VAN BUREN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 1 Peter 3:13-22
SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER John 14:15-21
APRIL 27, 2008
“What is the Reason for Your Hope?”
O God: your Son Jesus prayed for his disciples, and sent them into the world to preach
good news. Hold the church in unity by your Holy Spirit, and keep the church close to
your word, so that, breaking bread together, disciples may be one with Christ in faith and
love and service. Amen.
One of the joys of being in the ministry is being with people in times of great joy: graduations,
marriage, birth of a child, when someone comes to know Jesus Christ, and when someone joins the
church. Those are exciting times. New beginnings, times of accomplishment, times of renewal.
But being in ministry also means that I am with people in the dark times as well: death of a loved one,
an illness, an accident, a divorce, loss of employment. These are not times of joy but sadness. Hearts
are broken, lives are shattered. These are the dark moments of life.
And what really makes me feel sad is that I can’t fix it for them. I have no magic words, no special
prayer that will make the hurt and pain go away. I can only stand with those who are hurting and let them
know that God loves them and that I love them.
These are the times when people’s faith is tried. Do they have a fair weather faith or one that can
weather the fiercest storm? Will they stand up to the gale force winds, or will they crumble when a strong
wind blows.? Is their house built on the rock or on the sand?
Too often people built their hope on a wishful attitude. Hope is something you hope for. I once
heard a Christian co-worker say that she hopes that she will go to heaven, but she doesn’t know yet if she
will make it. When I heard that, my eyes flew wide open, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Our
entrance is not some wishful thing, it is a an assurance. My getting into heaven is not based on whether
or not I’m good enough - if it was, I’m doomed. My entrance into heaven is based on my having a
relationship with Jesus Christ: do I know him as my Savior and Lord. If I do know him, then I will go to
heaven, if I don’t know him, I won’t be going to heaven, no matter how nice I am or how many good things I
have done. One sin far out weighs all the good things we can do. Our salvation depends on Jesus Christ,
not on ourselves.
In our lesson this morning from 1 Peter we are reminded that following Jesus Christ is not a
guarantee that life will not have hardships. Peter acknowledges that there will be times when we will suffer
because we do the right thing. But, he also tells us that in the midst of that suffering we will be blessed.
We will know Christ present in our lives and knowing that we are doing what is right will be a blessing. It
may hurt, but it will be better than doing what is not right.
In verse 15 Peter writes: “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.” Always be prepared to
give the reason for the hope you have.
In order to be prepared we have to know the reason for our hope. Do you know the reason for your
hope?
Is your hope based on what your parents told you while you were growing up? Is it based on what
the preacher has said? Is it your own personal hope or is it a “hand-me-down” hope?
To have a hope that will last, a hope that is more than wishful thinking, it has to be your own hope, a
hope based not on what you feel, but based on the truthfulness and faithfulness of God.
Take a moment. I don’t want to see any hands or anything like that. But I do want you to take a
moment and answer some questions. At what point in your life did you start considering yourself a
Christian? Are you a Christian because you were raised in the church, or can you recognize a moment in
your life, when you made a conscious decision to follow Jesus Christ? Can you identify a time when you
asked Jesus to be a part of your life?
Now, there may be some of you who cannot define a particular moment when you first came to
believe in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord. You may have been raised in a Christian
environment and you can not remember a time when you didn’t believe in Jesus. If that is your case, can
you identify a time when you made the public profession of your faith? A time when you publicly took on
as your own, the faith you grew up in? A time when you made it your own?
I grew up in the church. I can not remember a time when I didn’t attend church - except for a few
summers when attendance was ab bit erratic when we worked at my grandparents’ resort - weekends were
a busy time. I always remember going to church and believing in God. But I can also tell you about a
particular Saturday afternoon in February 1971 when I purposefully and decidedly gave my life to Jesus
Christ, accepting him as my Savior and Lord.
And it was because of what happened that afternoon 37 years ago that I have hope in my life. And it
is that hope, a hope in the faithfulness of God, that has helped me face some of the dark times in my own
life: the illness and death of my mother, an alcoholic step-mother, being asked to leave my parent’s home,
being on my own through college and seminary, the break-up of my first engagement, the death of my
grandparents, the death of my father. The death of a number of people who have been very important in
my life, including Jenni’s father. It was that hope that sustained me (along with my loving wife) through a
pastorate which ended on a sour note when one influential family worked to force me out.
And it is that same hope that has enriched the joys of life: the finishing of school and ordination, the
joy of meeting and marrying Jenni, the birth of our children, my service to wonderful congregations,
including right here. The hope that sustains is the hope that enriches, because that hope lays the
foundation for all that we experience.
But friends, you can not face the joys and hardships of life on my hope. You can not face the joys
and hardships of life on your parents’ hope or on anyone else’s hope. You can face the joys and
hardships only on your own hope, and that must be a hope based in Jesus Christ.
Peter tells us to “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason
for the hope that you have.” If I were to take a moment right now, come down into the congregation with a
microphone, how many of you would be prepared to give the reason for your hope? I have the right to do
that, Peter says that we each should be ready to give the reason for our hope. Would you be prepared?
Are you ready to tell anyone who asks you? If not, why not?
If not, it is probably because you have never thought out the reason. You may never have
considered what you would say. You’ve never prepared your testimony. You probably have not sat down
and considered what your life in Christ has been and what you would share with others when they ask why
you are different. After all, we are supposed to be different from those around us who are not Christians.
In our gospel lesson Jesus is talking with his disciples shortly before his arrest and crucifixion. He
tells them that if they love him, they will obey all that he has commanded. He says that if we truly love him,
we will listen to what he says and we will apply it to our lives. Not to earn his love, but as a response to his
love. And we will receive a Counselor who will be with us forever - the Spirit of truth - the Holy Spirit.
Jesus promises that we will never be left alone, no matter how we feel. The Holy Spirit is always with us,
and that means Jesus is always with us - remember it is the Holy Trinity - one God in three persons. He is
faithful even when we are not.
I’m going to do something I don’t think I have ever done before in a sermon: I’m going to give you an
assignment. Before you freak out, I will not be grading your work, in fact, I’m not even asking you to turn in
your work. What you do will be between you and God. If you would like me to take a look at it, I will be
more than happy to do that, but it is not required or expected.
Are you ready for the assignment? You might want to write it down so you don’t forget. Sometime
after you go home today, this afternoon, tonight, tomorrow or the next day - some time in the near future -
I want you to outline your testimony. Prepare your answer about the reason of your hope. The day may
come when you stand before this congregation and share that testimony, or maybe not. But I can assure
that the day will come when someone will ask you for the reason of the hope you have in your life. It may
be a neighbor, a classmate, stranger, a family member, but someone someday will ask you the reason for
your hope. And I want you to be prepared to be ready to give the answer.
Who is Jesus Christ to you? What is your relationship with him? If you cannot answer those
questions, you need to re-evaluate calling yourself a Christian. If your faith is so private that you can’t tell
anyone else about it, then you may need to question that faith.
What is the reason for your faith? In a few moments we will sing together the hymn “The Solid
Rock”. You may know it better by the first line: “My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood and
righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.” What is your hope
built on? We will affirm our faith this morning by reading in unison a part of Hebrews 10 where we will be
challenged to “hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”
And we will finish our worship this morning with “O God, Our Help in Ages Past, Our hope for years to
come”. I know one young mother who used to sing this hymn through clenched teeth when her young
children were giving her fits. She didn’t count to ten, she sang this promise remember that her hope was
not in her strength, but in the God who is always faithful.
What is the reason for your hope? “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you
to give the reason for the hope that you have.” Are you prepared?
“What is the Reason for Your Hope?”
O God: your Son Jesus prayed for his disciples, and sent them into the world to preach good news.
Hold the church in unity by your Holy Spirit, and keep the church close to your word, so that, breaking
bread together, disciples may be one with Christ in faith and love and service. Amen.
One of the joys of being in the ministry is being with people in times of great joy: graduations,
marriage, birth of a child, when someone comes to know Jesus Christ, and when someone joins the
church. Those are exciting times. New beginnings, times of accomplishment, times of renewal.
But being in ministry also means that I am with people in the dark times as well: death of a loved one,
an illness, an accident, a divorce, loss of employment. These are not times of joy but sadness. Hearts
are broken, lives are shattered. These are the dark moments of life.
And what really makes me feel sad is that I can’t fix it for them. I have no magic words, no special
prayer that will make the hurt and pain go away. I can only stand with those who are hurting and let them
know that God loves them and that I love them.
These are the times when people’s faith is tried. Do they have a fair weather faith or one that can
weather the fiercest storm? Will they stand up to the gale force winds, or will they crumble when a strong
wind blows.? Is their house built on the rock or on the sand?
Too often people built their hope on a wishful attitude. Hope is something you hope for. I once
heard a Christian co-worker say that she hopes that she will go to heaven, but she doesn’t know yet if she
will make it. When I heard that, my eyes flew wide open, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Our
entrance is not some wishful thing, it is a an assurance. My getting into heaven is not based on whether
or not I’m good enough - if it was, I’m doomed. My entrance into heaven is based on my having a
relationship with Jesus Christ: do I know him as my Savior and Lord. If I do know him, then I will go to
heaven, if I don’t know him, I won’t be going to heaven, no matter how nice I am or how many good things I
have done. One sin far out weighs all the good things we can do. Our salvation depends on Jesus Christ,
not on ourselves.
In our lesson this morning from 1 Peter we are reminded that following Jesus Christ is not a
guarantee that life will not have hardships. Peter acknowledges that there will be times when we will suffer
because we do the right thing. But, he also tells us that in the midst of that suffering we will be blessed.
We will know Christ present in our lives and knowing that we are doing what is right will be a blessing. It
may hurt, but it will be better than doing what is not right.
In verse 15 Peter writes: “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.” Always be prepared to
give the reason for the hope you have.
In order to be prepared we have to know the reason for our hope. Do you know the reason for your
hope?
Is your hope based on what your parents told you while you were growing up? Is it based on what
the preacher has said? Is it your own personal hope or is it a “hand-me-down” hope?
To have a hope that will last, a hope that is more than wishful thinking, it has to be your own hope, a
hope based not on what you feel, but based on the truthfulness and faithfulness of God.
Take a moment. I don’t want to see any hands or anything like that. But I do want you to take a
moment and answer some questions. At what point in your life did you start considering yourself a
Christian? Are you a Christian because you were raised in the church, or can you recognize a moment in
your life, when you made a conscious decision to follow Jesus Christ? Can you identify a time when you
asked Jesus to be a part of your life?
Now, there may be some of you who cannot define a particular moment when you first came to
believe in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord. You may have been raised in a Christian
environment and you can not remember a time when you didn’t believe in Jesus. If that is your case, can
you identify a time when you made the public profession of your faith? A time when you publicly took on
as your own, the faith you grew up in? A time when you made it your own?
I grew up in the church. I can not remember a time when I didn’t attend church - except for a few
summers when attendance was ab bit erratic when we worked at my grandparents’ resort - weekends were
a busy time. I always remember going to church and believing in God. But I can also tell you about a
particular Saturday afternoon in February 1971 when I purposefully and decidedly gave my life to Jesus
Christ, accepting him as my Savior and Lord.
And it was because of what happened that afternoon 37 years ago that I have hope in my life. And it
is that hope, a hope in the faithfulness of God, that has helped me face some of the dark times in my own
life: the illness and death of my mother, an alcoholic step-mother, being asked to leave my parent’s home,
being on my own through college and seminary, the break-up of my first engagement, the death of my
grandparents, the death of my father. The death of a number of people who have been very important in
my life, including Jenni’s father. It was that hope that sustained me (along with my loving wife) through a
pastorate which ended on a sour note when one influential family worked to force me out.
And it is that same hope that has enriched the joys of life: the finishing of school and ordination, the
joy of meeting and marrying Jenni, the birth of our children, my service to wonderful congregations,
including right here. The hope that sustains is the hope that enriches, because that hope lays the
foundation for all that we experience.
But friends, you can not face the joys and hardships of life on my hope. You can not face the joys
and hardships of life on your parents’ hope or on anyone else’s hope. You can face the joys and
hardships only on your own hope, and that must be a hope based in Jesus Christ.
Peter tells us to “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason
for the hope that you have.” If I were to take a moment right now, come down into the congregation with a
microphone, how many of you would be prepared to give the reason for your hope? I have the right to do
that, Peter says that we each should be ready to give the reason for our hope. Would you be prepared?
Are you ready to tell anyone who asks you? If not, why not?
If not, it is probably because you have never thought out the reason. You may never have
considered what you would say. You’ve never prepared your testimony. You probably have not sat down
and considered what your life in Christ has been and what you would share with others when they ask why
you are different. After all, we are supposed to be different from those around us who are not Christians.
In our gospel lesson Jesus is talking with his disciples shortly before his arrest and crucifixion. He
tells them that if they love him, they will obey all that he has commanded. He says that if we truly love him,
we will listen to what he says and we will apply it to our lives. Not to earn his love, but as a response to his
love. And we will receive a Counselor who will be with us forever - the Spirit of truth - the Holy Spirit.
Jesus promises that we will never be left alone, no matter how we feel. The Holy Spirit is always with us,
and that means Jesus is always with us - remember it is the Holy Trinity - one God in three persons. He is
faithful even when we are not.
I’m going to do something I don’t think I have ever done before in a sermon: I’m going to give you an
assignment. Before you freak out, I will not be grading your work, in fact, I’m not even asking you to turn in
your work. What you do will be between you and God. If you would like me to take a look at it, I will be
more than happy to do that, but it is not required or expected.
Are you ready for the assignment? You might want to write it down so you don’t forget. Sometime
after you go home today, this afternoon, tonight, tomorrow or the next day - some time in the near future -
I want you to outline your testimony. Prepare your answer about the reason of your hope. The day may
come when you stand before this congregation and share that testimony, or maybe not. But I can assure
that the day will come when someone will ask you for the reason of the hope you have in your life. It may
be a neighbor, a classmate, stranger, a family member, but someone someday will ask you the reason for
your hope. And I want you to be prepared to be ready to give the answer.
Who is Jesus Christ to you? What is your relationship with him? If you cannot answer those
questions, you need to re-evaluate calling yourself a Christian. If your faith is so private that you can’t tell
anyone else about it, then you may need to question that faith.
What is the reason for your faith? In a few moments we will sing together the hymn “The Solid
Rock”. You may know it better by the first line: “My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood and
righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.” What is your hope
built on? We will affirm our faith this morning by reading in unison a part of Hebrews 10 where we will be
challenged to “hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”
And we will finish our worship this morning with “O God, Our Help in Ages Past, Our hope for years to
come”. I know one young mother who used to sing this hymn through clenched teeth when her young
children were giving her fits. She didn’t count to ten, she sang this promise remember that her hope was
not in her strength, but in the God who is always faithful.
What is the reason for your hope? “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you
to give the reason for the hope that you have.” Are you prepared?