RADICAL HOPE: Character Produces Hope - Romans 5:1-4 Sermon Outline (a blog post for a video sermon for Kenwood Church in Livonia, MI, from April 5, 2020)

RADICAL HOPE:

Character Produces Hope (Romans 5:1-4) - April 5, 2020

INTRODUCTION

Radical Hope is the result of suffering and perseverance. We learned that perseverance means testing. Suffering tests our faith. Perseverance demonstrates our trust in the midst of suffering. When we have persevered, we develop character.

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

‭‭ Romans‬ ‭5:1-11‬ ‭NIV

I. WHAT IS CHARACTER?

“Character is a by-product; it is produced in the great manufacture of daily duty.”

Woodrow Wilson

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

experience, proof, trial.

From the same as dokimos; test (abstractly or concretely); by implication, trustiness -- experience(-riment), proof, trial.

A. Testedness

“Character is much better kept than recovered.”

Thomas Paine

B. Something that passes the test.

“And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you —see that you also excel in this grace of giving. I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have. Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.””

‭‭ 2 Corinthians‬ ‭8:1-15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

C. Character Continues to Pass the Test

1. Present and future looking

2. Not enamored by the past

3. Assurance of future test passing

“Character is not made in crisis—it is only exhibited.”

Freeman

4. Passes all the tests (large and small)

“Character may be manifested in the great moments, but it is made in the small ones.”

Phillips Brooks

II. CHARACTER DOES NOT CHANGE

A. Character can be impacted by those around you.

“Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.””

‭‭ 1 Corinthians‬ ‭15:33‬ ‭NIV‬‬

B. Character remains the same in any environment

“In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.”

‭‭ Hebrews‬ ‭1:1-3‬a ‭NIV‬

The actual word, character, in the Greek is used here.

III. CHARACTER DEVELOPS HOPE

Strong's Concordance

elpis: expectation, hope

Original Word: ἐλπίς, ίδος, ἡ

Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine

Transliteration: elpis

Phonetic Spelling: (el-pece')

Definition: expectation, hope

Usage: hope, expectation, trust, confidence.

HELPS Word-studies

1680 elpís (from elpō, "to anticipate, welcome") – properly, expectation of what is sure (certain); hope

A. There is a purpose.

B. There is a result.

C. There is a hope.

CHALLENGE

Memorize one of the quotations from this message (Biblical or secular). Share those words with someone else to encourage them to continue with character. Identify one area in your life where you need to persevere more in order to develop character in that area.

Love one another!