Through the generations that were waiting for the Messiah to come, there was great hope. Hope for salvation that only comes from God was their longing. Did they understand that this hope would bring freedom from the massive rules and regulations that the priests had placed upon the Jewish nation through incorrect interpretations of the law? I don’t know, but I do know that they were hoping for better days when the Messiah came to serve. Today, all these generations after the Messiah came to establish His kingdom on earth, we still have much hope.
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written: “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing the praises of your name.” Again, it says, “Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people.” And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; let all the peoples extol him.” And again, Isaiah says, “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope.” 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. Romans 15:5-13, (New International Version or NIV).
What was the mindset of Christ? Have you ever thought about that? What we see in the descriptions of what Jesus did while on earth is a mindset of service to others. Jesus was a healer as well as an exorcist. He was a debater and a great communicator. He showed great compassion and love to everyone He met. But He also let those who chose not to believe in Him as God’s Son to walk away even though it brought great sorrow to Him. There was purpose in the plans that Jesus made. He wanted to bring the Jewish people to the truth and draw them to Him as their Messiah even though He wasn’t the kind of Messiah they longed for. They wanted to be rulers of the world, to have a Messiah that granted them power over the nations. They wanted the Romans to leave their country. This is the Messiah that they hoped for. Jesus did not fit their mindset, but He still served them.
I find it fascinating that the fulfillment of prophecy was one of Jesus’s goals. The prophecies that Paul points out here are all for us, for Gentiles. Most of us are probably not Jewish and so we are considered Gentiles. We had no hope before Jesus came to die for us. He made a way, forged a path, for us to go to heaven to be with God. This is monumental! We now have hope!
I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one another. Yet I have written you quite boldly on some points to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. He gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done— by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. Rather, as it is written: “Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.” This is why I have often been hindered from coming to you. Romans 15:14-22, (NIV).
Paul has encouraged as well as instructed the churches in Rome concerning what they are teaching. He wanted them to be assured that he thought they were qualified to teach correct doctrine. He just had a few points to clear up, such as judging others who are not at the same pace as you are in their journey to heaven. He strongly encourages them to be united in learning and to be patient with one another. Unity in Christ is so important even today, but especially back then because they were building a foundation for all of us today to know the truth about Jesus. We can also have such unity today if we put aside our belief system and use the teachings of Christ as our guide. Jesus did so much of His teaching from the Old Testament too, so we should understand the relationship between the Old Testament and the New Testament. We should understand why we don’t follow the rules of the law today as the Jewish nation does. Paul made it his mission given to him by Jesus Christ to go to the Gentiles and teach them about salvation in Christ Jesus. This should also be our mission. To teach, however, we must know what we believe, and we find that out by reading the Bible to discern what Jesus taught. Yet even the newest Christian who doesn’t know everything about God or Jesus can still tell what Jesus is doing for them.
The hope of salvation is the hope of the ages. People are placing their hope in so many directions today. Because it is an election year many are placing their hope in politics. Because it is summertime many are placing their hope in next fall and their favorite sports team winning their games. Many are placing their hope on graduating from school and getting into the work world. Many are placing their hope in peace around the world. Many are placing their hope in science and the next big theory. Many are placing their hope in finding a cure for some disease. So many directions in search of hopes fulfilled. Where is your hope? Are you hoping for a better home, car, and money in the bank? Are you hoping for better health? Are you hoping to meet that special someone or have a baby soon? Or are you seeing these as temporary desires and not really hope because your hope is to be with Jesus in heaven one day? This is where our real hope lies.
We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. Romans 8:22-30, (NIV).
My hope, and I am sure yours too, is to one day see Jesus face to face, to reach out and touch Him, shake His hand, and thank Him for calling me to be a part of Him. My hope is to one day see God and worship Him. My hope is to stand before the judgment seat and hear the words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant,” (Matthew 25:23). My hope is not found on this earth, it’s eternity with Jesus.
Until next time…Katherine
Katherine Speaks 