BULLETPROOF BELIEVERS

by Pastor Paul Naumann

Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. For "He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking guile; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. "And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled." 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. 

— I Peter 3:8-15

In the name of Jesus, who is Shield and Protector, Dear Fellow Redeemed,

As I was driving down the highway the other day, I met an armored car coming the other way. I imagine he was delivering a payroll, or transferring currency between banks, or something. It's common, in the larger cities, to see armored cars, but around here they're a pretty rare sight. I have to admit that, ever since I was a little kid, I've always gotten kind of a thrill when an armored car comes into view. Just the sight of one conjures up visions of exciting hold-ups and daring raids. The vehicles are equipped with bulletproof glass and thick steel plating. They have reinforced tires, and there are even slots for the guards inside to shoot through in case of a robbery attempt. An armored car is really a rolling fortress, and from top to bottom...it's designed to be bulletproof!

Did you ever think of yourself as being bulletproof? In a very real way you are! You're a believer who trusts in God for your physical and spiritual safety. He promises to protect your physical life, as in Psalm 91, "Surely He shall deliver you...You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day." But much more importantly, our Savior has disarmed the deadly power of sin to condemn us. As Paul said, "Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen." — Rom 8:34. In a way, God makes us "bulletproof," and that changes (or should change) the way we live. In what ways? Our text tells us several things about...

"BULLETPROOF BELIEVERS"

I. Being blessed, they can bless others. II. Being righteous, they can enjoy life. III. Following Jesus, they can be fearless. IV. Sanctifying God, they can be witnesses.

There's an expression people use to describe a person who's born into a wealthy family - a person who's had all the advantages of money since he was a child; do you know the cliche I'm talking about? They say, "He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth." In a way, Christians are "silver spoon" people, too. We have been born again through faith in God, most of us long ago, at the time of our baptism. That was a very "noble birth," and it carries with it a very special blessing. Yes, we Christians have it made! From the very beginning, our text says, we were "called to inherit a blessing." That blessing is better than money, better than social status — it's the blessing of eternal life! Earlier in this letter Peter says, "God...has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you..." — I Pet 1:3-4.

You believers are blessed with the bulletproof, foolproof, incorruptible inheritance of eternal life. You were called to receive this blessing, and Jesus blood guarantees it to you. And knowing that you are blessed allows you to bless your Christian brothers and sisters, too, in all the ways our text describes...by being "of one mind, having compassion for one another; loving as brothers, being tenderhearted, courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing." It's interesting that each of those words that describe how Christians feel toward one another occur only in this passage of the Bible. The bond between fellow believers is so unique, so warm, so close...it's almost as though Peter had to make up new words just to describe it! Because we are blessed ourselves, we "bulletproof believers" are able — and eager — to bless others.

Another thing about us believers - because we are righteous through Christ, we can enjoy life. After all, that's what everyone is after in our day, isn't it? To get happiness, and enjoy life. Unfortunately, so many people around us are looking for happiness in all the wrong places; they think that wealth, or glory, or pleasure, or love — or some combination of those things — will equal happiness. In our text, Peter gives us the real formula for happiness. Listen for the key word in the formula: he says, "He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking guile; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers."

The key word in there in "righteous". Only a "righteous" person is under the loving, protecting eyes of the Lord. Only the prayers of a righteous person are heard by Him. Only a righteous person is able to "refrain his tongue from evil, to turn away from evil and do good." Are you such a "righteous person?" You bet you are! Not because you've kept all the commandments — actually you've broken every single one. No...but you and I, and every single true believer, has a perfect righteousness — the righteousness of Christ! We can't lead perfect lives, but He did. We can't suffer to pay for our sins, but He could, and He did. This righteousness of Jesus is what makes us "bulletproof believers." It's our armor-plated shield that the worst sin cannot penetrate. Paul valued this righteousness so highly that he said he'd sacrifice anything in order to keep it, "I count all things as rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith." — Phlp 3:8-9. When we have this righteousness, our text says, we can enjoy life. We can "see good days," with a conscience cleared by our Savior. We are enabled to "turn away from evil and do good." We can "seek peace, and pursue it."

The third thing our text tells us about bulletproof believers is this: following Jesus, they can be fearless. Have you ever seen a bulletproof vest? They're getting to be standard equipment on police departments and law enforcement agencies around the country. They used to be big and bulky, but a new model — called the "Second Chance Vest" — makes use of a space age plastic material to make the garment lightweight and comfortable. A friend of mine in the local sheriff's dept. took one out to the range one day and shot at it from close range, but the bullets couldn't penetrate the amazing material. It's easy to see how wearing one of these could make a policeman feel fearless — or at least a lot safer than before!

The same is true about us. The fact that we are followers of Jesus...is like a bulletproof vest that protects us. But unlike a policeman, we know we're going to get shot at! Every time we turn around, Satan's loading up with high-powered rounds of sin and guilt and accusation, firing at us from all angles, at every opportunity. But as disciples of Christ, as followers of what is good, Peter tells us we have nothing to fear. He says, "And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?" The answer is obvious: nobody will harm us!

Does this mean that Christians will never suffer at the hands of the unbelieving world? No, and Peter admits it. But he goes on to say, "Even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. 'And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.'" Sometimes we suffer because we are Christians. People talk us down because we won't join in their secret lodges and anti-Christian societies. They say we're "stuck up" because we won't sacrifice the pure teachings of God's Word in order to join them in worship. A hundred other small indignities we suffer...for the sake of following Christ. Does it hurt? Yes! Will it harm us in the long run? No — in fact it gives the added blessing of strengthening our faith. This you can say about bulletproof believers: in following Jesus, they can be fearless!

One final thing we can say about them: by sanctifying God, they can be witnesses. Our text 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."

It's been many years ago now that a young minister's son named Gil Dodds came out of Nebraska to set the indoor track record for the mile, in Madison Square Garden. It was an amazing performance, but even more amazing was what the young man said as he stepped to the microphone after the race, "I thank the Lord for guiding me through the race, and seeing fit to let me win. I thank Him always for His guiding presence in my life." The crowd was hushed in the huge stadium. They hadn't heard anything like that before! This athelete had shown them something about the Christian faith, something that's true for us, as well: in order to be a witness to other people, you need to "sanctify God in your heart." That means to make God special and holy in your life. To clear out the central place in your heart, and reserve it for God alone. You can repeat Bible passages to people from memory all day long, but your witness won't be convincing unless you have taken God's Word to heart. When you believe God's Word — in it, rely on it — you are truly "hallowing His name." Then your faith will be a fire that people will see in your life and hear in your speech, and that fire will spread to their lives, too!

The other day I saw a newsreel about the Pope's visit to his home country, Poland. The clip showed him traveling down a street thronged with people, his hands uplifted, blessing the crowd. What made it look kind of comical was the vehicle he was riding in — a sort of modified golf cart, with a high, bulletproof dome protecting the pontif from would-be assailants. You and I, of course, don't travel with that kind of protection. The protection that we need — for our bodies and our souls — comes from God alone. And, for Jesus' sake, it is very good protection indeed. In fact, it's protection that God uses to make us what we were called to be — bulletproof believers! Amen.