It’s normally not the Biblical story one associates with Christmas or the arrival of a New Year. But it is relevant. I’m thinking of the story that is normally associated with Easter in Luke 24. Jesus on the road to Emmaus. If you don’t remember the story, here are the highlights. Jesus has resurrected from the dead. Two disciples are traveling on the road to Emmaus visiting with each other, talking about everything that has transpired in Jerusalem. Suddenly Jesus appears. He asked, “What are you discussing as you are walking along?” At which point, in a discouraged and despondent tone they say, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that happened?” What things? Jesus asked? To which they say, “About Jesus of Nazareth. He was a prophet, powerful in word and action and he was crucified.” We had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel but it didn’t happen. Jesus shares a few additional words at which point they arrive in Emmaus. They invited Jesus to spend the night with them. They are sitting at a table at which point Jesus takes a piece of bread, he gives thanks at which point, perhaps remembering the times in which he had celebrated communion with his disciples, they recognize him. Suddenly, as the text says, their eyes are opened and they realize that he is alive! The road to Emmaus was a road leading from despair to hope.
I wonder, where are you on that road this morning? As you look back on the events that have transpired in your personal life, in the life of the church, in the life of our country, in the world, where are you between despair and hope? How much hope do you have as we enter 2024?
After all look at what has transpired in the past year. The problems with immigration have grown worse. Inflation has gone through the ceiling. The conflicts between Israel and Hammas, and Ukraine and Russia continue. A former president has been indicted. There is conversation about attempting to impeach the current president. The political parties can’t seem to find a way to talk across the aisle. And the list goes on and on and on! It reminds me of the words of my mother who once said, “I feel bad for the world in which your children will grow up!”
Some of you might look at your own life and while asking, “Where am I on the road between despair and hope?” I’m still at the starting line. I haven’t even begun the journey. “ Some of you might think, “Well, I’m trying. I’m only 25% down the road toward hope, but I” m trying.” And still others of you might say, “I’m making great headway. I’m almost there.”
So where’ the hope to be found? In the passage of Scripture we’re considering this morning from Romans 15, I wonder if that question wasn’t a part of Paul’s thinking? When you think about Rome you might think about the power figure in Rome during Biblical times...Nero, who rose to the position of power at the age of 16. Yet, the persecution of Christians hadn’t yet begun when Paul wrote these words. Paul was writing these words from the city of Corinth where he himself had witnessed firsthand the downward spiral that much of humanity had taken. He would have witnessed the destructive practices of pagan religions, the idolatry, the sexual immorality, the hunger for power. He had witnessed the internal problems in the church of Corinth in which some of the Christians were turning against each other. And in writing to the Christians at Rome he was also perhaps concerned about the impact that the city of Rome could have on the Christians. He was perhaps concerned about the potential disagreements and conflicts that may have occurred between the Gentiles and Jewish Christians, which may explain why he emphasizes, in this text, the importance of acceptance, encouragement and more, could end up creating a hopeless situation. So, given the potential problems that he sees, and perhaps concerned that such problems could easily occur in the church at Rome, he may be asking “Where’s the hope for the future?”
Where’s the hope for you and me as we stand on the brink of 2024? Listen to Romans 15:13. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
As we enter 2024 where’s the hope to be found? Paul has something to say about the character who is the basis of hope, the consequences that accompany our hope, and the character who sustains our hope when all is in despair.
First the character of hope. Who is it? Where does it lie? Paul refers to the God of hope. “May the God of hope.” is the way he puts it. What does that mean? It means that God is the author of hope. That God is the source of hope. That God is the designer of hope. That God is the one in whom our hope resides. Nothing and no one else can ultimately meet our need for hope, but Him. Putting our hope in anything or anyone else is like the man in the parable that Jesus once told, who constructed his house on the sand. It was not secure and didn’t last.
What is it about God that invites us to put our ultimate hope in him? We place our hope in God because of who He is and what he does. Think of all that we know about him and all we can count on from Him for just a moment...
He is our constant companion….God has promised, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Dt. 31:8)
He is the one from whom we will never be apart...To quote the Apostle Paul, “Nothing can seperate you from the love of Jesus Christ.” (Ro. 8:39)
He is the one who stays with us during times of despair..To quote the prophet Isaiah,.when the waters rise they will not overtake you when the fires rage you will not be burned. (Is. 43:2)
He is the one who is in control of everying…..As Paul put in Colossians,” He holds all things together.” (Col 1:17)
He is the one who is more powerful than any force of evil….What does John say? “Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world.” (I John 4:4)
He is the one who holds us securly in His hand….As Jesus told his disciples, “Those that the father has given to me, I will in no way, turn away.” (Jn. 6:37)
He is the one who is dependable and consistent….As the writer of Hebrews tells us he is the same yesterday today and tomorrow. (Heb. 13:8)
HE is the one who knows all things and is never surprised….Ps 139, “Even before a word comes out of my lips, God knows all things.”
He is a timeless God...as Revelations says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega.” The begin and the end.” (Rev. 22:13).
He is a loving God who will only work for your good….God works all things together for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purposes.” (Romans 8:28)
And to summarize it….he is incomparable and indescribable. As Isaiah said, “Of all that we see, in all of creation, nothing compres to God.” (Is. 46:5)
God is our source of hope because of who God is and what he does!
Some of you migh know the name of Robert Pattinson. In recent years he has played various roles in Hollywood...in the Twilight series, in Harry Potter and in Batman. But his career has also included some films and productions that have never really made it. As he says, “It’s challenging to determine which roles are going to be a success and which roles are not. So much is unknown and uncertain.” In a recent interview, he was then asked, “So how do you go about planning for your next role?” He said, “Well, I guess my plan is the hope that in the end everything just works out.” Contrast that “left to chance” view with the perspective of the follower of God who can say, I know the one in whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is in control and in the end it will all work out for my good and his glory, regardless of what happens.”
And where does it take us? Consider the consequences of putting our hope in the character of God. May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace. Joy and peace….they are the natural outgrowth of a life that puts its hope in God.
Joy….it’s not happiness. It goes so much deeper than that. Happiness is largely contingent on how things are going outside of us. If we have a good job, a nice house, our health is good. then we tell ourselves, “ I’m happy.” But joy plunges much deeper. It is satisfaction, contentment, quietness, and fulfillment all rolled together into one! It’s what the Jewish community calls Shalom!
And peace….it’s that deep inner sense that regrdless of what I am facing or feeling, there is an inner quietness, serentity and rest. Our lives are not dominated by the fears, anxieties that can so easily control us. It’s the peace that Jesus described when he said to his disciples in John 14, “Peace I give unto you. It is not a peace that the world can know and neither can they understand.”
When we put our hope in the character of God, joy and peace are the results. They are to use the image of Paul, in Galations 5, two of the fruits that come from God’s spirit.
Think of it this way. Let’s imagine that when spring time comes you decide that you want to start providing for some of your own food. So in addition to planting a garden you determine that you want to have some fruit, too. Apples, pears and cheeries just to name a few....so you go to an area garden center, you approach a sales person and you say to them, “I love fresh fruit. So I want to purchase a tree.” The sales person then asks predictably, “What kind of fruit do you like?” To which you say, “I love pears and apples and cheeries.” So he takes you to that area of the property in which they sell trees. He points you to the three types of trees to which have referred. But then you tell the salesman, “I don’t have room for three trees. I own a very small piece of property. I only have room for one tree.” So he tells you, “Well, you have to pick one.” Yet can you imagine the look on the salespeson’s face if your next words are “But don’t you have a tree that grows all three types of fruit? Don’t you have one tree that will grow apples, pears AND cheeries?” What would he be thinking about you? And yet consider this…. When your hope is firmly rooted in the character of God, when you have, to use the image of David in Psalm 1, planted your hope by the One who is like streams of living wanter, you will have not one fruit, but two….joy and peace….and in fact, you have a lot more….patience, love, and self control Hope in the character of God brings peace and joy.
But Paul isn’t done. One more thing. He writes not only about the character of God who is the basis of our hope, and, two, the consequences which are the results of our hope, but also, three, he reminds us of the companion who sustains our hope. Who is this companion? The answer is is found in that last phrase, “by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
God provides us with the companion of the Spirit who sustains our hope when we are tempted to become hopeless. How does the Spirit sustain us? What exactly does the Spirit do? Two things come to my mind.
The Spirit also comes to strengthen us during times of hopelessness. The early church provides the perfect illustration of such strength. It was made up of simple men and women. The leaders were former fishermen and tax collectors who fled in fear when Jesus was arrested and needed them most. They weren’t courageous and faithful. In fact, they lacked faith and courage. They were the least likely to be put in charge of any Christian enterprise.
Yet, after the events in Acts 2 after hiding out away from the authorities, when the Holy Spirit was poured out, those same nobodies were suddenly transformed. With courage and faith, they turned their community, and eventually the world, upside down
And the other way in which he helps us during times of hopelessness is by reminding us of God’s truths. As Jesus told his discples, in John 14, “The Holy Spirit will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I have taught you.”
We all have voices in our head, don’t we? Voices that have been created through past experiences or relationships. Voices that have been planted there by what we’ve read on the internet or heard on the radio and watched on the televison. And the tragedy is that in so many cases, those voices are telling us lies. Just think about all of the lies we are tempted to tell ourselves when we are living in despair. Life is out of control. Evil is winning out. I can’t count on anyone. Life isn’t worth living. Yet, when God’s Spirit is present, reminding us like he reminded the disciples of Jesus of the teachings of Jesus, he speaks louder than the lies that invade our hearts.
He reminds us of such words of Jesus as “I am with you always.” (Mt. 28:20) “The world may make you suffer but I have overcome the world.” (Jn. 16:33) “Come to me and I will give you rest.” (Mt. 11:28) “I am going to prepare a place for you and I will come again and receive you unto myself.” (Jn. 14:3)
Here’s the good news. When God’s Spirit reminds you of God’s truth, The evil lies in your mind can’t overcome the truth. They can’t remain when faced with the truth. To rephrase a line made famous by the movie, “A Few Good Men,” Evil’s lies can’t handle the truth! Let God’s Spirit remind you of who God is, what he does and the promsies he has given.
Think of this way. Imagine a basketball team, a high school team from a small town. They are going up against a much larger school from the city of Chicago. The small town team knows that they are good. They have had a great season to date but they are little nervous. So the coach gathers them before the game and before the introductions are made and the jump ball takes place, he kneels down on their level and he says, “We’ve prepared hard all week for this game. We watched the tapes. We have run the plays. Don’t forget what you have been taught. If you just remember what we’ve taught you, we can win!” Let God’s Spirit remind you of His truths….we will win!
Martin Luther King once said, “We must accept finite disappointment as a part of life but we must always look for a hope that is infinite.” The good news? Our Christian faith offers us such hope. We have a God who is the basis of hope. We can enjoy The consequences….peace and joy. And we have the companion, God’s Holy Spirit who sustains your hope through all things.
To quote the words of David... Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. (Psalm 42:5) Amen!
