Sermon Worksheet & Manuscript

Robert L. Hutcherson, Jr.

Quinn Chapel A.M.E. Church

                                        Sermon Preparation/Delivery

                                                      Romans 5:1-5

“Our Hope is Built…”

The Rev. Karla J. Cooper, Pastor

June 3, 2007

                                                     Trinity Sunday

Sermon Worksheet & Manuscript

TEXT

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Romans 5:1-5 NASBR)

BODY

As Christians Perseverance in our faith brings us closer to God.  We have the fulfillment of a direct relationship to him. Thirdly, it is understood that by our direct and intimate relationship to God we persevere because God is with us. If God is for us, who can be against us? And the fourth effect of perseverance is the strengthening of our own character.

The doctrine of eternal security, perseverance of the saints, the security of the believer or as some say, "once saved, always saved" is not only one of the most important teachings of the NT, its also one of the most liberating. There is nothing like the comfort, contentment, peace and joy of knowing that you are secure! That’s why I love that old hymn, "My hope is built on nothing less that Jesus blood and righteousness, I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus name."

In Romans 3, Paul declares that all men are sinners that "There is none righteous, no, not one." In chapter 4, we are taught that a person is saved not by being good, but by faith. Even Abraham the father of the Jews was saved because his faith was "accounted for righteousness" (verse 22). This was difficult for the Jews to understand because they came from a religious system that taught them they had to follow a myriad of rules and regulations to please God. Eternal security is often just as difficult to those who were raised in religious traditions that emphasize rules, dress codes, and strict adherence. They have trouble believing that God accepts them based on faith alone. We are "kept by the power of God through faith for salvation." We are not "kept" or maintain our salvation by our own weak, limited power to be good. Rather we are "kept" saved by the awesome, unlimited power of God. After we "trusted" in Christ for salvation, we were "sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise." As the Holy Spirit came to reside in us, He became "the guarantee of our inheritance," the earnest, the down payment, the engagement ring in our relationship with God. How long will we have Him? "Until the redemption of the purchased possession," until our bodies are glorified in heaven. "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."

We are eternally secure because we have the "hope of the glory of God." Our hope of eternal security causes us to rejoice. Eternal Security is Great Reason to Rejoice! Notice carefully Paul’s words at the end of verse 2. He says we can "rejoice in hope of the glory of God." What does that mean? The word "rejoice" here means "boast" or "exult." It implies celebration or jubilation! Think of it this way. God has promised us a fantastic future. Does He keep His promises? Of Course! What He has said, He will do. Paul said in Titus 1:2 that he lived "in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began." We can "rejoice in hope" because no matter how bad things are right now, God has promised they will be much better in the future. We can "rejoice in hope" because no matter how good things are right now, they can’t even compare with the "glory" we will know in the future! The promised future "hope of the glory of God" assures us that what God started in our lives when He saved us, He will complete in glory!

The security of our future is rooted in our past, it is not only true that you chose Christ, but also Christ chose you… long before you were born. Ephesians 1:4 says, "He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world." One of the great truths of the Bible is that whoever wants to be saved can be saved. Romans 10:13 tells us, "For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." Whosoever will may come! That’s free will. Another great truth is that God chooses those who come to Him. In fact, He chose them long before they chose Him. That’s election. Though these concepts seem to clash in many minds, they are both true. The Bible says that those God "foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son." Are we "conformed to the image of His Son" yet? Fully? No. Partially? Yes. In other words, we’re not through with that process. Get this important truth: God didn’t predestine us just to enter into a relationship with Jesus. He predestined us to be "conformed" to Jesus. That’s not yet complete! He didn’t just predestine the initiation, He predestined the completion! We are not predestined just to start, but to finish! We are not predestined to be incomplete, but to be complete! We learn that those who are "predestined" are those who are "called" and those who are "called" are also "justified" and those who are "justified" are also "glorified." Notice that all of this is in the past tense. Have you been "called" yet? Yes. Are you now "glorified?" Not yet… However, according to God’s Holy Word, we will be someday.

Again note the past tense. God is speaking of our future as though it has already passed. In His mind it has!!! We are eternally secure because God has promised that those He "foreknew" and "predestined" in eternity past will certainly be "conformed" to Christ and "glorified" in eternity future! Thus, our security in the future is rooted in our past! This is why Paul says in our text that we can "rejoice in the hope of the glory of God!"

We should praise God for our security. Eternal security is not just a doctrine to be studied, it is a reason to worship! We are at "peace with God" because of Christ’s work in the past. We "stand" in grace because of He intercedes for us in the present. We have no fear of the future because of the "hope of the glory of God." Look again at that word "rejoice." It means celebrate. That’s what worship really should be: a celebration of the glory of God. We ought to wake up every day celebrating our security. We ought to enter this house of worship every Sunday celebrating our fantastic future!

When a person retires, his co-workers usually throw him a party to celebrate his hopefully secure future. When a person is accepts Jesus, we ought to throw a party to celebrate their future too, for it is absolutely secure! Nothing in this world is absolutely secure. Banks fail. Stock markets crash. Jobs dissolve. Currency devalues. Accidents strike. Diseases spread. No one can be assured of absolute happiness in this life. Money can’t buy it. Relationships can’t conjure it. Drugs and alcohol can’t manufacture it. There is no real security in this life. The only security we have is our "hope in the glory of God." "the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope." "Christ in you, the hope of glory.” We are told to look "for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ." This "hope" is not just an emotional desire but is secure, it’s the "hope which is laid up for you in heaven." God has "begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." Jesus speaks of our hope in His priestly prayer in John 17:22, when He says, "And the glory which You gave Me I have given them." Hebrews 6:19 speaks of the security of our hope. It says, "This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast." Though we can’t always see it now, our future will be glorious.

Right now, though we have been saved, though we have our sins forgiven, though we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ, though we are redeemed, regenerated, justified and sanctified… we still live in the squalor of sin. We still live in fleshly bodies that still find delight in sin. Unfortunately we still give in to sin. Our "hope of the glory of God" is God’s solemn promise that someday we will be free from these sinful bodies, that someday our bodies will be glorified, fit for eternity like the resurrected body of Jesus. For, as Scripture says, "…we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.

For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." If you have accepted Christ, that means you… no ifs, ands or buts. You can bank on the security of the "hope of the glory of God." which causes us to glory in our trials. The word "glory" in verse3 means the same thing as the word "rejoice" or "exult" in verse2. It means exultant jubilation, rejoicing, and celebration. In other words, as believers we do not only rejoice because of the future glory that awaits us, we rejoice in the trials that come our way today! Just as we rejoice in our hope of the future, we can rejoice when trials come our way.  Verse 3 begins with the phrase "and not only that." And "not only" do we "rejoice in hope of the glory of God" but also we "glory in tribulations." Note the word "tribulation." It literally means "pressure." It was used to describe the process of pressuring the oil from the olives or squeezing the juice from the grapes. Everyday, you and I face "tribulation." We undergo stress or pressure. We get squeezed. We are not to be anxious or worry over it, we are to "glory" or rejoice in it!

"What?" you say, "Brother Robert, have you lost your mind? We’re supposed to rejoice about the pressure and stress in our lives??" You heard it right. We don’t rejoice because we suffer, but we rejoice in our suffering. When we as believers suffer we can rejoice because we know that no matter what comes, no matter how difficult life may become, no matter what devastating circumstances surround us, it can never take away the secure, promised future God has in store for us. Therefore, our suffering can never take away our peace. It can never steal our hope and it can never touch the joy we find in Jesus. If anything, suffering makes our relationship with our Lord that much more precious. When we get under real pressure, the oil of rejoicing, the wine of sweet peace flows from us. Accidents, death, disease all take their toll. Yet, I’ve never seen it steal the joy from a genuine believer. We don’t curse God, and we really shouldn’t question God because in our tribulation the hope of glory becomes all the more real. We rejoice in trials because they produce endurance. The end of verse 3 says that we can rejoice in trials because we know something. What we know, or at least soon learn, is that "tribulation produces perseverance." "Perseverance" comes from a Greek word that has as its root the meaning of cheerfulness. However, it is best translated "endurance." Put another way, the more difficult circumstances you face, the more you learn to endure. In a physical sense, the more we push our bodies through work and exercise, the stronger our bodies become. The more we stretch our minds with study and deep thought, the more intelligent our minds become. The same is true in the spiritual realm. The more challenges we face, the stronger our faith in Christ becomes.

We rejoice in trials because they produce character. Following this train of thought, Paul tells us that trials produce "perseverance" or endurance. Endurance produces something else… "character." "Character" comes from a word that means "to be approved or tested." Gold, silver and other precious metals are tried by fire to test them, to prove them as genuine or pure. So, the trials in our lives are like the fire that tests precious metals in that they prove us genuine. I think this term could be better translated "proven character." When we speak of pure silver we say it is sterling. When we go through trials we gain "sterling character." The pressure of the struggle melts away our impurities, our insecurities, our selfishness, and our flaws. So when we go through trials we don’t just throw up our arms and say, "I’m hanging on until I get to heaven." No, we rejoice in the fact that through the trials of life, God is at work, purifying us, refining us, and hopefully, teaching us.

We rejoice in trials because they give us greater hope. At the end of verse4 we learn that "character," that sense of being tested or approved itself produces "hope." Which puts us right back where we started. James 1:12 says, "Blessed is the man who endures temptation [trials]; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him." Do you see the principle: the greater our struggles, the greater our reward. So my encouragement to you is: don’t flake out in the midst of a trial. Keep on rejoicing. Keep on serving. Keep on giving. Live in the "hope," the assurance, the security of the rewards that await you.

Our Hope of Eternal Security causes us to overcome disappointment (verse 5a).

We will never be disappointed in Jesus. A retired schoolteacher went to a hospital to help a little boy who was a burn victim keep up with his schoolwork. She taught him about verbs and adverbs. She felt she had accomplished little. Then next day she received a call from the boy’s mother, "What did you do? He’s made drastic improvements." She didn’t know. Later the little boy said, "They don’t bother teaching kids who are dying. When the teacher came, I realized I was going to live.” We were dying in our sin…but when Jesus the Teacher came, we realized we were going to live. And remember, He came that we might not only have life, but have it abundantly! We are secure because of our hope. The NKJV translates the beginning of verse 5 "Now hope does not disappoint." I have never met anyone who has genuinely trusted in Jesus and been disappointed. No one has ever said to me "Jesus let me down." We will never be disappointed in our hope. We are secure because of our "peace with God," because we "stand" in "grace" and because God has promised us a "hope that does not disappoint." Let us rejoice and celebrate in worship as we live in that hope!

Let us pray…

CHILDREN’S LESSON

Order of Worship

Sunday June 3rd 2007

11:00 A.M.

Opening Hymn……………” My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less”,  Hymn 364

Doxology……………………………………………………All

Call to Worship…………………………………Bro. Robert Hutcherson

Hymn…………………………………..”Nothing But The Blood”, Hymn 405

Prayer……………………………………………Bro. Robert Hutcherson

Prayer Response………………………………….”Give Us This Day”

Scripture Reading………………………………Bro. Robert Hutcherson

Decalogue……………………………………….Bro. Robert Hutcherson

Gloria Patri…………………………………………….Congregation

Sermon…………………………………………..Bro. Robert Hutcherson

Invitation to Christian Discipleship……”Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus”,                                                                                        Hymn 440

Altar Call/Offertory………………………………………..All

Offertory Response……………………………”All Things Come Of Thee”

Affirmation of Faith…………………………………..Congregation

Benediction………………………………………Bro. Robert Hutcherson