...The Sciptures Might Have Hope
...The Sciptures Might Have Hope
Romans {15:4} For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
Hope is something we need.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for.
Hope, we can get hope through the patience and comfort of the scriptures.
Things written aforetimes were written for our learning.
When this was said the writer was speaking of the Old Testament writings.
A lot of times people today tend to lean towards the New Testament. I can understand it. The Old Testament writings speak of the Messiah to come, the New Testament has the words of Jesus in them, the words of God's Son as a man on earth. There are whole groups that use only the New Testament doing away with the Old. Yet we are told that through patience and comfort of the scriptures we might have hope.
Ps. {31:24} Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.
Ps. {33:22} Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.
We need hope.
Heb. {11:6} But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a
rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Faith is hope.
Romans {15:4} For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
We get hope through the scriptures. We can't keep ourselves from the scriptures and expect to keep hopeful. Cut off the source of hope and what is left?
Once again it just hits home how many people have died for the Word of God.
We take if for granted, we so take if for granted. What people hide and sneak to read, what people risk their lives for just to hear, we have at our fingertips and neglect so. We ought to be ashamed of ourselves really. Deeply ashamed. We wonder why our hope slips away and our lives seem to have a hopeless to them, meaningless because of our inability to keep close to God, and yet we neglect the one thing that can give us hope and keep us close to God- His word.
May the Lord help us, may the Lord show us mercy! Mercy Lord. Forgive us our neglect. Help us, Lord. Help us.
By the mercy and grace of Our Lord and Savior.
Amen.
***
Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Heb 1:4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
Heb 1:5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
Heb 1:6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
Heb 1:7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
Heb 1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
God appointed His Son heir of all things.
God made the worlds by His Son.
Jesus the brightness of God's glory.
Jesus the express image of God's person.
All things are upheld by Jesus' power.
When Jesus by Himself purged our sins sits next to God.
Jesus made so much better than angels.
Jesus the firstbegotten of God.
Jesus whom the angels worship.
God who proclaimed the angels spirits, his ministers flames of fire.
God who said to His Son--
Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever, a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
God called His Son, God because He is a God. He is not a lesser God. He is a God. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit- each are a God in their own right and can't be denied being such.
It's so wonderfully amazing, the Majesty on high and the Son of God together. God speaks to us through His Son. We can't ignore this. Jesus speaks to us. Those words - 'hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son...' God spoke to people by his Prophets before His Son was born on earth and then there was a direct link, God the Son speaking to us. Every word that Jesus spoke is important, more important than we realize. Or maybe we do realize and that's a great thing. People want God to speak to them and He does, through His word, through the Bible. No, it's not a conversation, it's not speaking as we know it. But God does speak to us. God is alive. God is real and we need to go to Him in prayer, go to Him in His word and listen to Him. We really need to listen.
Some say that a lot of people need to 'learn' to listen. Do we? Do we really need to 'learn' to listen? We know how to listen don't we? We hear someone speak and we respond, that's listening. We hear someone speak and we comprehend it but don't speak out of choice or situation, that's listening right? What do people mean when they say we need to 'learn' to listen? They mean that yes, we know how to hear but are we really internalizing what we are hearing. How often do we go off on something someone has said having not really listened to understand what was being said? We tend to fill in our own endings to the things people say. We tend to hear what we want to hear. Having to repeat what we say is common isn't it? Asking someone to repeat their words is very commonplace. We hear but we don't always listen, we're all guilty of not listening.
Let's listen. The words are there, we need to hear and listen to those words spoken to us.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit may we hear all that the Lord God our Savior wishes us to hear, listening, really listening.
In His love always.
Amen.
4/2/11