Timeless Hope

Study Questions

Paul calls the believers at Rome to spiritual maturity, encouraging them to please one another, stay grounded in Scripture, and strive for unity in the church. As they grow in these areas of self-sacrifice, God’s joy and peace will give them hope unlike anything the world has to offer.

Application

1. Due to our sin nature, we all battle selfishness. In what areas of your life do you most struggle to please others more than yourself? How can you expand the circle of people that you sacrifice yourself for on a regular basis?

2. How can you grow in the area of placing your hope in the truth of Scripture? What in your life seems insurmountable right now that you need to put in light of the cross?

3. The unity of God’s people directly influences our ability to live in a way that pleases God. When was a time that you experienced disunity in the body of Christ? How did it affect you? How can you move towards unity now?

Key Points

• We all have a natural tendency to please ourselves and distance ourselves from the needs of others. However, God calls us to please him by pleasing others through sacrificial living.

• Part of pleasing God and others is articulating the gospel regularly in our relationships. We must move towards those around us with the hope of Christ, even when it’s challenging.

• While it is easy to place our hope in worldly achievements or circumstances, the only true hope for us is found in Scripture. Speaking God’s truth to ourselves will ground us in his hope.

• God calls us to live in a way that fosters the unity of the church. Sin can tempt us to be “fake” in church, but honest, godly community can strengthen our unity.

• When we deny ourselves to please others, hope in the Scriptures, and seek unity in the church, God will fill our hearts with his joy and peace.

Other Scripture References

1 Thessalonians 2:4

Galatians 1

Romans 5:3-4

Matthew 18:21-35