All right, if you wish to follow
along, turn to Romans, of course, chapter 15. Romans chapter 15. I'll give
you my title first before I read my passage, and it's only just
one verse for this morning. My title's this, God Fills Us
With Hope. God fills us with hope. Romans
15 verse 13. And of course Paul is continuing.
And he writes these words. Now the God of hope fill you
with all joy and peace in believing that ye may abound in hope. You see it? That ye may abound
in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost. A person or persons who's never
known this hope, this joy, and this peace has never been converted
by the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Most in religion have no idea
about this hope, this joy, and this peace. Now they have some
hope. but it's a false hope. And they have some joy and peace,
but it's never in the person of Christ himself. It's usually
only when they feel pretty good about themselves. So a person
or persons who has never experienced, never known, never tasted, you
might say of this hope and joy and peace, they do not know God. and they do not know God is because
they've never believed God. Because this says, now the God
of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing. But I can also say that those
who have experienced, who have tasted, who have known this hope
and this joy and this peace, if that hope, that joy and that
peace, and they're connected, they're connected, You're not
gonna have hope that's this hope and not have some joy and some
peace. It's just an impossibility. And if you have joy and peace,
but it's not in this hope, it's a false joy and peace. But I'm
not gonna try to prove what I'm saying right now. This is just
a prelude to my message. But a person who does know a
little bit about this, not just this academic knowledge, but
experiential knowledge, knows something of this hope and joy
and peace. hope and joy and peace wanes, or seems to become distant,
or what other kind of adjective or whatever the right word is,
if it just seems to kind of fade some. Now, let me say this, a
person who has experienced this hope, this joy and this peace,
it will never completely fade away. Because if it did, if it
did, it was all false from the get-go. But if a person does,
has experienced this hope, and this joy and this peace, and
it begins to fade. If that happens, and when that
happens, to me, it's because I'm not believing. It's that
simple. And yet, that profound. Now,
a couple things. Earl told us years ago, and he
said it more than once, God will not believe and does not believe
for you. Now he must enable us to believe.
But he does not believe for us. We actually believe ourselves. Now Christ died for us and we
had nothing to do with that. He was raised again, we had nothing
to do with that. And God must enable us to believe. It even takes resurrection power
for us to believe. But yet we still must believe,
personally, individually. And if my hope, my joy, my peace
ever does this in any way, it's because I'm not believing God. Now let me say this, not got
to the message yet. Unbelief. Now, if this happens,
this joy, this hope, this joy, this peace, does this, it's not
because I don't have enough faith. If you got faith as a grain of
mustard seed, you can remove mountains. So that's not the
problem. The problem is unbelief. See, when I say I'm not believing
God, I don't mean I'm just not believing God like I used to
or like I had before. It's filthy, rotten unbelief. Because unbelief is not the lack
of God giving a man or a woman belief. Unbelief is what we are
and who we are and what we do by nature. I told you what Earl said. This
is not a verbatim quote. Another preacher said this. God's fixed it so that any good
in us any good in us, he gets the credit for it. But he's fixed
it so that whatever bad is in us, we get to blame for it. And
somebody says, explain that to me. Ain't gonna do it. It's just
the way it is. God takes the blame for none
of the corruption that's in us, and he gets all the glory for
any glory that happens to be in us. Now, let's just glean
a few thoughts from this verse. Let me read it again. Now the
God of hope, fill you with all joy and peace in believing. That's the key means. He says
the key, in believing. If I don't have that, It's my
fault. You see what I'm saying? It's
my fault, but that's not my message. Now the God of hope fill you
with all joy and peace in believing that she may abound in hope. Abound in hope through the power
of the Holy Ghost. So again, let's glean a few thoughts
from this verse. First thought, now the God of
hope. You see that? Hope, this hope,
now there's false hope. Just like there's a false peace
in the Old Testament and New Testament. Bo says, men and women
will cry, peace, peace, when there is no peace. Now they think
there's real peace, but that's not this kind of peace. In other
words, hope, this hope resides only in and with God. If one of his creatures or billions
of his creatures has this hope, it came from him. Just that one phrase. Now the
God of hope. Hope resides only with God, that
is this kind of hope. Another thought about that, this
hope is not a wish, it's not an inclination. This hope is
a confident expectation based on the word of God. And for us,
it's this word right here. Only. God may give you a dream,
but don't you rely on it. Because you don't know for sure
if God gave you that dream or not. But we know this. God gave us this word. So again,
hope resides, this hope resides only in God. This hope is not
a wish or a mere inclination. Whether in God or in us, this
hope is a confident expectation in God Almighty's word. Second
gleaning from this, second thought. Now the God of hope fill you
with all joy and peace. Simple enough. Couple thoughts
here, three thoughts. Every believer, all believers,
are dependent upon God for this hope. We don't believe to get
God to give us this hope, okay? But the God of hope fill you
with all joy and peace in believing. The joy and peace itself is what
comes in believing because you have hope in the word of God. You see it? Because you have
hope in the word, God put that hope there. that ye may abound
in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost. So again, now
the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace. So every believer
is dependent upon God for hope. Hope is not what we work up.
It's not what we work up. If my hope does this, Joe, it's
not what I need to start reading more. Though we should, I cannot
say I don't believe, any believer ever read God's word and studied
God's word too much. You know what I'm saying? Too
much. Hope is not what we, when it comes down. If it does come
down, it's not a matter of doing more, it's a matter of believing
God. Believing God. It's not worked
up. Third thought about this. The
God of hope. fills believers with abundance
of these two majestic graces, joy and peace. And in our context, even in the,
now all joy and peace comes as a gift of God. If any man, woman,
boy or girl on the face of this earth, saved or lost, reprobate
or elect, has any kind of joy and peace, it's a gift of God.
because we live in a tumultuous, evil, corrupt world. So any moment of any kind of
joy and peace, it's a gift of God. But in the context of scripture,
this joy is this. Joy is delight, but it's delight
in God. That's the difference between
a saved person and a lost person. A lost person delights in the
thought that they might be saved. A saved person delights in the
thought of God. They enjoy thinking about God. They get this delight, this joy
in God himself. It's just, Amazing, I mean, I've
been reading the Bible for a long time. I've been studying the
Bible for less time than that. The more God's word shows me
about myself, the worse I feel. Even as a believer. It's the psalmist, the bones
which thou hast broken. But would God allows me to see
himself in the person, in the face of his son, there's delight,
there's joy, but it's peace. God knows this world could use
some peace, just peace. The Middle East could use some
peace. And I'm not going into this,
but God is having his way. God is having his way. And what
God is doing, I do not know, but I know he's doing it. But
here's the piece we're talking about, tranquility with God. Think of it, to be able to delight
in God and still be tranquil in it. He says, I punish iniquity unto the third
and the fourth generation. He basically said, I will not
acquit the guilty. Now if I see God only in that
light, there ain't no joy and peace there. When God says, I
hate all workers of iniquity, not just their works, like I
used to be taught. I was taught God loves the sinner,
but he hates the sinner's sins. That's not right. God hates all
workers, the people, all workers of iniquity, and I know I'm included
in that number. It's hard to delight in that,
but when you Read and God let you understand to some degree
that he's plenteous in mercy and compassion and grace and
redemption. That brings joy and it brings
a what? Tranquility. I've told you all this, others
I've preached for this. I'm trying to express it this
way now because it helps me. Maybe God will use it to help
somebody else. Just breathe, okay? Just breathe, because I, Paul,
you're right, the older I get, especially as a believer, I'm
not getting worse, but the more I see the corruption of my old
man. I don't know if it's because
when I was a younger believer, I was just stupid and ignorant,
or just didn't pay attention. but the older I get, the worse
I become. That's the way it feels. Now,
I'm not becoming worse, but the worse I become. Why? Because
I see more and more of it. And like one preacher said, a
lot of us think that, you know, we get older and we think, well,
we're progressing a little, you know, we're becoming a little
bit better. No, we're just getting too old
to do some of the stupid stuff we used to do. Right? But down in here, that old loss,
Those old thoughts, they're still there. They're not getting any
better. We may have experienced a little
ability from God to curtail some of these overt, outward things,
but all of that corruption's still down in here, or I wouldn't
think the way I think sometimes. Oh, joy? That is delight in God. And peace, tranquility with God. Now, when you have some tranquility
with God, you'll start to have some tranquility with other folks
that have some tranquility with God. You'll begin to love them. You'll begin to be glad to be
around them. Yeah. All right, here's a third gleaner,
a third thought. Now, the God of hope fill you
with all joy and peace? In believing, in believing. Three thoughts here. The believing
here, since connected to hope, that's confident expectation,
is a believing in particular. It is taking God at his word. In spite of what I see in here,
and in spite of what I see out here. Right? I mean, it's just
taking God at his word. Think of Jeremiah. Jeremiah was
told, You and your people, or at least the people, you're going
into captivity for seven years. And you can't, it's not verbatim. You're going into captivity for
70 years and no amount of repenting will change that. And that was
a part of Jeremiah's message. Now can you imagine having a
message like that? Now what does the old man say? Well I'll just
not repent then, right? Oh no, but a saved person, a
regenerated person, a gospel converted person, says no matter
what the outcome in this life, I need to repent. And as one
preacher said, I need to repent even of my repentance, because
I don't even get that right. It's taken God as his word, turned
to same letter here, chapter four of this, of Romans. And
you know this. This hope, this confident expectation,
this believing is just taking God at His word in spite of the
fact that everything else seems to be totally contrary to what
God promised in His word. All right, you there, Romans
4, verse 17, for the sake of time. As it is written, I have
made thee. Now this was before he ever had
an offspring. Do you see it? He didn't say
as it is written, I will make thee. He said, I have made thee
a father of many nations, before him whom he believed, even God,
who quickeneth the dead and calleth those things which be not as
though they were. That doesn't mean God lies about
things. That is, God knows far more about it than we do. In
spite of the circumstances around you, God is not bound by the
circumstance. He is the absolute creator of
the circumstance. And even if it seems to go contrary
to his promise, God's promise will be fulfilled. So here's
Abraham, told, I've made thee a father of many nations. Look
at verse 18, who against hope, believed in hope. Now it seems
to be a contradiction, right? But it's not when you think,
we're talking about the circumstance. Here is Abraham, he is already
what, 80, 90 years old. At least around 75 when God called
him out of the earth to the Galilees. He hadn't had a son or a daughter
yet. He has a wife that's almost as
old as him, and she's just not had a child. She has been barren. She couldn't have children. There's
no hope in that situation, right? Who against hope? Believed. in hope, but what, just some
fanciful wish? Or just maybe something might
happen one day? Mm-mm, who against hope believed
in hope that he might become the father of many. Now God done
declared him to be it. But in believing, remember it
says Sarah, when she believed by faith, Sarah received strength
to conceive. Ellen, I can't explain that.
But that's what God says about the matter. Is it not? Who against
hope, believed in hope, that he might become, and that is
actually experience this thing, we might say, that he might become
the father of many nations. According to that which is spoken,
so shall thy seed be, even before he had one. And when all the
circumstances seemed to demand that he, it was impossible for
him to have one. and being not weak in faith.
He considered not his own body now dead when he was about 100
years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. He staggered
not at the promise of God through a lack of faith. I think what
that says, was it? Through unbelief, but was strong
in faith. How? What's this mean? He was
able to make things happen? No. Giving glory and being fully
persuaded that what God had promised, God was able to perform. You see that? Therefore he had
hope. And I know he had a little joy,
he had a little delight in God, and he had some peace, some tranquility,
in spite of all that he could see with his eyes around him,
right? And being fully persuaded There's
not a religionist out there in free will religion that has that
right there. They are not fully persuaded
that what God has promised, he's able to perform. Because they'll
say, God's done all he can do. Now it's up to you. No wonder
they got no joy. No wonder they got no peace.
No wonder they got no hope. Because they don't believe God.
And therefore it was counted to put to his account. It was
imputed to him for righteousness. Now that's a decent story, ain't
it? We can say, boy, I can see how that back there just, that
was something, wasn't it? Now it was not written for his
sake alone that it was imputed to him, but for us also. to whom
it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our
Lord from the dead, who was delivered because of our, in light of the
fact of our offenses, and was raised in light of the fact of
our justification. We're not hoping for deliverance
and justification later. He died and accomplished it. That's the word for there. It's
not in order to get, but because of. Just like I've told you before.
Tim James gave this illustration, it just hit home to me. We see
the, especially years ago, you see the old wanted posters, right?
Jesse James, wanted for bank robbery. Now that does not mean,
as the Campbellites, the Church of Christ say, wanted so he will
go rob banks or trains, does it? No, wanted on account of
the fact that he has robbed the train or the bank, right? That's
what this for means here. who was delivered on account
of the fact of our offenses and was raised again on account of
the fact of our justification. That can let you. You know why? Because although
our offenses don't exist in God's sight, they still exist in us. And although they do not and
will never affect the way God feels for us, because he loved
us even before we even converted. send his son to die for us when
we're yet enemies. And although he will never change
the way he feels toward us, our feelings toward him often change,
don't they? They're like at best. Sometimes
they're, you know. At least that's my experience.
Now maybe yours is somewhat different. But even if it is, you ain't
no better than me. Let's just take God at His word. But here's
another thought on this thing. Now the God of hope fill you
with joy and peace in believing. This believing is not just accepting
Bible facts. That is what thousands of people
do when they come forward and pray the prayer, right? They're
just accepted Bible facts. Why? I believe in creation, I
believe in the virgin birth, I believe Christ lived on this
world, I believe he died for sins, he was buried, he raised
again, even ascended to heaven. The devil believes all that.
He knows all that. No. This believing is believing the
record God gave of his son, 1 John 5 verses 9 through 15. I'm not
gonna read it. If you wanna boil this faith,
this believing, that's where it's at. It's not being right,
making sure you're right about the millennium. Mm-mm. You're making sure you're right,
whether the tribulation is post-prayer, whatever. It ain't about that.
It's believing the record God gave of his son. It's a particular kind of believing.
Now here's the fourth gleaning, the fourth thought, that ye may
abound in hope. I don't know that I know how
to, describe this, I really don't. And I don't wanna try to give
an example of it, especially from myself, but I do think I
can say by God's grace that I know a little bit, a little bit about
being able, or having been made, because you believe God, to abound
in hope. When things just seem to be at
their bleakest, at their darkest, and you know you're guilty before
God, and you can't change it, you can't correct it, and yet
you know who was delivered for our offenses and was raised again
for our justification before God. I am rarely ever justified
in my own conscience. Although God did give me a good
one when he allowed me to see him who was delivered for our
offenses and was raised again for our justification. A conscience
that was so good that I could actually go into the waters of
baptism and say I will obey my Lord in this act of humiliation
before others. To go into a pool of water and
let some man hold you down underneath the water and bring you back
up. My flesh says, how stupid. How stupid. But even Peter says
the like figure and remember it is but a figure, but nevertheless
it is called, baptism is called the answer or that is the response
of a good conscience toward God. Now, if a person doesn't know
of this Christ who was delivered for our offenses and was raised
for our justification, if they don't know that Christ, they
didn't have no good conscience when they went into the water. Oh, to have abundance of hope
by God wrought power. Turn to chapter eight. We have
a chapter eight of this same letter. Chapter eight. For the
sake of time, let's read it, verse 22. For we know that the
whole creation groaneth and trevelleth in pain together until now. Everything suffers in this world
since the fall of our daddy Adam. Everything does. Animals suffer.
Plants get diseases. And then a plant gets a disease. And in some fashion, Jack suffers. It groans. And not only they,
but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
even we ourselves, grown within ourselves, waiting for the adoption
to wit, that is to say, the redemption of the body, to be done with
me out here. All this here and all this corruption
in here. For the redemption of the body, for we are saved by
hope. But hope that is seen is not
hope. For what a man seeth, what hath
he yet hoped for? But if we hope for that we see
not, then do we with patience wait for it. Likewise, the Spirit
also helpeth our infirmities, our felt weaknesses, for we know
not what we should pray for as we ought, and we don't. I mean,
can you imagine the parents of Esau praying for Esau to be saved?
Futile. It wasn't gonna change God's
purpose or God's mind, was it not? But I'll tell you what,
it doesn't mean it's wrong to pray for an Esau, because we
don't know. We don't know. God alone knows. Can you imagine a parent saying,
that old Jacob boy, he's a scoundrel. He's a rascal. Let him go, God. Just let him go. Fed up with
it. Ever felt that way about somebody
close to you? Let him go! Thank God our prayers
don't determine it. Likewise, the Spirit helpeth
our infirmities. We know not what we should pray for as we
ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with
groanings which cannot be uttered, and he that searcheth the hearts
knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession
for the saints according to the will of God. God in us knows
what's going on, even though we do not. So sometimes it's
just, Lord, I don't even know what to pray for, but I know
I need your help. And God, whatever you give me,
give me faith to bow to it, because it may not be what I expect or
what I want, but I know it'll be what you purposed. Now, Now the God of hope, fill you
with all joy and peace in believing. And remember, this is delight
in God, not in your circumstances. Tranquility with God, peace,
tranquility with God, not this world in which we live. Because
remember, for believers, his enemies will be those of his
own household. And when that hit home to me
years ago, that was a shocker. I know that verse was in the
Bible from the first time, when I was first born till I could
read. But I don't even remember anybody even teaching on that
when I was back in religion. If they did, it was just like
that. And if they did, they probably didn't even know what they were
saying. Oh boy, and that dawned on me. I thought, wow. No wonder
things happened like they did. Huh? Joe, no wonder in that place
called New Zion Regular Baptist Church, pardon my language, all
hell broke loose. You know why? Because a man's
enemies will be those of his old household. Why? Because Christ
said, I didn't come to send peace, but a sword. So let us believe
God. Even our Lord said, Father, I
thank you that you've hid these things from some folk. But you've
revealed it to others. Now I know people emphasize the
babes, and there's a reason for that. But the babes still have
to have it what? Revealed to them. They don't
know it naturally. They cannot know it naturally.
Consider the primary spirit's primary work. And I don't think
this ever stops. When he's come, he'll convince
the world of sin, of righteousness, and judgment. And he never stops
doing that to one of his own. Why? Because we steal. Well,
I see it because they believe not on me. Our chief problem
is not the deed we did, it's the unbelief from which it flowed.
the unbelief from which it flowed. His primary work is to convince
the world of sin, of righteousness. Why? Because I go away and you
see me no more. I don't really see true righteousness, even
right here. I certainly don't see true righteousness when I
wake up in the morning and there's that mirror and I'm looking right
here. I certainly don't see true righteousness there. I read of
true righteousness here, but I don't see it. Why? Because
the only man that's ever been truly righteous is seated at
the right hand of God the Father. And of judgment, why? Because
the prince of this world is judged. Satan may torment you if you're
God's child, but he can't have your soul. God may turn you over
to Satan for a time, but he can't touch your soul. Consider these culminating thoughts.
Should we not trust God for this hope? Even when everything seems
to be just falling apart around us? Should we not surrender to
God for this hope? He's doing right, even though
I can't explain how. Should we not just believe God? And as we're believing God, we
will never so believe God that we'll rise above our unbelief,
never. So I end with this last thought.
Acknowledge complaint for what it is. It's to murmur against
the God of hope. It's not just, well, I don't
understand. God didn't tell us to understand.
He said, believe me. Believe me. Father, may these
words, your word, not my words, but your words, these words from
your word, may they comfort our hearts. Strengthen us. Lord,
preserve us so that we will persevere. Be with us and keep us and guide
us. In Christ's name, amen.