Advent Hope Is Life Changing!

2nd Sunday in Advent, 12/8/19
Romans 15:4-13


Advent Hope Is Life Changing!
I. It reshapes our hearts.
II. It reshapes our lives.


Have you ever wished that people would just get along? How is it that someone can get so filled with hatred and rage for someone else that they say and do things which are reprehensible? Why can’t they simply take a deep breath, step back from the situation, and realize that they aren’t perfect either? Everyone has their faults. No one is better than anyone else and we’re really all in this together.

Those kinds of thoughts are behind Paul’s words to us this morning. Our sermon text is from Romans 15. Paul begins this
chapter by encouraging the Roman Christians to bear with each other, to build each other up. So, what was the problem? Weren’t the Christians in Rome doing that?

Well, the Christians there had a unique problem. Their congregation was comprised of Jewish people and Gentile people. So, their gatherings as Christians were a mixture of cultures, and that always didn’t go so well. What’s more, there were members in that congregation who were strong in their faith and those who were weak, just as there are in every congregation. And the weak Christians tended to be bothered by some of the things the strong Christians were doing.

Now, I’m certain the situation here among us is not exactly the same. But our lives as Christians do share some similarities with the Roman Christians. It can happen with the people you deal with daily outside of our congregation, but it can also happen among us right here within our congregation. We can easily get upset with one another, or even angry.

The season of Advent gives a prime opportunity to deal with that situation. Advent is a season of repentance in preparation for the coming of our Lord Jesus. When we recognize and repent of our sins, we are assured of our God’s loving and complete forgiveness because of the life and death of Jesus. In fact, because of what Jesus has done for us, we live in Christian hope. Christian hope isn’t a wish; Christian hope is sure and certain confidence. We know we are forgiven children of God who are heirs of eternal life in heaven.

And Paul’s point for us to ponder this morning is that Christian hope—let’s call it Advent hope—changes us completely. Recall that these Christians in Rome had trouble dealing with each other. We face the same thing. But Advent hope changes all that. Advent hope is life changing. Let’s see in what way on the basis of this portion of God’s word.

Part I.

Let me ask you something. What is it about other people that annoys you? Well, that’s a fairly wide-open question, isn’t it? If we were to go around the sanctuary here and give each one of us a chance to answer that question, we’d get more answers than we care to receive. No doubt we’d hear things such as: some people are selfish, lazy, uncaring, self-centered. They complain too much or they think they’re the only ones who face problems in life. They don’t do their fair share. They’re unreliable. Or, they’re just a little slow. Too often, they can’t get out of their own way. And we easily get annoyed with them. Worse yet, we get upset with them. We become angry.

But I have another question for you. What makes you think you’re any better than they are? In the opening chapters of this Letter to the Romans, Paul makes it painfully clear that no one is better than anyone else. There is no one who does good, not even one. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. He puts every person into the same spiritual boat, the one that’s only destined to sink into hell.

And if that’s true—and there’s no Christian doubt about it—than we need to do what Advent call us to do—repent in preparation for the coming of our Lord Jesus. And don’t simply recall the big spiritual gaffs you made this past week—you know, the sins that stare right back at you with an accusing eye when you look into the mirror of God’s law. Repent of the fact that even your thoughts and desires are often in violation of God’s holy will. Repent of the fact that you’re sinful by nature and so deserve nothing but God’s wrath and punishment. And that’s the way every one of us is. Sobering, isn’t it? Even a little depressing.

But there’s hope—Advent hope. The very reason Jesus came to earth the first time was to be born as your brother, your substitute, without a sinful nature. He came to live the life you cannot—holy and righteous before God. He offered that life on Calvary’s cross to win your forgiveness and eternal life. His resurrection assures you of it. That’s Advent hope—sure and certain confidence regarding your status before God as a forgiven sinner and an heir of life in heaven.

Bottom line, your God has taken you on as the greatest revitalization project in history. He has made you what you were not by nature. You are a redeemed child of God by faith in Jesus. Your God has made you to be what he wants you to be solely by his grace and mercy.

Paul states it like this: “Through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Advent hope is life changing. It reshapes our hearts.

As with any group of sinners, there were problems among the Christians in Rome. Some of them were rooted in different cultures. And as they faced those problems, it was easy for one person to feel superior to the other who, in their mind, was causing the problem. They felt they deserved better treatment from others.

Paul urged them to step back for a minute and think about Christ. Imagine if Jesus had ever come to the conclusion that he deserved better treatment than he was receiving. He never would have walked up Calvary’s hill. In fact, he would have walked away from it as quickly as possible. And then where would we be?

Advent asks us to ponder that, as sinners, we made his death necessary for us. And that death on Calvary’s cross not only erases our sinful violations, it fills us with Christian hope. We’re confident of our forgiveness through Christ. We’re certain of eternal life with him. It’s true—humanly speaking others should treat us better than they do. We should be able to expect a more loving response from them, especially if they share our Christian faith. But here’s the amazing thing: God demands a perfect response from us all the time, and we don’t give it to him, not even close. But he did something about it. He sacrificed his Son for us. That’s our Advent hope and Advent hope is life changing. It reshapes our hearts and fills them with love and care for others who don’t deserve it.

Part II.
And that’s where Paul leads us next in this text. Our Advent hope about ourselves—that we are forgiven and are heirs of heaven—is reflected in the way we deal with others.

He states it this way, “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”

First, let’s be clear on what Paul is not saying. Recall that he wrote these words to Christians who were having problems dealing with each other. He is not saying that we should be open to other ways to heaven apart from Jesus. He’s not saying that we should look the other way when people say and do things that are clearly forbidden in the word of God. That would go contrary to what Paul has written throughout this letter.

So, what is he saying? Listen to the next verse of our text, “For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy.” Paul states that Jesus served his fellow Jewish people so that all people, no matter what their race, could glorify God.
Paul’s point is this: Jesus served you and me all the way to death on the cross. Now he has reshaped our hearts, giving us faith in Jesus and making us his own dear people who live to his glory. One way we do that is by serving others just as Jesus served us.

We began this sermon by asking you what annoys you about other people. A much better question and a God-pleasing question to ask is, “What can I do to help them?”, especially if that person is one of your fellow Christians in this congregation. I realize that there’s a tendency to check in and out of church as fast as you can. But that’s not why Jesus made you a member of this body of believers. He has reshaped your heart so that he can reshape your life. And the Christian life is a life of service to others.

Advent hope is life changing. It reshapes our lives.

Paul closes our text with these words, words that are brimming with positivity, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Joy and peace. Those words or words very similar seem to be everywhere this time of year. Even non-Christians try to be more joyful and peaceful in these weeks of December.

But you know that in unique ways these days of December can also be the most stressful and anxious. And you know better than anyone else why that’s true for you. So, what can you do about it? Look to your Advent hope—that sure and certain confidence. Jesus came to this earth the first time to deal with your greatest problem—your sins which damn you. And he perfectly completed that work when he died and rose again. Now nothing can stop him from returning again in glory on the Last Day. On that day he will raise your body, glorify your body, and bring you with him into everlasting bliss and glory. Nothing can stop that. Nothing can change that. And it’s all for you. So, keep that in mind this Advent season. Let that hope fill you and produce in you true Christian peace and joy. That Advent hope changes your life. May God grant it to you in fullest measure this Advent season! Amen.