A Hopeworthy God

Big Idea

Tension: How do Christians have a hope that leads to joy, both looking forward to the resurrection and in spite of today’s circumstances.

Resolution: because God has shown them his great love for them in the cross and resurrection of Christ.

Exegetical Idea: Christians have a hope that leads to joy, both looking forward to the resurrection and in spite of today’s circumstances, because God has shown them his great love for them in the cross and resurrection of Christ.

Theological Idea: The love of God in the cross and resurrection gives us an indominatable hope.

Homiletical Idea: Because God has shown his love for me in the gospel of Christ, I can rejoice in this hope.

Sermon

Intro: Now, more than ever, we need hope.

We have hope in the future glory

Abraham had a “hope against hope”

If we are justified like him, we can hope like him

Because of justification, we have peace with God (1)

We have access by faith into this grace in which we stand (2)

We rejoice in hope of the glory of God (2)

-and-

We have hope in our present suffering

1. We rejoice in sufferings (3)

2. Knowing that

- suffering leads to endurance (3)

- endurance leads to character (4)

- character leads to hope (4)

- hope cannot be put to shame (5)

3. Therefore we rejoice in our suffering because our hope cannot be put to shame (5)

Why? Why is it true that we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God and that this hope cannot be put to shame? Why does this hope give us such a reason for rejoicing?

Because: God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (5)

What is God’s love?

At the right time Christ died for the ungodly (6)

This is incredible because, people would barely die for anyone who is a good or righteous person! (7)

(but we are just sinners) (8)

But, by contrast, God showed his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (8)

Why does this love make our hope rejoice in God?

1. If God justified us by the blood of his Son, won’t he save us from the wrath that is coming? (9)

2. (after all, doesn’t he value the blood of Jesus?)

3. And, similarly, if God, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by his death, now that we are reconciled, won’t he save us in his life? (10)

[Argument from a conditional statement, if this then this; if the cross, then the resurrection]

4. Therefore, we rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ (he is the one who gave us reconciliation

Is this your hope?

Coronavirus is revealing your hopes

“My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus blood and righteousness

I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.

All other ground is sinking sand.”