Hope’s real keep it!
Romans 5:1-5
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:1-5 NKJV)
Introduction:
IL: “The school system in a large city had a program to help children keep up with their school work during stays in the city's hospitals. One day a teacher who was assigned to the program received a routine call asking her to visit a particular child. She took the child's name and room number and talked briefly with the child's regular class teacher. "We're studying nouns and adverbs in his class now," the regular teacher said, "and I'd be grateful if you could help him understand them so he doesn't fall too far behind."
The hospital program teacher went to see the boy that afternoon. No one had mentioned to her that the boy had been badly burned and was in great pain. Upset at the sight of the boy, she stammered as she told him, "I've been sent by your school to help you with nouns and adverbs." When she left she felt she hadn't accomplished much. Bits & Pieces, July 1991.1
Have you ever noticed that sometimes people can go through the same circumstances, and they have such different long term outcomes? One faces a life and death battle and comes out of it with grace and has a new lease on life. Yet someone else goes through the same thing and comes out bitter and resentful. What makes the difference? I’m not just talking about believers verses unbelievers. I’ve seen it among Christians. Why do some go through it and grow spiritually, and others go through it and seem to fade away?
I believe it has to do in part with hope. I can’t answer all the questions for everyone, but hope has made a difference in my story. When my wife was having a bone marrow transplant for chemotherapy resistant cancer, we were told she only had a 23% chance of being alive 5 years later. We went through it with an ever growing faith and hope. Why? Because we were surrounded with people of faith who encouraged us. We were never allowed to forget there was hope. Now, after 16 years we have 2 wonderful children which the physicians said were next to impossible to have, and we still have hope!
Paul in Romans 5:1-5 gives us some important information about our hope. First let us notice…..
The foundation of hope
Romans 5:1-2 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” NKJV
The foundation of our hope is faith! Our faith in God works within us to bring about benefits including hope.
Paul here says we are justified before God by faith. Before faith, we are separated from God and stand guilty before Him do to our sins. When He justifies us, He erases our debt! He accepts Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross to pay for our sins. It is “just as if I’ve never sinned”.
We gain this awesome gift through faith. Now faith isn’t just believing intellectually that there is a God. It starts there, but that isn’t all there is to it. Faith is a transfer of trust. We stop trusting in our ability to earn God’s affection and a place in heaven, and trust in the work Jesus on the cross. It is trusting God to keep His promise which Paul wrote about in Romans 10:9-12 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”[f] 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” NKJV
IL: Rocking chair scene from the opening of The Patriot: Mel Gibson’s character, Benjamin Martin, sat in the chair, fully trusting in his skills as a woodworker and fell flat as the chair broke into pieces. Then they show us the pile of ruined chairs as a monument to his lack of skills. I’m grateful that when we trust God, He doesn’t let us down.
Not only does faith bring justification, Paul here says it also brings peace with God. Before faith, we were His enemies and estranged from God. There is no neutral ground in the great cosmic war between God and Satan. Jesus said we are either working for Him to bring disciples to Him or we are scattering them abroad. When we trust Jesus that is reversed. We have peace with God and are part of His Kingdom.
God goes even further on our behalf. Not only are we justified and at peace with God, but Jesus also gives us access into grace. We are saved by grace, but we also live by grace. Through Jesus, we have God’s grace available to help us stand every day of our lives. His grace is sufficient to help us through life!
This leads us to rejoice in hope. Hope springs from the foundation of faith (trusting) in Jesus. We have hope of eternal life. We have hope of His presence and protection in this life. We don’t face life alone, we have hope in His promises to sustain us.
What a reason to rejoice! What a reason to celebrate! The foundation of a life of hope is laid when we transfer our trust from our efforts to Jesus.
However, the text continues and we see…..
The building of hope
Romans 5:3-5 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” NKJV
At first glance when we read this we may think Paul has lost his mind! The problem is what English teachers have told me is an oxymoron. I never knew what oxen and morons had to do with English, but that is what they call it. It is a figure of speech where two contradictory things are put together.
EXAMPLES:
• Jumbo shrimp
• Deafening silence
• Virtual reality
• Random order
Paul says something that strikes me on the surface just like those contradictions: “glory in tribulations”. In other words, he is telling us to throw a party when bad things happen! Can’t you see me now, stranded on the side of the road because I’ve had a blow out and my spare tire is no good, celebrating my misfortune?!
Paul isn’t advising us to ignore reality and act like lunatics. He is advising us to see beyond the immediate circumstances. He wants us to realize that there can be a greater purpose behind the trouble. Here he leads us through a process which works in us.
First of all, he says, tribulation leads to perseverance. Going through tough times makes us tougher! Enduring hardships strengthens us. In those moments, we cling to the hope we have already discussed, the hope that came through faith.
IL: Hope means hoping when things are hopeless, or it is no virtue at all...As long as matters are really hopeful, hope is mere flattery or platitude; it is only when everything is hopeless that hope begins to be a strength. G.K. Chesterton, Signs of the Times, April 1993, p. 62
Paul is not alone in finding benefits in suffering. The Psalmist said in Psalm 119:71 “It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes. NKJV
James, the brother of Jesus, said in James 1:2-4 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. NKJV
So how do we see our hope built? By relying on God and His people through the difficulties in life, we develop perseverance. We get strength to stick with it even in difficulties.
However, Paul isn’t through. In the next phase, we see that perseverance develops character. As we practice perseverance, we continue to develop. We grow to maturity in Christ. Again, look back at James 1. In verse 4 we find that after patience has its way, we are perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
We grow in Christ to have strong mature character. We have the mental and moral qualities God desires for us. It comes through persevering through trials. We develop inner strength. We won’t be easily swayed and tossed about by life’s storms. We develop integrity. We will be changed men and women. We will hold to our convictions regardless of the outside pressures to change.
Paul again closes with showing that character leads to hope. “Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” NKJV
Hope doesn’t disappoint. I have never heard anyone complain about having hope. It makes life easier and more worth living. In fact, it can become a reason to keep going.
The Holy Spirit pours out the love of God into our hearts. It is like a running spring of God’s love that flows in and through us to impact the world.
IL: (Finish the opening story.) Remember the teacher we began with today? She went to teach nouns and adverbs to an apparently dying young man. Let us join her the next day:
But the next day, a nurse asked her, "What did you do to that boy?" The teacher felt she must have done something wrong and began to apologize. "No, no," said the nurse. "You don't know what I mean. We've been worried about that little boy, but ever since yesterday, his whole attitude has changed. He's fighting back, responding to treatment. It's as though he's decided to live."
Two weeks later the boy explained that he had completely given up hope until the teacher arrived. Everything changed when he came to a simple realization. He expressed it this way: "They wouldn't send a teacher to work on nouns and adverbs with a dying boy, would they?" Bits & Pieces, July 1991.
Conclusion:
Hope’s real, KEEP it!
Hope comes from trusting Jesus.
Hope builds even more from growing in Christ.
References:
1. http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/h/hope.htm
2. ibid.
3. ibid.
