WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.600 Thank you so much, Steric. It's really good to be here. 00:00:03.600 --> 00:00:06.879 And, well, if you're a visitor here today, 00:00:06.879 --> 00:00:09.519 I was going to say you're in good company, you're in my company. 00:00:09.519 --> 00:00:11.519 It's my first time here as well. 00:00:11.519 --> 00:00:15.040 And if you're new today, maybe you've just come in for some reason, 00:00:15.040 --> 00:00:16.480 maybe a friend brought you. 00:00:16.480 --> 00:00:20.640 I don't want to assume anything about where you are or what you believe. 00:00:20.640 --> 00:00:24.879 But one of the things that the church do here every week is to open the Bible, 00:00:24.879 --> 00:00:29.039 which we believe is God's words, and to listen to what it's saying. 00:00:29.039 --> 00:00:30.239 And so we're going to do that now. 00:00:30.239 --> 00:00:35.920 So if you've shut it, why don't you open again to 1 Peter chapter 3. 00:00:35.920 --> 00:00:38.960 And that's page 1015. 00:00:41.280 --> 00:00:44.240 I should say as well, if you're worried about keeping your children in today, 00:00:45.200 --> 00:00:46.719 don't worry, I have five children. 00:00:46.719 --> 00:00:48.640 I'm very used to children not listening to what I say. 00:00:49.439 --> 00:00:50.320 So be at ease. 00:00:52.480 --> 00:00:54.719 Let me take you back a few months in our house. 00:00:54.719 --> 00:00:58.159 I was not going in there. 00:00:59.200 --> 00:01:00.159 No way. 00:01:01.439 --> 00:01:06.159 It was massive and hairy and unpredictable. 00:01:07.280 --> 00:01:09.280 And I'm not talking about one of my children. 00:01:10.560 --> 00:01:16.960 The spider had been in the bathroom all week, holding court, setting up shop, 00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:18.640 mocking me. 00:01:19.439 --> 00:01:20.960 And now it had to be dealt with. 00:01:20.959 --> 00:01:24.879 But there was no way that I was going to do it, because if you haven't guessed yet, 00:01:24.879 --> 00:01:26.559 I am terrified of spiders. 00:01:27.439 --> 00:01:30.399 This spider had control of me. 00:01:31.519 --> 00:01:34.639 Because what you fear controls you. 00:01:36.159 --> 00:01:42.719 Or to put it the other way around, to put it more positively, what you revere also controls me. 00:01:42.719 --> 00:01:44.479 Let me take you back a few more years. 00:01:45.039 --> 00:01:45.599 Many years. 00:01:45.599 --> 00:01:47.199 In fact, I was about 10. 00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:51.120 It was the prize giving at my local football club that I was training with. 00:01:52.480 --> 00:01:54.560 Incidentally, the club was Newcastle United. 00:01:54.560 --> 00:01:57.200 As a youngster, I trained with their youth academy for a while. 00:01:58.079 --> 00:02:01.920 This is not much of a humble brag, because they kicked me out when I was 13. 00:02:01.920 --> 00:02:03.599 So it's still a sore subject. 00:02:03.599 --> 00:02:06.800 Anyway, a few years before I was 10, it was the annual prize giving. 00:02:06.800 --> 00:02:10.080 And there was no way I was going to miss it. 00:02:10.080 --> 00:02:14.480 Because someone from the first team was coming to present the prizes. 00:02:14.479 --> 00:02:18.000 Yes, it was Peter Beardsley. 00:02:18.719 --> 00:02:21.919 And there was no way I was going to miss Peter Beardsley being there. 00:02:21.919 --> 00:02:24.639 If you like, he had control over me. 00:02:24.639 --> 00:02:28.799 Because what you revere controls you. 00:02:30.719 --> 00:02:34.959 And hold on to that thought, because it is at the heart of this passage today. 00:02:36.159 --> 00:02:39.039 We're picking up again in the New Testament book of 1 Peter. 00:02:40.399 --> 00:02:43.679 As I understand it, you're in the middle of a series on discipleship. 00:02:43.680 --> 00:02:46.719 And I think Derek preached a few weeks ago on 1 Peter chapter 4. 00:02:46.719 --> 00:02:50.080 So this is like the prequel to that, if you like. 00:02:50.080 --> 00:02:53.599 Just to paint the picture for you, the apostle Peter is writing 00:02:53.599 --> 00:02:58.800 to Christians who are scattered around the fringes of the Roman Empire. 00:02:59.920 --> 00:03:04.800 These people are a long way from Christian centers like Jerusalem, 00:03:04.800 --> 00:03:07.200 or like the megachurch at Antioch. 00:03:08.080 --> 00:03:11.360 They're out there on the fringes of the Roman Empire. 00:03:11.360 --> 00:03:18.560 And the pagan Roman culture clashes with their Christian faith. 00:03:19.520 --> 00:03:23.040 And because of that, life could be tough for these Christians. 00:03:23.040 --> 00:03:24.960 And so Peter writes them this letter. 00:03:24.960 --> 00:03:31.360 And again and again in it, he reminds them of the glorious hope they have 00:03:31.360 --> 00:03:34.880 in the future when Jesus returns. 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:40.240 And he's kept on telling them that fixing their eyes and their mind 00:03:40.240 --> 00:03:47.120 on that hope in the future will enable them to deal now with the uncomfortable 00:03:47.120 --> 00:03:51.760 cultural clashes there are in the Christian life. 00:03:52.560 --> 00:03:58.080 And he's been teaching them to live well in a world that opposes the gospel. 00:03:58.960 --> 00:04:03.120 In every area of life, he's talked about living for Christ at home 00:04:03.120 --> 00:04:07.439 and at work and amongst this culture that's so difficult. 00:04:07.439 --> 00:04:13.680 I guess he knows that the danger for Christians living in a hostile culture 00:04:14.560 --> 00:04:20.399 is that we feel abandoned by God out there on our own. 00:04:21.759 --> 00:04:28.159 And so Peter writes to remind them that no, no, that they are God's chosen holy people, 00:04:28.800 --> 00:04:30.480 his special possession. 00:04:32.240 --> 00:04:36.079 I suppose one other danger of Christians living in a hostile world is that they will 00:04:36.079 --> 00:04:40.000 be hostile in return to those who are persecuting them. 00:04:40.800 --> 00:04:45.599 And so Peter has written to teach them to be good and submissive citizens, 00:04:45.599 --> 00:04:50.240 which he says will win a hearing for the gospel in that culture. 00:04:52.159 --> 00:04:54.399 And here's another danger and this is the point today. 00:04:55.039 --> 00:05:00.560 Another danger is that Christians living in a hostile culture will fear that culture 00:05:00.560 --> 00:05:05.680 and so they'll be controlled by that culture around them. 00:05:06.800 --> 00:05:14.560 And so he writes here to encourage them instead not to fear the world, but to revere Christ 00:05:15.600 --> 00:05:17.279 and so be controlled by him. 00:05:19.199 --> 00:05:23.759 And so you might have noticed the first half roughly of today's passage was stuffed full of 00:05:23.759 --> 00:05:27.040 practical instructions for Christian living. 00:05:27.040 --> 00:05:30.319 But look at verse 18. 00:05:32.319 --> 00:05:36.879 Can you see it starts with a little word for or you could say because. 00:05:37.920 --> 00:05:43.360 And that means that what comes after is the reason for everything that comes before. 00:05:44.240 --> 00:05:51.840 And so Peter's point here is that what you fear or revere controls how you behave in all these 00:05:51.839 --> 00:05:57.279 little practical ways. And so if you see on the screen as we go along today there's a couple 00:05:57.279 --> 00:06:05.599 of headings and here's the first one. Peter says revere your victorious Lord. 00:06:07.279 --> 00:06:14.000 That word revere is actually translated honor in the ESV. It really just means set apart as holy. 00:06:14.000 --> 00:06:23.120 Revere look to. So read with me if you would from verse 14. But even if you should suffer for 00:06:23.120 --> 00:06:29.920 righteousness sake you will be blessed. Have no fear of them nor be troubled but in your heart's 00:06:29.920 --> 00:06:37.759 honor or revere Christ as Lord and always be prepared to give it a fence and so on. 00:06:38.639 --> 00:06:43.279 He's saying don't let your behavior be controlled by fearing the hostile culture. 00:06:43.279 --> 00:06:48.479 Let your behavior be controlled by revering or honoring Jesus Christ. 00:06:51.199 --> 00:06:57.759 Now when it comes to the great Peter Beardsley I could tell you something of the victorious story 00:06:57.759 --> 00:07:05.039 of his time at St. James's Park. And so I will. He grew up on Tyneside. He trained with the youth 00:07:05.039 --> 00:07:10.159 Academy there and then he went away and played in other places and then he re-signed for Newcastle 00:07:10.160 --> 00:07:18.320 United in 1993 for a record fee of £1.5 million. Those were the days when £1.5 million got you 00:07:18.320 --> 00:07:24.320 anything in football. Anyway Newcastle had just been promoted to the Premier League and in a barn 00:07:24.320 --> 00:07:30.240 storming season the sort of season we can only dream of these days they finished third and qualified 00:07:30.240 --> 00:07:36.240 for the UEFA Cup. And then the following year Peter Beardsley captained Newcastle United to a 00:07:36.240 --> 00:07:42.720 record second place in the Premier League. We were pipped to the title by Man United. I could 00:07:42.720 --> 00:07:47.439 tell you more of the victorious story of Peter Beardsley but I better stop there. You get the idea 00:07:47.439 --> 00:07:52.879 and you get the idea why I as a ten-year-old boy revered him and wasn't going to miss that prize 00:07:52.879 --> 00:08:01.120 giving for anything. Well to encourage the Christians that he writes to Peter tells them 00:08:01.120 --> 00:08:09.519 something of the victorious story not of Peter Beardsley but of Jesus. And the story of Jesus' 00:08:09.519 --> 00:08:17.840 work starts there in verse 18. Have a look. For Christ suffered once for sins the righteous 00:08:17.840 --> 00:08:25.040 for the unrighteous that he might bring us to God being put to death in the flesh and being made 00:08:25.040 --> 00:08:31.920 alive in the spirit. Now when it comes to Jesus' death of course the apostle Peter can recount 00:08:31.920 --> 00:08:39.120 firsthand the crucifixion of Jesus. At the time you might remember from the Gospels that Jesus 00:08:39.120 --> 00:08:46.000 was that Peter was totally astonished that Jesus would go to the cross. He didn't understand the 00:08:46.000 --> 00:08:52.080 purpose of it at all. God's Messiah coming to die seemed so wrong to him. And you might remember 00:08:52.080 --> 00:08:56.800 that occasion in Mark's Gospel we often look at it in the Christianity explored course where 00:08:56.800 --> 00:09:01.280 Jesus announces in chapter 8 that he's going to the cross and Peter takes him aside and starts 00:09:01.280 --> 00:09:06.400 to rebuke him. What do you mean you're going to die? What kind of Messiah goes to die? 00:09:09.280 --> 00:09:16.800 Peter didn't understand but now he does. Now he sees why Jesus' death is so glorious because 00:09:16.799 --> 00:09:25.759 as he says Jesus suffered and died for us. The righteous that's Jesus for the unrighteous that's 00:09:25.759 --> 00:09:35.439 us. So that our sins might be paid for so that we might be brought to God. And if you're here today 00:09:35.439 --> 00:09:39.759 and you're not a Christian that is the heart of the Christian faith. Not what you can do for God 00:09:39.759 --> 00:09:48.159 but what he's done for you. Jesus has won a great victory Peter is saying over sin and death. 00:09:48.879 --> 00:09:54.319 But that's not the end of the victorious story of Jesus. He was put to death in the body but made 00:09:54.319 --> 00:10:01.120 alive in the spirit. In other words he rose from the dead. But that's still not the end of the great 00:10:01.120 --> 00:10:08.000 and glorious and victorious story of Jesus. The climax is there in verse 22. He has gone into heaven 00:10:08.000 --> 00:10:14.960 and is at the right hand of God with angels, authorities and powers which just means everything 00:10:15.840 --> 00:10:25.679 submitted to him. That's the end point of the victorious story of Jesus reigning over everything. 00:10:26.399 --> 00:10:30.639 And you need to keep that in mind because what Peter says in between those two points is just 00:10:30.639 --> 00:10:38.799 a little bit tricky. Maybe you noticed that as we read it. Have a look at verse 19. In which he went 00:10:38.799 --> 00:10:44.480 and proclaimed to the spirits in prison because they formally did not obey when God's patience 00:10:44.480 --> 00:10:50.879 waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared. In which a few that is eight persons 00:10:50.879 --> 00:10:56.319 were brought safely through water. Now when you read that you might be forgiven for thinking 00:10:56.320 --> 00:11:03.360 what on earth does that mean? And I might reply, that's a good question. What on earth does it mean? 00:11:04.720 --> 00:11:09.600 Well there's considerable debate about how to understand these couple of verses. It isn't clear 00:11:09.600 --> 00:11:16.400 at all on first glance exactly what Peter means. Actually that makes this a really good opportunity 00:11:16.400 --> 00:11:21.520 for us to learn. The question is what should you do when you come across a verse or two in the Bible 00:11:21.519 --> 00:11:27.600 that you cannot make head or tail off? And the principle is always this. We interpret scripture 00:11:28.240 --> 00:11:35.439 by scripture. Another way to say that would be to say that we interpret what isn't so clear in the 00:11:35.439 --> 00:11:41.679 light of what is very clear. And so just remember the overall thrust of this section is abundantly 00:11:41.679 --> 00:11:47.679 clear. It is the story of Jesus' victorious journey from the cross to the grave, from the 00:11:47.679 --> 00:11:54.319 grave to resurrection, from resurrection to what we call ascension. Jesus seated and reigning. And 00:11:54.319 --> 00:12:02.079 the point of all of that is it demonstrates Jesus' power over everything. And on the way Peter tells 00:12:02.079 --> 00:12:09.759 us that Christ preached to imprisoned spirits. Who are these spirits? Well the Bible experts give 00:12:09.759 --> 00:12:15.439 a few different options. It could be that these spirits are human beings. Although it would be 00:12:15.440 --> 00:12:21.360 unusual for the Bible to use that word spirit on its own to refer to people. Not impossible but 00:12:21.360 --> 00:12:25.840 unusual. And there's a couple of other Bible references might help you. You can look them up 00:12:25.840 --> 00:12:32.720 at home if you want. 2 Peter 2 verse 4 and Jude verse 6, they're their references to what seem 00:12:32.720 --> 00:12:40.080 to be evil spirits or perhaps even fallen angels being kept in chains and darkness. And the verse 00:12:40.080 --> 00:12:45.280 in 2 Peter also makes reference to the story of Noah. So it may be a link. So a best guess is 00:12:45.279 --> 00:12:52.480 that these spirits are fallen angels or evil spirits of some kind, fallen sons of God. And 00:12:52.480 --> 00:12:58.480 of course there's a reference to that in the story of Noah as well if you know it. But look, 00:12:58.480 --> 00:13:06.480 even if the details are sketchy, you see the point clearly. Victorious Jesus rules and reigns 00:13:06.480 --> 00:13:15.840 over everything. All angels, all authorities, all powers are in submission to him. That is the present 00:13:16.399 --> 00:13:25.759 reality. Why? Well because he's won this great victory over sin and death. Which I suppose 00:13:25.759 --> 00:13:30.639 might be another reason for the reference to Noah. Just as God rescued Noah and his family 00:13:30.639 --> 00:13:39.279 through the water, well so now for us if we come to faith in Christ, we would pass as it were 00:13:39.279 --> 00:13:46.960 through the waters of baptism, which is that symbol of God having washed us clean, not physically, 00:13:46.960 --> 00:13:55.360 of course, verse 21, but morally, spiritually to give us a clear conscience. Verse 21. 00:13:55.360 --> 00:14:05.919 And so we land in verse 22. Jesus is the victorious Savior. He rules and he reigns as king over 00:14:05.919 --> 00:14:13.120 everything. Now you might think, well fine, that sounds like a good abstract theology lesson, 00:14:14.399 --> 00:14:23.200 but to think only that would be to totally miss the point. There is a reason that Peter is saying 00:14:23.200 --> 00:14:30.879 all of this to you today. There's a reason he's pointing to Jesus as this victorious Lord. 00:14:32.800 --> 00:14:41.280 And it's because he's writing to this persecuted suffering church. And he wants them to be sure 00:14:41.279 --> 00:14:54.480 that they don't fear the threats of their persecutors, verse 14, but instead they fear or revere Jesus. 00:14:54.480 --> 00:15:03.919 So that their behavior would be driven by reverence for Jesus. And so now we're going to see what kind 00:15:03.919 --> 00:15:14.159 of behavior should flow and follow if you revere Jesus. So secondly, live for your victorious Lord. 00:15:15.599 --> 00:15:20.079 Of course, one reason, again, that Peter is reminding that Jesus reigns is because the 00:15:20.079 --> 00:15:29.599 Christian life now involves hardship and difficulty and even conflict. So far in his letter, Peter 00:15:29.600 --> 00:15:35.040 has said a lot about how we should handle ourselves in these kind of situations. And maybe the key 00:15:35.040 --> 00:15:42.240 verse of the whole letter is chapter 2, verse 11. I'm reading it here from the NIV. Dear friends, 00:15:42.240 --> 00:15:48.480 I urge you as foreigners in exiles to abstain from sinful desires which war against your soul. 00:15:48.480 --> 00:15:54.639 Live such good lives among the pagans that though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your 00:15:54.639 --> 00:16:04.159 good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. And there's the general principle. And Peter 00:16:04.159 --> 00:16:10.319 has applied that, as I said, to different situations, the workplace, the home, the families. And now I 00:16:10.319 --> 00:16:17.519 think he gives some instructions about how to live within your church family here at St. Columbus. 00:16:17.519 --> 00:16:24.079 How do you live out of reverence for Christ when there's conflict and difficulty, not just out there 00:16:24.079 --> 00:16:32.639 from the world, but even inside the church? I think it's clear here that Peter is addressing 00:16:32.639 --> 00:16:37.759 Christians because he says, and this is back in verse 8 if you want to chase it up, he says, 00:16:37.759 --> 00:16:47.759 all of you, he's addressing us to all Christians show brotherly love. In fact, Peter builds a 00:16:47.759 --> 00:16:54.720 little pyramid of instructions here. Again, these are from the NIV, so the text is just slightly 00:16:54.720 --> 00:17:00.159 different. But he begins and ends this little section in verse 8 by saying, be sympathetic, 00:17:00.159 --> 00:17:06.879 be like-minded towards one another. You could literally translate that, be humble-minded. 00:17:06.880 --> 00:17:14.160 And then a level in, he gives us some instructions about how we should feel towards one another 00:17:14.160 --> 00:17:20.800 in the church family, be sympathetic, be compassionate. But at the heart of his little 00:17:20.800 --> 00:17:29.600 triangle of instructions in verse 8 is the command to love one another, or brotherly love, as it says 00:17:29.599 --> 00:17:38.959 here. So this is a reminder that the church that you belong to here, it's not a club that you attend. 00:17:40.399 --> 00:17:46.719 If you're a Christian here today, this church is a family that you belong to. 00:17:48.559 --> 00:17:53.359 And the people you're sitting around, and you can have a look at them if you can bear it, 00:17:53.359 --> 00:17:58.879 they are not just mere acquaintances, they are not just your colleagues, 00:17:59.919 --> 00:18:08.959 they are your brothers and sisters in Jesus. I guess Peter is all too aware of the dangers 00:18:08.959 --> 00:18:15.439 within churches that far from there being bonds of brotherly and sisterly love, 00:18:15.440 --> 00:18:26.400 there will instead be those verse 9 who repay evil with evil, or perhaps insult with insult. 00:18:27.840 --> 00:18:33.519 And there is the danger within a church family of the kind of tit for tat petty squabbling 00:18:34.080 --> 00:18:39.840 and jealousy and slander and gossip that you might expect out there in the world, 00:18:39.839 --> 00:18:49.679 but too easily invades in here in the church. And if it does, that is deathly. 00:18:52.879 --> 00:19:01.279 So do you want to kill your church if you do? Speaking ill of one another is a good way to go. 00:19:01.279 --> 00:19:10.399 Oh, do you want to ruin your congregation if you do lies and rumour and slander and backbiting? 00:19:10.399 --> 00:19:17.359 That's a good way to do it. Of course, that kind of attitude, that kind of talk is the 00:19:17.359 --> 00:19:25.119 very opposite of the instructions Peter has given in verse 8. And so it will create a disunited 00:19:25.119 --> 00:19:32.879 unsympathetic church, a church where in place of love there's just apathy or even worse hostility 00:19:33.519 --> 00:19:40.000 between the members, a church where instead of compassion for one another, there's just a kind 00:19:40.000 --> 00:19:52.000 of a callous disregard in place of humility, there's pride. And isn't it interesting all the sins 00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:59.440 that were warned against here and all the things that are commended here have to do with speech? 00:20:01.039 --> 00:20:07.920 The things you say. And Peter drives that point home with this quote from Psalm 34. You'll see 00:20:07.920 --> 00:20:13.759 it there just set in as poetry in the text. Whoever desires to love life and see good days, 00:20:14.480 --> 00:20:20.720 let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil 00:20:20.720 --> 00:20:29.839 and do good. Let him seek peace and pursue it. So here's the question in St. Columbus 00:20:29.839 --> 00:20:38.960 Free Church. Do you want love, life and good days ahead for your church? And if you do, 00:20:38.960 --> 00:20:49.120 keep your tongues from evil, watch the way you speak, speak only the truth and only in love 00:20:50.720 --> 00:20:56.160 if you want unity within your church family. And Peter's point here is that in all of this, 00:20:56.160 --> 00:21:01.279 the stakes are really high. This is not just some trifling matter the way you speak. Look at verse 00:21:01.279 --> 00:21:07.200 12. There's a promise here, for the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, that is those who conduct 00:21:07.200 --> 00:21:15.600 themselves that way and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those 00:21:15.600 --> 00:21:21.840 who do evil. That's a sobering promise for your church family here, isn't it? 00:21:23.440 --> 00:21:27.840 So-called churches that are full of evil and deceitful and hurtful speech, 00:21:27.839 --> 00:21:38.079 our church is that God promises to abandon. God hates that kind of talk. There is no place, 00:21:38.079 --> 00:21:43.119 if I can say this as an outsider, there is no place in St. Columbus Free Church for those who 00:21:43.119 --> 00:21:52.240 will speak ill of others in the church family. So let me ask you, I don't know many of you here 00:21:52.240 --> 00:21:58.640 today, I suppose I can just ask this. What are you saying about others in your church family, 00:21:59.599 --> 00:22:07.920 behind their backs or behind closed doors? And who are you looking down on? Who are you having 00:22:08.480 --> 00:22:16.000 slanderous thoughts about? What unkind words are you saying? If any, stop it. 00:22:16.000 --> 00:22:27.119 Stop it. You are called to love one another. And as an aside, you can hardly love people 00:22:27.119 --> 00:22:33.680 you hardly know, can you? I know you guys have a good program of small groups, I suppose that's why 00:22:33.680 --> 00:22:40.480 things like that are so important to be able to know and to love deeply a smaller group of people 00:22:40.480 --> 00:22:49.360 within this church family. If you're not in one, join one. So as we live for our victorious Lord, 00:22:49.360 --> 00:22:57.279 we are to turn from evil and to do good. And when it comes to Christians being under pressure, 00:22:57.279 --> 00:23:01.759 and I think Peter is now turning to think not just about conflict or difficulty within the church, 00:23:01.759 --> 00:23:07.839 but again, conflict that comes or difficulty that comes from outside the church, when it comes to 00:23:07.839 --> 00:23:13.199 that sort of thing, Peter has a fairly optimistic outlook. Just have a look at verse 13. 00:23:15.599 --> 00:23:20.639 Now, who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 00:23:22.879 --> 00:23:28.799 So here we go. We're starting to think now about conflict and difficulty outside. 00:23:31.519 --> 00:23:37.439 This is one of his repeated themes in the letter, live good lives, live godly lives within that 00:23:37.440 --> 00:23:46.559 hostile culture. And if you do that, very often your hostility will neutralize any, 00:23:47.039 --> 00:23:53.519 sorry, not your hostility, your godliness will neutralize any hostility from outside, 00:23:53.519 --> 00:24:00.080 because people will have nothing that they can reasonably accuse you of. Very often living a 00:24:00.080 --> 00:24:05.440 good and godly life within a hostile culture will make those who want to persecute you ashamed of 00:24:05.440 --> 00:24:14.080 the things they are saying. And he says your godly living may even have a kind of evangelistic edge. 00:24:14.960 --> 00:24:19.759 Back to chapter 2 verse 12, live such good lives among the pagans that they may glorify God 00:24:21.120 --> 00:24:26.880 having seen your good deeds. And you get the same idea here in verse 13. Have a look again. 00:24:26.880 --> 00:24:31.600 Now, who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 00:24:31.599 --> 00:24:39.519 Good. But Peter knows that's not the whole story. There may still be times when Christian people 00:24:39.519 --> 00:24:46.240 are got at or mocked even in some places persecuted for faithfully following Jesus. 00:24:48.319 --> 00:24:55.359 But Peter says even if that happens, verse 14, even if you suffer for doing what's right, 00:24:55.359 --> 00:25:07.439 you are blessed. Do not fear their threats, do not be frightened, but in your heart honor 00:25:07.439 --> 00:25:15.759 Christ as Lord. And this is the heart of it really. Do you see now why we spent the first 00:25:15.759 --> 00:25:23.039 half of this talk looking at the second half of the passage? Because when you face hostility 00:25:23.039 --> 00:25:29.920 from the culture for standing up for Jesus, I suppose our natural reaction is to be afraid. 00:25:31.839 --> 00:25:36.879 And if we're afraid that the next natural step is to stop standing up for Jesus because we're 00:25:36.879 --> 00:25:40.240 afraid and we don't like to be afraid and we're uncomfortable and none of us like that. 00:25:42.399 --> 00:25:48.079 So for example, if you take a stand at work and you're asked to lie and you refuse and you feel 00:25:48.079 --> 00:25:54.960 the heat from your boss, well, you feel afraid, right? Or when you speak up on some issue and you 00:25:54.960 --> 00:25:59.359 know you're going to get stick from it for it for standing up for the truth of the Bible, 00:25:59.359 --> 00:26:08.000 you're afraid, right? But in your moments of fear, Peter is saying to you pretty simply, 00:26:08.000 --> 00:26:17.119 you've got to decide who you fear most. Do you fear the threats of a hostile secular culture? 00:26:18.960 --> 00:26:31.119 Or do you fear or revere Christ as Lord? And of course, you'll only revere Christ as Lord 00:26:31.119 --> 00:26:38.479 when you have a sense of how awesome and powerful He is and how He rules overall and how He's king 00:26:38.479 --> 00:26:44.639 overall and how one day every knee will bow before Him. 00:26:47.919 --> 00:26:55.519 Peter is saying, don't fear man. Revere Jesus. And in doing that, 00:26:55.519 --> 00:27:02.720 therefore, always be prepared to speak about Him. Don't be frightened into silence. That's how Peter 00:27:02.720 --> 00:27:11.519 goes on halfway through verse 15. Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you 00:27:11.519 --> 00:27:20.240 for the reason for the hope that is in you. Always be prepared. And near us in Burkhead, 00:27:20.240 --> 00:27:25.440 we have a couple of military bases, RAF Lossymouth and the Kinlos Barracks. So we have a few 00:27:25.440 --> 00:27:29.519 military folks in the congregation. I get nervous doing military examples because I always get them 00:27:29.519 --> 00:27:37.039 wrong. But when you join the army, you are put through basic training. And if you join the infantry, 00:27:37.039 --> 00:27:43.039 you are put through more and more and more training. Because the army knows that on the 00:27:43.039 --> 00:27:49.600 battlefield, in the heat of the moment, most of us would just go to pieces and not know what to do. 00:27:50.720 --> 00:27:53.680 And it's hard enough to get soldiers to do what you want them to do at the best of times. Never 00:27:53.680 --> 00:28:00.799 mind on the battlefield. And so they are drilled again and again and again to do the same thing 00:28:00.799 --> 00:28:07.519 over and over and over so that they are always prepared. And only then, when they are always 00:28:07.519 --> 00:28:12.240 prepared because they are drilled and drilled and drilled, will they be able to do the right 00:28:12.240 --> 00:28:21.360 thing on the battlefield when the heat is on. And Peter makes the same point to us today. Are you 00:28:21.359 --> 00:28:32.079 prepared? Are you drilled, ready to be able to explain the Christian faith to someone? 00:28:34.479 --> 00:28:38.399 In one sense, this is quite a neutral statement. It might be a good evangelistic strategy for your 00:28:38.399 --> 00:28:45.039 church. But I wonder, in the context of the passage, there might almost be a kind of judicial tone 00:28:45.039 --> 00:28:50.479 here. It's possible Peter is even talking about a time when these Christians who are under pressure 00:28:50.480 --> 00:28:56.160 had been brought into court to give a defense for their faith because of some accusation 00:28:57.120 --> 00:29:05.200 against them. But whatever the situation, the point is the same. Are you drilled and prepared? 00:29:07.839 --> 00:29:10.799 When I was working at a church down in Sheffield before we moved north, 00:29:11.839 --> 00:29:16.160 I would often be responsible for interviewing people. It was quite a big church, so when someone 00:29:16.160 --> 00:29:21.680 wanted to get involved in serving in some different ministry, we'd often meet with them to hear about 00:29:21.680 --> 00:29:26.560 their Christian story and so on. It was quite mean, but one of the questions I would often ask 00:29:26.560 --> 00:29:30.720 would be to say to them, just imagine that you're standing at a bus stop and maybe you're on your 00:29:30.720 --> 00:29:36.240 way to church on a Sunday morning and there's two minutes left till the bus arrives. Let's imagine 00:29:36.240 --> 00:29:40.480 in this story the bus is on time, so it is just two minutes you've got. Your friend comes along and 00:29:40.480 --> 00:29:45.519 stands next to you and says, where are you going? You say, I'm going to church. They say, oh yeah, 00:29:45.519 --> 00:29:51.440 I knew you went to church. Oh go on then, you've got two minutes before the bus comes. What is this 00:29:51.440 --> 00:29:57.359 Christian faith all about? Maybe I'll come with you to church if your answer's any good. 00:30:00.559 --> 00:30:04.079 Imagine yourself in that scenario. I used to make the man sigh, I won't make your 00:30:04.079 --> 00:30:14.160 all answer just now. But what would you say? Would you be prepared, drilled, equipped to say 00:30:14.160 --> 00:30:19.440 something that was meaningful about Jesus and the gospel and about how He's come from heaven to 00:30:19.440 --> 00:30:24.880 earth to save a world that's fallen and turned from Him and that He's died on the cross to pay 00:30:24.880 --> 00:30:30.080 the price for our sin, that He's risen and He's ascended to heaven and He rules the universe and 00:30:30.080 --> 00:30:35.600 He holds out this offer to you, this gift of forgiveness and new life. Could you say something? 00:30:38.000 --> 00:30:42.160 And more than that, could you say it in a way that wasn't so full of jargon, like I probably did, 00:30:42.160 --> 00:30:45.680 that someone who'd never been to church before could actually understand what on earth you were 00:30:45.680 --> 00:30:54.400 going on about? If you think, oh man, I don't know what I'd say, then let me recommend something to 00:30:54.400 --> 00:30:58.080 you. There's a great resource called Two Ways to Live. You can get it in a little booklet, 00:30:58.080 --> 00:31:02.720 you can get it online, just go and Google it or speak to me. It's a great way to learn a short 00:31:02.720 --> 00:31:16.160 gospel outline in six simple steps. So Peter asks you today, who will you fear? And I suppose as we 00:31:16.160 --> 00:31:22.720 live in a culture which becomes a little bit more hostile to our Christian faith, that the question 00:31:22.720 --> 00:31:30.079 becomes all the more important, who will you fear? Will you fear the culture around us 00:31:30.079 --> 00:31:40.000 and live in response to that? Or will you revere Jesus as Lord and live in response to Him 00:31:41.279 --> 00:31:49.199 and even be prepared to speak for Him? Because you speak about the most precious thing. Verse 18, 00:31:50.079 --> 00:31:57.439 Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. 00:31:57.440 --> 00:31:59.680 Let's pray, shall we? 00:32:05.920 --> 00:32:12.320 Heavenly Father, we give you great thanks for Jesus. We thank you that He came from heaven to 00:32:12.320 --> 00:32:22.640 earth. We thank you that He stepped down from glory to the dirt and mud and mess and moral decay of 00:32:22.640 --> 00:32:30.080 our world. We thank you that He stepped down even further to death and even further to death on a cross 00:32:31.520 --> 00:32:40.720 for our sins. We pray, Father, that you would help us to honor and revere Jesus as Lord. And even 00:32:40.720 --> 00:32:48.320 this week as we face times of pressure, we pray that you would help us to choose wisely, to revere 00:32:48.319 --> 00:32:58.480 Christ, not fear the world, and be ready to speak for Him in all that we do. Amen.