Know What You Believe - Part 1 | Ps. Darren Lim

The early church faced a real battle for faith because false teachers mixed eloquent words with extra rules, regulations, and error. Peter calls believers to set apart Christ as Lord and be ready to give an answer for the hope they have, with gentleness and respect. The Christian life cannot stay spiritually immature, because everything starts in the mind and then moves into attitudes and actions. God’s revealed Word gives believers what He wants them to think, and true doctrine leads to true living.

The Bible stands as the first foundation. Scripture is God-breathed, verbally and completely inspired, without error in its original writings, and authoritative for faith and conduct. The Bible reveals God, humanity’s fall, salvation, and God’s plan for the ages. This book is God’s love letter, and believers need to love it, read it, study it, absorb it, meditate on it, and respect it.

The triune God eternally exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is personal, sovereign, perfect, infinite, eternal, holy, loving, wise, and powerful. The Trinity may not be a word found in Scripture, but the truth of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit appears throughout Scripture. Faith accepts what the human mind cannot fully understand, because God has revealed Himself clearly enough for His people to trust Him.

Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, born of a virgin, sinless in life, and the only hope of salvation. Christ humbled Himself, took human flesh, died as the spotless sacrifice for sin, rose bodily on the third day, ascended to heaven, and intercedes for His people. Christ will also personally and visibly return for His church.

The Holy Spirit is not merely an influence but a person and fully God. The Spirit has intellect, emotions, knowledge, and will; He convicts, regenerates, sanctifies, empowers, teaches, and guides believers. The Spirit will never contradict the Word He inspired.

Angels are created ministering spirits sent by God, not dead people with wings and not beings to worship. Satan and fallen angels remain real enemies, but Satan was defeated at Calvary and will face final judgment. Christ in believers is greater than the one in the world, so believers must resist the devil by spending regular time with God, staying accountable, and refusing to give Satan an avenue in their lives. Christian doctrine matters because believers need to know what they believe, discern truth from error, and give a clear answer when challenged.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Know what you believe clearly. Christian faith cannot rest only on knowing that heaven is secure. God desires believers to grow beyond the starting point of salvation into a settled understanding of His truth. Clear doctrine helps believers recognize when impressive words are actually pulling them away from Christ. [37:16]
• 2. Scripture remains the final authority. The Bible does not merely offer helpful religious thoughts. God breathed out Scripture to teach, correct, rebuke, train, and equip His people for every good work. Every claim, feeling, teacher, and spiritual experience must be tested by what God has already spoken. [43:34]
• 3. Christ alone secures salvation. Jesus Christ became the God-man without ceasing to be God, lived without sin, and offered Himself as the spotless sacrifice sinners needed. His death was not simply an example of love but the payment in full for sin. His bodily resurrection confirms that sin and death do not get the final word. [55:36]
• 4. The Spirit personally guides believers. The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force that Christians can manipulate or ignore. He indwells believers as helper, teacher, guide, and giver of gifts for building Christ’s body. Reliance on the Spirit must remain tied to Scripture, because the Spirit never contradicts the book He inspired. [63:25]
• 5. Satan is defeated, but still fights. Satan works hard to make believers fall, grow lazy, neglect prayer, avoid fellowship, and leave God’s Word closed. Yet the Holy Spirit within believers is greater than the one in the world. Regular time with God is not an optional bonus but a necessary defense in a real spiritual battle.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [32:58] - Opening Prayer and Birthday Thanks
• [34:13] - The Early Church and False Teaching
• [36:56] - Know What You Believe
• [38:10] - One Truth and True Doctrine
• [42:26] - Bibliology: The Bible
• [48:17] - Theology: The Triune God
• [53:32] - Christology: Jesus Christ
• [59:17] - Pneumatology: The Holy Spirit
• [65:47] - Angelology: Angels and Satan
• [72:15] - Spiritual Battle and Daily Time With God
• [77:03] - Discern Truth From Error
• [83:10] - Final Challenge and Prayer

Bible Reading

1 Peter 3:15
“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.” [36:56]

2 Timothy 3:16-17
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” [43:34]

Philippians 2:5-8
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” [55:36]

Observation questions

1. In 1 Peter 3:15, what are believers told to set apart in their hearts, and how are they to respond when someone asks about their hope? [36:56]
2. According to 2 Timothy 3:16–17, what are the four ways Scripture is useful, and what is its intended result in the life of God’s servant? [43:34]
3. In Philippians 2:5–8, what does Jesus do even though He has the nature of God, and how far does His humility lead Him?
4. What descriptions were given of the Holy Spirit that show He is a person rather than merely an influence? [01:02:51]

Interpretation questions

1. Why does setting apart Christ as Lord need to come before giving an answer for the hope a believer has? How might a person’s attitude affect whether that answer is heard with gentleness and respect? [37:09]
2. If Scripture equips believers for every good work, what does that suggest about the place of God’s Word when a popular teacher, cultural message, or personal feeling disagrees with it? [47:39]
3. Philippians 2 presents Jesus as fully divine and yet willingly humble. Why is both His full deity and His true humanity necessary for understanding His saving work? [55:36]
4. Why is it important that the Holy Spirit never contradicts the Word He inspired? How does this protect believers from confusing their own desires with God’s guidance? [01:04:24]

Application questions

1. If someone asked this week, “Why do you have hope?” how clearly could you answer? What part of your faith in Christ would be easiest to explain, and what part would you want to understand better? [01:20:47]
2. What is one specific way you can give God’s Word a more regular place in your week—reading, studying, memorizing, or meditating—and what could help you follow through? [01:20:22]
3. Jesus humbled Himself and became obedient to death. Where might pride, comfort, or the desire to be recognized make it difficult for you to take on the attitude of Christ?
4. When you sense a need for guidance, how do you usually respond? What would it look like to pause, pray, and test your thoughts or impressions against Scripture rather than simply following your feelings? [01:04:02]
5. What distractions most often weaken your time with God—busyness, fatigue, entertainment, worry, or something else? What practical change could help you guard that time this week? [01:12:15]
6. Is there a trusted believer who can help you stay accountable when your mind is wandering or you are becoming spiritually lazy? What could honest encouragement and accountability look like in that relationship? [01:13:42]