Defense Wins Championships
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10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
"The deeper into the heart of God I go, the more the enemy will oppose me, but the more God will draw me. The enemy may be strong, but his strength is limited, whereas God's grace has no limit." -AW Tozer
The battle is not over land or resources but over souls
The strength to engage in battle with the enemy is found only in Christ -
13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
The armor which we possess is the Lord’s armor - it is the armor of God. It is the armor the Lord used in his earthly ministry.
It is the only approved armor for wrestling against the powers of darkness, they are the weapons of the one who opens eyes, removes spiritual blindness and gives light in a dark place.
It is not physical armor but the spiritual armor of a transformed life - they are the weapons of a transformed character - truth (integrity), righteousness and readiness, a transformed soul - faith, salvation and a transformed perspective - the word of God
To this the apostle Peter adds another weapon to the arsenal of the Christian who seeks to win the lost to Christ - Hope
13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?
14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,
15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,
16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.
17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.
18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,
We live in an upside down world - evil is good, good is evil, suffer for doing good, slandered for loving Jesus
We have hope because we have been reconnected to the the true world, the true life that is in Jesus. Where we were once separated from God and strangers, now we have been reconnected and are in intimate relationship with him now.
If everything is about advancing the kingdom one soul at a time, if everything is about honoring the Lord, giving him the praise and the glory, then everything in this passage is about the lost and the Lord and not about YOU. But you have a role to play.
If you suffer, when you are slandered, it is better to suffer
Verse 14 - have no fear of them, nor be troubled - Jesus let not your hearts be troubled
Jesus has given something precious to Peter and to us and Peter is reminding us that we have it - hope
Principles
(1) There is no room for the acts of the sinful nature. Only the fruit of the Spirit, the armor of God and the character of the transformed life.
(2 ) Many Christians are responding in fear, and fear produces anger to what is going on in our culture
(3) But we have good news. And the good news is good news because salvation produces hope and hope changes our perspective.
(4) The gas in the engine that fuels our passion to live for Christ is hope
5 characteristics of “the Lord is my strength” hope:
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
a living hope - it is able to respond to life’s hardship
13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
a grace fueled hope
21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
a God is my Father based hope - it’s not us we hope in but the Father of hope
5 For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands,
a Father, Son and Holy Spirit based hope -
15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,
a the Lord Jesus Christ controls the future kind of hope
Quotes on hope from James MacDonald
“Hope is the confident expectation of better days ahead.”
“It doesn't matter what has happened, better things are coming. God's plan produces hope in me.”
“What you hope for determines what you live for. What you hope for determines WHO you live for. Hope misplaced can devastate you.”
“What kind of future is in God’s plan? A good one to which you can look forward. That’s why you can hope.”
“Don’t miss God’s fingerprints all over the events, lining up people and circumstances in perfect timing to preserve His people and advance His agenda.”
“When God promises, He’s not saying, I’ll try. He means, I can and I will.”
The Lord is calling us to offer the reasons why we have hope - a confident expectation of better days ahead
The one thing we can offer to te world that they can never have is the hope that comes through salvation in Jesus