[0:00] If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness. Therefore, you are feared.
[0:13] I wait patiently for the Lord. My soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord.
[0:25] More than the watchmen wait for the morning. More than the watchmen wait for the morning. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord.
[0:37] For with the Lord is unfailing love, and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.
[0:50] And now turn over in your New Testaments to Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8.
[1:02] I'll begin reading at verse 18. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
[1:16] The creation waits in eager expectations for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
[1:46] We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
[1:56] Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, grown inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
[2:14] For in this hope we were saved. Nobody likes to wait.
[2:39] And yet the Christian life is a life of waiting. I want to know if there's anything that can help me wait with patience. And the Bible answers yes.
[2:52] It's the grace of hope. Hope is the patience stretcher. Don't you sometimes wish you could have a stretcher of your patience?
[3:03] That's what hope is. It enables us to wait a while longer, even all of our lives, because of the good things that our Savior has won for us and that are coming for us.
[3:17] So we defined hope as that confident expectation of future good. And we're studying the motivating power of hope. It's the great motivator. And we've seen its motivation in different areas of the Christian life.
[3:32] We've seen hope living, hope purifying, hope persevering, and now this morning, hope waiting. I invite you to open to Romans chapter 8, the passage that was read for us.
[3:47] In verse 22, the Apostle Paul says, this is something we know. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth.
[4:05] From what I'm told, that's not a pleasant thing. And so we want to know then why. Why is creation groaning? Well, it's suffering.
[4:18] And that not because of the fault of itself, but rather because of man's sin and curse. When Adam fell, not only was he and his posterity, us, cursed, but his environment was cursed as well.
[4:37] The thorns, the thistles that made life difficult for Adam as he worked. The whole creation was subjected to frustration and to the bondage and bondage to decay.
[4:53] And that includes everything that's wrong in the natural order from destructive weather, storms, droughts, killing diseases, pests, plagues.
[5:04] I suppose we could throw COVID-19 right in there as well. Everything that frustrates and holds back nature from its full created potential for good.
[5:17] So nature is here personified. As if it had a voice to groan as it's suffering. And as if it had a mind to know that this suffering is only temporary and will not last forever.
[5:31] That God has plans for this world that reach beyond the present order of things for creation. When it lasts, it will be liberated from its bondage to decay.
[5:43] And it will be brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. When Jesus returns and makes all things new. A new heaven, a new earth, a home of righteousness.
[5:55] With not a trace of the curse remaining. What will that look like for creation? Well, millions of times better than what it looks like now.
[6:09] The book of Revelation stretches our imaginations beyond anything we know. It tells of the tree of life growing on both sides of the river of life.
[6:21] And that this tree of life is bearing 12 kinds of fruit. Yielding its fruit every month.
[6:33] Now that's a fruitfulness we've never seen yet. My apple trees don't do that. Do yours? No. But that's coming. Such fruitfulness as we've never seen.
[6:45] And Revelation 22, 2 goes on to say the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Those things we just raked up and discarded, got rid of.
[6:58] They will have healing properties. And not just for a headache, but for the healing of the nations. Whatever that is. It beggars the imagination, doesn't it?
[7:09] That's what's waiting for the creation. And it can't wait for that day. Yet it must wait. And so it groans as it waits in eager expectation for that hope that is set before it.
[7:27] So it groans not only because of suffering presently, because of the curse. But it groans because of its intense desire and longing for the new order to come.
[7:39] That's how it's waiting. Like a thoroughbred racehorse inside the starting gate of the Kentucky Derby. The attendants have shoved him into the starting gate and slammed the door behind him.
[7:55] What's he doing in there? Well, he's waiting. He's waiting. But don't think for a moment. When he's lying down and chewing on a carrot. No. He's snorting.
[8:06] He's pawing. With every sinew of every muscle. Tense. And he's just waiting for that gate in front of him to spring open and free him to run his race.
[8:19] That's how he's waiting. With eager anticipation. Eager expectation. And then verse 23 tells us here in Romans 8 that creation's not alone in its waiting.
[8:34] Not only so, but we ourselves. We who have the first fruits of the spirit. We too groan inwardly as we wait. Expect eagerly for our adoption as sons.
[8:49] The redemption of our bodies. You see, we know about our future hope and what's coming for us. That our present spiritual and physical problems are only temporary and will not last.
[9:04] That when Christ returns, he will make all things new. This will be the full redemption that the Bible speaks of. Even there in Psalm 130 that we had read.
[9:16] Put your hope in the Lord. For with the Lord is full redemption. And how will Christ free us from the curse? Oh, Christ redeemed us from the curse by becoming a curse for us.
[9:33] And so we're looking forward to that. That curse being removed and only pure blessing for both body and soul. Our lowly bodies made like Christ's glorious resurrection body.
[9:48] That beggars the imagination. What will that be like? No sickness. No pain. No suffering. No death. No decay. Only ever new and freshness of health.
[10:01] And then our spiritual life. Not just our physical life. But our spiritual life that we now enjoy is to be better by far. Right now we're no longer dead to sin.
[10:13] We're now alive to God. The most important one in all the universe. By the spirit we've been wakened up to that glorious reality of God.
[10:24] We've been brought into relationship with him through the spirit. Giving us a new heart. A new mind. New affections. A new will. The spirit dwelling in us.
[10:36] And maintaining fellowship then. Whereby we have fellowship with God. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Yes. He's teaching us.
[10:46] Working in us. Producing the fruit of the spirit. Every grace of faith, hope and love. This is what we're enjoying right now. The life of joys unspeakable and full of glory.
[11:00] And yet we're told that this is just the first fruits of the spirit. Just the first fruits. Verse 23 says. First fruits point to the full harvest that's to follow.
[11:17] An Israelite farmer went into his field at harvest time. And he just brought out a few arm loads of stalks of grain. And they gathered together and celebrated as the people of God.
[11:30] That God had blessed their fields another year with an abundant harvest. And that there was a whole field waiting out there.
[11:41] To be brought in. That what we have in our arms here. Is just a millionth of the full harvest.
[11:52] That's coming. Now that's our present Christian life. That's this life in the spirit now. With all of its love, joy and peace. In the Holy Spirit.
[12:02] And sweet communion with God. It's just the first fruits. Of the full harvest. It's an appetizer. It's just a taste of that eternal feast that will be ours.
[12:13] As to our spiritual life. The full redemption when Jesus comes. A million times better. Can you imagine what that will be? Worship. What worship will be like.
[12:24] If this is just the first fruits. Of the spirit. Well that's the hope. That's set before us in the gospel of Jesus. That's what Jesus won for us.
[12:36] And that is sure to come. And so he says here at the end of this passage. That we read in verses 24 and 25. It was in this hope.
[12:47] That we were saved. But hope that's seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have.
[12:59] Just what we've been talking about. The fullness of salvation. The full redemption. Well then we wait for it patiently. We wait for it patiently.
[13:13] So this hope. It motivates us to wait. It motivates us to wait eagerly. And it motivates us to wait patiently.
[13:25] Well which is it? Well it's both. And so the Christian is something of a walking paradox. Isn't he? As he's waiting for that future hope.
[13:38] We groan inwardly. Because we're waiting eagerly. We're eagerly waiting. No nonchalant wait. Eagerness that causes us to groan on the inside.
[13:51] With such longings. To see it fulfilled. Like a race horse. But then verse 25 says. We wait patiently. For if we hope for what we do not yet have.
[14:04] We wait for it patiently. So here's the Christian. He's waiting eagerly. And yet. He's waiting patiently. I dare say you won't find that.
[14:17] Everywhere. But you find it in the Christian. Perhaps we could liken it to the familiar scene. At the holidays. Over. The river.
[14:28] And through the woods. To grandmother's house. We go. And. The only trouble is. Is that grandmother lives five states away. And so. You're barely out of the driveway. And Billy wants to know.
[14:39] Are we there yet dad? No son. No. We've got a long way to go yet. So you go ahead and watch your movie. Okay daddy.
[14:50] And you'll tell me when we're there. Right? Yes. Sure thing son. And just 30 minutes later. Are we there yet dad? Oh no son. Okay daddy.
[15:00] Just don't want you to miss your turn. Asking often. Shows how eager he is. To be at grandmother's house. But not complaining. Shows he's waiting patiently.
[15:13] To get there. And so with us. The certain joys to be experienced. Make us wait. With both eagerness. To be there. And. Patience.
[15:24] However long the Lord requires. So we're considering. How does hope. Give us patience. To wait. For the promise of God. To be realized. Between the promise.
[15:37] And the fulfillment. There's often a long. Time to wait. And we're being told. That hope can help us. Wait. How does that work? Well we are waiting.
[15:47] Aren't we? All of us are waiting. For something. We're waiting. For COVID-19. To be over. And to get back. To life. As normal. We're waiting. For the next four years.
[15:58] To be over with. We're waiting. For all the wars. And injustices. To cease. We're waiting. We're waiting. For the inner battle. With sin. Right here.
[16:09] To be over. Forever. We're waiting. For sufferings. To be forgotten. And replaced. With pure. Interrupted delights. We're waiting. For promised.
[16:20] Hope. To be fulfilled. To be realized. And hope. Is the grace. That can help us. Wait. With patience.
[16:32] Last week. We considered Abraham. Who had to wait. Patiently. For a son. For a promised land. And for that seed. Who would. Bring blessing.
[16:43] To all the nations. Even to us. The son of Abraham. Jesus Christ. He had to wait long. Now consider this morning. David. As a young lad. David was anointed.
[16:53] To be the next king. Of Israel. Oh. But he had to wait. A long time. Before he was sitting. On any throne. With a crown. On his head. He had been anointed. But. Oh.
[17:03] A long wait. Followed. And a wait. In which he was suffering. Persecution. From Saul. Running like a partridge. For ten of the best years. Of his life.
[17:14] Hiding in the deserts. And in foreign lands. He had to wait. For his enemy. Saul. To be removed. By God himself. Even though. Some impatient men.
[17:25] Around him. Would have gladly. Removed him. With the thrust. Of a spear. When they had the opportunity. David didn't want. To enter into. His kingdom. With blood. On his hands. And conscience.
[17:35] Knowing that he had killed. The Lord's anointed. So he would wait. For the Lord. To remove him. And even after. Two tribes. Finally acknowledged him. As his king.
[17:46] As its king. That. He'd have to wait. Another seven years. For all twelve tribes. To crown him king. David also knew.
[17:57] What it was. To wait. Under the dark hand. Of God's disciplining hand. For his own sins. That even though. There was forgiveness. There were.
[18:08] Enduring consequences. Long consequences. To suffer. In his family. He had to wait. Even during his son.
[18:18] Absalom's rebellion. David waited. What seemed like forever. To learn the outcome. And it's this David. David. Who had the doctor degree. In waiting. Who has valuable.
[18:30] Counsel for us. Who too. Must wait. And he tells us. That the needed ingredient. For waiting. Is hope. Psalm 33.
[18:41] In verse 20. We wait. In hope. For the Lord. He is our help. And our shield. Do you have some waiting. To do Christian.
[18:52] To see that promise. Fulfilled. Hope. Will help you wait. Because hope. Knows that the promise. Good from God. Is certain. And it's worth waiting.
[19:02] For. So we wait. In hope. For the Lord. Micah said the same thing. As he saw. The judgment of God. Falling upon the nation. Of Israel. He opens chapter 7.
[19:14] What misery. Is mine. The godly. Have been swept. From the land. Not one upright. Man remains. You think it's bad. In our country. Now. Listen to Micah.
[19:25] As he cries. To God. About Israel. This. This. Peculiarly. Blessed. Nation. That God took. For himself. Not one upright.
[19:37] Man. Remains. The wicked. Are triumphing. In wealth. And power. Conspiring. Together. Oppressing. The poor. God was now. Visiting that nation. In judgment. Giving them over.
[19:48] To their wicked. Desires. And nothing. That Micah. Saw. With his eyes. Encouraged him. To wait. For the promise. Good. That God. Had made. Toward Israel. It wasn't anything.
[20:00] Encouraging. And yet. He says in. Chapter 7. Verse 7. But as for me. Though all of that's true. That I see. But as for me. I watch. In hope.
[20:11] For the Lord. I wait. For God. My Savior. My God. Will hear me. Micah waits. In hope. In the darkest times. In which he lived.
[20:23] And then. The Apostle Paul. In our text. Romans 8. 25. If we hope. For that which we do not yet have. We wait for it. We wait for it. Patiently.
[20:35] So. Hope. The hope. Is so valuable. So certain. That it enables us to wait. And not. Grinding our teeth. Not chafing against this yoke.
[20:46] But. Wait. For it patiently. That's the power of hope. None of these graces are natural folks. No. We don't wait patiently.
[20:57] We wait chafing. Grinding our teeth. But. But. There is a grace from God. Called hope. That enables us to wait patiently. It's supernatural. Just as faith.
[21:10] And. Love. And humility. The power of hope. Hope. Now this waiting for the promises. Often takes place. In the midst of the greatest.
[21:21] Of affliction. Mistreatment. Persecution. And. The greater the suffering. The more hope. We need. But there is more than enough.
[21:32] In the Christian's hope. To enable us to wait patiently. For it. Come what may. I've shared this before. But I love it so much. I'm going to share it again. John Newton.
[21:43] The author of. Amazing Grace. Tells us how our hope. Of heaven. Should keep us patient. As we wait. Even. In the darkest trials. Even in affliction.
[21:54] And suffering. Newton says. Suppose a man. Of course. He lived in England. And so. You English. Englishmen. Will. Understand the geography. Suppose a man.
[22:04] Was going to York. It's a real place. Isn't it Ollie? Yeah. Suppose a man. Was going to York. To take possession. Of a large estate.
[22:15] And his carriage. Should break down. A mile. Before he got to the city. Which mean. That he had to walk. The last mile. Of the way. What a fool. We should think him.
[22:25] If we saw him. Wringing his hands. And blubbering out. All the remaining mile. My carriage. Is broken. My carriage. Is broken. Well dear Christian.
[22:37] We are on our way. To receiving. An amazing. Inheritance. That can never perish. Spoil. Or fade. Reserved in heaven. For us. And if on the way.
[22:47] To such riches. And glory. We should suffer. Afflictions. That seem to drag. On and on. We should focus. Our mind. On what it is. That we're going. To receive. And how long.
[23:00] That will last. And so our hope. Will help us. To wait patiently. As we journey on. Knowing that our light. And momentary afflictions. Are achieving for us.
[23:12] A far greater hope. That far outweighs. Them all. Hope. Keeps us patient. As we wait. Even. In. Trials. In afflictions.
[23:22] Paul says it. In Romans 12. To be joyful. In hope. Patient. In affliction. Ours. Is a joyful hope. More on that.
[23:32] Next week. Lord willing. And if I'm joyful. In hope. Then I'll be patient. In affliction. I'm so happy.
[23:47] At what's coming. That I can afford to wait. I can afford to wait patiently. Through whatever. Afflictions. I meet. Oh. But my carriage is broken.
[23:58] My carriage is broken. Are you kidding me? On his way to receive. An estate. And he's belly aching. Because he has to walk. The last mile of the way.
[24:08] So what if it takes. An extra 20 minutes. And a little sweat. If what he's going to. Receive. Is so great. Is there no patience. For this.
[24:21] And should those. Going to inherit. In the everlasting. Kingdom. Of eternal pleasures. Not be willing. To wade through. A few trials. Along the way. Samuel Rutherford.
[24:31] Said it in his hymn. It were a well spent. Journey. Those seven deaths. Lay between. Now thankfully. We only need to die once. To get home.
[24:43] To heaven. And that. Maybe. Not even once. If Jesus should return. Before that. But he says. It were a well spent.
[24:54] Journey. If you had to die. Seven times. To get there. The joyful hope. Of eternal life. Helps us. Wait patiently. Infliction. So. So here's something.
[25:04] Of a test. For our hope. We're studying hope. We're getting closer. To the end of it. And. And. And here's a test. For our hope. If we hope. For what we do not. Yet have. We wait for it.
[25:15] Patiently. So. As goes our hope. So goes our patience. So. Our patience. Becomes a barometer. A. A. A measurement.
[25:26] Of our hope. So if you know. How your hope's doing. Check your patience. Are you willing to wait. Oh.
[25:37] Then hope. Hope has some strength. Some power to. Not willing to wait. Oh. It reveals a sick hope. Are you willing to wait.
[25:51] The test of hope. In his Pilgrim's Progress. John Bunyan writes. Then the interpreter. Took Christian. Into a little room. Where two children. Were seated. Each in his own chair.
[26:02] The name of the older. Was passion. The name of the other. Was patience. Obviously. Passion. Was not at all content. While patience. Was very quiet. Why is passion.
[26:14] So restless. Asked Christian. Oh. Their governess. Wants them to wait. For their best things. Until next year. But passion. Wants all of his best things. Now. While patience. Is willing.
[26:25] To wait. And then one. Came to passion. And poured out. At his feet. A bag of treasures. Which he quickly. Gathered into his arms. And with great joy. He laughed loudly.
[26:36] And made fun. Of patience. But soon. He had wasted everything. He had received. And had nothing left. But an empty bag. Explain this matter.
[26:47] More fully. Christian. Said. Interpreter says. Passion represents. Men of this world. Patience represents. Those who are of the next world.
[27:00] Men of this world. Have all their rewards. In this life. They cannot wait. A bird in the hand. Is worth two in the bush. Carries more weight. With them.
[27:10] Than all the promises. In the Bible. But they soon. Go through. What they have. And at the end of life. They have nothing at all. Oh.
[27:21] Now I see. Said. Christian. That patience. Has the better wisdom. For many reasons. First. He waits. For the best things. Second. He will. Enjoy.
[27:32] The glory. Of his rewards. When the. When the other. Has nothing. But rags. Yes. Said interpreter. And you may add. This also. The glory. Of the next world.
[27:42] Will never pass away. Or wear out. But the glories. Of this life. Are soon gone. Therefore. It said. Of a certain rich man. In your lifetime. You received your good things.
[27:52] And likewise. Lazarus. Evil things. But now. He is comforted. And you are tormented. Christian. Said. Then I judge. It's best. Not to covet.
[28:03] The things of this world. But to wait. For the good things. To come. You speak the truth. Said interpreter. The things that are seen. Are temporary. But the things that are not seen.
[28:16] Are eternal. But present things. Are so close. To our fleshly. Appetites. And eternal things. So distant. That we're apt.
[28:28] To yield. To our carnal desires. Rather than wait. For the satisfaction. Of the eternal. So John Bunyan. There's the lesson.
[28:38] Passion. Once all his good things. Now. Patience. Willing. To wait. So what makes a man. Willing to wait. If we hope. For what we do not. Yet have.
[28:49] We wait for it. Patiently. Hope. Is the key. Hope. What the Hebrew Christians. Were commended for. In Hebrews 10. 34. Their response.
[28:59] To persecution. And loss. Early on. In their Christian life. The writer. Says to them. You joyfully. Accepted. The confiscation. Of your property.
[29:12] Now. If you saw that. Once you want to know more. About that. That's not natural. Nobody likes to see somebody. Make off with their stuff. Wrongfully. But.
[29:23] But. But you Christians. There. You. Joyfully. Accepted. The confiscation. Of your property. And he goes on.
[29:35] To say. Because. You knew. That you had better. And lasting. Possessions. Better. And lasting. Possessions.
[29:47] They. They lost. Their temporal stuff. But they had the better. And eternal stuff. You can't. Ultimately. Cheat. The believer. You can take.
[29:57] All he has here. But his treasures. Are already laid up there. Where. Moth. And rust. Do not. Corrupt. And stock markets. Don't. Corrupt. And thieves. Can't break through.
[30:08] And steal. But those things. Are so distant. So far. Out of sight. That most men. Neither seek. Nor care. About them. They're like.
[30:18] Imaginary things. Oh. Here. Here. This is the stuff. That's real. You see. So.
[30:29] What brings. Those distant things. Near. And makes them real. For the Christian. The grace of hope. The confident. Expectation.
[30:41] Of that future. Good. There is a land. That is. Better than day. A land.
[30:51] There is a land. That is fairer than day. And by faith. We can see it. Afar. And what faith. Sees. Hope. Expects.
[31:02] To receive. And so. Makes us willing. To wait. Patiently. For it. Because of the treasures. That. That future.
[31:13] Good. Is for us. All that Christ. Has purchased. For us. So. That inheritance. That we. Brothers and sisters. Are going to. Receive. Is so vastly. Superior.
[31:24] To anything here. That. We're willing. To do without. Some of these. Good things. Because we're confident. Our best things. Are. Are. Better. Eternal. And coming.
[31:36] Do you see. How valuable. Hope is. To the Christian life. To make us. Wait eagerly. And yet. Patiently. I don't know about you.
[31:48] But I need more of that. In my life. So how does hope grow. How does hope increase. Hope is a grace of God. Infused into the heart. Of. Every believer.
[31:59] By the Holy Spirit. But it's also. Our responsibility. For every one of these graces. To grow in these graces. To nurture.
[32:09] And feed them. Do you know that. Hope has a voracious. Appetite. For just one thing. One thing. The word of God.
[32:21] This is what hope. Feeds on. It's hope's only diet. And the word of God. Received by faith. Makes hope. Grow stronger.
[32:32] And stronger. As it feasts. Upon. The word. Of God. Listen to David. Who needed to wait. And lived on hope.
[32:45] David. How did you keep hope alive. In the darkest of times. We heard him. Crying. Out of the depths. I cry to you. Psalm 130. Verse 5.
[32:56] Hear me Lord. Listen to me. Turn your ear to me. Seems like you're not listening. You're not answering. He's in the depths. Hope. Hope. Is teetering.
[33:08] If left to itself. It would starve. And die. But what does David say? I wait for the Lord. My soul waits. And in his word. I put my hope.
[33:20] In his word. I put my hope. He tells us later. In Psalm 119. 147. I rise before dawn. And cry. For help.
[33:31] I have put my hope. In your word. Even when there was nothing. To feed hope. In his circumstances. David's hope lives on. Because it was feeding.
[33:42] Upon. Your word. Oh God. Your word. That tells me about you. And all that you are. And do for me. That you're a son.
[33:54] And a shield. That you give grace. And glory. That you will not withhold. Anything good. From those who walk uprightly. That's some stuff.
[34:05] That my hope. Can feed on. And so. I've put my hope. In your word. Now I could multiply. Texts. From David. Himself.
[34:16] From Jeremiah. From Job. From Luke. From Paul. The writer to the Hebrews. But they all say. The same thing. Hope. Feeds. On the word of God. On the promises.
[34:27] Of him. Who cannot lie. How do you know. That there's a land. That is fairer than day. And that one day. You will be there. How do you know.
[34:37] That you have better. And lasting possessions. A treasure in heaven. How do you know. That glory. Awaiting you there. Far outweighs. All suffering here. Because God said so.
[34:51] Thus. Sayeth. The Lord. God. It's the food. For hope. Where do you go.
[35:02] To meet up. With this Jesus. Who is our hope. You meet him. In the scriptures. Where do you learn. Of this unfailing love. And faithfulness. Of God.
[35:12] And full redemption. That he has. For you. In Christ. It's all here. In God's word. So let this. Encourage you. Brother and sister. The one thing. That hope. Feeds on.
[35:22] Just happens to be. A super food. For hope. Every word. That proceeds. From the mouth of God. Hope. Devours it.
[35:33] And grows strong. Hope has no appetite. For anything else. No word from God. No hope in God. Word from God.
[35:45] Great hope. In God. So what is it. That your hope. Has been having. To survive on. These days. How often. Are you feeding it.
[35:57] I know this. I know that every day. Your five senses. Have been fed. With multitudes. Of earthly things. To satisfy. Those five senses.
[36:09] Gifts of God. But the stuff. That doesn't last. How often. Is your hope. Being fed. On the eternal. On the eternal. Things. The better. And lasting.
[36:20] Possessions. Promised. By God. In his word. If we would be a people. Overflowing. With hope. In this hopeless world. We must be a people. Of the word of God.
[36:31] A people. Soaking in the promises. Of God. If you would never. Be caught. Without hope. Then never be caught. Without a promise. There are promises.
[36:44] In the book. That match. Every single need. That you have. Here. In this. Life. First Peter. One. Three and four. Which is to say. That there's a key.
[36:55] Of promise. To unlock. Every prison door. Of despair. And discouragement. That you can face. In this world. You remember. Hopeful and Christian. In giant. Despairs. Dungeon.
[37:06] And they lay there. For three days. And they're thinking. About taking their own lives. Things are so bad. They're scared. They're. About giving up hope. And then. Christian.
[37:17] Reaches into his bosom. And says. Oh. A key. The key of promise. Well. Take it out. Says hope. Hopeful. Take it out. And he did.
[37:28] And it opened. The door. To the dungeon. And he was set free. From his discouragement. And despair. And. And there is a key. Of promise. That unlocks.
[37:38] Every prison door. That. That would lock you up. In discouragement. And despair. You've seen the janitor. With his key ring.
[37:49] Full of keys. Are you adding keys. To your ring. Keys of promise. That you've hidden. In your heart. And you have.
[38:03] Memorized them. And you have. Meditated on them. And they're. There. You've lived upon them. And you know. They're good. Are you adding. To the ring. Have you added any.
[38:14] This. This COVID thing. Have you added. Any promises. To the ring. That you carry around. To get you. Out of darkness. And despair. There. The Lord Jesus did.
[38:28] And he pulled them out. And he used them. In each situation. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone. For my father is with me. Precious thing to know that.
[38:40] Isn't it? God will not leave us. Or forsake us. Jesus. Had his ring full. And he lived. Upon the promise. Of his father in heaven. The apostle Paul.
[38:51] Often found himself. In situations. That were hopeless. From a worldly point of view. Yet his hope lived on. He too is someone. That I want to listen to. If anybody else.
[39:02] Had a. An honorary doctorate. Degree in. In waiting. It was the apostle Paul. Just look at the lists. Of things he had to wait through. Suffering. Affliction. Here's what he tells us.
[39:15] Here's his counsel. Romans 15. 4. Everything that was written. In the past. And at this point. It was mainly the Old Testament. And maybe a few. Gospel fragments.
[39:26] Everything that was written. In the past. Was written. Written to teach us. So that through endurance. And the encouragement. Of the scriptures. We.
[39:37] Might. Have. Hope. They wrote it. But they wrote it. And God saw to it. That it's been preserved.
[39:47] So you got it. In your Bible. That you might have hope. Everything. And if that's true. The Old Testament. It's only all the more true.
[39:58] Of the New Testament. Which is the fulfillment. Of so many of those. Old Testament promises. That everything. Written here. Brother and sister. Was written. So that you might have hope.
[40:09] Hope. And that's what Paul found it to be for him. And he's. He's commending it to us.
[40:21] For the same purpose. So. I've got a whole Bible. Full of promises. I'm good John. I've got the. I've got the stuff of hope. Oh.
[40:31] But. But food in the hand. Does not operate. The same way. That food in the stomach does. Does it? No. Food's got to get from the hand.
[40:41] Into the stomach. To do you any good. And. And this whole Bible. Full of hope. Filled. Scriptures. Will do you no good. Unless you get it in.
[40:51] Inside. And. And we take it. Inside. By hearing it preached. By reading it. By memorizing it. And then we digest it.
[41:04] By meditating on it. And. And thinking it over. And mulling over it. And over it. To see how it applies to me. And what. Christ is for me.
[41:14] Today. I'm. Digesting it. And then I'm never done with it. Until I've prayed over it. Why do we need to.
[41:26] Are you praying for more hope? We've been on hope for a month now. Has the importance of this grace. Caused you to pray for it.
[41:36] For more measures of hope. Ten verses later. Paul. Gives his prayer filled benediction. For the Roman church.
[41:47] May the God of hope. Fill you with all joy and peace. As you trust in him. So that you may overflow with hope. By the power of the Holy Spirit. Why do we need to pray.
[41:59] To the God of hope. Well because. There's no hope. But what comes from him. So. So we've got to come to him for it. Yes. We come to his word. That's. We must do that too.
[42:09] We must know the promises. If we would be filled with the joy. And peace. And hope. Of those promises. But we must know. That we could have this book. And be alone on an island forever.
[42:20] Just this book and me. And apart from the spirit of God. It would not profit me. So that you may overflow with hope.
[42:32] By the power of the Holy Spirit. That's it. The word. And the spirit. The lessons. And the teacher.
[42:43] And only he can teach us. These things in a way. That will inspire hope in us. In a way that will purify ourselves.
[42:54] That will persevere to the end. And will wait patiently. Even though eagerly. Until God's time to fulfill. All of his precious promises. To us.
[43:04] That's how Paul prays for the Ephesians. Chapter 1 verse 18. I pray also that the eyes of your heart. May be enlightened. In order that you may. Know the hope.
[43:15] To which he has called you. The riches. Of his glorious inheritance. In the saints. Maybe you didn't even know. You had eyes. In your heart. Paul prays.
[43:25] I pray that the. The eyes of your heart. Will be enlightened. Will your heart include your mind. And. And that is the eye of the soul. That's the eye of the heart.
[43:39] And so Paul prays for the. Eyes of your heart. To be enlightened. Maybe you didn't know. That. That there's a difference. Between reading. The words in the Bible. On your own.
[43:49] And reading the same words. With the enlightening. Of the Holy Spirit. There's a difference. Job. Would liken it. To the difference. Between.
[44:00] Having heard of God. And now having seen him. With his own eyes. It's the difference. Of having heard. About God. And having seen him.
[44:10] For ourselves. It's the difference. Between somebody. Explaining to you. What a strawberry. Tastes like. And you taking a strawberry. And eating it. Oh I pray.
[44:20] That the eyes of your heart. Would be enlightened. So that you would know. The hope. To which he's called you. It is so good. It is so great. That it takes the Holy Spirit himself.
[44:32] To enlighten us. To it. In such a way. That our hope. Will give us patience. To wait. May God do that.
[44:43] For us. Brothers and sisters. What a God of hope. He wants us ever rejoicing. In hope. He wants us ever resting. In hope. He wants us.
[44:54] Overflowing in hope. And he's given us. Both his word. And his spirit. That it might be so. Let's pray. Lord Jesus.
[45:08] We came into this world. Under the curse. In Adam. And it was only. By you becoming a curse. For us. That we have been redeemed. From the curse of the law.
[45:20] So we thank you. We thank you father. For forgiving us your son. We thank you Lord Jesus. That you. Submitted to the curse. Of the cross. And took the damnation.
[45:31] We had coming. And. By that. Glorious redemption. You've purchased for us. An eternal life. And. Already now.
[45:42] We have the first. Fruits of it. The spirit of God. In our hearts. And oh. How we thank you. For that. We would not. Belittle the day. Of small things. It's no small thing.
[45:53] To be alive. And no longer. Dead in sin. It's. It's. It's no small thing. To be on. The highway. To heaven. With the spirit of God. The guarantee.
[46:05] In our hearts. Oh. But you have made us. Thirsty. Holy Spirit. You. You. You. Have made us to thirst. For something more than first fruits. For the harvest.
[46:17] Itself. And it's. It's because we. We've tasted. That. That you are so gracious. That. That we are eager. And.
[46:28] Yet. We thank you. That you would teach us. To wait patiently. So. So strengthen our hope. Lord. Give us. In this coming year. To dedicate ourselves. To this book. That was written.
[46:40] That we might have hope. That. That people. Living. Hopeless lives. Around us. Might. Want to know. The reason. For the hope. That is in us.
[46:51] And that we might be able. To tell them. With all humility. And respect. It's. It's Jesus Christ. And what he. Has done. And is for us now.
[47:02] And. Is going to do for us. So we pray it. In Jesus name. For his glory. For our good. Amen. Amen.