Sermon for Easter 6, May 14, 2023
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he gave us a new birth
into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Amen.
1 Peter 3:13-22 13Who will harm you if you are
eager to do what is good? 14But
even if you should happen to suffer because of righteousness, you are
blessed. Do not
be afraid of what they fear, and do not be troubled. 15But regard the Lord, the Christ,
as holy in your hearts. Always be
prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the
hope that is in you. 16But
speak with gentleness and respect, while maintaining a clear conscience, so
that those who attack your good way of life in Christ may be put to shame
because they slandered you as evildoers.
17Indeed, it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for
doing good than for doing evil, 18because Christ also suffered once
for sins in our place, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to
God. He was put
to death in flesh but was made alive in spirit, 19in which he also
went and made an announcement to the spirits in prison. 20These spirits disobeyed long
ago, when God’s patience was waiting in the days of Noah while the ark was
being built. In this ark a few, that
is, eight souls, were saved by water. 21And
corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the body but the guarantee of
a good conscience before God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 22He went
to heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers
made subject to him. (EHV)
Live for good as Christ
lived for you.
Dear redeemed and washed children of the Father,
Did you
ever try to mix oil and water? They
don’t naturally go together and when put together, they immediately start to
separate. If you like an oil and vinegar
salad dressing, you know that you have to shake it well, immediately before
use, or you don’t get the whole flavor.
Christians and unbelievers are a lot like oil
and water. They don’t mix very well, and
as soon as put together, they naturally try to separate. So, you can imagine the problems that came to
pass as Christians preached about Jesus in that pagan world. In fact, we don’t have to imagine it; there
are numerous historical accounts of persecution against those early Christians
by the non-Christians around them. Peter
wrote this letter, specifically, to comfort and encourage persecuted and
afflicted believers, and in our sermon text, he encourages us to Live for
good as Christ lived for you.
Do you suppose those early Christians sometimes
started to wonder whether it was all worth the cost? Or whether believing in Jesus was worth
facing the hatred and slander of their former friends? Tragically, maybe you sometimes wonder the
same thing. Of course, we don’t have to
worry about being thrown to the lions yet, but how often have you faced a
friend’s mocking for your faith in Christ?
Have you ever considered whether your faith was worth losing a job
over? How often do we waver in weakness when
friends or family accuse us of acting too pious, of living too clean a life, of
trusting too much in a Savior who died, of being too faithful to the words of a
book that was written thousands of years ago?
To believers who are troubled by such
questions, St. Peter wrote, “Do not be afraid of what they fear, and do
not be troubled. But regard the Lord,
the Christ, as holy in your hearts.
Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a
reason for the hope that is in you.”
When we get worried about what non-Christian friends think of us, or
about whatever troubles or harm might befall us, are we not putting something
else above Christ Jesus as the center of our life and salvation? When we worry, do we not rate our own powers
above God’s? When we are worried about
our lives, are we not showing that we have lost confidence in the Lord’s
salvation? If ever you start to waver in
your faith, remember the Good News that is yours because Christ lived for
you.
The answer to doubt is not to turn away from
the Lord, but to trust Him all the more; not to boast in ourselves or live in
vain glory, but to trust Christ completely as the answer to our sinfulness, as
the power of salvation, and as the sure defense for all who believe. Indeed, Peter wrote, “Who will harm you if
you are eager to do what is good? But
even if you should happen to suffer because of righteousness, you are blessed.” Whenever doubts might trouble us, we need to
remember the forgiveness and salvation that is ours through faith in
Jesus. The sinful world hated Jesus and
actively tried to kill Him, but Jesus willingly laid down His life so that you
may enjoy eternal life with Him.
Peter tells us to sanctify the Lord in our
hearts so that we have absolute confidence in what He has done for us. We have a hope that is certain and sure. Our eternal salvation is not based on
anything in us, nor on anything we do, nor on anything that happens to us in
this troubled world. Instead, our hope
of eternal life and glory is based solely in the immovable, unchangeable Rock
of salvation, Jesus Christ.
Christ lived on our behalf in absolute purity,
trusting solely in His heavenly Father.
Then, though perfectly without any sin, Jesus died on a cross in our
place to cover our guilt, and His resurrection from the grave proved that He is
true God as well as true Man, and that all of God’s promises are true: our sins
are forgiven, and we too will rise from the grave. We need not fear or be ashamed, for Christ’s
victory over sin, Satan, and death is given to us through faith in Jesus.
The Spirit instructs us to “Always be
prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the
hope that is in you. But speak with
gentleness and respect, while maintaining a clear conscience, so that those who
attack your good way of life in Christ may be put to shame because they
slandered you as evildoers.” The Word recognizes the world we live
in. We will be falsely accused of many
things by those who hate us for our faith.
How can the writer assume that?
Because, he knows by faith and experience that “The mind-set of the sinful flesh is hostile to God, since it does not
submit to God’s law, and in fact, it cannot.” (Romans 8:7) We remember that Jesus said, "Blessed are you when they revile and
persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.” (Matthew 5:11) The non-Christian remains an enemy of God who
may despise you, but his wicked accusations will also be his shame when he
stands before the Lord in judgment.
Now, about suffering
for Jesus’ sake, that also goes along with being a Christian, and Peter isn’t
speaking of the run of the mill heartaches that are always a part of this world—even
the unbelievers share in that kind of trouble.
But, Peter remembered that Jesus said, “‘A servant is not greater
than his master.’ If they persecuted me,
they will persecute you too. If they
held on to my word, they will hold on to yours as well.” (John 15:20) Thus, to encourage us for those times when we
suffer for our faith and for godly living, Peter writes, “Indeed, it is better,
if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil, because
Christ also suffered once for sins in our place, the righteous for the
unrighteous, to bring you to God.”
Suffering for wickedness is just and proper, so
no sinner should ever complain about punishment for sins, but when we suffer
without any fault of our own and especially because of being faithful to Jesus
and His Word, we could be tempted to complain.
We don’t always know why God allows us to suffer persecution and hatred,
but the faithful believer relies on the infinite love of the One true God we
serve.
Our heavenly Father sent Jesus, the Righteous
One, to suffer and die for all the evil ones who ever roam this earth, including
all of us, and it may be that our suffering for the faith will lead others to
share in Christ’s salvation, just as the apostles had to endure persecution and
false accusations as they shared the Gospel in an unbelieving world. Dare we expect anything different? However, for all His followers who endure such
trouble, Jesus promises, " Blessed are you when
people insult you and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against
you because of me. Rejoice and be glad,
because great is your reward in heaven.”
(Matthew 5:11-12) Through faith in
Jesus, we were rescued from just
condemnation and granted eternal life, so that we may Live
for good as Christ lived for you.
Peter also gives us insight into the first
moments after Jesus rose from the dead when He went down to the prison of
eternal torment for those spirits who opposed Him even way back in the dawn of
time. “He was put to death in flesh
but was made alive in spirit, in which he also went and made an announcement to
the spirits in prison. These spirits
disobeyed long ago, when God’s patience was waiting in the days of Noah while
the ark was being built.” Our
victorious Savior entered the devils’ lair to announce His victory and
establish His permanent rule over all things, crushing Satan’s rebellion. Indeed, St. Paul explained, “He humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross. Therefore, God also highly exalted him and
gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every
knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” (Philippians 2:8-10)
Peter shows us how God used the same water that
drowned the wicked world to lift Noah and his family above the destruction and
save them from death. That flood of
water is the antitype of how you and I were saved: “Baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the body but the guarantee of
a good conscience before God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
Noah’s flood is a graphic picture of Baptism’s
life-giving work! In one flood of water,
our sinful nature was drowned, and a new life of faith is raised up to eternal
glory. Baptism isn’t an ordinary bath
that you might take after a hard day pulling weeds in your garden. It doesn’t wash off material dirt, but the
filth of sin. Baptism washes away all
that made you unholy before God, and it is not our work, but that of God
Himself. Through that simple water and
Word, God washes away everything that kept you separate from Him. In that washing, your Savior clears your
conscience, because He took all your sins upon Himself and paid the eternal
death penalty you deserved. Thus, in
raising Jesus from the dead, God declared to all creation that Christ’s death
was sufficient payment for you and me and everyone. Nothing more is required to make any of us
right with the Father.
Because Jesus lives, the victory for our souls
is won! Therefore, we Live for good
as Christ lived for you. Likewise, St.
Paul explains our role in this world: “We
are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled
to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might
become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:20-21)
Now, with all the hardships and pain this
rebellious world throws against us, it can be very tempting for us to ask, “Why
should we have to suffer?” Yet, Jesus
warned His disciples, “If the world hates
you, you know that it hated me first.” (John 15:18) Just as
Jesus endured all things so that you and I could live with Him forever in His
Father’s heavenly mansion, so we will sometimes experience much trouble so that
the Gospel may be spread among enemies still lost in sin. But as we hold on to Jesus through any cross
or trial, as we sanctify Him in our hearts, we bear witness to a fallen world
of what Christ has done to give us life.
Peter also assures us that our suffering for
the faith is never without God’s good will or plan involved. Satan does not have the upper hand. No person on earth can afflict you unless
Jesus, Himself, allows it, for Jesus has authority and power over all
things. Knowing that we have Jesus’ help
and protection and that the Lord is working through us to share salvation with
many other sinners, Christians can
endure suffering in this world, even persecution, slander, pain, or death,
because “Jesus Christ went to heaven
and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made
subject to him.”
Shortly before Jesus went to the cross to
suffer and die in our stead, He told His disciples, “He who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and
manifest Myself to him." (John
14:21) Loving Jesus isn’t something we
chose on our own; He had to bring us to that saving love. Jesus did that for you and me as He washed us
clean of all sin in Baptism’s flood. By
sending His Holy Spirit through that water and Word, God makes Christian
believers out of rebellious sinners like we all were, and through that humble
bath, Jesus showed Himself to each of us.
Through the Baptism ceremony that combines ordinary water with God’s
powerful Word, He made you His own ambassadors to a world of sinners. Thus, through your Baptism, Jesus made it
possible for others to enjoy His love as you reflect your faith in His
salvation while you Live for good as Christ lived for you. Amen.
The
God of all grace, who called you into his eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will
himself restore, establish, strengthen, and support you. To him be the glory and the power forever and
ever. Amen.
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