St Theodore's Sermon

	St Theodore's Wattle Park

Sermon of the Week

6/6/99

Living For God 1 Peter 3:13-4:6

Fear is a great motivator, isn't it? It's used to good effect in a number of ad campaigns on our TVs at the moment. There's the road safety ads, where we see the horrendous effects of drink driving on people. There's the Workcare ads where the fear of prosecution and the fear of being responsible for someone else's death or injury is raised. And there's the anti-smoking ads with their graphic images of the harmful effects of smoking on people's lungs. The idea behind all these ads is that fear is a great motivator. If you can build on people's fear of being caught or hurt, then you can modify their behaviour in a positive way. And of course it happens in other ways, both positive and negative. Anyone who has a VCE student in the family knows how the fear of deadlines motivates them to study, or to work on assignments. On the other hand, sometimes fear leads us to do things that are less worthwhile than giving up smoking or not drinking and driving. Sometimes our fear leads us to do what we know is wrong. That's what peer pressure is about isn't it? Fear of what your friends will think of you if you don't do the cool thing or go to the 'in' places. I mentioned last week the man I heard about who said he does what the boss says, because the boss pays his salary. In other words he acts out of fear that he might lose his job. So sometimes the fear we feel acts as a negative influence on us.

That was certainly true of the Christians in Peter's day. They were experiencing a real fear of physical harm, even death. And the purpose of that fear was to get them to deny their faith.

Peter has just finished reminding them of God's care for them, and of the fact that God is watching over them and will vindicate them in the end. What's more, he concludes, who would want to harm you if you're always doing good?

But of course he knows that the reality of their situation is that in fact, there will be those who will want to harm them. There are those who respond to goodness with evil; who are irritated by it; who feel condemned by it perhaps, because it shows up their own evil hearts. Do you remember what Paul said about not seeking vengeance on those who do you wrong? (Rom 12:19-20 NRSV) "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.' ²⁰No, 'if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.'" Well, some people respond to such burning coals not with repentance, or shame, but with further persecution. But even then, says Peter, don't stop doing good. Just remember that if you suffer for doing good you're blessed.

   I guess he's remembering the words of Jesus at the start of the sermon on the mount: (Mat 5:10-12 NRSV) ""Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ¹¹"Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

   So he says, don't give in to threats, or to suffering for Christ's sake. Don't fear what they fear. Don't be intimidated. Don't let the fear of other people be your motivation for living. Instead, let this be your motivation for living. What is it?

   "In your hearts sanctify [or set apart] Christ as Lord." In other words the motive for Christian living is to be the service of him who is your Lord. That is of Jesus Christ. In fact the Lordship of Christ provides a range of motives for Christian living which we'll look at in a moment.

   But first notice that there are two things here that we're to do in the face of opposition. First we're to be ready to make a defence to anyone who asks us about the hope that is in us. Here is the idea again, of having minds that are ready for action; minds that are disciplined; minds that are thought out. Don't ever let anyone say that you don't need to think as a Christian. Of course you need to think. How else are we to give an answer to those who question our faith? That old chestnut, "Oh, I'm just a simple bible believing Christian" doesn't hold water. We need to understand our faith so we can explain it to others.

   We were talking about this at Alpha last week. We were saying that there are so many things in the bible that need explanation. While it's true that the simplest intellect can understand the gospel, if I'm to explain it to people who oppose it I need to have a solid grasp on it myself. Again, that requires discipline, preparing the mind for action.

   The second thing we're to do is to keep a clear conscience so that when we're accused, we can either demonstrate our innocence, or at least know that God sees it and will vindicate us in the end. In fact we'll come back to the idea of a clear conscience when we get to v21.

   So the motivation is the Lordship of Christ, and the behaviour that results from it is accounting for the hope that is within us and keeping a clear conscience before our accusers.

   But how does the Lordship of Christ motivate us? Well, I think there are a number of aspects to it.

   First there's the example of Christ. He also suffered unjustly. He was without sin, yet he was put to death. What's more the reason he did it was on our behalf. He died as the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God. Encapsulated in that short phrase is a whole theology of the cross: that Jesus, in dying as a sinless human being took on himself all the unrighteousness, all the failings, of us sinful people. So if Jesus himself suffered unfairly, how can we, his followers expect any less.

   But there's more to it than just that. He then goes on to say He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit. It's very easy to get so caught up in the present that we think that this is all there is. That this earthly existence is all that matters. But what we discover in Jesus' death and resurrection is that this earthly life is only the beginning. Sure, Jesus had a physical body just like we do, but his resurrection shows that there's an even greater life to look forward to in the spiritual realms. The worst that anyone can do to us here on earth is to kill our physical body, but we know, because of what happened to Jesus, that God will give us a new body that no-one can harm.

   Now at this point we come to one of those really difficult parts of the Bible. No-one is really clear about what Peter is getting at here when he talks about the spirits in prison in the days of Noah. There are a number of possible explanations, ranging from these being fallen angels, the ones who intermarried with human women just before the flood, to the thought that Jesus spoke through Noah to the people of Noah's day. Well let me suggest one way of understanding it that I think helps. First, we need to realise that one of the ideas Peter has in mind here is baptism. The words of v18 sound very much like some sort of creed that might well have been said as part of the Baptism service. But it also explains a couple of other references in the text that otherwise don't really make sense.

   What he may have done here is to jump from the fact that Jesus has been made alive in the spirit to thinking about what happened when Jesus descended into hell, and then rose again. What he describes is Jesus, in his risen victorious state, proclaiming his victory to those who in former times failed to obey God and are therefore suffering his judgement. But why does he single out those of Noah's day?

   The reason he does that, I think, is that there was a close connection in the understanding of the early church between Baptism and the flood. That's certainly what he says in v 21 isn't it? The flood prefigures baptism. The word he uses is 'antitype.' That's a technical term for something that points forward to a greater reality to come. But there's even more to it than that. You see Noah is the pattern of the righteous person, singled out by God for salvation while the wicked all around him are punished. He hears God's warning, believes God and is saved. He becomes the father of a new race of people, just as Jesus has now formed a new people of God. Only a small group of people, 8, were saved, just as now the church is a tiny minority surrounded by a sea of wickedness (if you'll excuse the pun). They were saved through water just as Christians now are saved through baptism into Christ. Finally, there's the reference to God waiting patiently in the time of Noah. This is an idea that Peter refers to again in his second letter, when he's talking about the delay in Christ's return. There he says: (2 Pet 3:9 NRSV) "The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance." So we too need to be patient as we wait for God to rescue us from the evil times in which we live.

   So here is another motive for obedience. That is, the example of Noah who persevered in obeying God as he waited for God to save him. The proclamation of the gospel, in fact, is the same today as it was in Noah's day, except that now we know about Jesus Christ. The message to people then was that if they obeyed God, God would look after them. Noah heard that message and obeyed it, the same way Christians now have heard the gospel and obeyed it. Just as God was watching over Noah and his family in those evil days, so he's watching over us in these evil days. And the rescue he carried out of Noah and his family is simply a prefiguring of the rescue he's provided now for those who follow Christ. We too will be saved from the judgement that's to come.

   In fact, Peter implies, we understand this so much better than Noah did. We see now that the salvation that Christ has won for us is such that it cleanses our consciences, making us spiritually clean. Now the word that's translated 'appeal' in v21, could also mean 'a pledge', again referring to Baptism. In other words, part of our coming to Christ in baptism is the pledge we make to renounce the devil and all his works, and to reject selfish living, and all that is false and unjust. You see, there are two sides to conversion, which is represented here by Baptism. There's both a pledge on our part to remain faithful, and a cleansing that comes from God, that keeps our consciences clean.

   So this is the next motive for obedience. That is, the pledge we've made to remain faithful to Christ. In fact he goes on in the first few verses of chapter 4 to reinforce this. He says if you've truly been baptised with Christ, then you've died with him, and those who have died in the flesh, have finished with sin. So set yourselves to live not in the way of sin, even if that's how you once lived, but by the will of God, the way Christ did.

   Finally, he says, be encouraged. There's more to life than this mortal existence. There may well be those who have died as a result of persecution. But even if they appear to have suffered the judgement of death the way every human being does, the reality is that in fact they're now alive in the spirit enjoying life with God in eternity.

   This reminds me of a story I read this week. There was a woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had a very short time to live. So she contacted her minister to come and discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, etc. She also requested to be buried with her favorite Bible. Everything was in order and the minister was preparing to leave when the woman suddenly remembered something very important to her. "There's one more thing," she said excitedly. "What's that?" came the minister 's reply. "This is very important," the woman continued... "I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand."

   The minister stood looking at the woman, not knowing quite what to say. "That surprises you, doesn't it?" the woman asked. "Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request," said the minister. The woman explained. "In all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably say, "keep your fork." It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming ... like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance! So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder 'What's with the fork?' Then I want you to tell them: "Keep Your Fork".... "The best is yet to come." I guess she understood why there's no point fearing what the opponents of the gospel might do to you.

   So what is it that will motivate you to act in your Christian walk. Will it be fear of opposition, or will it be the Lordship of Christ? Will it be his example of suffering as the righteous for the unrighteous? Will it be the promise of eternal life with Christ, of the vindication that God promises to those who follow him? Will it be the assurance that those who oppose the gospel will be judged in the end, the way those of Noah's day were judged, yet those who follow Christ will be rescued just as Noah and his family were rescued? Will it be the hope of resurrection to eternal life with God that keeps us going?

   I pray that that would be motivation enough to stop us from being intimidated and to keep our consciences clear so that those who malign us may in the end be put to shame.


	Contact us	Preaching Program	Home		Last Week's Sermon

	Sermon of the Week
	6/6/99
	Living For God	1 Peter 3:13-4:6

	Fear is a great motivator, isn't it? It's used to good effect in a number of ad campaigns on our TVs at the moment. There's the road safety ads, where we see the horrendous effects of drink driving on people. There's the Workcare ads where the fear of prosecution and the fear of being responsible for someone else's death or injury is raised. And there's the anti-smoking ads with their graphic images of the harmful effects of smoking on people's lungs. The idea behind all these ads is that fear is a great motivator. If you can build on people's fear of being caught or hurt, then you can modify their behaviour in a positive way. And of course it happens in other ways, both positive and negative. Anyone who has a VCE student in the family knows how the fear of deadlines motivates them to study, or to work on assignments. On the other hand, sometimes fear leads us to do things that are less worthwhile than giving up smoking or not drinking and driving. Sometimes our fear leads us to do what we know is wrong. That's what peer pressure is about isn't it? Fear of what your friends will think of you if you don't do the cool thing or go to the 'in' places. I mentioned last week the man I heard about who said he does what the boss says, because the boss pays his salary. In other words he acts out of fear that he might lose his job. So sometimes the fear we feel acts as a negative influence on us.
	That was certainly true of the Christians in Peter's day. They were experiencing a real fear of physical harm, even death. And the purpose of that fear was to get them to deny their faith.
	Peter has just finished reminding them of God's care for them, and of the fact that God is watching over them and will vindicate them in the end. What's more, he concludes, who would want to harm you if you're always doing good?
	But of course he knows that the reality of their situation is that in fact, there will be those who will want to harm them. There are those who respond to goodness with evil; who are irritated by it; who feel condemned by it perhaps, because it shows up their own evil hearts. Do you remember what Paul said about not seeking vengeance on those who do you wrong? (Rom 12:19-20 NRSV) "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.' ²⁰No, 'if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.'" Well, some people respond to such burning coals not with repentance, or shame, but with further persecution. But even then, says Peter, don't stop doing good. Just remember that if you suffer for doing good you're blessed.
	I guess he's remembering the words of Jesus at the start of the sermon on the mount: (Mat 5:10-12 NRSV) ""Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ¹¹"Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
	So he says, don't give in to threats, or to suffering for Christ's sake. Don't fear what they fear. Don't be intimidated. Don't let the fear of other people be your motivation for living. Instead, let this be your motivation for living. What is it?
	"In your hearts sanctify [or set apart] Christ as Lord." In other words the motive for Christian living is to be the service of him who is your Lord. That is of Jesus Christ. In fact the Lordship of Christ provides a range of motives for Christian living which we'll look at in a moment.
	But first notice that there are two things here that we're to do in the face of opposition. First we're to be ready to make a defence to anyone who asks us about the hope that is in us. Here is the idea again, of having minds that are ready for action; minds that are disciplined; minds that are thought out. Don't ever let anyone say that you don't need to think as a Christian. Of course you need to think. How else are we to give an answer to those who question our faith? That old chestnut, "Oh, I'm just a simple bible believing Christian" doesn't hold water. We need to understand our faith so we can explain it to others.
	We were talking about this at Alpha last week. We were saying that there are so many things in the bible that need explanation. While it's true that the simplest intellect can understand the gospel, if I'm to explain it to people who oppose it I need to have a solid grasp on it myself. Again, that requires discipline, preparing the mind for action.
	The second thing we're to do is to keep a clear conscience so that when we're accused, we can either demonstrate our innocence, or at least know that God sees it and will vindicate us in the end. In fact we'll come back to the idea of a clear conscience when we get to v21.
	So the motivation is the Lordship of Christ, and the behaviour that results from it is accounting for the hope that is within us and keeping a clear conscience before our accusers.
	But how does the Lordship of Christ motivate us? Well, I think there are a number of aspects to it.
	First there's the example of Christ. He also suffered unjustly. He was without sin, yet he was put to death. What's more the reason he did it was on our behalf. He died as the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God. Encapsulated in that short phrase is a whole theology of the cross: that Jesus, in dying as a sinless human being took on himself all the unrighteousness, all the failings, of us sinful people. So if Jesus himself suffered unfairly, how can we, his followers expect any less.
	But there's more to it than just that. He then goes on to say He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit. It's very easy to get so caught up in the present that we think that this is all there is. That this earthly existence is all that matters. But what we discover in Jesus' death and resurrection is that this earthly life is only the beginning. Sure, Jesus had a physical body just like we do, but his resurrection shows that there's an even greater life to look forward to in the spiritual realms. The worst that anyone can do to us here on earth is to kill our physical body, but we know, because of what happened to Jesus, that God will give us a new body that no-one can harm.
	Now at this point we come to one of those really difficult parts of the Bible. No-one is really clear about what Peter is getting at here when he talks about the spirits in prison in the days of Noah. There are a number of possible explanations, ranging from these being fallen angels, the ones who intermarried with human women just before the flood, to the thought that Jesus spoke through Noah to the people of Noah's day. Well let me suggest one way of understanding it that I think helps. First, we need to realise that one of the ideas Peter has in mind here is baptism. The words of v18 sound very much like some sort of creed that might well have been said as part of the Baptism service. But it also explains a couple of other references in the text that otherwise don't really make sense.
	What he may have done here is to jump from the fact that Jesus has been made alive in the spirit to thinking about what happened when Jesus descended into hell, and then rose again. What he describes is Jesus, in his risen victorious state, proclaiming his victory to those who in former times failed to obey God and are therefore suffering his judgement. But why does he single out those of Noah's day?
	The reason he does that, I think, is that there was a close connection in the understanding of the early church between Baptism and the flood. That's certainly what he says in v 21 isn't it? The flood prefigures baptism. The word he uses is 'antitype.' That's a technical term for something that points forward to a greater reality to come. But there's even more to it than that. You see Noah is the pattern of the righteous person, singled out by God for salvation while the wicked all around him are punished. He hears God's warning, believes God and is saved. He becomes the father of a new race of people, just as Jesus has now formed a new people of God. Only a small group of people, 8, were saved, just as now the church is a tiny minority surrounded by a sea of wickedness (if you'll excuse the pun). They were saved through water just as Christians now are saved through baptism into Christ. Finally, there's the reference to God waiting patiently in the time of Noah. This is an idea that Peter refers to again in his second letter, when he's talking about the delay in Christ's return. There he says: (2 Pet 3:9 NRSV) "The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance." So we too need to be patient as we wait for God to rescue us from the evil times in which we live.
	So here is another motive for obedience. That is, the example of Noah who persevered in obeying God as he waited for God to save him. The proclamation of the gospel, in fact, is the same today as it was in Noah's day, except that now we know about Jesus Christ. The message to people then was that if they obeyed God, God would look after them. Noah heard that message and obeyed it, the same way Christians now have heard the gospel and obeyed it. Just as God was watching over Noah and his family in those evil days, so he's watching over us in these evil days. And the rescue he carried out of Noah and his family is simply a prefiguring of the rescue he's provided now for those who follow Christ. We too will be saved from the judgement that's to come.
	In fact, Peter implies, we understand this so much better than Noah did. We see now that the salvation that Christ has won for us is such that it cleanses our consciences, making us spiritually clean. Now the word that's translated 'appeal' in v21, could also mean 'a pledge', again referring to Baptism. In other words, part of our coming to Christ in baptism is the pledge we make to renounce the devil and all his works, and to reject selfish living, and all that is false and unjust. You see, there are two sides to conversion, which is represented here by Baptism. There's both a pledge on our part to remain faithful, and a cleansing that comes from God, that keeps our consciences clean.
	So this is the next motive for obedience. That is, the pledge we've made to remain faithful to Christ. In fact he goes on in the first few verses of chapter 4 to reinforce this. He says if you've truly been baptised with Christ, then you've died with him, and those who have died in the flesh, have finished with sin. So set yourselves to live not in the way of sin, even if that's how you once lived, but by the will of God, the way Christ did.
	Finally, he says, be encouraged. There's more to life than this mortal existence. There may well be those who have died as a result of persecution. But even if they appear to have suffered the judgement of death the way every human being does, the reality is that in fact they're now alive in the spirit enjoying life with God in eternity.
	This reminds me of a story I read this week. There was a woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had a very short time to live. So she contacted her minister to come and discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, etc. She also requested to be buried with her favorite Bible. Everything was in order and the minister was preparing to leave when the woman suddenly remembered something very important to her. "There's one more thing," she said excitedly. "What's that?" came the minister 's reply. "This is very important," the woman continued... "I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand."
	The minister stood looking at the woman, not knowing quite what to say. "That surprises you, doesn't it?" the woman asked. "Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request," said the minister. The woman explained. "In all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably say, "keep your fork." It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming ... like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance! So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder 'What's with the fork?' Then I want you to tell them: "Keep Your Fork".... "The best is yet to come." I guess she understood why there's no point fearing what the opponents of the gospel might do to you.
	So what is it that will motivate you to act in your Christian walk. Will it be fear of opposition, or will it be the Lordship of Christ? Will it be his example of suffering as the righteous for the unrighteous? Will it be the promise of eternal life with Christ, of the vindication that God promises to those who follow him? Will it be the assurance that those who oppose the gospel will be judged in the end, the way those of Noah's day were judged, yet those who follow Christ will be rescued just as Noah and his family were rescued? Will it be the hope of resurrection to eternal life with God that keeps us going?
	I pray that that would be motivation enough to stop us from being intimidated and to keep our consciences clear so that those who malign us may in the end be put to shame.

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