[0:40]Well, thank you to the worship team uh for leading us this morning. Uh into, yeah, just reminding us why we're here. Right? If if we don't leave here today in awe of God, we've missed the point. Right? If we if we come away in awe of the music or in awe of the lights or in awe of, you know, whatever it might be, but we miss the awe of God. We miss the holiness of him. We we may as well have never gathered in the first place. Right? We are here to stand in awe of God and to say as a result, God, my life is yours. Right? So thanks to the team for leading us in that into that, um, into that mindset this morning as we, uh, prepare to dig into the word to see what this holy and awesome God has for you and for me to leave with today. Well, good morning, church. My name is Cam, I'm one of the pastors here at Grant, and we're so glad that you have joined us today. And we do hope that you would leave in awe of God wanting to serve him with your life. Well, I invite you to turn with me in your copy of the scriptures to First Peter 3, starting at verse 13, where we continue our series in the New Testament letter of First Peter. While you're flipping there, um, if, uh, if you have not yet received one of these, this is a just a copy of, uh, First and Second Peter. If you haven't received one of these, I encourage you, um, on your way out today, uh, pick one up from from the, uh, from the front desk. It's our gift to you, but it's just a way in which we can all kind of follow along and make notes together and all that kind of stuff. So our gift to you, if you don't have one yet, go pick them up. We we do have some left available, um, with, uh, figuratively, not literally with your name on it. Uh, so first Peter chapter 3 and we're starting today in verse 13. Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 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, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.
[3:28]Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word, and as we always do, we pray that we would leave differently today than how we came as a result of encountering it this morning. Praise these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Now, by way of reminder of where our text picked up this morning, uh, Peter, the author has just written at length about the way that believers, the way that Christians, are to interact in the relationships within which they find themselves. That they are to live with a posture of submission. Right? A a posture of submission towards government, towards masters or employers, towards our spouses, as well as with brothers and sisters in the church. And today, uh, Peter answers what might be an objection of some readers to living lives this way. And the question is, what if I get taken advantage of? Right? What if, in trying to be righteous, in in submitting and doing good, what if I'm treated poorly? What if I put myself in a position where I might be persecuted by the very people that I've submitted to? Right? What if by submitting to government, I'm persecuted by them? Right? What if by submitting to my my master or my employer, I'm treated poorly? What if by submitting in marriage, I'm devalued? What if by submitting in the church, I am hurt? And that is a common objection whenever anyone is asked to submit or subject themselves as Peter says, to the authority of another. And Peter understands that this is likely being wrestled with by those trying to digest what he's encouraging them to do. Now, in a way, Peter has already addressed these things along the way. Telling Christian citizens that they will be spoken against, but they are to submit anyways and let their lives tell a different story. He told Christian slaves that they might just be treated unfairly, but they are to submit anyways in the way that their Lord Jesus submitted in unjust circumstances. He told believing spouses that submitting and showing honor to one another is to submit to and honor Christ, and it's done for the Lord's sake, regardless of the worthiness of their spouse. And he shared that when we submit in the church, hurt is inevitable, but it is still the calling of believers to pursue unity, non-retaliation, self-control, goodness, and peace if you remember last week's text. And so Peter has already addressed these concerns along the way by saying that what is left up to the hands of others, or what's left in the hands of others, is not actually up to you. And the calling for you remains unchanged. The the posture of the Christian is one of submission, regardless of the posture of the one being submitted to. And here, Peter simply reiterates this again with a few encouragements regarding how we walk this reality of submission in these relationships, and even more broadly in culture at large.
[7:05]And he starts by saying that regardless of their circumstances, believers ought to do good. Right? Believers ought to do good. Verse 13. Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? Peter here reminds us of his argument from earlier on in the letter, in this section, that Christians are to live such good lives among unbelievers that they change the false narratives of Christians to them. Right? Remember chapter 2, verse 15, For it is God's will that by doing good, you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Right? Prove people wrong about you by the way that you live, Peter says. And while our society has changed some of what is labeled as good, there is still enough common ground that it is possible for a believer to live in a way that is biblical and be commended by culture in general. Think for a minute about the fruit of the spirit. The fruit of the spirit that the Apostle Paul says should define the actions of the believer as the Spirit of God works in and through them. Galatians 5, 22 and 23. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
[8:44]Right? And what what Peter is saying here is that if if these characteristics define our lives, If these are the words that come to mind when people think about us, who in their right mind would harm us for that? Right? If if you are zealously loving, peaceable, kind, faithful, gentle, if your actions, born out of your character, are defined by these words, who would stand against you?
[10:17]Which brings us to the second encouragement of Peter. Don't worry. Right? Don't worry. Verse 14. But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled.
[10:40]This week I came across a comedian uh sharing an old Irish proverb that made me laugh regarding worry in this world. And the the first part of the proverb goes something like this. In this life, there are only two things to worry about, whether you're healthy or whether you're sick. And if you're healthy, you got nothing to worry about. But if you're sick, you got two things to worry about. Whether you get better or whether you get worse. And if you get better, you got nothing to worry about. But if you get worse, you got two things to worry about. If you're going to live or if you're going to die. And if you're going to live, you got nothing to worry about. But if you're going to die, you got two things to worry about. If you're going to heaven or if you're going to hell. And if you're going to heaven, you got nothing to worry about. What a cool encouragement for us, isn't that? Right? When it comes down to it, for those who know Christ, there is ultimately nothing to worry about. No circumstance that that doesn't in the end turn up in our favor. Well, the reason that I thought of this proverb as I prepared this message is because Peter, well, not as long, uses similar logic for the believer living in an unbelieving world. Right? He's already said, if you do good, I guess there's two things to worry about, if you'll be persecuted or if you won't. And if you're not persecuted, which he says is likely, you've got nothing to worry about. And if on the other hand, you are persecuted, you've got two things to worry about. If you're persecuted because of righteousness or if you're persecuted for some other reason. And if you're persecuted for righteousness, for doing good, Peter says here, you've got nothing to worry about. In fact, you will be blessed, verse 14 says. Right? After saying that if you do good, if you live by the Spirit, you shouldn't have anything to worry about. He shares the encouragement that that even if on that off chance you are persecuted for doing good, even then you have nothing to worry about, because God is with you and will bless you. Right? And and here he's he's kind of qualifying his previous point. Right? Peter does open up the possibility that some will oppose Christians regardless of their good behavior. Or that some of what is righteous may be mislabeled as evil, as we're seeing increasingly today in our culture. But he says that even in that case, it's all good. You will be blessed. So keep doing good and don't worry because living lives of righteousness, church, is a win-win for the Christian. Right? Living lives of righteousness is a win-win for the Christian. In fact, as he continues, Peter says that the persecution of the believer is actually an opportunity to advance the kingdom of God. Look at verse 14 and 15. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 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. Right? Peter actually says that there's nothing to fear in persecution, because persecution will actually open the door to share the gospel. You may be asked, he says, about the hope you have in Christ. That's a part of the blessing. I recently heard a pastor who serves in a country that's closed to the gospel, answer the question about the possibility of going to prison for his faith. And he was asked if he had second thoughts about continuing to evangelize with such a high potential of being arrested and jailed. Well, after a brief pause, he responded simply, Well, there are people in prison who need the gospel too, right? So I guess that will become my mission field. And he was right. Persecution can open doors, even prison cell doors for the gospel to be made known to all. As second century Christian theologian Tertullian wrote about the expansion of the church in the Roman Empire, he said, The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. What he meant by that is that historically the persecution of believers has been a catalyst when it comes to the growth of the church. Because martyrs have the opportunity to testify about Jesus in their defense, often publicly, and because those in the presence of that testimony will will see the fearless hope of one who's in Christ. Even unto death, and that fearless hope points to the one in whom they put their faith. Persecution, especially unjustified, breeds kingdom opportunity, which leads to Peter's next encouragement. Be prepared. Verse 15. Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. Now, because of this progression of thought in the text, this verse likely uh applies mostly to when persecution comes. That those on trial for their faith, figuratively or literally, will be given the opportunity to make a case for Christ. However, this text, I believe, has a a wider variety of applications. Right? I think this applies to to all of us as well, regardless of our status in regards to persecution, because Peter says, these words, be prepared to respond to who? Anyone who asks about your hope. Right? This encouragement to be prepared, therefore, extends to every single one of us as the entire church is invited to share the truth of God. Now, what does it look like to be prepared? To to make a defense or give an answer, the NIV says, for the hope that is in you. Well, I believe for our context today that this encouragement involves, uh, three things. But before we get there, there's an assumption being made in this text. Let's read verse 15 again. Always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. Can you pick up the assumption there? For this text to apply to you or to me, it assumes that we are living in such a way that someone will ask about the hope that you have. Right? The cornerstone of this command is that we live with a noticeable hope in the world. Right? Think about that. This verse makes no sense if no one asks. And why are they asking? Because we are hopeful. And that brings us back to the living hope that we unpacked on the third verse of this letter. Peter wrote, in his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Right? If Peter says, we live with that living hope, or what John Stott defined as a joyful and confident expectation which rests on the promises of God. People will take notice and will become curious regarding the difference they see in us when compared to that of the rest of the world. So for this scenario, again, to even happen, the question being asked that we are to be prepared for, we need to live differently than the world who does not have that hope. If you are the most anxious and stressed person in your office, If you are the most likely in your family to hold a grudge or desire retribution, If you are the most likely to fret the small things, to complain about everything, or act like the sky is falling, no one will ever ask you about the hope that you have. Because based on your actions, they will assume you don't have hope. The prerequisite for this advice of Peter is that we have allowed the truth of the gospel and the presence of the Holy Spirit to so infiltrate our minds and our hearts that our lives are noticeably different. Because unlike those who do not see, do not know Christ, we put our hope in him. And that type of life will lead us into circumstances where we might just be asked why we are so different. And Peter says, those who do live this way must be prepared for such questions. Now, some may be asking, okay, so what is it that I ought to be prepared with? Well, first, Be prepared with your testimony. Be prepared with your testimony.
[21:01]Each one of us should be ready at any time to answer the question why you believe in Jesus. And your testimony is your answer to the why questions. Right? Think think about these questions in in the context of your workplace or or at home or with your friends. Why are you a Christian? Why do you go to church anyway? Why do you give so much of your income away? Why are you happy? Right? The whole world is imploding. Right? Think about those types of questions. Well, the way that we answer those questions is through our testimonies. Now, your testimony doesn't need to start in the hospital where you were born. Right? I was born at a very early age. That that is not where we start. Right? No one wants or needs to hear your entire life story if they ask about your hope. Right? That's not actually what a testimony is. That's a life story. It's a biography. A testimony is not your life story. Rather, your testimony is simply telling others how your life proves or testifies to the existence of a loving God.
[22:37]Right? And depending on your journey, it's as simple as, you know, something like, before I knew Jesus, I struggled to know who I was and if anyone cared for me. And so I I gave myself over to all sorts of things. I let let others tell me who I was. I tried to find my identity in pleasing others and being affirmed by them. But but when I met the God of the Bible, Jesus came into my life. He showed me that I was special, that he made me, that he loves me, and I didn't need to chase the affirmation of others. That's a testimony. How long did that take? 20 seconds.
[23:20]Right? Doesn't need to be that short, by the way. Right? Sometimes details are helpful, and they help you connect with people and they provide circumstances that that kind of help it make sense. But it also doesn't even need to be that long either. Right? Testifying about about God can be done in the natural flow of conversation. It's as simple as sharing in a sentence or two what your life was like before Christ and how your life has changed because of him. Right? Like, you know, I was I was really an anxious person. I I'm still actually wired that way. But knowing that God is with me and loves me has changed everything. That, friends, is a testimony. We can all do that, can't we? Hey, we can all summarize what God has done for us in bite-sized pieces. Our testimonies will all look different, but they don't need to look that difficult. Works the same way for those who maybe don't have a strong before or after story. Maybe you're like, I don't have a good testimony. I've known Jesus my whole life. Well, your testimony can simply be sharing how knowing God or or salvation in Christ changes the way that you live. Right? How you have joy or hope or purpose because of Christ that you wouldn't have otherwise. Or maybe your story is just a testament to his faithfulness and how you didn't need to hit rock bottom in order to know him. Testimony, friends, is not that hard, but it is so important to be prepared to share it. When someone asks you about the hope that you have, when they start to ask the why questions.
[25:14]If someone were to ask you today why you believe, would you be able to answer in a clear, honest, and compelling way? If not, I encourage you this week, this is your homework. Think about, think through why you believe. Think through what Christ has done for you. Write it down. Begin to memorize it so that you are prepared in the way that Peter says that we ought to be. Right? May we, in the words of Christ, in Mark chapter 5, be ready to tell our own people, right, the people in our workplaces, in our circles of influence, be ready to tell our own people how much the Lord has done for us. Next, we are to be prepared with the gospel. Right? Be prepared with your testimony and be prepared with the gospel. Right? And this is being able to answer what you believe. Right? Someone might not ask why you have hope. They may simply ask about what you believe. Right? What are you guys talking about at church anyway? Right? What what do Christians believe? And for those of us who have come to believe in and received Christ, we should all be able to explain simply what it is that we believe. We should all be able to explain the gospel clearly and succinctly. Now, there are many different ways to do this. Right? Those in the church in the '80s already have many diagrams ready and at their disposal, from the Bridge Illustration to Roman's Road. Right? For those who have come to our evangelism workshops over the past couple of years, Danny McKay has shown us the three circles illustration or method. Right? Again, there are many ways to share the gospel or the truth, that God created us to know and love him forever, but we chose to reject him, setting us on a path apart from him, until Jesus came to rescue us and bring us back to God through his death and resurrection, inviting us into eternal life with God that we originally had. By simply turning around and walking with him. Right? That's the gospel. The simple gospel. And there are many ways to package those truths together. There are sports analogies, there music illustrations, there's diagrams, but it should be done in a way that is memorable to you, so that you can share it off the top of your head when someone asks. And it should be accessible to others so that they don't need to have a thesaurus available to understand what you're talking about. This is the second part of your homework. If if you can't right now explain the gospel, even just the basics, in a way that is simple and clear, Peter says, prepare yourself. Right? Familiarize yourself with the gospel. Find the words or an illustration so that you can share it with anyone and everyone at any time. What a shame it would be if through your life, through weeks, months, or years of intentional witness, someone was compelled and asked you what you believe, and you couldn't answer them. That opportunity may only come once. And so friends, this is an urgent assignment. Be prepared with the gospel. As 2 Timothy 4 says, preach the word, be prepared in season and out of season. Friends, that is be prepared always. And finally, we're we are to be prepared with basic apologetics. Basic apologetics.
[29:25]Now the word that Peter uses here in this text is the word defense. Right? He says, be be ready to defend. As if we are making a a defense in a courtroom. Right? Now, what happens in a courtroom? There's actually dialogue, right? Questions are asked. Assumptions are challenged, and counterarguments are almost always made. Well, it's true when it comes to interacting with unbelievers. Right? I have yet to share the gospel with someone who was just like, awesome. See ya. Like done. Where do I sign? Right? I there's always follow-up questions. Well, what about this? Or how about that? Or objections being made? And so, a part of our preparation is to familiarize ourselves with common contemporary objections to Christianity. Because these will almost certainly always enter the chat after a testimony or presentation of the gospel, or if they haven't already come up in conversation before. One of the common objections today involves the assumed scientific contradictions. Right? That that faith and and science are not compatible. And so we should be able to address how we think that science actually supports the Christian faith by by sharing a few examples like the fine tuning of the universe, the order in the world, or the complexity of DNA. Another common roadblock to faith is the problem of pain. Right? People struggle to understand how a loving God, uh, allows bad things to happen. And we should be able to at least dialogue around that issue, agreeing that much of what happens in the world is not right. But offering an alternative explanation than the non-existence of God. Even sharing that defining anything as objectively right or wrong actually points to a good God. One major objection today is in regards to the perceived bigotry or hatred displayed by the church, particularly towards the LGBTQ community. Right? Well, we, uh, church should be able to admit that many evil things have been done in the name of Christianity. That many of those cited examples are revisionist at best, deceivingly untrue at worst. And that Christianity has actually contributed more to humanitarian care and human rights than any other group worldwide. Right? Under the biblical assertion that all humans are made in the image of God. And as a result, churches, especially in the West have founded nearly every hospital, charity, or humanitarian organization. And the the foundations from which these institutions, even secular and governmental forms of them, have developed because of the church.
[33:16]Now these are just a few of the current struggles that people have with the Christian faith. And and these are likely to exist as roadblocks to many receiving the good news of the gospel. And so we need to prepare ourselves to be able to interact on those terms, in these conversations. Now I am not saying that we all need to become experts in every field. Or that we that we need to have answers for every question that we're asked. Right? In fact, sometimes, I'm not sure, let me look into that is the best answer you could give. But we should at least seek to understand where our friends and neighbors and co-workers are coming from and be able to, if nothing else, tell them how we have come to terms with or reconciled our own faith with those particular roadblocks. Now, this I'm not going to give as homework. You already have two things to do this week. But I'm going to offer you a few general resources that I would suggest for reading that speak into these issues from a Christian perspective and might help along the way. And the first, uh, the first resource that I suggest is a book called The Problem of God by Mark Clark. Um, and and this provides kind of a surface level discussion around 10 contemporary challenges. This is I put this first for a reason. uh, because because while it doesn't, it's not like a a big thick textbook about one, you know, the DNA of a of a butterfly. Like it's not, it's not super deep, but it actually touches on many, uh, does a good job of touching on many different contemporary objections to Christianity and what might exist as roadblocks for people. So The Problem of God by Mark Clark. A second resource you might want to check out is The Reason for God by Tim Keller. He provides responses to skepticism and provides several rational reasons for faith. Right? That that having faith is actually the rational choice as evidence in our world. Uh, third one, for those who are a little bit more academic and want to get into, you know, things like the fine tuning of the of the, uh, the universe, there's a book called On Guard by William Lane Craig. Uh, and again, it's a more academic treatise on defending the faith using logic, as is a book called I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, uh, by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek.
[36:46]And uh, finally, the classic Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, which is a philosophical discussion of Christianity as the best possible explanation for the way that things are. Right? Now, there are many other good books and videos and resources on these topics. Right? Some are general, some are specifically focused on one particular issue, but but these five are just good places to start if you're kind of going, where would I even begin this? Uh, and they serve to just open the door to a wide range of topics and help us help point us in the right direction when it comes to specifics that you might be interested in.
[37:52]But we should, church, along with why we believe and what we believe, be able to, or be prepared with how we can believe in God in light of the challenges that we're we're opposed today. Now, this I'm not going to give as homework. You already have two things to do this week. But I'm going to offer you a few general resources that I would suggest for reading that speak into these issues from a Christian perspective and might help along the way. And the first, uh, the first resource that I suggest is a book called The Problem of God by Mark Clark. Um, and and this provides kind of a surface level discussion around 10 contemporary challenges. This is I put this first for a reason, uh, because because while it doesn't, it's not like a a big thick textbook about one, you know, the DNA of a of a butterfly. Like it's not, it's not super deep, but it actually touches on many, uh, does a good job of touching on many different contemporary objections to Christianity and what might exist as roadblocks for people. So The Problem of God by Mark Clark. A second resource you might want to check out is The Reason for God by Tim Keller. He provides responses to skepticism and provides several rational reasons for faith. Right? That that having faith is actually the rational choice as evidence in our world. Uh, third one, for those who are a little bit more academic and want to get into, you know, things like the fine tuning of the of the, uh, the universe, there's a book called On Guard by William Lane Craig. Uh, and again, it's a more academic treatise on defending the faith using logic, as is a book called I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, uh, by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek.
[40:36]And uh, finally, the classic Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, which is a philosophical discussion of Christianity as the best possible explanation for the way that things are.
[40:57]Right? Now, there are many other good books and videos and resources on these topics. Right? Some are general, some are specifically focused on one particular issue, but but these five are just good places to start if you're kind of going, where would I even begin this? Uh, and they serve to just open the door to a wide range of topics and help us help point us in the right direction when it comes to specifics that you might be interested in. But we should, church, along with why we believe and what we believe, be able to, or be prepared with how we can believe in God in light of the challenges that we're we're opposed today. Now, this I'm not going to give as homework. You already have two things to do this week. But I'm going to offer you a few general resources that I would suggest for reading that speak into these issues from a Christian perspective and might help along the way. And the first, uh, the first resource that I suggest is a book called The Problem of God by Mark Clark. Um, and and this provides kind of a surface level discussion around 10 contemporary challenges. This is I put this first for a reason, uh, because because while it doesn't, it's not like a a big thick textbook about one, you know, the DNA of a of a butterfly. Like it's not, it's not super deep, but it actually touches on many, uh, does a good job of touching on many different contemporary objections to Christianity and what might exist as roadblocks for people. So The Problem of God by Mark Clark. A second resource you might want to check out is The Reason for God by Tim Keller. He provides responses to skepticism and provides several rational reasons for faith. Right? That that having faith is actually the rational choice as evidence in our world. Uh, third one, for those who are a little bit more academic and want to get into, you know, things like the fine tuning of the of the, uh, the universe, there's a book called On Guard by William Lane Craig. Uh, and again, it's a more academic treatise on defending the faith using logic, as is a book called I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, uh, by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek.
[44:24]And uh, finally, the classic Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, which is a philosophical discussion of Christianity as the best possible explanation for the way that things are.
[44:46]Right? Now, there are many other good books and videos and resources on these topics. Right? Some are general, some are specifically focused on one particular issue, but but these five are just good places to start if you're kind of going, where would I even begin this? Uh, and they serve to just open the door to a wide range of topics and help us help point us in the right direction when it comes to specifics that you might be interested in. But we should, church, along with why we believe and what we believe, be able to, or be prepared with how we can believe in God in light of the challenges that we're we're opposed today. Now, this I'm not going to give as homework. You already have two things to do this week. But I'm going to offer you a few general resources that I would suggest for reading that speak into these issues from a Christian perspective and might help along the way. And the first, uh, the first resource that I suggest is a book called The Problem of God by Mark Clark. Um, and and this provides kind of a surface level discussion around 10 contemporary challenges. This is I put this first for a reason, uh, because because while it doesn't, it's not like a a big thick textbook about one, you know, the DNA of a of a butterfly. Like it's not, it's not super deep, but it actually touches on many, uh, does a good job of touching on many different contemporary objections to Christianity and what might exist as roadblocks for people. So The Problem of God by Mark Clark. A second resource you might want to check out is The Reason for God by Tim Keller. He provides responses to skepticism and provides several rational reasons for faith. Right? That that having faith is actually the rational choice as evidence in our world. Uh, third one, for those who are a little bit more academic and want to get into, you know, things like the fine tuning of the of the, uh, the universe, there's a book called On Guard by William Lane Craig. Uh, and again, it's a more academic treatise on defending the faith using logic, as is a book called I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, uh, by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek.
[48:12]And uh, finally, the classic Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, which is a philosophical discussion of Christianity as the best possible explanation for the way that things are.
[48:34]Right? Now, there are many other good books and videos and resources on these topics. Right? Some are general, some are specifically focused on one particular issue, but but these five are just good places to start if you're kind of going, where would I even begin this? Uh, and they serve to just open the door to a wide range of topics and help us help point us in the right direction when it comes to specifics that you might be interested in. But we should, church, along with why we believe and what we believe, be able to, or be prepared with how we can believe in God in light of the challenges that we're we're opposed today. Now, this I'm not going to give as homework. You already have two things to do this week. But I'm going to offer you a few general resources that I would suggest for reading that speak into these issues from a Christian perspective and might help along the way. And the first, uh, the first resource that I suggest is a book called The Problem of God by Mark Clark. Um, and and this provides kind of a surface level discussion around 10 contemporary challenges. This is I put this first for a reason, uh, because because while it doesn't, it's not like a a big thick textbook about one, you know, the DNA of a of a butterfly. Like it's not, it's not super deep, but it actually touches on many, uh, does a good job of touching on many different contemporary objections to Christianity and what might exist as roadblocks for people. So The Problem of God by Mark Clark. A second resource you might want to check out is The Reason for God by Tim Keller. He provides responses to skepticism and provides several rational reasons for faith. Right? That that having faith is actually the rational choice as evidence in our world. Uh, third one, for those who are a little bit more academic and want to get into, you know, things like the fine tuning of the of the, uh, the universe, there's a book called On Guard by William Lane Craig. Uh, and again, it's a more academic treatise on defending the faith using logic, as is a book called I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, uh, by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek.
[52:03]And uh, finally, the classic Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, which is a philosophical discussion of Christianity as the best possible explanation for the way that things are.
[52:25]Right? Now, there are many other good books and videos and resources on these topics. Right? Some are general, some are specifically focused on one particular issue, but but these five are just good places to start if you're kind of going, where would I even begin this? Uh, and they serve to just open the door to a wide range of topics and help us help point us in the right direction when it comes to specifics that you might be interested in. But we should, church, along with why we believe and what we believe, be able to, or be prepared with how we can believe in God in light of the challenges that we're we're opposed today. Now, this I'm not going to give as homework. You already have two things to do this week. But I'm going to offer you a few general resources that I would suggest for reading that speak into these issues from a Christian perspective and might help along the way. And the first, uh, the first resource that I suggest is a book called The Problem of God by Mark Clark. Um, and and this provides kind of a surface level discussion around 10 contemporary challenges. This is I put this first for a reason, uh, because because while it doesn't, it's not like a a big thick textbook about one, you know, the DNA of a of a butterfly. Like it's not, it's not super deep, but it actually touches on many, uh, does a good job of touching on many different contemporary objections to Christianity and what might exist as roadblocks for people. So The Problem of God by Mark Clark. A second resource you might want to check out is The Reason for God by Tim Keller. He provides responses to skepticism and provides several rational reasons for faith. Right? That that having faith is actually the rational choice as evidence in our world. Uh, third one, for those who are a little bit more academic and want to get into, you know, things like the fine tuning of the of the, uh, the universe, there's a book called On Guard by William Lane Craig. Uh, and again, it's a more academic treatise on defending the faith using logic, as is a book called I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, uh, by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek.
[55:52]And uh, finally, the classic Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, which is a philosophical discussion of Christianity as the best possible explanation for the way that things are.
[56:14]Right? Now, there are many other good books and videos and resources on these topics. Right? Some are general, some are specifically focused on one particular issue, but but these five are just good places to start if you're kind of going, where would I even begin this? Uh, and they serve to just open the door to a wide range of topics and help us help point us in the right direction when it comes to specifics that you might be interested in. But we should, church, along with why we believe and what we believe, be able to, or be prepared with how we can believe in God in light of the challenges that we're we're opposed today. Now, this I'm not going to give as homework. You already have two things to do this week. But I'm going to offer you a few general resources that I would suggest for reading that speak into these issues from a Christian perspective and might help along the way. And the first, uh, the first resource that I suggest is a book called The Problem of God by Mark Clark. Um, and and this provides kind of a surface level discussion around 10 contemporary challenges. This is I put this first for a reason, uh, because because while it doesn't, it's not like a a big thick textbook about one, you know, the DNA of a of a butterfly. Like it's not, it's not super deep, but it actually touches on many, uh, does a good job of touching on many different contemporary objections to Christianity and what might exist as roadblocks for people. So The Problem of God by Mark Clark. A second resource you might want to check out is The Reason for God by Tim Keller. He provides responses to skepticism and provides several rational reasons for faith. Right? That that having faith is actually the rational choice as evidence in our world. Uh, third one, for those who are a little bit more academic and want to get into, you know, things like the fine tuning of the of the, uh, the universe, there's a book called On Guard by William Lane Craig. Uh, and again, it's a more academic treatise on defending the faith using logic, as is a book called I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, uh, by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek.
[59:42]And uh, finally, the classic Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, which is a philosophical discussion of Christianity as the best possible explanation for the way that things are.
[1:00:04]Right? Now, there are many other good books and videos and resources on these topics. Right? Some are general, some are specifically focused on one particular issue, but but these five are just good places to start if you're kind of going, where would I even begin this? Uh, and they serve to just open the door to a wide range of topics and help us help point us in the right direction when it comes to specifics that you might be interested in. But we should, church, along with why we believe and what we believe, be able to, or be prepared with how we can believe in God in light of the challenges that we're we're opposed today. Now, this I'm not going to give as homework. You already have two things to do this week. But I'm going to offer you a few general resources that I would suggest for reading that speak into these issues from a Christian perspective and might help along the way. And the first, uh, the first resource that I suggest is a book called The Problem of God by Mark Clark. Um, and and this provides kind of a surface level discussion around 10 contemporary challenges. This is I put this first for a reason, uh, because because while it doesn't, it's not like a a big thick textbook about one, you know, the DNA of a of a butterfly. Like it's not, it's not super deep, but it actually touches on many, uh, does a good job of touching on many different contemporary objections to Christianity and what might exist as roadblocks for people. So The Problem of God by Mark Clark. A second resource you might want to check out is The Reason for God by Tim Keller. He provides responses to skepticism and provides several rational reasons for faith. Right? That that having faith is actually the rational choice as evidence in our world. Uh, third one, for those who are a little bit more academic and want to get into, you know, things like the fine tuning of the of the, uh, the universe, there's a book called On Guard by William Lane Craig. Uh, and again, it's a more academic treatise on defending the faith using logic, as is a book called I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, uh, by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek.
[1:03:32]And uh, finally, the classic Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, which is a philosophical discussion of Christianity as the best possible explanation for the way that things are.
[1:03:54]Right? Now, there are many other good books and videos and resources on these topics. Right? Some are general, some are specifically focused on one particular issue, but but these five are just good places to start if you're kind of going, where would I even begin this? Uh, and they serve to just open the door to a wide range of topics and help us help point us in the right direction when it comes to specifics that you might be interested in. But we should, church, along with why we believe and what we believe, be able to, or be prepared with how we can believe in God in light of the challenges that we're we're opposed today. Now, this I'm not going to give as homework. You already have two things to do this week. But I'm going to offer you a few general resources that I would suggest for reading that speak into these issues from a Christian perspective and might help along the way. And the first, uh, the first resource that I suggest is a book called The Problem of God by Mark Clark. Um, and and this provides kind of a surface level discussion around 10 contemporary challenges. This is I put this first for a reason, uh, because because while it doesn't, it's not like a a big thick textbook about one, you know, the DNA of a of a butterfly. Like it's not, it's not super deep, but it actually touches on many, uh, does a good job of touching on many different contemporary objections to Christianity and what might exist as roadblocks for people. So The Problem of God by Mark Clark. A second resource you might want to check out is The Reason for God by Tim Keller. He provides responses to skepticism and provides several rational reasons for faith. Right? That that having faith is actually the rational choice as evidence in our world. Uh, third one, for those who are a little bit more academic and want to get into, you know, things like the fine tuning of the of the, uh, the universe, there's a book called On Guard by William Lane Craig. Uh, and again, it's a more academic treatise on defending the faith using logic, as is a book called I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, uh, by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek.
[1:07:22]And uh, finally, the classic Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, which is a philosophical discussion of Christianity as the best possible explanation for the way that things are.
[1:07:44]Right? Now, there are many other good books and videos and resources on these topics. Right? Some are general, some are specifically focused on one particular issue, but but these five are just good places to start if you're kind of going, where would I even begin this? Uh, and they serve to just open the door to a wide range of topics and help us help point us in the right direction when it comes to specifics that you might be interested in. But we should, church, along with why we believe and what we believe, be able to, or be prepared with how we can believe in God in light of the challenges that we're we're opposed today. Now, this I'm not going to give as homework. You already have two things to do this week. But I'm going to offer you a few general resources that I would suggest for reading that speak into these issues from a Christian perspective and might help along the way. And the first, uh, the first resource that I suggest is a book called The Problem of God by Mark Clark. Um, and and this provides kind of a surface level discussion around 10 contemporary challenges. This is I put this first for a reason, uh, because because while it doesn't, it's not like a a big thick textbook about one, you know, the DNA of a of a butterfly. Like it's not, it's not super deep, but it actually touches on many, uh, does a good job of touching on many different contemporary objections to Christianity and what might exist as roadblocks for people. So The Problem of God by Mark Clark. A second resource you might want to check out is The Reason for God by Tim Keller. He provides responses to skepticism and provides several rational reasons for faith. Right? That that having faith is actually the rational choice as evidence in our world. Uh, third one, for those who are a little bit more academic and want to get into, you know, things like the fine tuning of the of the, uh, the universe, there's a book called On Guard by William Lane Craig. Uh, and again, it's a more academic treatise on defending the faith using logic, as is a book called I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, uh, by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek.
[1:11:12]And uh, finally, the classic Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, which is a philosophical discussion of Christianity as the best possible explanation for the way that things are.
[1:11:34]Right? Now, there are many other good books and videos and resources on these topics. Right? Some are general, some are specifically focused on one particular issue, but but these five are just good places to start if you're kind of going, where would I even begin this? Uh, and they serve to just open the door to a wide range of topics and help us help point us in the right direction when it comes to specifics that you might be interested in. But we should, church, along with why we believe and what we believe, be able to, or be prepared with how we can believe in God in light of the challenges that we're we're opposed today. Now, this I'm not going to give as homework. You already have two things to do this week. But I'm going to offer you a few general resources that I would suggest for reading that speak into these issues from a Christian perspective and might help along the way. And the first, uh, the first resource that I suggest is a book called The Problem of God by Mark Clark. Um, and and this provides kind of a surface level discussion around 10 contemporary challenges. This is I put this first for a reason, uh, because because while it doesn't, it's not like a a big thick textbook about one, you know, the DNA of a of a butterfly. Like it's not, it's not super deep, but it actually touches on many, uh, does a good job of touching on many different contemporary objections to Christianity and what might exist as roadblocks for people. So The Problem of God by Mark Clark. A second resource you might want to check out is The Reason for God by Tim Keller. He provides responses to skepticism and provides several rational reasons for faith. Right? That that having faith is actually the rational choice as evidence in our world. Uh, third one, for those who are a little bit more academic and want to get into, you know, things like the fine tuning of the of the, uh, the universe, there's a book called On Guard by William Lane Craig. Uh, and again, it's a more academic treatise on defending the faith using logic, as is a book called I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, uh, by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek.
[1:15:03]And uh, finally, the classic Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, which is a philosophical discussion of Christianity as the best possible explanation for the way that things are.
[1:15:25]Right? Now, there are many other good books and videos and resources on these topics. Right? Some are general, some are specifically focused on one particular issue, but but these five are just good places to start if you're kind of going, where would I even begin this? Uh, and they serve to just open the door to a wide range of topics and help us help point us in the right direction when it comes to specifics that you might be interested in. But we should, church, along with why we believe and what we believe, be able to, or be prepared with how we can believe in God in light of the challenges that we're we're opposed today. Now, this I'm not going to give as homework. You already have two things to do this week. But I'm going to offer you a few general resources that I would suggest for reading that speak into these issues from a Christian perspective and might help along the way. And the first, uh, the first resource that I suggest is a book called The Problem of God by Mark Clark. Um, and and this provides kind of a surface level discussion around 10 contemporary challenges. This is I put this first for a reason, uh, because because while it doesn't, it's not like a a big thick textbook about one, you know, the DNA of a of a butterfly. Like it's not, it's not super deep, but it actually touches on many, uh, does a good job of touching on many different contemporary objections to Christianity and what might exist as roadblocks for people. So The Problem of God by Mark Clark. A second resource you might want to check out is The Reason for God by Tim Keller. He provides responses to skepticism and provides several rational reasons for faith. Right? That that having faith is actually the rational choice as evidence in our world. Uh, third one, for those who are a little bit more academic and want to get into, you know, things like the fine tuning of the of the, uh, the universe, there's a book called On Guard by William Lane Craig. Uh, and again, it's a more academic treatise on defending the faith using logic, as is a book called I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, uh, by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek.
[1:18:53]And uh, finally, the classic Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, which is a philosophical discussion of Christianity as the best possible explanation for the way that things are.
[1:19:15]Right? Now, there are many other good books and videos and resources on these topics. Right? Some are general, some are specifically focused on one particular issue, but but these five are just good places to start if you're kind of going, where would I even begin this? Uh, and they serve to just open the door to a wide range of topics and help us help point us in the right direction when it comes to specifics that you might be interested in. But we should, church, along with why we believe and what we believe, be able to, or be prepared with how we can believe in God in light of the challenges that we're we're opposed today. Now, this I'm not going to give as homework. You already have two things to do this week. But I'm going to offer you a few general resources that I would suggest for reading that speak into these issues from a Christian perspective and might help along the way. And the first, uh, the first resource that I suggest is a book called The Problem of God by Mark Clark. Um, and and this provides kind of a surface level discussion around 10 contemporary challenges. This is I put this first for a reason, uh, because because while it doesn't, it's not like a a big thick textbook about one, you know, the DNA of a of a butterfly. Like it's not, it's not super deep, but it actually touches on many, uh, does a good job of touching on many different contemporary objections to Christianity and what might exist as roadblocks for people. So The Problem of God by Mark Clark. A second resource you might want to check out is The Reason for God by Tim Keller. He provides responses to skepticism and provides several rational reasons for faith. Right? That that having faith is actually the rational choice as evidence in our world. Uh, third one, for those who are a little bit more academic and want to get into, you know, things like the fine tuning of the of the, uh, the universe, there's a book called On Guard by William Lane Craig. Uh, and again, it's a more academic treatise on defending the faith using logic, as is a book called I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, uh, by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek.
[1:22:43]And uh, finally, the classic Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, which is a philosophical discussion of Christianity as the best possible explanation for the way that things are.
[1:23:05]Right? Now, there are many other good books and videos and resources on these topics. Right? Some are general, some are specifically focused on one particular issue, but but these five are just good places to start if you're kind of going, where would I even begin this? Uh, and they serve to just open the door to a wide range of topics and help us help point us in the right direction when it comes to specifics that you might be interested in. But we should, church, along with why we believe and what we believe, be able to, or be prepared with how we can believe in God in light of the challenges that we're we're opposed today. Now, this I'm not going to give as homework. You already have two things to do this week. But I'm going to offer you a few general resources that I would suggest for reading that speak into these issues from a Christian perspective and might help along the way. And the first, uh, the first resource that I suggest is a book called The Problem of God by Mark Clark. Um, and and this provides kind of a surface level discussion around 10 contemporary challenges. This is I put this first for a reason, uh, because because while it doesn't, it's not like a a big thick textbook about one, you know, the DNA of a of a butterfly. Like it's not, it's not super deep, but it actually touches on many, uh, does a good job of touching on many different contemporary objections to Christianity and what might exist as roadblocks for people. So The Problem of God by Mark Clark. A second resource you might want to check out is The Reason for God by Tim Keller. He provides responses to skepticism and provides several rational reasons for faith. Right? That that having faith is actually the rational choice as evidence in our world. Uh, third one, for those who are a little bit more academic and want to get into, you know, things like the fine tuning of the of the, uh, the universe, there's a book called On Guard by William Lane Craig. Uh, and again, it's a more academic treatise on defending the faith using logic, as is a book called I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, uh, by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek.
[1:26:33]And uh, finally, the classic Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, which is a philosophical discussion of Christianity as the best possible explanation for the way that things are.
[1:26:55]Right? Now, there are many other good books and videos and resources on these topics. Right? Some are general, some are specifically focused on one particular issue, but but these five are just good places to start if you're kind of going, where would I even begin this? Uh, and they serve to just open the door to a wide range of topics and help us help point us in the right direction when it comes to specifics that you might be interested in. But we should, church, along with why we believe and what we believe, be able to, or be prepared with how we can believe in God in light of the challenges that we're we're opposed today. Now, this I'm not going to give as homework. You already have two things to do this week. But I'm going to offer you a few general resources that I would suggest for reading that speak into these issues from a Christian perspective and might help along the way. And the first, uh, the first resource that I suggest is a book called The Problem of God by Mark Clark. Um, and and this provides kind of a surface level discussion around 10 contemporary challenges. This is I put this first for a reason, uh, because because while it doesn't, it's not like a a big thick textbook about one, you know, the DNA of a of a butterfly. Like it's not, it's not super deep, but it actually touches on many, uh, does a good job of touching on many different contemporary objections to Christianity and what might exist as roadblocks for people. So The Problem of God by Mark Clark. A second resource you might want to check out is The Reason for God by Tim Keller. He provides responses to skepticism and provides several rational reasons for faith. Right? That that having faith is actually the rational choice as evidence in our world. Uh, third one, for those who are a little bit more academic and want to get into, you know, things like the fine tuning of the of the, uh, the universe, there's a book called On Guard by William Lane Craig. Uh, and again, it's a more academic treatise on defending the faith using logic, as is a book called I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist, uh, by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek.
[1:30:23]And uh, finally, the classic Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, which is a philosophical discussion of Christianity as the best possible explanation for the way that things are.
[1:30:45]Right? Now, there are many other good books and videos and resources on these topics. Right? Some are general, some are specifically focused on one particular issue, but but these five are just good places to start if you're kind of going, where would I even begin this? Uh, and they serve to just open the door to a wide range of topics and help us help point us in the right direction when it comes to specifics that you might be interested in. But we should, church, along with why we believe and what we believe, be able to, or be prepared with how we can believe in God in light of the challenges that we're we're opposed today. Now, this I'm not going to give as homework. You already have two things to do this week. But I'm going to offer you a few general resources that I would suggest for reading that speak into these issues from a Christian perspective and might help along the way. And the first, uh, the first resource that I suggest is a book called The Problem of God by Mark Clark. Um, and and this provides kind of a surface level discussion around 10 contemporary challenges.
