Keys of the Kingdom 10 – Defend Yourself!

Amen, amen. Good morning. While you're standing, would you open your Bibles with me to 1 Peter chapter 3? If you don't have a Bible, you can raise your hand, and one of our ushers will bring you one.

1 Peter chapter 3 is right near the end of your Bible, right after the books of Hebrews and James. Turn to the very last book of the Bible, Revelation, and go left just a few books. We are continuing our study series called "Keys of the Kingdom." Today, we are picking it up at verse 13.

In 1 Peter 3:13, we read, "And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks a reason for the hope that is within you, with meekness and fear. Having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed, for it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil."

Father, I pray that you would give us hearts that are open. Lord, grant us the ability to receive from you, by your Spirit, your word, and continue to transform us by the renewing of our minds. Jesus, you prayed, "Father, sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth." We believe that this is enduring truth. We believe, God, that your word is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, and it is able to reveal the true thoughts and intents of our hearts. It is able not only to reveal that but also, Lord, to transform us.

So we pray that you would do the work of transformation in each of us today. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those that agreed said, "Amen." You may be seated.

We've been studying through 1 Peter for the last ten weeks, and the last four weeks specifically...

We've been looking at a topic that is not necessarily an easy one for us to confront. It's a topic of submission to government, submission to any authority over us, and submission of wives to husbands. Last week, we considered the topic of meekness in the face of opposition—not responding to someone who is coming against us in the same way that they are coming against us. This idea of turning the other cheek, as Jesus taught in what is called the Sermon on the Mount, is challenging.

None of these topics that we've explored over the last four weeks are easy for us to practice. When we think about these things and study them, our minds typically go to the same place, which is what I believe Peter addresses in 1 Peter 3, verse 13, when he says, "And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?" Harm. That's where our minds go when we talk about submission and meekness. I know that this is where my mind goes, and I know that this is where your mind goes because several of you have come up to talk with me after the services, expressing your uncertainty about the idea of submission due to the concerns that arise within your minds.

The concern we all have is the concern of harm. It goes simply like this: if I submit to government, if I submit to a harsh employer, or if I, as a wife, submit to my husband, then I could suffer harm. It goes a step further. If I am kind, gracious, merciful, and compassionate, and if I don't defend myself, if I walk with meekness in a world that is not a meek world, then it is most certain that I will get stepped on. It's not a matter of maybe; it's a matter of certainty. I will get stepped on. I will suffer harm.

Isn't that our objection? Isn't that where our minds go when someone says we need to submit to government or submit to authority? Our nature, my nature, cries for justice. We want justice. Additionally, one of the first laws of human nature is self-preservation. With all of us having that desire and will to preserve ourselves, when we hear the word "submit" or the word "meekness" in the face of opposition, we react with hesitation.

That's just foolishness. Not only is our human nature saying that we shouldn't do that, but the culture we live in is also crying this constantly. Our culture cries for fairness, rights, and equality. It says you've got to stand up for yourself; you can't let anybody walk over you. You've got to defend yourself and be assertive. That's the culture we live in, and quite frankly, it's a culture that our human nature feels quite comfortable in. We like that. We enjoy the assertiveness of American culture. Am I the only one who likes that? Come on, be honest. I think we do. We like that assertiveness; we like to be in that position.

Now, Peter poses the tough question on the topic of submission and meekness. Meekness is that attitude of yielding. Someone slaps you on the right cheek; turn the other also. There is a yielding meekness there, and that is not my nature. It is so far from my nature that I don't even know if I can fully describe it with words. So, Peter addresses this tough question. He asks, "Who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?"

The first question we need to address is: What is good? What is the good that he is speaking of? Well, in the context of the passage we have been considering together, the good he is referring to is submission to government, submission to any authority, wives submitting to their husbands, and meekness in the world in which we live. Meekness is articulated or accentuated by tenderheartedness, merciful graciousness, courteousness, or kindness. It involves not rendering evil for evil and not responding back when someone does something wrong to us in a like manner. That's what Peter is talking about. He says these are good. In other words, this is righteous. This is the righteousness that Christ calls us to.

Here, Peter says that we need to become followers of what is good. To be a follower simply means to do it, to apply it—not merely to know it, but to actually make it a reality in our lives. So, if we are going to do what is good, if we're going to follow what is good, then that means that in the world in which we are living as sojourners, that's what Peter previously...

Has called Christians. If you're a Christian, that is, you've put your trust in Jesus for your salvation. That means that you instantly became a new citizen of the kingdom of God. As a citizen of the kingdom of God, you are now passing through this world; in this life, you are a sojourner and a pilgrim.

He says that if you're a follower of Jesus, as a sojourner and a pilgrim passing through, then if you're going to do good, you need to make every effort. It's going to take effort. I think we all would acknowledge this as we look at these things. You need to make every effort to be submissive, compassionate, loving, tenderhearted, gracious, merciful, kind, and meek in a world that is not those things. All these qualities are things my fallen nature hates. The Bible calls my fallen nature, your fallen nature, flesh. That's the word used many times in the New Testament for our fallen nature. It's just flesh.

In the flesh, in a world filled with temporal flesh, my nature, my fallen flesh, does not like any of these concepts of meekness and submission. In fact, what my flesh wants is assertiveness. My flesh is unsympathetic, hard, cold, unkind, and unyielding. Does anybody else struggle with that? Okay, good. I'm not alone. Please help me out, because some blank stares are going, "Well, really, pastor? I didn't know that."

So let's just get it all out on the table here. That's what we are by nature, in our fallen nature. I don't want to yield. This is seen whether I find that I'm meeting the same unyieldedness in my two-and-a-half-year-old, and I don't want to yield. And now, man, does it ramp up, doesn't it? Or husbands and wives—we won't even go there because she's sitting in the front row, and I don't want to stare. But we all know this: the unwillingness, the lack of desire to yield. My fallen nature, my flesh, fears that if I do these things, I will suffer harm.

Since the first rule of nature is self-preservation, I don't want to suffer harm. I will do almost anything to avoid suffering. I don't want to suffer. In fact, I am incredibly grateful that God made me a man so that I wouldn't have to have...

Children. Give birth to them, that is. So, listen, if men had to give birth, the world would be like maybe 100,000 people. We have seven and a third billion people. God bless you, ladies. I was there for four births; God bless you. But I don't want to suffer anything.

My fear is that if I submit to government, then government is going to rob me of my rights, and I will suffer injustice. If I submit to any other authority, a harsh employer, whatever it may be, then I am fearful that they will treat me unfairly, and I will suffer. Wives, obviously, and I know because I've talked with some wives about this context, if I submit to my husband, especially an unbelieving husband, then I may be taken advantage of; I may suffer harm.

Our culture says, how dare you say such a thing? Wives submit to their own husbands. That's just the most ludicrous thing possibly around because they might suffer. If I pursue peace, like we saw in the text previous to this, and mercy, grace, compassion, and meekness, then I will be suffering. I will suffer harm. It is certain. That's where my mind goes.

Peter goes right there. Who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? God is telling me through the apostle Peter, by the Holy Spirit, that I need to do these things: submission, meekness, compassion, grace, mercy. My flesh says no. It says no because I'm concerned I'm going to be harmed.

He says, okay, so who is the one who's going to harm you? Articulate it; put it into words. Who will harm you if you do what is good? The word harm here is not some sort of metaphoric or allegorical thing. He's actually saying, who is going to oppress you? Who is going to injure you? Who is going to harm you? Who is going to come against you and afflict you and maltreat you? Who is your oppressor?

He wants us to put it into terms of this is what I'm afraid of. This is what I don't want to do because this will oppress me. Instantly, we have a flood of answers for who is he who will harm you if you do these things. Well, obviously, if I submit myself to government, it might be a tyrannous government. Maybe tyranny will come, and therefore, tyrannous government.

I'm afraid of that. Okay, that could happen. In fact, that has happened. History is articulated by tyrannies. If you study history, you don't have to go very long to find that there is tyranny throughout history. Just about every major event in history has to do with some tyrannous leadership.

So we look at that and say, obviously, if I submit myself to government, then tyranny will follow. Peter says, "All right, what else? What else are you afraid of? What will harm you?" Well, a harsh taskmaster, overlords. Yes, that has certainly happened. If you study Christian history, church history, you see there have been various times when the people of God have suffered under harsh taskmasters and overlords.

Some of you, having read through the Scriptures, when you hear "harsh taskmasters," your mind instantly goes to Exodus and you think about the harsh taskmasters that the people of God were subjected to in Egypt thousands of years ago. You say, "That's what will happen." A wife might say, "If I submit myself to my unbelieving husband, I will suffer at his hands." And that possibly could be the case.

In an antagonistic, anti-God society, if I am meek, gracious, and merciful, if I do not respond when they come against me, and I turn the other cheek, then I will most certainly suffer harm. The difficulty with this is that Peter throws out the question, "Who is it that will cause you harm if you do good?" With the question comes a flood of legitimate answers: harsh government, terrible taskmasters, unbelieving husbands, an anti-God society. We could go on and on with a list of answers to Peter's question.

The most difficult part about reading what Peter writes is that it’s almost as if he, with a smile on his face and a smug look, just kind of nods and goes, "Yeah, that could happen." He gives no rebuttal. You might think, "Wait a minute, you're telling me to do what my flesh does not want to do. You're saying I should do that, and I'm saying I shouldn't because of this and this and this." All Peter is saying is, "Yeah, that's true. That could actually be a problem." Come on, Peter, don't you have anything for me? You're just going to nod and say, "Yep, yep, yep, all those things just might and probably will happen."

Point number one on your outline: Christians are all but guaranteed suffering. That's certainly what Jesus taught. In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 10, verses 22 through 25, the first verse states, "You will be hated for my namesake." One verse later, in verse 23, He says, "When they persecute you." He doesn't say "if"; He says "when" they persecute you.

Now, here's the problem that we face as Americans living in the United States in the year 2016: that has not been our experience. Thank God that has not been our experience. Praise the Lord, we have not suffered persecution for the cause of Christ. Every time I mention this, someone will come and say, "Well, I've suffered persecution for the cause of Christ." When I ask them to elaborate on the persecution they've experienced, it often comes down to them suffering for being a bonehead. Peter even said, "If you suffer for doing wrong, there's no merit in that."

We live in a wonderful nation that has afforded us incredible religious liberties. For hundreds of years, we have been sheltered from persecution. This leads us to think that our experience is normative, but it is not. If you read church history, you know that what we experience and what we think is normal is absolutely the exception. This is not how Christians have lived, and being sheltered from religious persecution is not what the church has experienced for 2,000 years. It is also not what most Christians are experiencing throughout the world.

There may come a day when we have an experience that is different from what we have known in our nation. Even now, I would say that is not really the case yet. However, what we find in the Scriptures is that Christians are all but guaranteed suffering. Jesus again, in the Gospel of John, chapter 15, says, "If they persecuted me, they will persecute you."

Here's the problem: we have all kinds of people who claim to be preachers of the Bible. They stand up with open Bibles and preach messages, almost 99% of the time out of context, saying that if you're a Christian, you won't suffer. Listen, anyone who says that is lying to you. They may be lying to you sincerely, but they are still lying to you.

Because Jesus never said that, Christians suffer the same difficulties that non-Christians do in a fallen world. They receive the diagnosis of cancer. They get the word from the boss that there’s no job for them any longer. They hear from the bank that they are foreclosing on their home. They experience all the same kinds of suffering that non-Christians do.

However, the added benefit—if you can call it that, as the Bible does—is that a Christian might suffer even more because they are a Christian, and some Christians do. Here, Peter asks, "Who is he who will harm you?" Well, I have a long list, Peter. These are the ones who will harm me. That might just be the case. The Apostle Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:12, "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." If you desire to live godly in Christ Jesus, you will suffer persecution.

So here’s the simple question: How on earth is that good news? How in any universe is that gospel? Gospel means good news, yet it states that you will suffer persecution. Peter leaves the question hanging in the air, like a tightrope walker crossing the Grand Canyon, without providing a rebuttal. After you come up with a long list of potential sufferings, he simply nods and says, "Okay." Then he states in verse 14, "But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed."

What? What kind of thinking is that? Even if you do suffer—can I just say this is like the worst non-answer answer? Even if you suffer persecution, or even if you suffer for doing what is right, which is for righteousness' sake, you are blessed.

It is quite common for people today to go out to a restaurant, sit down, have a great meal in front of them, take a picture of it, and post it on Instagram with the hashtag "blessed." They receive a bonus check and post it with the same hashtag. We live in a hashtag blessed society. I was actually chuckling about this the other night. I was walking through our house and noticed there’s a little sign over an archway that says "blessed." I thought, "Oh, hashtag blessed."

There's truth in that; we're blessed. We're incredibly blessed. Blessed means that we have received great benefit, and therefore we are incredibly happy because of these wonderful blessings that we have in our lives.

Here's what Peter says: if you suffer for doing what's right, you are blessed. If he were writing like the Twitter Bible for us today, there would be a hashtag for that. There’s no way you can look at that and say, "Well, that's absolutely true. I feel that 100%." This is not the line of reasoning we are looking for.

There’s a part of me that says, okay, where is the biblical equivalent of "You gotta fight for your right to party"? Where's the biblical equivalent of the Beastie Boys? I mean, come on, I want to know where that verse is. It's not there. You will not find it. You might find something similar in 1 Thessalonians, but it isn't in this Bible. It's just not there. It's in the 67th book of the Bible, which didn't make it into the canon.

So, Peter's answer to probable potential harm is that even if you suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Now listen, this only makes sense in light of the biblical promise of eternity. It makes no sense apart from that promise. It only makes sense and has value because of the promise of Jesus through the gospel, the good news of the gospel.

If the Christian faith only provides hope here and now, it is essentially worthless. I didn't make that up; that's what the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. He says this in verse 19: "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most pitiful." That's a great way of saying it. If you put your faith in Jesus because you thought it would give you a good life here and now, you are pitiful. That's what Paul says.

Because that's not what Jesus taught. If your hope in Jesus, going to church, being a good person, tithing, and serving in the fourth-grade classroom is only so that things might work out well for you here, you have a miserable life.

And let me tell you, you have something really sorry coming to you because it isn't going to be like you thought it would be. Why do so many people give up on this Christian thing? Because it didn't work the way they thought it would work. They were told that they would get certain things, but they didn't. It's a bait and switch. It's the worst possible bait and switch around.

But you see, the Christian's faith and hope are not in this place, praise God. This is not our home. This is not where our hope is, and I'm incredibly grateful for that. As good of a life as I have, there is no possible way to spin it to make it look like my life is bad. I have a pretty good life, and so do you, living in the United States of America. We have a pretty awesome life. But if this is our hope, it is pitiful.

The Christian lives this life in hope of another life that is still yet to come. The hope for that future life makes this life all the better. Though it may be filled with suffering and hardship, the hope of eternity makes this life all the better. The philosophy of our day, 21st-century Western philosophy, goes something like this: life is cruel and short. Do everything you can to have a great life now because this is all there is. Isn't that the philosophy of our day?

I suggest to you that it's actually been the philosophy of man for quite some time. It's nothing new; there is nothing new under the sun. But that is the philosophy of the world in which we live. We are being bombarded with this message from our culture constantly: this world is harsh and cruel. Do everything you can to have a good life now because that's all there is. It's no wonder people are depressed if this is all there is.

But you see, the teaching of Jesus is incredibly different. It's awesomely different. The teaching of Jesus is this: the way to have a great life now is not to live for this life, but to live for the life that is to come. By living for the life that is to come, you will also have a wonderful life now. We studied it last week: "He who will love life and see good days, let him..." and then He gives a list of commendations to us. This is what you ought to do.

And every one of the things that He tells us to do, He who would love life and see good days, as stated in verse 10 of First Peter chapter three, should refrain his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. He should turn away from evil and do good. He should seek peace and pursue it.

We look at that, and all of those things go against my nature. I think, if I do that, I will not have a good life. Yet God says, "Wait a minute. No, if you do this, your life will be good, and you'll see good days." The teaching of Jesus shows that the way to have a great life now is not to live for this life, but for the life that is to come instead.

You may ask, is that really the teaching of Jesus? Let's consider it together. Turning in your Bibles to the Gospel of Matthew, if you are in First Peter chapter three, turn to the left. You will pass First and Second Corinthians, Romans, Acts, and so forth, until you reach Matthew chapter 16. We have actually gone back to this passage quite a few times as we have been going through First Peter because there is an exchange between Jesus and the author of First Peter, the Apostle Peter.

In this passage, Jesus asks His disciples, "Who do men say that I am?" Some say He is a prophet, while others say He is this or that. Then He asks, "But who do you, My disciples, say that I am?" Peter jumps in and says, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus responds, "Right on, Peter! You got it right, although it is not even you that got that right. God spoke that to you."

In the same conversation that Peter and Jesus have, we find First Peter chapter 16, verse 25: "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? How, if I lose my life for His sake, will I gain it? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works."

Listen, this is one of the keys of the kingdom. The philosophy of our world, which says this world is harsh and that we should do everything we can to have a great life now, was the same ruling philosophy in Jesus' day 2,000 years ago. The message was to give everything you can to gain this world. Jesus, however, says, "No, if you seek to save this life, in the end, you'll lose it."

But if you lose your life for my sake, you'll gain it. What will you gain? Reward in eternity. You see, Jesus came preaching the gospel, the good news, but it was a specific kind of gospel. It was the gospel of the kingdom, the gospel of His kingdom that is not here and now. Even though we are always seeking something tangible in the here and now, the gospel that He speaks of is about another kingdom.

One of the keys to that kingdom is to live for that kingdom and not for this world. In the midst of that, there may be suffering, but this is a world of suffering anyway. Here’s what happened: here’s what Jesus did. Point number two on your outline: Christ suffered to save us out of suffering. He endured suffering. He suffered to save us, to rescue us out of suffering.

There is suffering in this world. We all know it full well. There is suffering that all human beings experience. That is the human experience because of sin and the fallenness of this world. There is also compounded suffering that you might experience as a follower of Jesus, being persecuted for doing what is right, being persecuted for His kingdom and His namesake.

So, there’s an added suffering that the gospel writers call a benefit. It’s a blessing to suffer. That’s what Paul wrote of in Philippians chapter one. It has been granted to you as a gift on behalf of Christ to suffer for His name. Every human being experiences suffering. Christians, followers of Jesus, might experience an added compounded suffering for being followers of Jesus and representing Him in this world as we await His salvation.

But if you’ve put your faith in Christ today and trusted in Him for salvation, what the Bible promises you is not just forgiveness of sin now, but salvation from sin and its woeful effects in the future in His kingdom. That’s the promise that the Christian enjoys. Knowing that promise and looking forward to that reward makes the experience of suffering here even joyful. So that James could write and not even be thinking, "Well, maybe it’s not true," but actually...

Write it in truth and say, "Count it all joy when you suffer." A non-follower of Jesus, who has no hope of heaven, looks at that and says, "That's just dumb." But when your hope changes, everything changes. Even if you live 70, 80, 90, or a hundred years and endure the worst possible persecution because you're a follower of Jesus, what is that in comparison to eternity?

Have you ever tried to conceptualize eternity? It makes my head hurt because it's just too big for my little brain. We are finite. Our brains are finite, and eternity is infinite—infinite. I just can't compute it. It makes things pop, and they don't work right. I try to think, "Oh, wow. I wonder what that's like." The Scripture says, "Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has entered into the heart of man to be able to conceive what awaits us in eternity." We can't even conceptualize what it will be like.

So, even if we live a hundred years in total suffering, the second you come into eternity, you look back on it and think, "What was that in comparison? What was that in comparison?" We experience this in America on a very micro level. Some of you hate your job, and you cringe right now when I say, "Oh, Monday morning's coming." You hate your job, and you will do it for 25, 30, or 40 years. Why? Because there is this hope that 40 years of "Oh, I hate this" might yield five to 12 years of "Hey, retirement." So, you grin and bear it because, hey, retirement is coming.

The Christian has a hope of something far better than a 401(k) and a possible yacht. Even if you got it, there is something far better. Understand what Peter speaks of, what Paul wrote of, and what Jesus preached: the Christian will be rewarded with eternity that is secured to you, not because of anything that you have done, but because of His works on the cross. You will be rewarded in eternity. Eternity is a given because of Jesus, but there is even more reward in eternity for those who, because of righteousness' sake, suffer. Therefore, look at what Peter goes on to say.

First Peter, chapter three, the second part of verse 14 states, "Even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed." The second part continues, "And do not be afraid of their threats." Who is being referred to here? The oppressor, the one who might cause harm. We are commanded not to be afraid of their threats.

Here's the problem: we are all fearful of harm. Who is he who will harm you? I have a long list, Peter. Yet, we are told not to be afraid of their threats, nor to be troubled. Jesus also addressed this in Matthew, chapter 10, verse 28: "Do not fear those who kill the body and cannot kill the soul, but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." This refers to God.

In Luke, chapter 12, verses four and five, Jesus says, "And I say to you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: fear Him who after He is killed has the power to cast into hell. Yes, I say fear Him."

Again, in the Gospel of John, chapter 14, Jesus commands, "Let not your heart be troubled." This is a command. But how can I live in a troubling world filled with turmoil and suffering, especially with the potential probability of suffering for being a follower of Jesus? How can I not be troubled in the midst of that?

He tells us, "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me." Why? Because He lives in His Father's house, and in His kingdom are many dwelling places. "Were it not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also."

How does He promote peace in my life in the face of turmoil and trouble, and in your life in the face of suffering? He does this by saying, "I have something better for you." He goes on at the end of that passage in John 14, verse 27: "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

How can I not be troubled in the face of potential suffering? Well, in the very same conversation recorded in John 14, 15, and 16, at the very end of this conversation with His disciples, this is how Jesus sums it all up.

In John 16:33, Jesus says, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world, you will have trouble, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world." How did He overcome the world? Through the resurrection. He promises to you and to me, as we put our trust in Him, that we also will be more than conquerors through Him who loved us. That is where our peace comes from.

Point number three on your outline is: Do not fear suffering. I know it sounds impossible; I'm already afraid. However, do not fear suffering, for His suffering has secured my salvation. What Jesus did on the cross 2,000 years ago secures my salvation. "For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." He has secured my salvation, and therefore I don't have to fear suffering. Why? Because at most, it is temporary. Even if it were 80 years of solid, day-to-day, back-to-back, moment-by-moment suffering, it is still temporary.

So He says, "Don't be afraid. Don't fear them. Don't be troubled." In verse 15, He instructs us to "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 within you, with meekness and fear."

This is one of those notable, famous verses that you find on cards, in apologetics books, and you are told you need to memorize. As faithful Bible students, we memorize 1 Peter 3:15, but we often take it out of context. We can recite, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks a reason for the hope that is within you." We might even explain that the word "defense" there is the Greek word "apologia," which means to give a good answer.

However, the biggest problem is that we fail to realize what it means in its basic form. Why did Peter even say this? He says in the previous verse, "Don't be afraid of those who might harm you." Instead...

Do this instead: sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. That word "sanctify" can trip us up because it's a Bible word, and we don't normally use Bible words. I guarantee there's not a time in the last six months when you just randomly said "sanctify" in the office; we just don't use words like that.

So, what does it mean to sanctify the Lord God in your heart? Let me give you my personal paraphrase: set your heart firmly on Christ. That's what it means to sanctify the Lord God in your heart. Set your heart firmly on Him. Another honest way to read this verse would be to put Jesus as number one in your heart and make Jesus your Lord.

Now, I have two simple questions. Is Christ exalted and lifted up as Lord in your life? If He has been, it will be evidenced in the way you respond to authority and the way you respond to suffering. Is Jesus lifted up as chief in your life? If He is, it will be revealed in how you respond to authority. How will you respond to authority? You will submit yourself to every authority. Why? Because you trust God.

The very next passage we will see is to submit yourselves to the Lord. It will be evident that we are submitted to the Lord and that He is Lord in our lives by how we respond to authority in this world. Secondly, it will be evidenced in my life and yours, if we are submitted and yielded to Christ, by how we respond to suffering.

How should we respond to suffering? We should understand that it is a momentary light affliction and that it is working for us a far greater and eternal weight of glory. That is how we approach suffering as those who have Christ over our lives.

So, the first question is: Is Christ exalted or lifted up in your life? The second question is: Is your heart fixed upon Christ and His kingdom? Is your heart fixed on Christ and His kingdom, or is it fixed on this world? Again, there will be evidence. You see, I can say with my words that my heart is fixed on the Lord, but whether or not that's true will be seen in how I live this life. Paul told the church at Colossae that they are to set their minds on things.

Above where Christ is seated, in Philippians 4, He said this: "Be anxious for nothing." We all really fulfill that command until He says "for nothing." Be anxious? Yep, got that one down. For nothing. But in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. The result? The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Here's the thing: if Christ is Lord in my life, it will change the way that I respond to authority and suffering. If my focus is on His kingdom, in whatever trial, storm, or difficulty, I will have peace. Why? Because, as Isaiah said, "You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You." If the beat of your heart is set by the rhythm of eternity, you will have peace in whatever trouble and turmoil you find in this world.

However, if every little thing that happens—Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton—takes your peace, your focus is in the wrong place. The Dow Jones going up and down? If your joy is dependent upon the numbers from New York, you have your focus in the wrong place. Though I can say with my words, "I trust in Jesus," if my heart drops with the Dow Jones, I don't really trust in Jesus.

Well, Jesus says, "Let not your heart be troubled." The trouble with that verse? It's a command I cannot, in and of myself, fulfill. Let me put it to you like this: have you ever had an experience like this? You're driving down the freeway, going down 15 South, doing 65, because you all do that. In front of you, a couple of car lengths ahead, there's a truck. It hits a bump, and something comes flying out of it. Now, there is something bouncing down at you, and you don't know if it's something you can just drive right through or if it's going to smash you to pieces.

In that moment, there's a problem. It's part of our biology; we can't overcome it. We have the impulses of our senses. We see it coming at us, and it travels through our nervous system, up our spinal cord, and into our brain. The first thing it meets in our brain is the limbic system.

All emotion comes into play, and you feel it before you respond. Your heart starts to pump fast, and you feel flush. You might even taste the metallic flavor of rust in your mouth because that's adrenaline. In that moment, have you ever thought, "I will now be calm, cool, and collected"? It doesn't work. There's no way, biologically, you can do that.

But here's the promise: that which is impossible with man is possible with God. I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.

Lesson number four on your outline is that a secured salvation promotes perfect peace. When your hope is in an absolutely secure salvation—Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe; sin had left its crimson stain, He washed it white as snow—you can experience peace that surpasses all understanding, even in the midst of trouble.

He says, "Always be ready to give a defense." That's what I've been waiting for, and that's what you've been waiting for: the permission to defend ourselves. However, it doesn't come the way I hoped it would. He instructs us to always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks for the reason for the hope that is within you. A secured salvation, a steadfast hope of a life beyond this life, of eternity with Christ, promotes peace. When people see that in the life of a Christian, they ask, "Where did that come from?"

Point number five is that peace under the threat of persecution is evangelistic. For decades, people have been quoting this verse: "Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks for the reason for the hope that is within you." They have been saying, "Listen, you need to follow the word of St. Francis."

Of Assisi from the 13th century preached the word at all times, and when necessary, used words. This is apparently attributed to St. Francis. We are all told, as Christians, that we don't need to preach with our words; we should just live our lives, enjoy our lives, and love everything.

With the prosperity teaching in our nation, the message is to just live it up and have all this stuff as a Christian. Then people will look at you and say, "Wow, how did you get that?" You can respond, "Well, it was my faith in Jesus." However, that has never happened to me.

What does happen is this: when a Christian endures suffering with peace and joy in Christ, those who do not know hope—every person you will come in contact with who doesn't know Jesus—will look and say, "How on earth is that possible?" Be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks for the reason for the hope that you have. How do you have peace in the midst of it? It's because you have hope. This is not your home; you have hope in something beyond this world.

I have yet to meet a person, Christian or non-Christian, who doesn't think that sounds like good news. Whether they believe it or not, it sounds like good news. That's the gospel. Having a good conscience means that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be confounded.

Though they may speak evil of you, calling you a Bible-thumping, weird praise person who probably speaks in tongues and lifts their hands, they will see you go through suffering and be confounded. It is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

Would you stand with me? God, help us to live this way. Apart from You, it is impossible. We have no ability in and of our fallen, sinful nature, our flesh, to be able to live as You desire.

Command, so would you give us the power by Your Spirit this week as we walk through the myriad of what-ifs? What if this happens? What if that happens? May our hearts be tuned and in step with eternity. We pray this in Jesus' name. All those who agree, say amen.