Today on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. We are people of hope. This does not mean that life is easy for us, sometimes it's difficult, but nothing can extinguish this hope. This is a hope which transcends life on earth. Welcome to the verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe, senior pastor at Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Have you ever been asked why you approach life differently? In a dark world, authentic believers should shine like lights in the darkness. Today, we're learning how to give a reason for the hope that lives within us with both courage and gentleness. Let's listen carefully as Pastor John Monroe brings the lesson. The reason for our hope.
Hope is one of the great words of the Christian Gospel. We're familiar with love and faith, but here is hope. Peter describes it as a living hope. Followers of Jesus Christ are united with the resurrected Christ who is alive forevermore.
So, having this hope in us should make a difference, particularly when we're treated badly. Peter has told us that in these circumstances we're not to be troubled. but not to be fearful. We're to become and continue to display Jesus Christ. Therefore, it's not surprising When unbelievers see how we respond to the sufferings and hardships of life, they ask us for the reason of the hope that is in us.
Are you ready to respond? What would you say? Are you able to explain the hope of the gospel? And so, as we live our lives here in this fallen world, in a world which is largely hopeless. When people come to us and ask us about the hope that is in us.
Are we prepared? to respond. That's what Peter is saying. And I invite you to turn on your Bibles to 1 Peter. Chapter three then, verse thirteen.
First of all, I want to say from this passage that we are to display Christ. when giving the reason for your hope. Look at verse thirteen.
Now, who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? We are enthusiastically to do that which is right. If her attitudes, if her actions are not Christ-like, Our words to unbelievers will be hollow. And when you're treated badly, verse 14, what do you to do? You're to stay calm.
Verse 14. Even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them nor be troubled. Have you ever been treated badly because you're a follower of Christ? What are you to do?
You have to stay calm.
So many of our people live in fear. You think, well, if I display Christ I'm going to be isolated. I'm going to be afraid now. Don't fear. Don't be troubled.
Don't be anxious. And here Peter is quoting from Isaiah chapter eight. If you got your Bible and can find Isaiah, turn with me to chapter 8. Isaiah chapter Eight. Isaiah 8 verse 11 For the Lord spoke thus to me, Isaiah the prophet.
with his strong hand upon me. and warned me not to walk In the way of this people saying Ah, he's a man of God, he's got to be different from the culture. Do not call conspiracy all that these people call conspiracy. And here it is. Do not fear what they fear, nor.
Be in dread. But the Lord of hosts Him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear. And let him be your dread. Don't fear people.
but fear God and walk in the ways of God. Here is the word of God to the first century, readers. Here is the word of God to us. When you are When you're persecuted, when you're suffering, have no fear, nor be troubled. How wonderful to know.
Peter, as he refers to Isaiah 8, is saying, There's no need to be afraid of your enemy. As the people of God. You're not to fear man, but you're to fear God. And the application to us is obvious, isn't it? In the face of hostile opposition, Don't be afraid.
Do what is right. Don't worry about the consequences. Leave it to the Lord. Don't have fear and don't be troubled. Don't allow, I repeat, anyone or anything to intimidate you.
Perhaps you have a hostile boss. Perhaps you have a sarcastic spouse who's not a believer, who makes life very, very difficult for you. When facing opposition, Trust the Lord. Have courage. God is on your side in the midst of suffering, intimidation, persecution, and suffering.
Here is the message. Have no fear of them. Don't be troubled. Keep shining for Christ.
So we're to display Christ when giving the reason for our hope. Secondly, we are to proclaim Christ when given. Giving the reason for our hope. Displaying Christ with our lives, proclaiming Christ with our lips. Verse 15, but in your hearts, Honour Christ the Lord as holy.
That sounds a little Familiar? We just read it. And Isaiah 8. Honor Christ, the Lord is 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. Instead of fear, what are we to do?
We're to honor. Christ the Lord as holy. To honor, that is to sanctify, that is, to set apart our Savior as holy. Peter is again referring to Isaiah 8 verse 12 where we read, But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Here is Judah afraid.
What's that priority? Their priority is to honor the Lord, the Lord of hosts, the conqueror. Honor Him as holy. Don't be afraid of the opposition. Fear the Lord.
is an interesting that Peter takes. The reference to the Lord, Yahweh, in the Old Testament and applies it to Christ as Lord in the New. Yes, Peter is in no doubt that this one, Jesus the Christ, whom he followed for three years, is indeed the Lord God. And Isaiah knew what it was to honor the Lord as holy. Remember in Isaiah 6, he goes into the temple.
And he sees the Lord high and lifted up. And he hears the Seraphim saying to one another, Holy, holy, holy, and he's absolutely awestruck. And he realizes he's in the presence of a holy God, and he falls down and says, Woe is me, for I am undone. I'm a man of unclean lips. He knew what it was to honor and to set apart Christ as holy.
He's the one who's high and lifted up. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal God. We need to have a very high view of our Saviour. Does our society Honor Christ. No, people will talk about God, they will talk about going to church, but I think the vast amount of people around us are not honoring Christ the Lord as holy.
Are we a holy nation? United States I think we're more like Romans 1, aren't we? Professing to be wise, we become fools. Remember in Romans one, Paul talks. What happens to a people who no longer worship God, who no longer regard Him as holy?
The Lord delivers them, God gives them up first. to all of the sexual revolution. I grew up as a student. with the sexual revolution.
Some of you realize that the Change in our society, the sexuality of our society. That's what happens when our people turn from God. But it gets worse. Paul says in verse 24, the Lord gave them up what? To homosexuality.
First we had the sexual revolution. Then we have the homosexual revolution. Ah, but it gets worse. Paul says in Romans 1, verse 28, the Lord gave them up. To what to depraved mind?
The brave mind a week.
So it's the idea it's got a depraved mind. It's depraved, isn't it? When you can say to a person To a boy at school, you can be a girl if you declare you're a girl. Sexual revolution Homosexual revolution. Transgender revolution that people have become fools, yes, including our leaders.
Including our politicians, including our courts, where we can say. That a man who stands and says he's a woman is, in fact, a woman. If that's not the height of silliness, I don't know what it is. And in my native Scotland it's become worse. A man convicted of a sexual crime, about to be sentenced, then declares himself a woman, and there's a panic.
and they send them a sex predator, they send them to a woman's Present. And there's an outcry, even by unbelievers, and say this. Is silly, this is stupid. But this is the result, isn't it, in our own land, in our own nation, in front of our own eyes, of what happens when a nation turns from God. and begins this downward slope.
And so as a people of God, we're to be different. We are to honor Christ the Lord as holy. We understand that he is the ultimate sovereign of the universe. We do not fear the opposition. We're not to be afraid.
We're not to be troubled. We are to honor and to fear and to trust the Lord. The Lord's prayer: hallowed be your name. May your name be revered. And an understanding of the glory and the holiness of God dispels our fears.
This is why it's so important. as we do, as we come, as we've done this morning, that our worship is God-centered. That we want you to understand and to see the greatness. and the holiness of our God. And our Lord Jesus Christ comes as our magnificent Savior.
And this is the one who saves us. And this is the one who transforms us. And this is the one that we follow. And this is the one that we honor as holy. And therefore, always be ready to explain.
the reason for the hope in you. Saints Peter. in the context of non-believers See our Christ-like response to suffering. When they see our Christ-like response to unholiness and persecution. They may ask for an explanation.
What a great opportunity, isn't it? When someone says to you, What's going on? You seem a bit different. C. S.
Lewis Lewis observed that the true Christian is like a secret agent parachuted by God behind enemy lines. Yes, there's the enemy, but we come in as it were behind the enemy. And to display and proclaim Christ. We are, says Peter. to make a defense to anyone.
The King James and NIV say an answer is the Greek word apologia, from which we get apologetics. We must need to make a defense. It's a word used in the formal defense by Paul when he's giving an account himself in a legal setting. He's giving a defense of himself, but it's also used in an informal explanation of your position. You call yourself an authentic Christian?
Could you give a reasonable explanation as to who Jesus Christ is and his work in your life? Could you present the gospel of Jesus Christ to an unbeliever? They see something different about you. And they ask about you. And you say, well, I'm a Christian.
I go to church. But there's gotta be more than that, doesn't there? A man entered. about to enter a church. Spoke to the greeter at the door and said, What do you believe?
And the man at the door says, I believe what the church believes. He says, What does the church believe? He says, the same as I do. He says, well, what do you and the church believe? He says, we believe the same thing.
That's funny, but that is not the way. To respond, is it? Don't just say I go to church. Be able to talk, notice what Peter says, of the hope that is in you.
So we need To know the gospel, don't we? That's why we preach and teach the Bible. That's why we life groups, we have electives so that you'll understand. No, we're not trying to make you. Enter brilliant theologians, but we are wanting you as even our little children in Sunday school could explain to you.
The glorious message. of the gospel. Years ago when I was Coaching a champ. My assistant coach came to me and said, Look, I've gone to church all my life, but as I come to Calvary, I sense there's something different. What's going on if I'm missing something?
Indeed he was. And he said, My daughter, who goes to C D C Uh it came home. and started talking about John 3.16. He said, I have no idea what she's talking about. I went to the bookstore and asked if I could get a book on John 3.16.
Here's a little girl, four years old. Being confronted with the message of the gospel. and going home. As a little girl. Witnessing for Jesus Christ.
So that the father and the mother say, What is going on?
Some of you gone through difficult circumstances. Illness. Bereavement, family problem. People ask you, don't they? How can you cope?
How can you get through this? Isn't it interesting, when we suffer, the world has little or nothing to say other than clichés. Have you noticed that? They have no hope. What a wonderful opportunity.
For you, for me to display and proclaim the Lord Jesus Christ. A couple that Goody and I met said to us, As we talked about our loss, he said you seem to be So much at peace. The hope That is in You. Do you have that hope in you? Do you have this living hope?
Personally, the hope of the resurrection. The hope that when you die, you will go forever with Christ, that you've received Christ as your Savior, not just believing something out there, not just believing about Christ. But having a personal relationship with Christ, so that you can say, Yes, I have this living hope in me. I'm a follower of Jesus Christ, I've been born again, and now I am able to communicate that message to others. And as you do it, says Peter.
And please know this. This is contrary to our society. Do it with gentleness. and respect. Always respect the person you're talking to.
They may insult you, they may disagree with you. Always treat them with respect. They're an individual made in the image of God. Do it with gentleness. There is no place for shouting.
There's no place for insults because we're followers of Jesus Christ. We may be insulted, but we do not retaliate, Peter is saying. Do it with gentleness and respect. Our goal is not to win the argument. Our goal is not to win the debate.
I have to remind myself of that as I speak to people. Our goal is to display and proclaim Christ. Find a point of contact with the person. Develop listening skills. Listen to them.
Don't come over as a know-all. Because it's God, isn't it? who dispels the darkness. and transfers us into his marvelous light. And finally, in verses 16 and 17, Peter is saying, as you're doing this, maintain a good conscience when giving the reason for your hope.
Maintain a good conscience when giving the reason for your hope. Verse 16. 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.
Always. Have a good conscience. When we suffer because of our good behavior rather than our bad behavior, we must maintain a good conscience. A conscience must be illuminated, regulated. and informed by the Word of God.
So your conscience can become defiled. Titus talks about that in Titus one. Our conscience can be defiled when we persistently disobey God. Have a good conscience. Maintain a good conscience.
And when we live a Christ-like life When we respond in a godly way to suffering, our conscience will affirm that what we're doing is right. Isn't that wonderful to have a good conscience? And Our conscience will convict us when we're doing wrong. In this way, we maintain a good conscience. That's essential to witnessing for Christ.
After you've spoken this alone about Christ, just draw back and think: how did I handle that? Do they treat them with respect? Uh wa was I gentle with them? Did I come over as Mr. Noah, as the smartest m boy in the room, as it were?
Or rather, did I commend Christ. Did they see something of Jesus? Christ did me. Peter is saying, it's better to suffer for doing right than for doing wrong, verse 17. He gives this gracious assurance to his readers.
He's never going far from the theme of suffering, is he? And when it comes to suffering, there's an alternative. He's saying in verse 17: you can suffer for that which is right, for doing good. In which case You receive a special blessing from the Lord. I want to get that blessing, don't you?
Also You have an opportunity to answer those who ask you. For the reason of the hope. That is in you. Or you can suffer for doing wrong. All of us have been there, haven't we?
We've suffered. It's our own fault. We did wrong. And when we do. that which is wrong, we reap the consequences of our sin.
When we sin, In order to maintain a good conscience, we're to confess that sin. We're to claim the forgiveness. of our Saviour Through his death, his burial and his glorious resurrection.
So that our conscience is tender, our conscience is good. Peter is instructing us to sanctify, to honor Christ the Lord as holy. And in this way, we keep a good conscience.
So are you honoring the Lord is holy? Do you know Christ? Our Saviour commands us. To go? and make disciples of all the nations.
The fields around us are white and darkest. You just said, John, that it's not holy culture. Yes. But in that unholiness There are people who are lost. And people, if you gave them the opportunity, that you could enter into a conversation with them.
And tell them the difference of your life, not in a self-righteous, pharisaical way, but in reality. of what it means. to live for Christ. What it means that your sins are forgiven. And to bring the good news of Jesus to them.
and to explain that God So loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Last thing. Life. Will you ask God this week? to give you an opportunity to explain the reason for the hope that is in you.
It's an unbeliever. And as you do that... Display Christ. This is the verdict with Pastor John Monroe, and a powerful reminder about our calling to demonstrate the hope of following Christ in our dark and often cynical world. Today's message challenges each of us to examine whether we're ready to explain our faith as opportunities arise.
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Now, here's Pastor John Monroe.
Well, what's your verdict? Have you ever been asked about the hope that is in you? What did you say? Or have you allowed your difficulties and hardships in life to weigh you down?
so that you become anxious, fearful, and even despondent. Have you forgotten this hope? Look up to Christ. Remember that you are eternally united to the living Christ. That hope cannot be extinguished.
And may God give you many opportunities to explain to those around you the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ. Don't give up. You have a living hope. Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies.
Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
