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Today on Bold Steps, Pastor Mark Jobe shows us how to tear down the walls that separate us from God. Have you ever felt like an outsider? Maybe you’ve moved to a new neighborhood … started a new job … or maybe you’ve started at a new school? You may feel like you’re on one side of a wall and everyone else is on the other. Mark is going to be talking about how we can break down the walls that separate us. In Ephesians 2, the apostle Paul reminds us that we need to be actively taking steps to bring down the separators that divide us.

Bold Step Gift: Lies Boys Believe: And The Epic Quest For Truth

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Hebrews Chapter 4 discusses the concept of “rest” as a metaphor

for salvation and eternal life with God. It explains that just as God

rested on the seventh day, believers are invited to enter into God’s

rest through faith in Christ. The chapter warns against the dangers

of unbelief and disobedience, which prevented the Israelites from

entering their promised rest. It emphasizes the power of God’s

word and introduces Jesus as our sympathetic high priest.

“May we invite you to be the main speaker in our nationwide church leadership conference?” After Jose read the invitation from the renowned organization, he replied, “Please let me pray about it first.” Later, when he turned down the offer, he told a friend, “I knew God was calling me to editorial work on a mission’s project, and the speaking engagement would take time and energy away from that. I said no so I can do what God wants me to do.”

What God wants me to do─that was Jose’s priority, determining his decision. Jesus also made God’s purpose His priority. The morning after healing many in Capernaum who were sick and demon-possessed, Jesus went to a solitary place to pray (Mark 1:32-35). The disciples came, saying, “Everyone is looking for you!” (v. 37). Some of those seeking Him were likely requesting healing. Jesus, however, didn’t allow urgency or His sudden popularity to determine what He’d do next. “Let us go . . . to the nearby villages,” He said, “so I can preach there also. That is why I have come” (v. 38). Jesus followed His priority—a ministry that covered the rest of Galilee, and one that included preaching (v. 38).

How may we know God’s purpose for us? We can approach Him in prayer, be led by His Word and seek counsel from people who uphold His ways. Let’s spend our life doing what God wants us to do.

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: 1 Peter 3

As Christians, we are instructed to keep the faith and give it away. We must be ready to give an account for what makes us different. We must learn how to answer a skeptic.

1 Peter 3:15 says, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear…”

There are four basic propositions that can help us when giving an account for our faith.

First, forego the folly of fools.

Foolishness isn’t a lack of knowledge, rather it is evidence of moral depravity. A fool is not an honest doubter, he is simply hostile toward the truth. When someone shows himself to be a fool, we should not argue with him; we should tell him what God says and go our way.

Second, we need to learn the limits of logic.

To give a defense for our faith does not mean to apologize; it means to give an answer as one would give in a court of law. We know creation’s complex design speaks of God’s existence, as does the moral law of the universe. But we must keep in mind that while logic is a very valuable tool, it can only take us so far in answering a skeptic.

We must also remember the resource of revelation.

If we want to know God, He must reveal Himself to us.

2 Peter 1:19 says, “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts…” God knows we need help understanding Scripture, so the Holy Spirit shines it into our dark hearts, giving us the light to see.

Adrian Rogers says, “The Holy Spirit takes the curtain of your skepticism and He pulls it aside, pins it with a star of hope, and floods your heart with Gospel light.”

Finally, fortify the force of faith.

We are witnesses of His existence because of what He has done in our lives.

Apply it to your life

Are you prepared to give an answer for the hope in you? When Jesus is real to us and is sanctified in our hearts, we can answer skeptics with meekness and fear.