opportunity what a privilege
and as I said before a nervous blessing it's a blessing but
it's I am nervous but I know the Lord will provide let's open
to Romans 8 I'm sorry Romans Romans 15 8 15 8 I'm going to back up just a little
bit and start reading with verse 4 so we get a little context.
For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our
learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures
might have hope. Now the God of patience and consolation
grant you to be like-minded one toward another according to Christ
Jesus. That ye may with one mind and
one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Wherefore receive ye one another as Christ also received us to
the glory of God. Now I say that Jesus Christ was
a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God to confirm
the promises made unto the fathers, and that the Gentiles might glorify
God for his mercy, as it is written For this cause, I will confess
to thee among the Gentiles and sing unto thy name. And again,
he saith, rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. And again, praise
the Lord, all ye Gentiles, and laud him, all ye people. And
again, he saith, saith, there shall be a root of Jesse, and
he shall rise to reign over the Gentiles. In him shall the Gentiles
trust, or seek, or hope, in verse 13. Now the God of hope fill
you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound
in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost. You know, it's
easy to get down these days with all the troubles around us and
the hopelessness that is brewing daily. You know, there's no hope
for us in the economy. There's no hope offered on the
nightly news, is there, when we see the bad news all the time
of the pandemic victims and so on. Many people have lost all
hope in the suicide rate they say right now is skyrocketing,
partially because of the isolation that is prevalent because of
the pandemic. However, we do have hope and
faith that God has a purpose for this infirmity and that our
times are in God's hands, amen. Our times are in God's hands.
As our pastor brought his last message just the other night
on the prophet Habakkuk, we can see Habakkuk is full of hope
in very difficult times because judgment was coming. And he said
even when his life was falling apart, it was gonna fall apart,
he said in verse 18, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy
in the God of my salvation, The Lord God is my strength and he
will make my feet like hinds feet and he will make me to walk
upon my high places. Habakkuk had hope. He had hope
in this time, even though judgment was coming, even though, and
no telling what was going to happen, but yet he knew that
even though they wouldn't have food, it wouldn't have, his flock
would be cut off, no herd in the stalls, he said, but he had
hope that he was going to rejoice with the Lord and walk upon his
high places. The church at Rome here was probably
walking in some troublesome persecution right now at this time. Without,
there was persecution, there was probably the authorities
were after many of them. Inwardly, there was disharmony,
more than likely, between the Jew and Gentile believers. As
Paul writes in verse 5, in verse 5, Paul writes, Now the God of
patience and of consolation grants you to be like-minded one towards
another. according to Christ Jesus. And
verse seven, wherefore receive ye one another as Christ also
received us to the glory of God. So Paul expresses here a basis
of hope and what all true believers have in common. And that is,
I want to say that our hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our
hope is Christ. He gave me a good hope and it
is Christ himself. Christ is our hope. Christ is
our hope. Look at 1 Timothy 1.1. 1 Timothy
1.1. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
by the commandment of God, our Savior, and the Lord Jesus Christ,
who is our hope. He is our hope. Our hope is the
Lord Jesus Christ. And look back in 2 Thessalonians
2, verse 16, just a few pages back, 2 Thessalonians 2, 16. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself
and God, even our Father, which hath loved us and hath given
us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace. Comfort your hearts and establish
you in every good word and work." The word hope is mentioned 130
times in the Word of God, more or less. It's a vast subject.
a vast subject throughout the Old and New Testament. Many Old
Testament Hebrew words are revealing confidence, strength, expectation,
refuge, rescue, my rock, and my fortress. In different Hebrew
words throughout, all translated that word hope. I want to look
at hope in relation to the grace of God. Because that verse right
there kind of gives it away, doesn't it? It says, He hath
given us an everlasting consolation and good hope through grace.
Through grace. And so I want to look at that
as it pertains to grace of God and specifically how it relates
to the Christian life now and eternally through our Lord Jesus
Christ. Number one, Christ is our hope throughout life. There's
no hope without Christ. Job said, what is the hope of
the hypocrite? Though he hath gain when God
taketh away his soul. Lost people stumble around in
darkness, don't they? I remember what it was like.
They stumble around in darkness, and they walk forward at that
carrot dangling in front, like the mule dangling in front of
them. The old devil is just dangling something in front of them, and
they walk forward and try to get that, and it keeps moving,
but they keep walking forward. And so, we once lived life in
darkness that way. And I think sometimes we forget
what it was like. We were sometimes darkness, the
Bible says. We were darkness, but now we
are light in the Lord. Now you're light in the Lord.
And in Titus 3, Titus 3, you're close there. Why don't you look
there? Titus 3, verse 3. Titus 3, verse 3. For we ourselves also were once,
were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving diverse lusts
and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hating, hateful and
hating one another. You know, all our hope was ambition,
wasn't it? All our hope in those days was
ambition, was materialism, was a lust to have more, And thank
God he brought us, he crossed our path with the preaching of
the gospel of grace. Praise God that he brought us
to hear the gospel of grace, the preaching of Christ and him
crucified. When the Lord Jesus anointed
our eyes with eye salve and we began to see and we understood
through the revealed word of God and through the preacher
of grace that God loved us with an everlasting love. And unlike
the world, we didn't ignore that because the Lord was drawing
us to himself and that he had entered into a covenant agreement
to save a people for his name. These people, you and I, were
given to Christ our Lord by God in that eternal day. Psalm 2
7 says this and you you know this verse so we don't have to
look there But he says I will declare the decree the Lord said
unto me thou art my son This day have I begotten thee? Ask
of me and I shall give thee the nations for thine inheritance
and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession You
see we were given to Christ in that eternal covenant and that
eternal day. I when he gave them to himself. In John 17, he said, as thou
hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal
life to as many as thou, O Lord, hast given unto him. The Lord's
in that high priestly prayer. God made a covenant of grace
before the foundation of the world, and in that agreement,
we were in the Lord Jesus Christ as he covenanted to do all that
was necessary to secure us as his people. What I'm saying, first of all,
is that our hope is not just in wishful thinking. It's not in wonderful Bible stories
and warm thoughts of our childhood and being brought to church and
fond memories, even as good as those things are, as great as
those things are. But our hope is based upon a living Savior. who is God in the flesh, and
he came in the world to save his people by paying the price
to free us. Hebrews 1.3 states it like this,
Hebrews 1.3, who being in the brightness of his glory, of God's
glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding
all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself
purged our sins, purged our sins, washed them away, He sat down
at the right hand of the majesty on high. That hope is based upon
the everlasting covenant sealed in the blood of the Lord Jesus
Christ. In Hebrews 13, 20, now the God
of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that
great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting
covenant, the everlasting covenant of grace. He was made flesh to
work out that covenant agreement and to complete that work of
redemption that his father had given him to do. He said, behold,
I and the children whom thou hast given unto me. He became
bone of our bones, flesh of our flesh to destroy death, to disarm
Satan, to nail that law of commandments that were against us to his cross,
taking them out of the way. fulfilling them and dying at
the hands of that broken law that we broke to bear our curse. That's what he did for us to
purchase a people. for his name. The Bible says,
for verily, he took not on him the nature of angels, but he
took on him the seed of Abraham. And that brings us to our text
right here. That brings us to a text right here because our
hope, number two, first, our hope was in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Secondly, our hope is anchored in the promises revealed to the
fathers. And that's what our text states.
Look at 15 verse eight. Now I say that Jesus Christ is
a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God to confirm
the promises made to the fathers. What promises is he referring
to here? That our Lord, as the second person of the Trinity,
took on him the seat of Abraham when he took in union with himself
that body that was prepared for him in the womb of the Virgin
Mary. Hope came down. That's what we
think about that in this time right now, right? The hope came
down for us at Christmas when the Lord came down, hope for
a future came down. Zacharias said, through the tender
mercy of our God, whereby the day spring from on high has visited
us to give us the knowledge of salvation unto his people by
the remission of their sins. the day spring from on high. He was promised in Genesis 22,
18, and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.
Paul says in Galatians 3 that this is Christ Jesus our Lord.
He says that seed is actually seed singular, meaning a particular
person who would come, our Lord Jesus Christ. And that blessing
is the blessing of salvation to elect Israel and to spiritual
Israel. That's where the eternal covenant
was stated to Father Abraham. And then pass it down to Isaac
and then Jacob and Jacob passed it to Judah, because in Genesis
49, 10. Jacob speaking here, the scepter shall not depart
from Judah nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh
come. And the word Shiloh is that name
for peacemaker, till the peacemaker come, the one who made peace
with us between us and the father, made peace to bring us together. Until he come and unto him shall
the gathering of the people be. David also mentioned this, you
know, he says the promise of the fathers, just mentioning
a few of them that he would be referring to here, and one would
be in 2 Samuel 7, 12, where he says, I will set up thy seat
after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will
establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my
name. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever,
and thine house and thy kingdom shall be established forever
before thee. Thy throne shall be established
forever." I like the way Peter preaches the promises of the
fathers in the end of Acts chapter 3. It's very interesting. He
brings out several of these promises in that sermon in Acts chapter
3 towards the end. And he also brings out Moses,
referring to the prophet that the Lord would raise up. And
so he says, now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the
circumcision for the truth of God to confirm the promises unto
the fathers. And so Paul in our text is saying
here that the promises to the fathers were confirmed in the
Lord Jesus Christ, that he was made a servant or a minister
to fulfill his prophetic role as a descendant of the line from
Adam through Jacob, through Judah, through David. In Romans 1 3
you can we can turn over there Romans 1 3 because we're here
in Romans, right? So what Romans 1 3 look what
look what he says here about the Lord Jesus Christ referring
to the gospel of Christ He says in verse 3 made of He
says, concerning his son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, which was made
of the seed of David, according to the flesh. Our hope is based
upon that seed of David and Abraham that can be traced as he fulfilled
all those prophecies and promises. Paul stated Romans 15.4 back
here in our text. Go back to Romans 15.4. Look
at this. He says, for whatsoever things
were written aforetime were written for our learning that we through
patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. We might have
hope because that hope is based upon the promises that were fulfilled
in that seed in the Lord Jesus Christ as he came in the world
to do the work that his father had given him to do and to finish
his work. My, that'll give you hope. And
so let's go on. Also, not only that, but look
at 15 verse 9. 15, chapter 15, verse 9 of Romans. And that the Gentiles might glorify
God for his mercy, as it is written, for this cause, I will confess
thee among the Gentiles and sing unto thy name. And so if you're
a Gentile today, which just about all of us are, I'm sure, If you're
a Gentile, you can look back and see that we were without
hope and without God in the world. And look over here, for example,
in Ephesians chapter two, Ephesians chapter two, not too far away.
Look at verse 11 and 12. Ephesians chapter two, verse
11 through 12. Wherefore, remember that you
being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called in
circumcision by that which is called the circumcision in the
flesh made by hands. In that time you were without
Christ, being aliens of the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from
the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the
world. We were without hope and without
God in the world being strangers of the covenant of the law and
circumcision outside the nation Israel to where the blessings
were coming. The law was a barrier that kept
us Gentiles at arm's length and strangers that were only admitted
as proselytes. We were considered as brute beasts
and dogs without hope. John Gill says that the Jews
considered him with no hope as a brute beast. A common saying
among them that that he who dwells without the land of Israel is
like one who has no God. We were without hope. We were
without hope because we were outside the camp, right? We were
outside of the nation of Israel, but praise God, we were not outside
that eternal covenant of grace because Christ came to confirm
those promises and that the Gentiles would hope in him." Now, he gives
four scriptures confirming that. He's bringing this out strongly,
strongly in this one. And one of them is Isaiah 11,
1 and 10, in verse 12, where he says again, there shall be a root of Jesse,
and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, in him shall
the Gentiles trust," or a word here, it could be translated
hope, and also in Isaiah is the word seek, and consolation. is mentioned there. And so, but
look at this. We had no hope. We were outside
of the covenants, right, of Israel, but we were not outside the covenant
of grace because in Ephesians 2.13, Ephesians 2.13 says this,
but now in Christ Jesus, you who sometimes were far off are
made nigh by the blood of Christ. Christ our Lord broke down that
barrier that kept us divided from national Israel, which was
the law, and also that barrier that kept us at enmity with God,
which was our sins, when he washed our sins away with his precious
blood. And he goes on to explain that in the rest of that chapter,
which we had time. But you know, what I want to
read is that Romans 5.10, it talks about our enmity with God.
Romans 5.10 says, for if when we were enemies, For if, when
we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son,
much more than being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."
We shall be saved by His life. He lives. and we're saved by
His life, by His high priestly work. He ever lives to make intercession
for us. So I wanna say that our hope
is based upon the promises and the word of God that the Lord
Jesus fulfilled and not in our promises to obey that we could
ever complete. By grace are you saved through
faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of
works that any man should boast. You see, we have a good hope
through grace, through grace. Why? Because the Bible says salvation
is from him. Remember, it says, for of him
are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and
righteousness and sanctification and redemption. We have a good
hope through grace. And number three, it is by the
regenerating power of the Holy Spirit is that hope born in us. Look in 15 and verse 13. 15 and verse 13. Now the God of hope fill you
with all joy and peace and believing that you may abound in hope through
the power of the Holy Ghost, now that God of hope fill you
with joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope through
the power of the Holy Ghost." Notice he says the God of hope.
You know, when the Spirit granted us faith, the noun of that word
believing, and granted us life through redemption, We have peace
with God and the peace of God. We had joy and we look forward
to life change. You see, hope is always looking
forward. But I like this word, the God of hope, the God of hope. John Gill makes a comment on
this, I think it's pretty good. This word, the God of hope, this
compound with our Lord, the God of hope, is taken from the latter
part of Romans 15, 12, and is occasioned by, in him shall the
Gentiles trust, or in him shall the Gentiles hope. And you see,
he's the God of hope. And it's proper for God, as he
is the author and giver of this grace, for naturally men are
without it, That which is a good hope is a gift of God and through
his grace and is wrought in the heart in regeneration for to
this are the children of God begotten again. Moreover, God
is the object of it, he says, not wealth or riches, not works
of righteousness, but Jehovah, the Father, the Son, the Spirit,
particularly Christ, is called the believer's hope. That is
the object of it in whom the Gentiles hope and trust. Likewise,
it is God that encourages to the exercise of it by the proclamations
of His grace and mercy and plenteous redemption by the discoveries
of His love and the views of interest in Him and by bringing
to mind the past experience of His goodness. He preserves it
and He maintains this grace in us. God calls us to hope. to have a good hope through grace
because he is the God of hope. And he calls us to hope in his
mercy when he passed by and said, live. And when he called us out
of darkness to his marvelous light, when he gave us life from
the dead. What is the result of this hope
brought on by faith? And that is brought on by believing
as our text says, as our text shows here, joy and peace, which
are the fruit of the spirit, joy and peace. And not only that,
but transforming power, transforming power we have. We have a whole
new purpose to live for God's glory. Don't you remember when
that was, when you had a whole new purpose because you knew
you were saved by grace and you had a whole new purpose for God's
glory? That brings me to my fourth point.
Not only is my hope in Christ based upon the promises revealed
in the word of God, of Christ, not only is it sovereignly actuated
by His grace through the spiritual power upon my blinded dead heart. Not only is it is actuated through
the spiritual birth, but also that it has a purpose and that
He begins a work in us and will carry it on to completion. Or
like Philippians says in Philippians 1.6, he will perform it to the
day of Jesus Christ. I have a reason to live for his
glory and to bear fruit as I live and hope that God will work his
work in me. It's an active working that goes
in our lives. Ephesians 2.10 says this, for
we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
He's continually working to produce his fruit, the fruit of the spiritual
character, the fruit of obedience. following Christ. We're not safe
to sit, we're safe to shine as lights in the world. First of
all, he mentions a few fruits of the Spirit right here. He
mentions love, I mean he mentions joy and peace and faith and he
exhorts them to be in unity which would be love You see, he's exhorting
them towards the working of Christ in their heart. The fruit of
the spirit would be the first one as we shine as lights in
the world. We abide in the vine and our
union with Christ will breed Christ likeness. And I wish I
could go through some of these scriptures, but you know, one
of them is Galatians 5, 22 and so on, where he talks about all
those fruit of the spirit, the patience, gentleness, goodness,
meekness, self-control. and so on, but also if you could
just write this one down, and our time is not permitting us,
but Ephesians 4.24 and following right there to the end of the
chapter, Christ's likeness in action, the working of the new
man who was created in righteousness and true holiness, and he goes
on, Paul goes on in that passage talking about how would that
look in our lives as we work that out. And then secondly,
or thirdly here, your ministry as light. He also, Paul also
said once, he said, according to my earnest expectation, my
hope, that in nothing I would be ashamed, but that with all
boldness, as always, so now also, Christ shall be magnified in
my body." You see how it's forward-looking? You see how it's hopeful, looking
for works that God would do through him? He said, whether it's by
life or by death, for to me to live is Christ and to die is
gain. He looks forward to that boldness that he would have in
Christ. And past victories breed confidence that God's grace is
effective in my life, and it breeds hope for future grace.
for future abilities, would probably be the word, to go through the
things, the hard times ahead. It may be ability to suffer bad
working conditions. It could be that. It could be
ability to humble ourselves and apologize in family relations. It could be in that way how Christ
works that out in our lives. It may be grace to step out of
your comfort zone and pass out literature and talk to some strangers
or co-workers about the gospel. It could be the ability to disciple
a new believer. It could be the courage to reconcile
with a neighbor or a co-worker or a or someone that you knew
that was a friend at one time. But David said in Psalm 71, he
says this, Oh God, thou has taught me from my youth and hitherto
have I declared thy wondrous works. Now also when I am old
and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not until I have showed thy
strength unto this generation and thy power to everyone that
is to come." You see his hope there. He knows that the Lord's
not through with him. And also tribulations produce
hope. Look back in Romans 5, 3. Romans
5, 3, quickly. We glory in tribulations also,
knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience,
and experience hope. And hope maketh not ashamed,
because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy
Ghost, which is given unto us." And I like this one here, and I've
got to include it, which is Psalm 42, and it would be a memory
verse as well. The psalmist, when he was in
captivity, he was far away from the temple in Zion. And he says,
Why art thou cast down, my soul? Why art thou cast down, O my
soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God,
for I shall yet praise him. I shall yet praise him for the
help of his countenance." And he goes on to say, who is the
help of my, he says, I'll praise God who is the help of my countenance
and my God. There's a movement in that where
he goes even farther in the positivity of that, that he is hoping on
God. He is looking forward to where
he will again Meet in Zion with with those that go to worship
the Lord even though he can't be there now So that's that's
hope so then Then the lastly Christ is also the blessed hope
and this is many times in the scripture and in many people
Focus on this only and forget about the present hope that we
have for for daily life as well But I like Paul's exhortation.
Let's turn to Titus Titus 2 and 11 through 14, where he shows us
in Titus, he shows us as redeemed by the grace of God and a purified
people for his own possession, zealous of good works and looking
to heaven for that blessed hope. And look how he puts it here,
he says, for the grace of God that bringeth salvation has appeared
to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly
lusts We should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this
present world, looking for that blessed hope, the glorious appearing
of our Lord and Savior. And that's the ultimate hope,
right? Of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. who gave himself
for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify
unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." You see
how he's using those two forms of the word, at least the acting
out of the one form of the hope and then looking for the blessed
hope, the coming of the Lord. The acting out would be in ministry,
denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, live soberly, righteously
and godly in this present world, and then looking for that redemption
through Christ. They're both working together
in that verse. And so hope is the appearance of Christ as our
Redeemer of this body, either when He comes to get us, Or we
go first to be with him and then come again to get our bodies.
So I want to say this and I'll say this in closing. We live
our Christian lives with our hope, which is Christ, Christ
Jesus, our Lord, who works in us to produce his fruit while
we keep our eyes upon that blessed hope, the hope of a soon coming
savior, the redemption that will lead us to the hope of inheritance. in that we see Christ our Lord
face to face and he says, now the God of hope fill you with
all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope through
the power of the Holy Ghost. Thank you. Kevin, can you come
and lead us in a song?