Live, Act, Speak

Intro

Good evening! I hope this message finds you well this first full week of April. I want to thank you for watching our video encounter again this week as we persevere and look to God together during this social distancing time.

We are going to continue on in our 1 Peter series tonight. Just to quickly recap we started by talking about being a people of hope and how our hope in Jesus changes the way we view and live life. Then Spencer shared in our 2nd week about being exiles in this world as followers of God, and how we don’t find our chief identify in the world, but rather from Jesus. But we seek the welfare of the land we find ourselves in to bring glory to God. Then last week Kevin talked about holiness, and how we are to be set apart as different than the world around us as God’s people. We are in the world, but not of the world. Our true citizenship is in heaven and the Kingdom of God.

Something that I hope has been apparent is that all these message are interconnected and 1 Peter has consistent themes all the way through the letter. So our message is going to expound off of Kevin’s message last week with how Peter tells us we can live our lives as God’s holy people.

Always Be Ready

“but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. ()

For the longest time I just thought this verse meant that I needed to know all the answers to every possible question that anyone could ask me about faith. And although I do think it is good to study and search for answers to the questions we have about faith, it is very exhausting to have that constant pressure of needing to have every answer. I can remember feeling very nervous to talk to people about my faith because I was worried they’d ask me something that I didn’t know. What if I looked like a fool, or they didn’t follow Jesus of how I answered?

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). ()

If you would, go up just a few verses to , and we are going to read verse 8-16 so we can see exactly what Peter had in mind when he challenged his readers to be ready to give an answer. I realize this is a large chunk of Scripture, but I feel it necessary for us to read this chunk to get the full picture of what Peter is talking about.

“Finally, all of you live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing For,

‘Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.’

Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. ‘Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened. But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed by their slander”

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Peter calls us to have an answer for the hope that we have not based on how much charisma we have, or knowledge, or intelligent answers, but rather from a life that is fully dedicated to Christ. Our lives should generate discussion among those who don’t yet know Christ. Our lives ought to be provoking questions, and causing a stir in those around us.

Story of Christians in Rome (Julian): “Why then do we think that this is sufficient and do not observe how the kindness of Christians to strangers, their care for the burial of their dead, and the sobriety of their lifestyle has done the most to advance their cause?.... It is a scandal that there is not a single Jew who is a beggar, and that the godless Galileans care not only for their own poor but for ours as well; while those who belong to us look in vain for the help that we should render them.

I believe this passage us gives us 3 ways that the world will recognize our lives as different, that is the way we Live, the way we Act, and they way we Speak. These 3 things are only possible if our hearts are dedicated to Christ (hagiazo), but if our hearts are set apart for Christ, then there are 3 powerful things that happen in our lives to give witness to those around us.

1. Live

““Finally, all of you live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.”

Live in harmony with one another. Can you imagine if nothing else, if we as the church lived in harmony with one another? The world will notice a people who are loving each other as brothers, who are compassionate and humble. The church in the book of Acts is a powerful example of a church who lived in harmony with each other. They gave up anything that needed to be given up so that their brothers and sisters needs were met. Could you imagine what would happen to the city of Muncie, Indiana if our church gained the reputation of giving up things for the sake of each other?

There are so many people in our world who are trying to get ahead of others, putting themselves above others. People who are only looking out for themselves. But remember what Jesus said in “ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another”.

Remember the humility of our Lord Jesus who left heaven to become a man so that God himself would dwell among His people and make a way back into relationship with the Father. That same Jesus took off his outer garment, tied it around his waist, and stooped down to was the feet of the disciples. Church, that is the humbleness we must display to each other, and to the world around us.

2. Act

Do not repay evil with evil or insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing For,

Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. ‘Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.

The way we act shows everyone around where are hearts truly are. The way we act is tied in closely with the way we live, but it is very possible to appear to live one way, but act another.

Peter admonishes us to not repay evil with evil, but rather with blessing. Let me tell you, that will draw a lot of attention. The world plays by the rule of “if you hurt me, well then I’m going to hurt you!” Get even! They deserve it! The Word of God tells us to repay evil with blessing! Remember the words of Jesus again, “You have heard that is was said ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” ().

Paul says in Romans to “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

It is a truly powerful thing when our words match up with our actions. As believers in Christ, we have the power of the Holy Spirit living with us. The Holy Spirit gives us the mind of Christ to repay evil with blessing, to forgive those who offend us, and to have courage in the face of opposition.

3. Speak

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed by their slander

Finally, we get to the place where we can give our answer to the hope that we have. We just spoke about the different ways that this passage calls us to live and act. The way we live in unity, the way we have compassion with each other, the way we forgive each other, the courage we face in fearful situations. But those things can only happen in our hearts are set apart for Christ. Christ must be Lord in our hearts.

It is from setting apart, that reverence in our hearts for Christ (hagiazo), that we will be able to give an answer for the hope that we have. Peter tells us that if we are living the way that verse 8-14 are prescribing believers to live, then it is going to cause those around us to ask questions. Our lives are going to look different. It will be apparent to all around us that we have something different. That is exactly what Jesus taught us in Matthew when He said:

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven”

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When our light shines out, people will notice and they will inquire of us. Peter tells us when that happens, we give the answer to our hope. We do so with gentleness and respect, so that no one can accuse us of anything false. We don’t have to be the most persuasive speaker, or have all the answers, we simply speak about how Christ has changed our life. The Holy Spirit will use our testimony to move and touch the lives around us. The Spirit will affirm the truth of our lives to those around us.

Conclusion:

I can remember the summer right before my freshman year in college. I wasn’t following Jesus. I went to church and went through motions, but Jesus wasn’t my Lord. I had no intentions to follow Him in college

But that summer, I was around people at my church and especially my cousin a lot. He had followed Jesus all his life and always was talking about God. He would often tell me that what I was seeking wouldn’t give me fulfillment. Then as I was around the church people at home, I began to develop deep conviction of my sin. Not because anyone condemned me or anything, but because I saw the reality of Jesus in their life. Their lives truly was the city on a hill. God was pulling me towards himself through the Christians that he had around me, and that resulted in me bowing down at an altar to accept Jesus as my Lord on an August Sunday in 2009. I’m here today because people dared to live their lives for Christ in such a way that set them apart.

Prayer

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone”

Our lives are a powerful testimony of our devotion to Christ. The New Testament is full of Scripture that tells believers the way we should conduct our lives. However, before our lives can reflect Christ, we must set apart our hearts for Christ. He alone can be Lord of our life. His name alone can be revered in our heart. It is when we revere Christ as Lord in our hearts, that are then can truly shine the light that Jesus so powerfully tells us it can.

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Prayer