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Can we know God's will? Yes, He desires that we do. God's will for us stated in Romans 15:1-3 is that Christians would bear with the failings of the weak and live not to please ourselves, but for our neighbor's good, building him up. Jesus Christ set the example in His willingness to bear the insults of His children. What is God's will for those who have come to Him by faith in Jesus Christ? First, to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and, secondly, to love our neighbor as ourselves. (Mark 12:30-31; Romans 13:8-10) This is accomplished by Christ's Spirit working in and through us. Christ's power comes when we repent, acknowledge our powerlessness and trust Him. The book of Romans has been teaching us that Christ changes hearts and minds through the power of His gospel, His indwelling Holy Spirit and His Word. The challenge is, do we live our lives trusting in the power that God has provided? Paul marks our direction to hope in Romans 15:4 saying, "everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." The pathway leads through the teaching and encouragement the Bible provides. God caused all the writers of the Bible to write as they did because He wanted His people through the ages to be edified and encouraged. (see 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-21; 1 Corinthians 10:11) It is for our benefit that we learn what was written in the past. For example, James 5:10-11 reminds us of the perseverance of Job and the Lord's compassion. The Scriptures are the record of God's faithfulness to His people. A Christian who says in words or actions that he does not have time to read the Bible is a Christian who must come back to this gift God has given for our edification. Christians cannot live spiritually healthy lives without the Scriptures. What is the opposite of hope? Discouragement. Sometimes discouragement comes as a result of sin. We give in to our old nature and hold on to the guilt which accompanies sin. Instead, we should surrender to our new nature, open the Bible and read. 1 John 2:1 tells us, "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have One who speaks to the Father in our defense - Jesus Christ the Righteous One." We know from 1 John 1:9 that God is faithful to forgive us and cleanse our repentant hearts. Is your discouragement rooted in sin? God wants to replace discouragement with hope. Paul's prayer in verse 5 is that God who gives endurance and encouragement will also give a spirit of unity among the followers of Christ Jesus, so that we would glorify Him with one heart and mouth. As we understand and apply God's Word in our lives, the result is hope and unity within the Church. Do you in your church long to show glory to God through Christ to your generation and the generations to come? According to verse 7, we can bring praise to God by accepting one another just as Christ accepted each of us. Christians need to pray and build each other up in sincere love to uphold the truths that we learn from Scriptures. In verses 7-12 Paul presents proof to Jewish believers and nonbelievers that God's plan for His people always included the Gentiles. He makes his point through the promises made to the patriarchs and prophets. He shows that throughout Old Testament scripture it was God's intention for Jews and Gentiles to one day sing praises together to the one true God. He is appealing for the church through Christ to be of one heart and mouth to glorify God in words and actions. Jesus is the Savior of the world sent for all nations. Many Jewish people of Christ's day expected the Messiah to be a king who would rule on the throne of David and drive the Romans out of Palestine. But Jesus was not that kind of Messiah. As He told His disciples, "the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:28) Paul wanted His fellow Jews to understand that the Messiah came to take away the sins of the world so that all people may call upon His name and be saved. Paul reminds the Jewish believers of how King David looked forward to a time when Gentiles would know God and praise Him in spirit and truth. (Romans 15:9 quotes Psalm 18:49; Romans 15:11 quotes Psalm 117:1) Romans 15:13 is a prayer for all those who trust in Christ. "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." The joy Paul speaks of in this verse is knowing that Christ is the author of our salvation and we are sealed in Him forever. Peace is not just the absence of conflict or problems. Christians have peace with God (Romans 5:1) and the peace of God (Philippians 4:5-6). Joy and peace are gifts of God which come from trusting Him. Christians, just like other people, have problems. We can and will become fearful and discouraged. But God, who desires for us to come and speak to Him of our needs, says us in Hebrews 13:5, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Christians can overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. The phrase "by the power of the Holy Spirit" is used in this verse, reminding us that nothing of any spiritual value is possible in or of ourselves. It can only be by the power of the Holy Spirit. In reaching out and overflowing to others, we see Christ working through our hearts and minds. He gives us the ability to stop focusing on ourselves and begin looking for opportunities to serve others as He did. The book of Romans is said
to bring revival to the hearts and minds of people who seek after
Christ. Romans 15:13 is certainly a verse upon which we can base
spiritual revival. Hope is the key idea of this verse, as it has been
since verse 4. Paul links hope to God, speaking of Him as "the God of
hope." When we have hope in Him, our hope is secure. Reality becomes
living for Him now, with our eyes on our eternal home. If we rely on
the strength and promises of the world, we are indeed "without hope"
(Ephesians 2:12); but as soon as God enters the picture, the situation
changes. Faith is the necessary channel for His hope to come. It is a
gift from God, and it becomes ours as we trust in Him.
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