It is good to be back for another edition of the Weekend Sermon. It is my hope that all of you are doing very well.
This past week went very well at work. Thank you all for your prayers on my behalf. This week, I am on vacation, and I am glad for a period of rest and relaxation.
There is much to be in prayer over this week. Please pray for the people of Nepal as they are recovering from the devastating effects of the earthquake. Let us pray for the necessary aid to reach these people. Let us also pray for peace in the world. War and strife is all over. Let us pray for peace in Syria, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Congo and wherever else there is strife and conflict. Continue to pray for an end to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Also, please pray for an end to the avian flu outbreak at poultry farms that is striking here in the United States. Pray for peace on the streets of Baltimore.
Last week, we continued with our studies in the book of I Peter. Today, we will continue with our series focusing on I Peter 3 verses 15-18.
I want to focus today on two themes that are presented in this passage. First of all, I Peter 3:15 states, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready to always give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear."
This is an important verse calling on all Christians to be able to speak about their faith and to give reasons for why they believe. This has an evangelistic purpose and an apologetic purpose.
Sometimes when we are witnessing of our faith in the Lord Jesus, people will ask us why we believe. One of the questions I have been asked often is why do you believe that Jesus is the only way of salvation? In order to properly witness to individuals who ask us questions about the Christian faith, we need to be informed about what we believe and why we believe it. For instance, in answer to the above question, we could point out to the questioner that Jesus Himself said that He was the only way of salvation. We could also point to the logic of the Christian faith in contrast to other world religions.
The only way that we will be able to answer the questions that people have concerning the Christian faith is if we are knowledgeable and informed. In my new job, it is essential that I have the training necessary to be able to answer questions for clients. I had to study for several weeks and pass several exams in order to be able to provide answers for customers.
In our lives as believers, we have to study and learn in order to be able to give an answer to everyone who asks. We have to study our Bibles daily and diligently. Please, I urge you, be a student of God's Word. Don't just be a surface reader of the Bible. Really dig into the texts and find out what they have to say. Be a student of theology. Read the great classics of the Christian faith. Study commentaries on the books of the Bible. Make it your desire to learn as much as you can about Jesus and His Word.
In the times we are currently living in, Christians need to be able to earnestly contend for the faith as Jude tells us in his epistle. There are many atheists and unbelievers who are very active right now who are trying with all of their might to discredit the Christian faith. They are trying to denigrate the Lord Jesus.
As Christ's followers, it is our duty to stand for our Lord in a spirit of meekness and respect. We must be prepared to answer the skeptics and critics. We must study the Word and we must pray. We must be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit that we might speak the message of the love of Jesus when called upon to do so.
Verses 17 and 18 speak to us about our sufferings and the sufferings of Jesus. Verse 18 says, "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit."
We have just come through the Holy Week seasons where we focused upon the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross and His glorious resurrection from the dead. Jesus suffered and died in our place. Jesus lived a perfect, holy and sinless life. He did no wrong and was perfectly just. He, the just one, took our punishment. We who are sinners deserved to suffer the penalty for our sins. However, Jesus bore our sins in His body on the cross. He suffered for the sins of the universe that all might be restored to its Edenic state.
Jesus knows what it is to suffer. He understands what it is like to feel hurt and hardship. Jesus felt hunger. He grew tired. He felt sorrow at the death of friend. He felt anguish at the prospect of His crucifixion. He knew what it feels like to be betrayed by a friend.
All of us will experience pain and suffering in this lifetime. Some will experience more than others. Whenever, I face pain and suffering in my life, I try to remember what Jesus experienced, and I realize that He understands from firsthand experience what I am facing. He provides guidance and comfort in the midst of my sufferings.
When I feel pain from the bad nerves in my legs, I know that Jesus too experienced pain. He feels my pain and gives me the comfort of His understanding presence and the knowledge that this pain will one day be gone because Jesus is alive and has prepared a place for me.
When I felt the pain of being hurt by people who I thought were my friends, I realized that Jesus too was betrayed and abandoned by those who claimed to be His friends. I know that He is the friend that sticks closer than a brother. He will never leave me, and He will never forsake me.
We may be called on to suffer for the sake of our faith in the Lord Jesus. If we do suffer for Jesus, we must realize that He has suffered so much for us. It is an honor to suffer for the sake of the Lord Jesus because of His great love for us.
If you are going through a time of suffering and pain right now, look to Jesus. He understands. He will help you to make it through the hard times in life by giving you a special awareness of His presence. He will encourage you and strengthen you to make it through this life.
One day, we will stand before Jesus, and all of our suffering will be over. I think of my Mom. She had dementia and Parkinson's disease for about 18 months before she suffered a terrible stroke. For the next 5 and one-half years, she was not able to walk or think properly. She suffered greatly. However, her sufferings and pain are over. My Mom trusted Jesus as her Savior when she was a girl, and she was a committed follower of Jesus. Right now, my Mom is in the presence of the Lord Jesus, and she is in perfect health, and she has been made whole.
This is possible because Jesus suffered and died for us, and He rose again conquering death, hell and the grave.
You can have hope in Jesus in the midst of suffering right now. Turn your life over to Jesus. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins, and trust Him as Savior and invite Him to be the Lord of your life.
Next week, I will post the verses on Monday. There will be a dog book review on Wednesday, and the sermon will be posted on Saturday. May God bless you. Amen.
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