Lakewood Ranch Baptist Church

What should Christians do when faced with slander and how can we guard ourselves from slandering others? In 1 Peter 2:1-12, Peter calls believers to put away slander as a practice fundamentally opposed to love and holiness. This sermon examines the motives that often lie beneath slander, including envy, malice, pride, and shame, while considering how Christians should respond when false accusations threaten their reputation. Rather than ignoring harmful falsehoods, believers should appropriately pursue truth and correction while resisting retaliation. Ultimately, Jesus provides hope for both the slandered and the slanderer: He understands the pain of false accusations, promises final vindication, and offers forgiveness and transformation to those who turn to Him.

What motivates us to pursue holiness when temptation feels strong? In 1 Peter 1:13-25, Peter calls Christians to be holy because the God who called us is holy. This sermon explores several truths that strengthen us in that fight: looking back at the precious blood Christ shed to ransom us, looking forward to the inheritance awaiting us when Jesus returns, and maintaining a healthy fear of Gods impartial judgement. Peter also reminds us that while our upbringing can help explain our struggles, it does not excuse our sin. Ultimately, Christians can pursue holiness with confidence because earthly powers and opposition will fade, but the gospel and promises of God will stand forever.

How can Christians endure suffering without loosing hope?In 1 Peter 1:1-12, Peter begins a letter to suffering believers not with despair, but with praise. This sermon explores three reasons Christians can praise God in the midst of pain: God has a loving purpose, trials reveal the genuineness of our faith, and believers have a sure inheritance waiting for them. Because of Jesus' resurrection, our hope is more than wishful thinking-it is a confident expectation of an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, unfading, and securely kept by God. When suffering seems to take good things away, Christians can endure by fixing their minds on the eternal reward that cannot be taken from them.