43. Sanctify Christ as Lord in Our Hearts

Sanctify Christ as Lord in Our Hearts

Introduction: A brief reminder of the context and purpose of this letter. The historical context is the at least local persecution of believers in Asia Minor. The prevailing theme throughout is living the Christian life in the midst of persecution and suffering. How does that apply to us in this place? We as a community of believers have never suffered persecution to the extent of the early church, not even close. But to assume there will never be that kind of persecution is naïve and unbiblical because we have the assurance of Paul in 2 Tim 3:12 That all who desire to live godly will be persecuted. So we should look at this letter as a letter of preparation for Jer 12:5 "If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out, Then how can you compete with horses? If you fall down in a land of peace, How will you do in the thicket of the Jordan? God rebukes Jeremiah’s impatience speaking to him with two proverbial sayings, in essence saying if you think you have it hard now it will get more difficult later. On the other hand, while we have not seen suffering and persecution of the Christian community on a large scale, individuals in our and other congregations do suffer and we also understand that spiritual warfare can encompass, economic difficulties, health issues, as well spiritual oppression and depression. Consider Job. We know that Job’s suffering was in accordance with God’s sovereign plan for Job’s instruction and sanctification. We also understand that God has Satan on a leash but sometimes that leash can appear to us to be very long.

The last time we were in 1 Peter we addressed the point that a Christian’s life is one of forgiving our detractors and persecutors, speaking a blessing, which is giving them the good news that Christ Jesus died for sinners and there is forgiveness in Him. The Christian life is also a life of repentance. Repentance being our turning away from sin and turning to God. We saw, in verses 9-12 sins to turn from and what to turn to with the blessed assurance that 1Pe 3:12  FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE ON THE RIGHTEOUS, AND HIS EARS ARE OPEN TO THEIR PRAYERS;

1 Peter 3:13-22 for context. The focus will be on verses 13-16

1Pe 3:13-22  And 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 may 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.  (18)  For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;  (19)  in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison,  (20)  who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.  (21)  And corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, (22) who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.

Verse 15 answers several important questions which is key to understanding the text:

It answers the question of when are we to sanctify Christ in our hearts. The answer to that question is now. The verb sanctify indicates that it is a command. There is a beginning point of obedience (now) with ongoing consequences. We sanctify Christ in our hearts today and every day following. 2Co 6:2  for He says, "AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU"; behold, now is "THE ACCEPTABLE TIME," behold, now is "THE DAY OF SALVATION"— Just as Paul said now is the day of salvation, so too, today is the day of obedience. It is not the good intention of obedience that honors God, but it in the action of obedience that God is pleased. 1Sa 15:22  And Samuel said, "Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. Can God be pleased with our sacrifices of praise and worship when we live in willful disobedience to His word?

There are many reasons why we say not now. But the primary reason is we already have the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the boastful pride of life ruling and reigning in our heart. To sanctify Christ is to remove them, to put them to death, put ourselves to death and that involves struggle, conflict, and pain. Verse 18 says that Christ also died for sins, once for all, the just for the unjust… Jesus died for our sins. We die to our sins and enter, in some small way, into suffering with Him.

It answers the question of what we are to do. We are to sanctify, which means set apart as holy. Peter lifts the quotation "sanctify the...Lord" from the Greek translation (Septuagint - LXX) of Isaiah 8:13 which reads ‘sanctify the Lord’. The English rendering of the Hebrew text is Isa 8:13  "It is the LORD of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, And He shall be your dread. There is an exaltation of Christ in our hearts. Today we hear a great deal about balance in our lives. Any basic sociology class you take in college and the professor is likely to present a pie chart of the different aspect of our lives with spiritual being one of the many slices. Christ sanctified in our hearts is the plate that holds it all together but makes it better. When Christ is sanctified in our hearts it affects and infects everything we do. When He is sanctified in our hearts the whole of our living is sanctified in Him. We become better spouses, parents, workers, saints. He is sanctified and exalted as nothing else, and no other is in our hearts. That is what Peter means in sanctify the Lord Jesus in our hearts.

It answers the question of who we are to sanctify in our hearts. Christ, which literally means the anointed one. The One to whom the prophets prophesied who was to come. 1Pe 1:10-11  As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful search and inquiry,  (11)  seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. Peter is pointing specifically to Jesus and he does so over and over again. 1Pe 1:18-19  knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers,  (19)  but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. 1Pe 2:4-5  And coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected by men, but choice and precious in the sight of God,  (5)  you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1Pe 2:21-24  For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,  (22)  WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH;  (23)  and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;  (24)  and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. 1Pe 3:18  For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;. It is no mere man, no celebrity or politician. No one that the world would esteem. In fact, in the sight of man, He was of no account and there was nothing attractive that would draw us to Him. And yet He is so much more.

It answers the question of how we are to sanctify Christ. We are to sanctify Him as Lord. Lord describes One who has absolute ownership. Lord describes the One who has sovereign power and authority. Lord also conveys the idea of master. Thus, the second Person of the Trinity was to be Lord and Master of their lives. He was to be their resource and defender when persecution came. In the Septuagint the Hebrew YHWH is translated Lord. The God who spoke to Moses saying I AM, is the same as He who said to the Pharisees, before Abraham was, I AM. The Hebrews would not say that name because it was too sacred to be uttered, and yet He clothed Himself with flesh and as the apostle John said, dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, glory as of the begotten of the Father full of grace and truth. It is this Jesus, Col 1:16-17  For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created by Him and for Him.  (17)  And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. It is He who holds our life breath in His hand. It is He who causes us to draw each breath, and it is He who has written all the days of our life in His book before there was yet one. It is this Jesus who is Lord first, then Christ. And as He is sanctified in the throne room of heaven as LORD, as YHWH, as Him who was, and is, and is to come how can we not sanctify Him as Lord in our hearts?

Chuck Colson commented that in the early church, if a person stood up in a public arena and cried out, “Jesus is God!” no one would be offended because the Romans and Greeks believed in many gods. To call Jesus “God” would not have seemed revolutionary or even risky. But if a Christian stood up and shouted, “Jesus is Lord and there is no other,” he would be putting his own life at risk. The Roman Caesars claimed the title of Lord, and this was a central reason why Christians faced persecution. They were willing to obey Roman laws, but they were not willing to call Caesar “Lord.”

It answers the question of where we are to sanctify Christ. In our hearts. Heart does not refer to the physical organ but is always used figuratively in Scripture to refer to the seat and center of human life. The heart is the center of the personality, and it controls the intellect, emotions, and will.

While the Greek word kardia represents much more than emotion, feelings. It also includes the thinking process and particularly the will. For example, in Proverbs we are told, “As (a man) thinks in his heart, so is he” Proverbs 23:7 Jesus asked a group of scribes, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts?” Matthew 9:4 The heart is the control center of mind and will as well as emotion. Mat 15:19-20  "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.  (20)  "These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man."

J H Jowett, a British minister in the late 19th early 20th century said this about sanctifying Christ as Lord in our hearts.

“Sanctify in your hearts Christ as Lord.” [1Peter 3:15] The heart is a sanctuary. It is a place of worship. Worship is always proceeding. There is a large congregation. Who are the worshippers? Let me name a few. There are our wishes, our ambitions, our motives, our willings. All these are worshippers, bowing in the heart before some enthroned and sovereign Lord. Our dispositions are also among the crowd. All the forces of thought and feeling are mingled in the varied congregation! Go into the sanctuary of any heart, and you will find, kneeling side by side in homage and obeisance, wishes, motives, sentiments, purposes, dispositions, all bowing before some central shrine.

What shrine has been erected in the center of our heart? It is important to have an answer for that question.

It answers the question of why we are to sanctify Christ as Lord in our hearts.

Necessary in the hot pursuit of doing good. v. 13 Before we get to why it is necessary to have sanctified Christ as Lord in our hearts we need to address the first part of verse 13. If Peter is writing to Christians in the midst of suffering what does he mean by ‘who is there to harm you….’ I believe, ordinarily that this is the case. 2:13,14 says governors are for the punishment of evil doers and the praise of those who do right. Pro 16:7  When a man's ways are pleasing to the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. The point is not whether anyone is harming us or whether we are under persecution. The point is are we zealous for doing good.

Necessary in the midst of persecution. Too often we focus on our suffering or our persecutors. Verse 17 puts it all in perspective. “If God should will it so” The Lord is sovereign and is in control of every aspect of our life. If indeed we have sanctified Him as Lord in our hearts then knowing He is good and submitting to His will grants that suffering and persecution are but a means to an end. It is to draw us closer to our God. It is to make into the image of Jesus. God uses it as a means to grow and strengthen His church. In the first centuries of the church there was such persecution that it is a wonder that it wasn’t wiped out. In his work called Apology, the Latin apologist Tertullian made this now-famous comment: “The oftener we are mown down by you, the more in number we grow; the blood of Christians is seed.” Somehow, the suffering of some Christians spurred others to more faithful living. The apostle Paul noted that “most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear” (Phil. 1:14). Through all the terrible persecutions of the early centuries, the church continued to grow.

Voice of the Martyrs IRAN: Persecution Causing Church Growth

24 May 2017

One of the worst countries in the world for Christians to be living in is also the country where the church is growing the fastest. That country is the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is listed as the eighth worst Christian-persecuting country in the world on the 2017 Open Doors USA World Watch list. But now, Iran has gained the distinction of being the leading country in the world where the church is growing and influencing the region for Christ, according to the Christian persecution watchdog. Last year the mission research organization Operation World listed Iran as having a 19.6% rise in its Christian population annually — more than any other country in the world, according to Mission Network News. Fox News noted that despite the Iranian regime’s crackdown on Christianity, a large underground church movement is growing. Hundreds of Iranians have reportedly been converting to Christianity, and many are being baptized in large ceremonies in underground churches held in private homes across the country. Two factors that contributed to this phenomenon: “First, violence in the name of Islam has caused widespread disillusionment with the regime and led many Iranians to question their beliefs. Second, many Iranian Christians have continued to boldly and faithfully tell others about Christ, in the face of persecution.”

Necessary in the driving out to the fear of man. Drive out the fear of man by the fear of God. “Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts.” How often we see fear expel fear. The fear of being burnt will give courage to a person to climb down by a water pipe from the upper story of a house in flames. In latter part of Spring and summer we have a family of Kildee (a type of bird) that live in the yard. They nest on the ground. Normally they will fly off if you approach too closely, but once their young are born the fear of losing her young will cause a Kildee to come close to a person attracting his notice from them to herself. Oh for the strength of soul which so conceives of the majesty, and power, and love of God, that it dares not sin against Him, but would rather brave a world of persecution rather than dishonor to the name of Christ. Pro 29:25 The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted.

Necessary in giving a credible defense of the hope within us with gentleness and reverence. The truth of the matter is we cannot give an account of something we do not know. Sanctifying Christ as Lord in our hearts requires a Biblically accurate definition of Christ as Lord or else we have substituted one idol for another. It requires that we be students of the Scripture, disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, to rightly apply the word of God. Too often many who claim Christ are like students who daydream or doodle in their notebooks rather than pay careful attention to the preaching and teaching of the word of God; to wrestle to understand the difficult passages and seek the right meaning of the text from the Author of the Book and to the right, consistent application of it.

It is to give an accurate account to those who see your patient endurance and the mark of contentment in the midst of trail and affliction and with real interest wonder what is the source of this peace which defies explanation in light of such dire circumstances. It is also for the persecutor who asks mockingly why we cling to Jesus. They too, need to have an accurate account of the hope that is within us. Too often Christians now cannot give a defense of the faith. In Acts 16 Paul and Silas were in Philippi. After preaching the gospel they were arrested and brought before the magistrate (judge). The charge against was Act 16:21-31  and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe."  (22)  Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods.  (23)  And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely.  (24)  Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.  (25)  But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.  (26)  Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed.  (27)  And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself.  (28)  But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here."  (29)  Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.  (30)  And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"  (31)  So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household."

Have you sanctified Christ in your heart?

Are you ready this day to give an account of the hope that is in you?

Are you able to offer a defense of the faith?

The benediction comes from Jude vs. 24-25

Jud 1:24-25  Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,  (25)  to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.