Romans 12:12
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 10 viewsNotes
Transcript
Intro:
Intro:
Body:
Body:
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
Joyful in hope
Patient in affliction
Faithful in prayer
The joy is in Jesus
The hope is for Jesus
The tribulation is with Jesus
The constant prayer is through Jesus to God the Father
Tribulation/Afflictions:
Tribulations is a formal word for severe difficulties, distress or suffering
Tribulation differs from the other things mention here and surrounding- love, joy, hope, patience
These are things that we experience or do- but tribulation is that is done to us or happens to us
Love, joy, hope and patience- these are virtues that by God’s grace toward us flow out of our lives as morally good things
Tribulation is not a virtue- it is not a moral act
Tribulation is- the environment where all the virtues happen
It’s the environment- that is to say we live in tribulation- sickness, chaos, death and unique to the believer- persecution for the faith
We need to understand that tribulation is normal and to be expected- so let’s not act surprised when we experience it.
Paul taught the churches he established Acts 14:22
strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.
Peter taught the church 1 Peter 4 12
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
This is normal in the fallen world in which we live as Paul describes in Romans 8:23
Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.
This is the setting where our love and joy and patience and prayer are exercised
Joy, Tribulation, and Endurance woven together:
This is not the only place the Paul weaves these things together- he does so in a way that helps us understand how they relate to each other in Romans 5:1-5
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 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. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 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.
Highlights
vs 2- rejoice in hope- same language used in 12:12
vs 3-5- rejoice in our sufferings- sufferings = tribulation- sufferings or tribulations produce endurance- which produces hope
Here we see that Christian joy and hope and patient endurance are not found absent tribulation but that they exist in spite of tribulation
Here is what Paul does with tribulation- if you catch nothing else to take away from this this morning maybe you need to catch this
Paul flips the script on tribulation- Paul doesn’t just tolerate tribulation He makes it serve the Christian
That is to say he doesn’t just say put your head down and get through it- no he uses it for growth in the Christian- Romans 5:3-5
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 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.
He turns tribulation from the master into the slave- he takes that which Satan means for destruction and allows God to turn it for good
To many of us allow the afflictions and tribulations that we experience- to master us- they dictate what is produced in us how we act, and feel
But not Paul- for Paul tribulation drives the root of his joy deeper into God
Rejoice in Hope:
It looks like hope is the soil or the rock in which joy is rooted- the ground in which joy grows
Same language is used in both Romans 12:12
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
and Romans 5:2
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.
Why is this important for us to see and understand?
For this Christian this hope as the anchor of our joy means that it can go really bad for us and yet not rob us of our joy, because it’s the joy of hope- its the hope of the glory of God- a future glory that is to come in the presence of Christ after death
That hope is grounded in in the truth of Romans 5:1-2
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.
we have been justified through faith- through we have peace with God- through whom we have gained access into this grace
And Romans 5:6
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
That is the ground or grounding of hope
And the Goal of hope the glory of God
Paul makes this declaration in 2 Corinthians 4:17
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
What will wipe away every tear from the eye? The experience of seeing and savoring the glory of God
When we grab hold of the idea- when our joy anchors itself to that hope then there is no earthly affliction can take away our joy because we understand that its working for us
Se again there how the script has been flipped- the tribulation is working for us- it does not have mastery over you
One final comment on this as we think about the relationship between our joy anchored in hope that is grounded in our justification by faith in Jesus with the goal of seeing and savoring Gods glory in an environment of tribulation
The tribulations drive the roots of joy in that hope deeper- think of how some dry weather for corn can be good- it drives the root system deeper so that when the wind begins to blow it stands stronger
“Rejoice in Hope”- in times of noting then we stress that the joy overflows from hope not from present good times because times are not presently good- so in these times we can either give up on joy or get it from our hop
“Rejoice in Hope”- in seasons when pleasure abound- then we need to be reminded that they all point to the Creator and the ultimate goal of pleasure is seeing and savoring Christ himself
Let me offer one more example of what Romans 12:12 looks like applied and lived out- go with me to Hebrews 12:1-3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Constant Prayer:
How do we get to this joy- the joy of hope- the hope of the glory of God- a future glory that is to come in the presence of Christ after death- that produces a patient endurance in tribulation
We get there through constant prayer
Its not constant in that we are praying every moment but better under stood as persistent in prayer- is something that we do regularity- its habitual
This is opposite other words that might describe our prayer life like random, occasional, sporadic etc.
Paul is calling Christians to make prayer a regular, habitual, recurring discipline in our lives- not something we use to fill in the crack
Here is the prayer- Paul prays and I think is applicable for us this morning- Ephesians 1:15-23
For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
