Romans 15 Strength in Hope

 

Romans 15

Strength in Hope

Our source of Hope is God

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.  Romans 15:13

Trusting in the God of Hope will produce Joy and Peace

It is not God’s intention that your tank has a little hope, joy, and peace

But your tank to overflow with Hope, Joy and Peace

This is the power of the Holy Spirit working in you

You and I cannot predict the future

Just like we cannot predict how Hope will play out

But somehow God works all things out for our good 

To get Hope is to get Strength and Courage

So where does your Hope come from?

  

Strength in Hope

 

I can tell you when you have had

 the saddest moments of your life.

 

Times when there was a sick feeling in your stomach.

 

Times when your heart felt like it was giving out.

 

What are the saddest moments of our life?

 

They are the moments we lose “HOPE”.

 

I can tell you when you will give up…

 

When you will quit…

 

It is the time when you lose “HOPE.

 

Loss of hope is the same thing as loss of life.

 

The opposite is also true.

 

The more hope you have

the more you will enjoy life.

 

The more hope you have

the less worry you will have.

 

Here in Romans 15

we get some good advice on how and where to get hope.

 

Romans 15:4 says…

 

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us,

so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures

we might have hope.

 

We find two sources for obtaining hope.

 

The first one is a little complicated.

 

 Hope comes through endurance.

 

It is very hard to endure without hope.

 

 So what motivates us when

we do not have hope?

 

The answer is the Word of God.

 

The stories from the Bible are there

to teach us to “never give up”.

 

Like the story of Abraham…

 

Against all hope,

Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be."  

Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead — since he was about a hundred years old — and that Sarah's womb was also dead.

Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God,

but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,

being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

Romans 4:18-22

 

Against all hope Abraham

hoped and received the promise.

 

Those who hope see the future of “goodness”.

 

They are optimistic.

 

 Why?

Because their enduring strength comes

through the “encouraging of the Scriptures”.

 

Imagine Noah building the ark

when he saw the dark clouds…

 

Noah and his family would have perished.

 

Hope is always futuristic.

 

Noah’s hope was built upon every day.

 

You and I cannot wait till the storms of life come…

 

We need to be building hope by reading and

studying the encouraging Scriptures daily.

  

The Scriptures teach us hope every time we read them…

 

This makes the student of the Scriptures optimistic.

 

Some become pessimistic…

 

 Because they have missed that God works

all things for the good of those who love Him.

Romans 8:28  

 

Romans 15:5 says…

 

 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement

give you a spirit of unity

 

Our endurance and encouragement come from God

as He unites us as believers.

 

The gathering of believers should always produce hope.

 

Being united with other believers will help you

with the endurance and encouragement you need.

 

God gives endurance and encouragement through our unity.

 

1 Corinthians 14 reminds us that when we come together

every one of us has some encouraging thing to give

 

Are you one of those who brings encouragement

to the gathering of believers?

 

Hope is not just something you receive and take…

 

 Hope is something you and I are to give. 

 

Encourage one another daily

is the command from Hebrews 3:13.

 

Our source of hope is God…

 

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.  

Romans 15:13

 

Trusting in the God of Hope

 will produce joy and peace.

 

It is not God’s intention that your tank

has a little hope, joy, and peace.

 

But your tank to overflow

with hope, joy and peace.

 

This is the power of the Holy Spirit

working in you.

 

You and I cannot predict the future…

 

Just like we cannot predict

how hope will play out.

 

But somehow God works all things out for our good. 

 

To get hope is to get strength and courage

 

So where does your hope come from?

 

 

 

Scripture Reading

 

Romans 15:13 NIV

 

13 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.