Sermons
Hope is a Bold Action
Hope Is a Bold Action
Paul was a Lystra when . . .
“Jews came from Antioch, and Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. But while the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city. The next day he went away with Barnabas to Derbe. After they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God’” (Acts 14:19-22).
Peter wrote to the Christians scattered through modern day Turkey,
“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing . . . those who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right” (1 Pet. 4:12-13, 19).
The Corinthians were reminded of Paul’s devotion.
Labors, imprisonments, “beaten times without number,” in danger of death; five times 39 lashes; three times beaten with rods, stoned, shipwrecked, in danger: journeys, robbers, rivers, countrymen and Gentiles, in the city and the wilderness, on the sea, from false brethren, labor and hardship, sleeplessness, hunger, thirst, cold and exposure . . . intense concern for the churches (2 Cor. 11:23-29).
Hebrews reminds us of those tortured, mocked, scourged, being chained, imprisoned, stoned, sawn in two, tempted, put to death with the sword, clothed in sheepskins, goatskins, destitute, ill-treated, wandering in deserts, mountains, caves and holes in the ground (11:35-38).
And Jesus wrote to the church in Smyrna . . .
“I know your tribulation and your poverty . . . Do not fear what you are about to suffer . . . Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:9, 10).
Introduction:
1. Life can be hard. And then sometimes it gets harder.
2. All these passages reflect special persecutions by the enemy, but there are other more regular difficulties, like sickness, pain, loneliness, old age, mental health issues, relational problems, death, etc. that are common to us humans.
3. It appears it should not be this way for the righteous. But it is naive to think that everything is going to be good and fair and easy. Edith Egers describes that as “idealism.” She says, “It is a defense mechanism, just like denial or delusion.” She said, “Honey, don’t cover garlic with chocolate. It doesn’t taste good.”
Discussion:
I. The Bible approaches life with realism rather than idealism.
A. Sin results in death.
1. God said, “In the day you eat from it you will surely die” (Gen. 2:17).
2. It was the serpent who said, “You surely will not die! You will be like God”
(Gen. 3:4). That covers “the garlic with chocolate.” Realism was masked with
idealism and death was the result.
3. Human beings have been dying ever since.
B. Nowhere is the realism of sin any clearer than in the crucifixion.
1. Sin is not whitewashed.
2. It is not overlooked.
3. It is not swept under the carpet.
4. There it is in all its awfulness. Humiliation. Shame. It is disgusting, but there
hangs the innocent Son of God paying the penalty for my lies, my betrayals,
my selfishness, my greed, my arrogance, my self-righteousness.
C. We all have a taste of the realism of sin, of death, and its consequences.
1. We may attempt to deny its realism by argument. “There is no God.” It there
was a good God He would not allow all the evil in the world. Cf.
Rom. 1:20. “There are others who are worse off than me.”
2. We may attempt to delude ourselves by indulging in pleasures to distract us.
Cf. 1 Pet. 4:3-5.
3. We may gloss over our sin with idealism. “It’s really not that bad.” “I am a
good person.” “I associate with the people of God.” “I go to church.”
II. But sometimes the stench of sin is too overwhelming to be denied.
A. Sometimes people are crowded into cattle cars, with no toilet, and shipped off to
concentration camps, only to be tortured, experimented on, raped, starved, and
murdered.
B. They are stoned and dragged out of the city and left for dead. They are
mocked, imprisoned, put to death with the sword, destitute, and ill-treated.
They are humiliated, shamed, and crucified.
C. “Where is there any hope in that?” We may blame our persecutors, we may
blame the devil, we may blame Adam and Eve. We may blame God.
1. We are enraged by the injustice.
2. Despair abounds.
3. It’s depressing. It’s discouraging.
4. And it seems never ending.
D. And then there are the other issues. Health. Family. Grief. Job losses.
Financial catastrophe.
E. Hope is not about expecting ease or even better circumstances. Hope involves
courage. It involves dependence upon God through the “valley of the shadow
of death” (Psa. 23:4). Hope does not involve a “seen” end (Rom. 8:24-25). It
is not based on something that is tangible or visible, but expectation that is not
yet realized. Heb. 11:39 refers to those who “did not receive what was
promised . . . so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.” In other
words, they endured, maintaining faith in what God said, even though they did
not experience it in their lifetime. Like Abraham who died in faith, without
receiving the promises, but having welcomed them from a distance (Heb.
11:13ff). He did not receive the land of Canaan, but looked for a better
country, a heavenly one (Heb. 11:16).
F. We desire relief from our suffering. If it does not happen within the time that
we think, our tendency is to become hopeless, to give up, to lose heart (Heb.
12:3).
G. Hope is not about understanding everything. Job protested. Not
understanding. And God did NOT explain everything to him. Hope involves
endurance even when we are confused and do not understand. In hope
against hope Abraham believed and acted (Rom. 4:18). He was near 100
years old, Sarah’s womb was dead, but he did not waver in unbelief.
H. HOPE IS A BOLD ACTION!!! Abraham was “fully assured that what God
had promised, He was also able to perform” (Rom. 4:21).
III. Hope involves belief in God who even raises the dead (Rom. 4:22-5:5).
A. People all around the world are celebration resurrection today.
1. They are doing it in amusing ways. Rabbits, eggs, candy!!
2. Some of these things do not make a whole lot of sense.
B. Resurrection contradicts our experience. We have never seen a resurrection.
We have never been resurrected. It looks hopeless, but all things are possible
with God (Lk. 1:37; Matt. 19:26; Mk. 10:27; Lk. 18:27; Jer. 32:17, 27).
C. Hope involves trusting in the voice of God to believe the unbelievable. It involves
the courage to endure even though escape may be beyond your lifespan. It
means walking through the valley of the shadow of death confident in God who
walks with you.
Conclusion:
1. Hope is a bold action.
2. It is not the denial of reality.
3. It is the acceptance of the promises of God.
4. It endures without wavering in unbelief.
5. It remains faithful to the promises despite facing difficulties.
