Hearing God’s Voice from His Word
James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
Take a moment and turn your attention to God. Tell God that you desire to trust and obey Him. Ask God to speak to you from His word.
Psalm of the Day
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Ever Present – Reflect for a moment on God’s ever presence. He is completely everywhere all the time. While you were sleeping. He was there. As you prepare for the day, He is there. As you go to work or continue your day at home, He is there. He is there and wants to be a help. Turn to Him throughout the day. Praise Him for His ever-present nature.
SCRIPTURE READING:
1 Peter 3:8-22 – Christian Standard Bible
8 Finally, all of you be like-minded and sympathetic, love one another, and be compassionate and humble, 9 not paying back evil for evil or insult for insult but, on the contrary, giving a blessing, since you were called for this, so that you may inherit a blessing.
10 For the one who wants to love life
and to see good days,
let him keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from speaking deceit,
11 and let him turn away from evil
and do what is good.
Let him seek peace and pursue it,
12 because the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against
those who do what is evil.
13 Who then will harm you if you are devoted to what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear them or be intimidated, 15 but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. 16 Yet do this with gentleness and reverence, keeping a clear conscience, so that when you are accused, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.
18 For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 19 in which he also went and made proclamation to the spirits in prison 20 who in the past were disobedient, when God patiently waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared. In it a few—that is, eight people—were saved through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you (not as the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge of a good conscience toward God) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.
Having God’s Ear through Prayer
- Express thanksgiving to God.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal sin to you.
- Confess your sin to Him and receive forgiveness.
(1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sin He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins.”) - Bring your personal requests to God.
(Psalm 62:8 “Pour out your heart before God”) - Pray for someone in your small group.
- Join with others from River and pray again for Kids camp. Pray that the gospel seeds that were planted this week would grow and bear fruit.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
Here’s where your life is much like Noah’s was:
(1) Noah and his family were a minority surrounded by hostile unbelievers; so were Peter’s readers, and we may be as well.
(2) Noah was righteous in the midst of a wicked world. Peter encourages us to be righteous in the midst of great cultural opposition and evil.
(3) Noah witnessed boldly to those around him, though it brought him a lot of abuse. Likewise, Peter encourages us to be faithful witnesses to unbelievers around us and to be willing to suffer if need be.
(4) Noah realized that judgment was soon to come upon the world. Peter reminds us that God’s judgment is certainly coming.
(5) In the unseen ‘spiritual’ realm, Christ preached through Noah to unbelievers around him.
Peter is reminding us of the reality of Christ’s unseen and powerful work through us in our witness.
(6) Noah and his family were saved, so too, those who trust Christ will be saved.
The clock and the calendar change; Christ does not. God’s purposes remain the same. You can be a faithful witness in your circumstances. Believe this because it is true.