“Unfailing Hope” (Romans 5:1-5)

“Unfailing Hope,” Romans 5:1-5

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Pastor Tom Johnson, May 22, 2016

Our Scripture promises us hope—hope that we can boast in—hope that will not disappoint us—hope that God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit works to bring into our lives. It makes me want to be very cautious. It is a bold claim. God gives us hope. He makes us hopeful. He has opened the door for us to proceed through life with Christ-infused optimism. A hope so mysterious and so profound requires the work of a mysterious and profound God. This is the work of holy Trinity. We have peace with the Father through the Son and hope is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. This is a top-down view of how God gives us hope. Hope comes from heaven to earth—from God to humanity. It is a gift of God. And Paul invites to boast in this hope “of sharing the glory of God.” We tell the world we have divine hope.

One of my professors in seminary asked our class a question: “Do people disappoint you often? Do you find yourself frequently disillusioned by those around you?” Many of us raised our hands. He told us, “Lower your standard.” “It is better that you be surprised by the meagre kindness of others,” he said. “Any good that you experience from those around you will be unexpected. Otherwise you will always be unrealistic in your expectations.” Good and wise advice. But cynical. The Psalmist says, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in mortals. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in princes” (Ps 118:8,9). “Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help. When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish. Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God” (Ps 146:3-5).

Hope is not only top-down. It is also bottom-up. Our Scripture says, “Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” In other words, we should not be surprised by disappointment in life. There will be difficulties along the way. We have been called to take up our crosses and follow Jesus. Jesus said, “In the world you face persecution—you will have troubles” (John 16:33). This is all part of God’s plan. He allows challenging experiences into our lives to strengthen us for the journey ahead. He molds and shapes good character. And as a result of God planting his Spirit into our troubled lives, he produces hope. Once again from the dust of the earth, God recreates us. He breathes new life into our lives by the Holy Spirit. And he overcomes our sin, evil, and death by his Son, Jesus Christ. This is the One who gives us victory through his own suffering and death. Jesus said, “In the world you will face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!” Suffering produces endurance, endurance character, and character hope. And so we “boast” in our suffering because it is no random accident. It tells a story. God leads us through the valley of the shadow of death.

In other words, we can speak confidently that our troubles, sadness, and challenges are no accident. We can step back and look objectively at our lives. We can say, “God is doing something. And this is a work in progress. My story is unfolding. And like a good story, it will have a hopeful ending.” It will be a hope that will not disappoint us. Our Triune God is working from heaven to earth to produce hope; he is also working from the ground up. Through the mystery of the godhead, he brings purpose and meaning to our lives. We will not be misled if our trust is in him. We will not remain in our distress and anguish. “Weeping may tarry for the night but joy will come in the morning.” Hope is just around the corner. Hope is just over the horizon of endurance and character.

Of all people, I heard comedian Jim Carrey say essentially this good news. He said, “Life is not happening to you. It is happening for you.” I think it may take a comedian to get a laugh out of the sadness of this world. God is using whatever you are going through to make all things new. That is the divine punchline to our difficulties. In Christ, God gets the last laugh. And he invites us to join his laughter.

This is the hope of our Scripture today: “We have obtained access to the grace in which we stand.” “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” This is life in the Triune God. This is the sure antidote to cynicism and despair. This is God’s trajectory from justification to sanctification. He gives us hope that is eternal; he cultivates hope that is now. He carries us through our present troubles with a peace that surpasses understanding and a hope that will not let us down. We celebrate this hope. We boast in God’s gift of hope. We revel in his hope for the world to hear. He gets all the credit and all the glory. We have a hope that will not leave us empty—will never leave us wanting—but fills us now and for all eternity.