A Living Sacrifice To God
Part 6
Scriptures: Romans 12:12; Matthew 7:13-14; James 1:12
This is part six of my series “A Living Sacrifice to God.” This morning we will be looking at Romans 12:12 which says, “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; constant in prayer.” If you recall from the beginning of the chapter, Paul focused his comments on our renewing our minds and how that will show up in our interactions with others. From verses three through eleven he talked about our relationships with other people, especially other Christians. Then we get to verse twelve where it seems like Paul pauses, considers everything he was telling them about interacting with others and then realizes that he needs to make a point about what we deal with internally in order to interact with others externally. In verse twelve he speaks to our inner struggles which directly impacts our relationship with those around us. It almost seems like he realized that in order to do the things he had previously spoken about and what will follow this verse he needed to insert something about how we are to deal with ourselves. So he says, “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; constant in prayer.” Paul tells the Christians in Rome how they should manage themselves under afflictions; namely, to endure them patiently and to rejoice in the hope of their deliverance and/or future happiness. These are to be accomplished through constant prayer. What Paul states in verse twelve sums up the three different mental states of a Christian; a mental state of hope; the mental state of patience in times of tribulations; and a mental state of always being prayerful. Of the twenty verses devoted to the subject of our relationship with others this is the only one which refers to the inner secrets of the Christian life. We need to make note of this again because our mental state affects everything we do.
Let’s talk about the first mental state of “rejoicing in hope.” Hebrews 3:6 says, “But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.” Rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God is one of the few things in this world that can make a believer cheerful in spite of their circumstances. This is placed between serving the Lord and being patient in tribulation because nothing tends to make us move more than when we are cheerfully serving Him versus focusing on our troubles. This rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God gives us the patience we need when we are dealing with tribulations and we will have times of tribulations.
As Christians, we experience joy because we have hope. Do you realize that it is our duty as Christians to be joyful? We often think that being joyful is a matter of someone’s temperament or the result of someone’s circumstance. In this thinking we are glad when things go well with us and are unhappy when they do not. If we have a sunny disposition and are naturally light-hearted, great; however, if we have a melancholy or morose disposition, all the worse. But do we recognize that a Christian who is not joyful is not living up to their duty as a Christian? And please understand, there is no excuse, either in temperament or in circumstance, for our not being joyful. Being joyful does not mean you’re always happy. Our joy is in a hope that far exceeds what we experience in this world and therefore our times of pain are viewed as temporary. Our ability to rejoice in all situations comes from our relationship with Jesus Christ. Paul told the Philippians, “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7) In these verses Paul let it be known that rejoicing can be a constant state of a Christian’s mind. If we are mentally rejoicing, we will not be in a state of constant worrying or depression. Worrying and rejoicing cannot occupy the same mental space within our minds. We are either in one state or another. For example, your child is traveling in bad weather and you’re stressing about whether they are safe. Then you receive the phone call informing you that they made it to their destination safely. What happens? All of the worrying ceases and you begin to rejoice internally that they made it to their destination. What Paul was telling us as Christians is that we should always be in a state of mind of rejoicing, even in the worst of times because our hope is not in our circumstances but in God through His Son Jesus Christ. And yes, I know this is not something that is easily done.
Hope is a great sustainer. When a person loses their ability to hope they lose their ability to live. A person with no hope will have a very dim view of their future and any positive changes coming their way. The human mind is ever forecasting the tomorrows. It is within man to always hope for a better tomorrow. No matter how dark today is, tomorrow could be better. When we lose the hope for a better tomorrow it can lead to a desire to leave this world altogether. All of us have some hope. We hope for a better job; a better retirement; a better car; and better grades in school. One failure is viewed as a temporary setback when you have hope. Imagine how dreary our world would be if we did not have hope. Someone said “When old age creeps upon us; when the bright visions of time have vanished; when the backward glance is disappointing and the onward earthly look is darkening, it is sweet to look by hope to the bright sphere where all true hopes will be realized: "Christ in you the hope of glory." This is a very true statement. Our hope in Christ gives us the strength to rejoice today because we know, even upon our deaths, something better awaits us and that knowledge sustains us while we take each step today. Faith in Christ the foundation of hope and it will not disappoint us. Jesus is both the giver and sustainer of hope through His grace. We can rejoice in our hope in Christ – today, tomorrow, and for the rest of our lives. Our ability to rejoice will equip us to be patient in times of tribulation.
The second mental state Paul mentions is the state of mind of being “patient in tribulation.” Paul knew that Christians would face tribulations because he himself faced them constantly. Tribulation is defined as “great difficulty, affliction or distress.” It is a process through which all Christians must pass. We will experience times of much tribulation in order to enter into the kingdom of God. Why do I say this? I have told you before, as soon as we acknowledge Christ as our personal Savior, our enemy puts a target on our backs. He wants us to fail. He encourages our weakness and our inability to stand firm. Just speaking out in support of what the Bible teaches is enough to make some attack you. These attacks will lead to times of great distress, especially in our current environment. If you are a Christian and you have not suffered some tribulations because of your Christianity then I ask you to check yourself and see if your Christianity is public or hidden away privately. Because Christians will suffer due to their true beliefs, many hide their beliefs or change them to better fit into the world. The Bible is no longer the guide for what we believe, but what is acceptable by the world. This puts us in conflict with our Lord and Savior.
I want to pause here and share something with you pertaining to tribulations and how hard it is to live the true life of a Christian. In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus said, “Enter in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be who go in there. Because narrow is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14) Many people focus on the grace and love of God, but Jesus makes a statement here that I want us to understand. In these two verses Jesus said that there will be more people who will go to hell versus going to heaven. This is a sobering thought coming for the Savior of the world. Jesus said that many will miss heaven by going through the gate that is easily entered. It is much easier to get into hell than it is to get into heaven. I do not care how many messages you hear about God loving us and His grace covering everything we continue to choose to do. Jesus said that there will be more people going to hell than going to heaven. This should give us pause when we think about how we are living. If you are a Christian and you have not suffered anything for being a Christian (whether its people talking about you because you believe the Bible is right or being looked down upon because you will not participate in some of the things of the world) then you have to wonder which road you are on. Which gate are you really walking towards. This thing is serious. If we are not patient as we go through tribulations because of our faith, we will see out to what is easier for the world to accept. We will sell out our faith and our salvation so people will accept us.
I want you to know that our walk with Christ means something. It’s is not something that can be taken lightly. If you are walking with Christ, you will suffer because of it. That is a guarantee. Peter said,
“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to test you, as though some strange thing happened unto you. But rejoice, since you are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy. If you be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are you; for the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.” (1 Peter 4:12-14)
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who has called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that you have suffered a while, restore, establish, strengthen, settle you.” (1 Peter 5:8-10)
“For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-17)
Not to put a damper on your grace, but the way to heaven is the way of tribulation. Yes we walk in blessings. Yes God will meet our needs. Yes we are supposed to be joyful. Buy all of this comes because we are serving Christ and we know ultimately that we will spend eternity with Him. It does not mean that we will live a life of leisure because we are saved. Tribulation separates the true believer from those who pretend to be believers. Proverbs 27:17 says “Iron sharpens iron” and thus it is with tribulations which prepares us for divine uses. Patience is the needful mental condition; the enduring power of great souls. It is the one trait that we all need but few actually exercise. While Christians are in this world we must expect tribulations (hard times because of our faith) because when we stand on the word of God it will mean we often stand against the ways of the world. As we experience tribulations, patience will allow us to go through them without murmuring against God, on the one hand, nor the despising the men causing our pain on the other. One last word on patience; it is important to note that the idea of Christian ‘patience’ includes perseverance. We cannot give in. James said it this way, “Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him.” (James 1:12) How many Christians quit during times of tribulation just when their blessing is about to be realized. We must be patient during our hard times and to get to this place we must be in constant prayer.
The third mental state mentioned in verse twelve is being “constant in prayer,” (praying without ceasing.) While there are many in the world who do not pray and think it’s foolish for others to pray, let me tell you that prayer will not and cannot be banished from the world! Prayer is how humanity looks up to the Devine. Just as the flowers seek the sun, as the climbing plant stretches out for support, we reach out to God through constant prayer. Through constant prayer we gain strength. Have you ever been so burdened that you fell on your knees in prayer and rise up feeling lighter? Prayer gives us strength! Why? Because it is as natural for us to communicate with God as it is to breathe. Isaiah said, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) This promise is definite even though science sometimes tries to reason us away from prayer and sceptics ridicule the bending of our knees – we pray still. We pray because we believe. We believe because we have hope. We have hope because Christ lives within us! We are to pray and wait upon the Lord until our weakness departs and our strength is renewed. Prayer must be a constant and stabilizing act in our communication with God. And I am not talking about our repeating a prayer we learned as a child; I am talking about sharing with our Father our most inner praise, fear, desires and confessions. I am talking about our honest, heartfelt conversations that we have with the Father who loves us more than we love ourselves.
I know you’re wondering, “Can I pray without ceasing?” If you mean only praying words of supplication and petition then the answer is no. If however you mean having a mental attitude of devotion, and a kind of sub-conscious reference to God in all that you do, then yes, unceasing prayer is very much possible. If we are trying to keep our hearts in the midst of daily contact with God, and if, during our daily routines we cast a thought towards Him and a prayer, then we can expect joy, hope and patience to be our reward. God will not fail us, especially when we have an inner desire to spend time communicating with Him.
Paul said that we should be “rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; constant in prayer.” This verse was inserted in the middle of Paul telling us how to interact with one another. In the middle of talking about our personal relationships he inserts a sentence that speaks to the depth of the Christian spirit and emotion. He speaks to our joy; our patience; and our steadfastness. Joy in hope; patience in tribulation; and steadfastness (constant) in prayer. Each one of these mental conditions will directly impact how a Christian will respond to others around them and how they will walk through their situations.
Are you struggling this morning to find your peace? Have you been praying and praying and not knowing if your prayer was heard? Have you lost your joy because of the things happening around you? If you can answer yes to any of these questions then you are in the right place. God is so much more than a provider of our needs. He wants a relationship with you and with me. The first step is to change your focus. Focus on why you can rejoice. Exercise your patience as you wait on God to answer. And finally do not stop praying. Even though you may not see the answer today, your prayers are moving things spiritually.
Until next time, “The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
(If you are ever in the Kansas City, KS area, please come and worship with us at New Light Christian Fellowship, 15 N. 14th Street, Kansas City, KS 66102. Our service Sunday worship starts at 9 a.m. and Thursday night Bible study at 7 p.m. We look forward to you worshipping with us. May God bless and keep you.)
