Living Hope: Sharing Faith with Readiness and Respect
Summary
In today's gathering, we explored the profound theme of living with a "living hope" in a world that often feels hostile. Drawing from 1 Peter chapter 3, we delved into the necessity of always being ready to share the reason for the hope that resides within us. This readiness is not just about being prepared to speak but about living a life that naturally invites questions about our faith. We began by reflecting on the image of a father holding his child, a powerful reminder of how Jesus holds us in His hands, offering comfort and security. This image sets the stage for understanding our role as Christians in the world.
The passage from 1 Peter emphasizes the importance of honoring Christ as Lord in our hearts, which is foundational for our preparation to share the gospel. This involves setting Jesus apart as holy, ensuring that He is the central focus of our lives. When Jesus is in His rightful place, our lives will naturally reflect His love and truth, making us ready to give a defense for our hope. This readiness is not just about having the right words but about living in a way that attracts others to the hope we have in Christ.
We also discussed the importance of presenting our faith with gentleness and respect. This means approaching others with humility and understanding, recognizing their spiritual condition, and meeting them where they are. Our presentation of the gospel should be marked by love, reflecting the character of Jesus, who met people with compassion and understanding.
Finally, we were challenged to be intentional about sharing our faith, using the "Always Be Ready" cards to identify and pray for individuals in our lives who need to know Jesus. This practical step serves as a reminder of our mission to be ambassadors for Christ, sharing the hope we have with those around us.
Key Takeaways:
1. Honor Christ as Lord: The foundation of our readiness to share the gospel is rooted in honoring Christ as Lord in our hearts. This means setting Him apart as holy and ensuring that He is the central focus of our lives. When Jesus is in His rightful place, our lives will naturally reflect His love and truth, making us ready to give a defense for our hope. [46:53]
2. Live in a State of Readiness: Being prepared to share our faith is not a one-time event but a continual state of readiness. This involves waking up each day with the expectation that God will provide opportunities to share the hope we have in Christ. Our hearts should be aligned with His mission, ready to give an answer for the hope that resides within us. [52:12]
3. Present with Gentleness and Respect: When sharing our faith, it's crucial to approach others with gentleness and respect. This means meeting people with humility and understanding, recognizing their spiritual condition, and engaging them in meaningful conversations about the gospel. Our presentation should reflect the love and compassion of Jesus. [57:31]
4. Be Intentional in Sharing the Gospel: We are called to be intentional about sharing our faith, identifying individuals in our lives who need to know Jesus. Using tools like the "Always Be Ready" cards, we can pray for and engage with those around us, being ambassadors for Christ and sharing the hope we have with others. [01:05:16]
5. Rely on God's Strength: As we step out in faith to share the gospel, we can rely on God's strength to help us persevere. His power and might will sustain us, enabling us to be faithful in our witness and to seize the opportunities He provides to share the hope we have in Christ. [01:09:10]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:30] - Opening Remarks and Worship Reflection
- [03:45] - Introduction to 1 Peter 3
- [07:20] - The Importance of Being Ready
- [12:00] - Personal Story: High School Basketball
- [18:30] - Jesus as the Foundation of Our Preparation
- [25:00] - Understanding Suffering for Righteousness
- [31:45] - Honoring Christ as Lord
- [39:18] - Always Be Ready: Key Principles
- [46:53] - The Position of Jesus in Our Lives
- [52:12] - Living in a State of Readiness
- [57:31] - Presenting with Gentleness and Respect
- [01:05:16] - Practical Steps: Always Be Ready Cards
- [01:09:10] - Relying on God's Strength
- [01:12:58] - Invitation to Respond and Closing Prayer
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
- 1 Peter 3:13-17
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Observation Questions:
1. What does 1 Peter 3:15 mean when it instructs believers to "honor Christ the Lord as holy"? How does this relate to being prepared to share the reason for our hope? [39:18]
2. In the sermon, the pastor shared a story about a high school basketball game to illustrate a point about readiness. What was the main lesson from this story, and how does it connect to the message of 1 Peter 3? [39:18]
3. How does the image of a father holding his child relate to the way Jesus holds us, as mentioned in the sermon? What does this image teach us about our relationship with Christ? [01:01:19]
4. According to the sermon, what are the three key words in 1 Peter 3:15 that help us understand how to be ready to share our faith? [46:53]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. How does setting Jesus apart as holy in our hearts influence our daily actions and interactions with others? What might this look like in practical terms? [46:53]
2. The sermon emphasized the importance of presenting our faith with gentleness and respect. Why are these qualities crucial when sharing the gospel, and how can they impact the way others perceive our message? [57:31]
3. The pastor mentioned that living with a "living hope" involves being in a continual state of readiness. What are some practical ways believers can maintain this state of readiness in their daily lives? [52:12]
4. How does the concept of suffering for righteousness' sake, as discussed in 1 Peter 3, challenge or encourage believers in their faith journey? [39:18]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your current relationship with Jesus. Is He truly the Lord of all areas of your life? If not, what steps can you take to ensure He is in His rightful place? [46:53]
2. Think of a recent interaction where you had the opportunity to share your faith. How did you approach it, and what could you do differently next time to ensure you present the gospel with gentleness and respect? [57:31]
3. Identify one person in your life who does not know Jesus. How can you intentionally pray for and engage with them this week, using the "Always Be Ready" card as a tool? [01:05:16]
4. The sermon mentioned the importance of relying on God's strength when sharing the gospel. What are some specific ways you can seek God's strength and guidance in your witness this week? [01:09:10]
5. Consider the distractions in your life that might prevent you from being in a state of readiness to share your faith. What is one specific distraction you can minimize or eliminate this week? [52:12]
6. How can you cultivate a heart of compassion and understanding towards those who are spiritually lost, similar to how Jesus approached the woman at the well? [01:01:19]
7. Reflect on the pastor's story about the basketball game. How can you apply the lesson of being prepared in your spiritual life, especially when unexpected opportunities to share your faith arise? [39:18]
Devotional
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Quotes
"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 a reason for the hope that is in you. Yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience so that when you're 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, than for doing evil." [00:40:47] (37 seconds)
"When I place Jesus in his proper place of honor in my life, then everything else around my life will exude, will overflow from that testimony of following him. That's what it means to honor him in my heart. That word there, it's a really important word in the original language of the Bible. It literally means to set apart, to sanctify, to treat as holy. Here's a word we don't use very often. The word literally translates consecrate." [00:43:29] (34 seconds)
"Peter's saying to us, if you want to be ready to be ready, then the foundation of that is the position of Jesus and that Jesus is Lord. Notice that Peter calls him Christ the Lord. Christos kurios. Christ as our Savior, but Lord as our Master. This morning all across our nation, churches will be filled with people that at one point in their lives, sometime in the way distant past, threw up some sort of prayer in a moment of anxiety or frustration, and sort of attempted to make some sort of negotiable agreement with God." [00:44:46] (35 seconds)
"It means that we are in debt to our sin. It's a price. It's a cost. Our very lives that we can't pay. That's the wage of sin, the scripture says in Romans 6. It's death. And Jesus came and did for us what we couldn't do for ourselves. He took the price, the cost, the weight of our sin, put it on himself and went to the cross and he died and he rose again. And when he did, he defeated sin and death forever and for anyone who would come to him by faith." [00:45:36] (26 seconds)
"That's what Jesus did for us. So therefore, we honor him not only as Savior, yes, calling on him to save us, but also as Lord. Jesus is Lord. The question is, is he Lord of your life? He is Lord, but is he Lord of my heart and is he Lord of my life? That is the position that Jesus is owed in the life of the believer. Not one Lord of many Lords, not a Lord at the top of the list of other Lords." [00:46:04] (32 seconds)
"I should be living in a perpetual state of readiness, and if Jesus is in his proper position in my life, I will be. My heart will be aligned with his mission. So much so, the third word, I'll be ready to give a defense. Now, some of you know Christian apologetics. You maybe are familiar with this verse. That word defense there is where many of our Christian apologists, and rightly so, draw the meaning for their ministry is this word defense. It's the Greek word apologia." [00:48:22] (28 seconds)
"People that proclaim and profess the name of Jesus, but look as though they haven't celebrated his name since the first resurrection. You know what I'm talking about? Like people that are just perpetually upset. Like they call on Jesus, they love Jesus, they come to church, but they just don't seem very joyful. Church family, can I just say to you, as believers in the Lord Jesus, we have been redeemed, we have been sanctified, we have been given his grace, we have the hope of heaven, we have the Holy Spirit of God, we have spiritual gifts, we have the fruit of the Spirit." [00:50:34] (29 seconds)
"When we're raising our kids and building our marriages and living in our homes and running our businesses or going to work or dealing with problems or whatever it is, in all things, we ought to still have the overflowing and abundant joy of Jesus pouring out of us. Why? Because he's Lord. And so here's the deal. When Jesus is Lord, when he's master, when he has control, here's the application. A couple things become true in our life. One, I no longer have to deal with the guilt and the shame and the regret of my past." [00:51:47] (35 seconds)
"Jesus dealt with it at the cross and you don't have to carry it past Calvary. It's done. Jesus even says on the cross. It is finished. He's talking about you. He's talking about your past, your junk, your mess, your story. It's done. He made you new at the cross. And not only that, you don't have to live with the crippling fear of people. You don't have to, students, you don't have to walk around your school with a spiritual limp worried that if you speak the name of Jesus or share your faith and you get made fun of or get laughed about or later verse 17 is going to say reviled." [00:52:53] (39 seconds)
"It doesn't mean that you have to be at the mercy of other people's opinions. You can just live for Jesus. And even if you're going through hard, hard things, God is writing a story through your struggle that becomes your testimony. Earlier this week, I was in the Baltimore area. Some of you may know that our church for years and years has had an incredible ministry called the Prestonwood Network. And so we stand alongside and support well over 200 pastors and church planters and established pastors and church revitalizers all over North America, working to support them in a variety of ways." [00:54:07] (42 seconds)
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