1 Peter 3 Be Ready to Make a Defense

Verses 13-17

Verses 18-22 will be taught on Wednesday 18th (evening)

Christian, you are going to go through persecution, opposition, and pain...

Do what is good. Do all the good you can for as long as you can. Suffer for the sake of righteousness. And do not be afraid. Do not be intimidated.

This is stated all throughout the Scriptures… It’s like God really knows us… right? He knows how fearful we get. He knows what goes on in our minds and hearts when the pain comes… when the loss comes… when the trial and struggles come...

What do we need to be reminded of>

1. This world is not your home, we are passing through for a short time, and we are facing eternity. Don’t be afraid of those who can take away your physical life. That’s all they can do.

God has your life. You belong to Him. Your life is not your own. It belongs to Christ. To live is Christ and to die is gain. God has your life. Live for Him.

Nothing will separate your from His love. We are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us. If God is for you, who can be against you? His perfect love cast out all fear.

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So, this needs to be established in your hearts before you go through your next breath of life. This is what needs to be established before we go into the future...

2. First thing First: Verse 15: Sanctify (set apart) Christ as Lord in your hearts: Surrender your heart to Christ and have peace with Christ… and then you will peace when others come against you.

We fear Him alone. Not men. We live for Him alone. We live to please and to honor Him above all. He is first place. We are His slaves/His Bond servants. He is the Master and Commander of our being… So then, we shall not be mastered by anything or anyone else.

Jesus is Lord. Jesus is Master. Not my trials. Not that person. Not that boss/employer. Not the government, president or emperor, or king. Jesus is on the Throne now and forever.

When the heart is consumed with loving and serving Christ… you have nothing to fear. Now! You are ready to face it. Now you are ready to face life and death. Now… We will be ready to stand firm and give a defense for our faith and hope.

2. Verse 15 - Now, with Christ as first place, at the center, up front… Eyes on Him… Now, Always be ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that your have...

“Make a defense:” This is where we get our word “apologetics” from. Apologetics is the religious science or discipline of defending our Christian faith, our teachings and practices through reasonable arguments.

Every Christian must be ready and prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you “why do you have hope; why do you have hope in Jesus?”

Not every Christian is called to be an expert apologist, but everyone should be ready and able to make this defense and to give this answer.

“Hey Christian, why are you following Jesus? Hey Christian, why do your hope in this person. Why do you pray to this person? Why do you love this person? Why do you give so much time to this person…? Why? Why do you place your hope and faith in this person? What do you think He is going to do for you?”

Christian, what do you believe and Why do you believe it?

Why are you willing to live and to die for Him. Why are you willing to go through this life but keep Him as the Center of your lives, live to please Him, not your flesh, to love God and others more than yourself…?

Why would you deny yourself all the material things of this world and be so eternally minded?

*Now Peter’s context: Bad times, there is much chaos, persecution, pain and death. Believers were being arrested, believers were being killed; property and possessions were being taken, and believers were moving their families away to other areas… they were being scattered.

But the believer’s eyes were to stay on Jesus. But the believer’s heart was to be consumed with making much of Jesus.

These days were days that you did not want to be kind. These were the days that you did not want to pray for your persecutors and bless those who cures you. These were the days that you probably did not feel… very loving towards those who are trying to harm you, your family, and your church family...

These were those days...

These were the days that Christians were tempted to cause a riot and kill every Roman in sight. These were real days, and these were real Christians that were going through real pain and very extreme and difficult times...

These were the days that some Christians just wanted to fight every government member. We get that. Maybe these were the days that Christians were tempted to hate, bicker, complain, sit at the store and threaten every Democrat… I mean Roman leader… that we see...

But we have established Christ as Center. He is first. His will and desire is first. His Kingdom come His will be done on earth as it is in heaven… I seek; we seek the Father’s business first...

And that business leads us to discuss our faith and practice with everyone… Democrats and Republicans.

As people of faith, filled with Christ’s love… We seek to tell the world, teach and explain to the world the Word of God.

We desire for all people to know the truth and be set free by it. They are either the Mission Field or the Family Member.

So, we approach, explain and teach them… we give our defense and reasons with a Christian attitude...

3. With a godly attitude:

a. Defend the faith with gentleness and respect, without anger, being harsh, and arrogant. Not with a prideful spirit, or with a “I just want to win the argument” attitude.

We are hear to win them, not threaten them. We are hear to warn them, not condemn them.

We desire for the lost to be found and for the seeker to find truth. So, our endeavor is not to turn people away, to beat them up, to make them feel bad, or to run them off...

And the way we share and defend our faith matters.

Often times, we are so defensive… that we come across as being... defensive. We feel like we are put into a corner and we feel threatened by the questions that are being asked of us… so we get aggressive to get the person to back away.

You may try to shame them or offend them so they will quit asking questions. You are most likely feeling the pain of insecurity and fear… and so you are trying to get rid of them...

That’s not our goal. We want to win them.

There are others who are watching our lives, watching our suffering, watching our pain… and they do not understand how we can endure so much. They don’t understand how we can smile, sing praises, and keep moving forward.

Many need to hear your story with Jesus. Many people need to hear the reason why you have the hope you have.

Why? Because they don’t have what you have. They don’t have a living hope. They don’t have the promises of God.

Their world is falling apart. There is loss, grief and despair. And that is all they have and can see.

They don’t see what you see, because they do not have what you have.

Tell them. Tell them with patience. Tell them with love. Tell them with gentleness and with confidence.

Tell them why you believe what you believe? Tell them with confidence, with clarity, with reason, with certainty, and with meekness.

Tell them… so that they too may have the hope and peace that you have in Christ.