Always Ready to Make A Defense

So, good morning. Right now, we are going to be taking a quick break from our series in Luke. For those of you who are new and visiting here, we've been going through, Pastor Abbasar has been going through Luke, the Gospel of Luke, and talking about the ministry of Jesus Christ on earth. And I want to take a break from that and focus specifically on what it means to be a Christian. Now, that's a very broad statement. but in particular, how it applies to us and what we say. The first thing I want to say is this, that he who defines wins. He who defines wins. The world has a very specific expectation and definition on what the meaning of a Christian is, what the place of the Christian faith is today. They have defined it.

The world has no problem defining the boundaries of the Christian religion. How far is too far? What you can say, when you can say it, how you can say it, to whom you can say it with, they have a very specific definition and expectation of what Christianity is and should be. And Christianity to the world, is something that is in particular a private, personal devotion that has a very clear stopping point. And I want to tell you this, that Christianity is not a private faith. It is not simply a personal belief system that is limited to the confines of the church and the home. Christianity is a public faith.

It's public because the message that we proclaim is a declaration. It's a bullhorn, if you will. It's a declaration of the all-encompassing, total and complete authority of Jesus Christ over all things in this earth. And it is a message that demands that all men everywhere stop their rebellion against God. repent of their sins, and submit themselves to the lordship of Jesus Christ and to live a joyful life of obedience to his law. Jesus says this in Matthew 28. You've heard it before. All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all that I commanded you.

Go, therefore, make disciples of people, individual people in their heart, and make sure that they know exactly when they need to shut up. No, it says, go make disciples of the nations. Go conquer the world through the gospel. Christianity, another way to think about it, is Christianity is all about invading the world's personal space. We are on a mission to advance the kingdom of God. To take everything in this world, every thought even, captive to the obedience of Christ. Christianity is a public faith. It's a public faith. It's not a private faith. Does not mean it's not personal, but it's not a private faith. I was talking to a man this week and he said to me, he said, you know, I heard a pastor say in one of his sermons, he said, this pastor...

was talking about how it's very common today for even Christians to buy into the world's definition of what they are to be. And one of the ways that you see that is in the way that we describe our faith in Jesus Christ. He said we describe it as a personal relationship with Jesus. Christianity is a relationship with Jesus. We know that, but why personal? Why add the word personal? Relationship already implies that it's personal. Why personal? Well, because what personal does in your relationship with Jesus is it privatizes your relationship with Jesus. My relationship with Jesus is we have... Something special, something intimate, something that's between us and it stops with us. I have my faith, you have your faith, and we can all just coexist in this wonderful tapestry that is America. And yet that's the exact opposite of everything that we see in Scripture.

Christianity does not stop in your heart. It does not even stop in your home. And it certainly does not even stop in your church. Christianity is a public faith. And because of this reality, the gospel of Jesus Christ will always, by its very nature, provoke a response from unbelievers. It will provoke a response from unbelievers. And this is why our passage in 1 Peter is so crucial. for us to hear today. The Apostle Peter opens us up with these inspired words from chapter 3, verses 15 and 16. Would you now stand as we hear the word of the Lord together? This is the word of God, and it is eternally true. But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you.

yet with gentleness and reverence, and keep a good conscience, so that the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ, will be put to shame. This is the word of the Lord. Please be seated. Now the Apostle Peter is writing to Christians here that are dispersed throughout the region who are undergoing hardship. They're undergoing persecution and suffering. and it's due in part or in large part centrally to their commitment to Jesus Christ. And the apostle, what he's doing here is he's writing them to encourage them to persevere under their trial, and he tells them exactly how they are to respond to the threat of the ungodly. In the verse that comes right before the beginning of where we just read, he says this. He says, if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, You are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation and do not be troubled. Peter knows that these believers are under pressure to back down. They've had the heat put on them. And they're pressured to be cowed into silence. And he knows that these persecuted Christians are tempted to just go along to get along. Just be one of the many voices.

Be one of the many individuals with a seat at the table. Be one with the Buddhist and the Muslim and the Hindu and the atheist, and just be one of them. You're just another voice. Don't stir anything up. Don't be so exclusive. And so he tells them, don't back down, but double down. Don't back down, double down. He tells them to instead respond in this way. Always be ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you. Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you. This brings us to our first and major point, which is this. Every Christian is bound by God to give an answer for the hope that is in him.

Every Christian is bound by God to give an answer for the hope that is in him. Every one of us is to have a reason ready to give for their faith in Jesus Christ. Every one of us. It doesn't matter if you have been to seminary. It doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman, if you're a child, if you're an adult. If you're rich, if you're poor, if you're educated, if you're uneducated, if you're blue collar, if you're white collar, every one of us must be ready to give an answer. Why? Well, because God, the maker of heaven and earth, he sent his son to free us from our sins and the eternal punishment we deserve. We who hated him and rebelled against his perfect and good authority, God has redeemed us.

from our slavery to sin, and has given us Jesus as our Lord. And Christ demands that we show, that we prove our allegiance to him, not only by living a life of obedience to his law, but also by proclaiming it with our mouths to those who need to hear it. Christians must always be prepared to give an answer to the world for what they believe and why they believe it. What do you believe about God? Why do you believe that about God? You have all these children. What do you believe about what God says? Why? What do you believe about life and its worthiness of defense? Why? What do you believe about marriage? Why? What do you believe about money? Why?

What do you believe about truth? Why? What do you believe about eternity? Why? What do you believe about politics? Why? Nothing is off the table with Jesus Christ. Christians must be prepared to give an answer to the world for what they believe and why they believe it. I want you to ask yourself these questions. First question, who in my life needs to hear the gospel? Who in my life needs to hear the gospel? Right now, who needs to hear it? Question two, am I ready to give them an answer of the hope found in Jesus Christ? Am I ready? Am I prepared? Do I expect it? Final question, have I proven my own commitment to Jesus Christ by speaking of him to them? Who needs to hear it? Am I ready to give it? Have I proven my commitment?

By speaking of it to them. You see, we as Christians, we should be ready. We should always be ready to give an answer. But notice the text doesn't simply say, give an answer. It doesn't actually say that. It uses what word? A defense. Now, in what context is the word defense typically used? Football. Football is the weak man's sport. It's the closest thing a man can get to battle without having any real danger. The word defense is a militant word. It is a word that's used in battle. The Greek word here that's used for the word defense is the word that is translated, it's the word apologia. It's where we actually get our word apologetics from, which is not apologizing like I'm sorry.

An apology in the ancient times, that word actually meant, no, you should be sorry. It's no, I'm right and you're wrong. I'm making an apology. I'm giving a defense. I'm making an argument and a case for the rightness and the goodness and the exclusivity and the authority of Christianity. So it's a defense. So it's a case. Which brings me to another point in our sermon, which is that asking often comes in the form of attacking. Asking often comes in the form of attacking. You see how it says, be prepared to give a defense, make a defense, always ready to make a defense for anyone who asks you. And you say, well, I haven't had anyone ask me lately. I mean, no one has gone up to me and said, you know, I...

I really wanted you to give your personal testimony of what Jesus has done in your heart because I'm very interested in becoming a Christian. Would you please tell me about that? Praise God if it does happen and the Lord does do that. But most often and more often than not, the asking comes in the form of attacking. It comes in the form of mocking and scoffing at your Lord and Savior, at the Lord and Savior. that they are called to serve. When unbelievers ask you to give a reason for the hope that is within you, the normal context for you having to give a reason is when they are in one form or another attacking the Christian faith and you by your association with it. Now before they can get to you, they have to see your connection with the Christian faith.

This command that Peter gives assumes something, and it assumes that they're asking you or that they're challenging you. And so my question to you, brothers and sisters, is when is the last time you have been challenged because you are a Christian? When is the last time you have been mocked? We must remember that this text is written, the context is written, to Christians who have enemies. And so I ask you, do you have enemies? Jesus says, love your enemies. Who are your enemies? Are you able to obey that command? Do good to those who hurt you. If a man asks you to walk one mile, walk two. If he hits you on the right, if he insults you, turn the other cheek. Do you have enemies? Well, we should.

Because there's no way to live a life under the authority of Jesus Christ as Lord and not have enemies. There is no way. Because the Christian faith is public, it demands something, and it touches everything. The way you work, the way you speak on the job site with your co-workers, the way you raise your kids, if you have kids. The way you view children, the way you view marriage, the way you treat your wife, the way you treat your husband, it affects everything. And it certainly doesn't stop short of politics and law. Why is our country in such a mess? Because the Republicans won, because the Democrats won here. It's because we have men who do not fear God, and they do not know that it is their job to give a defense.

to make a defense for the hope that is within them. They are to rule as Christians. They have allowed the world to define the limits as a politician where their Christian faith must stop. And so have we. Asking often comes in the form of attacking. And this command, command to make a defense, to be ready, this command is not merely a call. For us to have an academic debate. To get people together and sort of say, okay, let's all get together in a room and let's talk and I'll have my side and you say your side and we'll just, this will be very sterile and clean and neat and tidy. No. This command was given, again, by the Apostle Peter to Christians who were suffering persecution because of their Christian faith. They had enemies. They had enemies because...

They lived out loud. They did not see the boundary line. They saw Christ as Lord of heaven and earth at that moment. And anyone who defied him, they called to submit to him joyfully, now or perish, because they love God and they love their neighbor. And Peter is writing his letter to these Christians to encourage them to persevere. saying, don't you shrink back. Don't you stop. Don't you flinch. You stand firm and be ready to give an answer, to give a defense to anyone who challenges you, who asks, why won't you give up? You stand firm. You be ready always. Now, what does it mean to be ready to make a defense for your hope? Well, it means that you live your life to Jesus Christ in obedience and in submission to Jesus Christ in such a way that you expect that they will confront you about it. You live your life in such a way, you're salty, you're lighty, in such a way that you expect that they will come to you because of your obedience, because of your obedient walk with the Lord and your obedient mouth, and they will...

confront you. They will ask you. They will confront you. They will challenge you. And they'll say you're not allowed to speak like that. You can't do that. You're supposed to reserve that for your home. That's your faith. That's not our faith. You can't talk like that at work. You can't speak like that in your classroom. You can't speak that way to that woman who's walking in getting ready to murder her child. don't you realize you're supposed to keep it private? I cannot tell you how many people I have talked to over the last week and a half who are arguing for evil, who assume that their secular worldview has no boundary lines, but because I am a Christian, I am to be silent. We are to be silent.

We must be prepared to speak the truth to those who confront us. We must live in such a way that it provokes a response. Not because we're proud and haughty and we think that we're better than them, but because we have been saved by God's grace. We've been saved by God's mercy and it's transformed, it's controlled, it's compelled us to be public with our faith. We use wisdom. We have to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. And yet, there's still a risk. We must be prepared to speak the truth to those who ask. But here's the problem. We're not prepared, and we don't speak. And the question is, why? Why are we not prepared? Why are we not ready? Just waiting. It's like you ever have your child, those of you who have children, You know when your children are ready for something. It's like they're at the door, they're waiting for you, and they're waiting to get whatever it is that they're after. And they are completely focused. And that's ready. Are we ready like that? Well, we're not. And because we're not ready, we don't speak. And we don't see the opportunities to.

we won't see the opportunities to. The question is why? Why don't we speak? Why aren't we ready? Why aren't we prepared? If you sum it all up, we're afraid. We're afraid. That is the reason. Now, we're afraid for different reasons. Some of us are afraid because of what it might do to us financially. Some of us are afraid. because we might lose relationships over it. Some of us are afraid because we may actually be in danger. But oftentimes, most of us are afraid for one reason. We're afraid of getting our feelings hurt. That is the majority of us. It just comes down to that little thing. We don't want to get our feelings hurt. Because after all, it feels good to have good feelings.

And everything about us is all about how we feel. Do I obey God right now? Well, it depends on how I feel. Will I lose my temper with my wife? Well, it depends on how I feel. Will I submit to my husband and be respectful? Well, it depends on how I feel. Will I obey my parents with joy, even though I disagree with what they have said? It depends on how I feel. Will I look at pornography? It depends on how I feel. Will I be bitter? And the list goes on and on and on and on. We're controlled by our feelings. And so would it be any surprise to anyone that when it comes to speaking the truth, we would be ruled by our feelings. We would be ruled by fear. What kind of fear are we ruled by? We're ruled by the fear of man. We are afraid. We're terrified of other people, of what they think.

Not even what they would do to us, but simply what they think, what they might say. We fear man. We don't fear God. Now, how do we overcome the fear of man? That's the roadblock. That is the roadblock, is the fear of man. How do we overcome it? Well, look at what the beginning of our passage says here in verse 15. He says this, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you. Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. That word for sanctified could be translated to regard as holy or to reverence. Regard Christ as holy in your hearts. Regard Christ, reverence Him as Lord in your hearts. So we're told two things here. First, reverence the Lord Christ in your hearts.

And then be always ready to make a case for the hope that is in you. Reverence the Lord in your hearts. Be ready to make a case for the hope. There is a close connection between reverencing the Lord Christ in your hearts and always being ready to make a defense for your hope. In fact, we find an amazingly close connection when we examine what it means to reverence the Lord Christ in our hearts. Because crucial to us understanding what it means to reverence the Lord Jesus Christ in our hearts is this. We must recognize that this reverence, this holy fear in our hearts, this reverence is the alternative to fearing man. Fearing God will drive away your fear of man. Moreover, it replaces your fear of man. And so reverencing Christ in our heart is what we do in order to not have to fear in our heart of what men can do to us. So whatever reverencing Christ means, it must be the opposite of fearing men. It must be a source of confidence and hope. And that word hope explains why there's such a close relationship between reverencing the Lord Christ in our hearts on the one hand and always being ready to make a case for our hope because that's what it is.

It's our hope, and it's the only hope that that unbeliever has. Reverence the Lord Christ in your hearts, and in that way, you will always be ready to give an answer for your hope. So what should our attitude toward the unbeliever be? When we speak to unbelievers, when we're ready to give the defense, when we're ready to make a case, what should the attitude toward the unbeliever be? What manner should we do this in? Well, the apostle tells us, Towards the end of verse 15, he says, Yet do this with gentleness and reverence. Here we are given the manner in which we should make our confession of Christ before men. The Apostle Peter tells us to give our defense with an attitude of gentleness. This means that we have a heart of compassion and humility towards the ungodly, towards those who would scoff at us, towards those who think we're crazy.

for believing such a crazy thing, for doing this, for living this way, for calling them to live this way. We don't get haughty. We don't get self-righteous. We pity them. We love them. But not only this, but also with our attitude, it says, of reverence. Not just gentleness, but it also talks about an attitude of reverence. That word for reverence there, the Greek word for reverence, literally means, to be afraid or to be terrified. Now, who is Peter calling us to be terrified and afraid of? Of the neighbor? Of the person at the checkout line? Of the person, your boss? Of your unbelieving family member? No. Peter is calling us to be afraid, to fear God. Fear him. Not the accuser. Fear God. Don't fear man. Fear God.

Why? Well, this. Fearing God is what enables you to make good on your confession of faith before men. It is the thing that will give you the strength, the will, the ability to move forward in proclaiming God's truth to your neighbor, to the unbeliever, to the ungodly. Listen to these words delivered from... Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 10, speaking to his disciples. Listen to what Jesus says. He says this. He's speaking to them about the same kind of thing that Peter is speaking to the Christians about. The threat of persecution, the threat of not being liked, the threat of unfriendliness towards the gospel going forth. He says this. What I tell you in darkness, speak in the light.

And what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. Do not fear those who can kill the body but are unable to kill the soul, but rather fear him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear. Fear who? Do not fear who? Do not fear man. You are more valuable than many spirits. And then here it is. Here's where we come to the crossroads. Therefore, you thought it was a little uncomfortable when he said, don't fear this. And you think, okay, don't be afraid at all. But he doesn't say that. He says, fear the one who can cast your soul and body into hell. You thought you were uncomfortable there, but now here it is.

Therefore, everyone who confesses me before men, everyone who makes a defense, everyone who confesses me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven. Stop. And you know I'm not going to stop there. That's not where it stops. What does he say after that? Does anybody know? Don't know it for a reason. But whoever denies me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven. Whoever confesses me before men, I will confess him before my Father who is in heaven. Whoever denies me before men, I will deny him before my Father who is in heaven. We must fear God rather than man. Why? Because we will be held accountable for our public witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We will. Not me, not just the pastors, not the elders. You will. You who don't know anything about Jesus Christ, you feel like. You go, I don't know. I can't talk. I say, doesn't mean that you can't speak. Doesn't mean that you can't give an account. You will be held accountable for your public witness to Jesus Christ. This fear of God, The apostles knew. Their hearts were burdened with the souls who were perishing on the path to hell. They knew it. They felt it. So when Jesus said that to those disciples, their hair stood on end. And they were burdened because they saw their Lord do that work. Because Christ was going to give an account to his Father.

These men couldn't bear it. These disciples, the apostles, couldn't bear the thought of one day standing before God in the judgment and being denied eternity in heaven with God because they denied unbelievers eternity in heaven through their silence. They couldn't bear the thought of hearing the judge of all the earth say to them on that final day, depart from me. I never knew you. These men knew who to fear. They set apart Christ as Lord in their hearts. They knew the fear of God. This is what the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5. Listen to what he says here. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body according to what he has done, either good or bad, knowing therefore the terror of the Lord.

We persuade men. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ as though God were making an appeal through us. We beg you. We beg you. We implore with you. We get down on our hands and knees and beg you. Be reconciled to God. They knew the terror of the Lord. They knew the fear of God. These men feared God. And we must do the same. We must proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ as the only hope for the lost. The only thing that they have, your unbelieving co-worker, who you hear consistently talk and take the Lord's name in vain, without even thinking about it, you proclaim the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ to him. What do you say? You say, can you please not take God's name in vain? Can you not blaspheme God? You want to see what happens?

What happens? Was I nasty when I said that? Can you please not blaspheme God's name like that? You know what happens? They identify you with Jesus Christ. And they might think you're weird, but why did you speak up? Because you feared God. Because God says in his word that he will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. The name of God is holy. And you love that person. You love that man. Your daughter is being rebellious. Your son is being rebellious. You say, you will not do that in my home. You will not do that in my home. Well, they're just a teenager. This is just a phase they go through. Everybody goes through this phase. Let's just let it happen. No, no. That home is under the authority of Jesus Christ because you as the father.

are the federal head of that home, and that means that your God is their God. This is not rocket science. It doesn't mean it's easy. It requires faith, and it requires fear and trembling and trusting God. But you and I will give an account one day. You say, son, you must be reconciled to God. We must proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ as the only hope for the lost. And when you keep silent when the authority of Jesus Christ is being attacked and mocked by those around you, you at that very moment are denying Jesus Christ and in your silence you are screaming, I don't know him. And silence in the face of evil is the approval of it. You must fear God rather than man.

You must remember that your life, if you spend it denying Jesus Christ in your silence, in order to avoid conflict and hardship, that one day you're going to appear before God. One day you will give an account. And if that has been the defining feature of your life, is avoiding giving that witness, the Lord will say to you, go away from me. Go away from me. I don't even know you. I don't think we have ever met. I don't know you. Get away. Into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels is what Jesus said. Jesus talked about hell more than anyone else in Scripture. Jesus is more loving than you or I will ever be. So don't try to be more loving than Jesus. And so now, brothers and sisters, I ask you, who do you fear? Who do you fear?

Who will you fear? Will you fear getting your feelings hurt or losing a relationship? Or fear having your pride dashed to pieces? Or will you fear God? Will you fear God? And I tell you, fearing God, it only takes a small amount of faith. Remember Jesus said, faith the size of what? I almost thought of getting a little mustard seed and bringing it up here and saying, look, it takes... And then the kids would say, you children, who are honest, praise God, will say, what's that? I can't see. And I say, exactly. That's how much it takes. That's how much it takes. Faith as a mustard seed. And our children can get it. If our children can get it. You know what? My son walked up to me the other day and he said, Dad, I'm in an argument. I'm in a fight.

with the neighbors and I said, son, what's going on? He says, and I'm going, what did he do? What happened? What did they do? They're probably arguing over a toy. I said, what happened, son? He said, they're taking the Lord's name in vain and I told them to stop it. And then they just keep doing it. I just kept yelling, stop it. You can't take the Lord's name in vain anymore. You can't do that. That child has more faith. My son has more faith in the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ than me. And I'm a pastor. That's why Jesus says you must become like a little child to enter the kingdom of heaven. Because they have no pride to lose. Certainly a lot less than I do. You must become like a child. Faith as a mustard seed. And Jesus says, that's all it takes. That is all it takes.

We're not looking for theologian rock stars here, guys. That's not what God's looking for. He's just looking for a little bit of faith, a little bit of going, I see the danger. It's right there. I know that if I walk into this, there will be risks. And yet, I love Jesus Christ and I fear God because I know that one day, there will be a day when I will have that replayed in front of me. And it will be, there will be no excuse. I love God. I fear God. I love my neighbor. And I will not fear them. And Jesus says that that little puny, pathetic amount of trust in God is powerful enough to move a mountain. It's certainly powerful enough for him to use it to convict them of their sin and cause them to repent. If you have an unbelieving child, if you have...

Family members who you are afraid. Co-workers who you are afraid of what they will think. I'm telling you, do not be afraid. It doesn't matter. They don't like you anyways. They probably have good reasons not to. We're not created. God did not create us to nice people into the kingdom of heaven. That is not how the gospel goes forth. That's not how the kingdom of God spreads and becomes. More and more powerful. You have a man who goes and he feels the weight of his soul and other souls hang in the balance. He takes responsibility for the souls of others. We must take responsibility for the souls that we come into contact with.

Just open your mouth and speak it. God will use it. I guarantee it. I'll close with a couple more things. I have seen in my life personally, God use just a little bit of faith. It's a lot easier for me to get up here and tell you guys this because you know you have to sit here and you have to put up with it. You have to listen to it and then eventually you'll go home. But it's a lot more difficult to talk to someone who's not here. when things are on the line. I was talking to a woman a few years ago, and this woman was much older and was visiting her, and I remember saying to her, I remember thinking, you know what, she does not know the Lord. She had grown up religious. She had grown up knowing that it's important to live your life in such a way as to make it count, but it was all about just being a good person.

And this and that. And eventually, everybody just kind of going to, everything's going to work out. And just do your best. Just be a good person. And she did not know the Lord. I was convinced of it. And I said to her, she had dementia. And I remember I had spoken with her before, but I reintroduced myself to her, because that's what you do, right? And I said, I said, Are you ready? Yeah, yeah. I said, are you ready to meet God? To face God? Are you ready to face God when you die? And she was disturbed. And she said, I don't know. I don't know. I haven't really thought about that. And it was clear. The wheels were turning. And she said, I haven't thought about that. She says, why do you ask? And I say, And I had no idea what to say. I was just like, and so all that came to mind was a scripture. And the scripture was, it is appointed unto man once to die, and after that, the judgment. You all know this scripture. And I said, because it's appointed, man wants to die, and after that, the judgment. You know what happened? She immediately started crying. And she says, what? She says, say it again. Say it again.

She's just crying. I said, because it's appointed unto man once to die and after that, the judgment. She says, I don't know if I'm ready. Oh, I don't know. That's that woman. That is the power. That is the power of the word of God. God doesn't expect you to speak of him to every single individual without discretion and wisdom whatsoever and to have it all figured out and have a whole case and you've read all these books on apologetics and this and that and the other thing. And you know every article of the Christian faith. God doesn't require rock star theologians. What God wants, what God does require, is that you make clear when you speak truth to unbelievers that your faith in Christ is consistent with your life of obedience and that you speak out of an attitude of compassion towards them with fear and trembling knowing that one day You will stand before God and not give an account to how perfectly you worded everything. But did I open my mouth and say something to them? To suffer for the cause of truth is the honor and happiness of a Christian. To be like Christ, to be like our Lord who was hated and despised, that delight, the delight of sharing in the sufferings of Christ, should be and is greater than the affliction.

The honor of that is more than the disgrace and the gain is much greater than the loss. Brothers and sisters, you have no reason to be afraid of the threats of any of those who stand against you. I brought up the example of an old woman. What threat was she to me? Well, as much of a threat as the little girl was to Peter. You know, we're so weak. I'm so weak. And yet. What about when there's real things on the line? Well, if you're faithful with the little things, the Lord says that you'll be given more. And so you know what? My faith was strengthened when I was trembling with that old woman. My faith was strengthened. Be faithful with the little. Take advantage of the opportunity. Speak to your children about Jesus Christ. I don't care if they've been baptized. I don't care how old they are.

Speak to your children about their need to believe the gospel. Speak to your coworkers. Just ask them, so what do you live for? Are you ready to meet God? There's a conversation starter. I bet you they've never been asked that. And you might be the one person that causes them to think about anything that's eternal in their life. You have no reason to be afraid of the threats. that you might face and the attacks that you may receive for speaking the truth. Because you will be attacked. And the other thing to recognize is that people will attack you without realizing that they're attacking you. When someone says, I think gay marriage is a wonderful thing. I think that a woman should have a right to choose. I think that they should know how that happens and they shouldn't have so many children.

They are attacking you. They may not have even been talking to you. Why are they attacking you? Because you are bound with Jesus Christ. Because in offense against Christ, you're bound with it. Remember what the Apostle Paul says, or should I say, Christ says to the Apostle Paul when he was called Saul. Remember, he's on the road to Damascus. He's riding. And he gets thrown off his horse, and then he hears the words, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting the church? Is that what he said? That's not what he said. What does he say? Why are you persecuting me? We are bound in our union with Christ, so much so that when Christ knows, as an authority over us, when there's a persecution, when there's an attack on believers, it is an attack on him.

And we owe him the same. He takes it personally. We should take the honor of Christ personally. And if you do that, if you start taking the honor of Christ personally, I promise you, your enemies will show. And they will attack you. And they will talk about you behind your back. And you will get more comments at the grocery store. And there will be more on the line. But you do not fear. You do not fear. You give a defense. You give a reason for the hope that is within you. Remember this. Your enemies are God's enemies. His face is set against them. His power and authority is above them. And your enemies can do nothing to you but by His permission. And so instead of terrifying yourselves with the thought and the fear of man, set apart Christ as Lord in your heart.

Reverence Him. Let Him be your fear and let Him be your dread. Fear not those who can kill only your body but then can't do anything else. But fear Him that can destroy both body and soul. Fear God. Fear Him. It is not opposed to you loving Him. You fear Him because you love Him. And you love Him because you fear Him. Open your mouth and speak. Testify to Jesus Christ this week, and God will use it. He will build his kingdom through it, and your faith will be strengthened, and you will grow in making sure, being ready to give a defense. All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution and hardship. That's a promise from God. You will never find it.

In most of the Christian bookstores, that is a promise from God. You will suffer persecution. The question is, do you see it? The way you'll identify if you are suffering persecution first is to identify when they are persecuting Christ. And you stand up and you don't have any of it. And you do it out of love for them. If we do that, if we speak, if we give ourselves to faithfully just starting, to talk about Jesus. Just talk and say the name Jesus to people and not let it be in vain. If we just say it and we speak it and we talk about it and we talk to them about Christ and the gospel, if we just start doing that work, I promise you the church will grow. God's kingdom will grow. We will see souls saved. We'll see the abortion mill shut down. We'll see politicians begin to fear God again.

and rule justly, and God will bless our nation, and we'll see our children thrive. God, give us grace to do that work. Let's pray. Lord God, we thank you that you are Lord of heaven and earth, that you have given your son a name that's above every name. We thank you that you have called all men to repent and believe the gospel. We thank you, Lord, for giving us children. a godly seed that we can raise up, Lord, these covenant children that will go and spread your good news to take your truth to the uttermost ends of the earth, Lord. We thank you for putting us in positions where we are humiliated, for killing our pride, Lord. We thank you for these things, Lord. We want to be humble. We want to...

Be confident. We want to speak with confidence of your truth, Lord. We want to love our neighbor as ourselves, Lord. Would you please help us in this work? Give us faith. Spread your kingdom. Cause this nation to fear you and to love you as it once did, Lord. Lord, give us revival in our land. We pray that one day we would be able to see clearly in our lifetime. Our nation fear you. Father, you have the power to do it. But, Father, would you use us? Because, Lord, you use means. But apart from you, we can do nothing. So give us faith. Give us a love and a burden for the souls around us. And cause us to speak. And pray, Lord, that it would bear fruit. Give us joy. Let us rejoice in you as our king.

in our hearts, and Lord of heaven and earth. And let us call others to do the same. In Jesus' name, amen.