A Famine Not of Bread

Click here to listen to this sermon. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as 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” (1 Peter 3:15). Ever since I entered seminary, this verse has been my theme, my mission statement, my philosophy of ministry, if you will. For almost that long, it has been the signature on all my emails. I used to focus on the first part: “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” Increasingly, I’ve realized the importance of focusing on the second part: “do it with gentleness and respect.” At least as important as being prepared to confess our faith, is the loving way we witness to the truth. That’s not to say it’s easy. Even as he encourages his readers to witness faithfully, the apostle knows they will be called upon...

Click here to listen to this sermon. The text for today comes from our Epistle lesson, 1 Peter 3:15-22, which has already been read. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Death is inevitable. Sooner or later you and I must face the prospect of the end of our lives, because unless the Lord comes back for us first, we are all going to die. At this point, you may fear dying. You may be angry at the prospect of death. These are appropriate and valid feelings. Death never was God’s will or intention for humanity. He created us to live forever, but sin brought death. At the same time, we Christians need not fear death, for it is only the doorway into the loving presence of our heavenly Father. It is not a leap into the dark, but a welcome home into the arms of the One who first created us and has loved us from our mother’s womb. I firmly believe this. I am not courting my own death, but I have no anxiety about it either. I know that my eternal life—in wh...

Click here to listen to this sermon. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as 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” (1 Peter 3:15). Ever since I started attending seminary, this verse has been my theme, my mission statement, my philosophy of ministry, if you will. For almost that long, it has been the signature on all my emails. I used to focus on the first part: “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” More and more I’ve realized the importance of focusing on the second part: “do it with gentleness and respect.” At least as important as being prepared to confess our faith, is the loving way we witness to the truth. That’s not to say it’s easy. Even as he encourages the readers of his epistle to witness faithfully, the apostle ...

Click here to listen to this sermon. For a number of years, I’ve had a Bible verse on the signature line of my email account. I chose that verse as a sort of mission statement. I think it sums up my calling as a pastor and also to share the faith in my daily vocations as husband, father, neighbor, co-worker, friend, etc. So it is really no coincidence that that it happens to be our text for today   “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as 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” (1 Peter 3:15). Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Pastor Terry Jones drew worldwide attention when his small congregation (about thirty members) staged a “trial” of the Koran on March 20, 2011 in Gainesville, Florida. News of that event incited riots in Afghanistan and allegedly provoked an attack on a United Nations facility that killed seven peop...