Sermon Romans 15v4-13. Advent 2, December 7th 2025.
Twenty one year old Matthew had been homeless for three years. Mark Russell met him on the streets of London. Mark was the leader of the Church Army – a Church of England linked body of church evangelists. Mark bought Matthew some food, and led him to Christ.
As he was getting up to leave, he said, ‘’Matthew, over the next month, I am going to be on platforms speaking to thousands of people. What piece of advice do you want me to give to the Church of England today?’’ Matthew replied: ‘’The Church’s Job is to bring people hope’’.
Mark Russell said. ‘’I have never heard a better definition of what we should be about.
Don’t we have a gospel of hope?
A gospel that brings hope?
A gospel of life, a gospel of transformation, and above all a hope of eternal life, the hope of Jesus.’’ (story shared by Nicky Gumbel).
Our Romans 15 reading – began speaking about hope and it ended with hope.
v4. You could say Scripture is the focus here.
‘’Everything in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance and
encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.’’
Everything in the past.
Paul points to the Hebrew Bible – what we would know as the Old Testament.
He affirms its validity, its importance.
In these few words he already says to us – do not unhitch the OT from the NT.
Do not forget about it, do ignore it, and you must read it.
Why read it? He says – everything in the past was written to teach us. Everything.
This reminds us of a famous verse in 2 Tim 3 of course:
‘’All Scripture is God breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the person of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.’’
Paul tells these Roman and Jewish believers, the OT has an important place in our lives. Now for a community that is struggling in its relationship between Jews and Gentiles, he reminds the Gentiles, that the Hebrew Bible – is not to be disregarded but is to teach them. It is of great importance.
BUT then powerfully he says ‘’through endurance, and encouragement of the scriptures.’’ Two words there. Endurance – a reminder that we are to press on, persevere.
The Christian life is a marathon as one person put it, it is a series of battles and blessings – often at the same time as another writer put it. Endurance.
But the ‘’encouragement of the scriptures’’ – so we endure, but the scriptures not only teach us but bring encouragement to us.
Can you think back in recent weeks to when the scripture has brought encouragement to you – maybe even helped you to endure or be patient. The scripture which helped you that week or gave you insight; or maybe even, the passage on a Sunday like to today, brought the encouragement you needed.
If you can think of one, why not share that with a friend over our coffee or High tea today…
Everything, endurance, encouragement and that ‘’we might have hope’’.
We persevere following Jesus, and the scriptures help create hope, they remind us of the hope we have.
Often on our welcome evenings, I talk about the Church Year.
How our Church Year begins in Advent, moves towards Christmas, then Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Easter Season – which is a mixture of resurrection focus and the promise of the Spirit which takes us up to Pentecost. Those seasons are reflected in various colours – purple, white, red.
But after Pentecost, until the end of October, we move into Green time – and here at All Saints we would focus on a bible book or themes that are important for our community life, worship, ministry or mission. In November Kingdom season takes place. and then the church year comes to an end and Advent begins. In one way that is obvious, but when it isn’t green, those readings come from a Sunday bible reading programme which each Anglican church can choose from. It is called a lectionary.
What is happening, is that rather than being able to choose every Sunday what to preach on, the C of E, has this central plan which covers about half of the year, and the readings reflect those seasons. It means, that each year again and again we are meeting core themes of discipleship: we engage with Lent – where are we spiritually; Epiphany – God’s message for the world; Advent – his incarnation and promised return; Easter season – proof and importance of the resurrection and the promise of the Spirit, all built a round those three great festivals of Christmas, Easter and Pentecost.
I say this, because as we listen to those scriptures, in those various parts of the year, we are often reminded of the hope we have, and hope is renewed within us. When we come to Advent each year, it reminds us of the hope of Christ’s return. You could also say that our journey through Revelation in the past months renewed our hope that good and Christ will win, evil will not triumph and we see the glorious destination history is moving to… we have been reminded that through endurance and the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.
It is important to remember. Paul points us to the wisdom of the scriptures, not because it was the right or correct thing to say at that point in the letter but because he modelled a love and an appreciation for scripture. He looked to it regularly for instruction, for patience, for comfort and for hope. He experienced the power of the Word of God to give endurance, encouragement and hope.
v5-6. Prayer.
Paul now writes one of the prayers he is praying for the community in Rome.
God who gives endurance and encouragement. And Paul asks him to give them a spirit of unity as a community.
Paul is praying for harmony in the community – ‘’as you follow’’ – that is v5.
And then in v6 he is praying for harmony in the liturgy / the worship ‘’ glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.’’
It has been said that Paul’s prayer sums up the essentials of a church community life:
‘harmony is the immediate objective.
Jesus Christ is the pattern; the united communal glorification of God, as the final goal.’ (James Dunn, Romans).
v7 Community
Accept one another then just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
One of the main reasons why Romans was written, was due to the breakdown in relationships that had happened between fellow Christians and especially between those from a Jewish or a Gentile background.
At the heart of this breakdown, between these believers, was a failure to truly respect the differences of the other, there was a failure to truly accept others as fellow Christians. He says ‘’welcome / accept each other’’ because for Paul, without that mutual respect, there could be no harmony and could be no community.
The pattern and precedent for Paul is clear – it is Christ ‘’as Christ also accepted / welcomed you.’’ In this one sentence, Paul is saying, to those who found it hard to genuinely respect and accept others, that those people should remember that everything at that church started from Christ’s acceptance of each believer – themselves included.
He is saying to them – and to us – ‘’if Christ could accept me, how can I fail to accept others.’’
That is perhaps a good sentence to place on your bathroom mirror – you are accepted – when so many things will say you are not – but the next step, is ‘if Christ could accept me, how can I fail to accept others…’
v8-12 is Promises kept.
Suddenly a bunch of bible verses explode out from Paul at this point.
He tells us Gentiles are being drawn into his people, is not some radical idea of Paul, or some new thinking, no it was a plan of God going all the way back to the patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. It goes all the way back to the beginning.
Paul then quotes 4 passages which come from all over the OT: in Jewish thinking, the OT is split into Law – Torah – Prophets – and Writings.
He quotes from the Law – Deuteronomy in v10; from the Prophets – Isaiah in v12, and from the Writings – the psalms in this case – in v9 and v11.
He says – to them – and us – the whole bible speaks of this plan of God to draw the Gentiles in, of God’s universal plan.
How are the promises fulfilled Paul says – it is through Jesus.
He shares these bible verses – because they show what he saw was happening in the church in his day – and continues today.
Gentiles were singing praises to God with the Jews;
All the nations were beginning to praise the Lord
Gentiles as well as Israel were coming to put their hope in the root of Jesse.
But by doing so, he reminds the Gentiles of the Jewish character of the gospel, he reminds them that Jesus was Jewish; he reminds the Jewish believers what was God’s ultimate purpose; so Gentiles should never forget that they were called through Jews,
and Jews not forget that their own calling had the Gentiles in view from the start.
v13 Prayer
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.
He ends with another prayer for the community before he moves onto another topic.
Wonderful words. In such a prayer, he reminds these believers – and again us as we listen in – of their and our dependance on God through his Spirit for all faith and hope, and how we can experience and know joy and peace. Corrie ten Boom said of this verse: joy and peace means going around with a smile on our faces and an empty suitcase.’’ This is possible through the God’s Empowering Presence the Holy Spirit.
Paul’s example reminds us, also, of the importance he places in prayer. He is teaching,
exhorting, and writing many words about unity – yet he is praying for that harmony in
community and worship as well. He has written much about the hope we have – yet he is praying that the Spirit will cause them to overflow. He is writing as if it all depends on us; yet he is praying as it depends all on God…
Knowledge of God.
We have tried to listen to what Paul wants to teach us as we moved through the passage.
Now to look for a final point at a theme in these verses. The Knowledge of God.
As we read verses v4-13, we grow in our knowledge of who God is.
Firstly a Trinitarian vision is shared of God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – as Paul describes how they have been and are currently involved in our salvation and discipleship. He does not say Trinity but all three persons are discussed.
God who has universal plans and promises, and a God who gives.
Jesus – who is Lord, who is followed, who accepts and who is a servant and fulfils God’s plans.
The Holy Spirit at work in our lives so we may overflow with hope.
Looking closer at each person in he is sharing about.
God the Father
I found it easy to miss. Paul talks about v4 through endurance and the encouragement of the scriptures, we might have hope. Then he says ‘’May the God who gives endurance and encouragement.’’
God who is at work in our lives, a God who gives endurance and encouragement. God who desires to give to us to help us continue as disciples.
A God who works through his Word but in other means as well. You think you must keep it together and yet the promise he is a God who gives to us, endurance and encouragement.
He is a God who gives a spirit of unity. He desires that unity in community life and worship.
Again, while Paul is saying they need to make choices, he is at work as well and we ask him to work.
And finally Paul describes our God as a God of Hope.
So God our Father – gives endurance, encouragement, unity and who is described as a Giving God and a God of Hope.
The Son.
Jesus described as the Son to be followed.
The Son who was a servant of the Jews, to confirm the promises made centuries before.
The Son who has accepted you.
The Son is the Root of Jesse, who is king and also the nations will place their hope in him, The Holy Spirit.
The Spirit who indwells us – as Paul has said earlier in Romans. The vision is to live in the Spirit.
The one who brings joy and peace within us, the one who seeks to have us overflowing with hope. All possible by his power. The Spirit is an active presence with us.
Conclusion.
Paul begins with hope and ends with hope.
He shares with us scripture, how our community life is to be,
what God promised that he now is working out,
and he points us to the importance of prayer.
He reveals a God actively at work not only in planning our salvation, he was involved in our salvation, set a pattern for how to live with other believers, and by his Spirit, he is powerfully present and at work within us.
Shall we pray.