Pastor's Message, June 14 2015 - I'm Longing For The World to Know...

June 14th

 

I’m Longing for the World to Know the Glory of the King!

(1 Peter 3:13-17)

One of the greatest tragedies in the twentieth century was the sinking of the Titanic.  This large ship hit an iceberg and many people died as a result.  Did you also know that most of the lifeboats that helped saved people from death were only half filled?  They were unwilling to turn back and save more people from dying.

If you knew someone that the doctors had said that they didn’t have long to live – would you share Christ with them?  This morning who do you know that needs Christ?

Today there is an escalating hostility toward biblical Christianity throughout Western culture. But the roots of that hostility are decades, even centuries, old.

Believers in Peter’s time lived in Rome, facing all the same kind of immorality, corruption, wickedness, evil and depravity that assaults today’s church as well.

In some parts of the world there is direct persecution of believers, and it is likely that in the coming years Christians everywhere will face increasing hostility, both from civil authorities and from unbelievers at the personal level. This passage (1 Peter 3:13-17) that we are going to look at today speaks to all who would live godly lives in the midst of a hostile, ungodly culture. 

1 Peter 3:13-17 (NASB)

(13) Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? (14) But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, (15) but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; (16) and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. (17) For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong. 

The apostle Peter gives us five principles that we as believers need to embrace to equip and defend ourselves against the threats of an unbelieving, hostile world:

Principle #1 - A Passion for Goodness!

1 Peter 3:13

Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? 

Peter’s rhetorical question shows that it is unusual for most people, even those hostile to Christianity, to harm believers who prove zealous for what is good.  Good refers generally to a life characterized by generosity, unselfishness, kindness, and thoughtfulness toward one another 

Prove means “to become” and points to believers’ basic character quality, which should be good and above reproach

Zealous means “intensity” or “enthusiasm” and describes a person with great passion for a specific cause. Peter wanted his readers to be zealots for what was good.

Being zealous for what is good produces a godly life.  This should be the delight and goal of all believers.  This kind of life leads to pure living and the loss of one’s appetite for the world’s ungodly attractions.

So the first principle Peter laid out was - A Passion for Goodness!

Principle #2 - A Willingness to Suffer— for Wrong and for Right!

1 Peter 3:14, 17

 (14) But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled,

(17) For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong. 

Jesus Himself made it clear that believers cannot presume to escape all suffering.

Luke 6:22 (NASB)

Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man.

John 15:20 (NASB)

Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.

Many Christians in the early church did suffer for the sake of righteousness.

Likewise, faithful Christians today should not be surprised or afraid if such suffering happens, because that becomes a means by which we are blessed.

We as believers can have the same sense of privilege by sharing in His sufferings. 

Matthew 5:10-12 (NASB)

(10)  “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

(11) “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.  (12) Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

If we are willing to suffer for His sake – we need to face all circumstances with courage

Suffering must be viewed as an opportunity to receive spiritual blessings, not as an excuse to compromise our faith before a hostile world.

As the seventeenth-century English preacher and writer John Bunyan accepted imprisonment in the Bedford Jail for preaching without a license. Reformer Martin Luther stood before his enemies and refused to recant his scriptural beliefs, so as Christians today we must stand firm in the face of suffering.

In the verses here concerning suffering, we see two possibilities:

First, believers may suffer for doing what is right, accepting that pain as part of God’s wise and sovereign plan for blessing their lives.

Second, we may suffer for doing what is wrong, receiving the expected discipline of the Lord for our disobeying His Word

God sometimes wills that believers suffer for righteousness so they might receive the blessings that come out of such suffering. It is also God’s will that believers endure His beneficial chastisement when they sin.  Of the two possibilities that may come, Peter recognizes that the first is unique because it comes only if God should will it so. That is a comforting promise. Paul certainly learned that lesson:

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NASB)

A Thorn in the Flesh

(7) Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! (8) Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. (9) And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

 (10) Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. 

Christians suffer for the sake of righteousness when God wants them to. He never wants us to sin, so that suffering, in one sense, is not what He wished for us though it has sometimes become His will for our righteousness.

Hebrews 12:11 (NASB)

All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

Principle #3 - A Devotion to Christ!

1 Peter 3:15a

(15) but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts,

When we as believers sanctify Christ as Lord in our hearts, we affirm our submission to His control, instruction, and guidance. In so doing we also declare and submit to God’s sovereign majesty and demonstrate that we fear only Him.

Sanctify means “to set apart,” or “consecrate.” But in this context it also means giving the primary place of adoration, exaltation, and worship to Christ.   

When we sanctify Christ – we set Him apart from all others as the sole object of our love, reverence, loyalty, and obedience.

• We recognize His perfection

• We magnify His glory

• We extol His pre-eminence, and

• We submit ourselves to His will with the understanding that sometimes that submission includes suffering.

This honoring of Christ as Lord is not external, but in the hearts of true worshipers—even when we must face unjust suffering. Submission to and trust in the perfect purposes of the sovereign Lord yields courage, boldness, and fortitude to triumph through the most adverse situations.

Principle #4 - A Readiness to Defend the Faith!

1 Peter 3:15b

always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; 

A couple of examples for you:

When you drop a letter in the mailbox, it is then delivered to the post office.  The mail is then sorted by postal workers who group the mail by zip code so that your letter can reach its proper destination.

In the same way, Christian have the job of making sure that others reach their divine destination.  It is hard to help somebody else reach their divine destination if you’re lost too.

We all grew up in school having to say the Pledge of Allegiance.  We were being reminded about the awesome privilege it is to enjoy the freedoms of America and to commit ourselves to loyalty to the country.

Before sporting events, “the Star-Spangled Banner” becomes a musical reminder of a commitment to a country and a flag and a constitutional republic that is the heart of this democracy.  This is not done as a routine; it’s done as a reminder of what the privileges are. 

In a similar way, Jesus Christ ask His followers to make a pledge of allegiance – a statement of commitment to be both identified and associated with Him, if, in fact, we claim Him as our Savior He has asked us to make it known that we are Christians, followers of Jesus Christ. 

 He invites us to come out of the closet and to go public.  He invites us to stop being secret-agent Christians and CIA followers.  He invites us to be clear an articulate representatives of Him.

Sharing the gospel has risks –

Ö      The risk of rejection

Ö      The risk of being made fun of

Ö      The risk of being called “holier than thou”

Ö      The risk of being called “Reverend.”

Ö      The risk of being avoided,

Ö      The risk of being asked questions you don’t know the answer to.

Yes, there are risks, but when someone is dying - offering them the gift of salvation is worth the risk.  What do you think about that?

We must be ready to make a defense of the faith.

“Always” indicates believers’ need for constant preparedness and readiness to respond, whether in a formal courtroom or informally, to everyone who asks us to give an account for why we live and believe the way we do.

Account is simply logos, “word,” or “message,” and it calls us to be able at the time someone asks to give the right words in response to questions about the gospel.

The gospel is identified as the hope that is in believers. Hope is synonymous with the Christian faith because the motive for believers’ embracing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is their anticipation of escaping hell and entering eternal glory

Thus hope becomes the focal point of any rational explanation believers should be able to provide regarding their salvation.

Our defense of this hope before the unbeliever who asks must be firm and uncompromising, but at the same time conveyed with gentleness and reverence.

Gentleness - refers to meekness or humility, not in the sense of weakness but in the sense of not being dominant or overbearing

Reverence - expresses devotion to God, a deep regard for His truth, and even respect for the person listening.

Christians who cannot present a biblically clear explanation of their faith will feel insecure when strongly challenged by unbelievers.

In some cases that insecurity can undermine our assurance of salvation.

The world’s attacks can overwhelm those who have not “put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation” that is talked about in Ephesians Chapter 6.

Principle #5 - A Pure Conscience!

I Peter 3:16

(16) and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. 

 The final thing that will allow believers to be secure in a hostile world is a pure conscience. The conscience is the divinely-placed internal mechanism that either accuses or excuses a person, acting as a means of conviction or affirmation.

The conscience is not to be equated with the voice of God or even the moral law, rather it is a human faculty which arbitrates upon human action by the light of the highest standard a person perceives.

Since the conscience holds people to their highest perceived standard, believers need to set that standard to the highest level by submitting to all of God’s Word

As we continually fill our minds with the truths of Scripture, we can  clarify God’s perfect law. Our consciences will then call us to live according to that law.

The conscience functions like a skylight, not like a lamp; it does not produce its own light, but merely lets moral light in. Because of that, the Bible teaches the importance of keeping a clear or good conscience. “The goal of our instruction,” Paul wrote to Timothy, 

1Timothy 1:5

But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith

Tony Evans once said:

One time, my check coolant system light came on in my car. 

• I wish that light wouldn’t come on. 

• I didn’t want that light to come on.

• It irritated me when it came on. 

• But that light still kept coming on. 

• It was tying to tell me that I had a problem and it was going to keep blinking until I took it to the manufacturer to check the car out.

Now, if I wouldn’t have ever taken my car to be checked out, eventually I’d have a much bigger problem on my hands.  The light was there to give me a warning that would drive me to the manufacturer.

The Bible is shining and throwing up various caution signals and lights.  It shows us where we sin and were we offend God.  If we don’t go to the Maker and allow Him to address the issues in our life, we are going to end up with much bigger problems on our hands in years to come.

A good conscience is what every Christian must keep or, better, maintain.  A clear conscience allows believers to be free from any burden of guilt as they face hostility and criticism from the world

An impure conscience, however, cannot be comfortable and is unable to withstand the stress originating from difficult trials and persecutions.

A pure conscience can withstand and deflect whatever abusive, insulting speech the world hurls at it

Adversity is a reality and suffering a spiritual privilege for believers. If we realize “that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God” (Rom. 8:28), we will be able to accept suffering as part of God’s plan for us and that we would equip ourselves with His securities against a hostile world.

Some other facts about Titanic – when it went under, three messages had been sent that said to watch out of the icebergs.  Because everything looked all right, the folks taking the message never passed it on.  They never sent the warning out of people who needed to hear and, as a result, over fifteen hundred people lost their lives.  The folks who knew kept quiet.  Fifteen hundred people didn’t have to die, but they did.  The folks who were saved didn’t want to go back because it was risky.