"Hope: Life Refined by Grace"                        2011

Psalm 85:7-13        Romans 5:1-11

 

Psalm 85:7-13

Show us your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation.  8Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts. 9Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. 10Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.  11Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.  12The Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.  13Righteousness will go before him, and will make a path for his steps.

 

Romans 5:1-11

5Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. 6For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. 8But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. 9Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. 10For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. 11But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

 

“Life   is   difficult.”

            So begins Scott Peck’s best seller, "The Road Less Traveled”,

     in which he claims,

            that, "Once we truly know that life is difficult, once we truly understand and accept it, then life is no longer difficult."

 

               In the decades since I first read Peck’s book,

                        I have never found much comfort or hope in that idea.

Somehow, accepting that life is difficult in this broken world,

            doesn’t seem to provide much encouragement, comfort or hope

                        for when I am hurting, disappointed or struggling,

                                    and not much help in getting through my disasters.

 

Yes, I do know that life can be difficult,

            and that our world can be terribly cruel and destructive  …

… yet  I also see and recognize that  God is at work,

            when people rise above their indifference and self-interest,

                  when they show compassion and help their neighbors in need-

     -- for surely it was God who created that innate capacity in us

                 for mercy, kindness, generosity, nurture and goodness.

 

And when I see the amazing wonder and beauty of creation,

            as the psalmist writes,   that too proclaims the glory of God…

              … a God whose ways and purpose of mercy and goodness

                      are mysterious beyond our understanding or explanation.

 

So maybe we would assume that with such a God,   if we are faithful à

            and obedient to this powerful and compassionate God

                        who rules over our lives, this world and the universe,

                            then surely our life ought to be smooth and comfortable…

            … but in Romans 5, the apostle Paul, writing to Christians

                        who are struggling and suffering for their faith,

                                    suggests an alternative view of God’s involvement.

Paul writes, vss. 3-4

            … but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts .

 

we boast in our sufferings;  that phrase may require some explanation.

            We generally think of boasting as bragging,

                        but Paul is referring to something else,

                                    that God is accomplishing and  producing in us.

Another way to put it, is that we triumph through our tribulations,

            because  by God’s grace   something beneficial can occur

                        through the difficulties and trials we endure.

 

Paul’s point is consistent with what Jesus said in  John 16:21.

            When a woman is in labor, she has pain, because her hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world.

 

   This is not a platitude to throw out at people

            whose burdens are bending their souls to the point of breaking,

                        or to explain hard situations that we do not understand.

And Paul is not saying

            that we should keep on smiling and ignore the hurt because

                        good and faithful Christians never struggle or feel bad.

When Paul writes that we triumph even in our tribulations,

            he does not mean that we welcome or enjoy suffering & struggle,

                        nor that it doesn’t really hurt, wound us or disturb us.

 

The promise is, that through God’s power and grace and presence,

            even amid disappointment, suffering, failure or defeat

                        yet God will accomplish victory and good into our lives.

 

            Paul’s point is that God’s power, compassion and love

                        will transform even the most terrible stuff of our lives

                             into something that reveals God’s love and God’s grace.

*          That's a part of God's promise, to us.

 

But we may wonder, “how can that be?,

            and what good can possibly come from  my   suffering and loss?”

 

Consider your own history,

            and when have you learned your most significant life lessons?

 

            Probably from your biggest mistakes and worst failures …

                        … for sometimes it takes a little bit of struggle and panic

                                                   to get our attention and break our arrogance

                                                            enough for us to focus, to listen and learn.

 

          Generally, don’t we  learn more from failure and tribulation,

                    then we do from rousing success, adulation and ease?

 

suffering produces endurance

     When I would pick-up my guitar and play infrequently,

       the strings would painfully cut into the flesh of my fingertips;

               but over time, if I stayed with it, hard callouses would form.

 

And if you want to build strong muscles,

            that will require the resistance of lifting heavy weights.

And to compete in a marathon successfully, you have to train hard,

           and learn to keep running despite the breathlessness and pain.

 

suffering produces endurance

            The Greek word for 'endurance' is the word for an ancient press

                        that was used to crush olives for oil and grapes for juice.

By the crushing pressure of suffering, God produces endurance in us

   *       That too is a part of God's promise, to us.

 

endurance produces character

            The word translated as ‘character’ is connected to strength,

                        & means  that by testing, something is validated & proven.

                                    Character comes from having endured, and prevailed.

 

The generation of WW II veterans is an excellent example of this.

            That generation endured & were shaped by the Great Depression,

                        which taught them tenacity and willingness to sacrifice

                                    that was ultimately victorious in winning that war.

 

Strength of character cannot be inherited or passed easily on,

            but only comes the 'old fashioned way', ‘it must be earned’.

 

In football an experienced running-back knows that late in the game

            your best shot is to run over guy with the cleanest uniform.

That ‘clean uniform’ has mostly been sitting on the bench, probably

        because he is weaker and less skillful than others on the squad,

                & hasn’t been out on the field enough to earn a dirty uniform.

 

            The more spiritually mature Christians  I have known,

                        all had dirt on their uniforms,   as a humble assurance à

                                    that was marked by scars and wounds,   lessons in life.

 

We develop confidence and hope in God,

            through our suffering, losses, struggles and tribulation,

                        because God uses all of that – even our pain and disasters,

                                    ultimately for our good and growth

                                                            to produce character, faith and hope in us.

 

Do you remember when we had the unusual weather some time ago,

            of several days of heavy rain in a row …

                        and a number of us were quite surprised

                                    to learn that our roofs leaked ----

                                                                        --- for until it rained, who knew?

    We don’t really know the content and strength of our character,

            or the endurance of our faith and hope, until they get tested.

 

and character produces hope

  Biblical hope is not, "I hope I will be lucky and get through this",

                        but it is the confident assurance of hope for tomorrow

                                    based on God's faithfulness    yesterday   and today.

 

            Biblical hope is our confidence in God    and in God's love,

                        and our confident assurance that God is   gracious   to us.

  It is not self-confidence

            that we can withstand the storm  by our will or strength,

                        but it is a certainty in God   and in God’s promises,

                            and that    becomes the source of our power and strength.

 

            Its not that we learn   we can endure all things,

                        or that   we have the power and strength to withstand,

                                    but that as we pass through life's fire and adversity,

                                      through experience, we discover how gracious God is,

                                                in ways  better and beyond what we could imagine.

* That too is a part of God's promise, to us.

 

Apostle Paul explained this from a prison cell:  Philippians 4:12-13

            I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things   through  him  who  strengthens  me.

 

Over time and experience, and struggle, we can learn to recognize

            evidence of God's hand working in and through our lives,

                        and so our trust in God   and in  God's care for us    grows.

 

Of course were it left up to us to decide and determine,

            we'd take the easy road   whenever we could;

                        but our struggles are necessary in order for us to grow.

          Our God loves us much too much to short circuit that process.

 

In the 1950's, some nuns running an orphanage in South America,

            kept the babies in a sterile and germ-free environment,

                        to protect them from suffering any sickness or disease.

 

Everything sterile, they were never exposed to germs or illness.

            The children never got sick or had any health problems,

                        until they were about six years old, and they all died.

                       

Our natural immune system develops during our first six years,

            during which we have a greatly enhanced ability

                        to make anti-bodies like no other time in our lives.

            By our exposure to various diseases as young children,

                        our bodies thereby develop our lifetime immune system. 

            By fighting through and enduring childhood sickness & disease,

                        our bodies are able to fight off illness from then on.

 

Around six years of age, those orphans began to die,

            because in that protected disease-free environment

                        they had never developed a normal immune system.

 

God loves us too much

            to protect us from all suffering, disappointment and hurts,

                        for without them,  - no endurance,  no character,  no hope.

 

Suffering and disappointment are not marks of God's rejection,

            but they are signs of God's love and grace and desire to bless.

God wants us to endure, to grow Christian character,

            by knowing first hand that God's love is always with us,

                                    for that is our true source of confidence and hope.

 

Our hope isn't that we will necessarily know

            or fully understand God's will and purposes in this life.

                                    Hope derives from our experience of God,

                                                teaching us to trust in the Lord's love for us.

 

The question is, do I believe

            that God is powerful enough, wise enough and caring enough

                        to bring something good   out from my suffering and pain?

 

Paul's logic is very clear:

            if Jesus would die for us while yet sinners,   the enemies of God

                        then how much more    will God care and do for us now,

                                    that we are  the reconciled, beloved children of God?

 

So if you are struggling or going through a tough time today,

            don’t waste it or let it consume you,

                        but look around and  listen for what God is up to…

                                                … remembering that our journey

                                                            is not just a pilgrimage to heaven,

                                                                        but also about our growth along the way.

 

      So don’t isolate yourself with your troubles, suffering or pain,

                        but find trustworthy brothers and sisters in faith,

                              folks with integrity and wisdom of spiritual maturity,

       à    to walk with you,   listen to you,  to hope and pray with you…

 

            and most critically,

                        remember your experiences of God from your past,

                                    then know and trust that it’s the very nature of God

                                        never to abandon us or leave us to struggle alone.

 

As we read in  Ephesians 3:18-4:1

            I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.  Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.  I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.