Sermon Tone Analysis

1 Peter 3:13-17

Introduction

Look at 1 Peter 3:13

For some reason as I read and studied these verses there seemed to be two questions in this verse that kept jumping out at me.

A shorter question within His original question, and what happened is that it pointed something out in my life and help bring some application that I desperately needed and my hope this morning is that it does the same for you.

So first let me ask the shorter question that I saw in this verse, and I want you to think on this.

“Who is there to harm you...?” This was big for me and I think it is a big question that all believers should ask!

Why do I say that?

Because for most of us, with many fingers pointing at me, when we come across some one who asks us if we are christians or we see someone who we could witness to or when we are placed in situations that we have to decide to follow the crowd or follow Christ, our mind bombards us with all sorts of questions, Like: What will they think of me if I decide not to go along with them or if I was to tell them the gospel what will happen?

What if I upset them or they get mad or offended?

What if they don’t want to be bothered?

What if?(with any reason you can think of that brings fear in your heart!)

So what happens is we might soften the blow of the gospel, or not even give them the gospel, or we might soften our conscious by telling ourselves “that it is not a good time to bother someone we don’t know”, or “if I was a friends with them or if actually knew them I might have a right to speak to them about Christ”, or “ it is ok to go along with them as long as I don’t do the bad things that they do”.

We might even say this common phrase, “It is easier to ask for forgiveness”.

So the question is, Who is there to harm you?

The answer to that is anyone!

Again I can think of millions of people who could harm me and I think you can too!

This Christians that Peter was encouraging could think of many too and could name many that were harming them at that moment!

So how do we answer that question, because we know that is a possibility to be harmed for our faith?

But that is not the question Peter raises.

Look at 1 Peter 3:13

And just like the question that I asked you, Peter is not thinking about Christians not being harmed, but the main point to this question is from the previous verses in 1 Peter 3:8-12

Peter knows that suffering will stalk believers until Christ returns.

His point is that no one can ultimately and finally triumph over believers, For God is for us, for His chosen people!

Yes sometimes unbelievers will not harm you, and for us in America it is very unlikely that you will be harmed for doing good, but it is very common for believers to receive harm whether it is verbally or physically.

What these questions did for me and I pray it does the same for you, was make me look deep within the reason for my fear, because if we really think about why we hate the word submission, as we talk about last Sunday, and why we fear harm or fear what others might think of us.

The root of it comes down to our self esteem and our self exaltation.

We prefer the praise of men, we consider more valuable the comforts of American living, we counted the cost of our family, our friendships, our jobs, our money, our pleasures, to be worth more than giving up all of our possessions and following Christ.

What do you hold on tightly to, that you have set to be the highest priority, the treasure you have given the greatest value to, that has become the most cherished prize, what do you esteem and honor the most.

Is it Jesus!

This is were Peter is leading us, this is the main point of this passage.

Look at verse 15

But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts,...

what does it mean to sanctify Christ as Lord?

It means to set Jesus apart and treat Him as Lord.

Regard Him as the holiest being in the universe.

Regard Him as unique, one of a kind, without peer or rival.

Put Him in a category by Himself— put Him in the highest place, put Him as the most valuable treasure, place Him as the greatest admiration, place Him as the most cherished prize, the one you esteem and honor and love the most out of all persons and all things in the world.

Stand in awe of Him, Bow before Him, and Hope in entirely in Him.

“sanctify Christ as Lord”!

Our hope is in Him and when we fix our hope on Him, when we set apart Christ as Lord in our hearts it is not merely a private thing , but it will flow out from within because it effects everything we are and it will be evident to all.

This is the very essence of our new birth, our new life that God has caused in us.

In 1 Peter 1:2 we are chosen

How do we sanctify Christ as Lord?

there our three points that we will look at.

First

We sanctify Christ as Lord bya Fearless Hope.

Look at verse 14 (1 Peter 3:14)

This ties into what we talk about last Sunday that, If we suffer for righteousness sake we our following the examples Christ left us.

Remember in 1 Peter 2:21

We can fearlessly Hope in Christ because we see the value in our calling to follow in His steps.

That our Lord suffered for us and we count it worthy to suffer like Him.

but Peter says we are blessed if we should suffer for righteousness sake.

so what is this blessing!

Jesus said in Matt.

5:10-12

We can fearlessly Hope in our reward because it is guaranteed by the word and power of Christ.

Therefore, “Do not fear their intimidation” and “ Do not be troubled”.

Fearlessness shows where our hope is in!

It shows who we trust and value more!

Since no one can ultimately harm believers and since even our sufferings is a sign of God’s blessings, then it follows that we should not fear what others can do to us.

And since Christ is the ground and the goal of our hope, fearlessness honors him—sanctifies him, shows His unique worth and strength in our lives.

and when He rules our thoughts and emotions, our hope cannot be shaken by anything that someone can do.

Second

We sanctify Christ as Lord by a defense for our hope.

Look at verse 15 (1 Peter 3:15)

Peter tells us always be ready to make a defense, “ to make a defense” is one word in the Greek ,“apologia”, which is were we get the word apologist.

Now Peter is not saying we should be highly skilled apologist for the faith, but it does mean that every believer should grasp the essentials of the faith and should have the ability to explain to others for the hope they have in Christ.

Why is that important?

because our theology matters, our answer for our hope matters.

When I was younger, I wanted to get a tattoo of a cross.

My reason for it was so that when people saw it I could give them the reason for my faith which had nothing to do with the reason for my Hope in Christ or the Gospel.

It was only for my on self esteem.

I remember a time when I went into a gas station and a guy was outside witnessing to people coming in and out.

When I was leaving the guy stop me and asked me “Do you know Christ?” and my answer was “yes, I have tattoo of a cross on my shoulder” how did that answer sanctify Christ, how did it show Christ honored and valued, what it did was showed Him as a fool and me as the biggest fool.

But thats what we do, isn’t it, we wear t-shirts that have a catchy phrases, we use religious symbols and or use songs to describe our hope.

But do you have a reason, a defense for your hope.

Christians do not have blind faith nor a groundless hope, because if you only have feelings about your hope and not answers, or If your answers is “just because” or “I once walked down a isle asked him to come into my heart and that is it” then how does that honor Christ as Lord. 2 Corinthians 13:5 says

Go to God pray to Him, ask Him Why do I believe in you?

Why do I hold you as my treasure?

What is the basis of my hope?

Then when you have been honest with yourself and God, see if your answers line up with the word of God!

Jesus was never seeker friendly, He never tried to please men, He never tried to make it easier for people to follow Him and stay self-absorbed.

He always proclaimed that, He is the way, the truth, and the life.

Jesus word’s caused many of His followers to desert him?

Why because He demanded to be the center of their life’s, to be set apart in their hearts and be honored as Lord.

In John chapter 6 we see Jesus surround by many followers and He begins to say many difficult things, many hard things, and everyone left except for the twelve in John 6:66-69 says this.

Is that your defense of your Hope!

Whatever you answer is for the Hope that is in you, let it be ground in Christ, Let it set apart Christ as Lord and make Him honored!

And when we have or conviction set and our defense ready, answer those who oppose you in gentleness and reverence.

Because when believers encounter a hostile world and are challenged concerning their faith, the temptation to respond harshly increases.

But again we have sanctify Christ as Lord we will live in humility and treat opponents with dignity and refrain from lashing out against them.

We know the words of eternal life and we know who is Lord!

Which leads us to our third point

We sanctify Christ as Lord by a zealous hope.

Look at verse 16 (1 Peter 3:16)

There is three parts to this the manner, the purpose, and the reason.

The Manner

by being zealous for good deeds.

So we start where we began, Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good?

What unbelievers criticized is the “good behavior” of believers that Peter was writing to.