Knowing and Sharing the God of Hope

Pastor who loved golf

drove to course 3 hours away

Angel watching

“God, you’re going to punish that pastor, right?”

“Lord, I thought you were going to punish him”

“Who’s he gonna tell?”

Thing about Good News

You want to go and tell somebody

You want to share the news

We have just commemorated—and celebrated—the single greatest weekend in history

Jesus Christ’s death

Jesus Christ’s resurrection

Because He has now provided THE remedy for our two greatest problems

Sin problem

Death problem

We now have in our possession The Best News Ever

Paul had this news in his possession as well

In this passage, he shares his heart on what this means to him

Romans 15:8–21 ESV

8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.” 10 And again it is said, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” 11 And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him.” 12 And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.” 13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. 14 I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. 15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. 18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; 20 and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, 21 but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.”

Paul explains the call by the Lord upon his life to serve as a minister to the Gentiles

He looked to go and proclaim the Good News in places where Christ had not already been named

V.20

He looked to teach those Gentiles the truth of the Good News so that they would continue to follow, being full of goodness, all knowledge, teaching and instructing one another

V.14

The call upon our lives is not very different from that of Paul:

Know Christ

Make Christ Known

While it may look different from person to person

None of us are exempt from that call

While we can name a host of disciplines that will help us to better know the Lord:

Daily Bible reading

Memorizing Scripture

Prayer

Community with other believers in a group

It is certainly in the work of making Christ known to our world that we can know Christ more deeply and more intimately

Why Wouldn’t We?

We have News

Not just Good News

But Best News Ever

So why don’t we?

Fear

No joy

No hope

All due to our life circumstances

Paul gives us some hints as to how we can make Christ known more effectively in our world in this passage

1. Find the Song in Your Heart

Vv.9-11

Confess

ὁμολογέω

Sing

ψάλλω

Rejoice

εὐφραίνω

to be glad

to be delighted

Psalm 37:4 “4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.”

to celebrate

Praise

αἰνέω

“to speak of the excellence of something or someone”

Extol

ἐπαινέω

“to express one’s admiration”

2. Find the Hope in Your Soul

Vv.12-13

“in Him will the Gentiles hope”

“The God of hope”

Hope

Not just wishing

Confident expectation

Not that “everything will turn out ok”

Confident in Whom You have believed

Shadrach, Meshach, Abed-Nego

“Our God is able to deliver us”

“But even if He doesn’t…”

“We won’t bow to your idol”

3. Make It About Jesus

V.18

“I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me”

…and NOT about You

4. Make It About Others

…and NOT about You

Vv.14-16

Now What?

The danger of delay

Kublai Khan

Grandson of Ghengis Khan

Mongol Empire

Included

China

Korea

Mongolia

Northern India

Iran

Iraq

Afghanistan

Russia

Hungary

1265

visited by Italian explorers

Niccolo and Matteo Polo

fascinated by the Jesus of whom the Polos spoke

asked that the Polos would return with 100 teachers to teach he and the people about Christ

Sent letter to Pope Gregory X

“Send me 100 men skilled in your religion,” If they were convincing, I shall be baptized, and then all my barons and great men, and then their subjects. And so there will be more Christians here than there are in your parts.”

Gregory sent two priests with the Polos, Niccolo bringing his son Marco with him

Neither priest made it to Khan

Took until 1294 for missionaries to get to Khan

The delay caused Kublai Khan to study and then embrace Buddhism

Who Needs this Hope that has been given to You?

In your neighborhood?

Where you work?

Where you go to school?

Where you work out?

Where you shop?

Where you dine?

What Next?

Learn their names

Learn their stories

Pray for them

Look to serve them

Share the Good News with them