The Second Sunday in Advent
\nDecember 4, 2016
\nRomans 15:4-13<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.\u00a0 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.\u00a0 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth,\u00a0 to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: \u00a0“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name.”\u00a0 Again, it says, “Rejoice, O Gentiles with his people.”\u00a0 And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples.”\u00a0 And again, Isaiah says, “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him.”\u00a0 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.\u00a0 (NIV1984)<\/p>\n
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,<\/p>\n
This is the time of the year when many children are anxiously looking forward to something special that either comes in the mail or is tucked into the newspaper.\u00a0 It is\u2014 the Christmas toy catalogue!\u00a0 Countless children will go through that catalogue page after page after page and either mark or write down on a piece of paper all the toys that they are hoping to get for Christmas.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t take much to imagine the excitement on the faces of those children, does it?\u00a0 Each and every one of them will undoubtedly be filled with hope!\u00a0 Even if the parents try to be more realistic than their children, even if Mommy and Daddy tell little Joey or little Sally not to get their hopes up too high\u2014 do you think the little ones will listen?\u00a0 Probably not.<\/p>\n
This is indeed the time of the year when the hopes of many people run very high, my friends.\u00a0 Some people are hoping for peace on earth while others are simply hoping for peace in their own home.\u00a0 Some people are hoping for something that sparkles while others are hoping for something that says \u201cCraftsman\u201d on the side.\u00a0 And yes, many people are hoping for things that say:\u00a0 No assembly required!<\/p>\n
While this is a season of hope sadly there are also many reasons for people to say\u2014 Don\u2019t get your hopes up to high!\u00a0 Depending on what we are hoping for and depending on what our hopes are based on our hopes can evaporate as easily as snow in Florida!<\/p>\n
As we continue our sermon series entitled Advent Imperatives<\/em><\/strong> we focus our attention today on a portion of Scripture that I think loudly encourages us to:\u00a0 Overflow with Hope!<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 There are two imperatives found here in our text.\u00a0 The first imperative is found in verse 7, \u201cAccept one another.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 The second is a group of parallel imperatives found in verses 10-11, \u201cRejoice\u2026Praise the LORD\u2026sing praises to him.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Today then let\u2019s see that as you and I overflow with hope\u2014 true<\/strong> hope\u2014 we will indeed \u201caccept\u201d<\/em> each other and we will \u201crejoice\u201d<\/em>!<\/p>\n Since it is so easy for our hopes to be dashed, since we know from personal experience that we need to be careful not to get our hopes up too high, we need to make sure that if we are going to overflow with true hope that our hope must have a solid foundation!\u00a0 The good Lord gives us the only rock-solid foundation for our overflowing hope in the opening verse of our text.\u00a0 We read, \u201cFor 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.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n This is a perfect passage to highlight in your own personal study Bible.\u00a0 God\u2019s holy inspired Word gives us example after example of why we are to overflow with hope!\u00a0 When Adam and Eve rebelled against their loving Creator and brought sin into and onto the entire human race they may have thought that all hope was lost.\u00a0 Was it?\u00a0 Absolutely not!\u00a0 God promised<\/strong> that He Himself would provide this world with a Savor from sin.\u00a0 Since God has<\/strong> fulfilled that promise we now have reason to overflow with hope!\u00a0 When we are troubled by our own guilt, when Satan assails us with our own sins we find hope in knowing that God Himself has declared us \u201cNot Guilty!\u201d <\/strong>\u00a0When Abraham and Sarah found themselves old and childless, when Joseph found himself sitting in the bottom of that well and then later found himself sitting in a prison cell in Egypt, when the children of Israel found themselves trapped between the Red Sea and the mighty Egyptian army, when David found himself guilty of both adultery and murder, when the people of Judah and Jerusalem found themselves being led away as captives to Babylon, they may have thought to themselves that all hope was lost.\u00a0 Was it?\u00a0 Absolutely not!<\/p>\n Time and time again when God\u2019s people found themselves helpless in a hopeless situation Scripture reveals to us how our God stepped in to provide His people with overflowing hope.\u00a0 The ultimate proof of that truth is of course, found right there on the cross of Calvary\u2019s hill.\u00a0 When we human beings were completely helpless, when our situation seemed absolutely hopeless \u201cGod sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons\u201d<\/em> (Galatians 4:4-5).\u00a0 So whenever you are feeling helpless, my friends, whenever you find yourself in a situation that seems hopeless sit down and read the holy inspired Word of your God \u201cso that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n When our overflowing hope is indeed based on the rock-solid foundation of God\u2019s holy Word then our overflowing hope will lead us to gladly follow the first Advent imperative found here in our text:\u00a0 \u201cAccept one another.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Look at verses 5-7 or our text.\u00a0 Paul writes, \u201cMay the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.\u00a0 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The Christian church in Rome was struggling with a problem that still plagues the Christian church right down to this very day.\u00a0 In one word the problem was\u2014 and is\u2014 prejudice.\u00a0 The congregation in Rome was made up of both Jews and Gentiles.\u00a0 Tragically, the Jewish Christians looked down on the Gentile Christians.\u00a0 Earlier in this same letter Paul alludes to some of the reasons as to why the Jewish Christians may have thought that they were \u201cbetter\u201d than the Gentile Christians.\u00a0 In Romans 9:4-5 Paul says concerning the descendants of Abraham, \u201cTheirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises.\u00a0 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised!\u00a0 Amen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n When the Jewish Christians looked at all of the unique blessings the Lord had bestowed on the children of Abraham down through the ages they may have thought that those blessings gave them a \u201cspiritual edge\u201d over the Gentile members of God\u2019s church.\u00a0 But it simply was not so!\u00a0 The overflowing hope that God gives equally<\/strong> to all<\/strong> of His children, the overflowing hope that is based on the fact that Jesus is the Savior of all<\/strong> people\u2014 both Jew and Gentile alike\u2014 this overflowing hope is what gives us the \u201cspirit of unity\u201d<\/em> that God Himself wants in His church, my friends\u2014 including our own congregation!\u00a0 When our unity is based upon the hope of Scripture then <\/strong>with \u201cone heart and mouth\u201d<\/em> we will gladly join together\u2014 without prejudice of any sort\u2014 so that we can \u201cglorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cAccept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 When we truly understand that Jesus has \u201caccepted\u201d<\/em> us not<\/strong> because we had a lot of potential, not <\/strong>because deep down inside we were basically good, not<\/strong> because we at least tried to do our best but only<\/strong> because of His <\/strong>grace and His<\/strong> goodness and His<\/strong> mercy then surely we will not only overflow with hope in our own heart, but that overflowing hope will unite us as brothers and sisters in Christ, as a family of believers.<\/p>\n When our overflowing hope is indeed based on God\u2019s Word, when our overflowing hope is based on the fact that Christ has \u201caccepted\u201d<\/em> us, we will not only gladly follow Paul\u2019s imperative and \u201caccept\u201d<\/em> each other but we will also gladly follow Paul\u2019s imperative to \u201crejoice\u201d<\/em> and \u201csing praises\u201d<\/em> to the Lord, our God!<\/p>\n Look at verses 9, 10, 11 & 12 of our text. Using four Old Testament passages the apostle Paul proves<\/strong> that the hope that only God can give to us, the joy and the peace that comes to us only \u201cby the power of the Holy Spirit\u201d<\/em> is something that the \u201cGod of hope\u201d<\/em> always<\/strong> intended for all<\/strong> people irregardless of their racial or ethnic background. Now I certainly can not speak for you, but as a Gentile, as someone whose ancestors are not<\/strong> Jewish I rejoice<\/em><\/strong> in portions of Scripture like this!\u00a0 I rejoice<\/em><\/strong> in knowing that the Lord\u2019s Messiah came into this world to save me<\/strong> too!\u00a0 I rejoice<\/em><\/strong> in knowing that the Lord\u2019s Christ suffered and died on the cross to completely pay for my<\/strong> sins too!\u00a0 I rejoice<\/em><\/strong> in knowing that the \u201cRoot of Jesse\u201d<\/em> physically rose from the grave so that I<\/strong> could overflow with hope too!\u00a0 So when our Savior God says to us Gentiles, \u201cRejoice!,\u201d<\/em> when our Savior God tells us Gentiles, \u201cPraise the LORD!\u201d<\/em> we respond by saying, Amen!\u00a0 Hallelujah!<\/p>\n There are probably countless children who either have or will be going through the Christmas toy catalogue page by page by page and marking all the toys they want for Christmas.\u00a0 Some of those children may hear their parents say to them, \u201cNow, don\u2019t get your hopes up too high.\u201d\u00a0 By the grace of God, my friends, we already know what we have already received for Christmas\u2014 the greatest Gift of all!\u00a0 As the Gift of God\u2019s own Son causes us to overflow with the hope that can not be disappointed may we truly take to heart the Advent imperatives that our God gives to us here in our text for today:\u00a0 \u201cAccept one another just as Christ accepted you!\u201d<\/em> and \u201cRejoice!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n To God be the glory!<\/p>\n Amen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Second Sunday in Advent December 4, 2016 Romans 15:4-13 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.\u00a0 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermon"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=751"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/751\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":752,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/751\/revisions\/752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}