Sermon – May 17, 2020 – Easter 6
Printable PDF: 5-17-2020 Easter 6 Sermon
David R. Clark ~ 1 Peter 3:15-22 ~ May 17, 2020 ~ Easter 6
You Have Been Cleansed by Christ
15But 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. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 18For 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. 19After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits—20to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the legal claim of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I have had some interesting conversations with people over the last eight weeks. Many people expressed a desire to come back to church. Others expressed concern. But some felt guilty about not coming back.
Guilt is a tough emotion. When people sin, they should feel guilty. Those who have been forgiven should not. It’s a subject about which people don’t like to talk. I did a Google search on the word, “guilt.” I found the following:
- definitions of guilt
- many, many self-help steps to get rid of guilt
- a recipe for “guilt free late night nachos.”
Most amazing was the 176 million hits for a subject people don’t like to talk about! Christians are a little more willing to talk about guilt, but when it comes to sin, death, and guilt doesn’t it seem we talk way more about sin and death than we do about guilt. St. Peter wants you to know that Jesus’ resurrection also washed away guilt!
- Cleansed to witness Christ.
I haven’t heard this much about washing my hands since I was in Kindergarten. I do it so that I won’t get sick. I also recognize that medical people wash their hands and even wear gloves for a slightly different purpose. It’s so they can treat others. You and I are cleansed of our guilt. We are also cleansed to treat others. That’s what Peter says in verses 15-17. 15But 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. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
Guilt is suffering because of sin. When we do something wrong, our conscience makes us feel bad. It’s God’s way of showing us when we don’t measure up. Sometimes it makes us feel bad for things that happened years before. So when Jesus rose from the grave also to take away guilt, it means so much! It’s why we revere Jesus in our hearts. We revere Jesus in our hearts and in the way we think, talk, and act.
That change is noticeable to people still ruled by guilt. Some people will notice. It’s kind of like what happens when someone loses a lot of weight. Some notice and ask how they did it. This is losing the weight of guilt. It’s noticeable.
It is so noticeable Peter encourages us to be ready when someone asks us about it. Have an answer, even if it’s as simple as “Christ is risen” or “Jesus took away my sin, so I don’t have to feel guilty about something that is taken away.” You have been cleansed of your guilt so that you can witness Christ!
- Cleansed by Christ’s resurrection.
Some might be threatened by guilt-free behavior. They will think you are judging them or worse. They are like that person that feels jealous because they have not lost weight, but someone else has.
So what do we say when people question why we don’t live in guilt? We don’t because we know this: 18For 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. 19After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits—20to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the legal claim of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.
It’s kind of ironic, but during the Flood, the very water that destroyed every living being on this earth saved Noah and his family. Today the water of baptism stills saves us. Baptism is not washing your hands to keep COVID-19 away or simply a pious tradition. This water washes away sin and the guilt from sin through the power of Christ’s resurrection.
We need that. In our moments of weakness, we need that assurance all over again. When our faith is weak, we can resort to the way the world deals with guilt. The world uses harming yourself, overeating, drug/alcohol abuse, promiscuity, or shopping yourself into debt. All of these solutions offer some momentary pleasure, but in the end these are Satan’s solutions which means they make guilt even worse. Satan is like a spiritual loan shark. You pay and pay and pay the interest, the guilt, but you never pay the principle, the sin. Finally he will take your life.
That is, until we know a risen Jesus. His resurrection assures us that all the payment has been made. Satan won’t like it when he can’t get you to feel guilty, so he will try to make you doubt. That is also why God gives us baptism, a specific promise on a specific day that we can point to as an assurance that God’s promise of salvation has been applied to us personally.
If people ignore or reject or downplay Jesus’ resurrection in their words and actions, they should feel guilt. It’s God’s way of getting their attention. But for you and me, Christ has risen! He has risen for your sin, for your life, and also for your guilt. Rejoice, brothers and sisters, and live guilt-free in Jesus! Amen.