Sharing The Triumph - [1 Peter 3:13-22]

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Good morning, everyone Pastor Mike is ministering down on the
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Cape and actually, you know, I'll confess it was my idea. It's true.
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I Suggested that he could really help that church So he turned around and he said well
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Steve Somebody's gonna preach that Sunday morning. So here here we are
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Let me ask you a question have you ever won a contest I Know I won a little tiny
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TV once and I was thrilled to death did you ever win a championship a
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Tournament something that you really thought this is the pinnacle of my life. We're laughing but for some of us 2004 was probably about the best year ever wasn't it?
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Down 3 -0 to the Yankees bottom of the 9th looks hopeless win in seven games gone to the
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World Series and win Just imagine you get after that you get to sit down with Mr.
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Bloody sock Curt Schilling And you say to Kurt wasn't it great how we won the
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World Series? We he'd look at you like you were what some kind of crazy fan
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Which you are if you think that was the greatest day ever You you weren't there you didn't participate and you were not in any way connected to the ship
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Excuse me to the championship you were excited, but it wasn't yours
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The Apostle Paul in 1st
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Corinthians, and I don't want you to turn there. We're gonna be in 1st Peter 3 this morning Verses 13 to 22
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But at 1st Corinthians 15 Paul writes this Oh Death, where is your victory?
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Oh Death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law
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But thanks be to God who gives us the victory Through our
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Lord Jesus Christ None of us were there When Jesus Christ was crucified when he was buried or when he was resurrected from the dead and Yet by the grace of God every
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Christian Shares in the triumph of Christ it is his he gets all the glory
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But we in some way Share in his triumph and we're going to see how we share in that this morning
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We didn't again. We didn't bring anything to his Death burial or resurrection except for of course the sin that made it necessary Nevertheless we get to show the work of Christ in us we get to show his victory the victory over sin death and the grave
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This morning we are going to look at something that we share in that has far more value than any wood hay and stubble even a
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World Series first Peter 3 verses 13 to 22
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Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good?
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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 but sanctify
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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 and Keep a good conscience
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So that in the thing in which you are slandered those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame
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For it is better if God should will it so That you suffer for doing what is right rather than for what is for doing what is wrong
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For Christ also died for sins once for all the just for the unjust
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So that he might bring us to God Having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit in Which also he went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison
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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
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Were brought safely through the water Corresponding to that Baptism now saves you
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Not the removal of dirt from the flesh But an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ Who is at the right hand of God?
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Having gone into heaven after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected
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To him now this morning. I'd like to draw your attention to seven behaviors that prove the work of Christ in you so that you will live in such a way as to display the triumph of Christ These are seven behaviors that show you are a trophy of grace a result of Christ's victory over sin death and hell
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They are exhibitions of the fact that you share in the triumph of Christ behavior number one
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You must be zealous for good You must be zealous for good
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Peter asks a rhetorical question. What's a rhetorical question? It is a question that does not
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Need an answer it has a built -in answer Look at verse 13 who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good?
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Well, it would be unexpected even unnatural for someone to be harmed for doing what is good
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So the building answer is no one no one should do that No one should
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Harm you punish you do evil against you if you are zealously doing what is good
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Now I can think back of when I was a child and there were a few times where I may have gotten in some trouble
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I Don't know. Maybe I came home with a black eye Maybe I got sent home from school. I don't know, you know a few odds and ends
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What's the first question your mom asked you when you get home What did you do Not does it hurt
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You know, maybe she says let me see that then the second question is what did you do? You know? What did you do to deserve that?
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That's the natural presumption Now if I said and I may have said this on occasion
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Nothing. My mom would presume what that I was lying.
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You don't get a black eye. You don't get suspended from school You don't get a traffic ticket You don't there are a lot of things in life that don't happen if you're not doing anything wrong if you are zealously pursuing
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What is good? Now Peter was not saying that this could not happen
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But he simply implied that this would not be expected if you are zealously going about what is right
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The Greek verb to harm has as its root The word evil so it means who is going to do evil against you if you are zealous For what is good?
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It's not what you expect what you would expect for doing right? It means mistreatment abuse oppression persecution
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And to be a zealot and that is the Greek word It's the same word a zealot is one who earnestly who is earnestly committed to a side or cause
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Enthusiast a fan somebody who is supercharged so to be zealous for what is good is to have a
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Single -minded focus a pursuit of those activities and thoughts of which
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God approves. That's what good is It's objectively good in short
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Every believer ought to be above reproach if you are zealous for what is good if you are constantly pursuing what is good you would be what the world would see as Above reproach you would have a good reputation
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Paul wrote of that of elders in 1st Timothy 3 that they should be that they needed to be above reproach
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That is when the world looked at them. They would say this is somebody who is committed to doing good
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There is no charge that we can bring against them and that's the same kind of concept here
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Every Christian should strive to be above reproach Every Christian should be focused should be zealous on doing what is good
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Let me ask you this. Would you like to sin less?
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Would you like in your life to sin less than you do right now if you would then
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Peter has a Method for you. He has a remedy for you Have a zeal for what is good.
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Listen what Mount says? He says those who love goodness are by that very love
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Freed from the fascination of evil if you are fascinated with good you won't be fascinated with evil still
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What happens? When you're around someone who always does everything, right?
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You know when you went to school and somebody, you know was just known as a goody two -shoes
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I mean it gets pretty annoying when somebody is, you know, always doing the right thing So what effect might that have on unbelievers they might become annoyed with you
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They might want to persecute you they might make even make up false allegations against you
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This is not outside the realm of possibility all Peter This isn't a promise that you could say I'm never going to be persecuted if I do what is right
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What Peter is saying is it would be unexpected You shouldn't think that this is necessarily going to happen to you
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Now the flip side of this is That if you claim to be a Christian and you don't live a life that is marked by a zeal for good
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You can certainly expect persecution you can certainly expect persecution why because you're a hypocrite and people are going to call you that and Also, you will have no comfort in the midst of it
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None as we'll see as we move along Now can the Lord use unbelievers to chasten believers if You are in a pattern of sin.
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Can God use unbelievers? To bring to wake you up To make you aware of the fact that you are not pleasing him absolutely absolutely
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And Peter also says as unexpected as this sort of harm might be when believers are pursuing good
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It could happen look at 14 Verse 14, but even if and that construction means you know what it could happen
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But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness Even if you are brought to a place of suffering for the sake of righteousness
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Peter says you are blessed blessed after all didn't
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Jesus suffer and yet Peter preaching a sermon in Acts 10 said that Jesus went about doing good.
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He did good all the time. Did Jesus ever do something? That wasn't good. Could we say that Jesus? zealously pursued good
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Absolutely, did he suffer unjustly the sake of unrighteous men?
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certainly, no one ever in all of history before or since has been as zealous for what is good than the
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Lord himself and Look at the first word in verse 14 short little three -letter word in the
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English, but in The Greek it indicates a very strong contrast
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There are different connectives that can be used and Peter uses the strongest one and he says big contrast he's saying you should not expect to be persecuted if you're a zealous for what is good, but Strong contrast it could happen for the sake of righteousness and he uses a rare verbal mode mood
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Again to stress that this is not a certainty. It just it's a possibility it could happen and it could happen repeatedly
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Now that phrase for the sake of righteousness Literally would be because of righteousness and it carries with it a relation to Christ his person his cause
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He is righteousness personified Unbelievers don't simply lash out because good is being done
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I mean when we look around the world There's plenty of good plenty of charity that is being done apart from the church apart from Christ people give money to all kinds of charities for disease or to help children or AIDS in Africa or whatever the cause is there are a number of good causes that are done apart from Christ It doesn't make people mad
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What does make them mad is? If it's being done on behalf of Jesus Christ Matthew 5 11 in the
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Sermon on the Mount Jesus said blessed are you when people insult you and Persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me
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Now in your life there may have been a great big change when you got saved and you know what in the world's eyes
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That's fine as long as it was psychology Alcoholics anonymous even time in prison positive thinking some book that you picked up at a bookstore
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That is fine. They'll nod and smile and say good for you but if it was
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Jesus a Lot of times you'll find out it's just like telling a Yankees fan that you're a
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Red Sox fan there will be a sudden just visceral antipathy a dis a
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Hatred for you why because you have dared to attribute to Christ some change in you
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Some activity that you are pursuing now if it happens if persecution comes upon you because you've acted
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Righteously Peter says you are blessed just as Jesus said you are blessed
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And you're sitting there thinking. Are you kidding? I don't need that kind of blessing I'm getting persecuted for pursuing what
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God commands and He says I'm blessed commentator
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Hebert says this such sufferings contribute to the Christians spiritual well -being and foster a blessedness that reaches into the life beyond Why how could that be
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Being persecuted for righteousness sake for the sake of Christ on behalf of him because of activities undertaken in his name in this life
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You are blessed with the grace to deal with the persecution and the joy of knowing that you are pleasing the
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Lord That is the blessing and in the life to come Reward for faithfulness even though the work isn't of you it is
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Christ working in you You are blessed and the word would be exclamation point
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Jumping up and down you are blessed Consider it all joy That's the idea our second behavior
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You must not fear the works of the wicked again Verse 14 the second half of it and do not fear their intimidation and do not be troubled
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Literally, it is do not fear their fear Do not fear their intimidation
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Well, what's our natural response to intimidation? When the goon squad comes after you are you afraid when the bully comes after you are you afraid naturally you are our
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Reflex our natural response to persecution to oppression is fear
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And Peter says don't do that. Don't act naturally
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Don't be gripped by fear. Don't give in to that temptation Now we think sometimes that we have
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Difficulty in our life that we have persecution But again as we said when we go for through the time of first Peter We understand that Christians were being persecuted
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Peter wrote this letter to give them hope They were in a midst of the beginning of persecution and things were going to get a lot worse in the first century
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AD you didn't get Notes in your mailbox saying
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I can't believe you're a Christian that disgusts me you didn't get nasty emails You know saying what are you crazy?
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Are you stupid? They took it out on you physically and Peter says to his readers.
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Don't be afraid How could he expect anyone not to be afraid? because They were born of Christ.
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They were born again. Their eyes were completely fixed on Christ The verb translated troubled he says don't be intimidated.
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He also says don't be troubled In modern terms, we would say don't let this rock your world.
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Don't get all caught up in it How could we possibly do that, how can you not be worried how can you not have your world rocked when persecution is coming and Peter gives us that answer our third behavior.
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He commands us not to be worried Commands us not to be fearful and our third behavior is you must put
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Christ first. You must put Christ first verse 15 But or rather instead instead of being
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Afraid instead of being troubled instead of being intimidated Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts
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Now, what does it mean to sanctify Christ? We think of that verb sanctify and we think well, it means to make something holy
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Well, how do we make Christ holy? We can't Edmund Clowney writes
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When the Lord sanctifies us He makes us holy when we sanctify the
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Lord we set him apart as the Holy One This verb actually means to treat as holy
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But also listen to this enshrine as the object of supreme absolute reverence
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When it says to sanctify Christ as Lord in our hearts, it means to put him above everything
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To make him the object of supreme absolute reverence Nothing comes before the
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Lord Jesus Christ nothing When believers sanctify
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Christ as Lord in their hearts, they put their allegiance to him above all others
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If this were the Old Testament Peter might even write this he might say you
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Shall have no other gods before Christ What did
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Jesus say here's the greatest commandment you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul with All your might with all your strength.
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That's what he's saying right here Peter's saying sanctify him make him first in every aspect of your life
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Now if I was to take a little survey here ask for showing of hands, I won't if I was to ask this
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How many of you have gods you worship in addition to Christ? I hope
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I wouldn't see any hands. I don't think I would But that kind of misses the point a little bit
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Is there any priority? That you have set ahead of Christ Do you love him?
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with all your heart With all your soul and all your mind all the time
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That is what to sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts means
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He alone must be preeminent your first thought in the morning your last thought at night Your constant heartbeat throughout the day.
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Is that where Jesus Christ is? behavior number four
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You must be ready to Defend your hope again. Look at verse 15 second half of it 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
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If you've put Christ first if he is really preeminent in your life Peter's point is this will be a reflex.
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You're under persecution time is tough Intimidations coming trouble is coming but you're not worried
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You trust in Christ, you know that he has been victorious
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Over death you're not concerned about what men can do to you
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Whether it is persecution or just daily interaction with an unbelieving world
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Your love for the Lord should flow from your actions in your conversations
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What Peter specifically had in mind was unjustified persecution when your enemies anticipated you being?
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Intimidated and fearful or troubled as in verse 14 and your response is not to be what they expect
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In fact, it is quite the opposite. You are calm You fear no man you fear what you don't fear what any mortal can do in A very real sense you share the triumph of Christ and you show it
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Where is the victory of death? Where indeed is the sting of death?
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Where are the consequences for failing to obey the law perfectly death has no hold on you?
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the law and failure to obey it perfectly if You're in Christ has no hold on you and If you think about things rightly if you have
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Christ exalted in your mind if he is preeminent in your life Because you always worship him because you know him because you are always ready to explain your hope
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Then you won't quiver. You won't tremble as they expect That is why
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You are ready to give them an account the word for defense
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Means an eagerness to defend the gospel it is the Greek word apologia from which we get apology
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But you are not sorry for anything. You're not apologizing for anything. You are giving a rational reasonable
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Explanation for the hope that you have why you're not intimidated why you're not fearful
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Why you don't respond the way other people think you should respond To even stretch it a little bit.
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Why when you hear that you have some life -threatening disease, you don't get in a panic.
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Why? Because I'm not concerned about where I'm going. I know where I'm going.
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I trust in Christ completely Not just when things are going well, but when things aren't going well
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Now this apology Apologia defense involves giving a speech
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It means the picture would be of standing in a courtroom, but I don't want to limit it to just that because we don't live in courtrooms
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Thankfully you have to be ready to give a speech. So this idea of Being a good strong silent witness, you know being the best neighborhood or neighbor in the neighborhood.
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Those are right out The idea of being a good example. Well, those are all important, but that's not the picture here.
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You are not to proclaim I'm sorry, but you are to explain why you are able to withstand the difficulties without flinching
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In light of all the Christ has done on your behalf You are to be always ready even eager to proclaim the glories of the
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Lord Jesus Christ Now does that mean that you have to be the Bible answer man or woman?
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You know ready to answer any question about any technical doctrine. No Again, why are you hopeful?
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Where does your hope come from? Not, you know, can you explain every alleged difficulty or problem with the
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Bible? Why is it that you are not afraid of difficulty or even death?
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That is the hope that is within you this entire letter as I said first Peter is a defense
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Though what we could call the whole letter an apologia for the hope that is within us
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Believers have just to kind of quickly review a living hope and a perishable inheritance.
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They are protected by the power of God They are chosen by him. They are blessed more than any angel
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They are redeemed by the blood of Christ and on and on and on all these reasons that Peter gives to always have hope
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No matter what the situation is now surely someone who has been granted salvation by hearing the gospel and believing it will have this hope and Can repeat it?
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You say I don't know if I can do that well, then I don't know if you're a Christian a Christian can be defined as one who has believed in the gospel, right?
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Can you believe in the gospel or can you not believe in the gospel, but be a Christian? No Well, if I say that I believe the gospel and then
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I can't tell you what I believe What do I believe? I don't know and you don't know either
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There's a problem there You it I'm not saying that everybody has to go to seminary.
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You certainly don't but if you don't understand Who God is his holiness his righteousness his wrath and indeed his love?
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If you don't understand who man is if you don't understand that we are all sinners that we fall short of the mark
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That we are born sinners that we displease God with our actions that we don't love him as we ought
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That God in his love sent Jesus Christ the second person of the Trinity to die on behalf of sinners
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That he died to satisfy the wrath of God Was buried resurrected on the third day and now sits on the right hand of God If you don't understand that and you don't believe that and you can't explain that You need to get saved
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Do you have to have perfect? You know biblical knowledge no, but you have to understand the basics of the gospel
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You have to understand who God is who man is who Jesus is what Jesus did and what God commands you to do you have?
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to repent you have to believe So again, we're not going to try to turn anybody into a professional apologist
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You're not going to suddenly be James White, but you have to be able to say what you believe
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You have hope if you are a Christian not as in a pretty good chance or a wish
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But you have a sure hope a knowledge founded on the nature and power of God himself
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That is unshakable. If you know who God is and you know what he has done. Why would you fear anything?
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Christians are hope -filled in a world of hopeless people
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Christians know the meaning of life and they live in a world of meaninglessness in fact, isn't that Hasn't the great
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March of the last hundred and fifty years of history in all of our reason and brilliance and logic science been to remove ultimately all significance from the human race all
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Hope for mankind to tell us that we are an accident
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That God is dead we have a hope
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Given to us by a living God and we must be ready to defend that to explain it
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Notice that you are to be ready to make a defense to everyone who asks every single person
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That may or may not be public We were to read through books of the martyrs.
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We'd see people lash to the stake who gave testimony to Christ Even as they were being burned
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But you know what in that same sense you have to be ready if you're out with a friend having ice cream practically speaking as an aside, you know someone may point to this and See as an escape clause where it says everyone who asked well, you know what?
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I didn't give that guy the gospel because he didn't ask I'm off the hook Practically speaking.
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You don't have to wait to be asked It's fine to preach
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Christ and him crucified as often as you can you should What better news what better up?
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What better thing do you have to do with your time? And if again if you have made
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Christ preeminent if you have sanctified him as Lord in your heart if he is the focus of your being if he is
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The war but a wolf of your life if he is what you love more than anything else in life How could you hold that back
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Are you willing to suffer the slings and arrows of your friends and family to proclaim
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Christ? Now there is a certain amount of boldness that is called for in giving this apology and explaining who
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Christ is But you are commanded to give a reason for the hope that is in you to everyone who asked
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But our text also tells us that it must be done Even though it certainly takes boldness to do that. We must do it with gentleness and reverence
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In fact again, we have that strong contrast word to to show us that it has to be done with gentleness and reverence
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Now perhaps the most clear counter example I can give right now is there's that little group
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Family group their family in Kansas that call themselves Christians and they travel all around the country appearing at the funerals of servicemen and women and they
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Hold up signs They use pejorative language
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Against homosexuals. They say that the death of these servicemen and women is due to homosexuals
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How is that? gentleness How is that reverence? Even when you are being reviled
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Peter wrote do what you are not to revile in return So the pictures of the picture there of that group reviling other people
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To me it's reviling It's revolting. It's disgusting We cannot offer the hope of Christ By such behavior.
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We must do it with gentleness and reverence. We also can't force people to become Christians We can't sales pitch our way into it.
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We can't logic our way into it We can't come up with tricky slogans guaranteed to you know, get people to come to Christ And we certainly can't be arrogant in our presentation of the truth
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We must be reverent literally fearful Again, are we supposed to shake because we're given the gospel of somebody?
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No We're fearful of God. We have a right view of him We think of him as being mighty and holy and we want to represent him.
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Well We know that the people we're coming to Are created in God's image just as we are and we want to approach them rightly so far.
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We've seen These four behaviors you must be zealous for good. You must not fear the works of the wicked you must put
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Christ first and you must be ready to defend your hope and Additionally, you must keep your conscience good
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You must keep your conscience good that seems a little awkward but It'll be better when we put it this way and keep a good conscience in verse 16
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The idea that your conscience should be this is the idea that it should be objectively good.
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Well, what is good? What is good is what God says is good. He is the objective standard
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So what's the benefit of? a good conscience One that is seen as good by God one that it that lives up to his standard of good
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Simply this when persecution comes if your conscience is not clear
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If your conscience is not clear or good You may well suffer the chastening hand of the
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Lord. Not just on or not just persecution Does God chasten his erring children?
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I've already asked that the answer is yes. How do we avoid the chastening of God? How do we go and have how do we go about having a good conscience?
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Keeping a good conscience By confessing our sins to him first John 1 9 tells us and when we confess our sins, it's not just you know
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I'm really sorry. I made this big mistake today No It is to have the mind of God to agree with God about our sin
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To hate our sins as much as he does and to turn from them. I love what
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MacArthur says about Becoming a Christian says it means the idea is to literally want to Disassociate with the person that you used to be and so here the idea is the things that we've done
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We look at them when we hate them so much. We hate them just like God did just like he does and we say
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You know what God I agree with you. That was wrong. I don't ever want to do that again I want to live for you.
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I want to live a life that is pleasing to you Having a good or clear conscience doesn't just happen
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Quick steps we must inform our conscience. We must study the Bible. That's how we inform it We must obey our conscience to violate an informed conscience is to sin
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Our consciences are not inerrant. In other words, it's not an infallible rule for living
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But it is a God -given warning sign when your conscience is going off When your pulse is racing and you are getting
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Close to doing something that you know is not right. That's when you need to pull back Look at the results on others of your good conscience verse 16 so that in the thing in which you are slandered those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame as One of my professors used to say in seminary and say tell the truth and shame the devil
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I Don't know what that means. I just like saying it tell the truth and shame the devil There's a there's a purpose clause right at the beginning
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So that is the Greek word henna and it's so important when we see that because it tells us the result the consequence
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The purpose of having a clear conscience a good conscience Ultimately it is to demonstrate the false nature of the charges they brought against you
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Peter even terms it slander, which means that they're false charges You know and God knows and indeed even the person who brought that charge against you knows that it's false
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Your behavior is described as good again. It is objectively good by God's standards and look in Christ Your good behavior in Christ indicates a life so Christlike That there is no excuse for the slander and reviling being directed your way.
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That is this is wrong It is from top to bottom from beginning to end. It is wrong is undeserved and for you there is comfort in knowing that your opponents will be in the end put to shame
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They know they're violating their own consciences and bringing this against you They know that they're wrong. They know the things that they are saying about you are not true
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But their hatred is such they're doing it anyway So what's the great comfort for you two things number one is you know what
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God could even use this to save them You talked about a great comfort how about somebody who persecuted you coming to salvation now
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I'll say this it probably was pretty scary when Saul Became Paul it was scary for that church
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I'd have to think I don't think you know when he showed up at the first meeting very many people were excited to see him
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But over the long haul just think about the joy This guy would walk in and they go what a trophy of God's grace this man who persecuted us
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You know what he killed my cousin Look at him now That is the power of A clear conscience of a good conscience
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Secondly if they don't repent You have the confidence that in the next life
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God will hold them accountable God judges Peter acknowledges that Christians do sin
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Look at verse 17. It is better to have persecution than chastening
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Verse 17 for it is better if God should will it so that you suffer for doing
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What is right rather than for what is doing or for doing? Hebert says neither kind of suffering is pleasant.
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There's an understatement who wants suffering I don't want suffering, but their moral significance differs greatly
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Suffering for righteousness doing what is right puts us in fellowship with Christ. We have union with him in that and Again, it is indicative of a clear and good conscience before God Luther said this go on in faith and love if the cross comes
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Take it if it comes not do not seek it. What was he saying?
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He's saying listen persecution may come and if it does Receive it Barrett's but if it doesn't come don't go out and seek persecution and How would you seek it?
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Well the implication of what Peter writes here is by doing what is wrong It again is that chastening hand of God if you persist in sin
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God will chase in you Behavior number six you must live a redeemed life
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You must live a redeemed life The Lord has redeemed every believer and you ought to live as one of his own verse 18
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For Christ also died for sins once for all the just for the unjust
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Why why did he do that? So that he might bring us to God So that he might bring us to God.
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What did he do? Jesus died For sins once for all he took on our sins the just the just singular it's interesting in the
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Greek because it's singular just for plural unjust
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Jesus Christ the spotless perfect Lamb of God never sinned Took upon him the sins of all who would ever believe
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How do we know that look verse 18 again so that he might bring us to God well, who's he going to bring to God?
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every single believer every single believer his death accomplished our reconciliation to God and ultimately our
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Glorification he was also resurrected having been put to death in the flesh
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But made alive in the spirit talking about the Lord himself He was put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit
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What does it mean that he was made alive in the spirit? There are a lot of I mean There are a lot of technical issues throughout this passage
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But made alive in the spirit, I believe is this did Jesus suffer spiritual death.
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What is spiritual death? Separation from God the Father when he was on the cross.
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What did he say my god my god Why have you forsaken me? God the
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Father turned his back on Jesus Christ. That's what spiritual death is. That was the agony. That was the agony
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Spiritually alive Now we could talk about I think there's an implication here for the resurrection as well
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He was raised by the Father By himself and by the Spirit we
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I don't have time to get into all three But all three participated in some mysterious way in the resurrection but in his spiritual state
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Jesus went and made a proclamation look at verse 19 in Which also he went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison the verb there is
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K russo It's not the verb that would be used it is to proclaim and it is not the verb for evangelist
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Evangelization so the picture we have is not of Jesus going somewhere and giving people a second chance to repent
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He is making a proclamation He is saying I am victorious
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I am triumphant as it were Spirits these spirits in prison is not the term used for human beings
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We're talking about a Sunday school, it'd be Sukkot. It's not that it is Numa the plural form of Numa which is spiritual beings angels demons
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So who were these spirits who were they look at verse 20 who once were disobedient?
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When the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah during the construction of the ark about 120 years
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Noah was building that ark who were these angels You don't have to turn there
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Jude verse 6 and angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode
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He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day I believe those were the demons that he went and saw
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They did not do as they were supposed to do as these angels were supposed to do But they fell I believe they inhabited the bodies of men was demonic position possession
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And this was one of the final events before the great flood As I said for 120 years
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Noah worked on that ark. Let me ask you a question Do you think that he and his sons suffered some persecution?
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Do you think they were mocked Ridiculed do you think he ever told people they should repent?
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All of that was for the sake of righteousness he was being obedient to God He was being obedient to God all these things that he had to put up with As we see as we move on in this text here.
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We see a preview of baptism I think a picture of baptism you say how can you know that well?
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Let's keep reading and we'll see it in Which in verse 20 in which a few talking about the ark in which a few that is eight persons were brought safely through the water
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Corresponding to that which is actually a Greek word for antitype meaning a Pre a preview
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I guess is the shortcut for it Corresponding to that baptism now saves you not the removal of dirt from the flesh
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But an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ Now did the ark being in the ark did that spiritually save anyone?
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No, it physically saved them The flood did not save them the ark did not save them it certainly wasn't the water that saved them
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John MacArthur says this just as they died to their previous world When they exited the ark to a new post flood world
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So all Christians died to their old world when they entered the body of Christ we
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Displayed the triumph of Christ in baptism, right? That's what we're doing when we make our profession of faith when we get baptized into the water.
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We are identifying with him and we are Identifying where there's a resurrection we come up out of the water
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We identify with him in baptism, but even more in maintaining a good conscience
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That's the idea here. We are Working on maintaining that good conscience. It is a command of Christ to be baptized
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We want to obey we maintain a good conscience in doing so I'm having to go through this all very quickly
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Behavior number seven You must rest in your Redeemer the end of verse 21
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Jesus Christ Who is at the right hand of God having gone into heaven after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to him?
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your Redeemer Your Savior Sits at the right hand of God the position of honor.
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He is there in heaven seated Pastor Dave Todd in Hebrews a few weeks ago
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Seated because his work is done. He said it is finished and Yet he intercedes on our behalf.
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He is our mediator Our text also tells us that all angels demons and worldly authorities have been subjected to him
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What's the implication that well first let's just talk about what it means. They're subjected to him The Greek word is who
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Patasso we talked about that before it is a military verb And it indicates that everything is arrayed underneath him
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It is an organizational chart as it were and these demons and angels all angelic power
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Worldly authority everything has been put under him So there is no power visible or invisible that is not subject to the
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Lord Jesus Christ So again, I would ask since you're in Christ What are you afraid of?
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What will make you nervous? What will keep you awake at night? Isaiah wrote this
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Do you not know? Have you not heard the everlasting God the Lord the creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired
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Can you rest in that? Can you know the demons? angels Every governmental authority everything is under the power and authority of Jesus Christ.
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He is in control He is aware of every situation that you're in no matter how dire you might think it is he will give you both the grace to endure and Even the faithfulness
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To make proclamation for the hope that is in you be faithful to your
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Redeemer as Christians you have the privilege of Benefiting from the greatest victory in history
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The triumph of Jesus over sin death and hell he is sovereign.
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He is in control You share in the triumph how? How do you share in it?
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By being zealous for good by not fearing the works of the wicked by putting
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Christ first By being ready to defend your hope by keeping a good conscience
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By living a redeemed life and by resting in your Redeemer Let's pray father so many
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Issues in this text, but one overriding theme
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Christians may be persecuted father They may suffer, but you have given us the tools to endure that You have given us the hope to endure that more than just endure it to relish it to rejoice in it
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Knowing that you have already won Knowing that you have graced us in ways that the world cannot imagine
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Knowing that through Jesus Christ You have set us free from the law
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From the guilt and punishment that we deserve father.
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Would you just strengthen each of us? To sanctify Christ as Lord to make him preeminent in our lives
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To make us more Than those who would rely upon you on occasion, but father did you just make our every reflex?
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Our every desire Christ we are persecuted to respond with Christ If things are going well they respond with Christ Would you give us a longing to please you and all that we do to have clear consciences?
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To be zealous pursuers of good To have such a reputation in this community that we would be above reproach that we would be a light on a hill
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That we would be those to whom those who are Struggling with difficulty would turn
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Lord would you still work in the lives of those who are suffering even here today? That they might be transfixed
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By the transcendent work of your son Jesus Christ That they may be reminded of fresh and constantly of your goodness to them knowing that this world even as you said in first Peter is momentary
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That our afflictions here are fleeting, but that all of eternity awaits
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Let us not be pulled to the left or to the right But let us keep our eyes fixed on Christ the author and perfecter of our faith