Preached by Gustavo Barros at Gospel Fellowship Community Church Salem
Romans 5:1-5 1 Therefore, since we have been
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2
Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we
stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but
we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and
endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope
does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Introduction:
ADVENT:
Advent
literally means, “arrival” or “coming” in Latin, and is a time to focus our
attention on the hope, faith, peace, joy,
and love
Jesus provides through His birth, life, death, and resurrection. The Advent
begins four Sundays prior to Christmas Eve. So, today marks the first day of
Advent and the celebration of the hope of salvation that Jesus’ birth brings.
Since the
fall of man in the Garden of Eden mankind has been placing their hope in all
sorts of different things:
-
Adam
and Eve put their hope in satanic promises.
-
Cain
placed his hope in his own efforts. Similar to Jacob.
-
The
Tower of Babel shows us the people put their hope in material things.
-
The
nation of Israel placed its hope in a king, so they cried for Saul.
-
The
Jews had their hope in a building, the Temple.
-
The
Assyrians had their hope in the cruelty of their armies.
-
The
Greeks had their hope in wisdom.
-
The
Romans placed their hope in Caesar and in the army.
The truth
is that everyone is hoping for something, but the question is: What is your
hope? Where is your hope? What are you hoping for? What do you eagerly wait
for? What sustains you in the storms of life?
“A WHO
collaborative study of 11 to 15-year-old.s' hopes and worries about the
future was carried out in Austria, England and Finland by means of a
classroom questionnaire. (The study was part of a survey of health habits.) The
respondents were presented with an open question about their hopes concerning
the future and a corresponding one about their worries. In Austria (N 3 083)
and Finland (N 3 618), the sample was nationwide; in England, the data came
from Nottingham (N 1 797) an industrial town in the Midlands. A random
sample—Austria (N 600); England (N 596); Finland (N 665)—was taken for
cross-national analysis. The top hope expressed in each country concerned
work and employment—Austria (53%); England (79%); Finland (60%)” (http://heapro.oxfordjournals.org/content/2/1/19.abstract)
A few days
ago I saw a video on Youtube called Hope of America in which kids sing about
the United States as if this place is the hope of the world.
Some people
here believe that the hope for this nation and for the world is in the Republican Party or in the Constitution Party. Others have their
hope in the families and in a type of education.
I want you
to know that the only hope for you, for this nation, and for the world is in
the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
There is only one hope for there is only one
power to change people and that is the power of the Gospel!
If you want
to see things change in this country, you must have the people changed first.
Corrupted people will choose corrupt people and corrupt things.
True hope
for you and for this nation is in the true Gospel. True hope is not in the
White House, but in the House of God where the true Gospel is preached and saves
people.
True hope
is not in the person of a president but in the person of Jesus Christ.
True hope
is not in the works of a Party but in the work of Jesus on the cross.
“Oh, believe me, Jesus Christ must be all the hope of everyone who would be
justified and saved.”
(J.C. Ryle)
Context of Romans 5:1-5:
The letter
to the Romans is the Letter of the
Letters. Probably no other book of the Bible has impacted and transformed
so many people as the book of Romans.
John Calvin
said, “When one gains a knowledge of this
Epistle, he has an entrance opened to him to all the most hidden treasures of
Scripture.”
“It is the most remarkable production of the
most remarkable man. It is his heart. It contains his theology, theoretical and
practical, for which he lived and died. It gives the clearest and fullest
exposition of the doctrines of sin and grace and the best possible solution of
the universal dominion of sin and death in the universal redemption by the
second Adam.” (Philip Schaff, History
of the Christian Church (1910), Vol. I, p. 766.)
“Nowhere in Paul’s writings is the purity of
the grace of God more vividly displayed than in his letter to the Romans. This
book is the greatest treatise on and purest expression of saving grace ever
written. For this reason, this cherished book has been called the Magna Carta
of the Christian faith. It is a virtual systematic theology, especially in the
area of soteriology, the doctrine of salvation.” (Steve Lawson, Foundations of Grace, Reformation Trust, pg 343)
No other
book of the New Testament talks so much about hope as the book of Romans does (4:18; 5:2, 4, 5; 8:20, 24; 12:12;
15:4, 13).
Since its
main emphasis is the Grace of God in the power of the Gospel for the Glory of
God, the subject of hope flows naturally from the topic of grace and glory
(5:2).
Paul wants
the Christians in Rome to know that their hope must be in Christ, not in
Caesar, and the sufferings are part of the process for refining and purifying
their hope.
Outline:
I – the
basis/foundation of our hope (V.1-2a)
II – the content of
our hope (V.2b)
iii – the process for
our hope (vs. 3-4)
IV – why our hope is
unashamed (V. 5)
I – THE BASIS/FOUNDATION OF OUR HOPE (V.1-2)
1
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by
faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of
God.
v.1 – “therefore”
--- This is a very important conjunction. Since this book is very logical and
coherent, the use of this conjunction requires our attention (1:24; 3:20; 5:1;
8:1; 12:1).
Paul is
bringing to conclusion his whole thesis about justification by faith. On the
basis of the previous truths, Paul now introduces us to the practical benefits
of salvation. Note the connection with the last word of Romans 4 -
Justification (Ro 4:25-note).
What were
the previous truths that Paul taught? He argued from chapters 1 to 4 that all
men have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
PAUL’S
ARGUMENT:
He is eager
to preach the Gospel in Rome (1:8-10, 15). Why? The answer is in 1:16-17.
Why is Paul
eager to preach the Gospel?
Rm 1:16-17 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is
the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and
also to the Greek. For in it the
righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is
written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
The
righteousness of God is revealed in the Gospel!
Why is this
righteousness so important? Because all mankind is fallen and declared guilty
before the right and holy Judge. From 1:18 to 3:20 Paul shows the universal
reign/dominion of sin and total depravity of mankind.
First, Paul
shows that the Gentiles are guilty and in need of God’s righteousness – 1:18-32.
Second,
Paul argues that the Jews are guilty and in need of God’s righteousness – 2:1-3:8.
Third, Paul
shows that all humanity is guilty – 3:9-20.
That is the
bad news! The whole Christmas story just makes sense, the birth of Christ can
only be appreciated when we understand the bad news.
From 3:21-4:25, Paul shows that fallen man
can only be justified by faith in Jesus Christ.
In 3:21-26 Paul expands 1:16-17, the apostle shows how only the
sacrifice of Christ could propitiate our sins, keeping God just and the
justifier of sinners.
THE
EXAMPLE OF JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH – CHAPTER 4!
Paul, in
chapter 4, uses the example of Abraham to show how God has always justified
people by faith.
4:23-25 But the words “it was counted to him” were not
written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who
believe [faith] in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who
was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, in
chapter 5, Paul starts teaching the results/benefits of our justification.
“Now Paul shifts gears in this chapter. In
chapters 1-4, he has outlined the heart of his Gospel: that sinful people can
be right with God through their faith in Jesus Christ. Now he goes on to show
that the person who has been justified is assured of being saved from God’s
wrath and delivered from the ravages of sin and death in the last day. Paul
announces this theme in 5:1-11, arguing that those who are justified, though
still subject to life’s trials, have a secure hope for future deliverance”. (Douglas Moo, Zondervan Illustrated
Bible Backgrounds Commentary, pg 29)
“since we have been justified by faith”
--- Paul wants everyone to know that justification was, is, and always will be
by faith. Paul has been talking about faith since the beginning of the letter
(1:5,8,12,17).
All
religions require some work of man to achieve some sort of justification, but
Christianity excludes all the works of man. Catholics, Jews, Jehovah Witness,
Mormons, Buddhism, Islamism; all of them proclaim justification by works.
By faith in
Jesus the sinful man is justified before the just Judge.
JUSTIFIED --- The sinful man, who was guilty
before God, by faith in Jesus receives His righteousness. Our sin is imputed on
Christ and His righteousness is imputed on us. When the just Judge looks at us
He sees the righteousness of Jesus just as He saw our sins in Christ on the
cross.
-- The aorist tense identifies the
justification as a one-time event in the past.
-- The passive voice indicates this
declaration came from an outside Source, in this case God Himself. We don’t
declare ourselves righteous in God’s court room!
BY FAITH --- What is faith? Faith is a gift
of God in which, by His grace, He opens the eyes of a sinner to see the
promises of God fulfilled in Jesus, believe with full conviction in Him, and
have this conviction as a hope that drives him.
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped
for, the conviction of things not seen.
THE BENEFITS
OF THE JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST:
“Therefore,
since we have been justified by faith, WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD THROUGH OUR LORD
JESUS CHRIST”
“THROUGH OUR LORD
JESUS CHRIST” --- All the benefits of our justification are only
through Jesus!
“WE
HAVE PEACE WITH GOD” --- That is the Good News!
This is not
psychological tranquility, it is not positive feelings or a state of mind and
feelings.
It is peace
WITH
God. Peace with God speaks of the fact that we are no longer God's enemies but
objects of His favor, an objective (in contrast to subjective) truth which is
based on our position, something that is true forever because believers are now
(positionaly) in Christ, the Prince of Peace (Is 9:6). Peace with God
expresses, as Friederich Philippi says, “not a state of mind, but a
relationship to God.” Peace with God
is a fact not a feeling. It affects your feelings, but because of the
fact that you are no longer His enemy.
We were
God’s enemies (5:11). Our minds and actions were hostile toward His holy
standards. According to John 8:44 we once were sons of the devil and according
to Paul we were children of wrath.
Even though
God is gracious even to the unbeliever, it does not mean that He has no
enemies. The Bible shows God as a warrior against un-repented sinners.
Psalm 7:11-12 God is a righteous judge, a God who expresses
his wrath every day. If he does not relent, he will sharpen his sword; he will
bend and string his bow. Jeremiah 21:5
I Myself, says God, will fight against you with an outstretched hand, with a
strong arm, even in anger and fury and in great wrath.
But for the
Christian the war is over! Through Christ we have peace with the Lord of Hosts!
Colossians 1:19-23 19 For in him all the fullness of God was
pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things,
whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22
he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present
you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue
in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed
in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Peace with
God is only possible through [the channel, the mediator]
Jesus Christ! Without Jesus the person is an enemy of God. Buddha, Mohamed,
Gandhi, Mary, and her saints will not bring peace between you and the Holy God!
“THROUGH
OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST” --- Paul often calls Jesus by these three names (1:4,
7; 5:1,11,21; 6:23; 7:25; 8:39; 13:14; 15:6,30; 16:24).
JESUS – (Gk. Ἰησοῦ)
"Yahweh saves" (or "Yahweh is salvation") - It is a human
name. Matthew 1: 20 But as he
considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a
dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife,
for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a
son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people
from their sins.”
CHRIST – (Gk. Χριστός) It is not His last name, but His
office. He is the Anointed One. The promised Emmanuel, the Son of Man, and
Suffering Servant.
LORD – (Gk. Κύριος - denotes an owner/master
exercising full rights). This was the title used by Caesar, and Paul wants
everyone to know that Jesus, the Christ is the Lord!
“OUR
LORD” --- Is Jesus your Lord? Does Jesus have full rights over your
life? If He is our Lord, we must be slaves. Is your life fully submitted to His
lordship?
v.2 - “THROUGH HIM [JESUS] WE HAVE ALSO OBTAINED
ACCESS BY FAITH INTO THIS GRACE”
The second
wonderful benefit of our justification is the “access into His grace.”
“THROUGH
HIM [JESUS]… BY FAITH” --- As a good teacher Paul
knows the importance of repetition.
“Through
him we [those who were justified] HAVE ALSO obtained
access by faith into this grace in which we stand” --- We not
only have peace with God. We not only cease to be His enemies, but we also have
access into His presence.
You are not
only reconciled with the King, but you have access to His presence. You become
His son! You eat at His table. You have a place in His room!
ACCESS --- (Gk. προσαγωγή) “It was used in the ancient world to refer to a person’s being
conducted into the presence of royalty… The image is one that would have struck
a note with Christians in Rome, aware of court protocol that restricted
‘access’ to the emperor to certain highly placed individuals. Through Jesus
Christ, every believer has this kind of access to the grace of the King of
heaven.” (Douglas Moo, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary,
pg 29)
For the
Jews this concept was a blasphemy, for none but the high priest could come to
the Holy of Holies.
“access into this grace” ---
Grace here is a state of goodness and kindness. Grace here is being in the
presence of God receiving all His unmerited favors and blessings.
“in which we stand” --- We not
only enter, we not only have access, but we stand in this grace!
“Paul is saying that not only has Christ
brought us into this state of grace, but that there is nothing that can remove
us from it for the perfect tense of stand says that we stand in the midst of
God's grace permanently. In using this tense Paul is not saying that we are
standing here now, and maybe later we will go stand somewhere else (i.e., not
in grace, but in law or works for example). It means that we stand firm, that
we are fixed on this spot in the way that a boat is securely moored to the
dock. No storm of circumstances can move us from where we stand. The fact that
we are tightly, permanently moored to the dock of God's grace provides (or
should provide) us with a strong sense of security. Nothing can tear us away
from God's grace. We cannot be severed from God's loving acceptance of us in
Christ ("accepted in the beloved" Eph 1:6KJV). Even our sin cannot
separate us from our position of standing firm in God's grace, for we are justified
once and for all time.” (http://preceptaustin.org/new_page_58.htm#5:1)
By faith in
Christ Jesus we have peace with God, the King of the armies is at peace with
us. And He brings us into His palace and makes us His sons and daughters. And
He establishes our feet in His grace so that we can never be taken away!
“and we rejoice in [the] hope of the glory of
God” --- Since we have all these wonderful things done for us through
Jesus Christ we can rejoice in this hope!
AND WE REJOICE --- (Gk. καυχάομαι) what holds the head up high. To
boast.
Where do
you boast?
IN THE HOPE OF THE
GLORY OF GOD
--- The Christian must rejoice and boast on this wonderful hope.
WHAT IS
THE FOUNDATION OF OUR HOPE?
The
foundation of our hope is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
4:23-25 But the words “it was counted to him” were not
written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who
believe [faith] in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who
was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
1 - Jesus’ coming to earth and His death took place at God’s initiative
(5:5-6; 8:32). The love of God for us in sending Jesus when we were His enemies
is the first layer of our foundation.
2 - Through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection we are reconciled with
God forever (5:1, 9-10; 8:33-34). We were justified (5:1) [the aorist tense and
passive voice indicate that it is done] – the just Judge will not go back on
His decision.
3 – Because of Jesus’ perfect life, the Judge declared Him righteous
through His resurrection (1:4). Now He is at the right hand of God pleading
with God on our behalf (8:34). Jesus Christ is interceding for His people and
as the perfect High Priest His prayers are answered.
God’s
initiative in sending Christ, our justification through the merits of Christ,
and His intercession on our behalf is the foundation of our hope.
Jesus
Christ is so fundamental to our hope that Paul calls Him our hope – I Tim 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ
Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ
Jesus our hope.
Is Jesus
your hope? Is Jesus your true hope?
II – THE CONTENT
OF OUR HOPE (V.2)
2 Through
him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand,
and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
HOPE --- (Gk. ἐλπίς) Hope is confident expectancy or the confident
anticipation of that which we do not yet see. Hope is the looking forward to
something with a reason for confidence respecting fulfillment. Expectation of what is sure.
FAITH AND HOPE:
Paul always
links hope closely with faith (Rom 4:8; 15:13; Gal 5:5; Col 1:23; I Th 1:3; 5:8).
Faith and hope can each be defined, but they cannot be separated!
“Like faith, hope is a trust in God despite
appearances to the contrary, for ‘hope that is seen is not hope at all’. But
hope and faith are not identical. The term hope places special emphasis on the
perseverance of one’s trust in God in the midst of continuing hardship.” (Frank Thielman, Theology of the
New Testament, Zondervan, pg 358)
Hope is
part of our faith. Hope without faith is not hope and faith without hope is not
faith.
Hope is
always looking to the future. The Old Testament hope was the eager expectation
of the coming of Christ.
The New
Testament hope is the eager expectation of our glorification – spend eternity
with Christ.
Hope [looks
to the future] is built on the faith [faith looks back to what Christ did on
the cross].
IT IS A GIFT:
Just as
saving faith is a gift of God, so is hope – II Thess 2:16-17 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our
Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts and
establish them in every good work and word.
If hope
is an expectation of what is certain, what can we expect with certainty?
v.2 “THE GLORY OF GOD” --- The glory of
God is the subject/content of our hope!
I believe
that Paul is referring to the glory of God in our glorification. The
glorification of the saints and the glorification of the heavens and the earth
– the New Heavens and the New Earth!
We can have
a sure expectation that what God has begun to do on the cross He will finish.
On the
cross God began the process of creating all things new. When the curtain of the
temple (which symbolized the old cosmos/creation) was torn in two, that act of
God was the declaration that through the death and resurrection of Christ a new
creation began to be formed – II Cor
5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The
old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Why do I
believe Paul is talking about our glorification? It seems that in 8:18-30 Paul explains what this means.
Rm 8:18-25 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this
present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be
revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for [hoping] the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the
creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who
subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its
bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 23 And not only the creation,
but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we
wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the
redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved [the hope of our
fully adoption and glorification]. Now hope that is seen is not hope.
For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not
see, we wait for it with patience.
Paul
describes our hope as the eager expectation of our full adoption. We do
share Jesus’ status as Son of God in this present age, but we will share it
more fully in the future - 23
And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the
Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption
as sons,= the redemption of our bodies (our glorification is the full
adoption and the full redemption).
The content
of our hope is the certainty of our glorification! Our hope is built on the
Solid Rock, the work, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And it (our
hope) is edified with the concrete and bricks of the certainty that we will be
fully adopted and glorified.
Rm 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all
things work together for good, for those who are called according to his
purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to
the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many
brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he
called he also justified, and those whom
he justified he also glorified.
We boast
and rejoice in the hope/the full assurance that God’s glory will be manifested
in our glorification.
- Galatians 5:5 For through the Spirit,
by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.
- Titus 2:11-14 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing
salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly
passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present
age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope,
the appearing of the glory of our
great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us
from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession
who are zealous for good works.
- Col 1:27 To them God chose to make known how great
among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ
in you, the hope of glory.
PAUL’S HOPE – THE RESSURRECTION AND GLORIFICATION OF OUR BODIES:
Paul’s hope
was to be with Christ through all eternity. His hope was the resurrection and
glorification of his body.
Acts 23:6 Then Paul, knowing that some of them were
Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, "My
brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. I stand on trial because
of my hope in the resurrection of
the dead.
Acts 24:15 I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both
the righteous and the wicked.
I Cor 15:16-19 For if
the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has
not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then
those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ
we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
And the sad
thing is that there are so many Christians hoping for this life only. They live
for this life only and they are the most pitiful people!
Christians
who are afraid of dying and the second coming of our Lord don’t fully know Christ.
Christians who are afraid of dying and being glorified have a serious problem
in their relationship with Jesus. Your destination is not here!
I Cor 16:19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ,
we are to be pitied more than all men.
For Paul this
hope was so precious and so important that he always talks about FAITH,
LOVE,
and HOPE
(I Cor 13:13; I Thess 4:13).
Not only
Paul but the other New Testament authors had their hope in the glorification of
our bodies: I Jn 3:2-3 Dear friends,
now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.
But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as
he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.
The content of our hope is the:
Glory of
God (5:2)
Glorification
of our bodies (8:30)
Adoption
(8:23) [see Exodus 4:22-23]
Redemption
of our bodies (8:24)
III – THE PROCESS of OUR HOPE (VS. 3-4)
3 Not only
that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,
4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
v.3 “Not
only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings” --- Not only do we
now experience peace with the holy, righteous, justly wrathful God. Not only do
we stand forever in His grace with full access to His throne of grace. Not only
do we rejoice in the hope of future glory. But we also rejoice in our
tribulations.
Paul knows
that some people will understand the justification, the peace of God, the
access to grace, and the blessed hope as a life free of problems and sufferings
right now. Some people in the churches in Rome would think that now they would
have trouble/problem-free lives, that is why Paul reminds them of the
importance and the reality of sufferings and tribulations.
I want us all to be reminded that our hope is
not a denial of the reality. Our hope is not a mental game. We don’t close our
eyes and pretend that everything is great. This is hopeless!
True hope
experiences the sufferings and tribulations!
Even though
we were justified and have peace with God we are still in a world that is
groaning.
Peace
with God doesn’t mean peace with the fallen world/cosmos. Peace with God
doesn’t mean peace with the Devil.
Because we
have this hope we can rejoice in our sufferings!
“rejoice in our sufferings” ---
Instead of complaining and murmuring we must rejoice in our tribulations.
rejoice --- It describes the neck which vain
persons are apt to carry in a proud manner. It means to take pride in something
or to boast over a privilege or possession. The idea is rejoice with
(appropriate) pride.
Paul is not
saying that we should laugh and be happy during the sufferings. He is not
asking us to grit our teeth and be stoical (one who is apparently or
professedly indifferent to pleasure or pain) about suffering. And he is not
saying that afflictions, in themselves, should be enjoyed. Rather, we are
asked to rejoice because of what sufferings can produce.
Can you see
your tribulations and sufferings as privilege to boast about? Can you rejoice
in your sufferings knowing that God is using them?
“Hope itself is like a star- not to be seen in
the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of
adversity.” (Charles
H. Spurgeon)
Even though
we have peace with God and we share Christ’s blessings we still suffer. That is
what Paul explores in 8:18-38. Hope is not a denial of sufferings!
3 Not only
that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces
endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.
“KNOWING
THAT SUFFERING PRODUCES ENDURANCE” --- Our sufferings and tribulations
have a purpose now. Since our relationship with God was changed our
relationship to sufferings also change.
ENDURANCE/PERSEVERANCE – (Gk. ὑπομονή) The root idea of hupomone is that of remaining under some
discipline, subjecting one’s self to something which demands the acquiescence
of the will to something against which one naturally would rebel. Hupomone is the ability to continue
working in the face of strong opposition and great obstacles.
Morris says,
‘hupomone is the attitude of the
soldier who in the thick of battle is not dismayed but fights on stoutly
whatever the difficulties.’
Our
sufferings and tribulations help us to grow in perseverance.
v.4 “and
endurance produces character” --- The perseverance under
sufferings and trials is what proves our character.
character (Gk. δοκιμή) --- Genuine, tried, approved
character. In secular Greek it was used to describe metals that had been tested
and been determined to be pure. The idea
of dokime is that when you put the metal through a fiery test and if it comes
out on the other side "persevering and enduring", you call the metal
proven, authentic, or genuine.
How can a
man or a woman be called a true Christian if she or he has not been tested?
v.4 “and
character produces hope” --- The word “produces” is used in
verse 3 and it means to work out or to achieve. So we can see that sufferings
and tribulations are working out our hope.
“Just as resistance to a muscle strengthens it,
so challenges to our hope can strengthen it”. (Douglas Moo, The NIV Application Commentary – Romans, Zondervan, pg 171)
“The Christian who has been tested has proved
God’s faithfulness and will surely hope the more confidently”. (Leon Morris, The Epistle to the
Romans, Eerdmans)
“The more a believer pursues holiness, the more
he is persecuted and troubled and the greater will be his hope as he is
sustained through it all by God’s powerful grace.” (John MacArthur, Romans 1-8. Chicago, Moody)
Suffering
produces character. Character (gradually growing into true manhood and
womanhood) makes us hope, for we see that the job is being done
Sufferings and
tribulations produce in us a better and proved character. Suffering helps us to
grow and see the grace and faithfulness of God.
IV – WHY OUR HOPE IS Unashamed (V. 5)
5 and hope
does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
v.17 “and
hope does not put us to shame” --- Paul wants everybody to know
that this hope will not shame you.
shame (Gk. καταισχύνω) --- Disgrace, frustration, and
disappointment.
What hope does not put
you to shame?
The hope
brought by the power of God in the Gospel of Jesus Christ in which is the
righteousness of God! The only hope that does not bring shame and
disappointment is the hope of the glory of God! The hope of our glorification
and eternity enjoying our Lord and Savior.
This
blessed hope does not put the believer to shame, but on the contrary, this hope
sets us free from illusion and despair. This hope doesn’t close our eyes to see
the world groaning, but it opens our eyes to see the future glory of God being
worked out through all things.
THERE IS A HOPE THAT BRINGS SHAME AND DISGRACE:
There is a
hope which will disappoint - it is an illusory, deceptive, and empty hope of
men instead of hoping in Christ.
Psalm 33:17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation.
[in ancient times horses where highly desired for battles] – You can change war
horse for money, government, education, houses… they are all false hopes!
Eph 2:12 remember that you were at that time separated
from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the
covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
Paul is
quoting the Old Testament here:
Psalm 22:5 In you they trusted/hoped and were not put to
shame.
Psalm 25:3 No one whose hope is in you will ever be put
to shame
Those who hope
in the Lord will not be put to shame, they ‘shall renew their strength; they
shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they
shall walk and not faint.’ (Isaiah 40:31)
WHY DOESN’T THIS HOPE BRING SHAME
AND DISAPPOINTMENT?
v.5 “because God's love has been poured into our
hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
“BECAUSE”
(ὅτι) – Paul now gives the reason why
this hope doesn’t put us to shame.
“God's love has been poured into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us”
God's love has been poured into our hearts --- He has not sprinkled. God has
not dropped a few drops of love, but He has poured! The Past Perfect tense
implies that it was a complete action with ongoing effects to the present time.
POURED OUT (Gk. ἐκχέω) It pictures a lavish outpouring to the point
of overflowing. In other words, God’s love is not rationed out drop by drop but
is like a mighty, endless current!
That is the
opposite of Revelation 16 where we see God pouring out His wrath upon those who
were not justified by faith!
Have you
received this outpouring of love? Have you experienced this outrageous love?
HOW DOES
GOD MANIFEST HIS LOVE?
“through the Holy Spirit who has been given to
us” --- The presence of the Third Person of the Trinity living
in us is the proof of His love and the assurance that our hope will not
disappoint us!
God has
loved us so much that He not only gave His Son, but He also gave the Spirit!
The Holy
Spirit in us is the proof that God will finish His good work in our lives.
Those who
are born of the Spirit (regenerated) have the Spirit and He is the guarantee of
our glorification!
People who
do not believe in the Perseverance of the
Saints, Christians who do not believe in the Assurance of Salvation, people who believe you can lose your
salvation have no hope at all! How can you have a blessed hope if you can lose
your salvation? How can you have hope if it depends of your own efforts?
Ephesians 1:13 In him you also, when you heard the word of
truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with
the promised Holy Spirit 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance
until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory [the Holy Spirit
is the guarantee/down payment that we belong to Him]; 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed
for the day of redemption. [Seals were used in the ancient world as the
primary way of indicating ownership – even slaves were marked with the
impression of the seal]
The work of
Christ was finished on that cross. His resurrection brought our justification.
His ascension brought us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the guarantee that
God will glorify us!
People have
blasphemed the Holy Spirit so much. People have no understanding of who He is
and what He has been doing.
The Holy
Spirit working in us, changing us, and transforming each one of us is the
demonstration of the Father’s love and the guarantee of our glorification.
Our hope is
built on the work of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit in us!
CONCLUSION:
What a
wonderful hope we have in Jesus Christ! That is the hope for America, for our
families, for the whole world. The hope of our glorification and eternity with
Christ is the hope that this world needs!
What a
tremendous and beautiful thing is the hope that Christ can give us:
1 – This
hope must encourage us to be holy – I Jo 3:3 And everyone who thus hopes in him
purifies himself as he is pure.
2 –This
hope protects our minds and thoughts when the enemy accuses us – I Thess 5:8
But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate
of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.
3 – This
hope is an anchor to our souls in the midst of the storms of our lives – Heb
6:18-19 so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God
to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold
fast to the hope set before us. 19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor
of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20
where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest
forever after the order of Melchizedek.
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May the
Lord God have mercy on you and give you this blessed hope!
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