Tuesday, December 26, 2017

"Hope, Part II" By Romans

Last week we began a Series on the occurrence of the word, “hope” in Scripture. We looked at the major and significant occurrences in the Old Testament, and I explained why the word “hope” appeared only once in the Four Gospels: The Messiah had finally come. The centuries-long hope of the Jews had arrived and was on the earth and in their midst. After Jesus' crucifixion, resurrection and ascension, the use of the word “hope” returned making an appearance fifty-two times: eight times in the Books of Acts, thirty-nine times in the Epistles of Paul, Peter and John, and five times in the Epistle to the Hebrews. Let's begin to look at those occurrences, tonight, and see what we can learn from them.

The rest of the New Testament:
What I would like to share with you first occurs in the first sermon Peter delivered after both the Resurrection of Christ, and the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. We read beginning in Acts 2:22: “People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus of Nazareth by doing wonderful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. you followed God’s prearranged plan.

With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to the cross and murdered him. However, God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life again, for death could not keep him in its grip. King David said this about him: 'I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. No wonder my heart is filled with joy, and my mouth shouts his praises! My body rests in hope. For you will not leave my soul among the dead allow your Holy One to rot in the grave. You have shown me the way of life, and you will give me wonderful joy in your presence.’

Peter's declaration to the unsuspecting crowd of worshipers who had come to Jerusalem to observe the Feast of Pentecost heard words that reverberate, or at least should do so, down to this day, because they are words of hope unlike good news that has ever been declared. David wrote, “My heart is filled with joy and my heart shouts his praises. My body rests in hope.” David was speaking prophetically of Jesus who had died, but unlike any person who had died before Him was resting with hope in the tomb. We read in Hebrews 9:27 appointed unto men once to die. That applies to us. When our time comes, our bodies can rest in that same hope of the resurrection that will bring us back from the dead.

As we move forward into New Testament, we read in Acts 16:19, an event where the Apostle Paul cast out a demon who enabled a woman to tell fortunes. We read, “And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers.” Here, again, we encounter the word, “hope” but this time in a very different light. They did not have a hope of a resurrection followed by the gift of Eternal Life. Their hope, like so many in the world today, was in gain. Scripture, however, also speaks of what we should regard as great gain. We read of it in 1 Timothy 6:6: “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”

The Life Application Bible tells us, “This statement is the key to spiritual growth and personal fulfillment. We should honor God and center our desires on Him, and we should be content with what God is doing in our life.”

Cross Reference: Philippians 4:11-13: “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or little. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.  For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need. “

The Life Application Bible tells us, “Paul could get along happily because he could see life from God’s point of view. He focused on what he was supposed to do, not what he felt he should have. Paul had his priorities straight, and he was grateful for everything God had given him. Paul had detached himself from the nonessentials so that he could concentrate on the eternal. Often the desire for more or better possessions is really a longing to fill an empty place in a person’s life. To what are you drawn when you feel empty inside? How can you find true contentment? The answer lies in your perspective, your priorities, and your source of power.

And then commenting on verse 13, the Life Application Bible says, “Can we really do everything? The power we receive in union with Christ is sufficient to do his will and to face the challenges that arise from our commitment to doing it. He does not grant us superhuman ability to accomplish anything we can imagine without regard to his interests. As we contend for the faith, we will face troubles, pressures, and trials. As they come, ask Christ to strengthen you.”

The Apostle Paul was arguably one of the most brilliant men who ever lived. When he, on his way to arrest and extradite Jews who had embraced Christianity, and bring them bound in chains back to Jerusalem to be tried and punished for heresy, he was struck down by Jesus on the Road to Damascus. When you read the account of event, what I read is that the Glorified Jesus, Himself, appeared to Paul on that road. The account reads that the light that appeared there was, in Paul's words to King Agrippa, “a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me” (Acts 26:11). Paul was converted by that encounter and he fully embraced the Person and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

But the Jewish Community was scandalized by that conversion. During a riot in which they tried to kill Paul in the Temple Area, the Romans rushed in, rescued him and arrested him. When Paul faced his accusers as mandated by Roman law, we read of a facet of Paul's brilliance in Acts 23:6: “But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.”

The Life Application Bible tells us of this: “The Sadducees and Pharisees were two groups of religious leaders but with strikingly different beliefs. The Pharisees believed in a bodily resurrection, but the Sadducees did not. The Sadducees adhered only to Genesis through Deuteronomy, which contain no explicit teaching on resurrection. Paul’s words moved the debate away from himself and toward their festering controversy about the resurrection. The Jewish council was split.”

Today, in our society, few quibble over the idea of the resurrection. It is not a subject that is mentioned very often in any of the sermons I hear in person, or on radio or TV. However, in Paul's day the resurrection was not only a hot topic, it was, in Paul's mind, the heart and soul of Christian belief. We read his words beginning in 1 Corinthians 15:12: “tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. if Christ was not raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your trust in God is useless.”

The Life Application Bible tells us of this, “The resurrection of Christ is the center of the gospel message. Because Christ rose from the dead as he promised, we know that what he said is true—he is God. Because he rose, we have certainty that our sins are forgiven. Because he rose, he lives and represents us to God. Because he rose and defeated death, we know we will also be raised.” That is our hope, as Paul said in so many words beginning in 1 Corinthians 15:17: “And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless, and you are still under condemnation for your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ have perished! And if we have hope in Christ only for this life, we are the most miserable people in the world.”

Paul speaks once again of hope being intertwined with the resurrection in Acts 24:15: “And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.”

Paul speaks of a hope that has been in place for all believers beginning with the founding fathers
beginning in Acts 26:6 where he says, “I am on trial because I am looking forward to the fulfillment of God’s promise made to our ancestors. In fact, that is why the twelve tribes of Israel worship God night and day, and they share the same hope I have. Yet, O king, they say it is wrong for me to have this hope!” The Paul asks at his hearing before King Agrippa and others, a question which, at the same time identifies exactly what that hope was for him then, and is for us, now. He asks in verse 8, “Why does it seem incredible to any of you that God can raise the dead?”

The Barnes Bible Commentary says of this, “Acts 26:8
Why should it be thought ... - The force of this question will be better seen by an exclamation point after why, as if to say: “What! is it to be thought a thing incredible?” etc. It intimates surprise that it should be thought incredible, or implies that no reason could be given why such a doctrine should be unworthy of belief.
A thing incredible - A doctrine which cannot be credited or believed. Why should it be regarded as absurd?

With you - This is in the plural number, and it is evident that Paul here addressed, not Agrippa alone, but those who sat with him. There is no evidence that Agrippa doubted that the dead could be raised, but Festus, and those who were with him, probably did, and Paul, in the ardor of his speech, turned and addressed the entire assembly. It is very evident that we have only an outline of this argument, and there is every reason to suppose that Paul would dwell on each part of the subject at greater length than is here recorded.

That God should raise the dead - Why should it be regarded as absurd that God - who has all power, who is the creator of all, who is the author of the human frame should again restore man to life and continue his future existence? The resurrection is no more incredible than the original creation of the body, and it is attended with no greater difficulties. And as the perfections of God will be illustrated by his raising up the dead; as the future state is necessary to the purposes of justice in vindicating the just and punishing the unjust, and as God is a righteous moral governor, it should not be regarded as an absurdity that he will raise up those who have died, and bring them to judgment.”

Let's move on to our next New Testament occurrence of the word, “hope.”
Paul was arrested, imprisoned and released several times. In one of those imprisonments, in the City of Rome, he called for the Jewish leaders of the city to come to where he was under house arrest, and he said in Acts 28:20: “For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.”

Barnes Commentary on the Bible says, “Because that for the hope of Israel - On account of the hope which the Jews cherish of the coming of the Messiah; of the resurrection; and of the future state.”
As Christians we know that our Hope the Messiah has come, we have hope in the Resurrection and, as Jesus instructed to pray daily “Thy Kingdom come,” we also have hope in the future state of Israel. That future state, like the Resurrection, is rarely brought up from the pulpits but it was a primary focus of Jesus' followers both before His death and after His Resurrection. Jesus is coming again to rule this earth when He establishes His Throne in Jerusalem and sets up His Kingdom on the earth. It is my hope when I pray daily, “Thy Kingdom come.”

Romans 5:2: “By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Barnes' Commentary on the Bible says, “We have access – Jesus said in John_14:6, “I am the way.” It means, “by whom we have the privilege of obtaining the favor of God which we enjoy when we are justified.” The word rendered “access” occurs but in two other places in the New Testament.”

Let's take a look at those: Ephesians 2:18 which says, “Now all of us, both Jews and Gentiles, may come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.” and Ephesians 3:18: “Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come fearlessly into God’s presence, assured of his glad welcome.”
Of this the Life Application Bible tells us, “It is an awesome privilege to be able to approach God with freedom and confidence. Most of us would be apprehensive in the presence of a powerful ruler. But thanks to Christ, by faith we can enter directly into God’s presence through prayer. We know we’ll be welcomed with open arms because we are God’s children through our union with Christ. Don’t be afraid of God. Talk with him about everything. He is waiting to hear from you.”

Back to the Barnes Commentary:
By faith - By means of faith.
Into this grace - Into this favor of reconciliation with God.
Wherein we stand - In which we now are in consequence of being justified.
And rejoice - Religion is often represented as producing joy. The sources or steps of this joy are these: (1) We are justified, or regarded by God as righteous. (2) we are admitted into his favor, and abide there. (3) we have the prospect of still higher and richer blessings in the fulness of his glory when we are admitted to heaven.

In hope - In the earnest desire and expectation of obtaining that glory. Hope is a complex emotion made up of a desire for an object; and an expectation of obtaining it. Where either of these is lacking, there is not hope. Where they are mingled in improper proportions, there is not peace. But where the desire of obtaining an object is attended with an expectation of obtaining it, in proportion to that desire, there exists that peaceful, happy state of mind which we denominate hope And the apostle here implies that the Christian has an earnest desire for that glory; and that he has a confident expectation of obtaining it. The result of that he immediately states to be, that we are by it sustained in our afflictions.

The glory of God - The glory that God will bestow on us. The word “glory” usually means splendor, magnificence, honor; and the apostle here refers to that honor and dignity which will be conferred on the redeemed when they are raised up to the full honors of redemption; when they shall triumph in the completion of the work: and be freed from sin, and pain, and tears, and permitted to participate in the full splendors that shall encompass the throne of God in the heavens.

The Life Application Bible tells us of this, “Paul states that, as believers, we now stand in a place of highest privilege. Not only has God declared us not guilty; he has drawn us close to himself. Instead of being enemies, we have become his friends—in fact, his own children.”

Wading deeper into the Book of Romans, we read beginning in Romans 5:3: “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”

The Life Application Bible tells us, “For first-century Christians, suffering was the rule rather than the exception. Paul tells us that in the future we will become, but until then we must overcome. This means we will experience difficulties that help us grow. We rejoice in suffering, not because we like pain or deny its tragedy, but because we know God is using life’s difficulties and Satan’s attacks to build our character. The problems that we run into will develop our perseverance—which in turn will strengthen our character, deepen our trust in God, and give us greater confidence about the future. You probably find your patience tested in some way every day. Thank God for those opportunities to grow, and deal with them in His strength.”

Barnes Commentary tells us, “And hope maketh not ashamed - That is, this hope will not disappoint, or deceive. When we hope for an object which we do not obtain, we are conscious of disappointment; perhaps sometimes of a feeling of shame. But the apostle says that the Christian hope is such that it will be fulfilled; it will not disappoint; what we hope for we shall certainly obtain.; The expression used here is probably taken from Psalm 22:4-5 which says, “Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.”

Because the love of God - Love toward God. There is produced an abundant, an overflowing love to God.
Is shed abroad - Is diffused; is poured out; is abundantly produced. This word is properly applied to water, or to any other liquid that is poured out, or diffused. It is used also to denote imparting, or communicating freely or abundantly, and is thus expressive of the influence of the Holy Spirit poured down, or abundantly imparted to people. Here it means that love toward God is copiously or abundantly given to a Christian; his heart is conscious of high and abundant love to God, and by this he is sustained in his afflictions.

By the Holy Ghost - It is produced by the influence of the Holy Spirit. All Christian graces are traced to his influence: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,” etc.
Which is given unto us - Which Spirit is given or imparted to us. The Holy Spirit is thus represented as dwelling in the hearts of believers. In all these places where it occurs it is meant that Christians are under his sanctifying influence; that he produces in their hearts the Christian graces; and fills their minds with peace, and love, and joy.”

I used the next occurrence of “hope” which we find in the Book of Romans last week in an effort to explain why the word “hope” is virtually missing in the Four Gospels. That reason, again, was because these were four accounts of Jesus' being alive and on the earth, daily in their presence. And I quoted Romans 8:24: “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?”

Barnes Commentary has a slightly wider and more insightful take on this: “For we are saved by hope - It cannot be said that hope is the instrument or condition of salvation. Most commentators have understood this as meaning that we have as yet attained salvation only in hope; that we have arrived only to a condition in which we hope for future glory; and that we are in an attitude of waiting for the future state of adoption. But perhaps the word “saved” may mean here simply, we are kept, preserved, sustained in our trials, by hope. Our trials are so great that nothing but the prospect of future deliverance would uphold us; and the prospect is sufficient to enable us to bear them with patience. This is the proper meaning of the word “save”; and it is often thus used in the New Testament.”

The thought continues in verse 25: “But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Barnes Commentary says, “But if we hope ... - The effect here stated is one which exists everywhere. Where there is a strong desire for an object, and a corresponding expectation of obtaining it - which constitutes true hope - then we can wait for it with patience. Where there is a strong desire without a corresponding expectation of obtaining it, there is impatience. As the Christian has a strong desire of future glory, and as he has an expectation of obtaining it just in proportion to that desire, it follows that he may bear trials and persecutions patiently in the hope of his future deliverance. Compared with our future glory, our present sufferings are light, and but for a moment. In the hope of that blessed eternity which is before him, the Christian can endure the severest trial, and bear the intensest pain without a complaint.”

But hope that is seen - Hope is a complex emotion, made up of an earnest desire, and an expectation of obtaining an object. It has reference, therefore, to what is at present unseen. But when the object is seen, and is in our possession, it cannot be said to be an object of hope. The Word hope here means the object of hope, the thing hoped for.”

Moving forward we read in Romans 15:4: “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”

Barnes Commentary says, “For whatsoever things ... - This is a “general” observation which struck the mind of the apostle, from the particular case which he had just specified. He had just made use of a striking passage in the Psalms to his purpose. The thought seems suddenly to have occurred to him that “all” the Old Testament was admirably adapted to express Christian duties and doctrine, and he therefore turned aside from his direct argument to express this sentiment. It should be read as a parenthesis.

Were written aforetime - That is, in ancient times; in the Old Testament.
For our learning - For our “teaching” or instruction. Not that this was the “only” purpose of the writings of the Old Testament, to instruct Christians; but that all the Old Testament might be useful “now” in illustrating and enforcing the doctrines and duties of piety toward God and man.

Through patience - This does not mean, as our translation might seem to suppose, patience “of the Scriptures,” but it means that by patiently enduring sufferings, in connection with the consolation which the Scriptures furnish, we might have hope. The “tendency” of patience, the apostle tells us is to produce 'hope.'

And comfort of the Scriptures - By means of the consolation which the writings of the Old Testament furnish. The word rendered “comfort” means also “exhortation” or “admonition.” If this is its meaning here, it refers to the admonitions which the Scriptures suggest, instructions which they impart, and the exhortations to patience in trials. If it means “comfort,” then the reference is to the examples of the saints in affliction; to their recorded expressions of confidence in God in their trials, as of Job, Daniel, David, etc. Which is the precise meaning of the word here, it is not easy to determine.

Might have hope - We may learn here, (1) That afflictions may prove to be a great blessing. (2) that their proper tendency is to produce “hope.” (3) that the way to find support in afflictions is to go to the Bible. By the example of the ancient saints, by the expression of their confidence in God, by their patience, “we” may learn to suffer, and may not only be “instructed,” but may find “comfort” in all our trials;

The Life Application Bible tells us of this: “The knowledge of the Scriptures affects our attitude toward the present and the future. The more we know about what God has done in years past, the greater the confidence we have about what he will do in the days ahead. We need to diligently read our Bibles so we may have confidence that God’s will is best for us.”

In the next occurrence of the word, “hope,” it is included as a title of God, Himself. It is the only place in Scripture where God is given this exact title, and we find it in Romans 15:13: “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”

Cross Reference: Eph 1:13: “{Christ} in whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,”

Of this reference to God, as the “God of Hope,” Matthew Henry writes, “Here is another prayer directed to God, as the God of hope; and it is, for spiritual blessings: these are the blest blessings, and to be first and chiefly prayed for. Observe how he addresses himself to God, as the God of hope. It is good in prayer to fasten upon those names, titles, and attributes of God, which are most suitable to the errand we come upon, and will best serve to encourage our faith concerning it. Every word in the prayer should be a plea. Thus should the cause be skilfully ordered, and the mouth filled with arguments. God is the God of hope. He is the foundation on which our hope is built, and he is the builder that doth himself raise it: he is both the object of our hope, and the author of it. That hope is but fancy, and will deceive us, which is not fastened upon God (as the goodness hoped for, and the truth hoped in), and which is not of his working in us. We have both together as in Psa 119:49: Thy word - there is God the object; on which thou hast caused me to hope - there is God the author of our hope. That they might abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost. The joy and peace of believers arise chiefly from their hopes. What is laid out upon them is but little, compared with what is laid up for them; therefore the more hope they have the more joy and peace they have. We do then abound in hope when we hope for great things from God, and are greatly established and confirmed in these hopes. Christians should desire and labour after an abundance of hope, such hope as will not make ashamed. This is through the power of the Holy Ghost. The same almighty power that works grace begets and strengthens this hope. Our own power will never reach it; and therefore where this hope is, and is abounding, the blessed Spirit must have all the glory.”

This concludes this Evening's Discussion, “Hope, Part II.”

This Discussion was originally presented by Romans “live” on September 6th, 2017

Saturday, December 23, 2017

"Hope" By Romans

Tonight, we are going to start on a multiple-installment Series called, “Hope.” This is a deep subject, and the Word of God has much to say about it, and how it applies to us. But I would, first, like to share with you all what Scripture reminds us about our state before we accepted Christ as our Savior. The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 2:12: “That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:”

The Life Application Bible tells us of this, “Pious Jews considered all non-Jews (Gentiles) ceremonially unclean. They thought of themselves as pure and clean because of their national heritage and religious ceremonies. Paul pointed out that Jews and Gentiles alike were unclean before God and needed to be cleansed by Christ. In order to realize how great a gift salvation is, we need to remember our former natural, unclean condition. Have you ever felt separate, excluded, hopeless? These verses are for you. No one is alienated from Christ’s love or from the body of believers.”

Of that hopeless state that has been replaced by the which Salvation God provides, Matthew Henry writes, “Christ and his covenant are the foundation of all the Christian's hopes. A sad and terrible description is here; but who is able to remove himself out of it? Would that this were not a true description of many baptized in the name of Christ. Who can, without trembling, reflect upon the misery of a person, separated for ever from the people of God, cut off from the body of Christ, fallen from the covenant of promise, having no hope, no Saviour, and without any God but a God of vengeance, to all eternity? To have no part in Christ! What true Christian can hear this without horror? Salvation is far from the wicked; but God is a help at hand to his people; and this is by the sufferings and death of Christ.”

We who have accepted God's Son, and we who have accepted Jesus' death on the cross for our sins, we have hope. We can look beyond our present circumstances, no matter what they might be, a see a bright future. God's Word tells us not only of God's Plan to save us, it tells us what God thinks of us. We read in Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Having this kind of knowledge available to us, the very thoughts of God Almighty is why we, unlike the world, can have hope for the future because we have an “expected end.” That expectation is our hope.

Of this The Life Application Bible tells us of this, “We’re all encouraged by a leader who stirs us to move ahead, someone who believes we can do the task he has given and who will be with us all the way. God is that kind of leader. He knows the future, and his plans for us are good and full of hope. As long as God, who knows the future, provides our agenda and goes with us as we fulfill his mission, we can have boundless hope. This does not mean that we will be spared pain, suffering, or hardship, but that God will see us through to a glorious conclusion.”

Let's go through Scripture chronologically, or, at least in the printed Book order which is not always chronolgical, and consider where the major occurrences of the word “hope” appear in it. We first encounter it in the Book of Ruth. Naomi was a widow. Her husband Elimelech had died. Her two sons Mahlon and Chilion had married Ruth and Orpah, but they (her sons) had died. Naomi's two daughters-in-law were widows. The Law provided for a widow in the family to marry a brother of the dead husband, but Naomi had no other sons. We read Naomi's advice to Ruth and Orpah beginning in Ruth 1:12: “Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons; Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me.”

One might wonder, “I thought you were going to cite the major occurrences of the word 'hope.' Is Naomi's pessimistic assessment of the situation for her and her daughters-in-law a major or even a relevant occurrence?” And, to that objection I respond, “Yes, it is both major and relevant.” And why do I say that? How does Ruth have anything to do with our hope as Christians? Does Ruth have anything do with God's Plan of Salvation that gives us the hope that we have?

Ruth did not take Naomi's advice to go back to pagan Moab and find a husband. She responded to Naomi in Ruth 1:16: “Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:” Ruth stayed with Naomi and returned to Israel with her. She found that, even though Naomi did not have another son she could marry, she did have a “near kinsman” or relative she could marry.
That individual was Boaz. She did marry him and had a son named Obed. Obed grew up and had a son named Jesse. Jesse grew up and became the father of King David. Ruth is named in Matthew's genealogy of Jesus Christ who was often called a “son {or, descendant} of David” sixteen times in Matthew's, Mark's and Luke's Gospel Accounts.

The Life Application Bible writes, “Ruth was a Moabitess, but that didn’t stop her from worshiping the true God, nor did it stop God from accepting her worship and blessing her greatly. The Jews were not the only people God loved. God chose the Jews to be the people through whom the rest of the world would come to know him. This was fulfilled when Jesus Christ was born as a Jew. Through him, the entire world can come to know God. Acts 10:35 says that “in every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right.” God accepts all who worship him; he works through people regardless of their race, sex, or nationality. The book of Ruth is a perfect example of God’s impartiality. Although Ruth belonged to a race often despised by Israel, she was blessed because of her faithfulness. She became a great-grandmother of King David and a direct ancestor of Jesus. No one should feel disqualified to serve God because of race, sex, or national background. And God can use every circumstance to build his kingdom.”

We read of Ruth's part in the genealogy of Christ in Matthew 1:5-6: “And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; And Jesse begat David the king;” Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible adds to what we have already discovered about Ruth, “It is a notion that generally obtains among the Jews (u), that she {Ruth} was the daughter of Eglon, grandson of Balak, king of Moab; and it is often taken notice of by them (w), that the king (Messiah) should descend from her; and also other persons of note, as David, Hezekiah, Josiah, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, and Daniel; wherefore the mentioning of her in this genealogy, cannot be said by them to be impertinent.”

Matthew Henry also writes of Jesus' genealogy through King David: “Concerning this genealogy of our Saviour, observe the chief intention. It is not a needless genealogy. It is not a vain-glorious one, as those of great men often are. It proves that our Lord Jesus is of the nation and family out of which the Messiah was to arise. The promise of the blessing was made to Abraham and his seed; of the dominion, to David and his seed. It was promised to Abraham that Christ should descend from him, and to David that he should descend from him... and, therefore, unless Jesus is a son of David, and a son of Abraham, he is not the Messiah.” Genealogies were routinely male-dominated; that was a part of Hebrew culture, but Matthew broke precedent by including and identifying Ruth as the great-grandmother of King David. God responded to her faith in Him, and her loyalty to the people of God and her mother-in-law by giving her an honored place in the line that provided us our Hope, Jesus Christ the Messiah.

The next not-so-chronological occurrence of the word “hope” appears in the Book of Ezra. This was much later in the history of Israel. The Northern Kingdom of Israel, with its capital at Samaria, had already been invaded, conquered, and dispersed (not to return); in their place a mixed population of Hebrews that were not exiled, who had intermarried with pagans who were brought in. Nearly two centuries later, the South Kingdom of Judah was invaded, conquered and exiled for 70 years. When the Jews returned to Judah, they were scandalized by the population living in the North in Israel. “Hope” appears in that context in Ezra 10:2: “And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.” I include this because these people who had taken strange wives were the ancestors of the Samaritans. The bad blood that started even before Ezra's day continued between the Jews and the Samaritans over four centuries later, and is frequently commented on in the pages of the Four Gospels and the Book of Acts.

Jesus saw past this bad blood and animosity that was still going on. In John 4 when Jesus at first encountered a Samaritan woman at the well, but then the entire town came out and accepted Him as the Messiah, Jesus told His disciples right there IN Samaria in John 4:35: “Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.” Jesus considered a hated people and a hated culture of His day to be a potential field of harvest for His Kingdom. He went out of His way to specifically name them as a original recipients of the preaching of the Gospel. We read of Jesus telling His disciples in His declaration of the Great Commission, “... and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

The Life Application Bible tells us, “Sometimes Christians excuse themselves from witnessing by saying that their family or friends aren’t ready to believe. Jesus, however, makes it clear that around us a continual harvest waits to be reaped. Don’t let Jesus find you making excuses. Look around. You will find people ready to hear God’s Word.” The Great Commission is a Commission of Hope for those (including us) who were not a physical descendant of the line of Abraham. But our status has been dramatically changed. Now we read in Galatians 3:29: “And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

So far we have found just two books of the Old Testament, and two occasions of the word “hope.” But then “hope” suddenly comes alive with fifteen application s and occurrences just in the Book of Job: Many of these application s use the word “hope” but in a negative light. We read, for example, in Job 6:11 a very pessimistic question from Job: “What is my strength, that I should hope? and what is mine end, that I should prolong my life?” And also in Job 7:6: “My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope.” Zophar, one of Job's three friends, tried to turns Job around and see that, in spite of all that had befallen him, all was not lost. He said in Job 11:18: “And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety.” Zophar goes on to contrast the hopelessness of the wicked in verse 20: “But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost.”

Matthew Henry writes: “It is our wisdom to comfort ourselves, and others, in distress, with that which will not fail; the promise of God, his love and grace, and a well-grounded hope of eternal life.”

What will not fail? God alone, His Plan of Salvation, and His work in our lives are the only things that will not fail, and in which we can have hope. The Book of Psalms is full of such hope. Let's notice the hope that is conveyed in the hymns that ancient Israel sang in their worshiping of God.

We read in Psalms 16:9: “Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.” Of this the Life Application Bible tells us, “David’s heart was glad—he had found the secret to joy. True joy is far deeper than happiness; we can feel joy in spite of our deepest troubles. Happiness is temporary because it is based on external circumstances, but joy is lasting because it is based on God’s presence within us. As we contemplate his daily presence, we will find contentment. As we understand the future he has for us, we will experience joy. Don’t base your life on circumstances, but on God.”

Psalms 31:24: “Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

Psalms 33:18: “Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;”

Psalms 33:22: “Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.”

Psalms 42:5: “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.” The Life Application Bible tells us, “Depression is one of the most common emotional ailments. One antidote for depression is to meditate on the record of God’s goodness to his people. This will take your mind off the present situation as you focus your thoughts on God’s ability to help you rather than on your inability to help yourself. When you feel depressed, take advantage of this psalm’s antidepressant: Read the Bible’s accounts of God’s goodness, and meditate on them.”

Psalms 71:5: “For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.” Later in the Psalm, the writer goes from reflections of his hope in God when he was young, to his maintaining that hope now that he has grown old. He adds in Psalms 71:9, 10 and 14: “now, in my old age, don’t set me aside. Don’t abandon me when my strength is failing. my enemies are whispering against me. They are plotting together to kill me. But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.” The Life Application Bible tells us, “As we face the sunset years, we recognize that God has been our constant help in the past. As physical powers wane, we need God even more, and we realize he is still our constant help. We must never despair, but keep on expecting his help no matter how severe our limitations. Hope in him helps us to keep going, to keep serving him.”

Psalms 78:7: “That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:”

Psalms 119:81: “My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word.”

Psalms 119:114: “Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.”

Psalms 119:116: “Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: and let me not be ashamed of my hope.”

Psalms 130:5: “I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.”

Psalms 130:7: “Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.”

Psalms 146:5: “Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:”

In the Psalms, intertwined with hope, we also find gladness, strength, rejoicing, courage, rest, mercy, praise, help, trust, patience, obedience, salvation, happiness, and “plentious redemption.” God is pictured as upholding us, being our Hiding Place and Shield, and life, itself. For the believer, to have God is to have hope and all of the accompanying Blessings that God pours out on us. As I quoted in the beginning, because the world is without Christ it is without hope. Even some who claim to be believers in reality set their sights on material acquisition as their god. Job asks of them in Job 27:8: “For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?” Jesus asked in Mark 8:36: “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” As believers, our hope is not in material gain, prestige or position, but rather, in God alone.

Of this the Life Application Bible tells us, “Many people spend all their energy seeking pleasure. Jesus said, however, that worldliness, which is centered on possessions, position, or power, is ultimately worthless. Whatever you have on earth is only temporary; it cannot be exchanged for your soul. If you work hard at getting what you want, you might eventually have a “pleasurable” life, but in the end you will find it hollow and empty. Are you willing to make the pursuit of God more important than the selfish pursuits? Follow Jesus, and you will know what it means to live abundantly now and to have eternal life as well.”

Before we leave the Old Testament, I would like to cite and expound on one more occurrence of the word, “hope.”
it is found beginning Ezekiel 37:11: “Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.”

We will all one day breathe out last. Consider: it is not just the unsaved, but the whole House of Israel which says that without a resurrection, “Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost.” But consider: the idea and the hope of the resurrection is not limited to the presentation of God's Plan of Salvation in the New Testament. It is also right here in the Book of Ezekiel, written 593 years before Jesus was born. A resurrection of the deceased, ancient House of Israel is clearly depicted in Ezekiel 37:5 and 6: “Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.” Where God is, and only where God is, there is hope.

The prophecy in Ezekiel is a literal prophecy of a literal, physical resurrection. I did not expect the Life Application Bible to comment quite as it did. It derived an unexpected spiritual allegory from that prophecy which could be applied to us, today. While I don't necessarily agree that is what God was trying to say, because there is a valid teaching in it, I have included it in tonight's Discussion. It writes, “The dry bones represented the people’s spiritually dead condition. Your church may seem like a heap of dry bones to you, spiritually dead with no hope of vitality. But just as God promised to restore his nation, he can restore any church, no matter how dry or dead it may be. Rather than give up, pray for renewal, for God can restore it to life. The hope and prayer of every church should be that God will put his Spirit into it. In fact, God is at work calling his people back to himself, bringing new life into dead churches.”

In the New Testament, when we encounter the Four Gospels, (no, not this Website, the OTHER Four Gospels) the word “hope” appears only once. And when we do finally see it, it is not applied to any spiritual context. Instead, Jesus uses it in Luke 6:34 to say, “And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.” And that's it! The word “hope” does not appear, again, in the Gospels. I found that intriguing. The word “hope” is virtually nonexistent in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Why do you suppose that the word “hope” is virtually nowhere to be seen in the Four Gospels? Even when it does appear that one time, it does so outside of the spiritual context it had in the Psalms where it appeared so often?

Let's notice the account of the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus. Jesus had been crucified a few days before. They were downcast and completely demoralized as we read beginning in Luke 24:13: “And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel...”

That closing thought provides, what I feel, is the answer to the extreme scarcity of the word “hope” in the Four Gospels. Let's look at it, again: One of the two disciples told Jesus that “we trusted {past tense} that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel...” Trust goes hand-in-hand with hope. Notice, first, in Psalms 71:5: “For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.” And then, again, in Jeremiah 17:7: “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.”They had hope that the appearance of the Kingdom was imminent because the Messiah had come. They never expected the Messiah to be taken from them as He was, in spite of Jesus' frequent advance declarations of His coming crucifixion. (See Matthew 16:21, Mark 9:31, Luke 24:7). I hasten to add that in each of these declarations, Jesus also spoke of His being raised after He was executed. The disciples seemingly were oblivious to the fact that both events would take place, and now they were absolutely distraught.

Notice again these closing thoughts: “We trusted {or, we hoped} that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel.” They already had in their midst Who they were sure was the long-awaited Messiah. But the prophecies all spoke of a Messiah Who would throw off the yoke of Gentile suppression, for them the Roman Empire, and establish the world-ruling Kingdom of God on earth. The redemption of Israel included the Messiah setting up His Throne in Jerusalem, and from there He would rule the world. Jerusalem would be transformed from just being that capital city of Israel, to the capital city of the Kingdom of God on earth. That was what they had trusted in... what they had hoped would take place but had not taken place yet.

Paul tells us in Romans 8:24: “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?” Hope that is seen in not hope it is reality... it is tangible possession. The word “hope” is missing from Mathew, Mark, Luke and John, because these are four accounts of the life and ministry of the Messiah Jesus Christ finally arriving... He was ON the earth! Again, “Hope that is seen is not hope.” Jesus was seen daily by the writers of the Gospels! John tells us beginning in 1 John 1:1: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.” Hope is not expressed in the Four Gospels: Eyewitness experience, seeing, hearing, speaking and eating with and other interpersonal contact with Jesus Christ was being routinely experienced every day. He was not called “our Hope” in the Four Gospels. (One last time: “Hope that is seen is not hope.”)

But after Jesus' crucifixion, His resurrection and His Ascension to Heaven, hope – the need for hope – was rekindled. Notice Paul's words, first, in 1 Timothy 1:1: “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;”

Scripture progressed from eyewitnesses seeing and hearing and experiencing the Messiah, and not writing about hope, to the post-Ascension writings of waiting for the Second Coming of the Messiah as the Apostle Paul wrote about beginning in Titus 2:11: “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

I will close with Matthew Henry's comments on the above: “At, and in, the glorious appearing of Christ, the blessed hope of Christians will be complete: To bring us to holiness and happiness was the end of Christ's death. Jesus Christ, that great God and our Saviour, who saves not only as God, much less as Man alone; but as God-man, two natures in one person. He loved us, and gave himself for us; and what can we do less than love and give up ourselves to him! Redemption from sin and sanctification of the nature go together, and make a peculiar people unto God, free from guilt and condemnation, and purified by the Holy Spirit.”

This concludes this evening's Discussion, “Hope.” Next week we will branch out further into the Book of Acts and then the Epistles to see other occurrences of the word, “hope,” and what we can learn from them. I look forward to seeing you all then!

This Discussion was originally presented “live” on August 30th, 2017