Scripture: 1 Peter 3:13-22
Introduction
- Peter said: “Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?”
- We believe as Baptists that Baptism is an outward expression of an inward change.
- This is a sign that a person is eager to do good.
- What we are experiencing together this morning with Dee is an inward change.
- Dee was raised in the deep tradition of the Catholic church.
- She was taught about the truth of God’s love for humanity in the gift of His Son Jesus.
- She was taught about the importance of worship and putting God first.
- So, what is the change that has taken place with Dee? What is different now?
- Dee has found a new connection with Jesus Christ that is personal.
- The Catholic church is structured around the Priest acting as the connection to Jesus.
- The Baptist faith is structured around the expectation that each of us has a personal relationship DIRECTLY with Jesus.
- Dee’s conversion to a personal relationship is no more a rejection of her Catholic background than the Baptist church itself is a rejection of the Catholic faith.
- You see the Baptists are not Protestants – we have never protested or rejected the Catholic faith – we came about completely separately.
- Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists, and Presbyterians are all Protestants because they broke away from Catholicism for various reasons – or protested.
- Baptists never were a part of the Catholic tradition.
- Baptists loosely trace their origins to John the Baptist and the original baptism of Jesus Christ.
- Baptists simply do no recognize any human authority, human creed, or human origin for their faith.
We believe in what we call Baptist distinctives:
- The Bible as the inspired and true Word of God – it is real and alive.
- The Trinity of Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit – living in relationship.
- The atoning death of Christ on the cross – Jesus died for everyone’s sins.
- The priesthood of the believer – we EACH have a direct relationship to Christ.
- Believer’s Baptism – a person must be consciously aware of the internal change.
- Congregational rule – a Baptist church is independently operated by its members.
- The separation of church and state – Baptists pioneered this often at their own peril.
- Considering what it means to be a Baptist I want us to better understand the change that Baptism represents for Dee as well as all of us:
- An outward expression of an inward change.
- A willingness to suffer for Christ
- A clear conscience before God
1. An outward expression of an inward change
- Let’s think about what changed for Dee.
- Did God flip a switch in Dee to reject her Catholic roots and pursue something different?
- No, no more so than when Jesus came to save first the Jews and then the Gentiles.
- And according to Jesus, in Matthew 15:24: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
- Jesus said in Matthew 5:17:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
- The presence of Jesus has entered the heart of Dee and touched her in a powerful way.
- He has not come into her life to abolish that which she knew, He has come to fulfill her.
- The Holy Spirit has taken up residence in her heart and there is where the change begins.
- Dee found a real connection in this ministry and this fellowship that spoke to her.
- Dee found a place where she could see the Holy Spirit at work and be a part of that.
- This is the kind of change that has taken place in Dee and her heart burns for the Lord.
- Peter talks about this in verse 15:
But in your hearts revere 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.
- When Dee came forward for membership, I knew that she was a believer and had come from a tradition where she was required to make a decision for Christ through a public declaration or Confirmation.
- She accepted Christ, thus fulfilling the intention of the Baptist believer’s Baptism.
- For, you see, it’s not about the Baptism in water, it’s about the change in heart.
- Dee approached me with a request that she wanted to be Baptized anyway because she feels so excited about what is going on inside her.
- This is the essence of the Ordinance of Baptism: outwardly expressing an inner change.
2. A willingness to suffer for Christ
- Peter warns in verse 17 that believers may face suffering:
For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
- There’s a lot of ways to suffer for Christ.
- I slipped out of town to a very comfortable Myrtle Beach while Richmond roasted.
- Meanwhile, I’m getting pictures from Angie where she and Wayne put new mulch in the playground.
- Tell me if any of you think that putting mulch down in 100 degree weather is suffering.
- I would say that when we inconvenience or stress ourselves for Christ that we suffer.
- It’s suffering that takes something from us but helps someone else.
- Peter says in verse 18:
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.
- In this case, Christ suffered personally for all of us.
- It is in this suffering that all of us is saved from eternal death.
- We reenact this in our act of Baptism as we place the person into the water.
- Symbolically, they die to self and come out of the water as a new creation in Christ.
- There is nothing magic about the Baptism this morning, the magic already happened.
- The magic happened in Dee’s heart and the heart of each of us who is a believer.
- She has found great joy in her willingness to suffer for Christ.
3. A clear conscience before God
- We are next introduced to a subtle, but significant theological point in verses 19-20:
After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits – to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.
- In other words, sometime after His death on the cross and after His resurrection, Jesus takes another shot at reaching those who died UNSAVED.
- I have used this as comfort for Christians who have loved ones who have not accepted Christ.
- Their concern is “what if they don’t accept Christ before they die?”
- Many of my colleagues would argue that accepting Christ could be on their deathbed.
- But if it doesn’t happen before death it’s “game over” and there’s no chance of salvation.
- Personally, I believe that Peter says that Christ makes another attempt to reach people.
- I believe that this makes sense because of what I read in 2 Peter 3:9:
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
- Peter makes an interesting connection to Noah’s ark and the flood in verses 20 and 21:
In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God.
- We usually think of the floodwaters of Noah in terms of the millions of people who died.
- Not in terms of the eight people it saved, but for those who followed Noah their conscience is clear towards God.
- Does having this great internal change of heart mean we are no longer sinners? NO
- Romans 3:23: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
- We are all sinners, and we will keep sinning.
- What this means is that we have been given awareness of our sinful nature and need for salvation.
- We have been given a burning desire to do better and be better.
And who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?