HOPE – Jesus is Our Hope – Sermon 15 December, 2013

Jesus Is Our Hope

Romans 15:7-15:13

It is Christmas time; a season of great hope. Jesus our Saviour came to a lost world, and brought us the Hope of being found again in the grace of God. He came to a blind and a deaf world, and brought us the Hope of restored spiritual sight and sound, so we should see again and hear his voice again. It’s a season of HOPE.

The passage that we read this morning from Romans 15, looking particularly at verses 12 and 13, is full of information about the Christian hope. As we examine the statements that are made, we’ll see what it has to say, and I trust you’ll be greatly encouraged today.

Firstly, at the end of verse 12, Paul quotes from the prophet Isaiah and says:

1. “The Gentiles will hope in Him.”

Isaiah was writing here of Jesus (“the root of Jesse“). And the first thing we must note about all Christian hope is that it always looks to Jesus as its focus. He is the centre.

Our hope looks to Jesus:

A. For eternity

Proverbs 23:17-18 says: “Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord. There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.”

Our ultimate Hope is an eternity with the Lord – we believe in the resurrection of the dead, and that Jesus is coming again!

The Christian’s ultimate hope is not in this world. It’s a Hope of a better time and place.

But then, SECOND, our Hope does look to Jesus:

B. For this life

Not only do we have One who will walk through the veil of death with us – but we have One who is beside us every step of the way in this life. Our Hope is not in men and what they can do for us – it is fixed on Christ. Our Hope looks to Jesus. “In Him the gentiles shall hope!”

Then, notice, the first phrase of verse 13 which says:

2. “May the God of hope . . .”

This implies several things about our God:

A. His nature is hopeful.

God is, by nature, full of hope. He is a hopeful God.

Romans 8:20 says these remarkable words: “For the creation was subjected for frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it in Hope“. In other words, because of sin this world has been subjected to a process of deterioration God could have destroyed this entire creation and started again, but He didn’t. He chose instead to subject it to uselessness in the hope of His salvation plan coming to fulfilment.

He is the God of HOPE. When all others would have seen no other option but to destroy the world because of sin, the God of all Hope saw another way! By nature He is Hopeful.

Then, secondly, as the God of Hope:

B. He is the supplier of Hope to us.

As “the God of Hope” He is able to pour His hope into our lives – all the hope we’ll ever need. He is our resource in times should our Hope begin to fade and vanish.

If we’ve lost sight of our great hope in Christ, we must go to God. Ask Him to restore to us the Joy of His salvation – He’ll fill us with His great hope if we call on Him.

Then, thirdly, as we touched on a moment ago, not only is He the God of Hope by nature, and not only does He supply us with our Hope:

C. He has initiated the great hope.

Note that in the original Greek text, the word “Hope” here has the article. So it literally reads: “Now may the God of the Hope …” He is the God who has sent Jesus to bring salvation’s plan. God drew up the blueprint of this wondrous plan of redemption through His Son on the drawing boards of Heaven before the foundation of the world! He has initiated this great Hope.

He is truly “The God of Hope”.

Then, note the next phrase:

3. “…fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him“.

Have you ever heard some people talking about their hopes for the future, and all it seems to be is a reason for misery and discontent now? “Oh, one it will all come together for me. Then it will be wonderful. And I’m going to be miserable right up until that day!”

That is not the Christian position! We look forward to an eternal Hope that is far better than what we have here – but we’re not waiting for it miserably, full of discontent.

Because our hope is an absolute certainty we have Joy and Peace Now! Eternal Life for us has already begun! Romans 12:12 says we live “rejoicing in hope”.

Jesus words are clear that “Because the Kingdom of God is within you . . .” (Luke 17:21). And in Romans 14:17 it says: “. . . for the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit“. These are the things that are to characterise our lives – Not misery and discontent!

Our living Hope should keep us constantly in Joy and Peace.

Then, moving on to the next phrase of our text (Romans 15:13) we read:

4. “… that you may overflow with hope“

This word “overflow” means pouring out of our lives to affect others. The hope that we have in Jesus should be contagious!

The Early Church demonstrated this abundance of Hope. Whenever they would greet another believer they would say “Maranatha” – “the Lord is coming!” They expected Him daily; they lived in that hope.

“That you may overflow with Hope”.

Then, this brings us to the last phrase of our text – that you may abound in Hope:

5. “…by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

We receive this hope, and we live in this hope, we keep this hope alive, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Our overflowing hope is created and released in our lives by the dynamic energies of the Holy Spirit at work within us. It is the Spirit who enables believers to experience in this life the blessings of the life to come. We need this overflowing and abundant hope to carry us so the Spirit of God energises us with it.

Spirit-filled Christians ought to be the most Hopeful people in the whole world! For we claim to have the Spirit in the greatest measure.

I pray that we will be a people who: “. . . overflow in Hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”.

CONCLUSION:
We have seen five great points from this passage about this Hope we have as Christians.

The sight, the source, the serenity, the sufficiency and the supply of our Hope.

We receive this overflowing Hope by the Spirit’s power at work in our lives.

May our lives be characterised by Godly Hope. And may people be touched as they see in our lives “Christ in us . . . the Hope of glory”. Jesus is our Hope.

Krikor Youmshajekian