, 2013).

HOPE THAT DOES NOT DISAPPOINT

Text: Romans 5:1 -5

“A woman who lives far beyond her three score and ten years had been in the habit of having a birthday party every year. Her friends and relatives always remembered her with little gifts, which were usually in the form of knick- knacks for the house. Finally arriving at the age of ninety, the old lady was asked by a friend what she wanted for her birthday this year. “Give me a kiss,” was the reply, “so I won't have to dust it.”

God gives us a kiss through the spirit----a kiss of grace, love hope and peace. We all have gifts we treasure. Paul wrote: “This hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured his love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit, who is God's gift to us” (Romans 5:5 GNB). (Jim and Doris Morentz. eds. Minister's Annual. Jerry Schmalenberger. “Gifts God Gives”. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1988, p. 153). There is no doubt that God wants us to benefit from His gift of hope to us. What would happen if Christians did not have this gift of hope? “

It has been said that one of the most notable things about Winston Churchill was his refusal to surrender during the most adverse situations. … Churchill planned that his funeral service [be] as unforgettable as his life. There was a benediction followed by silence followed by a bugler playing “Taps” followed by another period of silence and then the finale of “Reveille” as a signal of a new day.” (David N. Mosser. ed. The Abingdon Preaching Annual 2007. David N. Mosser. “Peace With God”. Nashville Abingdon Press, 2006, p. 145). Hope deferred makes the heart sick “ (Proverbs 13:12 NIV).

Those without hope do not have peace. As someone (Darnell G. Neister) once said,, “Where there is no faith in the future, there is no work in the present.” … “Remove hope from a man and you make him a beast. … (Roy B. Zuck. The Speakers’s Quote Book. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1997, p. 199, 200). Hope deferred makes the heart sick “ (Proverbs 13:12 NIV).

We all need peace. We all need hope. Without faith in God, we lack both hope and peace. Without peace, we cannot persevere.

ADVERSITY

We will experience pain in this life. 1) Can we live a detached life? We simply cannot live life without experiencing pain. In her book When A Pill Won't Reach The Pain, the Rev. Judy Hames point out how pain does not discriminate. “Pain comes to us regardless of our status, income, culture, race Religion, or nationality. Pain may wear a different cloak or walk with a different gait, but pain inevitably finds us all. It is a symptom of our broken condition”. (Xulon Press, 2010, p. 12). 2) We need strength for each day! It is how well or how poorly that we deal with the “brokenness in our own lives” that determines whether or not we will have peace. How many people do we know who suffer from sick hearts because of how they feel that hope is deferred (Proverbs 13:12)?

How do we handle the difficult things that happen in life? 1) Can we avoid pain or difficulty through blame? One thing we might do is seek to blame someone or something for causing our pain. Pain might drive one person to his knees begging God for help. Or, pain can be something that causes people to blame God and get angry with God. 2) Do we acknowledge God in difficult times? How many people do we see rejoice in their sufferings (Romans 5:3 NIV) or boast of their troubles (Romans 5:3 GNB)? Do we rejoice in our sufferings and boast about our troubles? That seems backwards doesn't it? The Holy Spirit is helps us in our weakness (Romans 8:26) so that we can rejoice in spite of our hardships!

PERSEVERANCE

What do we think of when we hear the word perseverance? 1) Do we think of strength? 2) Do we think of being unconquerable or undefeated? 3) Do we think of standing one's ground while refusing to back down? 4) What is the measure of our perseverance?

The star of our city’s NHL team was given unusual recognition by the local paper.

The measure of this man’s stature as a hockey player was not his salary, number of goals scored, or minutes on the ice. Rather, the local sportswriter nominated him for greatness because of his ability to “play hurt.”

Consider the symptoms of this athlete after receiving a hard check in the first period of play in a recent hockey game: he couldn’t take a deep breath, he had bad bruises on his torso, and his shoulder and rib cage felt as though they had been through a meat grinder. His own description of his injuries made me cringe: “I couldn’t breathe. I was lucky my head didn’t land in the boards. I would have been dead, almost.”