Sun Apr 26 message on Our Hope: The Glory of God by Johnny
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5 NIV)
A The Relationship: an access to God (v1-2)
– Antecedent of we have peace is we have been justified by faith
– Before, we are empty, hard hearted & apathetic to God
– Yield arrogance & hard heartedness to God’s way
Emptiness > Peace with God
– Application: Do we all experience the peace of God? How does God give you peace through turbulent times in the past, present & future?
– Only can experience peace by inviting the prince of peace into your heart
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV)
– “Peace floods the soul when Christ floods the heart”
– “Access” to a privileged area (which is the presence of Christ) where we will be in His presence forever
B The understanding of growth (v3-4)
– Take courage in life’s challenges
– Life is a long & winding road
– We know suffering produces perseverance
– Rejoicing in our suffering is not (or should not!) be unusual for a believer
– Illustration: To enjoy lemon or orange juice: we need to squeeze out & disfigure the fruit
– In OT, affliction is viewed as a normal experience of a believer for our spiritual growth
Perseverance – Define: Staying power & capacity stay under heavy load. Describes attitude of overcoming (not doing nothing)
– Illustration: Running marathon, every step after halfway mark is sheer determination to persevere to cross the finish line
– Only a believer who has experienced & perseveres develops steadfastness
“The Lord gets His best soldiers out to the tests of affliction (?)” – Spurgeon
– We will face losses & walk through fires if ordained to do so by the Lord
– Illustration: Refiner puts gold in to remove all impurities leaving metal in the fire until the refiner can see his face in it
– Likewise we are shaped & refined by God becoming more & more like Him
– God chooses what we go through & how we go through it
– In English language, hope contains an element of uncertainty (may/may not happen)
Hope – define: want something to happen
– Simple but also profound hope of what God would accomplish through His plan
– Hope for believers in the Bible carries NO UNCERTAINTY
– The blessed hope that He is coming back (not the blessed maybe)
– Hope is God’s bridge that carries us from where we are to a deeper spiritual maturity
– Our believe, faithfulness & reflection
C The outpouring of God’s love (v5)
– Outpouring of His love which does not disappoint
– God’s redeeming love is outpouring
– Once we develop perseverance in Christ, we see the world differently
– The only way to have this kind of life
– When we celebrate the Lord’s supper, Christ took on burden none of us can imagine & had sweats drops of blood for us
– We have the assurance of blessed hope
Conclusion
– We have hope in the return of our Lord
– Exalting in tribulations which God uses to purify our character
– Deal with it through the blessed hope of the glory of our Lord