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.”
He was finished for the rest of that game.
Now, consider the prognosis for this athlete: he was expected to return to the lineup after missing one game. Two, at most.
To athletes, playing hurt is a badge of honor, reflecting the measure of their inner drive. The team needs them. They have to compete in the event. The work has to g o on.
That’s also true in life. (TODAY’S BEST ILLUSTRATIONS, VOLUME 5. Bible Illustrator annual supplements from 1998-2001). How well do we keep playing when we get hurt?
Does perseverance mean “no pain, no gain?” 1) How many times have you heard that expression associated with working out? 2) Is there any truth to “no pain, no gain”? Before you answer, consider this story.
Every year Eric Clapton hosts a Guitar Festival in honor of a guitar playing legend Robert Johnson who died at the age of 27. Johnson only recorded some 29 songs in the mid 30's. In the context of this festival, “Crossroads is a metaphor for second chances”.
Eric Clapton knows something about his own second chance. He got to the point where he could not live without a drink. At the time Clapton was a new father. So he checked himself into rehab for the sake of his young son. “His love for his son proved to be his prime motivation”. Eric said that he wanted to break the chain and give his son what he never had---a father. At the end of his rope with lack of hope. On his own Clapton knew that he was not going to make it. He got down on his knees and surrendered in the confines of the treatment center. A change came over him. From that day on, Clapton never failed to pray. He always prayed in the morning on his knees. He said he chose to kneel because it was humbling.
In 1991, Eric Clapton's four-year-old son died from an accidental fall. “Understandably, this crossroads devastated him. He went on to write the song “Tears in Heaven” out of the anguish and tragedy of his son's death. It helped him to cope. Another thing that helped Eric Clapton cope was his twelve-step meetings. On one occasion, he was asked to chair the session on the third step. He recalled his time of praying in the treatment center praying for help to stay sober. He told them about how his compulsion to drink was taken away. He also said that after that experience he could get through this.
Following that meeting, a woman came up to him and told him that he had just taken away her excuse to drink. In his own words, Eric Clapton said, 'Well if I can go through this and stay sober, anyone can'. Eric Clapton came to realize that there was no better way of honoring the memory of his son.” (Quoted and paraphrased from : Goodnews: The Magazine For United Methodist Renewal. Steve Beard. “Mortals & The Divine”. May /June 2010, pp. 32 -33). Eric Clapton had helped another and others to find hope. There is no doubt that God had intervened on the behalf of Eric Clapton. There also no doubt that God helped others to “gain access” (Romans 5:2) through Eric's “faith and witness”.
What is it that makes Christians persevere? 1) We have endurance: “Our troubles produce endurance, endurance brings God's approval and His approval creates hope” (Romans 5:3,4 GNB paraphrased). “Our suffering produces perseverance; perseverance character and character hope” (Romans 5:3,4 NIV). 2) We are victorious: Why is it that we glory in our tribulations and troubles? Christians can rise above these things because they are not controlled by human nature, they are controlled by the Spirit which is life and peace (Romans 8:6 NIV paraphrased). 3) We have peace: One thing is certain and that is that we cannot have that “peace” if we are at war with God! We cannot have this peace unless have been justified through faith. “... we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28 KJV). 4) We are inseparable from God's love: “We know that nothing can separate us from His love because through His love we are more than conquerors” (Romans 8:37 paraphrased). 5) We are not disappointed: “... hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us” (Romans 5:5 NIV).
