An advent of hope for today
Romans 12v12
INTRODUCTION
Today, we begin the season of advent. Advent comes from the Latin adventus meaning arrival or coming. For the church, advent is a time to reflect on God’s coming to us in Jesus Christ. From adventus, we have the word adventure, and in this sense, advent is an exciting venture into the future. We are going to look at this from Romans 12:12, which says be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer. First, we will look at what it means to be joyful in hope under the heading…
AN ADVENT OF HOPE IN PRAISE
In the gospel of Jesus Christ, we have hope while living in a fallen world. This is why Romans 12:12 encourages us to be joyful in hope. This is why Philippians 4:4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”
Roughly translated, the first part of Romans 12:12 says, “In hope, rejoicing!” To rejoice here means to be happy and content or to be filled with joy. This is because of our hope in the gospel. Using the same word, the angel at the birth of Christ said, “I bring you good news of great joy.” Matthew 2:10 says when the wise men saw Jesus, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. Be joyful in hope…
To hope is to anticipate something exciting—like Christmas! Matthew 12:21 says, “In the name of Christ, nations put their hope.” In a similar context, Romans 15:4 says, “Everything written in the Scriptures was so that we might have hope.” Ultimately, our hope is in the gospel and the glory that follows. Our hope is in a new heaven and a new earth. This is why Colossians 1:27 talks about Christ in us the hope of glory.
An advent of hope in praise encourages us while waiting for the second advent of Christ. In the meantime, Titus 2:12-13 says we should say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and live godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.” With this hope of glory in mind, 1 Peter 1:3-6 says, “Praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you… In this, you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. This leads from an advent of hope in praise to…
AN ADVENT OF HOPE IN PRESSURE
Advent is about the coming of Jesus into the world. Advent is about the coming of God’s light into a dark world of sin. It is an advent of hope in a fallen world. It is an advent of hope in pressure. This is why Romans 12:12 says we should be joyful in hope, and patient in affliction.
The word affliction means to have something pressing upon us from every side. It is anything that squeezes in on us. When this happens, those who are faithful continue to believe. Thank God that Mary and Joseph did not give up when the pressure was on them. For the joy set before them, they endured hardship, persecution, and rejection. They were patient in affliction. The word patient means to remain behind when everyone and everything else says, “Quit!” It is confident trust in God no matter what. Roughly translated, Romans 12:12 says, “In hard times, be steadfast!”
Affliction is not a minor pinprick; it is deep and serious. When this happens, Romans 5:3-5 says, “We rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” This is an advent of hope for today. This is what it means to be patient in affliction, and to sustain this, we need to be faithful in prayer…
AN ADVENT OF HOPE IN PRAYER
Advent is the beginning of the liturgical year for the church. It is not just a preparation for Christmas. Advent is preparation for a new year and a new start. In this context, we should prepare for a spiritual journey that takes us into a new year with renewed hope. To do this, Romans 12:12 says we should be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.
The word faithful means to stick close to something. The word suggests constant and enduring action. Literally, the text says, “In prayer, be constant!” Using the same word, Acts 1:14 says, “The early church prayed constantly.” Acts 2:42 says they “devoted themselves to prayer. They stuck to prayer like glue… and would not let go! J C Ryle says he doubts very much if anyone becomes Christlike who is not diligent in prayer. We could add that we would doubt very much if a church could grow spiritually if it is not diligent in prayer. To this end, Colossians 4:2 says, “Devote yourselves to prayer.”
1 Thessalonians 5:17 says we should, “Pray without ceasing.” In this way, prayer becomes the spiritual air that we breathe. Jesus said in Luke 18:1 that we should always pray and not give up. If we prayed more often (individually, in small groups, and as a church), there would be an advent of hope in our world today. As we move into advent, let us do so with a prayer from Romans 15:13. It says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may overflow with hope in the power of the Holy Spirit.” This is an advent of hope for today.
Bernard Cartledge