Romans 5:5, ‘hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.’
CEB Version, ‘This hope doesn’t put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.’
In this world, everything around is unstable! Many people are perishing without any hope, as they do not know what to do, when they are facing any difficulty or problem or suffering, they are losing their lives without hope!
God is encouraging us, that He has given us, a living hope! It is a blessed and glorious hope! This hope does not put us to shame!
Romans 5:1-4, ‘Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;’
Ephesians 2:12, ‘remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.’
This was our condition, having no hope and without God in the world; but now we have a living hope! Now God has purchased us and this hope will not put us into shame. All other hopes are only false hope!
Proverbs 13:12, ‘Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But desire fulfilled is a tree of life’.
Deferred hope makes heart sick! If what we hoped for, did not work out, it will bring discouragement and disappointment in our lives! We might be expecting healing from our sickness or the plans are not working out; then it will lead into disappointment! God is giving us a blessed, glorious and a living hope.
Habakkuk 3:17-18, ‘Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls, 18 Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation’.
Habakkuk is expecting blossom from the fig tree; but it is not happening! He is expecting fruit on the vines; there is no fruit! Yield of the Olive, failed; Fields produced no fruit! Flock was cut off from the fold! No cattle in the stalls! There was no return from anything but in the midst of this all, he had hope! He had hope in the Lord. He says that ‘he will rejoice in the God of my salvation and I will exult in the Lord’. If we put hope in the living things of the world and in anything, other than our Lord, it will bring us disappointment and will discourage us. The living hope in our Lord, will not disappoint us. It will not put us to shame!
In Romans 5:2-4, Apostle Paul says, we have become the children of God and now we are standing in His grace, we are saved by grace! Now we have a hope and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. We not only rejoice in our hope but we also rejoice in our tribulations, sufferings, knowing that this suffering brings us perseverance and this perseverance, will bring us proven character and this proven character brings us hope! ‘Proven Character’ is beginning with ‘suffering’ and is ending with ‘hope’! V5, this ‘hope’ does not disappoint us! ‘Proven Character’ is needed so that we can be conformed to the image and character of our Lord Jesus Christ. We know that, all the sufferings in our lives is to produce in us, a proven character! So, we ‘rejoice’ in our suffering! As this is bringing goodness in us – ‘a proven character’ which conforms us into the likeness of Christ – This is our hope. This hope does not disappoint us. In our sufferings, Satan is tempting us to be discouraged but we are encouraged by the Holy Spirit, that in the midst of our sufferings, troubles and storms, we are encouraged by setting our hope in our living God. Always knowing that all the sufferings are for our good, producing in us, a proven character. This is our eternal hope and will not disappoint us. Why is this hope does not disappoint us? Because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us!
Romans 5:5, ‘and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.’
We need to have this assurance that the love of God is anchored in our hearts! That our God loves us. In the midst of all sufferings, always have this assurance that God loves us! Do not doubt the love of God. This hope does not disappoint, as the love of God has been poured out within our hearts. If we do not have ‘the love of God’ as our ‘anchor’, we will be drifted away from our God.
Romans 5:8, ‘But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us’.
God loves us and Christ died for us, when we were yet sinners, He became curse for us, as we read in Galatians 3:13. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law. We need to be gripped and deeply rooted in our hearts, that God loves us. It should be anchored in our lives! This hope does not disappoint us!
John 17:23, ‘I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.’
Always remember that God loves us as much as He loved Jesus. Our hearts must be anchored in God’s love.
There is a beautiful picture of God’s love in,
Ezekiel 16:4 – 6, ‘As for your birth, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water for cleansing; you were not rubbed with salt or even wrapped in cloths. 5 No eye looked with pity on you to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you. Rather you were thrown out into the open field, for you were abhorred on the day you were born. 6 “When I passed by you and saw you squirming in your blood, I said to you while you were in your blood, ‘Live!’ Yes, I said to you while you were in your blood, ‘Live!’’ 9 “Then I bathed you with water, washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil. 10 I also clothed you with embroidered cloth and put sandals of porpoise skin on your feet; and I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk. 11 I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your hands and a necklace around your neck. 12 I also put a ring in your nostril, earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. 13 Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your dress was of fine linen, silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, honey and oil; so you were exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty.’
We were like this new born baby where no eye looked with pity on us and we were about to perish with the world, without having any hope, we were about to die! In this situation, Jesus cared for us and carried us, washed us by His precious blood and clothed us with His robe of righteousness and He gave us this blessed hope! How wonderful is His love for us! This love does not disappoint us! Do not give up this hope because this hope is anchored in God’s love. This hope will bring life to us. Whatever is not anchored in God’s love will only bring us disappointment and discouragement.
In the parable of the prodigal son, the younger son came back to his Father, knowing that his Father loves him. His Father’s love gripped him. It was anchored in his heart, that his Father loved him! He lost everything but one thing in which his heart was anchored was on his Fathers love. This is the message for us too! Never doubt or forget that God loves us!
Hebrews 6:19, ‘This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, 20 where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek’.
This hope, we have as an anchor of our soul. This hope is secure and sure! We are the children of God; and this hope is our security in our Christian life! We should not give up this hope in our Christian lives! We know anchors are needed for ships to survive in the midst of violent storms or tempest attacks. Anchor is an important equipment for ship to survive the storms. We see that the Holy Spirit is comparing ‘hope’ to the ‘anchor’, which we need to survive the storms in our lives! When the violent storms hit the ship, they lower this anchor, deep into the sea; and this anchor protects the ship from drifting away. This anchor holds the ship, stable. The hope which is our anchor will hold us and keep us stable in the midst of sufferings and problems. Our hope is an anchor of our soul, anchored in Christ, in His love for us.
John 16:33, ‘These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”’
In our Christian lives, in this world, we have sufferings, difficulties; we need to face but the Holy Spirit is reminding us that we have hope, as an anchor in Christ, nothing can shake us, we can be encouraged by this hope. When the heavy waves hit the ship, initially, there might be some shaking experience that we might be going through. In our Christian lives too, there might be some shaking experiences – from our relatives, our sickness, at our workplaces; we might go through these. In the midst of all these shaking experiences, we have the anchor of hope. This hope will bring to us a proven character, as in Romans 5:5, so we can be conformed into the likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ; knowing that in all things, God will work out in us, to bring out this proven character.
Romans 8:28, ‘And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;’
Romans 8:35, ‘Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?’
V37, ‘But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Apostle Paul was deeply rooted in this truth and was anchored in his heart that the Lord loves us and that nothing can separate us from the love of God. We should be anchored in God’s love.
Matthew 12:20, ‘A battered reed He will not break off, And a smoldering wick He will not put out, Until He leads justice to victory. 21 And in His name the Gentiles will hope.”
God says that He will not break off, a battered reed. In our weak condition, He will not break us. A smoldering wick, He will not put out. May be the fire is gone out, only smoke is coming from a wick; even in this situation, God is still giving us, hope; until He leads justice to victory. In the Name of Jesus Christ, we will have hope. This is our living hope. This is an anchor of our soul.
2 Samuel 12:15 – 23, ‘So Nathan went to his house. Then the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s widow bore to David, so that he was very sick. 16 David therefore inquired of God for the child; and David fasted and went and lay all night on the ground. 17 The elders of his household stood beside him in order to raise him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat food with them. 18 Then it happened on the seventh day that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold, while the child was still alive, we spoke to him and he did not listen to our voice. How then can we tell him that the child is dead, since he might do himself harm!” 19 But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead; so David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” And they said, “He is dead.” 20 So David arose from the ground, washed, anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he came into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he came to his own house, and when he requested, they set food before him and he ate.
21 Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” 22 He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who knows, the Lord may be gracious to me, that the child may live.’ 23 But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”’
Davis is saying, ‘I will go to him, but he will not return to me’. David has this hope in his heart! We see that David fervently prayed for his 6th son, he gave up his praying, when the child died. He knows, that he will see him again! David had this hope even after the death. We know that David was frequently tempted to be disappointed and discouraged in his life but this one thing he did always, which is really encouraging to all of us.
Psalms 42:5, ‘Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence.’
David is encouraging himself again,
V11, ‘Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.’
Also, in
Psalms 43:5, ‘Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.’
Hope in God, this is the security of our Christian life. Hope in God, as it is anchored in God’s love. This hope does not disappoint us.
Romans 5:3-5, ‘And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.’
Let us always have the assurance of this hope; which is anchored in God’s love, in our Christian lives.
Hebrews 6:11, ‘And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end’
We need to have the full assurance of hope and gripped by this hope, which, the living God, the God of hope, has given to us, until the end of our journey.
Hebrews 10:23, ‘Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful’
Let us hold fast to the confession of this hope, without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
Romans 15:13, ‘Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit’.
We will abound in hope, as our God is a God of hope, He gives us hope in each and every situation, and this hope will give us the joy and peace in believing that we will abound in hope, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
May God bless us.
