As we discussed earlier, the first 11 chapters of Romans are all about salvation. K? That is how we are saved, by faith and not by works. Through faith in Jesus Christ who died and rose again, who can justify that is declare guiltless in heaven all those who put their trust in him and what he did for them on the cross. I want to just read a brief passage from Romans three to emphasize that this morning from these first 11 chapters.

We obviously won't take time to read all of them. But verse 19 of Romans three says, now we know that what what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight for by the law is the knowledge of sin. What Paul is saying here is the law can't save you because you can't keep it. The law only reveals that you are a sinner in need of a what?

In need of a savior. Which brings us to verse 21. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that, what? Believe. The righteousness which we need in order to be admitted into heaven in the family of God can only come from the righteous one.

And that righteous one is not me. And that righteous one is not you. That righteous one is Jesus Christ. The only one who kept the law and then died on the cross for those who couldn't. That is salvation.

That is the gospel. Verse 23, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission or forgiveness of sins that are past through the forbearance of God. To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you, Lord, for this day.

Thank you, Lord, for your word. May you use it mightily in our lives. Lord, may you enlighten our our understanding. May you give faith to us, Lord, today. And, Lord, we pray that you would draw us under yourself, that you might conform us to the image of your son.

And if there be one here today that is yet to receive the grace of God and the mercy of Jesus Christ, what he did for us on the cross, I pray that today would be their day of salvation. In Jesus name we do pray. Amen. Paul goes on to write in Romans 10 that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

You can be saved. You can be saved from sin and hell. You can become a child of God, be forgiven of all your sins if you will but believe and trust in Jesus Christ, the son of God who gave his life for you, who is risen again from the dead and able to save all who come to him in faith. Have you been saved, forgiven, pardoned of all your sins, declared guiltless before God in heaven that you might inherit life in Christ, eternal life? If not, then before we go on to the things in Romans 12, you need to take care of the issue in Romans one through 11, your salvation.

No amount of good works or attempts to follow the law will suffice. Only accepting God's grace and mercy offered through faith in his son Jesus will save your soul and give you eternal life. But now in Romans 12 and following, it is all about what to do next. For us who have received Christ as savior, salvation is not the end, it is the beginning. It's the beginning of a new life in Christ.

So what do we do now? What is next after salvation is settled and sure? There's much for us to learn as God's children, much for us to learn as God's church. Salvation is the beginning of a new and vibrant life in service to our savior. And in Romans 12, if you wanna turn there now, he talks about many of those things.

He begins in verses one and two. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, based on his mercy, his sacrifice that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is a good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Key number the key to successful and vibrant church is the genuine piety of its individual members. Starting with number one, each member dedicating their mind and body to the transforming power of the spirit and their performance of God's perfect will.

Following the steps of who? Jesus. While resisting the pressures of the world to conform us into their its desires and philosophies and ways. We are now the children of who? Children of God.

Then let us live like it. And let us use the time and the energy God has given to us to bring glory to his name and to do those things that are pleasing in his sight. Number two, each member exercising their own spiritual gifts in his service to the Lord and to one another without pride or selfishness. First, we need to have an attitude of sacrifice and service to the Lord. And then we need to put that into what?

Action. We need to use the gifts God has given us in our in our homes and in our church and in our community to bring glory to God, to point others to Jesus Christ, and to show them that the God we serve is indeed a powerful God, a loving God, a transforming God who can take sinners and change them indeed into saints. Set apart under Christ and serving and living for him. Ministering to one another in love. And then we begin in verse nine with number three and that is each member extolling and exemplifying Christian virtues.

Paul addresses in these verses towards the Lord and one another. First and foremost of those being love. Look if you would in verse nine. Let love be without dissimulation. The word dissimulation could also be translated hypocrisy.

Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil. Cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affection one to another with brotherly love and honor preferring one another, not slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing instant in prayer. We're gonna stop there for the moment this morning because we are getting down to verse 12 today.

In verses nine, ten, and 11, we're addressing particular the issue of love. Love is key. It was the love of Christ that led him to Calvary to die for you and me. As he loved us, we also should what? Love him.

It is his love that he sheds abroad in our hearts by his spirit, which should be evident in our lives. And our love for God should affect first of all, our morality. Avoiding the evil and being wedded or glued to that which is good and pleasing unto our Lord. In John fourteen fifteen, Jesus said, if you love me, keep my commandments. Secondly, love should affect our relationship not only with God but also with others, preferring one another in love.

John thirteen thirty five, Jesus says, by this shall all men know that you are my disciples, by your love one, two, or for another. And thirdly, our love for Jesus should greatly affect our service for him. If the only reason you serve is out of duty, that's the only reason. That's a good reason, but that's the only reason then you're not going to re enjoying and zealous in your service for Christ because our service should be out of a heart of love and gratitude. And it should motivate us to be diligent and zealous in service for our God.

That's verse 11. Not slothful in spirit, in business, fervent in spirit serving the Lord. That brings us to verse 12 this morning. Let me read it again. Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing instant or steadfast in prayer.

The next virtue we see today is the virtue of hope. The virtue of hope. In verse 12, we are compelled to grow in the virtues of hope and then patience and then steadfast prayer. A church full of people without hope and endurance and an unwavering prayer life will be a lifeless, ineffective church in reaching others for Christ and service to the Lord and bringing honor to his name. There are many churches like that today.

There are many Christians that just seemingly are not living a joyful life and hope. That should not be the case. And a church without hope and without without long suffering, endurance, and prayer is not going to grow, is not going to flourish, and is not going to bring glory to God. Hope is key. It is the first one mentioned here.

These three are mentioned in this order as hope is integral to endurance, especially in the face of suffering and trials, which in turn begets a faithful prayer life as those trials push us to whom? They push us to God. For if we lose hope, it will manifest itself in our lack of endurance, in the face of trials in particular, and will also result in a lack in our prayer life also. Now abideth these three, faith, hope, and love. And we focus on the greatest of these is what?

But don't forget about faith and hope. They also should be evident in the life of every child of God. Hope is an outgrowth outgrowth of faith. Without faith, there is no hope. We live in a world today that is lacking in hope more and more every day.

Somebody asked me, what is our world lacking in? That would probably be my first answer. We live in a world that is lacking in hope, looking forward to wonderful things to come down the road. Why? Because they lack faith.

Without faith, hope dies. Why are suicides at an all time high, particularly among the youth? Because they have no no hope. Because they have been taught there is no God. Why is drug and alcohol use skyrocketing in our world today?

It is not only an issue of supply of which there is far too much, but it is also an issue of demand because the supply only matters because of the demand. And sadly, there is a great demand in our society today for all kinds of drugs and hallucinogens. Why? Because people are lacking hope and they are turning to things like alcohol and drugs to make them forget their despair. When they come down off the high, guess what?

Nothing's changed and they are still without hope. Why is marriage at an all time low in The United States Of America and promiscuity an all time high? Because again, people are lacking hope. They're looking in all the wrong places and they're lacking hope in anything that can last. Why do so many couples not even want to bring children into this world?

The birth rate in The US is at an all time low. Why? Because people lack hope and they think, well, I don't wanna bring a child into this world. Isn't that sad? Some of them are aborting their children before they even have a chance.

We live in a hopeless world full of hopeless people and it is evident in their lives in our society every day. And it is because of a lack of faith, particularly among those who have no faith or a shattered faith? If there is nothing or no one to believe in and trust in, what is there to look forward to? And so a lot of people, young people in particular, they don't know what there is to look forward to. They don't have hope for tomorrow or even today because it's just all a random mess.

If we are all just the product of a grand accident and random chance, if there's no one who made us with a purpose, if there are no rules or laws upon which we can depend, if there is no God who has a plan for this world in my life, if there is no forgiveness for my failures and no one to help me fix them, If there is no eternity and this all there is, it is no wonder that so many have so little what? Hope. Because they have no faith. No faith that God made them, no faith that God loves them, no faith that God would save them, change them, and take them to a place called heaven one day. If that is you today, know this, there is a God in heaven who made you.

A God in heaven who loves you, who died for you, who is alive forevermore. He is preparing a place for you. He will come again to receive you if you will receive him by faith. Jesus Christ is your Lord. You can have hope and not just the hope as in I hope it might rain tomorrow.

But as hope is used in the Bible, a certainty of something good to come. There is a God in heaven. He loves you because he made you and he does not want to lose you. So much so that he was willing to give up his son to die in your place. But you must believe and receive.

You must choose by faith Jesus as your savior or in the end, all will be lost despite his mercy and grace. For that choice is up to you. There is hope for you in Christ. Don't pass it up. There is a way to life, abundant life, joyful life, purposeful life.

We'll come back to that at the end. So faith is hope is key. And the key to hope is what? Faith. Child of God, you have faith, then where is your hope?

You shouldn't be hopeless or in despair or depressed. You have Jesus. You have the forgiveness of all your sins. You have a purpose in this life. The purpose that you were created for, to bring glory to your God and enjoy his fellowship and love and grace.

You have a promise of eternity and you have a friend who will never leave you nor forsake you. In the darkest of times in this world or in your life, you can still have hope while others are wandering around in the darkness not knowing where to turn. I know where to turn. His name is Jesus. This is his word and I can talk to him in prayer today and he hears.

He invites me to come boldly before his throne of grace and he hears and answers the prayers of little old me. That is amazing. President doesn't care what I have to say. But somehow he does. People in Washington don't care a whole lot about me, but he does.

And he cares about you too. When faced with adversity of any kind, you need not fall into despair or get lost in dread or fear because you're not facing facing it alone. And if you know you're not facing it alone, you can endure and find patience to deal with these circumstances and with others. This sets you apart from those who lack hope because they don't see any purpose in what they believe to be simply random and bad luck. I don't know how I would face some of the trials of life if I just thought they were random bad luck and there was nothing good to be found in them or nothing profitable to be had.

But I know in Jesus Christ that my father watches over me. And I know that the trials that he allows into my life can work together for what? To produce something good in my life. 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. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son.

You know what God is doing even through the hardship and the trials? What is God doing? He's using those things. Some of them are bad things. Sickness, illness, pain, loss, those are things we all have to deal with in life not because of God but because of Satan, because of sin.

But as a child of God, you can be sure that the God who loves you and saved you can even take some of those hardships and trials and if you will trust in him, he will use them for what? Good in your life. He will. He will. He'll use them to make you more like who?

Like Jesus. And that is good. Sometimes in the midst of it, it doesn't feel too good. I went to school for I don't know how many years. I'm not gonna count at the moment.

I didn't always like school. I hated tests. I hated papers even more. But you know something? All that effort and all that work and all that trial and boy, I thought it was a trial.

It was for my what? It's for my good. I profited by it. I didn't see it at the time. I just thought it was a headache.

But all things do work together for good to those who love the Lord. I've learned more from my struggles than I have when everything's going easy. And that's really the case with all of us. First Peter I mean, James chapter one. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations or trials.

Knowing this that the trying of your faith worketh patience. Relate patience have her perfect work that you may be perfect and entire wanting or lacking nothing. James says to the Christians who are facing some persecution and suffering, he says to them, don't get discouraged. God hasn't forgotten you. He's with you.

He's going to help you if you'll let him. He'll use these things that he's allowed in your life to grow your faith and in turn to grow your patience to make you more like who? More like Jesus. And in the end, full of joy, peace, and fulfillment in life. God knows what he is doing.

And as a child of God, you should never lose what? Hope because God is not going to let you down. When the news from the doctor is not what you would hope for, you can still have hope and find peace and joy. Why? Because you're not alone.

You may feel like it. God understands that, but you're not. Because your God is the great what? Position. Nothing is impossible for him.

Because the worst thing that can happen to me is to go on to heaven. And that's actually the best thing that can happen to me. When the bills are too big for you to handle and it looks like you're in dire straits financially, your God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. And as Paul reminds us in Philippians four nineteen, he can supply all your needs according to his riches and glory by Christ Jesus. He may want you to have to change some things or take a different path, I don't know.

But he's there and in the end, he'll be there and he'll help you and you'll get through. When you've lost a loved one, in Christ you know this life is not the end. One day, I will see many of those loved ones again. They're not gone, they've just changed residence to a place where I can't see them right now. When a relationship falls apart or falls on hard times, you still have the Lord and he can still change hearts and mend fences thought to be irreconcilably broken.

That is our God. Even when you have messed up royally and now you're having to dig yourself back out of a seeming insurmountable situation, God will be there to help you. He's already there ahead of you. He will not abandon you. Have hope.

David says, even there thy right hand thy hand shall lead me and thy right hand shall hold me. Consider Job. Consider Moses and what he went through leading the children of Israel. There were times Moses just wanted to throw up his hands and God, I'm done. God said, no.

No. Don't lose hope. Not over. Not over. Consider David.

Look if you would in Psalm three. Psalm three, quickly this morning. Psalm chapter three, and let's consider David. David wrote this Psalm. Take a moment to consider this Psalm as it pertains to hope and joy and endurance and prayer in the Christian life because you find them all here in Psalm three.

Hope leads to endurance. Hope and endurance lead to prayer. David was in a spot and his enemies knew it and thought this time it was over for him. Look if you would in Psalm three. Lord, how are they increased that trouble me?

Many are they that rise up against me. Many there be which say of my soul, there is no hope, no help for him and God. Selah. But thou, oh Lord, art a shield for me, my glory in the lifter up of mine head. I cried unto the Lord.

What is that? Well, that's prayer. I cried unto the Lord with my voice and he heard me out of his holy hill, Selah. I laid me down and slept. I awaked for the Lord sustained me.

I will not be afraid of 10 thousands of people that have set themselves against me round about. David wasn't joking. There were literally tens of thousands of people that were coming for his head. Arise, oh Lord, save me, oh my God, for thou has smitten all mine enemies upon the cheekbone. Thou has broken the teeth of the ungodly.

Salvation belongeth unto the Lord. Thy blessing is upon thy people, Satan. David's back was against the wall. As he was leaving the palace, having been forced to flee by his son who was coming with an army, he fled from Jerusalem over the Mount Of Olives and he found a cave to stay in that night. As he fled, one of one of the people watching him, following him, mocked him as he departed the palace.

And while David's soldiers wanted to shut him up, a man named Shimei, David told them, let him mock. Let him mock. David knew this all started with David and Bathsheba. Things were going well for David, but then David sinned. And though God spared his life, there were still repercussions on earth that followed.

One of them was this son named Absalom who turned against him and now was coming to take his father's throne. David knew it was his fault, But nonetheless, he believed in the mercy and grace of his God. David did not lose hope for God was still on the throne. And despite his failures, God had indicated to him that he had forgiven his sin and that he would not abandon him. He did not allow the circumstances to rob him of his hope and his confidence in the Lord and his mercy and his grace.

The God who delivered him from the hand of Goliath and in the hand of Saul would do it again. David wrote in Psalm 20 verse seven, some trust in chariots and some in horses that we will remember the name of the Lord our God. We need not lose hope. When those things fail others, they lose hope. But we need not because our God is still on the throne and our God still loves us.

And the God who forgave us will be there to help us if we'll but trust and cry out to him. David's faith gave him hope. So what did he do? He prayed. He prayed to God and he prayed believing that God would what?

Hear his prayers and rescue him once again. Why? Because David deserved it. No. But because he knew his God and he trusted in his God.

Hope in God leads to healthy vibrant prayer life as Paul indicated here in Romans 12, and the two work hand in hand. If you have faith and you have hope, then you should be spending time in prayer because you know there's a God of heaven on his throne who hears and answers them. David did. And so what did he do next? He laid down in the cave and to the astonishment of his generals and his associates, he went to sleep.

And the Lord sustained him. He wasn't worried to death about the horses and the chariots coming for him. He trusted in his God. Whatever the outcome, God would be with him and he found peace and he wasn't overcome by fear. Nor child of God, do you need be either.

And the health and vibrancy of a church is connected to the health and vibrancy of the hope that is found in its members. No matter what the trial is before you, you can face it with confidence and hope and not fear or despair. You can endure for there is a purpose. You can find reason for joy and peace. You can pray and talk with God knowing that the sovereign of the universe hasn't vacated his throne.

And he will listen to his children and all who come to him in humility and faith as he invites them before his throne of grace to find mercy and help in time of need. Where is your hope? Be of good courage and he shall strengthen your heart all ye that hope in the Lord. Now back to Romans ten nine and thirteen. Have you accepted Christ's offer of hope?

Will you accept his love and forgiveness today? You are not beyond hope. You can be saved. Only trust him. Let's pray.

Dear God, thank you Lord for this day, this opportunity, your word. Pray that you would mold us and make us into your image and Lord that you would give us faith and hope that we might rejoice in the God we serve. Even as we look square in the face, bad news and difficult circumstances and trials and loss, we can have hope because there is a God in heaven who died for us, who saved us, who loves us. And if there is one here today that is yet to receive that gift and that hope. I pray by faith they would come as we sing this song of invitation today and receive Jesus Christ as the Lord and savior of their lives.

In Jesus' name we do pray. Amen. You take your hymn books if you would turn to 252. 252 and please stand with me to sing. Only trust him.

The Lord has spoke to your heart. Don't put it off. I'll meet you down here today and pray with you. Please come.