We're going to turn to 1 Peter
chapter 3 this morning. 1 Peter chapter 3. And you'll
know we've seen some tremendous things in this epistle so far.
Some great doctrines, some powerful teachings, some amazing truths
that the people of God know and love and believe and is the foundation
of all of our hope. And he goes on, as so often is
the case, in the epistles to exhort a style of life and behavior
as a result of it. So he goes on there to exhort
people how to live in the light of the doctrine that he's taught. And it's to live lives of those
that are saved and are changed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
In all of the epistles the doctrine is applied and gives us encouragements. It isn't just left to passive
fatalism. It's applied. Now we know that
nothing we do or don't do as believers in Christ affects our
relationship with God. There's only one thing that affects
your relationship with God, and it is this. Are you in Christ
or are you not in Him? If you're in Him, you're in Him
for all eternity, irrespective of what you are. You're saved
by His grace, you're justified by His death and His shed blood,
You're sanctified in Him, set apart from before the beginning
of time. You're redeemed by Him because He paid the price. All
of these things are in Him. But the message of the Scriptures
is that real faith works. Real faith works. If it doesn't
work, says James, it's not real faith. Now, many preachers would
take a passage like chapter 3 of 1 Peter, which is full of exhortation. And they would make it a session
for berating their hearers, for shaming them into better behavior.
Look at this, you know, not rendering evil for evil, oh, you terrible
people, you do render evil, and you know, that's the style that
they come at it. Berating their hearers, shaming
them into better behavior, and in so doing, doing nothing other
than appealing to the flesh to reform itself. That's what so
many do. It's very, very sad, because
really, that is the message of all religion. You look at the
message of Islam, You look at the message of Buddhism. You
look at the message of all of these false religions of the
world. You look at the message of the majority of what calls
itself Christianity. Look at Catholicism, and all
of these other things. What's the message? Do this,
and you will please God. That's the message. Do this,
do these things, and you will please God. Fail to do these
things, you will displease God. Do these things, you will definitely...
It's a do's and don'ts religion. People always want to know, what
must I do to please God? There were some Jews in John
chapter 6 who asked Jesus, what must we do to do the work of
God? Isn't that what you want to know?
Don't we want to know that? What must I do to please God? And he responded in this way,
he said, this is the work of God that you believe on Him whom
He sent. That you believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ. Now, in a sense, take it at face value. this is
the work what must I do I must believe what must I do said the
Philippian jailer to Paul what must I do to be saved and what
did Paul say you know the answer believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and you shall be saved and anybody else in your household that believes
likewise shall be saved but did you notice that the verse the
reply of Jesus said this this is the work of God that you believe
why is it the work of God because it's God's work to plant that
new man of faith in the heart. So you can take it from both
sides. What must we do to do the work of God? Believe on His
Son. Believe, believe and trust on the saving merits of the Lord
Jesus Christ. But knowing this, that it's the
work of God that you believe on His Son. He gives you that
belief. He gives you that faith. And
to the new man that's planted there, this exhortation comes. All of these exhortations come.
in the context of God's work in the heart. If there's a new
man within, there's something to appeal to, isn't there? If
there's a new man within, there's something to appeal to. If there
isn't, all you can do is get the stick out and smack the back
of the legs to try and produce different behavior. And people
go through all sorts of moral rearmament crusades to try and
get people to behave better. There are so many churches that
are just constantly ranting and raving about the state of society.
Yes, we lament the state of society, but we don't preach that moral
reformation is going to make the slightest difference. Not
in the slightest, because thorns never bear good apples. It's good apple trees that bear
apples. And do you know, you can take
a rough, old, sour rootstock, and if you get a cutting from
a good fruit-bearing tree, and you engraft it into that rootstock. Do you know what it will produce?
Good apples. It produces good apples because
it's engrafted. And what God says to us here
is that there is a hidden man, a hidden man who is engrafted
inside each believer. Look at verse 4. Let it be the
hidden man of the heart. That which isn't visibly open
on the outside to the sight. That which is not corruptible.
Let it be that hidden man of the heart. And so the appeal
is to that hidden man of the heart for exhortation to live
lives which reflect the truth and the salvation that we've
experienced, that we trust in. Robert Hawker said this, I put
it in the piece in the bulletin, from Christ formed in the heart
as the cause, this is the cause, all gracious consequences flow
as the effect. If Christ isn't formed in the
heart, don't expect gracious consequences to flow. If the
tree is not an apple tree, do not expect to find apples growing
upon it. Has Christ been formed in my
heart, in your heart? Are you aware of the fact that
there is this hidden man who hears the things of the living
God, of the Spirit of God, that the world around doesn't hear?
That those who are just the same flesh and blood as you are all
around you They don't hear the voice of God speaking to them
through his word, by his spirit, of the things of Christ. When
there was a piece on the radio this morning, a survey has shown
how little the British population knows of the word of God in these
days. Well, surprise, surprise, we
knew that anyway. But they were saying how little
they know, and they were saying they don't even know the meaning.
And then, of course, they had the religious expert on to tell
us what the meaning is, and he hadn't got the faintest idea
what it was about. He even quoted this particular person that was
on the radio, he even quoted, you search the scriptures for
in them you think that you have life and then he misquoted the
end but you know what the end says, these are they which speak
of me because this book is about Christ and about him and about
all to do with his salvation and so people try and appeal
for people to know more about religion and to reform themselves
but it's utterly futile It's utterly pointless. There must
be a new man in your heart. Has Christ been formed in your
heart? Is He the hidden man that's there
by the Spirit of God? What's He like? Verse 4, He's
incorruptible. Not corruptible. This hidden
man, this new nature that we have, the believer is two natures,
the old flesh and the new man of the Spirit of God, and this
new man is incorruptible. incorruptible. Look, this isn't
sort of taking one verse out of its context. Turn over just
a few pages to 1 John chapter 3. I remember when I first started
looking at the Bible, when I first made, I suppose, an Arminian
confession of faith and I remember taking this verse to the pastor
and saying, I cannot understand this verse. Chapter 3 verse 9
of 1 John. See, it wasn't my experience.
Whoever is born of God doth not commit sin. And I thought, oh
dear, I commit sin all the time. And this says, whoever is born
of God doth not commit sin. For his seed remaineth in him.
And he cannot sin. And I thought, oh dear, I can
sin. So I can't be born of God because he is born of God. That's
what the verse says. What's it talking about? It's
talking about the new man. The new man in the nature. The
new man of the Spirit of God cannot sin. is incorruptible.
He's born of the Spirit of God. The flesh, though, is still there.
And this is why there is this dichotomy. We are, as Song of
Solomon chapter 6 and verse 13 says, like a camp of two armies. Two armies. There's the old flesh
which sins every day. By nature, in thought, in word,
in deed, it is sin. If we say we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves. That's the same epistle written
by the same apostle he says if we say we have no sin we deceive
ourselves and the truth is not in us that's the flesh but we
have an advocate and there's a new man within and the new
man cannot sin he's incorruptible he's unlike the flesh you see
the flesh can never itself be improved by religious rigor or
deprivation it just can't be look at Colossians and chapter
2 book of Colossians and chapter 2 And verse, well, verse 21, because
you know the way religion speaks to man, comes with a whole load
of rules and regulations. You know, do women need to wear
a burka? You know, the complete covering
with just an eye slit. It's all about rules and regulations.
And so verse 21 is quoting the sort of regulations that religion
brings. Touch not, taste not, handle
not. These are all rules and regulations
which perish with the using after the commandments and doctrines
of men. Which things indeed have a show of wisdom in will-worship. They look so pious, don't they? Oh, look at the holy nuns dressed
in their habits. Oh, how pious it all looks. It's
humility. Oh, what humility. What neglect
of the body. Oh, look how they've been fasting.
Oh, don't they look starved. emaciated because they've been
so dedicated to the service of the Lord. Oh, they must be so
high in the ranking of God's people because they've done so
much damage to themselves. But there's not in any honor
to the satisfying of the flesh. In other words, to put that in
more modern language, it's absolutely futile in trying to reform and
make a good man out of a bad man. It's only the new man that's
planted by the Holy Spirit. You see, all that monastic living
does You go away and hide in a monastery and you wear certain
clothes and you get up at three o'clock in the morning while
it's still dark and you spend hours and hours and hours in
pseudo-prayer and chanting and all sorts of other things. And
what do we know? The news makes it perfectly obvious,
doesn't it? The record of at least the last
hundred years, never mind much beyond that, shows us that it's
nothing other than a facade, just a cloak for all manner of
evil. And why do I say that? Isn't
that not a harsh judgment? Aren't there not some very good
people? as human beings are rated good, yes but what's the judgment
of the scripture about this fleshly heart of ours, about this about
this fleshly nature Jeremiah 17 verse 9, the heart of man
is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can
know it we can't know it but the verse goes on to say the
Lord the Lord knows the Lord knows the heart the Lord tries
the heart He sees that the new man is alive The new man that's
implanted by the Spirit of God hears God's voice and responds. Look at Romans chapter 8. Romans
chapter 8 and verse 5, which is the chapter that talks about
there now being no condemnation. You see, Paul writing this at
the end of chapter 7, he's talked about the conflict that goes
on, about the struggle between the flesh and the Spirit. That's
in Galatians 5, but the same sentiment applies in Romans 7,
and he says, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from
the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ
our Lord. So then with the mind I serve
the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. And in
verse 5 of chapter 8, For they that are after the flesh, they
that are managed, they that have the flesh in control, do mind
the things of the flesh. They think on the things of the
flesh. They're motivated by the things of the flesh. They fulfill
the desires of the flesh. But they that are after the Spirit,
with the new man in charge, with the new manager in charge, it
may be a factory still full of old machinery, clanky old machinery
but there's a new man in charge if the Spirit of God has planted
that hidden man that incorruptible hidden man in your life and if
that's the case they mind the things of the Spirit the things
of God the desires of the things of God to be like Christ to follow
Him to do those things that are pleasing to Him and so let's
apply this in that context in the context that exhortations
come to the new man of the Spirit of God, that hidden man of verse
4. And the application goes like
this. Each one of these points I know
could be made into a long sermon of details about how we ought
to live in terms of husbands and wives and all of these other
things. I'm not going to do that. But I'm going to touch on what
it says here. It speaks about husbands and
wives. And in the first couple of verses it says, wives, be
in subjection to your own husbands. quite contrary to the spirit
of the day in which we live. Why? Because if any of these
husbands obey not the word, he's talking about the believing wife
who's married to an unbelieving husband, they also may by ranting
and raving and preaching all day long. It doesn't say that,
does it? Read what it says. Without the word, they may, without
the word, be won by the conversation of the wives, by the lifestyle,
by the attitude, by the demeanor of the wives, while they behold
your chaste conversation, coupled with fear. Wives don't preach,
but without the word, win. What is it that's speaking? What
is it that's speaking? It's the attitude, the demeanor,
the behavior of that hidden man, of the heart implanted by the
living God. You see, the Scriptures are quite
clear about the effect of a nagging spirit. Proverbs 19.13, don't
turn over to it, but in the Authorized Version, I think it says, the
contentions of a wife are a continual dropping. If we were to put that
in modern language, it would be this. A nagging wife is like
a dripping tap. You know, you don't hear a dripping
tap at first, and then after a little while, drip, drip, drip. Let's get a plumber. We must
stop that drip, drip. And this is what the Word of
God is saying. Not that constant dripping, but by the conversation,
the gracious lifestyle, the gracious demeanor, the gracious way of
submissively living with this unbelieving husband. they may
win Him without the Word. They may win Him to the faith
without the Word. I loved a story. I remember it
stuck in my mind. I remember my primary school
teacher telling us the story when I was about five years old
of the sun and the north wind having a battle to get the man's
overcoat off his back. The overcoat represented his
harsh demeanor to everything outside. And the north wind said,
I can get that coat off his back. And the north wind blew its iciest
blast and said, I will blow that coat off his back. And what did
it make the man do? Just pull it tighter, do his
belt up tighter, put his collar up. And the sun came out with
his lovely warm face. The sun came out, and in no time
at all, the sun got that man to take, willingly, that coat
off his back. You see? It's the warm sun of
a gracious demeanor produces the effect, not the north wind
of continual ranting and nagging. And verse 4, look at verse 4,
the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible,
even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the
sight of God, great price, a meek and quiet spirit. It's a precious
ornament, it's a precious adornment. And who values it as precious?
The Word of God tells us here it's in the sight of God, it's
a precious ornament. Oh, how we value bits of jewelry,
yes, I'm not saying Jewelry's nice. Adorn yourselves nicely. Adorn yourselves cleanly and
smartly and nicely. It's good. It's good. Don't think
for one minute that verse 3 is telling you not to be well presented
and clean and nicely dressed. Of course it is. It's completely
wrong. People go the other way and say
that the Word of God is saying that you ladies should dress
in a very dowdy and scruffy manner. Not in the slightest. It's not
saying that at all. It's not saying that at all. It's a question
of balance in all of these things. But it's saying this, that the
hidden man of the heart and that meek and quiet spirit, oh, that's
such a valuable adornment. More valuable than any piece
of jewelry you could ever wear. That's a valuable piece of adornment. What is it the Proverbs says
at the end of it? Proverbs 31 says this, that a good wife is
more valuable than many rubies. Again, the comparison with jewels.
more valuable than many rubies, beyond price. And so it is. All the time, this behavior,
this meek spirit, this quiet spirit, is speaking to others. The new man, the hidden man,
witnesses by his attitude, his demeanor, he witnesses by his
selflessness, by his willingness to suffer injustice for Christ's
sake, for his service, not as unto men, but as unto the Lord,
for His sympathy with others in their situations, for His
help for others, for His care for others, all of these things,
these actions as the Proverbs says speak so much louder than
words to the extent that if they're lacking any words do nothing
other than bring dishonor to the message that you seek to
bring they must be there and so the message goes on not just
to wives but to husbands to honor their wives in verse 7 you see
he goes on and says this is this is how women of holy women those
who are set apart by the Spirit of God have always adorned themselves
being in subjection to their own husbands they've adorned
themselves in these ways with this submissive quiet and meek
spirit which in the sight of God is of great price. Do you
know we're encouraged by the Word of God Paul writing to Titus
chapter 2 verse 10 adorn the doctrine of God in all things. Adorn it, make it attractive.
How do you make it attractive? By the fruit produced by this
inner man. And so then he goes on, verse 7, he says, likewise
ye husbands, likewise ye husbands, all of those things that apply,
likewise ye husbands, dwell with them, your wives, according to
knowledge, giving honor unto the wife. Honor, respect, admiration. Live with them, giving honor
and respect and admiration. As unto the weaker vessel, in
terms of physical strength, I know there are some ladies in these
days who work out and get very, very strong and I wouldn't fancy
the prospect of doing a few rounds in the boxing ring with them,
but that's not the point. Generally speaking, to the weaker
vessel, husbands, dwell with them, completely contrary to
the way of the world. Is not the way of the world a
way of selfishness, of exploitation, You scratch my back and I'll
scratch yours, but don't you expect me to scratch your back
unless you've scratched mine." It's at the root of this broken
society that we live in. I saw in the news again this
week, there was, who was it who said, I can't remember, but somebody
talked about the broken society. Oh, it was a judge, wasn't it?
A judge said about the broken society, the endless partner
swapping, as he called it. The endless partner swapping.
He sees tragedy every day in the courts. tragedy being acted
out. And he says there's this endless
partner swapping in a futile search for the perfect relationship
instead of working at the relationship that they've got. Instead of
working at that. And here is the recipe with the
hidden man, the new man of the heart, husbands dwelling with
honor and respect for their wives. Doing these things not out of
any selfishness And verses 8 to 14 continue in this same vein,
appealing to that hidden man of the heart. Finally, be ye
all of one mind. Be ye all of one mind. Now, obviously
we've got different views about different things. He's not saying
you must all have exactly the same views about who should be
the Prime Minister or anything like that. Be ye all of one mind
about the things of salvation, about the truth of God in the
Lord Jesus Christ. Is that not the basis of our
unity? We come from different backgrounds.
We have different desires. We have different preferences.
But oh, be of one mind in this. Being one mind concerning our
Lord Jesus Christ. And have compassion one of another. Love as brethren. Isn't this
what Christ said? By this all men shall know that
you are my disciples when they see how you love one another. Be pitiful. Be courteous. You know we We got together for
a barbecue in the pouring rain yesterday. And if the world were
looking, it couldn't have possibly chosen a worse time to have a
barbecue. The rain was coming down in buckets.
But we put a gazebo up over the barbecue and we did it. And it
was such a good witness and testimony. It really was. I thoroughly enjoyed
it. It really was. Such a testimony to those around
about. It really was, I tell you. And
then he says, not rendering evil for evil. Because is that not
what people do? There was a woman that Christine
used to work with who was superficially very, very nice. Oh, she would
do anything for everybody. But she said to you one day,
just let anybody do the dirty on me. And I'll never speak to
them again. And I'll never do this for them.
You know what I mean? Rendering evil for evil. Ah no,
the hidden man of the heart doesn't render evil for evil. Or railing
for railing. You know? I'll give back as good
as I get, but contrary wise, blessing. Isn't this what Jesus
said in the Sermon on the Mount? If somebody strikes you on the
left cheek, turn the right cheek and get him to hit you on there
as well. You know, losing yourself, losing yourself for the sake
of Christ, knowing that you are there unto called, that you should
inherit a blessing. For he that will love life and
see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his
lips that they speak no guile, let him eschew evil, let him
turn away from evil and do good let him seek peace and ensue
it for the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his ears
are open unto their prayers but the face of the Lord is against
them that do evil you see the exaltation it's to the new man
to the new man of the heart this all speaks to others there's
a television series about medical pathology look at you
know what's the cause of death I can't remember the name for
it now and it's called silent witness you know because the
witness in this case is the dead body who can't speak so they
look for scientific ways in which he can speak and influence the
finding out what really happened but what this scripture is telling
us is that all of this the demeanor the not railing for railing not
rendering evil for evil speaks speaks speaks we may not all
be preachers we may not all have a gift of easy witnessing in
terms of verbally but we can all do this and it speaks it
speaks louder than words it speaks louder Jesus said describing
in a parable describing the end times and the calling in of his
sheep into his glory and he says come you blessed of my father
inherit that which is reserved for you for when I was in this
condition you fed me and when I was naked you clothed me and
when I was and they said When did we do that? We don't recall
doing that. Ah, when you did it to one of
the least of these, my children. That's when you did it to me.
When you did it to me. All these things speak to others. And so he goes on and says in
verse 15, Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always
to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the
hope that is in you. I could have taken that verse
on its own. In fact, I have before preached on that verse. It was
the verse I preached on in French when last time I went to France
to speak in French was this chapter 3 verse 15. Be ready to give
an answer to every man that asks you for a reason of the hope
that is in you. But I'm including it in this message this morning
because I believe that this is such a vital part of witnessing. We want to witness, don't we?
We want people to know the truth of God in Christ we want people
to know the blessings that we have experienced of knowing eternal
life and so often Christians go through their lives worrying
about not doing enough about trying to force situations with
unbelievers so that they can say something so that they can
give a message and in the process make themselves feel better servants
of God and therefore higher in the ranking with God a lot of
it is very very sincere but when you examine it that's what's
at the root of it worrying about not doing enough but 1 Peter
3.15 is actually the other way around you see the actions of
the hidden man speak louder than the words that we might witness
and they prompt people who observe to ask questions you've got a
hope of eternal life you're not frightened of death why is that? What's your reason for that?
And the scripture here tells us to be ready to give an answer
to every man that asks for a reason of the hope. What's the reason
that you've got a hope concerning these things? You see, first
of all first of all the actions and the attitudes of the hidden
man of the heart speak louder than words and prompt those round
about who are prompted themselves by the Spirit of God in his way
in his time, in his purpose to ask those that they see with
these attitudes, give me a reason for that hope that is in you.
See, that's the way it is. The behavior that results from
the hope that we have is what they see and they ask why we
have that hope. And so he says, be ready to give
an answer. Are you ready to give an answer?
Am I ready? This is what I would say. I hope
I'm ready. I hope I am. All situations are
different and all situations present different challenges.
But here are some things that I would say. Here are the things
that I think are right at the very root of this. When that
hidden man is witnessed with actions that speak louder than
words, why is it that you have a hope? Why are you not afraid
of death? And my answer is this. Number
one, I have a Savior. The world knows nothing about
the need for a Savior. Why does it not know anything
about the need for a Savior? Because it does not believe in
a God who is holy and who is just and who must condemn sin. It does not know that it is appointed
to man to die once and then comes the judgment. But I have a Savior
because He brought me to know my burden, to know the perilous
state that I was in, to be like Pilgrim in John Bunyan's Pilgrim
Progress with that great big sack on his back, that great
weight and burden of sin and I know that I have an appointment
with eternity I know that death is the final portal that I must
go through and take with me that burden of sin into eternity and
face the judgment of one who is of purer eyes than to behold
iniquity and then he showed me Christ my Savior He showed me
the One who stood there in my place. He showed me the One in
whom I fulfilled all of God's requirements. And therefore,
there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.
He showed me those things. He revealed it to me as He revealed
it to Peter. For flesh and blood has not revealed
these things to you, Peter, but my Father which is in heaven.
Who do men say that I am? O one of the prophets, who do
you say that I am? If the Father has revealed it,
you will say, you are the Christ. the Son of the Living God you
are the one in whom all my hope resides you are the one who I
know I can rest peaceful for all eternity knowing that I will
go to be with you I know that you are God my Savior Isaiah
45 and verse 21 talks of this God my Savior Acts chapter 13
look at that just a moment we looked at it a few weeks ago
in in the Acts of the Apostles Acts chapter 13 and verse 23 Of this man's seed, speaking
of David, of this man's seed hath God, according to His promise,
the Scriptures are full of the promise, raised unto Israel a
Saviour. There's a Saviour for sinners.
And who is it? Jesus. God hath raised unto Israel,
unto His people, a Saviour, Jesus. I have a Saviour. And I have
a Saviour who I trust and know and believe, as Hebrews 7.25
says. is able to save to the uttermost. How much? Is He able
just to throw out a floating boy on a rope and it's your responsibility
to cling on? No. He's able to save to the
uttermost those who come to God by Him. I have a Saviour. Secondly,
what's your reason for the hope that is in you? God gave me faith. He gave me faith. It's not something
I did. It's not something I chose. He
said to His disciples, you did not choose me, I chose you. He
gave me faith. By grace, you say, through faith. And that not of yourselves, it
is the gift of God. He gave me faith to believe His
Word. To believe that which the natural
man does not believe. For as 1 Corinthians 2.14 says,
the natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God.
They're foolishness to him. Neither can he know them. They're
spiritually discerned. But He gives His people spiritual
discernment. He gave me faith to believe His
Word. John 8, 47 says this, he that
is of God hears God's word. He that is of God hears God's
word. He puts that spirit within his
people and you hear. My sheep hear my voice and they
follow me. He went on to say to the Pharisees
who were trying to pick holes in him, he said, and you don't
hear it because you're not of God, you're not of his spirit,
therefore you don't hear. we don't live by bread alone
the world around lives by bread alone what it can get but by
every word that proceeds from the mouth of God and I rest on
the promises of God turn over a page 2 Peter chapter 1 and
verse 4 2 Peter chapter 1 and verse 4 whereby he's talking
of the gospel are given unto us exceeding great and precious
promises that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature
having escaped the corruption that is in the world through
lust. He's given me precious promises, exceeding great and
precious promises. What are they? They're precious
promises of eternal life. They're precious promises of
bliss beyond my comprehension and beyond my imagining. They're
promises that in Him and on the basis of all that He has done
and finished with nothing left to do, I am His for all eternity. and by faith thirdly by faith
through that word through the message of this book which all
speaks of him he has shown me that I am justified before God
that I the sinner am justified before God that I need fear no
condemnation there is therefore now no condemnation to those
who are in Christ Jesus what is it that 1 Peter 3 verse 18
says for Christ also hath suffered for sins the just That's Him
for the unjust. That's His people, as they are
by nature. That He might bring us to God, being put to death
in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit. We'll go on to look
at more of that next time. But He's shown me that in Christ
I'm justified. I'm... Everything in the reckoning
of God, of His, is mine in Him. He's put me in Him from before
the beginning of time. So that in the reckoning of God
when Christ lived and died, I lived and died in Him. And this is
the basis of my hope. He's gone. He's ascended into
heaven. He was raised from the dead.
And though worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I
see God. Because as He was raised from
the dead, I have a hope. He was the down payment. He was
the guarantee that I and all of His people will rise from
the dead in Him and be taken to be with Him. He is my wisdom
from God. He is my righteousness. He is
my sanctification. He is my redemption. Is that
not solid currency for eternity? Why do you have this hope? I
see you behave differently. Why do you have this hope? What's
it based upon? It's based on Christ and all
that He's done and what His Word says and the faith that He's
given me to show me a Savior. And as I've already alluded to
it, His resurrection. 1 Peter chapter 1 and verse 3. be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten
us again unto a lively hope." We have a lively hope. How? By
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. As He was raised
from the dead, you read 1 Corinthians 15, so shall all His people be
raised from the dead. I have that guarantee, that down
payment of my resurrection and He is able to keep that which
I've committed unto Him against that day. to Timothy 1.12, I
know whom I have believed. I am persuaded that He is able
to keep that which I've committed unto Him. What have I committed
unto Him? The state of my eternal soul.
That's it. Committed unto Him. He's able
to keep it. He is able to keep it unto the
end to bring me to glory. He is my portion as I walk through
this life. Lamentations 3.24, therefore
will I hope in Him. He is my portion He is my daily
portion. He is my life from God. And so you see, actions speak
louder than words is what this passage is telling us. But when
they have spoken, when those actions have spoken to those
around louder than words, be ready. Let us be ready. Let us
be ready to give an answer to those who ask us a reason for
the hope that is in us.