Fearless Faith for a New Year

Opening Section:

-Church, this morning we stand at the threshold of a new year.

New calendars.

New plans. that include going to the gym, cutting out bad food and eating clean… often this all fades by March

New expectations.

And if we’re honest—new fears.

-Every new year carries hope, but it also carries uncertainty. We don’t know what this year will bring:

What headlines we’ll read

What challenges we’ll face as individuals, families, and so on

What suffering or joy may come

-Many people begin a new year asking:

Will this be easier than last year?

Will things finally get better?

Will my faith hold if it gets harder?

-And into those questions, the Word of God speaks—not with empty optimism, but with anchored hope.

-We have been in 1 Peter for some time now and we see Peter writes to believers who are also stepping into an uncertain future. They didn’t know what the year ahead would bring either. What they did know was this: following Jesus was already costing them something.

-That’s why this passage is such a fitting place to begin the year—not with promises of comfort, but with confidence in Christ.

-Peter doesn’t ask, “How do we avoid suffering?” He asks, “How do we live faithfully when it comes?”

-So as we begin a new year together, Peter invites us to ask a better question—not “What will happen to us this year?”but:

“Who will we trust, and how will we live, no matter what happens?”

-With all that said… For those of us that like sermon titles for todays sermon is titled “Fearless Faith for a New Year”

Read 1 Peter 3:13–22.

PRAY

I. Righteous Living May Still Lead to Suffering (vv. 13–14)

Read: vs13-14a:

“Who then will harm you if you are devoted to what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed.

-Peter confronts a dangerous assumption—one that quietly creeps into our hearts, especially at the start of a new year:

-If I live faithfully, life will be easy.

-Every new year tempts us to believe in a subtle spiritual transaction: If I pray more, serve more, give more, and obey more—then God will make life smoother.

-But Peter dismantles that myth immediately. “Who will harm you if you are devoted to what is good?” “But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed.” (vv.13–14)

-Peter is not promising protection from hardship. He is offering perspective in the middle of it.

-Scripture consistently rejects the idea that faithfulness guarantees ease.

Abel lived righteously—and was murdered by his own brother.

The prophets spoke the word of the Lord—and were mocked, beaten, imprisoned, and killed.

Jesus, the only truly sinless One, lived in perfect obedience—and was crucified.

-If righteousness guaranteed comfort, the cross would never have happened.

-So when suffering comes, Peter wants believers to understand this clearly:

Suffering is not always a sign of God’s absence.

Sometimes it is evidence of faithful obedience.

-There is a kind of suffering that comes from poor choices—but there is also suffering that comes from choosing Christ in a world that resists Him.

-Peter echoes the words of Jesus Himself: “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” (Matthew 5:10)

-Notice what Jesus does not say. He does not say they are blessed after the suffering. He says they are blessed in the middle of it.

-Why? Because suffering for righteousness places us in the company of Christ.

-When we suffer for doing good:

We walk the road Jesus walked

We share in His reproach

We bear witness to a kingdom that does not belong to this world

-The blessing Peter speaks of is not circumstantial—it is relational. It is the deep assurance that our lives are aligned with Christ, even when the world pushes back.

-As we begin this new year, Peter invites us to release the false promise of ease and embrace a greater promise:Faithfulness may cost us—but it will never abandon us.

II. A Fearless Heart Is Anchored in Christ, Not Circumstances (vv. 14)

Vs.14-15A: Do not fear them, or be intimidated, but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy

-After acknowledging that suffering may come, Peter moves directly to the issue beneath it all: fear.

-Peter is intentionally echoing Isaiah 8, a moment in Israel’s history when God’s people were surrounded by political instability, military threats, and national anxiety. Nations were rising, alliances were shifting, and fear was contagious.

READ ISAIAH 8:11-17.

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 8

For this is what the LORD said to me with great power, to keep me from going the way of this people:

12 Do not call everything a conspiracy

that these people say is a conspiracy.

Do not fear what they fear;

do not be terrified.

13 You are to regard only the LORD of Armies as holy.

Only he should be feared;

only he should be held in awe.

14 He will be a sanctuary;

but for the two houses of Israel,

he will be a stone to stumble over

and a rock to trip over,

and a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

15 Many will stumble over these;

they will fall and be broken;

they will be snared and captured.

16 Bind up the testimony.

Seal up the instruction among my disciples.

17 I will wait for the LORD,

who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob.

I will wait for him.

-The temptation then—and now—was not simply to feel afraid. It was to fear the wrong things.

-God’s instruction in Isaiah was not, “Pretend the danger isn’t real.” It was, “Do not let the fear of man replace the fear of the Lord.”

-That same call echoes through Peter’s words.

The Command Isn’t: “Don’t feel afraid.”

-Scripture never denies the reality of fear. Fear is a natural human response to threat, uncertainty, and loss.

Instead, the command is this:

Choose who you fear most.

-Fear, in the biblical sense, is not just an emotion—it is an expression of allegiance. What we fear most is what we believe holds the greatest power over our lives.

-Peter tells believers to make a deliberate, heart-level choice:“In your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy.”

-To “regard Christ as holy” means more than honoring Him with words. It means setting Him apart as supreme—the highest authority, the ultimate reference point for every decision and response.

-When Christ is regarded as holy:

He occupies the highest place Not politics. Not culture. Not fear. Not even self-preservation.

His approval matters more than public opinionWe are no longer driven by acceptance, applause, or avoidance of rejection.

His authority outweighs every threatNo government, no system, no spiritual power stands above Him.

-Peter is reminding the church that intimidation loses its grip when Christ is enthroned in the heart.

-Fear grows when circumstances are elevated. Fear shrinks when Christ is exalted.

-This is not denial of danger—it is declaration of lordship.

-As we step into a new year, Peter’s call is not to predict what will happen, but to decide who reigns. Because when Christ is holy in our hearts, fear no longer gets the final word.

III. Suffering Is a Platform for Witness, Not Silence (vv. 15b–16)

Read 1 Peter 3:15b-16.

ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. 16 Yet do this with gentleness and reverence, keeping a clear conscience, so that when you are accused, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame.

-Once Christ is regarded as holy in the heart, Peter turns to what naturally follows: witness.

-It is important to notice what Peter does not say.

He does not say:

Win arguments

Prove people wrong

Be aggressive or combative

-Peter is not calling the church to be loud. He is calling the church to be ready.

He says:

Be ready, Prepared, thoughtful, grounded—not reactionary.

Give a reason, Not a rant. Not a slogan. A thoughtful explanation rooted in the gospel.

Speak with gentleness and respect, Strength under control. Conviction without cruelty. Truth without arrogance.

-This kind of witness does not come from confidence in ourselves—it flows from confidence in Christ.

-The early church did not grow because believers held political power, cultural influence, or military strength. They had none of those things.

-The church grew because believers had hope under pressure.

When the world expected fear, they displayed peace.

When the world expected silence, they spoke with clarity.

When the world expected retaliation, they responded with grace.

-And that is what made people ask questions.People do not ask about hope when life is easy. They ask when suffering doesn’t crush you.

-Peter assumes something important: If Christ truly reigns in our hearts, our lives will provoke curiosity.

-That leads Peter to emphasize two things that must always stay together:

What you say “Give a reason for the hope that is in you.”

-Our hope must be articulate. The gospel is not vague optimism—it is rooted in the life, death, resurrection, and reign of Jesus Christ.

How you live MATTERS:

-“Yet do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience.” (v.16) Our hope must also be visible. A clear conscience means there is no disconnect between confession and conduct. When accusation comes—and Peter assumes it will—there is nothing for it to stick to.

“So that, when you are accused, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame.” Peter is not saying believers should seek vindication. He is saying integrity does the work for us.

-Integrity turns accusations into empty noise.

-When our words are clear and our lives are consistent, slander loses its power. The gospel does not advance through dominance—but through faithful, hope-filled endurance.

-As we step into this new year, Peter reminds us that our calling is not to win culture wars, but to bear faithful witness—through lives so anchored in Christ that hope becomes impossible to ignore.

IV. Christ’s Suffering Defines Ours (vv. 17–18)

Read 1 Peter 3:17–18 “For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,”

-After calling believers to faithful witness and integrity in suffering, Peter now brings us to the center of the gospel. Everything he has said—and everything he is about to say—hinges on this truth.

-This is not a supporting argument. This is the foundation.

-Peter does not motivate endurance by telling believers to try harder, be tougher, or develop thicker skin. He anchors Christian suffering in the cross, not in moral grit.

-This is the heart of the passage. Before Peter ever speaks about our suffering, he reminds us of Christ’s.

Jesus Suffered Voluntarily

“Christ also suffered…” Jesus was not forced into suffering. No one took His life from Him—He laid it down.

-The cross was not an accident, and it was not a tragic interruption of God’s plan. It was the plan. Jesus willingly entered suffering out of love and obedience to the Father.

Jesus Suffered Innocently

“The righteous for the unrighteous…” This is substitution. Jesus did not suffer because He sinned. He suffered for sins—ours.

-The only truly righteous One took the place of the guilty. Our shame was transferred to Him, and His righteousness was credited to us.

Jesus Suffered Decisively

“Once for all…” This phrase carries enormous weight.

No repeat – His sacrifice is final.

No addition – Nothing we add improves it.

No earning – Salvation is received, not achieved.

-The cross did not make salvation possible—it made it finished.

“That He Might Bring You to God”

-This is the purpose behind the pain. The goal of the cross was not merely forgiveness—it was reconciliation. Jesus did not suffer just to remove guilt, but to restore relationship.

-We endure not because we are strong, but because Jesus has already suffered in our place. Our suffering is not redemptive. His was.

Suffering Did Not Defeat Christ

“He was put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.”

-What looked like defeat was actually victory. What looked like loss was fulfillment.

-The cross was not the failure of God’s plan—it was its climax. Because Christ’s suffering was victorious, our suffering is never meaningless. It does not define us. It does not condemn us. And it will not have the final word.

-Peter reminds us that our hope is not anchored in circumstances improving—but in a Savior who has already conquered sin, death, and shame. And because He has suffered once for all, we can endure whatever comes next with confidence, peace, and hope.

V. Christ’s Victory Is Greater Than Every Spiritual Power (vv. 19–22)

-Peter now brings us to one of the most difficult passages in the New Testament. And yet, while the details are debated, the main point is unmistakably clear.

Read 1 Peter 3:19–22 “in which he also went and made proclamation to the spirits in prison who in the past were disobedient, when God patiently waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared. In it a few—that is, eight people—were saved through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you (not as the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge of a good conscience toward God) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.”

-There are multiple interpretations of this verse, but every orthodox Christian view agrees on two essential truths:

-First, this is not Jesus offering salvation after death. Scripture consistently teaches that repentance and faith belong to this life.

-Second, this is a declaration of victory. Whatever view one takes, the emphasis is not on who the spirits are, but on what Christ has done. This proclamation is not evangelistic—it is triumphant.

-Peter is telling suffering believers that the powers they fear have already heard the announcement:Jesus Christ has won.

-Peter Connects Three Powerful Realities

1. Noah’s Faithfulness in a Hostile World

-Peter points back to Noah, a righteous man who lived faithfully while surrounded by corruption and unbelief. Noah was vastly outnumbered, misunderstood, and mocked—yet he remained obedient.

-Peter’s audience would have seen themselves in that story.

-Faithfulness does not require majority approval—only obedience.

2. God’s Judgment and Salvation

-The flood stands as both judgment and rescue. The same waters that judged the world lifted the ark to safety.

-Peter’s point is not to scare believers, but to reassure them: God knows how to distinguish between the righteous and the wicked. He is never confused about who belongs to Him.

3. Baptism as a Sign of Allegiance to Christ

-Peter is careful to clarify: “Baptism… not as the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge of a good conscience toward God.” (v.21)

-Baptism does not save by ritual. It saves as an act of faith—a public declaration that our allegiance belongs to Jesus.

-In baptism, believers are saying:

I belong to Christ

My old life is buried

My hope is in His resurrection

-It is a visible sign that we stand with the One who has already conquered.

Peter does not end with confusion—he ends with coronation. “Jesus Christ… has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God—with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.” (v.22)

This is the crescendo.

The One who suffered is now seated.

The One who was rejected is now enthroned.

The One who was mocked is now master over all.

Final Assurance

Whatever threatens believers:

Social pressure

Political power

Spiritual opposition

None of it is sovereign.

Jesus is.

No authority outranks Him. No power operates outside His rule. No suffering escapes His reign.

-Church, as we step into this new year, remember this: suffering may come, faithfulness may cost us, and obedience may put us at odds with the world—but none of it is sovereign.

-Jesus Christ—the One who suffered once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous—has already won. He is enthroned at the right hand of God, with all powers and authorities under His rule.

-Because He reigns, we can live courageously, endure faithfully, and hope unashamedly. Whatever comes this year, Jesus is on the throne, and that is enough.