Wednesday Night Bible Study

Well, >> praise the Lord everybody. >> Praise the Lord. >> Praise the Lord everybody. >> It's great to be back in the house of the Lord for Wednesday night worship in the word where we make disciples of all men and being able to study the word of the Lord together. What a tremendous Father's Day, Sunday we had here this weekend and a tremendous tremendous move of the Holy Ghost in both of our services and we're glad to be back here tonight. It's my honor to uh teach this evening. I love to teach the word of God, to teach the Bible, and so we're going to do that together tonight. So, if you'll get your Bibles or your tablets, whatever you use to get into the Bible, let's go to First Peter, chapter number three. 1 Peter, chapter number three. We're going to look at verse 15. And we'll stay in that book for the majority of our lesson. Give honor to Bishop Mcool and Sister Mcool and Pastor Mark and Sister Jamie. We love and appreciate them. Give them honor. Pastor Anthony and Sister Kelly and Sister Ashley. We love our leaders. We're so thankful for those who teach the word of the Lord to us. There's ministry taking place all over our campus from our addictions ministry to our children's ministry to our young people's ministry. And so we get to study the Bible together right here in the sanctuary. So, first Peter chapter number three, beginning at verse number 15, Peter writes, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready," someone say, "Ready." >> Be ready always to give an answer to every man that askketh you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready. I want to teach tonight on the accent of hope, the accent of hope. Uh let's pray and ask the Lord to help us to see from his word tonight, to have our hearts open to his word. Father, we're so thankful for the word of God. we're able to study and read it and to teach it and to learn from it. And I pray that you would help us to do so tonight. Your word is our daily bread. It is spiritual milk for us that we might grow and mature in it. And I pray Lord that you would help me to teach your word with clarity tonight and let the word of God find good ground in the hearts of your people. In Jesus' name we pray. And everyone said, "Amen." I've been studying First Peter this year. Every year for the last seven years or so, I take a book of the Bible, a New Testament letter, and study it and teach it. I have a a conference that I teach uh usually in the fall, and I'll do that again here in a few months. So, I've been studying First Peter, and this verse stood out to me recently as I was uh writing out some notes, and it's a it's an important uh an important verse that many use to talk about uh evangelism or testifying of your faith. Now, I titled this lesson the accent of hope. Now, being from the Midwest, being from Indiana and traveling the country as uh as an evangelist for many years, and then I lived in Mississippi for a time and finally settling here in East Tennessee in in Knoxville, I've encountered many accents. Now, English is the common language, but the accent can change wherever you go, right? Even here, I've noticed in the last uh decade and a half of living in East Tennessee, there is a notable a noticeable difference in accent from Knoxville to Kingsport. Anybody noticed that before? No. Okay, I have. Maybe it's just me being a foreigner. Okay, even going to the Tri Cities, you can notice an accent. Or if you go a little further east, you can notice a North Carolina accent, right? you just happen, you can hear the different dialects, you can hear the accent. Even if you start to live somewhere, stay somewhere for a long time, you can pick up an accent, right? You can start to change the way you talk, just simply being around that. And that's what uh is so interesting about uh Peter writing this letter is that he calls his audience, his readers, he calls them strangers, exiles and pilgrims. Chapter 1:es 1-2 he says potter Peter an apostle of Jesus Christ to these strangers scattered throughout Pontis Galatia Capidoshia Asia Bethnia elect according to the fornowledge of God the father later in chapter 2 11 he says dearly beloved I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lust which war against the soul. So he identifies his audience as elect exiles, chosen of God, living as strangers and pilgrims in a foreign land. Now this is not an accident. He's doing this on purpose. He has identified them this way because he is connecting these New Testament believers uh to the story of scripture even in the Old Testament going back uh to Israel calling them strangers calling them pilgrims calling them the elect or the chosen of God. The Bible says that the Lord chose Israel to be a peculiar people unto himself. He did not choose them because they were large in number. He did not choose them because they were mighty uh with an army and warriors. No, the Bible says in Deuteronomy that he chose them because he loved them. He elected them. He called them out to make them a people for his name. He set them apart. And in their uh election or God choosing them, we see that they are exiles. We see them as pilgrims and sojourers. We see them as foreigners. And even the theme of exile is uh an important theme or subject from Genesis to Revelation. Exile is an important theme. We see that with Adam and Eve as they are exiled from uh the garden. Uh we see this with Jacob. He's exiled from the family as he leaves after he has betrayed Esau. Uh we see this in uh David. He's exiled from the kingdom after Abselum revolts against him. We see this happen over and over again. And not just exile out of certain circumstances and situations. We see Israel in the wilderness as exiles. They are a people without a home. uh they're living in the wilderness now. They are traveling. They are journeying to a place that God has called them, the promised land, Canaan. And that promise goes back to Abraham who was a sojourer or a foreigner or a pilgrim himself. So we see Peter identifying his audience as this elect people who are not only elect and chosen of God, but they're living as strangers in the world. So he calls them that. But who are they really? These are not just titles. These are real people. Well, if we look at this letter, we see that uh they are uh a mixture of Jewish and Gentile Christians. And we see that they're Jewish because Peter uses lots of Old Testament illusions and references. He builds his arguments on Old Testament themes and subjects scattered throughout the letter. So obviously Jewish believers would hear those things and know what he's talking about. They're also Gentile believers. He says that they were once not a people but now are the people of God which had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. He even refers to their former way of life and to abstain from that former way of living as Gentiles. And so in Christ, these believers that uh Peter is writing to in Asia Minor, they are Jewish and Gentile believers, yet they're strangers. They're exiles. They're in the world, but not of the world. They are scattered throughout. Even that word scattered is important. Other English translations will say that they're part of the dispersion or uh diaspora. They are dispersed which is again a reference to the Old Testament as uh the people of God are dispersed from the promised land and even uh in in the New Testament in the time of Peter uh Jews ac around the world are scattered and what do we find some of these names that I read in uh verse one of chapter 1 are found at Pentecost in Acts chapter number two. So they are dispersed. They are all over the place that he is writing to these Christians. But he calls them strangers or pilgrims. What do you mean by that? What do you mean by I'm a stranger or I'm a pilgrim? To be a stranger means to be an alien, a foreigner. I'm not from here. I'm I'm I'm living here, but I'm not from here. You see, I'm from a different location or I'm on my way to a different location. I'm here, but I'm not from here necessarily. But they're pilgrims as well, emphasizing that they are temporarily journeying from one destination to another. Jesus said this of his followers in John chapter number 17. He said this, "I have given them thy word, and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. And Paul also echoes this type of pilgrim mentality of believers. For our conversation or citizenship isn't here, but is in heaven. So this world is not our home. I'm just passing through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. >> Right? We are not of this world >> yet we're in this world. >> How can that be? How can I be in this world and not of this world? It's because YOU ARE OF A different citizenship. You see, yes, I am an American by birth and citizenship. Yes, I am a resident of the state of Tennessee. Trust me, I'm also a resident of Knox County and the city of Knoxville, for I pay both of those taxes. >> They're late picking up my trash every week. But hey, I'm paying my taxes on time. >> I'm a citizen. I I I have rights here. I'm a citizen here, but I'm really a stranger. HOW CAN I BE A citizen and yet also be a stranger? It is because we are of a different community. We are of a different place. We follow different laws. We have a different lifestyle. We speak a different language. That's what he's saying. He's saying they're they're pilgrims in this world. They're sojourers. They're exiles. They're foreigners in this world. They're living here. But Jesus said this. He said, "I'm not praying that you WOULD TAKE THEM OUT of this world." That's not the point. But that you would be with them while they're in the world. The point is this that when you get the Holy Ghost, when you are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, when you come into union with Christ, you change citizenship, you change lordship, you change kingship. Yes, you are a part of this world. You are a part of this state. You are a part of this country. But you have a different king. You're not hearing me. You have a we are a part of a different lifestyle. We don't live like the rest of the world. We don't talk like the rest of this world. We don't behave like the rest of this world. We are in the world but not of the world. Why? Because our citizenship is in heaven. Our Lord is Jesus Christ. Our King is Jesus Christ. >> I wish somebody was helping me tonight. >> This is not our home. I'm not living for here. This is not heaven. >> Let us get our focus on where our true home is. We are desiring a better country. That is a heavenly country. We're looking for a city whose builder and maker is God. I'm not living for this world. This is not my home. This is not what I want to inherit. I want to inherit a glorious home. I want to inherit a eternal. >> Let's not get so caught UP WITH THIS WORLD THAT WE think that this is heaven. >> This is not heaven. >> If you're still sick, this is not heaven. If you're still dealing with all the the lust of the flesh, this is not heaven. If you're still crying tears, this is NOT HEAVEN. COME ON, SOMEBODY help me right now. I'm telling you, one of these days, we're going to make it to heaven. AND THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE ANY CRYING THERE. THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE ANY SICKNESS THERE. THERE'S NOT GOING TO be any sin there. THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE ANY TEMPTATION. I'M NOT. THIS IS NOT MY HOME. Come on. We need to have eternity on our mind. We need to have heaven on our mind. THAT THIS I'M JUST A PILGRIM HERE. >> It's with that that we are strangers because we're strange. We're strange. Isn't Isn't this a paradox that we're strangers >> and the world calls us strange because we don't live like them? >> And yet at the same time as believers, we call the world strange because they live the way that they do. >> You see, when you change citizenship, you no longer live like you used to live. And how you used to live is strange. And then when you start living for Jesus, everybody starts calling you strange. >> It's very strange. You're you're strange. If they're not calling us strange, we might need to check how we're living. Are you hearing me? >> If they're not calling us, if they're if they just say they're just like us, we need to check our lordship. check our laws, check our lifestyle, and when you live for Jesus and you follow him, you're chosen. Now, why would he call them elect exiles? Why would he CALL THEM THAT? WHY WOULD they need to know that? It's to give them confidence or assurance in the face of persecution and suffering. When you are facing temptation and trials and testing, if you're facing all sort of uh all sorts of uh reproach for the name of Christ, you need some confidence that this is not what you're living for. There's something beyond. He even says that this is a temporary affliction. This is a temporary situation. WE'RE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING THAT IS ETERNAL. WE'RE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING THAT GOES BEYOND TEMPORARY suffering and affliction. We're living for something beyond that. AND IF YOU'RE GOING THROUGH THAT, IF YOU'RE FACING SOMETHING, THERE'S SOMETHING GREATER than that. And that is THAT YOU ARE CALLED OF GOD. YOU'RE CHOSEN OF GOD. >> And if he chose you, he's going to keep you. >> Isn't it Isn't it a paradox? >> A paradox. Citizens of heaven, living as temporary residents on earth, accepted in the beloved while rejected by the unbelieving, chosen by Christ, yet castigated by the world. Jesus said, "If the world hates you, know that it hated me before it hated you." If you're going to follow Jesus, you're going to be hated. >> And I know, can I just say this? I love Andy Griffith. I love Andy Griffith. I love all that. But those days are gone. >> Aunt Bee's dead. >> Y'all hear me? >> Andy's dead. Barney's dead. And with that is that world where everybody was a Christian. >> We're not living in that day any longer. And if you are not sure of this right now, if you don't, well, we're not faith, brother Nate. I'm not suffering for my faith. I'm not being persecuted for my faith. Can I just go ahead and tell you this? It's in the neighborhood. >> This is no longer just across the the pond. >> It's coming closer and closer >> to our front step. That's right. >> And you can you can face persecution and suffering and trials and temptations in all sorts of ways. And he does that. He tells them that they're facing all sorts of hostility. They're suffering because they belong to Christ. He calls their trials and sufferings many different things. And he tries to uh describe it using different ways to use the same word suffer or suffering. hardships, reproach, reviling, fiery trials, uh people slandering them. There's all sorts of ways these believers were facing persecution for their faith. Circumstantial hardship was they were living it. And even says in chapter number four, the fiery trial that's coming. He can he can pro prophetically say Nero is coming. Nero is coming and persecution is coming from Rome. It's coming to you. He is going to die. He is going to be crucified upside down by that Nero. He there are going to be they are going to be blamed >> for the fire in Rome. They're going to be blamed and persecuted for that. It's going to be a terrible massacre. He says THE FIERY TRIAL IS COMING. AND WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW? YOU NEED TO BE CONFIDENT IN WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST. >> THAT YOU'RE NOT GOING TO LOSE YOUR SALVATION SIMPLY BECAUSE YOU'RE SUFFERING FOR A MOMENT. YOU'RE NOT YOU'RE NOT HE'S NOT REJECTED YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING THROUGH SOME TRIAL AT THE MOMENT. YOU ARE ELECT. YOU ARE CHOSEN. YOU ARE LOVED. YOU ARE ANOINTED. YOU'RE A CHOSEN ROYAL PRIESTHOOD. YOU ARE A MY GOD have mercy. YOU NEED TO HAVE THIS HOPE WITHIN YOU THAT NO MATTER YOUR CIRCUMSTANCE. YOU'RE CONFIDENT OF WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST. >> That's why he calls them that we must know that ourselves that we are chosen and we are beloved and that's he has called us and that he is fulfilling his purpose for us. AND EVEN WHEN THOSE DAYS COME, AND THEY ARE coming >> sooner than we would rather want to believe they are coming, >> look no further than simply watching, looking at social media, we're hated. And us as APOSTOLIC ONENESS BELIEVERS, JESUS name people, we're hated among Christianom. >> WE'RE CALLED HERETICS, >> BLASPHEMERS. >> It's coming. >> Why you preaching like this on a Wednesday night? Because you need to know who you are in Christ. >> You need to know who you are in Christ. How do you face suffering and persecution? How do you face tests and trials and temptation? Look what Peter says in chapter number one. wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness through manifold temptations, that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing or revelation of Jesus Christ. He does not open with that. He opens with who they are and the salvation that Christ has purchased for them. Why? Because you need to have something to cling on to. There is something you must be anchored into. And he begins by telling them that they're elect exiles, your pilgrims. This is not YOUR HOME. WHAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH RIGHT NOW, WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO GO THROUGH RIGHT NOW IS TEMPORARY. DON'T DON'T LET THAT DISTRACT YOU. DON'T LET THAT DISTRACT YOU FROM YOUR INHERITANCE. THAT CHRIST HAS PURCHASED YOU WITH HIS BLOOD, that you are fornown, that you are elect, THAT YOU ARE SANCTIFIED, THAT YOU ARE RANSOMED. THAT'S THE HOPE THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOMETHING TO CLING TO. >> IF YOU ONLY CLING TO CIRCUMSTANCE, you're going to drift. You have to have an anchor for the soul. And the the theme of this letter is hope. It's hope. What a simple word but yet so profound. Hope. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord JESUS CHRIST, WHICH ACCORDING to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Living hope. That's the theme of this book, Christ our living hope. What is hope? Hope is more than wishful thinking. Hope is more than simply I hope so. If I ask somebody in here tonight, how the ball is going to do this new football season, they going to be any good? I hope so. That's that's wishful thinking, right? That's not what the Bible is talking about when it talks about, "Well, I hope I make it." No, no, no, no, no, no, no. >> That's That's not assurance. That's not confidence. Well, I hope he comes. That's not hope. The Bible is given to us. These things were written for our example through patience and endurance, we might have hope. >> NOT JUST WISH I HOPE I MAKE IT. IT'S the belief that I will make it. Why? Because my savior saved me. He's alive. He conquered DEATH AND HELL. HE'S COMING BACK FOR ME. THAT'S HOPE. >> I'VE GOT a living. NOW, WHAT'S THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT'S THE OPPOSITE OF living hope? Dead hope. THAT'S A CONTRADICTION. THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS DEAD AND HOPE. >> YOU CAN'T PUT DEAD AND HOPE TOGETHER. DEAD THINGS DON'T HOPE. BUT WE have a living hope. WE HAVE A LIVELY HOPE. THAT'S why when we come in here on Wednesdays and Sundays, we don't need to come in here looking like, well, it's church again. >> Oh, here we go. >> They're singing that song again. He's preaching that sermon. No, we It's a living hope. It's a LIVELY HOPE. AND IT'S NOT JUST WHEN WE'RE HERE. IT NEEDS TO BE WHEN WE'RE OUT THERE. IT NEEDS TO BE EVERYWHERE THAT WE GO. KNOW THAT WE'VE got a LIVING HOPE THAT I'M EXCITED to live for Jesus. I WAS ONCE DEAD IN TRESPASSES AND SINS, BUT JESUS BROUGHT ME IN AND I'M ALIVE FOREVER. COME ON, SOMEBODY. It's a LIVING HOPE. IT BREEDS JOY UNSPEAKABLE and full of I hope I MAKE IT. NO, I AM GOING TO MAKE IT. HE IS COMING BACK. HE'S TAKING ME UP FROM HERE TO GLORY ONE OF THESE DAYS. I GOT TO I WISH SOMEBODY HAD SOME HOPE HERE TONIGHT. I wish somebody had some hope here tonight. It's hope. It's a living hope. What he's done for me breeds hope in my life. Not just what he has done, but what he's doing and what he will do. THAT'S HOPE. IT'S HOPE OF ETERNAL LIFE. It's hope that sustains through suffering. IT'S HOPE THAT THAT THAT PROPELS YOU EVERY DAY. You're living for him. AND IT'S A SHARED HOPE. >> It's a shared hope. Someone say, "Amen." >> Moving fast. >> Hope. Hope. First Peter 3 15. We read it earlier. Let's read it again. This is where I'm wanting to get to. But sanctify the Lord in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you for a reason of the hope that is in you. There's some there should be something in us that causes people to stop and say, >> "What what do you got? >> What's different about you? You, Ashley and I went to Bulgaria last fall, spent time with our um our missionaries, the Kovies. and spent I think about seven days there total. I mean it was it was a it was a lifechanging trip. Spent so much time with them and their people. It was amazing. So then we we come back and we go to uh National Youth Convention um in November and we go to the Oprian Hotel. You're checking in and we're checking in and Ashley asks the young lady who's checking us in. She goes, "Where are you from?" I I I know that accent. Where are you from? I Where'd she tell us she was from? You remember? She was some It was somewhere near Bulgaria. It sounded just like And so she said, "I Huh? Kosovo." She said, "That sounds so." She goes, "We were in Bulgaria just a month and a half ago and I thought that and you would have thought we had asked we had told that lady she won a million dollars that we recognized her accent and she wanted to tell us about home. She wanted to tell us about her people. She was asking us about where we went. Oh, I know. Oh, yeah. We thought if you know Sister She probably knew Sister Kovi. I mean that's I mean that's how we started talking. When you recognize somebody's accent, they want to tell you about where they're from. My God have mercy. >> Well, you where what church do you go to? Ah, I knew there was something different about you. You how tell ME CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT HOW do you have hope right now after you got that diagnosis from the doctor? Let me tell you about Jesus. >> How how do how CAN YOU TELL WHAT THERE'S? SO, HOW CAN YOU HAVE A SMILE on your face after you just buried that loved one? Let me tell you about the hope that's in me because I buried somebody THAT'S NOT THEIR HOME. THAT'S JUST A BODY. THAT'S JUST A GRAVE. I'M OH, COME ON, SOMEBODY. THERE'S SOMETHING. THAT'S THE ACCENT OF HOPE. THERE'S SOMETHING DIFFERENT ABOUT YOU. WHY ARE YOU TALKING THAT WAY? AND WHY ARE YOU LIVING THAT WAY? AND WHY ARE YOU PRAISING THAT WAY? AND WHY ARE YOU DRESSING THAT WAY? IT'S THE ACCENT OF HOPE. LET ME TELL YOU about they should ASK YOU WHERE ARE YOU FROM? WHERE ARE YOU BEEN? >> It's amazing that Peter would write that. It was Peter >> who was outside where Jesus is getting >> involved with a tribunal and they're going to curse him to to to death and somebody says, "Where are you from? Your speech betrayeth you. >> You sound like you're one of them. You know what we shouldn't DO WHEN SOMEBODY ASKED US ABOUT THE HOPE, THE ACCENT OF OUR HOPE? WE SHOULDN'T SAY, "OH, THAT'S WHERE MOM goes to church OR THAT'S WHERE GRANDMA USED TO GO TO CHURCH." WE SHOULDN'T TRY TO DISGUISE OUR ACCENT. YOU KNOW WHAT WE SHOULD DO? WE SHOULD SAY, "I'M A ONE GOD, JESUS NAME." TONGUE TALKING APOSTO BELIEVER. LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT THE HOPE. I USED TO BE A DRUNKARD. I USED TO BE AN ADDICT. I used TO BE A TROUBLEMAKER. BUT LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT THE HOPE THAT'S WITHIN ME. COME ON, SOMEBODY. THAT'S THE ACCENT OF HOPE. IT'S SOMETHING THAT SETS US APART FROM THE WORLD. WE HAVE AN ACCENT. >> We have an accent. We don't talk like everybody else. We don't live like everybody else. How do you CONTINUE TO PRAISE GOD WHEN YOU GOT A DIAGNOSIS OF CANCER? HOW CAN YOU HAVE PEACE WHEN YOU JUST LOST A LOVED ONE? WHAT'S THAT? WHY ARE YOU DIFFERENT? >> He said, "You better be ready to give an answer." Be ready to give an answer. Don't disguise your accent. And we shouldn't try to emulate some other accent. I have friends of mine from up north. Now I'm from southern Indiana. Just kind of getting that out there. Southern Indiana. I got friends who are from the Midwest and I knew when they had been around southerners. I picked up an accident. All of a sudden they start having a little draw to their You don't talk like that. Don't try to disguise where you're from. Don't try to disguise that. Hey, I'm a Christian. >> He said, look, now just look at this. Who's he talking about? Those who are asking. Verse 15, verse 14. And if you suffer for righteousness sake, happy are you. And be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to every man that askketh you. So those WHO ARE DOING THE PERSECUTING, AMEN. >> How are you still smiling? >> How are you still standing? How are you still loving him? How How are you still going? How are you doing that? Let me tell you about what's inside of me right now. I'm not like you. That sounds different. Now, can you now Peter doesn't say go and evangelize. Now, there are moments to go and evangelize. Go and preach the gospel, right? >> But there should be sometimes when people ask you why you're different. >> What What is it with you? There's something different about your spirit. I That's a different kind of accent. But notice what he says first. Before you give an answer, sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. Let me give you four other translations of this statement. In your hearts, regard the Christ, the Lord as holy. In your hearts, revere Christ as Lord. Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy. So you can say that a lot of different ways. What is he trying to say? He is saying it needs to be in your heart >> first. >> You need to submit your life to Jesus first. >> You need to get this in your inner man, the inward man first. that comes first BEFORE YOU GO START STUDYING ARGUMENTS, before you start TO GO GET BOOKS OFF THE SHELF. I'M FOR THAT. WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT that here in a moment. THE FIRST THING THAT YOU HAVE to do is be converted. >> You have to submit to Christ's lordship first. >> Before you have an answer, you need to have an experience. >> Absolutely. Before you have an answer, have an experience. >> Honoring Christ as Lord means making him king in your life. And if he's king in your life, you've slayed all the other idols. >> There's no other room. Sister Philippia sings a song. We're sold out. No vacancy. I'm all booked up, right? THERE'S NOBODY. I'M SOLD OUT TO HIM. THERE'S NO other There's no other God in my life. There's no other idol in my life. I've sanctified the Lord in my heart. The reason, listen to me now, the reason most of us aren't more confident and sharing our faith is that we're not very hopeful. >> You can't defend a faith that you do not delight in. >> I'm gonna say it again. You can't defend a faith that you do not delight in. making a defense for your faith, but also you need to make a defense for your delight in Christ. Most of us can't give up certain things in the world because we haven't learned how to delight in him. >> We don't think that we'll find pleasure in him that this XYZ ABC fill in the blank gives us. That's a lie. We we we think well I can't find if he he won't be able to give me this. You've not surrendered your life to him completely. Then >> whatever it is you can fill in the blank. Entertainment, money, career, relationship, sex, whatever it is you think this thing is the thing that will give you great pleasure and you think that Jesus can't give that to you. I'm telling you, you better slay those idols. >> He's not Lord over your life. If you're if you've got something else in your life competing for your devotion and your delight, you may not be able to explain all of the profoundities of theology. And I love all of that. But the first thing you need to do is tell people why Jesus is king in your life. That's important. You can articulate your testimony. >> You may not be able to articulate all theology, but you can articulate your testimony. They overcame him, the accuser, >> by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their test. There's power in your testimony. >> You may not be able to give a Bible study and talk about theology. And I'm all for that. You know that. I'm telling. But the one of the most powerful things that you can do is share your testimony. How Jesus saved your life. And you're no longer in sin. You're no longer a slave to sin. You're a servant. You're a servant. BOLDNESS. BOLDNESS DOESN'T NECESSARILY come from preparation. That's confidence in yourself and what you know and what you've studied and that's important. But boldness comes from your heart. And you will be bold because of who's sitting upon the throne of your heart. Daniel 11:32 says, "But the PEOPLE THAT DO KNOW THEIR GOD SHALL be strong and do exploits, not those who simply know doctrine." >> I love doctrine. You know that. But you need to know him. You need to know him. This is lordship. Can I give you what lordship is? Lordship is four things. Admit, submit, commit, transmit. That's lordship. Admit, submit, commit, transmit. Admit, confess that Jesus is Lord in your life and Lord of all. Submit. Submit your will and your life to his word and to his will. Commit. Commit yourself completely to him. He's not just your master. He's your father, your friend, and your all in all. And then transmit. Do the Lord's work by declaring his goodness to all and inviting them to admit, submit, commit, and transmit all for him. Someone say, "Amen." >> Moving fast. Always ready. Be ready always to give an answer. You've probably heard of the word apologetics before. Apologetics. Some think that apologetics means to apologize or to offer an apology for what you believe. We're not sorry for what we believe. Okay? That's not what that means. The word apologetics comes from this word answer in the Greek. It it means apologia to give an answer or to make a defense. So apologetics comes from that word. We are to give an answer. We are to give a reasonable answer or a defense for the hope that is in us. We're not apologizing for what we believe or what we place our hope in. We give a defense for our faith. >> What do you mean by that? But the Nate, are you saying that faith can be reasoned out? Yes. Faith and reason are not opposed to each other. Faith. Now, a lot of people say that Christians are just have blind faith or they're just jumping out into the darkness and not believe. That's not that's not true. Our faith is reasonable. >> Our faith is not in codes somewhere. There's not some mystery that needs to be unlocked. No matter what you might watch on National Geographic or YouTube, let me give you all the codes for Genesis and Revel. You don't have to do that. I say this a lot. We have too many who are chasing the concealed but rejecting the revealed. >> They're trying to unlock codes but won't follow. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. All right, that's all right. Our faith is reasonable. The prophet Isaiah writes, "Come, let us reason together." God is not opposed to questions. And we shouldn't be opposed to questions. We shouldn't be afraid of questions. Our faith and our hope isn't blind. The faith once delivered to the saints isn't mysterious or locked up in codes and secrets. Our hope is spiritual, yes, but it's based on facts and truth and historical reliability. We can go to this book and get our answers. If we're dragged before judges, if we're on trial for our faith, we need to be prepared. If family members want to know, if neighbors want to know, if co-workers WANT TO KNOW, IF AGITATORS WANT TO KNOW, THEN WE MUST BE READY TO GIVE AN ANSWER. WE MAY NOT HAVE THE ANSWER AT that moment, but if YOU WILL GIVE YOURSELF to studying the word of God, you'll get an answer. AND IF THEY REJECT THE ANSWER, IT'S not on you. We are not anybody's savior. IF THEY REJECT IT, PAUL says they are in darkness because the God of this world has blinded them. What we are to do is to shine the light in the darkness. The light will do it. IF THEY REJECT ME, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. I didn't die for them. >> This is always fun. I teach a Bible study. Do you believe that if I do this or I don't do that, this is going to be the I always stop and say, I don't say anything. This book says it. >> I'm just the messenger. I'm not the author. What if they say no? What if they reject it? Jesus said, "Shake off your skirt. Go to the next town." But what we've got to do is share it. We got to have the answers. And we can't simply say, "Well, and I know I said we have to have an experience." Yes, have an experience. But we can't substitute emotional fervor for intellectual acumen and rigorous study. Paul told Timothy, "Study to show thyself approved." UNTO WHO? UNTO GOD. God wants us to know his word. Give yourself to THIS BOOK. GIVE YOURSELF the study. Put your sanctify the Lord God in your heart. Be ready to give an answer in your brain. We do not ask you to leave your brain in the front seat of your car when you come into church. you this we don't we don't have to we don't have to be intellectually lazy. We don't have to say, "Well, we don't have to. We're just going to leave our smarts and our intellect in the car." No. Love the Lord God with all your heart, your mind. Right. Your soul, the whole man. God wants to consecrate and sanctify the whole man. It's not just get it in your heart. Yes. But it needs to get into your brain, too. Keep in mind before it's in your mind, it needs to be in your heart. He changes the stony. Listen to me now. Listen to me now. HE WILL TAKE THE HEART of stone and give you a heart of flesh. HE CHANGES YOUR HEART in a moment. When you are converted, when you are saved, when you are born again, when he changes your heart, he does that in an instant. But then it is upon us to be renewed, to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. And that takes a lifetime TO DO. HE CAN CHANGE YOUR HEART IN A MOMENT, BUT IT TAKES A LIFETIME TO CHANGE SOME OF OUR OUR STINKING THINKING. Someone say >> amen. >> We don't need to leave our brains in the car. He wants to change our heart and our minds. Sanctify Christ as Lord in your heart and then prepare your mind with answers. Hope needs to be in your heart. Hope needs to be in your mind and hope needs to be on your lips. For Peter, it's heart and mind. It's words and works. It's belief and behavior. The consecrated heart and mind will be fueled with hope. I'm almost done. 10 more minutes. Is that all right? 10 more minutes. And we don't just need to amass answers for arguments. We need to come into con contact with the living God. Come in contact. He says the living stone and the living word. Three things in this letter. Living hope, living word, living stone. Those are the things that we need to come in contact with. That will influence your accent. How do we what's the spirit of our answer? He says, "With meekness and fear." And I want to drive this home as we close. We are to answer every question and objection for our hope with meekness and fear. Other translations say gentleness and respect. In other words, you don't have to be argumentative or confrontational while sharing the gospel or defending the faith. Please note, we aren't to be offensive, nor do we have to be defensive for our faith. We can give reasonable answers for the hope that we have. Jude, listen to me. Jude says that we are to earnestly contend for the faith. We can contend for the faith without being contentious. You don't have to argue with everybody on Facebook or Instagram. >> Don't get in the comments. >> Oh my god. I'll tell you what I'm going to do. They already look like fools anyway. If you want to if if you're going to fight a skunk, all you're going to do is smell like a skunk. >> We have too many who want to be contentious with the faith. says to contend for the faith. We don't need to be contentious with the faith. We don't need to be defensive or offensive. We can give reasonable answers for the hope that we have. Meekness isn't weakness. Meekness is strength under control. Meekness is boldness without being mean-spirited. The point of our answer isn't to win arguments, but to win souls. But I got them. I showed them. Where they at? That argument you got into that that tussle you got into on Facebook, where they at? Are they here? Where they at? I showed them. I got all those scriptures on oneness. I GOT ALL THE I SHOW THEM. WHERE THEY AT? to do it with gentleness. Gentleness, meekness, meekness is boldness without being meanspirited. And then he says, "And fear," now fear here is fearing God. He says in verse 16, "Having a good conscience," as he continues that that statement. So fear here is fearing God because we should fear God more than we fear men. We should fear God more than we should fear men. We should seek to honor and respect God above all because he's Lord of our lives. He's consecrated, sanctified in our hearts. I have a good conscience. Having a good conscience means I did what I could. I answered to the best of my ability. There are times, teach a Bible study, get into a classroom, sit at a coffee shop, you can be asked a million questions, wild questions. But God doesn't need to turn you off. make you sherk back and go, "Oh my gosh, how about you say this?" I'm not sure of that answer, but let's prayerfully seek after it. Give me some time to answer that. You don't have to be right. You don't have to be You don't have to be, you know, de, you know, the debater that wins. You know, I' I've got an answer here. There it is. You don't have to You don't have to know everything. You just need to be able to give an answer for the hope that you have. Brother Nate, did Adam have a belly button? I don't know. I don't have an answer for that. Well, I tell you who the Nephilim are in Genesis chapter number six. They're the giants. Okay. Have you obeyed Acts 2:38 yet? I'm not trying to be flipping my but sometimes just bring them back to the point here. >> Bring them There's some things I'm not going to agree with everybody on on on coming of the Lord pre-trip, post trip, middle of the trip. >> Just be ready, >> brother. Now, Brother Nate, are we is there going to be a real digital thing that goes into your hand and into your forehead? How about you just be ready? >> I do know one thing that the greatest mark that you can take is the mark of circumcision and baptism. Have you done that yet? >> Well, come on now, somebody. I You don't have to answer every question, but they need to you need to bring it back to THE GOSPEL FOR THE HOPE THAT'S within a stand to your feet. Here are the questions we must answer. What are you going to do with this? Here's the first question. Is Jesus Christ Lord in your life? >> Have you sanctified the Lord as holy in your life? Is he reigning right now? The reason why you're not hopeful is because he's not reigning in your life. You're not hopeful. You need you need to you need to analyze that. Why have you made him Lord in your life? Have you put your faith in him? Have you repented of your sins? Have you been baptized in the only saving name, the name of Jesus Christ? Have you received the baptism of the Holy Ghost? Hey, apostolic, that's not the last step. I'm glad to get people bapti baptized. We need we need somebody to get the Holy Ghost. >> It's the >> We still believe in that, right? We got to get people to get the Holy Ghost around here, too. I love getting people baptized. I'm thankful for that. But and you shall receive the gift of THE HOLY GHOST. THAT'S WHY I SAY THAT when I baptize somebody. WHY? IT'S A PROMISE. >> I WANT THEM TO GET THE HOLY GHOST. >> WE GOT TO GET THE HOLY GHOST >> WITH THE EVIDENCE OF SPEAKING WITH OTHER TONGUES. IF HE CAN GET YOUR TONGUE, THAT MEAN HE HE MEANS HE'S GOT YOUR HEART. >> Is he reigning in your life? I WANT TO BE BAPTIZED WITH HIS SPIRIT. BAPTIZE ME WITH YOUR SPIRIT, LORD. REIGN IN my life. Are you hopeful or are you dreadful? Are you sad and gloomy about your faith or is it vibrant and alive? Do people see your hope everywhere you go? Last one. Are you prepared to give answers to the questions of the day? Have you applied your mind and heart to study God's word? Do you pursue truth or do you let doubts and unbelief crowd your mind and your spirit? I'm worried that we've got we're we it's called doom scrolling. We just get on social media and doom scroll. We just scroll scroll scroll scroll scroll and there's nothing but nonsense and people arguing and people trying to put unbelief and doubt about our faith out there and people are watching that and listening that and putting it into their brain and into their heart and they don't even open up the word of GOD TO GET ANSWERS. PURSUE THE truth and listen. Please listen to me. Please listen to me. You need to have an answer. >> You, Brother Nate, I've got this coworker and they've got I I'm fine with that. But sometimes you need to have an answer, brother Nate. Will you teach these people Bible study? Will you teach them Bible study? I'm I'm I'm I love teaching Bible. That's not what I'm saying. Everyone that asks you of the hope doesn't say ask of your pastor of the hope that's in you. Brother Nate, can you explain to them what happened to me? >> What? It's kind of like this. Brother Nate, I've got an idea for the church to do. Here's what you need to do. And this is my answer. Will you go ahead and do it? Me. He gave you the dream. He gave you the burden. You do it. Oh, I ain't doing that. Then it's not from God then. Brother, will you explain to them the hope that's within me? Why can't you do it? I'll tell you why you can't do it. You're not ready. Get ready. I'm telling you, if you will do that, if you'll if you'll put your face in this and put this book in your brain and in your heart and you and you start to apply it, somebody's going to say, "There's something different about you. Can you can you tell me about your hope? Why are you always smiling, Sister Pat? Why how are you still here? How are you still smiling? How are you still teaching? I mean, you've had you've had tragedy after tragedy. How can you Let me tell you about the hope that I've got. >> It's a hope that keeps. >> It's a hope that guides. And it's a hope that needs to be shared. Would you lift up your hands all over the sanctuary right now? And I want you to pray. Father, in the name of Jesus, Lord, I want to sanctify you in my heart. I want you to sit upon the throne of my life. I want you to reign as Lord, Lord. I want you to be holy, to be set apart in my life, Lord, to slay all the idols, Lord, because you in my heart gives me hope. It's a hope that bleeds over into every other part of my life, into my relationships, into my marriage, into my kids, into my finances, into my career. Lord, that hope bleeds over to other people and they want to know about it. Lord, help me to be prepared to give an answer.