Okay, go ahead and take your Bibles and turn to 1 Peter 3. 1 Peter 3. So as you guys are turning back to 1 Peter 3, we're going to be picking up in verse 8 this week. And so not last week. Last week we were doing a little bit of a review week through John and through 1 Peter as well. The week before that, we looked at the beginning of 1 Peter, and we looked at verses one through seven. And so as you consider this, let's go ahead and review 1 Peter 3, verses one through seven. In that text, verses one through seven, we saw the continuation of the theme of submission. And so Peter has addressed multiple different groups from the midpoint of chapter two, verse 13, he starts to address different groups regarding submission and the importance of submission. And Peter repeatedly ties back into submission the reality of our gospel witness. Ultimately, we should submit because it points the loss to Christ. That's what Peter comes back to over and over. and over again. And so, as we look at the beginning of 1 Peter chapter 3, he begins to speak of the characteristic of submission, and he speaks to this and applies it specifically now to the marriage relationship. So, a husband and a wife, both are commanded to submit. Wives are commanded to submit to their husbands, even husbands that do not obey the word, Peter says. These are, again, these are unsaved husbands. Peter uses this description of individuals who do not obey the word throughout his epistle. And it normally describes those who do not follow Jesus Christ, because a natural characteristic of following Jesus Christ is obeying his word. And so when he says, there are some that do not obey the word, he's referring to husbands that are not believers. And so it's super important that we recognize this because wives are not commanded to submit without explanation. But Peter lays out in the next verses that the motivation for their submission is that they may win their husbands, even those that are unsaved, they would win their husbands without a word by their conduct. And so this verse demonstrates to us really the unbelievable power of a godly testimony. Even without words, your testimony should speak to your faith. And since, again, chapter two, verse 13, Peter's been commanding believers, all believers, to submit to authorities. It points the lost to God. And so it is the case with women and their husbands also. Again, Peter doesn't instruct women to leave unsaved husbands. He doesn't instruct women to preach at unsaved husbands, or even to exercise some type of civil disobedience. Instead, Peter clearly commands the believing women of the church to faithfully submit to their husbands. And Peter also then instructs the women on the nature of their dress as well. This is where we see the passage on modesty tied in. And so he instructs them on the nature of physical and spiritual modesty. He clearly commands the women that they are not to wear anything that is attention-seeking by nature. Again, Peter doesn't lay out specific standards. He doesn't say jeans are not okay. Only skirts and dresses are okay. Peter never does that. He says the most important thing about dress is the heart attitude behind the dress. A woman who is following God is desiring to point others to her godly character in the way that she dresses. This is Peter's purpose. And so again, Peter also never condemns beauty. He doesn't condemn women who are beautiful. Instead, he asserts, the apparel of a woman, again, listen closely, should never distract from her godly character. And so it's critical that we understand this. Sometimes individuals focus so much on the outside and they do that to the neglect of the heart. This is the most important truth. A godly woman wants to dress modestly because it points to her godly character. And Peter's example of this is the Old Testament wife, Sarah. Sarah is mentioned as a perfect example of a submissive wife. Sarah is also referenced throughout the Old Testament as being a beautiful woman. So we know Peter's not condemning beauty here, and it's interesting that he uses her as an example. Sarah is a perfect example of an outward action adorning her inward godliness, her inward transformation. And so Peter then, he concludes in verse 7 with a word to husbands. And this is the only section on husbands that Peter gives in this marriage relationship. But his instruction to husbands is, we might even argue, more strong than his five, six verses to wives. And so, Peter says that it's very important, again, if you look at verse seven, for them to submit to Christ. We know this because Peter begins in verse seven saying, likewise, husbands. Well, likewise, what? Likewise is tying in the theme of submission to the role of a husband. Husbands are to submit also. Likewise, husbands. And yet, who do husbands submit to? They do not submit to their wives, but they submit to Christ as they lead their wives and homes. And so at the end of verse 7, we see a very important admonition. And that is, if husbands do not properly care for their wives, their prayers would be hindered, Peter says. And this is really the only admonition we see like this in all of Scripture. It demonstrates God is not going to bless leaders who abuse those entrusted to their care. And so this is a very important admonition for husbands. You need to care in a godly, biblical way for your wife, or this will create a barrier in your relationship with God that's very, very, very serious that way. So even as we looked at that text, we understand none of you guys are married, but we also understand there is important application for all of us as we look at these texts, and we want to come away from these texts and say, is my life in a spiritual position to be growing towards that model for young ladies? Am I growing into what I should look like as a biblical wife? Obviously, you don't have a husband that you're submitting to right now, but you do have authorities that you're submitting to. young men the same way, are you currently positioning yourself spiritually in a way that you will be ready to lead godly and God-honoring homes someday and care for wives and children that God has entrusted to you? These are important characteristics we need to consider now because nothing magical happens when you get married. And so these are things you need to be working on now because if you don't, You will get married and not be prepared at all. You will not live up to the standards because you have not ever practiced that. You have not been training yourself in that way. And this is Peter's point. And so we understand in that way, all scripture is very profitable for us. We want to take even difficult passages and apply them to our lives. And so Peter concluded his instruction on submission for husbands and wives in the home. Now he is in verse eight in our passage this week, he's going to return to the theme of suffering for righteousness' sake. And so we'll begin by reading this passage like we normally do, and then we will, of course, ask God for his grace as we look at the word. Peter begins in verse eight saying this, finally, all of you have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, a humble mind. 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. For 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 him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous. His ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. Now, who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled. But in your hearts, honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for the reason for the hope that is in you. Yet do it with gentleness and respect. Let's go ahead and pray before we get into this passage. Dear God, we thank you for your word and we thank you for the gospel. Lord, we are so thankful for salvation through Jesus Christ. And we pray that that salvation, that your love that you've so clearly demonstrated to us, do continually demonstrate to us. We pray that we would show that to the lost through our gospel testimonies. We pray that we would be prepared to clearly articulate our faith to those who ask. And we pray that our testimony would be such that unbelievers would ask, that they would be driven to know what is different about us as Christ followers, what is unique. And of course, then we would be prepared to respond and tell them of God's grace and how it has impacted our lives. Lord, we can only do this by our faithfulness to your word and a love of your word, and we need your grace most of all, and so we ask for that this evening, in Jesus' name, amen. Have you ever had to interact with someone who was just not a nice person? I'm sure that all of us have had to do that under different circumstances. Maybe some of you are even thinking of a sibling right now. You say, yes, I have to interact with one every day. But maybe for some of you, you've had to be patient or submit to a difficult boss, a difficult teacher. Perhaps you've had to exercise great patience even with other leaders, other authorities, maybe parents. And you feel like perhaps you're being mistreated in a certain scenario. And the way you're being asked to act or behave is unfair to you. And so we've all had to interact with people who were just difficult sometimes. Pastor Henry Garrick had to endure some very wicked men, some would say the most wicked men in history following World War II. After the war had ended, the hunt for many of Hitler's highest-ranking officials began, and all of these officials played various roles in atrocities that were committed by Nazis during the war, and their prosecutions took place in Nuremberg, Germany. These are known today infamously as the Nuremberg Trials. Many of you have heard of that. So despite the horrendous acts done by many of these men, all of them were still assigned spiritual counsel while in prison. American Lutheran minister Henry Garrick was asked to minister to them during their trials. And Garrick was understandably hesitant. At first, he wanted nothing to do with this. And he personally certainly had reason to be bitter at the men. He had seen the atrocities committed at the concentration camp in Dachau. His oldest son had been killed in the war, his second son critically wounded, and so he's lost family members even to some of these men. He had for years ministered to those wounded and dying from fighting on the front lines, and now he's being asked to minister spiritually to the very men who had caused him such pain and suffering. He wrote in a journal that he prayed for days about the decision, certainly one of the biggest decisions that he had ever been faced with. And he said, And over the course of the Nuremberg trials, Gehrig would work tirelessly with the men, conducting regular chapel services. He would call the men to repent of their sin and turn to Christ in faith. And by God's grace, many of those men did repent of their sin. They did profess Jesus Christ as their Savior, astonishingly. And one of the men, Ulrich Ribbentrop, even asked Pastor Gehrig if he would walk with him to the gallows. Garrick obliged, and as the noose was placed around Ribbentrop's neck, the guard asked if he had any final words he wished to share. Ribbentrop turned to Garrick and said warmly, I will see you again. Understand this morning, this is transforming grace. Because of Henry Garrick's willingness to forgive, his willingness to endure difficult circumstances, even mistreatment, he was able to lead some of the most wicked, hardened criminals in history to faith in Jesus Christ. God's grace can save even someone like that. And so with confidence, this man is able to look to a pastor friend who had ministered to him and say, I will see you again because of this glorious truth that you have shared with me. Today, Peter calls the believers that he's writing to and he calls us to love and bless those, even those who are unlovely and unkind He calls you to have a faithful gospel testimony to the unsaved world around you. And so as you consider this, let's look at verse 8 of 1 Peter chapter 3. Peter begins saying, and a humble mind. Peter opens this section with an imperative command. And we've seen several imperative commands throughout this epistle. Peter wants the believers to understand how they should act in the world in which they live. And so Peter says, finally, all of you have unity of mind. He lists several characteristics that must be descriptive of these believers. We see unity, sympathy, love, compassionate care, humility, all of these are listed as characteristics that should define the believers and how they act in the church. And so before we take a closer look at these characteristics, Peter wants to make clear who he is speaking to specifically. Peter's spent several of the last sections instructing various groups that present themselves in the church. We see citizens submitting to the government, slaves submitting to masters, wives submitting to husbands, and even husbands submitting then to Christ. And so now in verse eight, he says, all of you, now I'm speaking collectively to all of you again. all who claim to be Christ followers must be defined by these traits. And so let's begin and look at them. And you may even want to underline some of these traits or circle them. They are very critical traits for us to exemplify in the church. Verse eight, we'll see, is speaking to how believers interact in the church. And verse nine, Peter will transition into how we ought to act with the world. And so notice the first characteristic is all of you have unity of mind. This phrase encapsulates the idea of being like-minded or thinking the same. The word Peter uses could literally be translated harmonious. And while the call to unity among believers can be seen throughout the New Testament, this is actually a very unique word to describe unity that should be seen in the church harmonious. There is this similar thinking, this like-mindedness, and it's not like-mindedness because we all enjoy the same topics or because we all like football. That's not what unifies us as a church. What unifies us is the gospel. And so we can share a like-mindedness in this way. There can be a unity of mind. We can think the same way about these critical doctrinal truths. And so next Peter says, be sympathetic. This is to be defined by a genuine care for the needs of others. You might think of this as being aware of someone's successes and even their failures, their joys and sorrows. This isn't merely to pay lip service to someone. This is genuine Christ-like care. Again, this kind of care, it's demonstrated by tangible actions. This is sympathy for your fellow believers, and true sympathy overflows into actions. You don't have true sympathy if you're okay saying to somebody, man, that's a really tough situation. I hope you figure that out. That's not the kind of sympathy that Peter's talking about. This real sympathy, it's demonstrated by actions that show our care for each other. Peter says, brotherly love, all of you, love the brethren. And this is referring specifically to, again, believers in the church, a true love for fellow believers. And this has been a consistent theme through Peter's epistle. You love each other. In his short letter to the exiled believers, Peter refers to love five different times. Again, I think Peter cared deeply that those who claim to be followers of Christ truly demonstrate Christ-like love in their relationships. And so this evening, do you demonstrate Christ-like love to fellow believers in the church? You must, Peter says, you must. He goes on, a tender heart. And this is really an excellent translation of this word. It captures very well Peter's intended meaning. He desired that the believers be compassionate, be caring towards one another. These characteristics, again, they are perfectly captured by the concept of a tender heart. This is someone who is quick to care for someone in need. They're not calloused towards the needs of others in the church. They hear a need and their heart is, in a sense, somewhat broken for that need and they desire to help. You'll notice in many respects, all of these characteristics tie into the overall theme of unity love for each other, sympathy for each other, a tender heart towards the needs of your fellow believer, and unity of mind clearly referring to unity. But when you think of a tender heart, again, this is not an individual who's harsh or critical or scornful of someone who is less fortunate or of someone who is in need. Sometimes we can come across those attitudes. Sometimes even Christians can be the worst about that. Someone's in need and there's almost a sense of like, that's their fault. They should have done XYZ to avoid that happening. And so they're kind of reaping what they've sown. And this is not at all how Peter tells the believers to act. This is to be tenderhearted is the total opposite of that harsh kind of scornful attitude. We should care deeply about the needs of others. And so this also ties in well with the sympathy and love that we're commanded to demonstrate. Finally, the last characteristic that we see in verse eight is that we must have a humble mind. And a humble mind refers to humility that transcends humble actions. This is, again, this is humility in Spirit as well, this isn't just putting on outwardly, I can appear humble, but inwardly I'm kind of carrying on with this prideful, arrogant attitude that I'm better than those around me. This is humility in spirit as well as in deed. One commentator says this, humility was scorned in the Greco-Roman world. and hence the distinctiveness of Christian vision for the moral life emerges. Again, humility is not an ideal characteristic for Greeks and Romans. They were not humble people. They did not advise to be humble people. Pride, arrogance, confidence, these were the traits that they most that they most idolize. And so Peter's calling the believers to value and espouse characteristics that the world hated and rejected. Again, Peter is saying, here are characteristics that the world says those are not characteristics that I want to put on. I don't want to be defined by humility or meekness, that that makes me look weak. It makes me look less than. Instead, I want to be proud, arrogant. And Peter says, no, no, no. you shouldn't be defined by those characteristics. Peter says the believers need to put on characteristics that the world did not appreciate. This is part of living as an exile. Living as an exile, you are going to value certain things that the world does not value. The world says, why would you value that. This is what makes the believers unique. And so by living this way, they would tangibly separate themselves from the world around them. There would be a unique love and unity that defined the early church, that invited people in. This is how the early church exploded. This is how it grew. So I want you to consider as we look at this passage, do these characteristics describe us even as a youth group? Of course, do they describe us as believers individually? They have to describe us individually before they would describe us corporately as a group. But do they describe us as a group? Number two, do they describe you personally? Do they describe you personally? Do you think when When individuals come into this youth group, they are invited in the way that Peter is referring to. This is what is contagious about the church. Listen very carefully. When people come into the church, and they sense dissension, and they sense anger, and they sense hatred towards different members of the body, they walk out and they say, I want no part of that. I have enough of that in my secular workplace. I have enough of that at home. Anger between me and my spouse or me and my children. I don't need another institution to bring frustration and anger and hatred into my life. And Peter says that should never describe the church. The church should be a unique place that invites people in because our love for each other is unique. We're not even physical family, but Peter says we should love each other in such a sincere way that people are, they're invited in. They want to be a part of this group. Do people want to be a part of what we have here at church? And so this is what the church should be, a refuge for God's people, a place where we can come and find spiritual edification, spiritual encouragement. We can grow together in Christlikeness. We can even be corrected if that needs to happen. That's what the church is supposed to be. And so if that's not happening, again, if these characteristics don't define you personally, understand they won't define our group. They won't define our church if they don't define you personally. Recently, I was actually at a local coffee shop, and I was meeting with somebody. And on the cup that I was drinking out of, it was a cup that the owner of Publix, the owner and CEO of Publix, he would give these cups to new stores. And so just track with me for a second. But he would have a picture of the new storefront on the cup, and there would be a quote at the top from him And he wrote on those coffee cups, he would write, Publix will be a little bit better or a little bit worse because of you. And if you think about that, it's really a fantastic way to demonstrate the impact that one individual can have on the whole. This company recognizes, as a whole company, You individual store in Florida, you can make us better or you can drag us down. What are you doing for this body? This body can be a little bit better or a little bit worse because of you, individual believer. Are you bringing us up or are you dragging us down? Are you dead weight for the church? You're not adding anything, you're not growing, you detract from God's glory when people come here. That should not be. We can be better or we can be worse. As individuals, we need to be striving to make the church better, to grow the church, to be exemplifying these characteristics. Again, we have to ensure that they're in our hearts, they're being exemplified in our lives before they show up in the church. And then Peter's going to continue giving commands in verse 9. Notice 9 as he begins to transition. Verse 8 describes our actions in the church. Verse 9 now, our actions with the world. He says, do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless. For to this you were called that you may obtain a blessing." And so as you look at this verse, do not repay evil for evil, this phrase it actually should sound very familiar to you. We've already been minded of the testimony of our Savior Jesus. Peter said in chapter 2 verse 23, when he was reviled, he did not revile in return. When he suffered, He did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. And again, that verse is referring to Jesus. When he's on trial, he's reviled, but Jesus doesn't retaliate. He suffers, but he doesn't threaten. And instead, what does Jesus do? He continues entrusting himself to the Father. Believers can live this way as well. We can imitate the example of Jesus Christ only, only because we trust God to protect and provide for us. Don't miss that section. Don't miss that section. Of chapter two, verse 23, it ties in very well with this passage. And it says, Jesus continues entrusting himself to the one who judges justly. We can only do this because we too can trust and rest in the judgment of our heavenly Father. Jesus entrusts his entire person, his reputation, his ministry to the just judge, God the Father. And unbelievers, by clear contrast, they cannot live this way. Unbelievers, they do live with this infighting and this lack of unity. Why? They have to attack people irrationally, and when they're slandered, they must slander in return. And that's because their lives, their actions, ultimately have no significance outside of this world. Outside of the temporal, present, here and now, their actions have no eternal significance. And Jesus even tells his brothers this in John chapter 7. Your time is always here. But as for me, I'm operating on a divine timeline. And so for believers, we too, we can trust and rest in the just judgment of our Heavenly Father, but believers, we should not act in the way that unbelievers do, wrapped up our identity tied to what other people think of us. And so I think this is a critical issue, even especially for young people today. When your life is consumed by what others think of you, you're not representing Christ of the lost. You recognize that. When your life is consumed by what others think of you, you're not representing Christ to the lost. Unbelievers can look at your life and think, well, what's different about that? What's different about that person's life? I live the same way that they live. I chase approval from friends at school. I have to keep up appearances on social media platforms. I have to be in line with the latest trends and fads. If someone attacks me, I lash out verbally. And so believers, we are not supposed to live the same way. That is because we live for an audience of one. We live for Jesus Christ alone. And this is the example of Jesus Christ for us. He entrusted himself to the Father. This is what we must do. And so if that's not enough for you, if you look at your life and you say, that's not gonna cut it for me. It's not enough to say, I can entrust myself to the Father. Your priorities need a serious restructuring. Peter says this defines true believers. They are not shaped by what the world thinks of them. When you are reviled, you do not need to lash back out. Your testimony is not wrapped up in what the unsaved world thinks of you. And so how instead should Christians respond? Instead of lashing out, Peter says this is how you should respond. But on the contrary, bless. In stark contrast, this is a major dichotomy between believers and unbelievers. On the contrary, bless. For to this you were called that you may obtain a blessing. In a sense, Peter is saying far be it from you to live this way. Instead, instead of tearing people down when they attack you, you should bless them. The idea of blessing, it actually, it's shocking here. It means to speak well of. The literal translation of blessing is actually to eulogize. Right, I mean, when people say you go to a funeral, and what do people talk about? Only ever the best things about those people. You go to most funerals, and the person was a saint. Like, you're surprised that they died, and they weren't raptured up to heaven like Elijah, because the testimonies you're hearing of this person are like, out of this world righteousness, they're gonna be instituted in the Catholic Church as a saint tomorrow. This is what Peter says, on the contrary, bless. Speak highly of people that try to tear you down. This is what Peter says to do. This is shocking. This is unheard of. And so Peter is saying, again, to be very clear, even if someone is speaking evil of you, trying to derail your ministry, trying to slander your name, Peter says, literally, say nice things about them. bless them in return. You could even notice in the Greek that the term bless, it carries the undertone of even asking God to show favor to that person. And this is, again, this is an unheard of response to suffering and to mistreatment by the lost. There was a church that had taken a portion of their facility's budget, and they had dedicated it to the purchase of two new AC units. And so as they spent a significant portion of money, AC units are not cheap, and so they get these AC units installed. They're brand new. And unfortunately, in the area, they were stolen shortly after they were installed. And so this church decided to send a message to the thieves. and they posted the following message on their church sign. And this is not a joke, this actually happened. The church put a message on their sign by the street, to whoever stole our AC units, keep them, it's hot where you're going. So hopefully, hopefully you recognize that this church did not live up to the standards that we see in this passage, right? That is not a blessing when they were mistreated. Now, at the same time, at the same time, we should note Peter's not saying it's wrong to desire justice. It's not unbiblical. It actually is, on the contrary, it is biblical. It's even a righteous desire to want justice. But Peter's point is clearly this. Understand, don't miss this. We are not, you are not, God's instrument of justice. You are not God's instrument of justice to the world. That's not your role. And so again, because you can trust God, Because you as a believer do trust God and you rest in His justice, you don't need to pursue vengeance. You don't need to pursue retribution on people that hurt you. You can trust and rest in God's care for you. You can trust and rest in God's justice for you. And you can confidently bless someone who is slandering you because ultimately, God is the ultimate distributor of justice, of divine justice. And so Peter now moves into verses 10 and 12, and in this section, Peter's going to support the instruction he's already given with additional scripture. And actually the entire section of verses 10 through 12, this is all a quote from Psalm 34, Psalm chapter 34, verses 12 through 16. And so you might even see that in a cross-reference in your Bible, but Peter says this as he quotes this passage, for whoever desires to love life and seek good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous. His ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." And so it becomes very clear as we look through this text, this Psalm in particular, why Peter quotes it. He is, again, he's seeking to support his argument already with other scripture. And so you'll see many similarities between the structure of Psalm 34 and verses 8 and 9. Psalm 34, 12 through 16, encourages the one who loves life to keep their tongue from evil and to refrain from deceitful speech. And this could be directly tied back to verse eight, where Peter says, be unified in mind. Verse 11, as he continues the quotation, it parallels by encouraging the believer to turn away from evil and do good. And this, again, this parallels with verse nine. Never repay evil for evil, but instead, what should you do? Bless. Verse 12 then, it gives the motivation for such behavior. Why should we behave this way? Why should we live this way? And verse 12 says, for the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, his ears are open to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. The Lord ultimately blesses those who live righteously. Again, the motivation for our righteous living is our trust in God. his provision for our lives. And so again, in clear contrast to the lives of the unrighteous, the psalm goes on to state that the Lord is against those who do evil. Again, as a very clear contrast For the righteous, the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous. He is looking out for them. He's watching over them. But in contrast to that, the Lord is against those who do evil. And if we look at Psalm 34, we'll notice that this is most definitely a statement of condemnation at the end of verse 12, because the very next verse in Psalm 34 says this, the face of the Lord is against those who do evil to cut off the memory of them from the earth. And so again, this is a clear statement of condemnation. Peter kind of cuts off, he finishes his quotation in verse 16 of Psalm 34, and he doesn't give the last phrase. But again, that last phrase is to cut off the memory of them from the earth. Once again, we can trust God because we serve a God of perfect justice. And because of that reality, Peter says, even to bless those who persecute you, who commit evil against you, in the hope that they would be won to Christ by your testimony. What a powerful testimony to the lost this would be. You know, I'm really not threatened by the way you're treating me because I trust and rest in God and His care for me. Notice verse 13. Verse 13, Peter says, now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed, but have no fear of them, nor be troubled. And this verse is very closely tied to the previous context. You could even translate this word now as and. And in addition to that, I'm kind of tacking onto this statement, who is there to harm you if you're zealous for doing what is good? Why would any society want to harm someone that was a blessing to the society, that was adding something to the society. And the characteristics that Peter's laid out in verses eight through nine, these are admirable characteristics that are appreciated, that even secular societies try to foster and implement. They want their societies to be defined by unity in this way. And so it would be very rare for a society to go after, to attack someone who was doing good but it does occasionally happen, and so look at verse 14. Peter wants the believers to understand when this does happen to you, because it can happen, it is rare, but it can happen. Notice verse 14. Even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled. And so, consider this for a second. When you read the context of verse 13, and then you read the opening phrase, but even if you should suffer, you might be confused. You could come away from this passage with some incorrect conclusions about Peter's teaching on suffering, because you may think, well, Peter's saying suffering's not all that common. Because if you live this way and you're a blessing to society, verse 13, who's going to harm you for doing good? That would be weird. And then verse 14, but even if you should suffer, this is how you should act. And so you might think, well, is Peter saying then that Believers shouldn't really suffer that much. No, that would definitely not be true. That's not what we see in the New Testament. And that would definitely fly in the face of what Peter teaches in this epistle. Peter's writing to believers, remember, that are dispersed across Asia Minor. Many of these believers, they already are suffering for righteousness sake. They are being maligned and falsely accused. And so he's writing to believers that have suffered greatly. Now, why does it sound like Peter's downplaying the possibility of suffering in these two verses? And I think it's because Peter's purpose is to communicate that suffering is not perpetual. There will not be a a lifetime of suffering for these believers, but in the times that believers did face unjust suffering, he wants them to know how to respond. And so he's writing to them to say, listen, this won't be forever. This isn't going to be a perpetual nonstop process of suffering, but when it does happen, here's how you should respond. And so he says in verse 14, have no fear. nor be troubled. Believers do not, again, do not need to fear what unbelievers say, think, or do to them. We proclaim Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And once again, our ability to entrust ourselves to the judgment of God the Father, this unburdens ourselves from the opinion of the world. It sets us apart as unique, as distinct from the world. And so notice then our final verse of this passage in verse 15. Peter continues his instruction. But in your hearts, honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and respect. And this is a very big verse with much truth in it. We could go into great depth with this verse. Entire messages have been spoken on this verse. But Peter makes very clear the reason that Christians do not need to fear the thoughts or even the persecution of the world, Why? Because Christ is sanctified in our hearts. This is to set Christ apart in your heart, to revere Christ uniquely, to, in your own heart and mind, you value Christ in a unique way above everything else in your life. You honor Christ as holy. Author Alexander McLaren once wrote, only he who can say, the Lord is the strength of my life, can go on to say, of whom shall I be afraid? This thought beautifully encapsulates Peter's point. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but do what instead? Honor Christ the Lord as holy. Can I ask you a question this evening? What is your view of Jesus Christ? What is your view of Jesus Christ? Do you love Him? Do you honor and serve Him only? I will tell you, I know and I hear about teenager after teenager after teenager, Christian after Christian after Christian. They're struggling with fear, struggling with anxiety, depression. These are, again, people that claim to be believers, Christ followers. One thing I can guarantee you You show me an individual whose life is dominated by fear, and I will show you an individual with a criminally deficient view of who God is. That is a reality. Look at someone whose life is dominated by fear. They live in perpetual anxiety. They very likely don't know God very well. And this is Peter's whole point to a group of believers who had been physically and spiritually beaten down he calls them to do what? Think big thoughts about God. Think bigger thoughts about God. Whatever your view of God is, it needs to be elevated because only when it's elevated can you trust him the way Peter calls you to in this passage. You need to have a deep understanding of who God is to know, love, walk with God, to value your eternal relationship with him more than anything else this world affords. This is what Peter is calling us to. Isaiah 26.3 says this, Young person, understand very clearly today. You can't trust someone you don't know. You can't trust someone you don't know. Isaiah 26, three, again. You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind has stayed on you. Why? Because he trusts in you. You can trust and rest in the Father if you truly know him. Do you? That's critical. That's critical. And so Peter instructs the believers, instead of being afraid of the world, two critical points in verse 15, two critical points. Number one, Peter says, instead of being afraid, always be prepared. Always be prepared to make a defense. And first of all, it's critical that you understand just the ability to articulate your beliefs. This alone will begin to remove fear of being questioned, of being pressed on by the lost. Be prepared to give an answer. And so if you're not sure about that, you're not comfortable giving an answer, let your fear drive you to knowledge. Take your fear and say, I need to be confident. I need to be able to answer. And so I'm going to do research so that I can be prepared when questions come. Number two, Peter assumes in this verse, he assumes that the testimony of the believers is so obvious that their lives are so hopeful that the unsaved world would be compelled to ask why they have such hope. Again, the believers' lives are defined by such a fervent biblical hope in the promises of God that the world says, what is different about that? I have to ask. And so when that happens, you be prepared to make a defense. In this word defense, this is where we get our word apologetics. It is the Greek word apologion. And it's not seen very many times in the New Testament, but it means literally to give an answer for something. And I wanna clear something up. You certainly are not expected to know everything about every false religion in the world that you could ever be confronted with. That is not what this passage is saying. But what it is clearly commanding, it is commanding that you are well-versed enough in what you personally believe that you can articulate the truth to someone who doesn't know it. Can you do that? you do that? Do you know what you believe well enough that you could explain it to someone else?" That's what this passage and what Peter is commanding. He doesn't command that you would be so smart you can never be stumped. That's not what he says. He says, be well-versed in what you believe so that you're prepared to make an answer. Most critically, you do it with gentleness and respect. And I remember as we just Begin to close here, I remember as I took apologetics courses in college and started to go down that path, people would say, oh, you must like to argue. Well, no. Actually, that's a total misunderstanding of what apologetics is. One of my professors would always say, when we practice apologetics, we're not going out on a battlefield. We're not going out on a battlefield because when you go to a battlefield, you go to kill. You go to destroy. That's not what we do in apologetics. We go out to win people. And so we're not trying to destroy people. We go out to win. If you ever lose sight of this reality, that your purpose is to win the lost, you're not practicing biblical evangelism. We want to bring people in once again. As you think about that opening illustration, 11 of the high-ranking Nazi officials who are under Pastor Garrick's care were executed for their war crimes. As Garrick reflected personally on the men and their deaths, he wrote this in his journal. Thus died 11 men of intelligence and ability who differently influenced could have been, I am convinced, a blessing to the world instead of a curse. In many ways, this is what Peter is calling the believers to. He is calling us to influence the lost world with the gospel for God's glory. He calls us to demonstrate the radical impact of the gospel on our own lives through our transformed testimony. He calls us to love even those who persecute us. And we do all this for the sake of the gospel. So as we close out our time together, let's bow and ask God for his grace that our lives might be transformed in this way. Let's pray. Dear Lord, we are so thankful for your word, and we're thankful for this text that really gives us a roadmap of how we should respond to the lost, of how we should interact with fellow believers. And God, as we look at this text, this is a high call to righteousness. truly have no hope of living this way on our own. But we have your grace and that grace empowers us. God, would you give us more of your grace this evening so that we might point the loss to Jesus Christ, that we might have testimonies that are winsome for Jesus Christ in this way. It's in his name that we pray, amen.