March 22, 2026 The Impossible Life

Living the Impossible Life Through Christ’s Power  Mar 22, 2026  Summary  The Impossible Life Made Possible  Scripture References  • 1 Peter 2:13–25  • Matthew 5 

Key Points / Exposition  

1. The Christian Life Is Humanly Impossible  • Christ’s standard (e.g., Matthew 5, the Beatitudes) far exceeds natural ability.  • Peter himself failed spectacularly (denials at the cross) proving that sincerity alone is insufficient.  • Sense of guilt and shame often drives believers into frantic “church activity” rather than genuine transformation.  

2. God’s Provision: The Indwelling Holy Spirit  • Jesus restored Peter and promised power from the Spirit; only the Spirit enables believers to live Christ’s life.  • Spiritual victory is not a constant feeling but a moment-by-moment empowerment whenever the believer yields.  

3. Submission as the Hallmark of Spirit-Empowered Living  • Word study: “submit” (Gk. hupotassō) – to line up in rank under a commander.  • Areas addressed by Peter:  • Government (2:13–17): honor all, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.  • Workplace/household servants (2:18–20): obey even unjust masters without using Christian freedom “as a cloak for vice.”  • Model: Christ, who “committed no sin,” did not retaliate, and entrusted Himself to the Father (2:21–23).  

4. Historical Illustration—Pliny the Younger & Trajan  • Early 2nd-century governor of Bithynia consulted Emperor Trajan on how to prosecute Christians.  • Christians were executed if they refused to curse Christ; freed if they complied.  • Demonstrates the context of Peter’s readers and the costliness of submission.  

5. Practical Portrait of Christlike Suffering  • Christ bore our sins so we might “die to sin and live to righteousness” (2:24).  • By His stripes believers are healed and returned to the “Shepherd and Overseer” of their souls (2:25).  

6. Contemporary Case Study—Lee Strobel’s Journey from Atheism to Faith  • Strobel investigated Christianity after his wife’s conversion; interviewed former evangelist-turned-atheist Charles Templeton.  • Formulated eight major objections (evil, miracles, evolution, exclusivity, hell, church violence, etc.) later addressed in The Case for Faith.  

Conclusion: acknowledging life’s impossibilities led Strobel to Christ, the only adequate answer. 

Authentic discipleship begins by admitting impossibility and embracing divine enablement.  

• Submission is not weakness but alignment with God’s order; it silences ignorance and testifies to the gospel. 

 • Suffering unjustly can be redemptive when entrusted to God, mirroring Christ’s own path.  

• Intellectual doubts can be gateways to deeper faith when approached honestly.  

Practical Application  

• Daily yield: consciously surrender will, desires, and reactions to the Spirit.   

• Obey civil laws—even when you are part of the “49 %” who disagree.  

• Serve employers or authorities with integrity, refusing retaliation.  

• Replace guilt-driven busyness with Spirit-led obedience.  

• The sermon culminates in the invitation to trade self-effort for Spirit-empowered living.  

• Believers are urged to confess areas where they resist submission and ask God to make the impossible possible.  

Prayer 

 Pastor prayed that the Holy Spirit would become vivid and active, granting power in moments of weakness, filling the congregation with joy and peace as they walk out Christ’s life.  

References & Resources  

Lee Strobel, The Case for Faith  

Historical correspondence: Pliny the Younger to Emperor Trajan (c. A.D. 112)