Defend the Truth

Defend the Truth – open ARMS

Flow – confrontations accelerate – met with increased Holy Ghost power

Summary: Believers are called to defend the Faith

Key Scripture:

2 Timothy 4:5 NLT

5 But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.

Prophetic warning (and fulfillment) of the end time attack on truth

Truth holds society together

· Education – where we came from, who we are

· Religion – who is ultimately in charge? Who makes and enforces the rules?

o The Existence of God and how to have a right relationship with Him

· Relation – (gender, marriage, family, value of life)

· Business – honesty, integrity

· Law and Justice – defines right from wrong

These truths must be defended if they are to remain in our lives!

What does it mean to “defend”?

Defend = to take action against attack or challenge

· to drive danger or attack away from

· to maintain in the face of argument or hostile criticism

· to prove by answering questions

· to act as attorney for (a defense lawyer)

· to oppose a wrongful lawsuit

· to retain something against a challenge in a contest

Defend the Truth Against SUPPRESSION, OPPRESSION, AGGRESSION

If we DEFEND the Truth:

· we will Preserve society

· Gospel goes forth

· Kingdom increases – souls saved

If we DON’T defend the Truth – we will lose in 2 areas:

· We will lose at home – our kids will walk away from the Lord

· We will lose abroad - people will not hear the Gospel and will be lost forever

Contend for the Faith

Jude 3 NLT

3 Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people.

Give a Defense

1 Peter 3:15 NLT

15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.

1 – Defend the Truth Against SUPPRESSION

(put down) – Acts 4

Suppression is Phase 1

· Skeptics will accuse God’s Word as antiquated, naïve, out of touch, and irrelevant.

· Therefore, suppression will try to limit the free expression of truth

· Suppression allows some truth to come out, but not much

· what Truth does come out is edited, altered, redirected, or buried on page 5

Definition of Suppression

· the intentional exclusion of a thought or feeling

· to put down by authority or force: SUBDUE

· to keep from public knowledge: such as

o to keep secret

o to stop or prohibit the publication or revelation of - suppress the test results

Examples –

· Revision, Deletion, changing, adding, alteration of Biblical truth – also of natural facts such as history – or allowing the Gospel to be spread

· Re-Definition of marriage, family, when life begins

· Revisionist history

· Gender identity

Peter and John defend the Name of Jesus and the Resurrection

Acts 3 – Peter heals a man lame for 40 yrs.

· Peter preaches to the onlookers that the man was healed in the Name of Jesus - the very One whom they arrested, crucified, and God raised from the dead!

· Peter commands them to repent

· Starting with Moses, Peter recites much Jewish history from Holy Ghost memory!

Acts 4 - Peter and John arrested by the Jewish Council

· On trial, the leaders demanded to know by what authority they had to do these miraculous things

Defend the Truth by being Spirit filled! – HEART and MOUTH

Acts 4:8 NLT

8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of our people,

Acts 4:13 NLT

13 The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.

· Attack – Commanded not to Speak or teach in the Name of Jesus

· Peter’s Defense – keep speaking!

Acts 4:19–20 NLT

19 But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? 20 We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.”

Modern examples of Truth Suppression:

cancel culture

· as if certain events never happened

· as if certain things never existed

· history cannot be changed!

Suppression of the Truth – leads to God’s Wrath - Romans 1:8

Romans 1:18 (NLT)

18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.

The Truth WINS - Revival during persecution

· 5,000 salvations so far!

· Revival breaks out in the middle of persecution!

· More anointing, more unity, more fellowship, more teaching – MORE MIRACLES

2 – Defend the Truth Against OPPRESSION

(keep down)

· cruel abuse of authority

· an unjust or excessive exercise of power

1a: to crush or burden by abuse of power or authority –

· Dictator oppressed minorities

· weigh heavily upon by burden until crushed

· burden can be spiritually or mentally or politically (which is a spiritual manifestation)

Goal: Make communication as difficult as possible

Tactics: revoke tax exempt status, zoning laws – (Virginia church almost forced to buy a liquor license to reopen after COVID) bankruptcy, ever changing COVID laws…

Acts 5:12 NLT

12 The apostles were performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers were meeting regularly at the Temple in the area known as Solomon’s Colonnade.

Arrest – ALL apostles

Released from jail by and angel

Put on trial again for declaring the truth!

Acts 5:41–42 NLT

41 The apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus. 42 And every day, in the Temple and from house to house, they continued to teach and preach this message: “Jesus is the Messiah.”

examples

· school boards – CRT

· big tech – the list of cancelled and shadow banned ministries and personalities is growing by the month!

· User agreement – so long that few read them – give away all your rights or you cannot use the service –

· Examples – website cookies, PayPal criticism, credit card personal data

3 – Defend the Truth Against AGGRESSION

(eliminate)

From political to spiritual, now physical

Open hostility – often by religious groups – Taliban, Pharisees

Goal = Total elimination

Tactics = imprisonment - death

The Answer? Be filled with the Holy Spirit!

Stephen Defends the Holy Spirit

Acts 6:8–10 NLT

8 Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people. 9 But one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it was called, started to debate with him. They were Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and the province of Asia. 10 None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke.

Stephen arrested on trumped up charges

Holy Ghost “Defense lawyer” – Stephen is filled with the Holy Spirit and recites Jewish history from memory as a basis of his defense of the Gospel.

Resistance of the Holy Spirit – leads to judgement

Acts 7:51–52 NLT

51 “You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you! 52 Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered.

Acts 7:59 NLT

59 As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

Persecution

Matthew 5:11–12 NLT

11 “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

God’s Reward for Truth = Life

Paul was beheaded for declaring the Truth to his generation

Crown of Righteousness – 2 Tim 4:8

2 Timothy 4:8 NLT

8 And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.

Call to Action = DEFEND the Truth

· Encourage everyone to stand up for the truth – in the classroom, business, government, nation, workplace

· Live out the truth - consistency - fidelity - integrity

· Personal evidence = testimony