Lent 2 – Reminiscere March 5, 2023
Romans 5:1-5
Standing in Hope
v.2 Through Him [Jesus] we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God.
Dear friends in Christ, standing seems like such a simple and easy thing to do, doesn't it? Many of us can, and have, stood for long periods of time—usually when we are trying to get some sort of government service (haha). But this isn't always the case, either. We know that parents anxiously await that moment when their child first stands on their own—usually supported by some sort of couch or table or loving hands. We beam with pride when our children stand (and then go on to rue the day as we have to move so many things up and out of their reach, lest they damage something or hurt themselves!). Furthermore, many people suffer from ailments or disease or injury which make it difficult to stand. And, of course, the older we get the more challenging even the once simple task of standing seems to be, and we often need support in terms of canes or walkers to better help us balance and stand, lest we fall and injure ourselves.
No, standing is not always as simple and easy as it looks. This is also true for us Christians in terms of standing firm in our Christian faith and hope. It seems so easy on the surface. "Trust in God and His promises no matter what happens—no matter what you're going through. Keep the faith." But, as is often the case, this is so much easier said than done. Just ask Jacob who was attacked by an unknown assailant in the middle of the night, even after receiving promises of God that the Messiah's line would continue through him. Imagine Jacob's great surprise and distress when he learned that it was God Himself who was fighting him!
Now, we have been declared righteous by God. A blessed, objective Word from God outside of us that says we are righteous (that is, cleansed from sin) by the work of Jesus on the cross for us. This act of justification happens from faith, St. Paul says. That is, faith receives this promised Word—this wondrous declaration—from God and says, "This is mine! This is true! I believe it." This gives us peace with God—a cessation of hostility between us on account of our sin—because of Jesus Christ's work on the cross, whereby the dreadful wrath of God for our sin has been poured out upon Jesus in our place. He endured the pain, the suffering, the death that we deserve for our sin. And because He has done so, we are now at peace with God, and justified in His sight.
So now, beloved, through our Lord Jesus we have access to the royal throne room of God and His grace and mercy for us in Christ. By faith in Jesus we are placed firmly in a position of God's grace—meaning we receive God's great gifts of forgiveness and mercy for our sin, life in the face of death, salvation rather than damnation—no matter what we experience this side of heaven. This give us cause to joyfully boast in the hope that we have in this great glory of God in which we share by faith in Jesus.
Indeed, having been declared righteous by God on account of Christ, we now stand in the firm hope that we will one day enjoy a fully restored experience of God's image and presence that was lost in Eden so long ago by our first parents in the Fall. So, despite Satan's best efforts, despite the world's grumbling and persecutions, despite even our own rebellious flesh, we trust that we will one day be fully restored to God because of the blood that Jesus shed for us. And it is in this great and wondrous hope that the Christian boasts: not of our works, which avail us nothing before God, but of Jesus and His sacrifice for us.
Yet, if we are honest with ourselves, we recognize that our experience of standing firm in our faith is fraught with difficulties and perils. You know, beloved, how difficult it can be to stand at times: whether through fatigue, or injury, or illness. Yet, can you also imagine how difficult it is to stand when you are surrounded by things that are pushing and pulling you in different directions, desiring to make you fall?
Such is the case with the Christian. There are many things that seek to push and pull us away from Christ, leading us to fall away from faith. Perhaps it is challenging arguments from unbelievers or difficult relationships from friends and families. Maybe it is some kind of particular health crisis affecting you or a loved one. A health problem that you do not understand why it has come to you, or why your loved one is being made to suffer in this way? We can be tempted to fall from faith and hope into unbelief and despair when confronted with the great evils of the world all around us. Sometimes, trying to stand in our faith is incredibly difficult because it feels as though we are trying to stand in the midst of an earthquake!
Yet into these desperate situations come the clear Word of God to our rescue. For God is the One who provides the firm foundation upon which we stand in faith. The foundation of Jesus Christ crucified for you and for me. As we are often pushed to and fro, our Lord Jesus comes alongside us to bear us up and hold us firmly in His loving arms of mercy, so that we can be led by the Holy Spirit to "boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope" (Romans 5:3b-4).
Beloved, the sufferings we experience are not in themselves good, but God uses them to direct us to the hope that we have in Christ Jesus, and it is this sure and certain hope that enables us to boast even in the midst of our sufferings. Calling unto Christ our Lord for mercy we are able to patiently endure our trials and tribulations—to stay standing in the faith despite the pressures pushing us in various directions, or trying to knock us down.
Indeed, the Lord works so that this patient endurance accomplishes or brings about tested character—a character that has been refined in suffering as metal is refined by fire—purifying our faith to look ever and only to Jesus for strength, comfort, and peace. This character accomplishes hope in us. The very hope that God first gave us when He declared us righteous, providing us a firm place to stand in the first place! God is the One who accomplishes all of this in you by His grace, which you receive from faith in Jesus.
And this blessed hope that you have been given—that you have been confirmed in—through your many sufferings and trials—is a hope that will not put you to shame on the Last Day. No, indeed, despite the pressures and attacks of the hostile unbelieving world around us, it is THEY who will be put to shame and humiliation when Christ returns to Judge the living and the dead—not you. For you have a sure and certain hope that "does not put [you] to shame, because God's love has been poured into [your] hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to [you]" (Romans 5:5).
Indeed, beloved, the basis for your confident hope, despite your afflictions, is that the love of God has been poured out and remains within your hearts. Yes, God's love is in your hearts only because He has placed it in you. His love seeks to replace the impure desires and doubts of your sinful hearts. His love comes from outside of you to accomplish this. How? By the outpouring of the Holy Spirit who was given to you, and remains with you in your Baptism. As Paul writes in Titus 3:5-6, "[God] saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, Whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior."
What joy it is to know, dear friends, that you truly are the "Beloved" of God in Christ. That His love not only sent His Son Jesus to the cross for you, but His love has been given to you richly through the Holy Spirit whom He poured out upon you in your Baptism, washing you clean of all sin, declaring you righteous in the sight of God, and providing you a firm foundation for your faith in the work of God to save you. The Holy Spirit continues to work in you not only in your Baptism, but by His Word that continually declares you free from sin on account of Christ.
Knowing that God Himself has planted you firmly in His grace in Christ Jesus, you may now withstand the buffeting blows that assault your faith. For you do not stand alone. You do not stand on sinking sand. You stand on Christ the crucified and risen One. He holds you in His nail pierced hands. The blood and water that flowed from His side cover you with His righteousness and bear you up against all trials and assaults to your faith. Your eyes look not to you or your own works for your comfort and peace, but rather to the One who was pierced for your transgressions. You look to Him who smiles upon you in grace and mercy. It is in Him and Him alone that you boast. For as Paul writes in 1 Cor. 1:31 and 2 Cor. 10:17 (paraphrasing Jeremiah 9:23-24), "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord." For truly, it is the Lord who saves—it is the Lord who makes you stand firm in your faith—stand firm in hope. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Romans 5:1-5
Standing in Hope
v.2 Through Him [Jesus] we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God.
Dear friends in Christ, standing seems like such a simple and easy thing to do, doesn't it? Many of us can, and have, stood for long periods of time—usually when we are trying to get some sort of government service (haha). But this isn't always the case, either. We know that parents anxiously await that moment when their child first stands on their own—usually supported by some sort of couch or table or loving hands. We beam with pride when our children stand (and then go on to rue the day as we have to move so many things up and out of their reach, lest they damage something or hurt themselves!). Furthermore, many people suffer from ailments or disease or injury which make it difficult to stand. And, of course, the older we get the more challenging even the once simple task of standing seems to be, and we often need support in terms of canes or walkers to better help us balance and stand, lest we fall and injure ourselves.
No, standing is not always as simple and easy as it looks. This is also true for us Christians in terms of standing firm in our Christian faith and hope. It seems so easy on the surface. "Trust in God and His promises no matter what happens—no matter what you're going through. Keep the faith." But, as is often the case, this is so much easier said than done. Just ask Jacob who was attacked by an unknown assailant in the middle of the night, even after receiving promises of God that the Messiah's line would continue through him. Imagine Jacob's great surprise and distress when he learned that it was God Himself who was fighting him!
Now, we have been declared righteous by God. A blessed, objective Word from God outside of us that says we are righteous (that is, cleansed from sin) by the work of Jesus on the cross for us. This act of justification happens from faith, St. Paul says. That is, faith receives this promised Word—this wondrous declaration—from God and says, "This is mine! This is true! I believe it." This gives us peace with God—a cessation of hostility between us on account of our sin—because of Jesus Christ's work on the cross, whereby the dreadful wrath of God for our sin has been poured out upon Jesus in our place. He endured the pain, the suffering, the death that we deserve for our sin. And because He has done so, we are now at peace with God, and justified in His sight.
So now, beloved, through our Lord Jesus we have access to the royal throne room of God and His grace and mercy for us in Christ. By faith in Jesus we are placed firmly in a position of God's grace—meaning we receive God's great gifts of forgiveness and mercy for our sin, life in the face of death, salvation rather than damnation—no matter what we experience this side of heaven. This give us cause to joyfully boast in the hope that we have in this great glory of God in which we share by faith in Jesus.
Indeed, having been declared righteous by God on account of Christ, we now stand in the firm hope that we will one day enjoy a fully restored experience of God's image and presence that was lost in Eden so long ago by our first parents in the Fall. So, despite Satan's best efforts, despite the world's grumbling and persecutions, despite even our own rebellious flesh, we trust that we will one day be fully restored to God because of the blood that Jesus shed for us. And it is in this great and wondrous hope that the Christian boasts: not of our works, which avail us nothing before God, but of Jesus and His sacrifice for us.
Yet, if we are honest with ourselves, we recognize that our experience of standing firm in our faith is fraught with difficulties and perils. You know, beloved, how difficult it can be to stand at times: whether through fatigue, or injury, or illness. Yet, can you also imagine how difficult it is to stand when you are surrounded by things that are pushing and pulling you in different directions, desiring to make you fall?
Such is the case with the Christian. There are many things that seek to push and pull us away from Christ, leading us to fall away from faith. Perhaps it is challenging arguments from unbelievers or difficult relationships from friends and families. Maybe it is some kind of particular health crisis affecting you or a loved one. A health problem that you do not understand why it has come to you, or why your loved one is being made to suffer in this way? We can be tempted to fall from faith and hope into unbelief and despair when confronted with the great evils of the world all around us. Sometimes, trying to stand in our faith is incredibly difficult because it feels as though we are trying to stand in the midst of an earthquake!
Yet into these desperate situations come the clear Word of God to our rescue. For God is the One who provides the firm foundation upon which we stand in faith. The foundation of Jesus Christ crucified for you and for me. As we are often pushed to and fro, our Lord Jesus comes alongside us to bear us up and hold us firmly in His loving arms of mercy, so that we can be led by the Holy Spirit to "boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope" (Romans 5:3b-4).
Beloved, the sufferings we experience are not in themselves good, but God uses them to direct us to the hope that we have in Christ Jesus, and it is this sure and certain hope that enables us to boast even in the midst of our sufferings. Calling unto Christ our Lord for mercy we are able to patiently endure our trials and tribulations—to stay standing in the faith despite the pressures pushing us in various directions, or trying to knock us down.
Indeed, the Lord works so that this patient endurance accomplishes or brings about tested character—a character that has been refined in suffering as metal is refined by fire—purifying our faith to look ever and only to Jesus for strength, comfort, and peace. This character accomplishes hope in us. The very hope that God first gave us when He declared us righteous, providing us a firm place to stand in the first place! God is the One who accomplishes all of this in you by His grace, which you receive from faith in Jesus.
And this blessed hope that you have been given—that you have been confirmed in—through your many sufferings and trials—is a hope that will not put you to shame on the Last Day. No, indeed, despite the pressures and attacks of the hostile unbelieving world around us, it is THEY who will be put to shame and humiliation when Christ returns to Judge the living and the dead—not you. For you have a sure and certain hope that "does not put [you] to shame, because God's love has been poured into [your] hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to [you]" (Romans 5:5).
Indeed, beloved, the basis for your confident hope, despite your afflictions, is that the love of God has been poured out and remains within your hearts. Yes, God's love is in your hearts only because He has placed it in you. His love seeks to replace the impure desires and doubts of your sinful hearts. His love comes from outside of you to accomplish this. How? By the outpouring of the Holy Spirit who was given to you, and remains with you in your Baptism. As Paul writes in Titus 3:5-6, "[God] saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, Whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior."
What joy it is to know, dear friends, that you truly are the "Beloved" of God in Christ. That His love not only sent His Son Jesus to the cross for you, but His love has been given to you richly through the Holy Spirit whom He poured out upon you in your Baptism, washing you clean of all sin, declaring you righteous in the sight of God, and providing you a firm foundation for your faith in the work of God to save you. The Holy Spirit continues to work in you not only in your Baptism, but by His Word that continually declares you free from sin on account of Christ.
Knowing that God Himself has planted you firmly in His grace in Christ Jesus, you may now withstand the buffeting blows that assault your faith. For you do not stand alone. You do not stand on sinking sand. You stand on Christ the crucified and risen One. He holds you in His nail pierced hands. The blood and water that flowed from His side cover you with His righteousness and bear you up against all trials and assaults to your faith. Your eyes look not to you or your own works for your comfort and peace, but rather to the One who was pierced for your transgressions. You look to Him who smiles upon you in grace and mercy. It is in Him and Him alone that you boast. For as Paul writes in 1 Cor. 1:31 and 2 Cor. 10:17 (paraphrasing Jeremiah 9:23-24), "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord." For truly, it is the Lord who saves—it is the Lord who makes you stand firm in your faith—stand firm in hope. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.