The Holy Trinity, Wednesday

1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Introduction: People today need hope. Some say we live in a “hopeless” society, and there seem to be fewer people with positive expectations. After all, we are told to expect the worst!

Inflation and the economy in general are getting many people down. In some regions people are spending $175 to do so just to fill-up their pick-up trucks. Grocery prices are on the rise. Baby formula is in short supply.

Many have come to the realization that our world, including our own personal lives, are not getting any better. And for some, despair rather than hope reigns in their life.

But,

God Calls us to a Sure Hope.

The hope that God gives is more than wishful thinking. We often use hope to mean “maybe” or “there is a fair chance that it will take place,” or “if we are lucky.”

But Christian hope is not based on the weather or circumstance—“I sure hope it doesn’t rain on our picnic.” Neither is it based on chance—“I sure hope the Brewers win the ball game.” Hope cannot be based on anything that we can accomplish, for on our own we all “fall short of the glory of God,” and deserve his wrath and punishment.

The hope that our lives are based on is founded on our eternal triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—who has promised us grace and blessing in every need, “that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope” (Rom 15:4 KJV).

The hope that we have is eternal.

“We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God” (v 2). We Christians live with eternity in view, because for the Christian eternal life has already begun. Our true hope will never be completely realized here on this earth where the affects of sin are still present. And yet, because Jesus Christ died and rose for us, the crown of glory shall ours.

Our sure hope in life eternal comes through the fact that we are connected to Christ in Holy Baptism, and this gives us a great anticipation in sharing in glory with our loving God.

Unfortunately, for many,

Life Often Seems Hopeless.

St. Paul says that “we also rejoice in our sufferings” (v 3). While suffering is supposed to produce in us perseverance and character and hope (vv 3, 4), often the opposite happens. Paul knew what it was like to suffer. He experienced sickness, beatings, stoning, shipwrecks, and a host of other terrible things. The people in Rome to whom Paul was writing also knew about hardships. Living conditions in the city of Rome were not good, especially for those who professed to be Christians. The Roman Emperor, Nero, persecuted Christians in a vicious manner.

This is important for us to remember, and especially for Avory and Ellie, who will be making their public profession of faith.

Circumstances pull us down.

As we look around we soon realize that even those of us with the most positive outlook on life can become consumed with the problems around us.

When some consider the fate of the world, they become fearful. As we examining the world scene, we realize that Socialism is on the rise, threatening our freedom, while wondering if another tyrant or dictator takes over as a menace to the world.

The “new world order” that we hear of is really a re-make of the old sinful, selfish, tyrannical world that we’ve always known.

In our own local area two incomes families are struggling to make it. The American dream of home ownership in the suburbs with an “Ozzie and Harriet” family mentality is just that—a “dream” for many. So, circumstances pull us down.

People pull us down.

It is sad when those around us let us down. We think and hope that we can count on them. But people are fickle; they let us down. They can’t be trusted.

How many times in talking to friends have you heard people say, “My children (or grandchildren) let me down again. I thought they knew better,” or “My husband was supposed to, but he didn’t get it done.” Human sin erodes our confidence and hope.

The sin within us pulls us down.

In the end, it is our own sin which causes us to lose sight of the hope God gives to us. Instead of placing our faith and confidence in the Lord, we often depend on our own strength and pride to pull us through. We try and try to pull ourselves up and make ourselves think that we can fix things. We reason, “It will all work out if I just keep working at it!”

Yet in the end it often doesn’t work out. We seem to get deeper and deeper into the pit of hopelessness and despair. We become more and more depressed. We ask, “Where is God?” and like the Psalmist we cry out, “I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am like a man without strength” (Ps 88:4).

Yet,

God’s Love is Poured into Us

This gives us hope that ultimately will not disappoint.

Our changed status gives us hope and causes us to rejoice in our present situation.

Because Jesus Christ died and was raised to life (Romans 4:25), we have been justified through faith and have peace with God.

The true hope that God gives to us is a result of our changed status with God. No longer are we separated; God has made us his own in Holy Baptism. We are right with God through the faith he has given to us.

Now, instead of letting the sin around and within us pull us down, we confess our sins. We look to Christ for new life and forgiveness which he provides as he pours his love into hearts through the Holy Spirit (v 5).

God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, fills our hearts and lives through his Word and Sacraments. We don’t have to “wait until our ship comes in” to have the true hope of God. Our hope is squarely based on the promises of our loving God and that gives meaning to life right now.

The true hope that God gives to us makes our future secure.

Predicting the future has always been a tricky thing to do! Ask five different economists about the future of our economy, and you are likely to get five different answers.

While we don’t know what will take place in our world in the future, we know that the future is in the hands of the God who made this world and keeps it going even today.

Paul writes in our text, “We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God” (Rom 5:2).

Faith in God’s promises assures us that our future is more than just rosy; it is secure. Like Abraham, our hope and confidence is not based on wishful positive thinking or on some expert’s predictions. Our hope is based on the promises of God.

Illustrations: In ministering to people who are sick, I first find that they “hope” there is nothing wrong. When they discover that there may be a problem, they “hope” it is not serious. When that hope perishes, they “hope” something can be done. But if they are eventually told that there is “no hope,” then I reassure them of the hope that we have in Christ.

When uncertainty about the future prevails, anxiety reigns in people’s hearts. But where there is hope based on Christ Jesus and rooted in his death and resurrection, our future is secure and joy reigns supreme.

The hope God gives sustains us even in our sufferings.

One of the chief criticisms of Christianity has been that it promises “pie in the sky when you die,” but offers very little while you live. In our Bible passage not only are believers encouraged to have hope in their present and future conditions, but we are persuaded to rejoice in the hope that we have in our troubles. “Not only so,” Paul writes, “but we also rejoice in our sufferings.”

We live in a world where problems are not only likely, they are inevitable. The Lord Jesus teaches us, “In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:33 RSV).

Believers in Christ should not flippantly ignore pressures or psychologically try to block them out with loud expressions of “praise the Lord.” Rather, Paul writes that there is a certain chain of events when these pressures come our way that enables us to have hope and rejoice.

First, “suffering produces perseverance.” God uses our difficulties to help us abide more deeply in him. We learn to endure over the long haul of life, and we are stronger for knowing that he is our only real and lasting hope.

“Endurance produces character.” The Greek word refers to something that has stood the test of passing through a trial. Just as fire purifies and separates gold ore from worthless dross, so our fiery ordeals in life refine us so that we have a more lasting and true hope in God.

“Character produces hope.” As these difficult and testing times come to us all, we manage purely by the grace of God. We learn to look solely to him for support. We look to our past and thank God for his mercy, and then look confidently to the future, knowing that he is a God of hope.

“Hope does not disappoint us.” Why? “Because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us” (Rom. 5:5). The Holy Spirit opens our eyes through the Word and the Sacrament to see that God has a purpose and that we can trust him. On the Last Day our hope will be fulfilled, and we certainly will not be disappointed!

The hope that God gives to us causes us to live as people of joy.

Our text gives us good reason to rejoice. Our world of gloom and doom and hopelessness needs the witness of positive Christians like you and me.

We have a unique confidence about us because our faith is not in anything of this world, but in the God who made us, the God who redeemed us in Jesus Christ, and the God who keeps us close to him in faith through his Spirit.

Conclusion: Our triune God, whom we confess today, is the God in whom we hope. He will not disappoint us. We can trust him now and for eternity. Some of you are going through extremely difficult situations right now in your life. Don’t lose hope! God has poured his love for you, and you are his. For our God—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is the Lord who alone gives lasting hope.