David Holwick
First Baptist Church
West Lafayette, Ohio
April 28, 1985
The Need For The Message
1 Peter 3:15, KJV
What do you have when you have Jesus?
When you boil salvation down to its most basic element, what is it worth? Let me give an extreme example - and I stress that this is extreme. Think of a starving child in the Ethiopian desert. What will benefit this child more? Receiving a loaf of bread or receiving Christ as their Savior? I realize this is very crass but it brings up an important principle. A loaf of bread is important because it can feed you for a day. But salvation will last for all eternity.
Fortunately, it is usually not a case of one or the other. American Baptists have always believed that Christians should provide people with both physical help and spiritual help. Someone who only passes out gospel tracks in Ethiopia is not doing the will of God because God wants us to care for the poor and starving of the world.
But there is also another side to this - Anyone who only passes out food in Ethiopia is also being disobedient to God. One missionary has said that one hundred and fifty years from now, everyone now living in Ethiopia will be dead. EVERYONE. If starvation doesn't take them old age will. One hundred and fifty years from now the only relevant question for them will be: Do they have Jesus? Only those who do will be saved for eternity.
It should be obvious from this that I believe salvation is something very real and worth having. Not everyone agrees with me. For many people today, salvation is purely psychological. Being saved means you feel you are in charge of things. You feel "up."
A while back John Denver had a popular song called "Rocky Mountain High." The song uses terms like "being born-again" but it has nothing to do with Jesus. He's talking about being high on nature. Salvation and spirituality are more than just a positive outlook on life. They are a totally different dimension that can only affect us if we accept Christ as our Savior. When you do this and become a Christian you may not feel any different. Your finances or health will not automatically improve. But the Bible says that once you have made the decision you become a brand new creature in Christ. Instead of being a sinner who is separated from God, you become a sinner who is forgiven by Jesus and whose sins are washed away.
This is the good news of the gospel and the duty of Christians is to announce it to the world. Last week I stressed that every Christian is a witness for Christ and the gospel. You may not be a very good one but you are one whether you like it or not. Our duty; then, is to become better witnesses.
God wants us to set an example in the way we talk, think and the way you live is your most powerful testimony for God. But it is not the only aspect of being a witness. The silent witness of the way you live must be backed up by the words of the gospel. People may know that you are a neat person, and even that you're a Christian but that won't tell them how they can be saved. You need to explain it to them. If you're afraid to do this then your "silent witness" may be nothing more than a cop-out.
Throughout the New Testament you can find people telling other people about Jesus. Turn to Mark 1:44. In one of his first miracles Jesus cured a man of leprosy. And then he gave him very unusual instructions:
"See that you say nothing to any man but go your way; show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony to them."
Notice what he does in verse 45:
"But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter...."
In other words, he couldn't keep his mouth shut about what Jesus had done. Witnessing in words is not meant to be a fearsome drudgery. We tend to think of it that way. But in the Bible the message about Jesus is shared with joy and excitement. Witnessing should be as natural as breathing for those who follow Jesus.
Our passage today assumes this. It does not mention knocking on doors or preaching on a soapbox. Instead, Peter assumes we are witnessing to people who already know us and the way we live. Let's look closely at 1 Peter 3:15 because it is one of the clearest passages on witnessing. He begins by saying, "Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts." "Sanctify" means to set something apart because it is special. Literally Peter is saying we should make sure God has a special place in our hearts, or lives. God isn't there as an observer. Or even as a friend. He is supposed to be there as Lord. If you can't say this, then don't try to witness about Jesus because you will be ineffective. Straighten out your own relationship with God first and then you will be ready to tell others.
The next step is to "be ready always to give an answer." Witnessing is not usually a scheduled event. It can be - there are dozens of programs that try to tell you how to witness cold turkey. Evangelism Explosion is the most popular. You pick the time, you pick the victims and you go out and sic 'em!
Now I support evangelistic programs. God has blessed them. They work in reaching people for Christ. But whenever you go out cold turkey only a few people will be willing to listen to you. Of those who listen only a few will accept it. And of those who accept it, only a few will become committed in the life of the local church.
Witnessing is much more effective when it is the response to an immediate need. When someone asks you about your faith, be ready. Maybe they are just curious but many times they are asking because something has come up in their life. When they do ask, we should have something to say. Peter says we should have an answer to give.
Would you be able to?
At the Evangelism Conference in Columbus this week we were told that ninety-five percent of all Christians have never led someone to Christ. I'll bet that many had the opportunity but they didn't know what to say.
The gospel about Jesus Christ is not complicated. The first essential point is that God loves you. That's pretty basic but some Christians act like God is an ogre. He's not. God wants us to enjoy life to its fullest.
The second part of the gospel describes why more people do not enjoy this full life. The answer is that we are sinners. All of us, without exception. Romans 3:23 says:
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
Now most people will admit they are not perfect. We all make mistakes. But this attitude fails to see how serious sin is. God is so pure he cannot tolerate sin in his presence. Not even little teeny-weeny ones. For people to approach God every sin we have committed must be erased. This brings us to the third part of the Gospel. Only Jesus Christ can wash away our sins.
Many people have the idea this is automatic. You believe Jesus is the Son of God and you apologize for your sins whenever you feel guilty. There is a place for daily confession of our sins but the forgiveness of sin can occur only once in a person's life -
The moment you trust in Christ as your savior, your sins are washed away - past, present and future. Even one sin can separate us from God, so all of them must be dealt with.
The fourth and last part of the gospel is the invitation to accept it. You can believe all these things but still not accept it. Revelation 3:20 says:
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone opens the door I will come in and dine with him and he with me."
This is the answer we can give people about our faith. I myself never give it exactly like this because I think another phrase in this verse is also important: We are giving a reason for the hope that is within us.
Your personal testimony is the most significant part about witnessing. Not how you got baptized or joined a church but how you came to accept Christ as your Savior. Some people have gone from drugs and crime and the gutter to becoming Christians. Others may have been in the church their whole lives and as young people accepted Christ. Either way is valid. What truly matters is that you have a personal story to share.
Peter's final advice deals with the way we should witness - with meekness and fear. We don't know all the answers, we do not live perfect lives, but we do have something good to share. Share it with a humble attitude and see how God blesses his message.
________
Typed on February 19, 2005, by Sharon Lesko of Ledgewood Baptist Church, New Jersey
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
Created with the Freeware Edition of HelpNDoc: Single source CHM, PDF, DOC and HTML Help creation