HOPE HAS THE END IN MIND

START WITH THE END IN MIND

MICHELANGELO, NOT THE NINJA TURTLE, MADE A VERY FAMOUS SCULPTURE OF DAVID

HE WAS 26 WHEN HE WAS COMMISSIONED FOR THE PROJECT

HE CHOSE A SLAB OF MARBLE THAT HAD ALREADY BEEN WORKED ON BY TWO OTHER SCULPTORS

BOTH FOUND IMPERFECTIONS AND ABANDONED THE SLAB.

MICHELANGELO SAW SOMETHING DIFFERENT

IT TOOK HIM 3 YEARS TO COMPLETE

THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME A DEPICTION OF DAVID WAS MADE WHERE HE WAS A YOUNG MAN AND NOT A CHILD

IT’S ACTUALLY A DEPICTION OF DAVID JUST BEFORE FACING GOLIATH.

MICHELANGELO WAS QUOTED SAYING THIS ABOUT THE SCULPTURE “I SAW THE ANGEL IN THE MARBLE AND CARVED UNTIL I SET HIM FREE.”

“Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.”

TRANSITION: WHEN LIFE SEEMS FORMLESS, LIKE THE SLAB OF STONE BEFORE MICHELANGELO, WE BECOME SO FOCUSED ON TOO MANY DETAILS OR ONLY A FEW THAT WE CAN’T SEE HOW EVERYTHING WILL ALL COME TOGETHER.

SLIDE: HOPE HAS THE END IN MIND.

LAST WEEK I TALKED ABOUT HOW HOPE INVITES US TO LOOK UP TO GOD AND LOOK AHEAD FOR A FUTURE.

TODAY WE ARE GOING TO TALK ABOUT HOW WE GET HOPE AND KEEP IT.

READ: ROMANS 5:1-6 ESV

PAUL IS GOING TO TEACH US TODAY

VERSE BY VERSE WITH SOME POINTS ALONG THE WAY

VERSE 1

BY FAITH, THROUGH JESUS, WE HAVE BEEN JUSTIFIED AND HAVE PEACE WITH GOD

JUSTIFIED

BECAUSE OF JESUS, BY FAITH IN HIS WORK, NOT OUR, WE ARE DECLARED RIGHTEOUS.

IN THIS SAME LETTER, PAUL TELLS US THAT ALL FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD BECAUSE OF SIN.

PAUL UNDERSTOOD HIS BIBLE

Isaiah 53:11 ESV

Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.

PAUL KNEW WHEN THE MESSIAH COMES, MANY WILL BECOME ACCOUNTED AS RIGHTEOUS BECAUSE OF HIS ANGUISH.

PEACE

WE HAVE WHOLENESS WITH GOD THROUGH JESUS.

NOT A SENSE OF TRANQUILITY, BUT A RELATIONSHIP WITHOUT FAULT OR WEAKNESS.

ALL OF THE PROPHETS OF GOD CARRIED THE MESSAGE THAT PEACE WOULD COME WHEN THE HEARTS OF PEOPLE TURNED TOWARDS GOD AND THAT WOULD NOT HAPPEN UNTIL THE MESSIAH COMES.

THE PEOPLE WERE CONSTANTLY ENTICED BY FALSE PEACE.

AS LONG AS YOU ARE LOOKING FOR PEACE IN YOUR LIFE APART FROM JESUS YOU WILL BE DISAPPOINTED.

THE GOAL IS NOT INNER PEACE, THE GOAL IS PEACE WITH GOD.

VERSE 2

OUR FAITH, THROUGH JESUS, HAS GIVEN US ACCESS.

ACCESS TO WHAT? GRACE IN THE PRESENT.

WHAT JESUS DID THEN IS ABLE TO BRING GRACE INTO NOW.

NOT JUST NOW, THE WORD PAUL USES HERE HAS THE CONCEPT OF CONTINUAL ACCESS. GRACE UPON GRACE.

REJOICE

THIS IS NOT A BAD TRANSLATION, BUT THE WORD HERE IS TO BOAST.

THE CROSS IS THE VICTORY LAP, ENDZONE CELEBRATION, THE HARDWARE, ETC.

WHAT JESUS HAS DONE HAS GIVEN US A REASON FOR HOPE TO BE WITH GOD NOW AND FOREVER!

SLIDE: HOPE IS A MATTER OF NOW AND NOT YET.

HOPE IS NOT WAITING FOR US TO DIE. HOPE REMINDS US THAT WE ARE ALIVE NOW BECAUSE OF JESUS AND BY FAITH WE WILL BE ALIVE WITH HIM FOREVER.

WE TOO WILL ATTEND THE FUNERAL OF DEATH ONE DAY

READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 15:22-26 ESV

VERSE 3

NOW WAIT A MINUTE.

WE WERE SO EXCITED ABOUT THE DEATH OF DEATH.

NOW WE’RE SUPPOSED TO BOAST IN OUR SUFFERING????

SLIDE: THE RECIPE FOR HOPE.

SUFFERING

PAUL DOES NOT SAY THAT WE VIEW SUFFERING AS HAVING A GREAT TIME.

HE SAID THAT SUFFERING PRODUCES SOMETHING IN US.

SPECIFICALLY, SUFFERING FOR YOUR FAITH.

WE CAN BOAST BECAUSE WE KNOW WHAT GOD BROUGHT US THROUGH THE SUFFERING OF JESUS.

WE DON’T HAVE TO DESPISE SUFFERING BECAUSE THROUGH IT WE HAVE BEEN JUSTIFIED, HAVE PEACE WITH GOD, AND HOPE IN THE GLORY OF GOD.

SLIDE: GOD DOESN’T NEED GOOD TIMES TO GIVE GOOD GIFTS.

WHAT IS THE GIFT WE GET THROUGH SUFFERING? ENDURANCE.

YOU CANNOT BUY ENDURANCE.

GATORADE AND ENERGY DRINKS CANNOT HELP YOU IF YOU STAY ON THE COUCH.

THE ONLY WAY TO GET ENDURANCE IS TO EMBRACE SUFFERING.

VERSE 4

ENDURANCE PRODUCES CHARACTER.

SLIDE: CHARACTER DOESN’T COME BECAUSE YOU TALK ABOUT IT. CHARACTER COMES BECAUSE YOU ARE TESTED.

HOW TESTED IS YOUR FAITH?

HOPE

CHARACTER PRODUCES HOPE

SLIDE: TRUE HOPE HAS NO SHORTCUTS.

YOU WANT HOPE? YOU NEED TESTED CHARACTER THAT CAN ENDURE SUFFERING BECAUSE YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN ACCESS TO GOD’S GRACE BY FAITH THROUGH JESUS.

INVITATION

WE HAVE BEEN SO LET DOWN IN THIS LIFE BY SO MANY OTHER THINGS THAT WHEN WE READ ABOUT HOPE IN THE BIBLE IT’S HARD TO RECEIVE IT.

VERSE 5

THE HOPE THAT JESUS HAS MADE A WAY FOR US TO HAVE WILL NOT DISAPPOINT US.

WHAT MAKES JESUS DIFFERENT? LOVE

ALL OF OUR SUFFERINGS FIND THEIR PURPOSE IN JESUS’ SUFFERING.

HE DID THIS BECAUSE OF LOVE.

WHEN JESUS ASCENDED 40 DAYS AFTER THE RESURRECTION, HE DID NOT LEAVE US HERE TO FEND FOR OURSELVES IN SUFFERING. HE GAVE US THE HOLY SPIRIT TO ABIDE IN EVERY BELIEVER.

POURED

THIS WORD IS THE SAME WORD JESUS USED AT THE LORD’S SUPPER REFERING TO THE BLOOD OF THE NEW COVENANT.

SLIDE: THE LOVE OF GOD IS CLEAREST NOT THROUGH A GIFT IN A BOX BUT HIS SON ON THE CROSS.

VERSE 6

SIN AND OUR DESIRE TO SIN KEEP US LOOKING FOR OUR OWN PATH TO WHOLENESS AND HOPE.

WE REMAIN HELPLESS AS WE WANDER FROM GOD.

THERE’S GOOD NEWS.

WHILE WE WERE STILL WEAK IN OUR SIN, AT THE RIGHT TIME, JESUS DIED FOR US BROKEN AND WANDERING PEOPLE.

HOPE CANNOT BE ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE VERY PRESENCE OF GOD, AND THE GOOD NEWS IS WE CAN HAVE THAT HOPE TODAY AND FOREVER BECAUSE OF JESUS.

BECAUSE OF HIM WE CAN SUFFER IN THIS LIFE WITH HOPE BECAUSE WE KNOW IT WILL PRODUCE ENDURANCE. WE CAN HOPE WITH ENDURANCE BECAUSE WE KNOW IT PRODUCES TESTED CHARACTER IN US, AND WE CAN HOPE IN EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE BECAUSE THE LOVE OF GOD HAS BEEN POURED INTO OUR HEARTS THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT WHEN WE PLACE OUR FAITH IN HIM.

SLIDE: IS YOUR HOPE IN JESUS?

PRAY