In a world filled with uncertainty and challenges, how can we radiate an Unconquerable Hope that others can see? Learn why others need to see hope in us and how we can show it in the day-to-day of every day. Whether you’re new to faith or seeking to deepen your spiritual journey, this message offers practical insights and encouragement for everyone. Learn more in: How the world can see Unconquerable Hope in You.
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Notes for How the world can see Unconquerable Hope in You
How the world can see Unconquerable Hope in You
Last week we heard an amazing message. Dwight Lagore encouraged us to identify with Isaiah who was in the presence of God who heard the God say, “Who will go and who should I send?” And Isaiah responded in the middle of his muck with “Here am I, send me!”
If you missed it. It’s online and it’s worth listening to whenever you need to refocus.
I thought it was a couple of years ago now…. I checked it was November 2020… I did a series on the strategies Jesus taught his disciples to use in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and ultimately the ends of the earth.
Since then I’ve been working on those messages to tighten them up for a book and course I’m creating. So as I remind you of them, they might just seem a little familiar. The current draft looks a bit different from the one you heard. As a reminder…
Jerusalem – People who love you – Strategy – Inexplicable Transformation
Judea – People who like you – Strategy – Counterintuitive Reciprocity
Samaria – People who don’t like you and who you might not like – Strategy – All-Encompassing Kingdom Perception
All of these strategies are with Holy Spirit’s power and with signs and wonders following those who believe.
We cannot remove the supernatural act of being rescued us from the dominion of darkness and being transferred into the kingdom of the Son (Colossians 1:13-14) with any program that uses some earthly strategy that have a form of godliness but denies the power therein (2 Timothy 3:5).
As I worked on the current draft, I realized my take on reaching the ends of the earth was a little random and shallow.
I don’t like random and shallow.
I knew I needed to tighten it up. I just needed God to show me how he wanted me to tighten it up.
And with what Dwight said last week, I got really inspired to work on it this week.
We’ve followed Dwight and Lynne’s story since 1995 and have been praying with them and for them ever since. I think it was when they first went from South Africa to Mozambique. The first pictures I remember seeing was the camp in the overgrown bush. They helped to reclaim a farm from the jungle and it was hard work and things got better. Over the years, crops were planted and rain didn’t come. More crops and different crops were planted and too much rain came. People came and went. Workers had life situations change. And people they relied on had to move on. But the ministry grew and it was too big for the farm so they had to leave that land and go back to the bush and do it all over again. I was part of the board of SAMM ministries early on.
And as I listened to the challenge he gave us I knew what strategy God wanted me to teach to reach the ends the earth.
It’s what I see in Dwight and Lynne over the long haul.
I know that’s what God wants to see in all of us and what the world needs to see in all of us.
God’s strategy for us to reach the ends of the earth is Unconquerable Hope!
How do I know this?
That’s a great question. Look what I’ve been gnawing on…
Look at this verse…
1 Peter 3:15-16 (NIV84) But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
Holy Spirit prompted me to look at who Peter wrote this to (this is what Holy Spirit prompted me to look at after Dwight spoke last week)
Peter writes to :
1 Peter 1:1 …God’s elect, scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia,
Peter is talking to those scattered. They’ve moved beyond Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. He gives them this strategy in 1 Peter 3:15-16
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
And then the thought occurred to me:
People need to see the hope in you before they can ask about it and stop their malicious talk against you.
Today we’re going to look at “How the world can see Unconquerable Hope in You”
Can we pray?
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been in the church for a long time and I’ve been taught consistently to outsource my witness to ends of the earth.
It’s a problem we need to address.
How come most times talk about the Great Commission we talk about world missions? Maybe it’s better said, “Every time we talk about world missions we talk about the Great Commission and we give the impression we should outsource it.”
What is the Great Commission?
Matthew 28:16-19 (NLT) Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted! Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
What was Dwight’s message about Isaiah’s response?
Here am I. Send me.
Have you ever thought about a Carbon Credit?
Our government allow companies to have and trade carbon credits. A carbon credit is a permit that allows a company to emit a certain amount of carbon dioxide. When companies lower their carbon footprint they have credits left over that they can trade to companies that need more carbon credits.
What if we created a compliance market for the Great Commission?
We could give out Commission Credits
We could set a price on the things we think make a good disciple, then focus on the things we’re good at to offset the things we’d rather not do. Or we can just pay to get the credits for someone actually doing the work.
For example,
Let’s say you really don’t have anyone to share your faith with, but you can read your Bible and pray and if you did it long enough it could offset the fact you’ve never shared your faith with someone else.
Sure, Paul told Philemon he should be active in sharing his faith so that he would have a full understanding of every good thing he has in Christ (Philemon 1:6), but we don’t really believe that’s what he said because we’ve changed it in more modern english translations to read “your partnership with us” instead of “actively sharing your faith”. So it should be OK to offload (Please note the sarcasm).
We’d have to set what a Commission Credit was worth – 10 hours of prayer or 4 church pot-luck clean ups could equal the same as telling someone about Jesus?
It doesn’t really matter how we set it up. The point would be that you could pay money to have someone else do your work for you. It would free you up to be a contributing member of the Kingdom without having you have to go into all the world.
Isn’t that essentially what we do already?
Yet Isaiah said “Here am I. Send me.”
I am in no way knocking missions but we can’t outsource the Great Commission.
It better to redefine “Ends of the Earth”
We can’t all be missionaries. We can’t all do short-term missions. And yet we recognize we have a metaphor for Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, so maybe we should have a metaphor for the ends of the earth. The metaphor needs to be inline with Scripture and needs to agree with the heart of God.
Jerusalem – family and friends who are like family
Judea – the people we’re the most comfortable with
Samaria – the people we’re not the most comfortable with
SO
Ends of the earth – anybody, anywhere.
The ends of the earth are not that far away anymore.
Jesus’s plan was not to train his disciples to make disciples and empower them to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and sit back and have them send someone else to be witnesses to the ends of the earth. They didn’t outsource the Great Commission.
They didn’t make that assumption and neither should we. Look at what they did. None of them stayed in Jerusalem or Judea or even Samaria for any length of time. Well, the only one that did was killed early on.
And it wasn’t easy going to the ends of the earth. It was tough.
If the strategy is for people to ask you about the hope that you have, those people need to see the hope that you have. I don’t know how to break this to you without being blunt.
Hope is seen in hurt.
Look at how the disciples endured for their testimony:
Peter (66 or 67)
Went to Antioch and possibly Corinth. He was martyred in Rome about 66 AD, during the persecution under Emperor Nero. Peter was crucified, upside down at his request, since he did not feel he was worthy to die in the same manner as his Lord.
Andrew
Went to the “land of the man-eaters,” in what is now in Russia. Christians there claim him as the first to bring the gospel to their land. He also preached in Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey, and in Greece, where he is said to have been crucified.
Thomas
Was probably most active in the area east of Syria. Tradition has him preaching as far east as India, where the ancient Marthoma Christians revere him as their founder. They claim that he died there when pierced through with the spears of four soldiers.
Philip
Possibly had a powerful ministry in Carthage in North Africa and then in Asia Minor, where he converted the wife of a Roman proconsul. In retaliation the proconsul had Philip arrested and cruelly put to death.
Matthew
The tax collector and writer of a Gospel ministered in Persia and Ethiopia. Some of the oldest reports say he was not martyred, while others say he was stabbed to death in Ethiopia.
Bartholomew
Had widespread missionary travels attributed to him by tradition: to India with Thomas, back to Armenia, and also to Ethiopia and Southern Arabia. There are various accounts of how he met his death as a martyr for the gospel.
James (5 years after Christ)
The son of Alpheus is one of at least three James referred to in the New Testament. There is some confusion as to which is which, but this James is reckoned to have ministered in Syria. The Jewish historian Josephus reported that he was stoned and then clubbed to death.
Simon the Zealot
So the story goes, ministered in Persia and was killed after refusing to sacrifice to the sun god.
Matthais
The apostle chosen to replace Judas. Tradition sends him to Syria with Andrew and was put to death by burning.
John (90-110 AD)
The only one of the apostles generally thought to have died a natural death from old age. He was the leader of the church in the Ephesus area and is said to have taken care of Mary the mother of Jesus in his home. During Domitian’s persecution in the middle ’90s, he was exiled to the island of Patmos. There he is credited with writing the last book of the New Testament–the Revelation. An early Latin tradition has him escaping unhurt after being cast into boiling oil at Rome.
Judas (Thaddeus)
Judas (Thaddeus) went to Judea, Samaria, Idumaea (Edom), Syria, Mesopotamia and Libya. He is also said to have visited Beirut and Edessa. He suffered martyrdom about 65 AD in Beirut, in the Roman province of Syria, together with the apostle Simon the Zealot, with whom he is usually connected.
James (44 AD)
James the son of Zebedee: Was the only one who didn’t get out of Jerusalem. He was put to death by Herod Agrippa I shortly before the day of the Passover, in the year 44 or about 11 years after the death of Christ. We see this in Acts 12:1-2.
They didn’t go based on some missions plan.
As they went…
In their heart, they set apart Christ as Lord.
People saw their hope and asked them the reason.
They told them with gentleness and respect.
And still had people talk bad about them and kill them.
There’s no guarantee of rainbows and sunshine in the Kingdom.
All the disciples suffered persecution, all but one were killed because they said Jesus had come, lived and died and rose again and is one day coming to judge the living and the dead so repent.
It’s not easy, it’s tough. But it’s worth it because their hurt showed their hope.
Tertullian put it this way – “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church”
Paul puts it this way – 2 Corinthians 4:7-11 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies.
Hope is seen in hurt.
This is what Peter taught to God’s elect, scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, (1 Peter 1:1)
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 1 Peter 3:15-16 (NIV)
It is implied and it should be understood that the ends of the earth is not some easy place where everyone celebrates everything you do.
Dwight and Lynn have been doing missions for 37 years. I don’t know if they know how many times they’ve had malaria and dengue fever. I was on the board of SAMM and heard the stories that didn’t make it into the slide show. Did you know when they started the school, students had to cross this river and at least one was killed by a crocodile? What do you do when you do something good and kids end up dying? You grieve and you mourn and you raise money to build a bridge for the community. I think I remember they put up a rope bridge immediately but the permanent bridge didn’t take long.
We hear stories and numbers and it’s amazing. It’s even more amazing when you know the back story. Their story is one of Biblical hope, real, amazing Biblical hope.
Dwight mentioned Lynn’s parents being honoured by the town and chamber of commerce. I’m so glad that happened while they were alive. We have this strange way of talking good about people after they die. I think it was 1998 or 99 (24 or 25 years ago). We had a week of meetings on reconciliation happening in the church – the place was full – and I was on the phone between Lynn’s sister Pat in BC and Deb Grey’s office in Ottawa and I think I got through to Ruth in Itaperucu…because this town (the town that now honoured them) had thrown Earl in prison, because they wanted to take over the last place they worked so hard to build up over 12 years and Earl wasn’t ready to give it up. They were missionaries sent out from our church and one of them was in prison. Did you know that it was after they lost the property they worked on for 12 years that the cement factory gave them a much larger building? God turned it all together for good.
Reaching the ends of the earth isn’t easy
Reaching the ends of the earth is hard not easy. It is hard showing hope in helpless situations. It’s a hard thing to do in Mozambique and it’s tough to do in Brazil.
But it’s also not easy trusting God in the impossible situations you find yourself in today.
It’s not easy when you get that phone call that knocks you to your knees, or that bill comes in that catches you by surprise. Yes, sometimes you will suffer for Christ, and I do expect it to become more regular in Canada that we will need to suffer for Christ. Right now most of what people see us endure will be life and what the enemy does to us.
When your spouse or parent is in ER…again it isn’t easy. Neither is it easy when your work that you rely on when it goes away. It is your health, your relationship and what you receive for what you do that is the battleground for hope.
The battle for hope is the battle for your identity. The enemy wants to kill, steal and destroy, God wants to use what the enemy does to make you more like Jesus and your situation more like His Kingdom.
As you go through life in this fallen world that has yet to be redeemed, battling the enemy who comes to steal, kill and destroy, the God of all hope fills your with all peace and joy as you trust in him, so that you’ll overflow with hope by the power of Holy Spirit.
Remember….Hope is seen in hurt.
Ends of earth is everybody everywhere.
God’s Strategy – Unconquerable Hope
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)
When people see your peace and joy in the middle of your hurt they will ask about your hope. And theamazingthing about hope is that it draws people who need it and see it in you. This is people who are close to you and strangers who are drawn to your peace and joy.
What is Biblical Hope?
Hope today means wishful thinking for most of us. That’s the fallen world’s definition not the Bible’s.
9 Facts about Biblical Hope
Hope is…
- An anchor for the soul. Hebrews 6:19
- A foundation for life. Psalm 71:5
- A source of strength. Isaiah 40:31
- A shield. Psalm 33:20
- A light in darkness. Psalm 119:114, Proverbs 23:18
- A blessing. Jeremiah 17:7
- For forever. Romans 8:24
- From trusting in God and is accompanied with peace and joy. Romans 15:13
- Seen in hurt. Romans 12:12
That’s the point I want you to get.
Biblical hope is seen in hurt.
What is Unconquerable Hope?
Unconquerable hope is Jesus. (1 Timothy 1:1, 1 Peter 1:3)
1 Timothy 1:1 NLT This letter is from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, appointed by the command of God our Savior and Christ Jesus, who gives us hope.
When our hope is in people or possibilities or plans or projections or progress or performance – that’s not biblical hope. It’s hardly unconquerable hope.
Some trust in horses and some in chariots but we trust in the name of the Lord of God (Psalm 20:7 NIV).
Our hope is in Christ alone. That’s how hope can be unconquerable, because even death could not conquer him. Our hope is unconquerable because our hope is Him.
Unconquerable hope is not just for this life but it is for forever. It is forever because our hope is in Christ.
Romans 5:1-2 (NIVUK) 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.
Unconquerable hope comes by trusting in God and come with peace and joy.
Romans 15:13 (NIVUK) May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Unconquerable hope is hope that will not disappoint.
Hope that does not disappoint is hope that is centred on His love. Look at what Paul told the church in Rome:
Romans 5:5 NLT And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
It’s the love of God that let’s us hope in Christ so with the Psalmist we can proclaim:
Psalm 71:14 (NIVUK) As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.
Why does the world need to see unconquerable hope in you?
That’s like asking “Why do they need to see Jesus in you?”
They need to see your hope and peace and joy, so they’ll ask the reason for it.
Biblical hope is the antithesis of wishful thinking, it’s not something you can manufacture. Peace is not something you can pretend to have. You can’t “fake-it-til-you-make-it” with joy.
It is a supernatural gift of almighty Father to have hope and peace and joy at all times and in every situation.
We have a role. Our role is to trust God.
The God of all hope fills us with all peace and joy AS WE TRUST IN HIM so we can overflow with hope by the power of Holy Spirit.
It’s by the power of Holy Spirit that we can overflow with hope – no matter with what life and the enemy throws at us.
When people see your peace and joy in the middle of your hurt they will ask about your hope.
How do you practically have unconquerable hope to show?
That’s a great question, I’m so glad you asked. I’ve used the word HOPE to help you remember how to show unconquerable hope.
How to Show Unconquerable HOPE Tool
H – Hold on to testimony Revelation 12:11
O – Operate in reality Hebrews 12:7
P – Pour out your heart to God Philippians 4:6-7
E – Express your gratitude to God and others Colossians 3:15-17
Let’s unpack this.
H – Hold on to testimony
Revelation 12:11 And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.
What has God done for you in the past? What has he done for others? There is a power in story. Remember you own, engage with what others share with you. Testimony and journaling are so important. Dated pictures and calendars have helped me remember.
You have been through the waters and He was with you and you have been through the rivers and not been swept away. The fire you’ve walked through has not burned you, the flames did not set you ablaze. (Isaiah 43:2) Remember those times to get you through these times. If you don’t have your own times yet, talk to others and hear their testimony.
Hold on to the testimonies of the goodness of God.
Am I holding on to the testimony of what God has done?
O – Operate in reality
Hebrews 12:7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?
Endure hardship as discipline. This verse is not saying bad things come from God, but that God is going to use everything to make you more and more like Jesus, so get with the program. Choosing to view all hardship as discipline puts us in the position to learn through the hardship and become more like Jesus.
James Bond Stockdale was the highest ranking American prisoner of war in Vietnam. He was asked what allowed him to get through. How he responded became known as the Stockdale Paradox.
“This is a very important lesson. You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”
Stockdale paradox
Remember your hope is not in a good report or a milestone met. Your hope is the person of Christ. He will make a way where there is no way. He will work all things together for the good. You need to do what you need to do to get through the now.
Am I confronting the most brutal facts of my current reality or forgetting my hope is the person of Christ?
P – Pour out your heart to God
Philippians 4:6-7 Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Psalms of lament allow us to pour out our complaint to God. Don’t worry that you’ll offend God with the truth of your emotion. He knows better than you what you feel like.
Your feelings might not make proper theological sense, but they show you want you really believe.
For example, if you don’t have peace, Ask Holy Spirit what lie you are believing…Peace and joy and hope come from trusting God, so if you don’t have peace and joy and hope, it’s because your believing a lie more than you’re trusting God.
Use this statement to help you define what you’re feeling…
“It might not be true, but it feels like it’s true that…”
Learn lament. Take your complaint to God. Exchange your problems for His peace. Whenever you go to prayer don’t leave until you exchange your problems for his peace.
Am I making use of lament?
E – Express your gratitude to God and others
Colossians 3:15-17 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
Don’t be afraid to show your struggle to others, but be careful who you entrust yourself to (John 2:24). Wait for them to ask about the hope you have.
Don’t forget to add “But God…” to your testimony.
Gratitude is the game changer and a grateful attitude is seen by others. Your gratitude, your peace and your joy
Am I showing my gratitude to God and others?
Remember:
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 1 Peter 3:15-16 (NIV)
Sum up:
It’s not easy reaching everybody everywhere, but God’s strategy is for us to show unconquerable hope. Our hope is Jesus. When we show hope we show Jesus, and that’s why people ask us about the hope we have.
I want you to remember something else Paul taught. He told the church in Philippi:
Philippians 1:28 Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself.
Unconquerable hope is not intimidated even if people speak maliciously against your good behaviour because your hope is Christ.
Now, you will go through the wringer. Anything that’s worth doing, the enemy thinks it’s worth opposing. You live in a fallen world that has yet to be redeemed surrounded by fallen people who are yet to be redeemed or in the process of being redeemed. You’re going to have to go through things you’d rather not go through. Yet God is working all things together for the good. One way is shining hope through you that others can see and respond to. Remember how you can partner with him in showing unconquerable HOPE.
How to Show Unconquerable HOPE Tool
H – Hold on to testimony Revelation 12:11
O – Operate in reality Hebrews 12:7
P – Pour out your heart to God Philippians 4:6-7
E – Express your gratitude to God and Others Colossians 3:15-17
Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer for impartation of hope. Greater reflection of You.
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