Reason For Hope - 1 Peter 3

1 Peter chapter 3 verse 8 to 17 and the page is 1219.

1 Peter 3:8–17

1 Peter chapter 3 verse 8 to 17.

1 Peter 3:8–17

So the title over it is Suffering for Doing Good.

Finally, all of you be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.

Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult.

On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called, so that you may inherit a blessing.

For whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech.

They must turn from evil and do good.

They must seek peace and pursue it.

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their prayer.

But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?

But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.

Do not fear their threats.

Do not be frightened.

But in your hearts, reverber Christ as Lord.

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

But do this with gentleness and respect,

keeping a clear conscience,

so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

For it is better, if it is God's will,

to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

Amen.

Thanks, Mary.

Let's pray together.

Father, thank you for your word.

Thank you for its truth.

Thank you that we have it written down, recorded for us today in our own language,

so that we can read about you,

and by your Holy Spirit come to know you and love you.

And we pray that as we look at your word afresh today,

that it would give us a greater confidence in what we believe.

A greater confidence to share Christ with others.

A greater confidence as we face a world that does not want to know or want to listen.

Father, equip us and bless us, we ask.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Well, according to the latest report on global persecution by the organization Open Doors,

one in every 12 Christians in the world lives in an area or in a culture in which Christianity is illegal, forbidden, or punished.

That's about 215 million people.

Each month, the report tells us that 322 Christians are killed for their faith.

214 churches and church properties are destroyed.

722 forms of violence are committed against Christians,

such as beatings, abductions, rapes, arrests, and forced marriage.

It actually reflects what it was like when Peter wrote this first letter.

If you were a Christian in the first century, well, then it was not a safe place to be.

And for many Christians living today, it's not an easy place to live.

And while we might not live in a country where following Jesus is illegal or forbidden or punished,

we are living in a society which is increasingly hostile towards those who would say they're Christians.

As we stand up for Christian values, as we speak out for Christian truth,

we will get reaction, we will get hit.

Peter reminds us of this right at the beginning of his letter.

Look at chapter 1, verse 6.

Chapter 1, verse 6.

In all this you greatly rejoice.

So he's been talking about some of the blessings we have.

Though now, for a little while,

while you may have had to suffer grief,

in all kinds of trials.

So as Christians, we will face all kinds of trials.

And some of these trials, if you jump to chapter 4, verse 12,

is the trial of suffering for being a Christian.

Chapter 4, verse 12.

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you

to test you as though something strange were happening to you.

You see, as pressure continues in our society today

to repeal, for example, the Eighth Amendment,

so there is an increased intolerance towards any other view.

If you speak out for the rights of the unborn,

you will be slandered and isolated.

And as society rejects the claim that Jesus is the truth,

so there is greater hostility towards Christianity.

If you stand for what you believe,

you will be marginalised and pushed out.

And that's really the theme of chapter 3

and the reading we had.

Turn to chapter 3, verse 9.

Verse 9 is saying to us that if we are Christians,

you will suffer insult.

Or look at verse 14.

If we are Christians, you will face threats.

If you are a Christian, verse 16,

there will be those who speak maliciously against you.

You see, to stand up for Christian values,

to speak out the Christian truth,

it will be tough, it will be difficult.

So how do we live in a world that is hostile to Christ and his church?

And again, as Peter wrote this letter at the beginning of the first century,

for the first 250 years,

it was dangerous to be a Christian.

You were either removed from where you lived

and displaced somewhere else.

You could be locked up.

You could be fed to the lions.

You could be crucified.

So Peter is well placed

to tell us how he can help us

to be a faithful witness

in what can be a difficult situation.

So three things we're going to look at.

First,

do not fear those who threaten you.

Do not fear those who threaten you.

Look at verse 13.

Who is going to harm you

if you are eager to do good?

But even if you should suffer for what is right,

you are blessed.

Do not fear their threats.

Do not be frightened.

Now I get frightened all the time as a Christian.

I fear that if I speak out for Jesus,

if I stand for what the Bible teaches,

I fear that people will think I'm a little bit odd,

strange,

that I'll be talked about.

But the thing that I fear most of all

is that I will lose my friends

because I love my friends

and I want to keep them.

And you might fear that

if you associate with Christians,

you might be insulted or laughed at.

So for a more easier and more comfortable life,

well,

when we're in the company of our friends,

we just keep quiet.

Why rock the boat?

Why say something

that they might take as offensive?

But,

it tells us in verse 14,

do not fear their threats.

Don't be frightened.

Don't be frightened about what people might say.

Literally,

literally,

don't be intimidated.

Well, you say,

that's much easier said than done.

It's easier,

easy to read these sorts of things.

But,

we do fear what people think of us.

But,

there is no need to fear.

And the beginning of 14

gives us the reason why we don't need to fear.

But,

even if you should suffer for what is right,

you are blessed.

Peter wants us to know

that if we are Christians,

in the midst of facing threats,

we are really blessed.

And what's the blessing

that he's talking about?

Well,

go back to chapter 1,

verse 3.

We,

we read it at the beginning.

Let's read these verses again.

Chapter 1,

verse 3.

These are the blessings

that we have

if we are followers of the Lord Jesus.

Praise be to the God and Father

of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In his great mercy,

he has given us new birth

into a living hope

through the resurrection of Jesus Christ

from the dead

and into an inheritance

that can never perish,

spoil,

or fade.

This inheritance

is kept in heaven for you

who,

through faith,

are shielded by God's power

until the coming of the salvation

that is ready to be revealed

in the last time.

These are the blessings

that we have received.

we have new birth,

a new beginning,

a fresh start.

And that new birth

leads into a living hope.

Not a dead hope,

but a present

and an alive hope.

And that leads us

into an eternal inheritance.

And did you notice

what God has promised

to his people

about this inheritance?

Look at the end of verse 4.

This inheritance

is kept in heaven for you.

But not only that,

verse 5,

who through faith

are shielded by God's power.

So,

this inheritance

is kept for us by God

and we are kept

for this inheritance

by God.

He keeps the inheritance

for us

and He keeps us

for that inheritance.

Nothing

can take us

away from that inheritance

and no one

can take us away

from that inheritance.

God

keeps us

and He shields us

by our power.

So,

by His power.

So,

people can say

what they like,

they can think

what they like,

they can do

what they like

because

we are truly blessed.

This is what

keeps us

being faithful

in our witness

when we face

opposition

or face threats.

Open Doors,

what I mentioned

just now

in their report

at the beginning

of this year,

said that in North Korea

there are

an estimated

300,000 followers

of Jesus.

If discovered

as a Christian

not only

are you

imported

to labour camps

as a political

criminal

or even

killed on the spot,

your families

will share

in their same fate

as well.

Or in Yemen,

which just has

a few thousand

believers,

all Christians

in that country

experience

persecution

for their faith.

Believers

face detention

and interrogation

by authorities

and death threats

from their families

and radical

Islamic groups.

Or in Somalia,

in East Africa,

where there are

just a few hundred

Christians,

upon discovery,

if they find out

you are a believer,

you are very often

killed right on the spot

there and then.

Believers are also

persecuted by their

families and their

communities.

Now think about

a believer living

in one of these

countries.

What keeps these

Christians talking

about Jesus

when it's not

safe?

Well,

they've got an

inheritance

that nothing

and no one

can take from

them.

Yes,

they can be

imprisoned.

Yes,

their families

may turn their

backs on them.

At worst,

they will be

killed.

But even if

they should

lose their

life,

it will mean

they receive

their promised

inheritance.

So can you

see how we

do not need

to fear the

threats of

others?

Yes,

you may become

unpopular.

You mightn't be

liked by your

friends.

You might even

miss out on a

job opportunity.

You might even

be shunned by

your family.

But whatever

we may lose

in this life,

remember the

blessings that

we have.

We have new

birth, a

living hope,

into an

inheritance that

can never ever

perish, spoil

or fade.

And this

inheritance is

kept for us

and we are

kept for this

inheritance.

So when we

go to work

tomorrow,

when we head

off to college,

when we hang

out with our

friends, read

the words of

verse 14,

do not fear

their threats.

Do not be

frightened.

We have this

incredible blessing

from God.

So first,

do not fear

their threats.

Second,

speak hope

to those

who ask

you.

Speak hope

to those

who ask

you.

Verse 15,

but in

your hearts

revere

Christ

as Lord.

So,

verse 14,

don't fear

others.

Don't be

worried about

what they'll

say or what

they'll do.

Instead,

revere

Christ

as Lord.

Because of

the blessings

we have

received from

Christ,

we revere

him.

That is,

we honour

him.

We submit

to him.

What a

great and

glorious God

we have.

He is our

Lord.

He rules

over our

life.

He rose

again from

the grave.

He controls

our eternal

destiny.

How could we

not revere

him and

turn to

him?

So as we

revere

him, we

want to

live lives

that please

him.

In our

work, we

want to

live for

him with

our

friends.

We want

to speak

up for

him.

So the

rest of

verse 15,

as we

revere

Christ,

always be

prepared to

give an

answer to

everyone who

asks you to

give the

reason for

the hope

that you

have.

Now there's

three things

here in

verse 15

that we

want to

look at.

first,

always be

prepared to

give an

answer.

To give

an answer

is simply

to give

a reason

for why

we believe

what we

believe.

It's where

we get the

word apologetics

from.

It's about

making a

defense of

our faith,

an apology,

explaining the

reasonableness of

what we

believe,

that it's

true and

it's

dependable.

So let

me ask,

if you are

a Christian,

why do

you believe

what you

believe?

I wonder,

could you

explain it?

If somebody

challenged you,

could you

defend it?

What if

someone comes

up to you

and says,

you know,

this Bible,

well,

it's all

made up.

It's just

a collection

of stories

all about

this person

called Jesus

who never

really existed?

How would

you answer

somebody like

that?

Well,

we could

point to

2 Peter

2 Peter 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1.

Have a look

at 2 Peter

2 Peter 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1.

You see,

we mustn't

forget that

when these

letters were

written,

there were

lots of

skeptics and

doubters around

just like there

are today and

say, well,

how could you

believe any

of these

things?

And so

Peter would

give evidence

to show

that we

can believe.

So in

some ways

he's responding

to some of

the challenges

that may be

put to him.

So chapter 1

verse 16,

he says,

for we did

not follow

cleverly devised

stories when

we told you

about the

coming of

our Lord

Jesus Christ

in power,

but we

were eyewitnesses

of his

majesty.

Remember

Ralph read

from John's

gospel,

they were

also eyewitnesses.

Verse 17,

he received

honour and

glory from

God the

Father when

the voice

came to

him from

the majestic

glory saying,

this is my

son whom I

love,

with him I

am well

pleased.

So he's

talking there

about the

transfiguration

and Peter is

saying,

verse 18,

we ourselves

heard this

voice that

came from

heaven when

we were

with him

on the

sacred

mountain.

You see,

Peter was

there,

he saw,

he heard,

he touched

and he's

writing up

these accounts

for us and

people are

saying,

well how do

we know

it's true?

Well he's

saying,

go and

check out

the eyewitnesses,

go and

ask them

what they

thought and

what they

saw.

It was

all recorded.

Let me

read to

you.

something from

a little

book called

Truth Matters,

which is a

very helpful

book.

Richard

Bochum

wrote a

book called

Jesus and

the Eyewitnesses.

He argues,

for example,

that many of

the eyewitnesses

to Jesus'

life,

death and

resurrection

were still

in wide

active

circulation

and

the

first

years

and

were

able

to

function

as

trusted,

authoritative

sources and

guardians of

the tradition,

a commonly

revered

practice and

presence in

oral societies.

Even as

advancing age

took them away

from the

living community,

the wide range

of years in

which the

early church

was populated

with some

combination of

either first

hand observers

of Christ,

elders that

sat personally

at their feet,

and the

disciples of

those who

had heard

these accounts

of Jesus

from an

original source

stretches well

into the

second century.

So you see,

what we have

is not made

up.

They are

eyewitnesses

accounts that

could be checked

from people who

were there and

as they passed

it on one to

another, they

could investigate

for themselves.

So are you

able to

explain what

you believe and

why you believe

and have a

defence for

the truth?

And let me

encourage you at

this time as

well, why don't

you come?

In all seriousness,

come to

NBC this week.

The whole

theme is on

the topic of

apologetics.

Come for an

evening just to

find out maybe

you would stay

for more.

We must all

be prepared

to give

an answer.

Second,

always be

prepared to

give an

answer to

everyone who

asks you.

You see,

if somebody

is going to

ask you

about your

faith and

what you

believe,

it implies

that you

must be

living a

life that

is so

different

that people

are looking

at you and

watching you

and they're

intrigued about

the way you

live your

life.

And so

they begin

to ask

you

questions.

Go back

to 1 Peter

1 Peter 2:11

chapter 2

verse 11.

1 Peter

1 Peter 2:11

chapter 2

verse 11.

Dear friends,

I urge you

as foreigners

and exiles,

so strangers

who live in

the world,

to abstain

from sinful

desires which

war against

your soul.

Live such

good lives

among the

pagans,

among those

who do not

believe,

that though

they accuse

you of

doing wrong,

they may

see your

good deeds

and glorify

God on

the day

he visits

us.

You see,

our life

is in

itself to

be an

apologetic

for the

gospel.

People should

be able to

look at our

lives and

see a

difference,

a life that

backs up

the message

that we

seek to

tell.

And people

will begin

to ask

questions like,

well,

why do you

do good to

those who

hurt you?

Why is it

that you

never seem

to get

angry?

Why is it

that you

respond in

kindness even

when you've

been wronged?

Why do you

respect your

boss even

when he

disrespects

and mistreats

you?

you?

Why is it

that you

still love

your spouse

even when

they treat

you like

that?

Why do

you repay,

nor why do

you not

repay,

evil with

evil and

insult with

insult?

Why is it

that you

don't sleep

with your

boyfriend or

your girlfriend?

You see,

if we're

followers of

Jesus,

our lives

will be so

shaped by

the gospel,

our life

will be a

living example

and apologetic

for the gospel

and people

will see and

begin to ask,

why is it

that you're

like this?

Always be

prepared to

give an

answer to

everyone who

asks of

you.

And then

third,

always be

prepared to

give an

answer to

everyone who

asks you to

give the

reason for

the hope

you have.

But what is

this hope

that we

have?

What is

this hope

that causes

us to

live so

differently?

Well,

remember back

in chapter

1 verse

3,

it is this

living hope

through the

resurrection of

Jesus Christ

from the

dead.

This is not

a dead

hope,

this is an

alive hope,

a hope that

shapes how we

live our life

today and

shapes how we

view the

future.

hope in

the Bible

is not

wishful

thinking.

It is

rock solid,

unshakable and

dependable

certainty of

our future.

In other

words,

our hope is

guaranteed by

the historical

fact that

Jesus Christ

rose again

from the

dead.

And this

certain hope

shapes and

affects how

we live.

It gives

meaning to

our life as

we face

into difficulty,

as we face

death, as we

face hardships.

we've got

this hope.

And it

changes

everything.

Listen

again to

a quote

from the

book.

This is a

quote actually

from Tim

Keller and

he says

this,

each year

at Easter

I get to

preach on

the resurrection.

resurrection.

In my

sermon I

always say

to my

skeptical

and secular

friends that

even if they

can't believe

in the

resurrection,

they should

want it to

be true.

Most of

them care

deeply about

justice for

the poor,

alleviating

hunger and

disease and

caring for

the environment.

Yet many

of them

believe that

the material

world was

caused by

an accident

and that

the world

and everything

in it will

eventually

simply burn

up in the

death of

the sun.

They find it

discouraging

that so few

people care

about justice

without realizing

that their

own worldview

undermines

any motivation

to make the

world a better

place.

Why sacrifice

for the needs

of others

if in the

end nothing

we do

will make

any difference?

If the

resurrection

of Jesus

happened

however

that means

there is

infinite hope

and reason

to pour

ourselves out

for the

needs

of the

world.

You see

if the

resurrection

isn't

true

we have

come from

nowhere

we are

going

nowhere

and there is

no shape

or meaning

or purpose

to life

today

but because

we have a

resurrection

hope

we can

live our

lives in

service

towards others

and give

our life

to all kinds

of good

things

because it

counts

because Jesus

is risen

because Jesus

is alive

I have

hope

unshakable

hope for

today

and hope

for all

eternity

so first

do not

fear those

who threaten

you

second

speak

hope

to those

who ask

you

and then

third

respond

gently

to those

who are

against

you

look at the

rest of

verse 15

chapter

1 Peter

1 Peter 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3

end of

verse 15

but do

this

with

gentleness

and respect

keeping a

clear conscience

so that

those who

speak

maliciously

against

your good

behaviour

in Christ

may be

ashamed

of their

slander

look if

we're going

to be

people

who want

to talk

about

Jesus

then our

words

and our

behaviour

must reflect

the Jesus

we want

people to

know

how can

we talk

to people

about

forgiveness

if I

hold a

grudge

how can

I talk

about

grace

if I

ostracise

those who

wrong me

how can

I talk

about

a loving

God

but never

invite

somebody

into my

home

you see

how we

live

and what

we say

really

matters

one author

put it

like this

Christians

need to

look like

what they're

talking about

what communicates

now is

personal

authenticity

the gospel

message must

not just be

heard

it must be

seen and

demonstrated

in the way

that we

live and

talk

look at the

end of verse

15 again

we are to

do this

we are to

speak

give a

reason for

the hope

that we

have

with

gentleness

and respect

that means

not being

insistent on

your rights

or demanding

your own

way or

having this

great

argument that

kind of

clatters

everybody else

essentially it's

actually calling

us to be

just like

Christ

have a look

back at

chapter 2

verse 20

here is the

example of

Jesus

chapter 2

verse 20

how is it

to your

credit

if you

receive a

beating for

doing wrong

and endure

it

but if you

suffer for

doing good

and you

endure it

this is

commendable

before God

to this

you were

called

because Christ

suffered for

you

leaving you

an example

that you

should follow

in his

footsteps

he committed

no sin

and no

deceit was

found in

his mouth

when they

hurled their

insults at

him

he didn't

retaliate

when he

suffered

he made

no threats

instead he

entrusted

himself to

him who

judges

justly

you see

if we're

insulted

well

I don't

need to

retaliate

if you

suffered

from

somebody

we don't

need to

make threats

in return

we don't

have to

get back

at people

we respond

with gentleness

and respect

why

because we

entrust our

life to

him who

judges

justly

I don't

have to

repay

insult

with insult

I don't

have to

get back

at others

God

is just

and he

will sort

everything

out

he will

hold me

account

and he

will hold

everybody

else to

account

so instead

I must

simply pray

that I

will become

more like

Christ

in my

behaviour

and in

the way

that I

speak

to others

you see

how we

respond

and how

we speak

really

matters

look at the

rest chapter

3

verse 16

keeping a

clear conscience

so that

those who

speak

maliciously

against your

good behaviour

in Christ

may be

ashamed of

their slander

in other words

as people

see your

life

as they

hear your

words

as they

watch how

you respond

they will

be convicted

of how

they treated

you

and it

may cause

them to

turn to

Christ

let me

illustrate this

with two

stories

one is a

bad example

the second

one is a

good example

you may

have heard

me say

this

before

but

in my

neighbourhood

where we

live in

our little

cul-de-sac

we got

something wrong

or rather

I got

something wrong

with one

of the

neighbours

and it

caused

offence

to them

it was

my fault

and I

went to

go and

see them

about

something

else

and

knocked

on the

door

and they

came to

the door

and they

were really

quite

cross

and this

is what

they said

and you

call

yourself

a

Christian

I'd

never

said to

them

I'm

a

Christian

but they

said you

call

yourself

a

Christian

and you

did

that

you see

how we

behave

and what

we say

really

matters

it

affects

people

that's

the bad

example

of

living

the wrong

kind of

life

and saying

the wrong

kind of

thing

here's

a good

example

I have

a friend

who grew

up

a pretty

rough

life

on one

occasion

he told

me

that

somebody

was

running

after

him

and he

threw

a gas

bottle

back down

on top

of them

and I

said

well what

happened

he said

I don't

know

he never

came back

again

so that

was the

kind of

character

he was

he didn't

have time

for

Christians

no time

at all

but he

ended up

working

for a

Christian

and

just

observed

the person

had talked

to them

about

Christ

but

for him

didn't

want to

know

but he

observed

something

that

happened

there was

an accident

in the

kitchen

there was

a big

mess

and the

person he

was working

for

they

didn't

say

anything

they were

completely

calm

they didn't

explode in

anger

or

expletives

or anything

else

like that

that

was the

actual

turning

point

for

Barry

becoming

a

Christian

Barry

now

works

in

Nicaragua

runs a

Christian

school

seeking to

reach out

to the

community

there

one

simple

tiny

act

in a

kitchen

used

by God

to begin

the process

of changing

somebody's

life

you see

what I

say

what you

say

how we

live

really

matters

it may

cause

people

to be

convicted

of how

they

treat

you

and it

may cause

them

to turn

to

Christ

so as

we

go into

a new

week

as we

will meet

again with

our work

colleagues

hang out

with our

friends

go to

school

wherever

we are

as we

think about

sharing

Christ

don't fear

their threats

don't be

afraid

we have

this wonderful

blessing

inheritance

that can

never perish

spoil or

fade

what can

they do

to you

speak

hope

to those

who ask

of you

and respond

gently

to those

who are

against you

live

credible

godly

Christ

like

lives

in the

world

in which

we

live

let's

pray

that god

will enable

us to

do that

well

father

thank you

for

your

word

for

its

truth

thank you

that it

is

dependable

thank you

that we

have

a

certain

hope

hope

the

hope

of the

resurrection

from the

grave

life

with you

today

and life

for all

eternity

father

would you

give to

each

person

here

today

opportunity

to be

able to

speak

of that

hope

to be

able to

bring that

hope into

the darkness

to be able

to speak

of jesus

father help

us that we

would not

fear what

people say

help us to

revere the

lord

change us

to be more

like christ

so that our

behavior and

our words

reflect him

in all that

we say

and do

and we

pray that you

would give us

confidence

and courage

to speak

up

and to

stand up

for the

lord jesus

and we

pray father

that through

our lives

as weak

and as

failing as

we so

often are

that by

your holy

spirit you

would be at

work within

us

leading more

and more

people to

the lord

jesus christ

help us

we pray

in jesus

name

amen

we're going

to sing

which is a

rallying cry

i guess