Sermon May 14, 2023 - Cody Harlow

I mean let's let's read now who is there to harm you if you're a zealous for what is good how do we reconcile that because it seems an awful lot like harm is being done when Huss is doing good the context here remember what the context is go back to verse 9 with me it says do not repay evil for evil or

Reviling for reviling but on the contrary bless for to this you are called that you may obtain a blessing what kind of blessing is that because that's the context for what we're talking about here we're not talking about a present blessing in this Earthly Realm we're talking about a future blessing this future reward is the promise that Believers we will receive good for our suffering at that final judgment in other words Believers you and I we will not stand before the Lord and give an account for our souls on that last day that was settled the moment that you repented of your sins and you trusted in Jesus Christ your eternity is set and sealed and secured because of what Christ did for us on the cross when you repented of your sins and you trusted in Christ you became secure in that salvation but that doesn't guarantee that things are going to be great and smooth on this side of Heaven rather we look at this and we see that we will in some future time give an account to the Lord for how we do live our lives and we will receive rewards and blessings for the evil that we suffer The Obedience that we live the reviling that we go through we are promised a future blessing and Jesus he taught this too at the Beatitudes in Matthew chapter 5 verses 10 through 12 it says this blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heaven for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you so this is a general promise as we saw last week and Steve covered this pretty well that there is a general

Promise of Peace for believers that's why he quotes Psalm 34 here whoever desires to love life and see good days let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit let him turn away from Evil and do good let them seek peace and pursue it for the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are open to their prayer but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil and so you have these General promises generally you do good on this side of heaven and you won't have the turmoil and the turbulent times generally now this word that's translated here in verse 13. Now in the ESV is better understood as and or then so and as we conduct Our Lives quoting Psalm 34 there then do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling and why is that because we are called to endure to receive a future blessing because ultimately who is there to harm you if you are zealous for doing good and that question it's rhetorical can any ultimate harm befall a believer ultimately no can those who hate you destroy your soul no can the persecutions in this world change your standing before the father who purchased you at the price of his son no can slanderers ultimately wear down that Firm Foundation that we have based upon Christ not at all who can do you harm if you are zealous for good and if we were to understand this as a present promise it wouldn't make sense to us but when we understand this in the future sense we can understand this is that God's promises they never fail and so our future is secure our hope is eternal and it's found in Jesus Christ

But even if you suffer for righteousness sake you will be blessed so Peter he brings it down from the Heavenly truth to our Earthly application that there will be times when that General promise of peace and blessing according to Psalm 34 will give way to suffering for righteousness sake and so Peter he is clarifying this meaning from verse 13 to verse 14 that Believers may suffer harm on this side of Heaven you might be passed up for a promotion you might be lied about by your neighbors you might be taken to court for upholding Biblical truth but that does not contradict the promise of verse 13 because listen and this is important suffering is not the opposite of blessing the first contrast that we need to understand is the world's hostility versus God's blessing when you suffer in this world because you hold to what the Bible says what the Christian faith teaches What doctrine is and because of you doing those good works you gain a blessing right now reserved for you in heaven and the Believers in Asia Minor they would understand this remember what Peter has already said versus chapter 1 verses six through seven he says you have been grieved by various trials so that the test of genuineness of your faith more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ and Paul he Echoes those words too look at what it says in Acts chapter 20 verses 22-24 and now behold I am going to Jerusalem he's talking to the Ephesian Elders there at my latest behold I am going to Jerusalem constrained by the spirit not knowing what will happen to me there except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me but I do not account my life of

Any value nor as precious to myself if only I may finish my course in the ministry that I receive from the Lord Jesus to testify to the Gospel of the grace of God and a quick note to clarify here that we are called to suffer for righteousness sake not for unrighteousness sake if you're if you're a jerk if you're living in sin and you know you are suffering because of that is not Christian suffering okay if you're suffering because you're being selfish if you're suffering because you're being slanderous and people mistrust you that is not Christian suffering Peter he alludes here for the second time in this letter to Isaiah chapter 8 and the book of Isaiah it's the word of the Lord to the nation of Judah you see Judah it was being threatened by Israel and Aram and they were going to overthrow King ahaz they were going to install another king in his place Judah and King ahaz they were being filled with Terror and God he sent Isaiah to speak to the king that he would be the one to preserve Judah by his own power just don't go out and make alliances with the wicked nation of Israel or your neighbors God would take care of the rest in Isaiah chapter 8 see if you notice the parallel here in verses 12 and 13 it says do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy and do not fear what they fear nor be in dread but the Lord of hosts him you shall honor as holy let him be your fear let him be your dread and just as Judah was facing dangerous enemies and they were called to not be afraid the same thing is being said here of Peter's readers that and to us ultimately that we are called not to be afraid of those in the world that would

Seek to do us harm rather we are called to fear the Lord God Alone but that's a Temptation isn't it to be given over to fear God what will my future hold if these people get their way and as with all Temptations Temptations arise when we stop looking to the Lord God and we start to look at our circumstances or those that would seek to destroy our lives or our reputations so this brings us to the second contrast here the fear of the world versus the fear of the Lord look at the passage have no fear of them nor be troubled but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy don't be intimidated this word is for baumai which is the same word that Jesus used in Matthew chapter 10 verse 28 when he says do not fear those fear for bail my do not fear Those Who Kill the body but cannot kill the soul rather fear Him talking about God who can destroy both soul and Body in hell both of those words the baumai which isn't simply like a profound respect for although there's definitely that it's the actual state of fear nor should we be troubled that is shaken up Disturbed agitated we could use that word to describe crystal clear water with a muddy bottom and going down to the bottom and shaking it all up and it makes that crystal clear water completely cloudy where you can't see clearly because it's been agitated and shaken up that's what fear does doesn't it shakes us up it makes it to where we can't see the Lord God clearly it distracts us and it fuels fuels fuels the fear so how do we not allow for fear of the world to overtake our heart listen it's not by your political candidate winning you can't say Amen you better say ouch right it's not by conservative legislation getting

Through it is when you Christian in your heart you honor Christ the Lord as holy and this is more than just agreeing that Jesus is Lord It's about your heart's devotion Edmund Clowney and his commentary on this passage he says that appraising heart is immune to the fear of other people fear of another sort takes possession of our hearts and Minds a fear that does not flee in Terror but draws near in awe and worship and when we are consumed with Christ we are not afraid or as concerned as when something pops up that would decimate those who do not have a hope in Christ when the Lord has our love when he has our reverence and our loyalty and our affection and our obedience we submit to him as being good and wise and we understand that sometimes suffering may be necessary for our sanctification and so we know that in spite of all this suffering in spite of all the slander in spite of all the bad things that happen in our world we know that God is ultimately working something out for our good there's a story that's told of a little piece of ebony wood that was complaining very bitterly because its owner was whittling in and it was just stabbing it stabbing it and you know just whittling it away taking that piece of ebony wood down and down and down and it was just crying out please stop you don't know what you're doing this hurts really bad quit putting holes in me please stop with the cutting it's Relentless I can't take it anymore and yet the wise whittler was just slowly going through whittling it down whittling it down and finally he explained to the piece of ebony wood he said you know without all these holes without all these cuttings you would just be a little black stick forever just a useless piece of wood but what I'm doing now

You may think that I'm destroying you but instead I am changing you into a flute and your sweet music it will charm charm The Souls of men and it will Comfort many sorrowful hearts my cutting is the making of you and it is only through that you can be a blessing to the world you might be in a season where the Lord is just cutting away cutting away and it may be maybe hard because it's those hard bits that the Lord is cutting away cutting away cutting away at don't despise the Lord don't complain too loudly lest it becomes grumbling and bitterness in your soul but entrust your soul to the Lord that as he is working on you that he is changing you to reflect him to be a blessing to the world to be an ambassador for Jesus Christ and as a result of sanctifying Christ that as the Lord in our hearts Peter he gives additional instruction he tells us three instructions here that will help us as we seek to be a blessing first first thing is to prepare ourselves always being prepared is what it says this means that we grow in our knowledge and our understanding of God and his word because we don't want to become experts on God's word without the knowledge of God without knowing him intimately and closely and personally and so we prepare ourselves to grow in wisdom and knowledge of God himself and Peter he's a prime example of this isn't he when we when we see Peter just before the crucifixion he's confronted by a little slave girl isn't he's confronted by multiple people and each time he's telling them I don't know that man I don't know that man answer curse word there I don't know that man

He's he is so scared that he won't even confront a servant girl that's how much he wants to avoid any kind of suffering but after the resurrection Peter filled with the power of the Holy Spirit bolstered by seeing the resurrected Lord he preached one of the most powerful sermons ever and he didn't just stop there later on he was preaching with John in Solomon's Portico preaching preaching preaching beaten continued preaching continued preaching he was an example to others even Stephen the first martyr followed his example of preaching and not backing down preaching sharing the Gospel after the Apostle James was killed Peter he continued preaching he was delivered through miraculous means how did that take place how does one go from being afraid of confronting or even just saying yeah I know Jesus to a child to being courageous enough to stand before the leaders of the world and say know the Gospel repent and believe in Christ it is because he honored the Lord as holy Christ reigned on the throne of his heart and now because of the glory of Christ he could endure the beatings because of the blessing he could go through the imprisonments because of the freedom they had in Christ and Peter he constantly presented a clear defense of the Gospel he tells us to defend the faith the Gospel that Greek term here is apologia which is where we get that word apologized from but it's better understood as a term for a formal defense of the faith and Christians should always be willing to give a defense for the sake of the Gospel this doesn't have a mind simply being

Drugged before a court but as you are going through your life and you're going through a season and your neighbors they see you they see you suffering but they also see your joy they see your endurance they see the hope that you have that this is not all that this world has to offer but there's a future hope for you and they ask you how do you have that hope and you were able to point them to Christ that is what Paul has or Peter has in mind here and we could talk about formal apologetics to her too we could talk about the different academic terms but simply put defending the Gospel means giving people a reason for your Eternal hope why do you hope My Hope Is that you can share your experience with the Lord that you can point others to the Lord that you know that you have met and you can tell people about that hope and while Hope and Faith are closely linked together Peter he uses that term hope rather than Faith because our hope is a future hope it is a secure hope and so we don't respond the same way that other people do and this comes from honoring Christ as the Lord in our hearts and so it is from that inner reality of a changed life that precedes the reason for our hope and we don't hope and Hope we don't hope that we're saved because we really meant it we hope because Christ is the Lord of our hearts and we know him yet it's not only a defense of the hope it's also a defense of Christ himself we are to give a whole reason for the hope that is in us and we know Christ we should be willing to point people to the Biblical Christ not a secularized extra Biblical wishy-washy pansy Jesus we don't want a Jesus that is so

Relatable to the world that he looks like the world talks like the world acts like the world and has nothing to do with the Lord other people there will Elevate Christ's deity so high that no one has the hope of salvation others will try to make paint Christ as a part of creation which is a heresy and others will say that Christ is one of many ways of Salvation and Believers are commanded to be able to respond to each and every single one of those Peter gives us the third instruction here the right mindset how we are to do that because we're not called to be proud and condescending are we Peter he tells us to be gentle and to do it with respect because it's in the midst of being a bold witness for the Lord that our strength is not in our bullishness our strength is in the meekness that we have in Christ that word respect here it's that word Phobos here again and choose by Peter but it here it's best understood as respect and as a reverence for the Lord in regard for the truth and the point is this it is not up to a pastor a book a curriculum a community group leader a Bible study teacher to speed spoon feeds you and tell you what you need to say for your faith to be your own go to God go to his word come to him by the Holy Spirit and you do that work don't be satisfied with the scraps that you get by living vicariously through other people's faith own the faith know the Lord turn to him what will be your defense if someone were to ask you for the hope that you have in Christ do you really think that living the faith through someone else is going to

Be a firm enough Foundation when you're confronted by someone that really wants to know why you believe what you believe know him know the Lord abide in him draw close to Him He will draw close to you love him trust him Peter he concludes here he says having a good conscience so that when you were slandered those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame for it is better to suffer for doing good if that should be God's will then for doing evil the third contrast here is false accusations versus good works what is a conscience as across a story by Chuck Swindoll he said the conscience is our moral intuition it's our moral intuition it's at part of us that passes judgment on our own state it takes away our confidence when it is sour and when it is bad it takes away our security when it is soiled you have two very firm weapons for battle faith and a good conscience without those weapons we crumble like a dry cookie that's been sitting on the shelf for three or four days there's no tenacity there's no resilience we finally fall let your conscience be your God you ever heard that before let your conscience be your guide a great deal about that being true depends upon the state of your conscience what if your conscience is seared because the conscience is like a compass isn't it if a compass is faulty you can't trust it because you'll quickly get off course the conscience gets its signals from the heart which can be dulled can be hardened can be calloused furthermore a conscience can be overly sensitive can even drive one mad someone who is reared by legalistic

Parents who used guilt and shame to manipulate their children often have a conscience that is overly sensitive some have consciences so twisted and Confused they need extensive help before they can start thinking correctly sometimes it takes the help of a good Christian therapist one who can help an individual with shame-based conscience to understand how things got all fouled up sometimes it's a long-term friendship who helps give Grace to a conscience that is only known legalism a conscience that is legalistic is not a good guide neither is a an antinomian libertine conscience is not a good guide either in order for one's conscience to be a good guide one the spirit can't direct it needs to be a healthy sensitive incapable conscience that's readily receiving God's message a good conscience is a guilt-free and the only way to know to have that is to know the Lord to come to Christ he will wash you clean he will make you pure one which knows that they're not convicted of wrongdoing the weight of sin it will weigh you down and it will drown but in Christ he will take that burden and he will set you free but still people they will jump to the wrong conclusions won't that I know many of you who have known the Lord walked with the Lord Faithfully have you ever been slandered or lied about it hurts doesn't it that's a tough season to go into Peter he writes that's almost a guaranteed thing and yet Peter also he never says

Anything about defending ourselves does he and that's a temptation that is a big Temptation rather we are called to give a defense for the hope that we have so that way when people see God at work in our lives they may be put to shame for their slander and don't don't skip verse 17 here look at what verse 17 says it says for it is better to suffer for doing good if that should be God's will than for doing evil and the suffering that Christians endure is not attributed to anything other than God has allowed it for you it doesn't mean that we don't have spiritual enemies it doesn't mean that humans are not responsible for their sin but the truth is that evil cannot befall you unless God allows for it to happen and so we don't go around courting first persecution that's what the zealots did during the first century but rather we are called to endure suffering because we are doing good for the sake of Christ this is the way of Jesus that God through us would work mightily that we would be a reflection of Christ to a world that desperately needs to see him through you so what about you I mean these these three contrasts that we talked about they serve as guideposts for you to gauge yourself are you are you fearful of the world or are you fearful of the Lord the Lord he prohibits the fear of both he can't say well I'm scared of both no are you inclined to fear those things that the Lord allows for our good and for his glory don't because God is working out a better salvation than we could think or hope are you tempted to attack others when you are slandered don't trust in the Lord

Do those good works and that Peter's pointing to here and that way as they see that their slander is totally false they may feel that shame and maybe they would be drawn to the fragrance of Christ through you and in you because remember that it is better to suffer for doing good if that should be God's will than for doing evil head heart hand head I want you to know that suffering is not the opposite of blessing may be tempted to divorce the two and yet it is often by the road of suffering that we arrive to that destination of blessing heart I want you to believe that the cure for fear is the lordship of Christ who talks a little bit about that because when our hearts devotion affection and joy is totally focused on Christ there is no room for fear or dread there's no room for it because we're consumed with love and joy in the fear of the Lord in hand I want you to take time this week to prepare yourself to defend your faith the hope that is in you own your faith grow in it that you might be able to give a defense when the opportunity arises let's pray Lord we are so thankful for all that you've done Lord as we have studied your word we pray that you would help us God to live our lives in light of that truth that you were good and that suffering happens because you've allowed it for us to know you and your power God I pray that for my many brothers and sisters that are suffering or maybe you will be leading into seasons of suffering Lord that you would encourage them not to look at their situations or

Circumstances or anything like that but that they would be filled with the fear of the Lord such a joy and all-consuming overwhelming love and fear but there will be no room for anything else other than you and your glory as we stand and we worship together Lord I just pray that the Saints in this room would sing with conviction and that you would help us Lord to go out from here giving a reason for the hope that we have in you that we know you and we know the Living God what a joy that is that you have called us that we might be a blessing to a world that needs you we love you we thank you for this day Jesus name amen let's stand let's respond and worship together [Music] In Christ Alone My Hope Is found he is [Music] understand [Music] this gift of love and righteousness scorned by the ones he came to say till on that cross as Jesus died the wrath of God was satisfied [Music] hearing the death of Christ [Music] they're in the ground his body made [Music] in glorious day up from the grave he rose again and as he stands in victory since curses lost its grip on me for I am his and he is [Music] of Christ [Music] no guilt in life no fearing death this Jesus commands my destiny [Music] till he returns or calls me home

[Music] no scheme [Music] till he returns or calls me home [Music] oh real quick I just wanted to say Nicholas and Katrina this is y'all's last Sunday here right okay but this is your last official Sunday as our children's ministry director and so be sure to hug their necks and tell them that you love them and appreciate them before they move off to Illinois and so Dan thank you for dismissing us in prayer but one of these days when it comes here anymore thank you for your voice sir you can visit our lives Lord each day every moment conscious of that privacy of you in our lives we say things are not supposed to say do things for us to do for example industrial at that time too yes