Sermon – Overflowing With Confident Hope Through The Power Of The Holy Spirit.

Sermon – Overflowing with Confident Hope Through the Power of the Holy Spirit.

Scripture Lesson -Romans 5:1-5 “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”

Introduction: Advent is a season observed in most Christian denominations as a time of waiting and preparation for both the celebration of Jesus's birth at Christmas and the return of Christ at the Second Coming. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, often referred to as Advent Sunday. Each week a special candle is lit. Each candle represents a theme for each week of Advent — hope, peace, joy, and love. The First Candle, called the Prophecy Candle, represents hope and the anticipation of Christ's coming, recalling the prophecies about the Messiah and the hope He brings to the world. The first message of advent expresses our confident hope of salvation.

Romans 5:1–11 describes the amazing benefits that come with being declared righteous before God by faith in Christ's death for our sin. God has made peace with us. We stand in His grace, and we rejoice in the sure hope that we will share in His glory. Our suffering brings growth, which leads to even more potent hope. Hymn writer Edward Mote penned these words, “My hope is built on nothing less, Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare note trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.” Edward Mote captures the essence of the Christian hope in Jesus Christ and answers the need of the human spirit. The blessed assurance of Salvation through Jesus Christ brings peace, acceptance, access, and lasting hope for the believer’s life; past, present, and future. Apostle Paul in his epistle to the Romans captures that idea when he writes, “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” (Romans 5:1–2).

A recent report said that people in America are more dissatisfied with their lives than ever before with less than 18% being very satisfied with their lives. The recent suicide of so many young people amplify the same message. Depression and endless hopelessness plague our land. Hope in Christ stands as doorway to peace and answers the need of the human spirit. Hope is what people need right now, and hope is so hard to find apart from a relationship with Jesus Christ. John 14:6 reads, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

The school system in a large city had a program to help children keep up with their schoolwork 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. 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?” Well, in our scripture Paul explains the hope Jesus brings. The good news is that we have hope no matter what happens. We can expect tribulation, but the good news is we can have hope regardless of life’s challenges. We need to discovery the Hope we have in Christ even amid these trying days.