Suffering Long In Hope

Worship Folder

Outline

This world is fallen. It is no longer home. Living in fallen world requires patience. The ability to suffer long. This patient endurance is the opposite of sloth, which is the sin of quitting when things get hard.

I. A FALLEN WORLD
The world is no longer home. It is a wilderness.

II. A RENEWED HUMANITY
Patience is the ability to suffer long. There is no other way to live in this world.

III. A POWERFUL HOPE
Hope is the certainty of a good future. It is the power for faith and love.

Discussion Questions

1. What is the world like? How does this affect the way we live in the world?
2. Why does Paul write, “Rejoice in hope” (Rom 12:12)? How is that different from the normal way we think about happiness?
3. Patience is the supernatural ability to suffer long. Sloth is the opposite. It is giving up when things get hard. Where did you need patience?
4. What does it mean to be “constant in prayer” (Rom 12:12) or to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17)? Why do you think Paul talks about prayer like that?
5. What is the hope that makes all of this possible? What is the better tomorrow that awaits us?