Apology – 1 Peter 3:13-16

Apology.  The root of the word you may or may not be more familiar with: “Apologetics.”  This week we focus on a critical little chunk of scripture that calls on each and every Christian to be an apologist and give a defense of the Gospel.

^“13Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? ¹⁴But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.”^{[b] 15}But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, ¹⁶keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” – 1 Peter 3:13-16

BIG IDEA: We are called to be DEFENDERS of our own SUFFERING.

Peter is writing here clearly with some prophetic scripture in mind.  Specifically, we see Isaiah’s influence:

Isaiah 50:9a “It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me, who is he that will condemn me?”

and

Isaiah 8:13a “The Lord almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread…”

Am I the only one seeing a theme here?  The fact is, that to live a Christian lifestyle, you WILL suffer.  No question.  No “if.”  But wait, there’s more.  God promises us that He will not pit us against any challenge that is too much for us to bear as long as we lean on Him (1 Cor. 10:13).  Let’s unpack this suffering a little further.

1. We suffer in two main ways.  We suffer for:

(A) Our Humanity.  We are, by nature, sinful beings living in a sinful world.  Because of that, we will suffer.  Sin isn’t pleasant, and so by virtue of the sin-stained reality we are part of, we will be forced to deal with the unpleasant.

(B) Our Christianity.  For the world, culture is god, and God is a subsection of culture.  For the Christian, God is god, and He defines and structures culture.  When the world is the majority, the Christian must go against the grain, and that causes significant friction.  The result of that friction is the persecution of the minority, the Christian.

The common theme though, is that in our suffering of all kinds, we can rest on an undying hope in Jesus Christ.  We have hope in His promise of freedom from sin, knowing that one day we will leave our humanity in the literal dust and join Jesus in a sinless heaven.  We also have hope in the righteousness of the Christian lifestyle.  No matter how loud the world says that the the way we’re living is wrong, Jesus is always louder when He says it’s right.

And about this hope we have…

Here’s the kicker.  The Christian lifestyle isn’t defenseless against the world and against the powers and principalities that run it (Rom. 8:36-39).  But YOU, as a Christian, are the front line of defense against attackers of the Gospel truth.

2. YOU are called to be an apologist of your relationship with Jesus.

Apol-o-gist /ə-ˈpä-lə-jist/ = “one who speaks or writes in defense of someone or something”

It should be the responsibility of every Christian to be answer questions like, “Why do you have hope in Jesus?” and “What does it mean to be a Christian?”  If you can’t share the Gospel with someone in under a minute, then you should take some time to think about it.  Practice.  Know what you believe and know how to tell somebody about it.  The same rule goes for your personal testimony.  Be prepared to share it with others.  Have a Full, 10-minute version, and have a 30-second version. In sharing your faith though, keep a few things in mind:

1. Be reasonable

2. Be gentle

3. Be reverent (God should be bale to enjoy listening to any discussion you have about Him)

4. NOT be hypocritical (You need to be practicing what you’re preaching)

Remember that we are God’s chosen instrument to go and tell the world about him. We are called to do great things for Him, but without Him we can’t do any of it.  All our appearances and all our actions start first within our own hearts, which need to be focused on Christ.

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