Marks of a Christian

Marks of a Christian
1 Peter 3:8-12

Sermon by Jack Nazary
Pleasant Hill Baptist - 1981

1. Christian Unity
2. Sympathy
3. Love
4. Compassion
5. Humility
6. Forgiveness
7. A Godly attitude toward life
a. guard your speech
b. turn aside from evil
c. do good
d. seek peace and pursue it

Jesus offers you forgiveness of sin, strength for life, and hope for the future.

1 Peter 3:13-22 - Peter reminds us of 2 specific truths that we can rest on with full confidence.
1. God is Lord of all
2. Jesus Christ was victorious over sin and death

I. God is Lord of all
a. verse 15 - "but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts." Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts - This is a powerful affirmation of the deity of Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 8:8, 10 - A prophetic word "Immanuel" (God with us)
Peter and Isaiah are expressing the same truth that we should not fear men but reverence Jehovah - Isaiah 8:12-13

b. verse 17 - "if the will of God be so" Both of these statements are expressions of God's sovereignty over all creation and every circumstance.
When you believe everything is under the control of God, even opposition and disaster, you can face the future with confidence and hope.

Some benefits:
1. A sure confidence
a. nothing in the world can bring a believer in Christ ultimate harm. - 1 Peter 3:13-14
b. The degree to which you exercise faith will be the degree to which you will be free from fear.
c. Peter insists on a passionate love of goodness
d. Peter speaks about the Christian attitude to suffering.
1. Suffering because of our humanity - physical, sorrow, distress of mind and weariness and pain of body.
2. Suffering because of our Christianity - unpopularity, persecution but a blessedness runs through it all
e. To the Christian - God and Jesus Christ are supreme

2. A hope filled testimony - verses 15, 16
a. Christian defense must be reasonable
b. must be given with gentleness
c. must be given with reverence
d. the only compelling argument is the Christian life.

3. A Godly walk - verses 16 -17
a. the world can't refute the testimony of a godly life.
b. "A saintly person is one whose life makes it easier for others to trust in Christ."

II. Christ as Victor over Sin and Death - verses 18-22
a. The work of Christ is unique - Romans 6:10, Hebrews 7:27, 9:28, 10:10
b. The sacrifice was for sin - 1 Corinthians 15:3, Galatians 1:4, Hebrews 5:1, 3, 1 John 2:2
c. The sacrifice was vicarious - "The just for the unjust"
d. The work of Christ was to bring us to God - Ephesians 2:18, 3:12; Romans 5:2

III. The Spirits in prison - verses 19-20
1. They were the souls of the people to whom Christ preached by the Holy Spirit through Noah during the 120 years the ark was being built.
2. The "spirits in prison" were the mongrel offspring of a union between fallen angels (the "sons of God" of Genesis 6:1-2) and women.
3. The spirits were wicked angels of Noah's day who engaged in some kind of monstrous evil
4. The "spirits in prisons" are wicked beings and Old Testament believers.

IV. The "Saved by Water" section - verses 20-21
1. Noah and his family were "saved by water.
2. The scene of safety in the midst of judgement is portrayed by baptism - verse 21
3. The water of baptism is not a cleansing agent.

V. Christs' victory applied
1. Sin's stranglehold is broken by the Lord's sinless life and sacrificial death on our behalf - Romans 6:14
2. If the Lord does not return before our lifetime is over, we have the assurance of the resurrection of our bodies from the grave. The "sting of death" is gone, replaced by the eternal life which awaits us.

Conclusion

Faith and life are intertwined and should not be separated.

What you believe is directly related to how you live.

1. Because Jehovah is Lord of all, we find the grace to live a godly life that even the enemies of Christ can't ignore.
2. The maker and controller of Heaven and earth paid the penalty for our sins and gained the victory over sin and death.