INTRO: Our subject is hope for the future. In our men's church meetings we have been going through Romans. In our last meeting we just got to chapter five. Turn there. Paul has proved in Romans 1-3 that all of mankind, both Jews and Gentiles, are sinners and therefore come short of the glory of God and therefore will go to hell, unless they get saved. This salvation has been provided by the Lord Jesus Christ.
But then in chapters 4-5 he deals with how a sinner can be justified before God by faith in Jesus Christ. And in 5:1-2 he says this:
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
True justification by faith in Jesus Christ brings about peace with God. That means we no longer fear being condemned to hell by our sin. We are confident that no matter what the future holds, if we should die, we will go to glory. That is our blessed assurance when we are truly justified before God by faith in Jesus Christ. It is through Jesus Christ that we have access into this grace, that is, into this assurance of salvation in which we stand.
And when we have this assurance, it says that we rejoice in hope of the glory of God! Now, this is what should happen to every believer who is truly saved. He or she should rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And here is the question before us now: What is this hope in the glory of God? As I prepared for the devotional that day I thought, "Could it be that this is the hope of the glory that will be revealed in the believer?" Or, "Is this the hope of the glory we will see |
