1 Peter 3:13-17 (NKJV)

1. 1 Peter 3:13-17(NKJV) 13 And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;

2. 1 Peter 3:13-17(NKJV) 16having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. 17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

4. Defending The Faith • As we begin a new year, we begin a new theme • Our theme for 2018 of “Perfecting Holiness” pushed us to be holy • Our theme for 2019 is one that is geared to help us with something that we need to be diligent about in our lives

5. Defending The Faith • Our theme for 2019 is “Defending the Faith” • It comes from 1 Peter 3:15 • The need arises from the world we live in where there are so many false views and narratives being pushed concerning truth, morality and the existence of God

6. Defending The Faith • Not only on the outside, but there are also falsehoods on the inside as well • There are times when man pushes his own agenda for the Lord’s church • Knowledge of God’s word is key to being able to decipher between what is true and what is false

7. Context of 1 Peter • As we seek to fully understand our theme, we must understand the context of 1 Peter • If we could use one word to sum up the theme of 1 Peter, that one word would perhaps be “suffering” • Peter mentions how they had been “distressed by various trials” (1:6)

8. Context of 1 Peter • He also makes mention of the “suffering Christ” (ex. 1:11 & 2:21) • The encouragement given by Peter was that they would persevere through any sufferings and remain who Christ would have them to be • Christ even left us an example of this

9. 1 Peter 3:13-17 • Peter begins this section with the idea of suffering in mind • “And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?” • Peter seems to be simply asking, “What have you to fear if you are doing the right things?”

10. 1 Peter 3:13-17 • He is simply asking who is the one who will come after you if you are doing what is good and what is right • The governing authorities exist as a terror to those who do evil, not to those who do good (Rom. 13:3) • We should never fear doing the right thing

11. 1 Peter 3:13-17 • “But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. ‘And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled’” • Even if there is someone who will trouble those who try to do good and right, there is a blessing • God sees the suffering of His people

12. 1 Peter 3:13-17 • Peter seems to be simply saying at the end, that there should be no fear of man, for what is the worst man can do to you? • Paul looked at physical death as a chance to be with the Lord, which is far better (Phil. 1:21, 23) • David expressed the same in Psalm 56

13. 1 Peter 3:13-17 • Jesus also pointed to this in Matthew 10:28 when He said we should not fear those who could kill the body but not the soul • So we should ultimately not be afraid to suffer for the cause of Christ • Certainly we know it is to be expected(2 Tim. 3:12)

14. 1 Peter 3:13-17 • “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” • Peter begins by telling us to sanctify God in our hearts • What exactly does he mean?

15. 1 Peter 3:13-17 • It means to feel reverence for or to honor as holy (to hallow) • It’s been said that there are 2 answers that are to be given here • The first answer is to answer to God; to recognize Him as holy which should drive us in our defense of our hope

16. 1 Peter 3:13-17 • Unless we are convinced of who God is and His holiness, we will not stand firm in the face of persecution • Now we get down to the meat…being ready to give a defense when we are asked a reason for the hope we have • It should be evident to others who we serve

17. 1 Peter 3:13-17 • Perhaps they will ask us about our hope because of our good behavior • Or perhaps they will ask us about our hope because of our good attitude in the face of persecution and suffering • Whatever the reason, the opportunity to answer will come

18. 1 Peter 3:13-17 • Therefore, we must be ready! • We must know the reason that we have such hope in our hearts • That comes from knowing God, knowing His word, knowing His promises and believing in these things with all our hearts

19. 1 Peter 3:13-17 • Notice the end of this verse… • “with meekness and fear” • Certainly this should be our attitude as we realize the great responsibility we have in explaining God’s word to others who have shown a curiosity

20. 1 Peter 3:13-17 • It also shows the way in which we should answer others • Not with pride carelessness • Or as Paul stated in Ephesians 4:15, “speaking the truth in love” • It matters not just what we say, but how we say it

21. 1 Peter 3:13-17 • “having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed” • If nothing else, we can have a good conscience when we give an answer • Ultimately, you will feel right and they will be ashamed

22. 1 Peter 3:13-17 • “For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil” • If we are going to suffer, let it be for doing the right thing, then suffering for doing the wrong thing • Through this all, we have opportunity to make an impact upon others for good