Calvary Road Baptist Church

“WHAT HOPE DOES IN THE LIFE OF THE BELIEVER”

Romans 8.24-25 

The title of my message from God’s Word this evening is “What Hope Does In The Life Of The Believer.”

It probably came as quite a surprise to you the day it dawned on you that people suffer. It was probably a profound shock to you the day you became aware of the fact that believers suffer. But if you are like me, it was simply amazing to discover that, according to Romans 8.18, my suffering is not all that significant when compared to the glory which shall be revealed in us. I guess, in the grand scheme of things, I am not as important as I had thought I was.

Oh, I suppose that it is somewhat comforting to know that every believer suffers and that every other human being suffers to one degree or another. After all, the old saying does go, “Misery loves company.” But if you have to deal with selfishness and self-centeredness as much as I do when dealing with children and the occasional dysfunctional adult, then what other people’s problems are is not a great comfort. It’s nice to know that all of creation groans waiting for the renovation of the universe. Okay, but what about me? And it’s nice for me to realize that other believers are suffering like I am, with this redeemed soul living inside this unredeemed body. But what about me? So what others are suffering, too? I want to know how to deal with my suffering. And just knowing that others are suffering as well doesn’t help me very much. How does God help me?

God helps me with hope. God helps you with hope, Christian. But before we turn to God’s Word to read today’s text, allow me to define what hope is in the Bible, because hope in the Bible is not to be understood in the same way we talk about hope in normal conversation.

Did you watch westerns on television when you were a kid? If you are as old as I am you may have seen western movies. The classic scene, of course, is the wagon train that is drawn into a circle with a band of Indians riding around the outside and the frightened travelers shooting at them from the safe protection of wagon wheels. Why do they persist? Why do they show such courage? Because, near the end of the movie, the cavalry comes with bugler blowing to chase the Indians away. Holding out until the cavalry arrives to save the day approximates hope.

Then, of course, there were the Saturday morning cartoons. I have made much of Tom Terrific and Manfred, the wonder dog. But a more sophisticated cartoon series came a bit later, and that was Mighty Mouse. “Here I come to save the day. That means that Mighty Mouse is on the way.” Someone is in trouble, usually in fear of evil cats, when Mighty Mouse arrives to rescue them. Waiting for Mighty Mouse was yet another approximation of hope.

I think Americans, of all the nations of our modern era, are the most hopeful. Perhaps that is the reason why those Americans who became prisoners of war in World War Two after President Roosevelt’s decision to focus on the European War before focusing on the war in the Pacific, were dumbfounded that United States forces did not immediately come to rescue them. Both military and civilian personnel in the Far East could not imagine the Armed Forces of the United States not coming immediately to rescue them. They had a form of hope. But instead of months, it took years to accomplish their release from captivity.

Hope can be thought of in three ways; two are Biblical, and one is the contemporary and commonly understood definition of hope. In normal conversation, hope is recognized to be wishful thinking. It has to do with desire that is not founded on a promise or real expectation based on facts. The cavalry charge at the end of a western, the arrival of Mighty Mouse at the end of a cartoon, and the naive expectation of American prisoners of war who could not cope with the realities of our planet’s first truly world war are examples of this kind of hope.

In the Bible, however, hope is understood in two ways: First, hope is the confident expectation of a future blessing, based upon something reliable and reasonable, such as the promises of God in His Word. That kind of hope is not wishful thinking but is a well-founded expectation. I have most usually referred to this in past comments about hope. Then there is the word hope that is used to represent what we hope for. The coming of Christ from heaven in power and glory is our blessed hope.[1] The glorified and soon coming Lord of Lords is not our expectation, but He is the object of our expectations.

It is hope, then, understood in these two ways, that God uses to enable the Christian to deal with the necessary suffering of this lifetime. That said, please turn in your Bible to Romans 8.24-25, as we stand for the reading of God’s Word: 

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?

25  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it

There are two things about well-established and well-founded hope, not the silly wishful thinking of the world which Paul explains in our text: 

First, HE EXPLAINS THE CONTEXT INTO WHICH OUR HOPE IS SET 

And as we read verse 24 again, we see that hope is set into the context of our salvation. Indeed, real hope is inseparable from our salvation, if we read this verse right: 

“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?” 

Three things about the Biblical hope of glory in the midst of present suffering that Paul relates to our salvation:

First, hope is accompanying salvation. When Paul writes, “For we are saved by hope” he is tying together an event that occurred in the past with something that is yet to take place in the future. But this phrase is very frequently misunderstood. The Bible elsewhere teaches that we are saved by grace and that we are saved by faith.[2] The Bible does not, however, teach that we are saved by hope, here or in any other verse. Those of you who are a bit grammatical may know that the Greek word “hope” in this verse has a form that could be one of three cases; dative, locative, or instrumental. Theoretically meaning we are saved with hope, we are saved in hope, or we are saved by hope. Why the translators used the English word that would indicate that hope is what God uses to save, I do not know. Perhaps the meaning of the word “by” has changed somewhat over the years. At any rate, the only theological or grammatical sense that is consistent with the rest of the Bible is to understand that Paul is instructing the Romans that their salvation, which occurred when they came to know Jesus Christ as their Savior, was accompanied by hope for the future. More directly to the point, Paul will show us later on that at this present time we have been saved, but we are not yet saved. We have been saved from the penalty of sin who have trusted Christ. We are being saved from the power of sin. But we have not yet been saved from the presence of sin. What God has given to us, and what was given to us at the time He gave us eternal life through Christ, is the confidence that the remainder of our salvation will be forthcoming at the appointed time, the hope that we will be delivered from the presence of sin, the hope that our groaning will come to an end, the hope that we will see the Lord Jesus in glory.

Hope, secondly, in addition to accompanying salvation, is anticipating sight. I’ve touched on this already, but Paul’s exact words read, “but hope that is seen is not hope.” Let’s ruminate on this a while because this characteristic of hope is very similar to faith. During this present time in which we live, the Bible teaches, believers hope. That is, we confidently expect. But our expectations are not at this time, and cannot be at this time, realized. Why? Because as soon as hope is realized it is no longer hope. You see, hope can only deal with the future. As soon as the future becomes the present anticipation becomes realization and is no longer hope. Additionally, as Paul uses the word in this second phrase of verse 24, it’s the object of hope that he is referring to. Why is this so? Think with me for just a moment. The first phrase of verse 24 referred to the well-founded expectation. But this second phrase uses the word hope in a slightly different way. The second way the word is used in the Bible, which is to refer not to the expectation, but what is expected, is what we have here. And what is expected? Glory. Seeing Jesus Christ face to face. I can hope to see the Lord Jesus face to face. But when I see my Lord Jesus face to face, I am not looking forward to anything, but rather have then realized my great expectation. Since it is no longer in the future, it is no longer hope.

Hope is accompanying salvation. Hope is anticipating sight. And, now, hope is antithetical to sight. 

“For what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?” 

Very little needs to be said here, since the point that Paul makes is so obvious. Hope and sight are not compatible. They cannot coexist. This is because the one fades into the other. Here we see how closely related faith and hope are. Scripture teaches that the believer walks by faith, not by sight. But the believer, apparently, doesn’t hope by sight either. You see, faith exists in the present. In the here and now faith accepts what God says is true, even though circumstantial evidence might seem to dispute what God says is true. Hope, however, accepts what God says is going to be true, even though circumstantial evidence might seem to dispute what God says is going to be true. But in either case, whether it be real faith or real hope, God’s declaration is accepted over any conclusions that might be drawn from our inadequate non-biblical sources of information. Rightly understood, then, the Christian can understand that Biblical hope is just as inseparable from real salvation as Biblical faith is. If you don’t have Biblical faith, it’s because you don’t have salvation. In the same manner, if you don’t have hope, real hope, genuine hope, you are not saved. And remember, we’re not talking about wishful thinking or simply being optimistic about the future like many unsaved people are. This is confidence based upon the faithfulness of God that’s referred to here. 

Next, PAUL EXPLAINS THE CONTEXT BY WHICH OUR HOPE IS EXPRESSED 

In verse 25 Paul describes the kind of behavior which is the proper expression of the genuine hope that accompanies your salvation: 

“But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.” 

This is a first-class conditional statement. It’s a typical declaration, like so many of Paul’s statements, that proceeds along the line of “If such and such is true, which it is, then such and such is true.” Let’s take a look at what Paul establishes:

First, the “if” part of the conditional statement: 

“But if we hope for that we see not,...” 

Let’s satisfy ourselves that Paul’s initial condition is really true. Do we hope, as Christians? Apparently, we do, according to verse 24, which begins “For we are saved by hope” and means that hope accompanies our salvation. And is it also true that what we hope for is not seen? That, too, has been established by Paul in verse 24. “Hope that is seen is not hope.” So, it is clear that the “if” part of the conditional statement is true . . . if you believe the Bible. Amen?

Which brings us, logically, to the “then” part of the statement: 

“Then do we with patience wait for it.” 

What does the word “it” refer to here? It’s the object of our hope. It’s glory. It’s the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s being in heaven with God forever. It’s the realization of our expected deliverance from the presence of sin. It’s freedom from the suffering that we presently experience. For this, for our hope, for our Lord, for our deliverance from suffering and sin, we patiently wait. Let’s look at two words in this last phrase of verse 25: The word “patience,” hupomone, comes from the Greek word that refers, not to being able to suffer through dealing with people, so much as being able to endure every kind of circumstance of life.[3] This is the word that describes successfully coping with suffering. You deal with it. You don’t enjoy it. You don’t relish it. But when it comes, you deal with it. The next word, “wait,” is found in verse 19 as the word “earnest expectation” and in verse 23 as the word “waiting.”[4] This is the word that describes the “stretching of the neck” that took place at the pre-TSA airport arrivals when your loved ones came down the ramp. And this is what the hopeful Christian does, and will continue to do, according to the word “patience,” until my Lord Jesus comes for us. In essence, then, Paul is saying this in verse 25: “If we have hope, which every saved person has according to verse 24, we will express that hope throughout our time of suffering here on earth by continuing to eagerly look forward to, ‘stretching the neck’ toward, the coming of the Lord.” If you have hope it will be expressed in this way throughout the suffering that accompanies life. If it is not expressed in this way it is not hope. And if it is not hope you are not saved. 

So, you see, God knows your suffering. He knows the pain and the frustration that you are going through. And He has made provision for you to make it through the suffering. And how has He done this? For one thing, He has given to you hope. And what is this hope God gives His own? It is the confident expectation of future blessing, based upon the promises of God, Who cannot lie. And seen another way, it is you someday standing before our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Who is sitting before us on His throne in all His resplendent glory.

When you have that kind of hope, the suffering doesn’t hurt any less, but you may not notice the pain as much. You may not cry quite as often, because you aren’t focused on yourself, and you aren’t focused on the here and now. You are concentrating on the then and when.

It gets very rough, brother. It gets very tough, sister. For you as well as for me. When it gets rough for you, do you hope? When it gets hard and hurtful for you, do you cope with the pain and the heartache by screaming and yelling as loud as you can? Or by running away from the problem as fast as you can? Or by giving up and doing nothing? Or do you deal with it by looking up?

If you don’t look up, you don’t have hope. And if you don’t have hope, you aren’t really saved. Because hope is one of the ways, God has equipped His people to handle the various kinds of pain associated with the believer’s suffering. If you are without hope, if this evidence of salvation is absent in your life, come and let me show you to place your faith and trust in Christ. And when He saves you He will give you genuine hope, so you can deal with the suffering until it’s time for Him to come and get you.

Just a few thoughts about issues that are raised by these two verses we’ve looked at today: a) First, if hope is what we presently have, how can folks who say they have seen the Lord Jesus in their bathroom or their bedroom mirrors be correct? I think they are either lying or they are deceived because seeing Jesus Christ face to face would be a realization of our hope. That would mean that Christian is the only Christian in the whole world without hope, during a time when God wants us to have hope so that we might effectively cope with suffering. Interesting. b) Second, what do you think about the person who says he or she is a Christian, but who has no hope that anything will get any better? Oh, I know that everyone exhibits this lack of hope from time to time and even for considerable lengths of time. But can a Christian’s life be characterized by such a lack of hope, if we understand this passage correctly? I don’t think so. If bitter complaint is your constant response to suffering, if quitting is what you routinely do, instead of looking up, you probably need to be saved. Because when you are saved the Lord Jesus will give you hope for the future.

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[1] Titus 2.13

[2] Acts 15.11; Ephesians 2.5, 8; Acts 15.9; Romans 1.17; 3.22, 28; 5.1; 11.20; 2 Corinthians 1.24; Galatians 3.11, 24, 26; 5.5; Philippians 3.9; Hebrews 10.38

[3] Bauer, Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, (Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 2000), pages 1039-1040.

[4] Ibid., page 100.

Would you like to contact Dr. Waldrip about this sermon? Please contact him by clicking on the link below. Please do not change the subject within your email message. Thank you.

Pastor@CalvaryRoadBaptist.Church