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Sermon #153 — Romans Series

Title:                           Hope

Text:                            Romans 15:4

Subject:                     The Good Hope of Grace

Date:                          Sunday Morning — August 12, 2018

Reading:       2 Thessalonians 2:1-17

2 Thessalonians 2:1-17

(1) Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, (2) That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

(3) Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; (4) Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

(5) Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? (6) And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. (7) For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

(8) And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: (9) Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, (10) And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. (11) And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: (12) That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

(13) But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: (14) Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. (15) Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.

(16) Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, (17) Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.

Introduction

Are you broken under the heavy, heavy load of sin and guilt? — Are you carrying a heavy burden, suffering under the hand of God’s providence? — Are you enduring a hard trial? — Do you feel as though the Lord has cast you off forever? — That he has forgotten to be gracious? — That his mercies are clean gone forever? — If so, I have a message for you. My message to you is — Hope.

15 Times

Fifteen times in the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul was inspired to use the word “hope” in connection with the salvation of God’s elect (Romans 4:18, 5:2, 4, 5; 8:20, 24, 25; 12:12; 15:4).

·      Abraham “believed in hope” (Romans 4:18).

·      Having access to God by faith in Christ Jesus, we “rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:2).

·      Our experience of grace gives saved sinners “hope that maketh not ashamed” (Romans 5:5).

·      “We are saved by hope” (Romans 8:24).

Then, in Romans 15:4, we are told that this Book, the Book of God, the Bible was written by the inspiration of God the Holy Ghost to give poor, needy, helpless sinners like you and me hope. That is precisely what we read in Romans 15:4. — Is it not?

(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.”

Proposition: The Word of God was written “that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”

Listen to this…

(2 Thessalonians 2:16-17) “Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, 17 Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.”

Forty-six years ago, back in 1972, I heard Bro. Henry Mahan preach on this subject in Birmingham, Alabama. In his introductory comments, he made several statements that I jotted down, knowing at the time that they were powerful, powerful statements that need to be remembered.

He said, “Somewhere between proud presumption and dread despair is the believer’s hope. Somewhere between fleshly familiarity with God and a slavish fear of God is the believer’s hope. Somewhere between modern decisionism and medieval fatalism is the believer’s hope.”

Then, he went on the say, “In the Word of God we are hedged in between the promises of God and his warnings. On one side we have his promises, lest we despair. On the other side we have his warnings, lest we presume.”

This matter of the believer’s hope is a subject of immense importance. The Scriptures tell us that all who are born of God have “a good hope through grace” (2 Thessalonians 2:16). — “We are saved by hope” (Romans 8:24). — We live “in hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began” (Titus 1:2). Ours is a “hope that maketh not ashamed” (Romans 5:5).

Hope

There is a “good hope through grace” wrought in all true believers by which they are saved; and there is a false hope, a Satanic delusion that will take you to hell. — “The hope of the ungodly shall perish” (Job 8:13). — What is your hope?

As it is used in the Bible, the word “hope” does not represent an empty, baseless wish or desire. As it is used in the Bible, “hope” is the expectation of faith, based upon the oath, promises, grace, and goodness of God in Christ.

We hope that we are saved, forgiven, justified, sanctified, and accepted with God. We hope to go to heaven when we die. We hope to stand among the redeemed in the Day of Judgment. But what is the basis for our hope?

I want us to bring our hope to the Word of God and examine it in the light of Holy Scripture. If I have a good hope, it will bear examination. If I do not have a good hope, if my hope is an empty, vain delusion, I want to know it. I want what the Bible calls “a good hope,” — “a hope that maketh not ashamed” (Romans 5:5).

The believer’s hope is that which gives us peace, contentment, and confidence in a world of trouble and sorrow. — It is that which anchors our souls in the storms of life. — It is faith looking forward with confidence in God.

Let’s look at Lamentations 3:21-26 together for a few minutes. I want to show you six things about Hope as it is set forth in Holy Scripture, six things written in the Book of God that “we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”

Jeremiah’s Trouble

Jeremiah was a man in deep, deep trouble. His heart was heavy. His mental anguish was great. His body was racked with pain. His name was slandered by the very people who ought to have cherished it. His life was in imminent danger. The Church of God was in bondage in a heathen land. His family had been enslaved to an idolatrous people. Yet, the old prophet understood clearly that all the bitter pains he felt and experienced, within and without, were the strokes of his heavenly Father’s loving hand, strokes administered by wisdom and on purpose. In the midst of his soul’s trouble, when he was sinking inside, he said… —— (“He” – 24 times)

(Lamentations 3:15-20) “He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood. (16) He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes. (17) And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity. (18) And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD: (19) Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. (20) My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.”

Then, immediately, he seems to have seen the foolishness of his unbelief. Looking away from himself to his Savior, his soul is refreshed with hope. His heart is revived with expectation. Look at verses 21-26.

(Lamentations 3:21-26) “This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. (22) It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. (23) They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. (24) The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. (25) The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. (26) It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.”

God’s Mercies

1^st— Our hope is God’s mercy. — “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed.” — Some have hope because of their family relations. Some have hope in their church. Some hope in themselves. — Their Religious Works. — Their Religious Experiences — A Prayer — A Decision — A Feeling.

But God’s people have a good hope. We hope upon God’s mercy. The believer’s hope is that the Lord will deal with him in mercy. — “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed.” — Our wealth may be consumed by many things. Our health may be consumed with sickness, disease, or old age. Our families may be consumed by sickness, disease, war, old age, and death. Soon these bodies will be consumed with death. —— But we are not consumed, neither in our being nor in our well-being! We are not consumed because of God’s “mercies”. How I like that word “mercy”. And here it is put in the plural “mercies!”

Covenant Mercies — God’s mercies did not commence in time. They are eternal, covenant mercies (Ephesians 1:3-6; Hebrews 6:17-19). God’s mercies anticipated our need from eternity and took care of our need before the world began.

(Ephesians 1:3-6) “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: (4) According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: (5) Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, (6) To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”

(Hebrews 6:17-19) “Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: (18) That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: (19) Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil.”

Redemptive Mercies — God’s mercies are blessed redemptive mercies (Ephesians 1:7-12).

(Ephesians 1:7-12) “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; (8) Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; (9) Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: (10) That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: (11) In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: (12) That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.”

Saving Mercies — The mercies of God are effectual, saving, regenerating, preserving mercies (Ephesians 1:13-14).

(Ephesians 1:13-14) “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, (14) Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”

Providential Mercies — Our heavenly Father’s mercies are special, daily, providential mercies (Romans 8:28).

(Romans 8:28) “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

(Romans 11:33-36) “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! (34) For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? (35) Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? (36) For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen.”

Sovereign Mercies — And the mercies of our God are sovereign, immutable mercies (Psalms 89:28; 103:17).

(Psalm 89:28) “My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him.”

(Psalm 103:17) “But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children.”

God’s Love

2^nd — Our hope is God’s unfailing inexhaustible love. — Look at this next line. — “His compassions fail not.” — What a word of grace! God’s love for us is indestructible. Yes, that is what I meant to say, “indestructible.” There is absolutely nothing we can do, no circumstance into which we might enter, by which God’s love for us can be destroyed or even altered or diminished. — “His compassions fail not!”

(Romans 11:29) “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”

Could we with ink the oceans fill,

And were the skies with parchment made.

Were every stalk on earth a quill

And every man a scribe by trade —

To write the love of God above

Would drain the oceans dry.

Nor could the scroll contain the whole,

Though stretched from sky to sky!

Let me remind you of four things revealed in the Book of God about his love for his elect in Christ.

1. He loved us from everlasting (Jeremiah 31:3; Ephesians 1:4-5).

(Jeremiah31:3) “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”

(Ephesians 1:4-5) “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: (5) Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.”

2. He loves us freely (Hosea 14:4). — Without cause, — without condition, — without variation, — without change, — without beginning, — without end (1 John 4:19).

(Hosea 14:4) “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.”

(1 John 4:19) “We love him, because he first loved us.”

3. He loves us to the end (John 13:1).

(John 13:1) “Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.”

4.    The love of God for us is constantly new. — His compassions “are new every morning” (v. 23).

(Ephesians 3:14-21) “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, (15) Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, (16) That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; (17) That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, (18) May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; (19) And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. (20) Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, (21) Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”

God’s Faithfulness

3^rd — Our hope is God’s faithfulness. — “They (God’s compassions) are new every morning. — Great is thy faithfulness!” — How can I talk to you about the faithfulness of God? Others may talk about their faithfulness or your faithfulness. I will talk to you about God’s faithfulness. It is not our faithfulness to God that keeps us from being consumed, but God’s faithfulness to us. — God is faithful…

·      To Himself — “He cannot deny himself!”

·      To His Purpose (Isaiah 46:9-10).

(Isaiah 46:9-10) “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, (10) Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.”

·      To His Covenant (2 Samuel 23:5; Psalm 89:34).

(2 Samuel 23:5) “Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow.”

(Psalm 89:34) “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.”

·      To His Son (Psalm 89:27-36).

(Psalm 89:27-36) “Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth. (28) My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him. (29) His seed also will I make to endure forever, and his throne as the days of heaven. (30) If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; (31) If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; (32) Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. (33) Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. (34) My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. (35) Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. (36) His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me.”

·      To His People (Hebrews 13:5; Isaiah 43:1-5; 41:10).

(Hebrews 13:5) “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

(Isaiah 41:10) “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

(Isaiah 43:1-5) “But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. (2) When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. (3) For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. (4) Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life. (5) Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west.”

God Himself

4^th — Our hope is the Lord God himself, the Triune Jehovah: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. — “The Lord is my Portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him!” — Today men talk of his pardon and miss his presence. They talk of his blessing and miss his Being. They talk of his grace and miss his glory!

John Gill wrote, — “The Lord is the portion of his people in life and in death, in time and to eternity. All he is and has is theirs. They are heirs of him and shall enjoy him forever, and therefore shall not be confounded. He is a portion large and full, inexpressibly rich and great, a soul-satisfying one that will last forever...Happy are those who from their hearts and with their souls, under a testimony of the Spirit of God to their spirits, and through a gracious experience of him, can say he is their portion and exceeding great reward…These may say, ‘Therefore will I hope in him’ — for deliverance from all evils and enemies, for present supplies of grace, and for the enjoyment of future glory and happiness.”

(Jeremiah 51:17-19) “Every man is brutish by his knowledge; every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. (18) They are vanity, the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish. (19) The portion of Jacob is not like them; for he is the former of all things: and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: the LORD of hosts is his name.”

If Christ is your portion, you will bear witness with me that he is…

• A Suitable Portion.
• A Sufficient Portion.
• A Sweet Portion.
• A Sure Portion.
• A Satisfying Portion.

As Christ is our Portion, we are his portion (Deuteronomy 32:9). — “For the LORD’S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.” — We are to him all that he is to us!

God’s Goodness

5^th — Our hope is the Lord’s goodness. — “The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.”

“The Lord is good!”

• In All His Attributes.
• In All His Ways.
• In All His Works.

“The Lord is good to those who wait for him.” — To wait on the Lord is to calmly trust him for deliverance.

(Psalm 27:14) “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”

(Psalm 37:9) “For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.”

(Isaiah 40:31) “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

(Isaiah 64:4) “For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.”

“The Lord is good to the soul that seeketh him.” — Let me tell you six things about those who seek the Lord.

1. They know their need of him.
2. They seek him sincerely (Psalms27:8).

(Psalm 27:8) “When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.”

·      In His Word.

·      In His House.

·      Among His People.

·      In Prayer.

3. They have faith in him.
4. They seek him continually (Philippians 3:10-14).

(Philippians 3:10-14) “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; (11) If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. (12) Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. (13) Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, (14) I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

5. They are sought of him. — “The goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance” (Romans 2:4).

(Isaiah 62:10-12) “Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people. (11) Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. (12) And they shall call them, The Holy People, The Redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken.”

“I sought the Lord, but afterward I knew

He moved my soul to seek Him seeking me!

It was not I that found Thee, Savior true!

No, I was found of Thee!”

6. They find him (Jeremiah 29:10-14).

(Jeremiah29:10-14) “For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. (11) For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. (12) Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. (13) And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. (14) And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.”

God’s Salvation

6^th — Our hope is God’s salvation. — “It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.” — If God is good to those who wait for him, then it must be good for us to both hope and quietly wait for God’s salvation.

Be sure you understand this: — “Salvation is of the Lord!” It is God’s work and God’s work alone.

• The salvation of our souls is his work. — Eternal Salvation! — Free Salvation! — Gracious, Unconditional Salvation! — Common Salvation! — Salvation in and by Christ!
• Salvation from any danger, any hardship, trouble, temptation, trial, or any foe is also God’s work and God’s work alone.
• He is able to deliver us; and he will!

(Lamentations 3:31-32) “For the Lord will not cast off forever: (32) But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.”

(Romans 16:20) “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”

It is good for lost sinners to take their place in the dust as sinners before the throne of grace and wait for God’s salvation (Hebrews 4:16; Matthew 8:1). — “If you will, you can make me whole!”

It is good for troubled saints to quietly wait for God’s salvation in all temporal troubles (John 11:40; 13:7).

(John 11:40) “Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?”

(John 13:7) “Jesus answered and said unto him (Peter), What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.”

Illustration: Peter’s Fall and Safety

(John13:37-14:3) “Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake. (38) Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.”

(John 14:1) “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. (2) In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

It is good for us to wait in hope for the consummation of our salvation by Christ. — “It is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” Therefore “put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof” (Romans 13:11, 14).

Conclusion

Here is our hope — God’s mercy, his love, his faithfulness, Christ our Portion, the Lord’s goodness, and God’s salvation. What is your hope?

As he lay on his deathbed, John Gill wrote something in a letter to his nephew that I want to read to you. — “I depend wholly and alone upon the free, sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love of God the firm and everlasting covenant of grace, and my interest in the persons of the sacred Trinity, for my whole salvation; and not upon any righteousness of my own; nor anything in me, or done by me under the influences of the Holy Spirit; not upon any services of mine, which I have been assisted to perform for the good of the church do I depend, but upon my interest in the persons of the Trinity; the free grace of God, and the blessings of grace streaming to me through the blood and righteousness of Christ, as the ground of my hope. These are no new things to me, but what I have been long acquainted with; what I can live and die by. I apprehend that I shall not be long here, but this you may tell to any of my friends.”

Just before he died, Gill said, to one of his friends standing by his bed, “I have nothing to make me uneasy.” Then he quoted one verse of a hymn, written by Isaac Watts, in honor of that Redeemer whom he loved, trusted, and served…

“He raised me from the depths of sin, -

The gates of gaping hell,

And fixed my standing more secure

Than ‘twas before I fell.”

(Lamentations 3:21-26) “This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. (22) It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. (23) They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. (24) The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. (25) The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. (26) It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.”

(Lamentations 3:31-40) “The Lord will not cast off forever: (32) But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. (33) For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men. (34) To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth, (35) To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High, (36) To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not. (37) Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? (38) Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good? (39) Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? (40) Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.”

“Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,17 Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.” (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17)

Amen.

Don Fortner

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