25th November 2023

25th November 2023


Pray (ACts)


Read (Romans 15v13)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


Verse thirteen is beautiful and a prayer which should become part of our own prayer life. The Apostle prays for his brothers and sisters in Rome and asks that the God of hope would fill the Roman Christians with all joy and peace in believing. Let's break that down. Firstly, God is the God of hope. The Lord isn't like us and so He does not sit in heaven fretting and hoping that all will go well.


He knows the beginning and He knows the end. He is not afraid of the darkness and He does not fear the future. He is the source of every good and perfect gift including the treasure of hope. The classic movie "The Shawshank Redemption" has hope as its central theme. The character called Red says that "Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man mad." but his friend Andy isn't so sure saying "Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things." Both of these fictional characters found themselves in prison with little to no hope of a brighter future. 


I am so thankful for the hope we have in Christ. We know that this world is hard and sore but in Jesus we have not believed in vain. The Christian isn't a fool and they haven't made a mistake in receiving the Gospel - our hope isn't dangerous and it will not drive us mad, instead it directs us Christ-ward and it causes us to long for home. Peter calls our hope a "living" one which hopes in a Saviour who knew death but also a glorious resurrection. In Christ we have a heavenly inheritance which can never perish, spoil or fade (1st Peter 1v3-4). I think hope is a good thing, not the best of things but a precious jewel nevertheless.


God is the God of hope and Paul prays that He will fill us with joy and peace as we believe (v13a). I don't plan to patronise you today by saying that the Christian life is only joy and peace. I suspect you know all too well that at times we can carry heavy joyless burdens with hearts filled with dread. Even so, we should do business with today's verse and pray earnestly that the Lord would bless us with joy and peace as we believe. 


The Christian's great joy is none other than Jesus. In Christ we know that our primary need has been addressed, no longer are we enemies of God but rather His friends. By faith in Jesus we have peace with the Lord and whilst in this life we will certainly know trouble, we can take heart because Christ has overcome the world.


As Paul's prayer ends, he asks that the church in Rome wouldn't know a "touch wood" or "fingers crossed" kind of hope but rather a Holy Spirit worked abundant hope. I pray for that too, so that in good days and bad we would hope abundantly in the better future won for us by Christ. Look around you today and remember that what you see is not all that there is. Look inward today and remember that the Lord has promised you a day without the pain you feel or the depression which calls regularly.


Brothers and sisters, let's pray these words for each other. "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." (Romans 15v13) Amen.   


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC


Q106 What do we pray for in the sixth petition? In the sixth petition, which is, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” we pray, that God would either keep us from being tempted to sin, or support and deliver us when we are tempted.
​