We are called to walk in hope-filled obedience and Christlike character. We fill our lives with some flavor of hope and then like a glass with perspiration our obedience has a certain character to it.

What do you long for and what do you dream about the most? The urgency of what we hope for shapes our character and our character produces more hope. In other words, desperation fuels my hope, hope changes my character and my character produces more hope. What are you desperate for? Love and acceptance? Respect and success? Relief from pain and suffering?

What do you do when you catch a vision for the thing that has become the ultimate answer for the desperation you have? This is where our character shines in light of the hope we have. When my hope (or satisfaction for my desperation) becomes fixated on an object that I believe will satisfy me, then my true character becomes visible. Desperation fuels hope, hope shapes character and character produces more hope. (Romans 5:2 – 5)

Think about the apostle Paul. The reorientation of the object of Paul’s hope, transformed his character and gave him the credibility to urge his listeners to walk “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Eph. 4:2 – 3) The apostle Paul wasn’t the kind of man who urged his followers to do the things he refused to do. He was a man who urged his followers to do what they saw him doing.

Paul wasn’t a man who just talked the talk. He was a man who walked the walk. He wasn’t interested in lip service. He was interested in hope-filled obedience and Christlike character. Paul was a man who traded pride for humility, violence for gentleness, selfish impatience for patience, hate for love, division for unity and war for peace. He was able to do this because his hope had been reoriented and his character had been transformed by that one hope.

We are called to walk in hope-filled obedience and Christlike character. We are called to walk in humility, gentleness, patience, love, unity and peace. How do we do this? We do this by having our hope reoriented and our character transformed by the work of Christ at the cross and the power of the empty tomb.

Observation, Application and Prayer

What key phrases caught your attention from this sermon and study guide?

  1. Scriptures: Read the following passages and reflect on them together: Ephesians 4:1 – 6; Romans 5:2 – 5; Philippians 2:3 – 8; 2 Timothy 2:24 – 3:5; 2 Peter 3:8 – 9; Galatians 6:1 – 2; Romans 12:9 – 10; 1 Corinthians 13:4 – 8. Are there any other passages you can think of that would fit with this study?
  2. Observation: What observations has the Lord brought to your attention? What are you thinking about? What kinds of feelings are you aware of? What kind of assurance and encouragement did this study give you? What did you learn about God? What did you learn about you?
  3. Application: How will you apply this study to your life right now? How do you envision putting what you’ve learned into practice? How was this study helpful in your struggle with sin? What does repentance look like in response to this study? What truths do you need to trust? What truths do you need to obey?
  4. Prayer: Spend some time praying for one another as a response to this study.