15/06/2021

Mat 27 v 57 -66; Rom 15 v 1-13
The hope of the gentiles

“For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Rom 15 v 4)

The Word of God is timeless and has therefore stood the test of time.

For centuries many have been pre-occupied with the dreadful task of deconstructing the bible in an attempt to expose its apparent flaws, writing chapter upon chapter arguing about the minor variations, while completely missing the message and in spite of this, thousands upon thousands are still coming to faith in the risen Christ.

Even the chief priests and pharisees were afraid of the impact Jesus’ life and message had on the people and therefore requested that the grave be secured. Even though they did not want to believe that Jesus would physically rise from the dead after three days, they were scared of the length His disciples might go to, in order to “fulfill” Jesus’ prediction. Sadly, many still believe to this day, that Jesus’ body was indeed stolen by His disciples or even eaten by dogs…

Our hope lies in the fact that the gospel of Jesus Christ that was rejected by the religious and “lay” people of His time, was preached to the gentiles, of whom many believed the good news of Christ’s death and resurrection. This message was consistently communicated, both verbally and in written form and although the authenticity is continually questioned by those refusing to accept it, we as children of God know that the written word can be trusted.

It is not just a matter of an intellectual understanding, but also a surrendering of the heart, something the natural man cannot understand, for he fights against the convictions continuously, to such an extent that his heart becomes so hardened, not even the Almighty God will force His way into such a person’s life, allowing each one to exercise his or her free will. This is the God of the bible. Who is a righteous and just God, while also loving and fair.

We are called to carry each others’ burdens and to be in service of each other, building up one another for the other person’s good. We should therefore also share this hope with others. A hope that will give purpose to so many who seem hopelessly lost.

You and I have been grafted into this covenant relationship, adopted as sons and daughters of the King, through a circumcision of the heart, “so that we will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom 15 v 13).

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, Life Application Study Bible, unless stated otherwise. Copyright by “The Lockman Foundation“