Here’s Hope
Romans 4:23-25
November 25, 2007
This morning we talked about the faith of Abraham.
He had a SIMPLE FAITH
All he did was believe God would do what He said.
He had a STRONG FAITH
He believed what God said, even though it seemed humanly impossible.
He had a STEADY FAITH
He did not waver, even though the promise seemed to take a while.
He had a SINCERE FAITH
He really did believe God could do what He said.
He had a SAVING FAITH
God accepted the faith of Abraham. He was pleased with the faith of Abraham, and credited him as righteous.
Romans 4:22 “Therefore IT WAS ALSO CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
And that is a great statement.
It has really been that statement that inspired Romans 4.
Romans 4:1-5 “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,”
Abraham didn’t earn righteousness.
Abraham had righteousness given to him.
He wasn’t justified because he deserved it,
He was justified because God is gracious.
That is a wonderful truth for you and I
And a truth that is at the very essence of your Christian hope.
I called this sermon, “Here’s Hope”.
And that in itself is a hot topic.
BECAUSE HOPE MATTERS TO US.
In regard to hope two things are generally a given:
1) ALL PEOPLE WANT HOPE
Let a loved one get sick, and you will cling to every word the doctor says,
Trying to squeeze just one sliver of hope from his conversation.
Even in the Bible we see people desperately seeking hope.
Remember this lady?
Mark 5:25-28 “A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse — after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.”
That is the way we are. We want hope.
And then when that doctor says, “I think it will be fine”,
There is a great moment of relief that hits.
He gave hope, and that is really all that we wanted.
Because hope is never turned away.
Romans 5:5 “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.”
All people want hope.
2) HOPE IS NOT AUTOMATIC
It isn’t necessarily natural to have hope.
We even read this morning that Abraham struggled with it.
Romans 4:18 “In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “SO SHALL YOUR DESCENDANTS BE.”
There is a difference between the verb form of the word hope
And the noun form of the word hope.
The point is you have to fact behind hope, or it really isn’t hope.
I mean, you can hope for something all you want,
But if you have absolutely no fact to back it up,
You are really only being foolish.
Thomas was a good example.
John 11:14-16 “So Jesus then said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him.” Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”
John 14:5 “Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?”
John 20:25 “So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
If he had no substance, no foundation, no absolute truth,
Then Thomas had no hope.
He wasn’t trying to save the day with some sort of optimism.
And we understand that.
HOPE IS NOT NATURAL
It is not automatically a part of the human make up.
We enter this world without hope,
And unless some truth is revealed to change that,
We remain hopeless creatures.
That’s not to say people don’t try to have hope,
But when people get truly objective, hope is not natural.
So people don’t automatically have hope, but all people want it.
Tonight we see the answer to that dilemma.
As we close chapter 4 of the book of Romans
We need to learn that hope is the blessing of understanding
That man is justified by faith.
We are making the transition from Abraham to Jesus.
Ch. 4 sees Abraham the MODEL; Ch. 5 sees Jesus the MEDIATOR
Ch. 4 sees HOPE offered; Ch.5 sees hope SECURED
Ch. 4 has the PROMISE of hope; Ch. 5 has the PERMANENCE of hope.
And as Paul takes us from Abraham to Jesus,
He closes this chapter by revealing why those who understand
That man is justified by faith can have the blessing of hope.
DO YOU WANT HOPE?
3 things I want you to see…
#1 ABRAHAM GIVES HOPE
Romans 4:23-24a
In verse 22 Paul wrote, “Therefore, it was also credited to him as righteousness.”
Now, that was good news to Abraham.
I mean we assume that Abraham wanted hope as much as the next guy.
He had to have loved it when God said those words to him.
You know there was a huge sigh of relief.
Imagine the relief when the test comes back negative…
Imagine the relief when the missing person makes the call…
Imagine the relief when Holy God says, “OK, I’ll accept that”…
You get the point.
In heaven when people quote their favorite Bible verses,
Abraham always quotes Genesis 15:6
That statement was HOPE for Abraham.
He want from hoping to having hope.
But that statement is good news for more people than just Abraham.
“Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, but for our sake also,”
When that statement is read,
Abraham isn’t the only person breathing a sigh of relief.
“If God would save Abraham, maybe He’ll save me too.”
We know Abraham twice passed off his wife.
We know Abraham had a son with another woman.
We know Abraham came from an idol worshiping background.
YET GOD WAS WILLING TO SAVE HIM
That gives me hope.
That is why God wrote that in the Old Testament.
Romans 15:4 “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
1 Peter 1:10-12 “As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven — things into which angels long to look.”
Abraham gives us hope.
If God would save him, there is hope for me.
AND THIS IS WHAT PAUL HAS BEEN WANTING YOU TO SEE.
He wanted you to see that Abraham didn’t earn it.
He wanted you to see that Abraham was forgiven by grace.
He wanted you to see that Abraham brought nothing to the table.
SO IF YOU THINK YOU DON’T DESERVE TO FORGIVEN.
If God would save a two-timing, wife selling, idol worshiping, pagan,
Then there is hope for you and me.
Abraham gives hope
#2 FAITH GRABS HOPE
Romans 4:24
Paul said that this was written for “our sake to whom it will be credited”
But that really brings another question.
WHO IS “our”?
WHAT TYPE OF PERSON IS PAUL SPECIFICALLY WRITING ABOUT HERE?
“those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.”
Hope is given, but it isn’t universal.
There is still a specific type of person who has this hope.
That is the person who follows in the steps of Abraham.
NOT TO BE JEWISH… BUT THE FOOTSTEPS OF FAITH
Romans 4:18-22 “In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “SO SHALL YOUR DESCENDANTS BE.” Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. Therefore IT WAS ALSO CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
Galatians 3:6-9 “Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.”
Hope is given through Abraham.
Hope is grabbed by faith.
Belief is the way we grab the hope of God.
And this has been said over and over in chapter 4.
Romans 4:16 “For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,”
Romans 4:13-15 “For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified; for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation.”
If you want the hope of what Abraham had,
Then give God the faith that Abraham gave him.
You see, there simply is no hope found in works.
There is no hope found in the Law.
This is why people were constantly trying to lower the bar.
Matthew 19:16-20 “And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” Then he said to Him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER; YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY; YOU SHALL NOT STEAL; YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS; HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER; and YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?”
Even in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said:
Matthew 5:17-18 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”
THIS IS WHY IT IS TRAGIC
WHEN PEOPLE TRY TO OBTAIN HOPE THROUGH WORKS.
If you were to go to Guadalupe, Mexico,
• Catholic Shrine where Mary supposedly appeared.
• People crawl on their hands and knees a quarter of a mile
• Light candles to lessen the stay of a loved one in pergatory
“Kumbh Mela”
• Event where Hindu’s dip themselves in the river for eternal life
• Naked men lead millions to water
• Lay on beds of nails, broken glass, or walk on hot coals
• Pierce their tongues with swords
• Shave every part of their body
“for every hair thus thrown in, you are promised a million years residence in heaven.” (MacArthur, John – Romans 1-8 commentary, pg. 246)
And that list could go on and on.
But the tragedy is that hope is not achieved through works.
No matter how hard you work, hope can only be a verb.
You can only hope you’ve done enough.
Listen to what Jesus told the Pharisees.
John 5:45 “Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope (v).”
Jews who hope they have done enough to enter eternal life.
EVER TALK TO A JEHOVAH’S WITNESS?
What a tragic way to live. You don’t grab hope through works.
We know as humans we are far too frail, and too bent on failure.
We grab hope the same way Abraham did, through faith in Jesus Christ.
Acts 13:38-39 “Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.”
We believe like Abraham did,
And we get the hope that Abraham had.
So Abraham gives hope
Faith grabs hope
#3 JESUS GUARANTEES HOPE
Romans 4:25
And this is where it really gets good.
Paul is going to tell us why we can have hope.
It has nothing to do with what we did,
And everything to do with what Jesus did.
And there is two main things.
“He who was delivered over because of our transgressions,”
Obviously this was His crucifixion.
What Paul so simply states, is that when He was killed,
It wasn’t because He was bad, it was because we were.
Isaiah 53:4-6 “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.
Now of course this is the foundation to hope.
Someone had to do something to appease the wrath of God.
Someone had to make atonement.
Otherwise, there is not even a chance that I can be saved.
And therefore, there is no place for hope.
But Jesus did make that appeasement.
Romans 3:21-24 “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;”
So now, there is hope.
This Jesus came and said that He was dying for my sin.
He said He was the sacrificial Lamb of God.
He said that He would take my punishment.
That gives me hope.
And of course the Bible says, that I grab that hope by faith.
I believe it, and that hope is mine.
It isn’t based upon me, it is based upon Him,
And because of what He did, I have hope of eternal life.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 5:8-9 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”
BUT PAUL EVEN TAKES IT A STEP FURTHER
“He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.”
“raised BECAUSE OF our justification”
Shouldn’t that say, “and was raised to give us justification”?
The KJV and the NIV both say, “for our justification” just as they say “for our sins”
The word is DIA
It literally means through.
So literally, “He who was delivered over through our transgressions, and was raised through our justification”
The idea is that transgression is what caused his death,
And justification is what caused His resurrection.
It means that Jesus was killed because we sinned,
And He was raised because we were made righteous.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
IT IS THE GUARANTEE.
He wasn’t raised to bring justification, that is why He died.
He was raised to prove that justification had come.
He was raised to prove it worked.
If Jesus claims to die in your stead, but then He stays dead,
You still won’t have hope.
You will now hope that it worked.
You will now hope (v.) that He really was righteous.
BUT THAT STILL ISN’T HOPE.
1 Corinthians 15:13-19 “But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.”
But when Jesus stepped out of that grave,
It was proof that His plan of salvation was successful.
It was proof that the cross worked.
Hope was guaranteed!
1 Peter 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”
People all over this world hope they will go to heaven.
BUT HOPE IS NOT A VERB, HOPE IS A NOUN
It is what we have when we understand
That we are justified by faith apart from works of the Law.
It is the hope that God wants you to have.
Galatians 5:5 “For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness.”
Colossians 1:27 “to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
1 Thessalonians 5:8 “But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.”
Ephesians 1:18 “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,”
Titus 1:1-2 “Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,”
Titus 3:5-7 “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
The point is that hope is a noun.
It is something that we have as believers.
Take a sneak peek at next Sunday morning’s text.
Romans 5:1-2 “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 again:
Romans 5:5 “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.”
I hope you see the point.
Romans 3:28 “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.”
We maintain that because that gives us hope of being saved
Even though we are sinners.
“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.”
“Because He lives, I can face tomorrow, because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know, He holds the future, and life is worth the living, just because He lives.”
DO YOU HOPE YOU ARE GOING TO HEAVEN?
OR
DO YOU HAVE HOPE BECAUSE YOU KNOW YOU ARE GOING TO HEAVEN?
If you only hope you will go,
That probably means that you are trusting in the wrong thing.
Tonight, quit trusting in that, and start trusting in Jesus.
1 John 5:13 “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
