Times of Testing Produce Hope

God always provides a way to get through. We intend to use the resources He has provided as a way to shine and hold of His way of salvation … even in times like this.

I believe what we are doing today is a great way to foster unity among brethren, locally and across the nation and world. It’s a great blessing my friends.

With this, I want to give consideration to . In this text we find three great realities that link us to God:

5.1 - peace.

5.2 - grace

5.4b-5a - hope

5.5b-6 - it’s all build on the great love of God.

We have an amazing anchor that secures us during every aspect of life … at every peak and through every valley.

God is always surrounding us, protecting us, and guiding us.

So, today we want to talk about how we are linked or connected to God.

First we’ll talk about peace, grace, and hope.

Then we’ll learn how this leads to rejoicing.

We’ll talk about what we do as we wait on our hope to be realized.

We’ll wrap up the lesson by talking about how times like the ones we face provide an incredible opportunity to shine.

Three Great Realities in Your Spiritual Life

5.1 - You are at peace with God.

The state of hostility between you and God has been removed because you have been justified by faith.

At the time you responded in faith and obeyed the gospel, you were declared by God to be righteous.

- When God declares a person righteous, peace is the result.

5.1 - we have peace … written in present tense. The same idea is presented in - Jesus is our peace.

5.2 - You stand in grace.

Note you have peace and you stand in grace. Both are available only through Christ.

5.1 - through our Lord Jesus Christ.

5.2 - through Him.

Jesus paid the price. He bore the punishment for your sin.

This is what gives you the access you need to grace.

Grace is the operative principle of the kingdom.

Your sin has been, is, and will be forgiven, forgotten, and removed. How is this possible?

- he always lives to make intercession for us.

- All the verbs in these verses are in present, active tense. What does the cleansing get us?

5.2 - access.

Word imagery paints the picture of our being ushered into the presence of royalty.

You dwell in the presence of God. You are in a place where there is no condemnation or judgment.

Your position in Christ is not precarious as long as your heart is aligned with Him. You stand in grace. You stand in forgiveness.

5.2b - You have been given hope.

Let’s review: we have peace. We stand in grace. 5.2b - this fills our heart with hope for glory.

Since the day of your salvation, the entire trajectory of your life has changed.

You’re headed for heaven. One day you will be in the presence of God.

You are headed for glory. Even now, you trust that one day you will be completely conformed to the image of Christ.

talks about the hope of our inheritance.

1.11 - in Him and of him. Note how Jesus is working all things according to His will.

1.13-14 - when we obey the gospel, we are sealed with the Spirit - who is the guarantee of our inheritance.

1.18 - notice Paul’s prayer - our hearts to become enlightened by the reality of our salvation.

The prayer here is not one that says, “I hope you hang on to it,” or “I hope you get it.”

It’s a prayer of assurance and confidence in a very present reality God has given to every Christian.

So, you have peace with God. It’s a settled fact, all made possible because of Christ’s work at the cross.

You stand in grace - present tense - grace abounds as we keep our heart with God.

You live in hope - future expectation - God will bring you to eternal joy.

Reality Leads to Rejoicing

5.2 - rejoice. Think jubilation; being ecstatic; happiness at the highest level of joy.

There is no fear in Paul’s mind.

He is secure. He’s living in full trust of the promises of God.

Trusting in the continual intercession of Christ. Embracing the Spirit who has taken up residence in his life.

5.2b - rejoicing happens because of the hope we’ve been given.

Hope in what? Our ultimate salvation and how that brings glory to God.

by being saved, we’re getting to share in the glory that belongs to HIm.

Every day we anticipate the glory that is to come.

Listen, there is so much more to come. We’re not what we’re going to be.

8.24 - hope that is seen is not hope. We’re being saved in anticipation of something we’ve never seen.

Something better. Perfect. Eternal.

This is so much more than what we have here.

Life is short, fragile, and tenuous.

Life is hard. It’s a struggle. We often deal with pain and worry.

Life hands out disappointments. It’s full of unfulfillment; shattered dreams; breakdowns in relationships; messed-up marriages; broken families; job loss; cancer; and death.

So we’re saved in hope. Saved with the expectation of deliverance.

We haven’t seen the ultimate end of our salvation. We’re looking to the future.

What Do We Do in the Meantime?

We keep our heads up. We refuse to bow in despair. We lean on our brothers and sisters. We depend on God.

5.3-4 - look at the teaching here.

The difficulties of life actually present a great opportunity for spiritual fruit to thrive.

What do times of challenge and change produce?

Endurance, character, and hope.

Endurance: “to remain.” We bear up under every circumstance. We keep going. Our direction does not change.

Character: “the state of having been tried.” We’ve been tested and we’ve remained true. We’ve stayed on track.

Hope: “confident expectation.” In this case, of a higher, better, eternal life that is absent of sin, disease, decay, and death.

The more we suffer the brighter our hope becomes.

God doesn’t cause the bad things, God works through the bad things to make us better and stronger.

Julia Kern: “Storms make trees take deeper roots.”

Your salvation, by itself, didn’t refine your character. That was the moment God planted something in you - regenerating you - giving you the capacity to grow.

It is the trials that do the refining.

This is why we rejoice in them.

Times like these are actually situations where God can use to sharpen our faith. We should rejoice in this because it makes us long for heaven even more.

Like no time in the history of our lives, we have an opportunity to shine! Here are some things you can do:

Rediscover what really matters, by slowing down and sharpening your focus on the spiritual.

Use this as a season of individual restoration and strengthening. What are some areas of weakness you need to shore up?

Seize the opportunity for greater unity and joint participation with brethren across our community, state, and nation. We need each other!

Embrace opportunities to serve through:

prayer

for those working to combat the virus - medical professionals and those on the front lines fighting the pandemic.

for those suffering with the disease.

for those coping with loneliness and anxiety from being shut in.

For peace/comfort/greater degree of trust in God.

digital communication. Since we’re maintaining social distancing, it’s a great time to learn how to use a computer … engage others via Facetime or video chat. Nothing more encouraging as your kind words of warmth and love.

Serving those in the congregation who are unable to or should not get out.

Do they need groceries or medicine?

Do they have errands that need to be run?

Conclusion

5.5 - our hope does not put us to shame.

God is not going to lead you along with a bunch of promises - only to deceive you at the end.

You have a hope that will not disappoint.

5.5b-6 - you are anchored to the amazing and immense love of God.

He did it all for us, even while we were not at peace with Him.

So, dear Christian, grab onto the hope you’ve been given.

If you don’t share in this hope, or if you have something on your heart...

If you need prayer … we encourage you to tell someone in your group.

Let them know so prayer can be made on your behalf.

If you are outside of Christ, and you want to put HIm on in baptism, call us here at the building and we’ll make arrangements for you to receive Christ.