May 24-26, 2014 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: 1 Peter 3:15-22 “EASTER MEANS YOU ARE ALWAYS READY!”

EASTER 6

May 24-26, 2014

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: 1 Peter 3:15-22

“EASTER MEANS YOU ARE ALWAYS READY!”

1.     Ready to talk about Jesus.

2.     Ready to be with Jesus.

1 Peter 3:15-21 (NIV 1984) “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, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17 It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19 through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand--with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.”

          Has it ever happened to you that you were getting ready for something big, maybe a graduation  party or a wedding, and in your dreams or in reality you suddenly realize, “I’m not ready. I forgot the license or to order the cake or…” If you have had that experience you know it is a sickening feeling. God has the Apostle Peter give us some great news for two very important events we face, good news that tells us we are ready, ready to talk about Jesus and ready to be with Jesus and it’s all tied to that great event we celebrated weeks ago, Easter, Jesus’ resurrection.

          Listen to what God has Peter tell us. “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, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17 It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” Being a witness for Jesus, ready to tell others about Him is so important. The only treasures we can store up and will last to heaven are people. And the only way people go to heaven is through trusting in Jesus as Savior. The only way that happens is when the Holy Spirit works in their hearts through the word and the only way that happens is when people talk to them about Jesus. We are those people. Do you feel ready to tell others about Him?

          I’m guessing most probably say no. We don’t have all the answers. We don’t know the Bible well enough. We don’t feel able to handle objections to what the Bible says. God says you are ready and it’s tied to Easter, Jesus and His resurrection. Jesus lives, people of God. He lives in you. That’s the hope that you have. You know Jesus lived for you, died for your sins but then rose again. He lives! So you have hope always. You might not feel like you are ready but you already are. You are giving silent witness by regularly worshiping. You can give verbal witness by handling life curveballs, cancer, heart attack, death, job loss, family problems by telling others, “This is no fun. I don’t like it. But Jesus will take care of me.”

          You are ready. But you can become more ready. Just like a pianist can who is ready for a recital can become more ready by practicing more or a ball play can do the same or a trained mechanic can get better with more training we can get more ready to tell others about Jesus as well. Daily Bible reading or attending Bible Class can help you get more ready. Peter put it this way. In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. There are lots of things vying for first place in hearts. It might be popularity so we choose to stay quiet when God wants us to speak. It might be a hobby so you memorize all the batting averages and eras for all the major players and which farm club they played  but take little or no time for God’s Word. It might be money so we spend hours poring over the Dow Jones but give little money to spread the Gospel. In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Live for Him!

          When that happens expect people to ask you for the hope that you have. It will probably start with, “What does your church believe about…?” Now how do I answer? If I say same sex is sinful or sex outside of the one man/one woman marriage is sinful they’ll call me bigoted.” Find a way to talk about sin with gentleness and respect. Find a way to tell those people you are a sinner too and only Jesus saves. Then if they get mad at you it will be the way God wants so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17 It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” Jesus lives. That’s the Easter message. He lives in you so whether you feel like it or not you are ready to tell others about Him.

          You are also ready to be with Jesus. Following along with someone else’s way of thinking isn’t always easy. How Peter got from witnessing to Jesus’ descent into Hell to Baptism isn’t something I would have done but I’m glad the Holy Spirit had him do so because of the Easter connection to Baptism. Follow along with me. “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19 through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand--with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.”

          OK, so thinking about unjust suffering took Peter to witnessing for Jesus which led to the goal of Christ’s work, to bring us to God. That led to Jesus’ descent to Hell to proclaim His victory to those who had rejected the Savior God at the time of Noah. That got Peter thinking about how God saves through water. Now wait a minute! Didn’t God destroy people with water at the flood? Yes, most of the people drowned. But not all. 8 were saved. But I thought it was with the ark. Yes. God had Noah build an ark. The water of the flood floated the ark. Noah and his wife, his three sons, each with his own wife, 8 in all were saved. But it wasn’t really the ark or the water. It was God. Now there is an important lesson here. God chooses to use tools. God could have raised a single island for Noah and his family to live on. God could have whisked them away to another planet, God could have done anything. He chose to use an ark and have water float the ark and in that ay save Noah and his family.

          That’s what brings us to the important part for us today. Baptism. It’s God’s tool to save. Listen again to God’s Words. ”This water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Too many people try to think too hard about Baptism instead of simply listening to what God says. Baptism is using water with God’s Word as Jesus instructed. It’s a tool God has provided to save us. It’s not an outward symbolic washing of dirt from the body. It is the pledge or promises of a good conscience toward God. That good conscience comes as God assures us He has washed our sins away. This you all know but what we often forget is how Baptism is connected to Easter. “It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” God’s way of setting things up is to have our Baptism connect us to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. His life was lived perfectly in our place. His death paid for sin. His resurrection means new life. New life of living for Jesus now and a new life to come in heaven. There we see God face to face. There we rejoin all our loved ones who died in the Lord. There we have only joy and happiness. There we will be with Jesus. Are you ready for that? Yes. Easter makes you ready. If you are baptized you are saved by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

          Brothers and sisters it may still happen that you wake up in cold sweats realizing you had forgotten something really important for your job or an upcoming event. But you don’t have to for what’s really important. Easter is a done deal. Jesus lives. With Him you are always ready, ready to be His witness and ready to see Him face to face. Amen.