Play

Joy — Receiving the Gospel and Hope

Bryan Schiele
05/04/25 - Sun Worship

“A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” (Luke 6:40)

Let’s continue our “Cross Training” journey with our discussion on joy, comes when we receive the gospel, build our hope, respond with thanksgiving, and teach others through evangelism. Let’s consider two aspects of joy — receiving the gospel and hope.

Receiving the Gospel (Truth)

Rejoice Always in Jesus’ Good News

Few phrases bring as much joy to our daughter’s heart as the four words: “We’re going to Disneyland!” One year, as we started driving to California, we surprised her with the news that she’d soon see Mickey — and she lost her mind! Good news has a way of bringing instant joy and anticipation (Prov. 15:30). So what is it about the good news that gladdens people’s hearts?

What You Need to Know

The gospel — or good news — declares the reign of a new King — “our God reigns!” Right before Isaiah introduces the Servant “pierced for our transgressions” (Isa. 52:13-53:12), he proclaims: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns’” (Isa. 52:7).

The news of God’s kingdom brings with it peace, happiness, and deliverance from our worst oppressors. Our king’s victory is our victory. Jesus, our God and King (Isa. 9:6-7; John 20:28), arose to reign — and so we will live with him as heirs of God (Rom. 6:3-5; 2 Tim. 2:11-13; Gal. 3:26-29). Jesus has “abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Tim. 1:10). In his death and resurrection, he defeated sin (Heb. 9:26), “triumphing over” the rulers of darkness that used to reign over us (Col. 1:13; 2:15). He came to “destroy ... the devil and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery” (Heb. 2:14-15).

Imagine you’re imprisoned on death row, and someone walks in and says, “you’re free to go now.” That’s what happens when you receive the gospel: your execution stayed, your innocence declared, and your shackles unbound. It’s hard even to process our enormous reversal of fortune!

We don’t just have hope for a better future; the gospel changes our life now, as we “rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” (1 Peter 1:8). The burden of guilt, fear, and hatred lifted (1 John 4:10-21), we see God’s love for us and discover a new identity, purpose, and strength (Eph. 3:16-21). God’s Spirit leads us to different choices and a new intimacy with God (Rom. 8:13-17), mirroring Christ’s closeness (Gal. 4:6).

What You Need to Do

Make rejoicing your “new normal” — something you “always” do (1 Thess. 5:16) and notice when it leaves you. Nehemiah counseled people not to “be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh. 8:10). If strength comes from our joy, it shouldn’t surprise us when Satan tries to bury it under a mountain of forgetfulness and trouble. There’s a time to be sad (Eccl. 3:4), but our joy “in the Lord” can stabilize us even in seasons of “trouble” (Phil. 4:4-14).

Shine your gladness, since joy can become contagious (cf. Acts 2:46-47) when you put it “on a stand” instead of under a basket (Matt. 5:14-15). The Thessalonian disciples “received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit” and “became an example to all” as “the word of the Lord sounded forth from” them (1 Thess. 1:6-8). Rejoice when the gospel spreads (Phil. 1:15-18; Rom. 16:19) and look for ways “to proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9-10).

Through the Week

• Read — Luke 2:22-38; Acts 8:26-39; Rom. 15:8-13; 1 Thess. 1:2-10; Isa. 52:7-53:12
• Reflect — Ask yourself, “Do I allow troubles to rob me of my joy?”
• Request — Pray, “Oh Lord, make known to me the path of life and fill me with joy in your presence” (cf. Psalm 16:11).
• Respond — Post a list of ways your salvation gives you joy somewhere others can see it.
• Reach Out — Ask someone, “How would your life be different if you never obeyed the gospel?”

Hope (Heart)

Hope in the Lord and His Promises

Jesus once said, “When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world” (John 16:21). While preparing his disciples for his upcoming death, he needed them to understand that the sorrow they’d soon face wouldn’t last forever. Their pain would soon turn to incredible joy! So how do we hold onto hope when weariness threatens our joy?

What You Need to Know

In modern use, “hope” often describes a wish that might not come true. “Maybe my team will win it all this year — I hope so!” But a Christian has a “living hope” based on an existing reality, “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). When we realize that death had no power over Jesus (1 Cor. 15:20), we see it has no control over those who follow him (1 Cor. 15:52-57). God has prepared an inheritance for his heirs (Rom. 8:17,23; Gal. 4:4-7), a home where the river of life flows (Rev. 22:1), where “the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever” (Rev. 22:5).

We “hope in the Lord” (Psalm 131:3). Because of his character, we trust his judgments (Psalm 36:6; Rom. 2:6-11). And because of his promises, we “know” we “have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).

Hopelessness says, “What’s the point? Things’ll never get better” (cf. Prov. 13:12). But light breaks into even our bleakest days when we believe we have something spectacular ahead. So, “we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing” even our problems can serve God’s purposes as we prepare for that day (Rom. 5:2-5).

What You Need to Do

Reframe your difficulties, disappointments, and discouragements in the light of hope. When you start considering your situation hopeless, re-consider! “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom. 8:18). When Jeremiah couldn’t escape his affliction (Lam. 3:19-20), he said, “this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases” (Lam. 3:21-22). Since God’s mercies never run dry but “are new every morning ... therefore I will hope in him” (Lam. 3:23-24). So we “wait for him” without complaining (Lam. 3:25-26; Phil. 2:14), looking ahead to mercies not yet seen (Rom. 8:24-25).

Live with boldness (2 Cor. 3:12) and confidence in Christ (2 Cor. 3:4). Hope links the present and future, looking through the lens of faith in God. Paul’s letter to the Philippians exemplifies hope-filled living, from his conviction that “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion” (Phil. 1:6) to his confidence that “my God will supply every need” (Phil. 4:19). In between, Paul rejoices in what God will accomplish in his imprisonment (Phil. 1:12-26) and strains forward to higher ground as he longs for the day of his resurrection (Phil. 3:8-21).

Practice deliberate daydreaming about heaven. Since we already belong to that new, glorious day, we constantly carry our hope with us, aiming not to drift far from heavenly thoughts. Ask yourself, “What will it be like to see Jesus? Won’t it be great to leave these headaches behind?” Talk about it. Sing about it. “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Col. 3:2-4).

Through the Week

• Read — John 11:17-44; Rom. 8:16-39; 1 Cor. 15:51-58; 1 John 3:1-3; Rev. 21:1-5
• Reflect — Ask yourself, “Do I live like this world is not my home?”
• Request — Pray, “Oh God of hope, fill me with joy, peace, and boundless hope” (cf. Rom. 15:13).
• Respond — Sing a song of hope throughout the day.
• Reach Out — Ask someone, “What parts of this life are you excited to leave behind?”