INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• As we get close to the celebration of Christmas, I want to take you thought a series entitled, “The Candles of Advent.”
• Advent is a season observed by many Western Culture churches as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advent)
• The word ADVENT is a Latin word that means “COMING”, which is a translation of the Greek word PAROUSIA which means COMING.
• The celebration of ADVENT began during the 4th or 5th centuries in Spain and Gaul. Advent was believed to be a season of preparation for the Baptism of those who wanted to be Christians at the January Feast of Epiphany.
• It was not until the about the 6th Century that the Roman Christians tied Advent to the coming of Jesus. Their focus was not on the first coming (Incarnation), but rather the Second Coming!
• It was not until the Middle ages that Advent was explicitly linked to Christ’s first coming at Christmas. (http://www.christianity.com/christian-life/christmas/what-is-advent.html)
• Today the Advent season last for four Sunday’s leading up to Christmas.
• Today we begin this Advent series by looking at the Candle of Hope.
• Hope is defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary as, “to cherish a desire with anticipation.”
• Hope is defined by Dictionary.com as, “the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.”
• Paul shows that Hope is “justifiable expectation.”
• Hope is something everyone needs to get though the tough times of life.
• During the time before Jesus was born, the nation of Israel was sorely lacking in hope, they were under the thumb of the powerful Roman government with little to no hope of escape.
• Life was hard, just the act of surviving from one day to the next was a chore. Their only HOPE was God.
• The people of the time were eagerly seeking the Messiah to come and defeat Rome and establish a throne in Jerusalem. They were looking for the glory days of King David and Solomon.
• Today, we have it much better than those awaiting the Messiah.
• When you examine the world around you, imagine the world with no hope. Imagine waking up each day with no hope.
• Life can be difficult but the level of struggle we face is not near what those folks faced or other people who live in other countries face today, nonetheless, we all need hope.
• People who are struggling need hope, struggling marriages need hope, people struggling economically need hope. People who are lost need hope.
• We all need the hope to know that there is more to this life than living and dying.
• There are many things one can choose to place their hope, but I would contend that there is only one true place in which one can place their hope.
• Today we will be in the book of Romans 15:12-13 as we examine the candle of Hope.
• SLIDE #2
• Romans 15:12 (HCSB) And again, Isaiah says: The root of Jesse will appear, the One who rises to rule the Gentiles; the Gentiles will hope in Him.
• SLIDE #3
SERMON
I. When all looks lost, God delivers.
• The context of Romans 15 deal with the issues of pleasing others over pleasing self along with a plea to glorify God together. This was a plea of unity. We have to be cognizant of the fact that the early church was a mixture of those from both Jewish and Gentile backgrounds.
• It seemed as though the Jewish Christians struggled with accepting the Gentiles into the church.
• The Jews were looking for a Messiah; the Messiah would be a source of hope for the nation.
• In Ephesians Paul reminds the Gentiles of their previous state of hopelessness.
• The Gentiles had ZERO hope, so it seemed.
• SLIDE #4
• Ephesians 2:12 (HCSB) At that time you were without the Messiah, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
• This verse applies to anyone who is without Christ as their Lord and Savior, they are without hope.
• Throughout this chapter, Paul had used Old Testament quotes from the Law, the Prophets and the Holy Writings (Psalms) to show the Gentiles one day would be able to place their hope in the Messiah also!
• God has a thing for timing, He knows when the time is right to do what needs to be done, God also knows the order in which things need to be done.
• The world was a really terrible place before Jesus came on the scene. There was a time when God saw the world in such bad shape that He sent a flood to cleanse the earth so He could start again, if not for Noah, we would not be here today.
• God knows all about timing.
• SLIDE #5
• Galatians 4:4–5 (HCSB) When the time came to completion, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
• God knew when the people were under the Law long enough, when that time came, He sent Jesus to give you hope! Under the Law there was no real hope because one could not live perfectly by the Law in order to be saved. The law pointed to us the fact that we need help! That help is Jesus!
• Verse 12 is a quote from the LXX of Isaiah 11:1.
• The context of Isaiah 11 was not a happy time for Israel.
• Isaiah was a Prophet from approximately 740 BC until his reported death in 698 BC.
• God had promised the Messiah would come from the Line of David.
• But here Isaiah writes about the coming destruction of the Jewish Kingdom at the hands of the Babylonians. This happened in three stages when the Babylonians deported the Jews in 605, 597 and 586 BC.
• Even though this was going to happen because the Nation was in such bad shape, Isaiah gave the people hope!
• The root of Jesse will appear, the One who rises to rule the Gentiles; the Gentiles will hope in Him
• Isaiah compares the nation to a tree that had been cut down, but the stump with its roots were still remaining.
• From that root, a shoot would still survive from the Line of Jesse, the father of David and eventually the Messiah would come!
• The nation would return from Babylonian captivity by Cyrus the Persian in 538 BC. The Temple was rebuilt; it was called Zerubbabel’s temple which was dedicated in 515 BC.
• Isaiah was writing about Jesus around 700 years before He was born! Every time it appeared that God would not be able to keep His promise of the Messiah coming from the line of Jesus, God delivered!
• Let’s look at verse 13
• SLIDE #6
• Romans 15:13 (HCSB) Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
• SLIDE #7
II. God is the God of hope!
• I love verse 13. I would like to focus on the first few words for now. Paul uses the phrase GOD OF HOPE.
• Paul invokes God as ‘the God of hope’.
• This is an unusual description of God found nowhere else in the NT or the LXX.
• Seeing that Paul in this verse prays that the believers may ‘overflow with hope’, the expression ‘the God of hope’ probably means the God who inspires hope in his people.
• This he does ‘by the power of the Holy Spirit’.
• It denotes the fact that God is author, source and inspiration for our hope.
• Where else will you find eternal life?
• SLIDE #8
• 1 Peter 1:3 (HCSB) Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy, He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
• When we know who the source of HOPE is we can then turn to that source!
• I would like for you to take a moment to consider the things we put our hope in. How many of those sources can give you eternal hope?
• Money can be lost; it cannot buy you health or happiness.
• Power can be lost, or taken. People can and will let you down.
• And let’s face it, the only thing we can take with us into eternity is our faith.
• Let’s go back to verse 13.
• SLIDE #9
• Romans 15:13 (HCSB) Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
• SLIDE #10
III. God’s desire is for you to overflow with hope!
• Once we realize where our hope comes from we need to realize that God’s desire is for you to overflow with hope!
• Paul prays that God will fill you with ALL JOY and PEACE!
• Joy is the inward delight and jubilance that keep us excited about being Christians, about being under the blood of Christ, and about living the sanctified life (5:2–3, 11; 12:12, 15; 14:17).
• Peace is first of all the objective state of being reconciled to God (5:1, 10). It is also an attitude of inward tranquility and freedom from worry about salvation (1:7; 8:6); this is the main point in view here. Finally, peace is the corporate harmony that exists among brethren (14:17).
• Joy and peace are two of the most pursued items of mankind, and they are available to mankind only through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• Notice how Paul states that we can have this joy and peace as WE BELIEVE IN HIM.
• Dr. Jack Cottrell states in his commentary on Romans;
• SLIDE #11
• The first and primary benefit that comes from knowing the gospel is faith itself (10:17). All the other blessings come only “as you trust in him,” or literally, “in connection with believing.”
• At the outset Paul emphasized the key role of faith in receiving salvation (1:16–17). Jesus Christ died for our sins and was raised for our justification (3:24–26; 4:25), but we cannot receive this justification without faith (3:25–28; 10:9–10).
• In this verse Paul is reaffirming the central and essential role of faith in the gospel plan of salvation.
• When we have faith, joy and peace will follow because we know in whom we believe in!
• HOPE does not indicate a weak aspiration but a firmly rooted expectation. Hebrews 6:19, 20.
• The phrase “the God of hope” means: the God who is the Source of hope and imparts it to those who trust him.
• SLIDE #12
• Philippians 4:7 (HCSB) And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
• When we trust God, peace and joy protect us!
• When we have faith, we can overflow with HOPE, and then we can share that hope with others!
• SLIDE #13
• 1 Peter 3:15 (HCSB) but honor the Messiah as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.
• If you have the hope in you, you will share it! If you have nothing to say about your faith, maybe you need to strengthen your faith.
CONCLUSION
• The coming Messiah we about to bring hope into the world, we now are the recipients of this great hope!
• Where are you placing your hope? Are you ready to place it in Jesus?
