Back to Sermon Index Joyful in faith, patient in suffering, constant in prayer August 24, 2008 Romans 12:12 "Be joyous in Hope, patient in suffering, and steadfast in prayer". I must confess, I love this verse of scripture. There are many verses that speak of how we are to live as Christians, and this verse actually is in the middle of a great paragraph in which the Apostle Paul shares wisdom on how to live in the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ & how his great love for us causes us to become different, better than we were. But here we have the a wonderful little summary of some advice for living that is short and easy to remember. Three phrases that contain so much. First, be Joyous in Hope. Be Joyful or Rejoice in Hope. This is one of the foundations of the Christian life. First. We are to be joyful. What makes you happy? Think of it for a moment, what makes you happy...what causes you to have a spring in your step or a smile on your face as you walk down the street. The short answer for many, many people is love. That love can be expressed in many different ways...from physical affection to tender compassion, from raucous laughter to simple kindness...love makes us happy. And we as Christians are to be the happiest people on earth! We are loved by God is ways that we can not even begin to fathom. The Bible speaks of the incomprehensible love which God liberally lavishes upon us. God is not angry at you for your failures and your human weaknesses...although that is not a free pass to simply say, hey, God loves me anyway, but that is another sermon. God is not quick to judge us and does not seek to punish us. In fact, God loves us so much that he is willing to come and be among us...and even to die a horrible and painful, protracted death to demonstrate the depth of his great and awesome love for us. AMAZING LOVE, HOW CAN IT BE, THAT THOU MY GOD SHOULD DIE FOR ME! That love makes us joyful. As Christians we are to live in joy. For some, the image of a Christian is some dower, sour, judgmental prude who goes around spreading gloom and doom wherever they go...sort of like Eor in Winnie the Pooh. No. the Joy of the lord is our strength (Psalms). Rejoice in the Lord always...again I say Rejoice (Philippians). As we do things around the church, I often ask people if they are having fun...I do this on purpose, because serving Christ and others is a rewarding endeavor that produces a sense of joy in us as well as those whom we help. We are a hopeful people. We believe that we are not alone in the world or universe..that God is with us and that God is at work. There is always HOPE...the future is not written, and whatever happens, God will be with me/us. I am reminded of the first word of the angels when they come to deliver a message...Fear not. Fear not, the Lord is with you. Do not be afraid, for you are not alone, God is at work. We can trust God for the future, even if it looks bleak. ...But that does not mean that there are no troubles in our lives. I am the first one to acknowledge that there are troubles in every life. Every live is filled with bought laughter and tears, if you live long enough. Everybody has trouble or difficulty sometime. The difference is in how we handle it. Not to sound trite, but it either makes you better as a person, or bitter. Be patient in affliction. The word used for patience is one of my favorites...Hupomone. It can also be translated as endurance...so we are to be patient and endure in our afflictions or tribulations. The word literally means to "stand up under". I like the word picture that draws, as if our troubles were weights that are added to our shoulders, and we are called to stand up under the pressure. The interesting part of this is that the Holy Spirit of Christ is called the paraclete, or helper. A paraclete is a term stilled used in engineering. It is a column, post or pier that is driven into the solid ground alongside an existing, weakened pier. You see it on piers in the bay all the time. Over time, one or more of the boardwalk's piers becomes loose or rotted with age, and they come in with a pile driver and put a new pier right along side the old one...and band them together with steal bands. This is the term used for the Holy Spirit, when Jesus says in John 15 that God will not leave us as orphans, alone in the world...no, he will send the Holy Spirit...the paraclete or helper, to come and be alongside us. So we do not have to endure hardship or tribulation alone. God is with us in spirit, helping us stand up under the pressure of our affliction. And finally, we are to be steadfast in prayer. We are all called to pray at all times, but being steadfast implies something more than just praying occasionally throughout the day. It implies working at praying...being steadfast...to continue to pray even when it is not easy. To pray when the circumstances look dire. To not give up on prayer, but to continue to lift up people or circumstances as time goes by. Not just saying God bless Joe or God Bless Jane, but really praying for them...asking God to be with them, to change their circumstances and strengthen their faith and to help them stand up under the affliction that they suffer...to pray for their body and mind and spirit and not give up. To be steadfast in prayer takes time. It is a dedicated time of prayer, and implies a great relationship with God. To be in communication and communion with God...to pray without ceasing and to pray at all times. To be steadfast in prayer...regardless of the afflictions you must endure. These three phrases make a circle of sorts, each adding to and flowing from the other. Prayer is the source of strength and joy... and connects them all...to be joyful in Hope and patient in affliction requires that you are steadfast in prayer. Being steadfast in prayer increases your joy and your endurance. These verses have become more than academic for me as my life has unfolded. For those who might be new, I suffer from a condition called Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome and I pretty much always in pain, sometimes worse than others and have trouble walking or standing for any length of time. One more than one occasion I am asked what helps you...what gives you joy and strength while enduring constant chronic pain and growing disability. Well, to confess, there are moments of discouragement. But through it all I have tried to live by this verse...to be joyful in hope...knowing that I am loved by God and by my family and my friends, and I always try and find the blessings in my life and celebrating them. And I know that there is always hope. The future is unwritten, and I have great expectations. And I have tried to be patient and stand up under the weight of it...but that only comes as the helper, the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit comes and empowers me and stands close beside me. That's why I often quote the verse from elsewhere in Romans that says that the Holy Spirit is with us and searches our hearts and knows our minds and when we don't know how to pray, the spirit of God himself prays for us in groaning too deep for words...it is because it how I remain patient and endure affliction.         And I seek to be steadfast in my prayers...really talking to Jesus and letting Him into my life at every turn, and to continue to pray for others, even when it becomes hard or the circumstances seems hopeless or that time has passed...I seek to continue to be steadfast in prayer, for with God nothing is impossible. This verse, these three short and simple phrases, is the cement that holds my wobbly life together...and allows me in some small way to be joyful and patient and steadfast as I endure this disability. I know that they work, and I lift them up to you for the edification of your souls and for the help of your lives. Be Joyous in Hope, Patient in Suffering, and Steadfast in Prayer. Back to Sermon Index