Oh, hello, hello. Wonderful to be back with you all. It's been about a year since I was here last,

but it's always just a treat to fill in for your pastor and open up God's word with you all.

Let's go ahead and turn in our Bibles this evening to 1 Peter chapter 3, please.

First Peter chapter 3. Heavenly Father, we're blessed to gather together in this place.

We're thankful for the religious freedom that we enjoy in this country and that we can gather

together in a place like this and open up your word and spend time at your feet, worshiping you,

God. You are far more worthy of our adoration

and our attention to your scriptures than we can even fathom this evening we pray god that as we

turn our eyes to your word that your holy spirit would minister to every person here in this

place tonight god we're all in different places.

We pray that your spirit would teach us, that you would enlighten us, that you would guide us

into the truth. And we pray all these things in Jesus' name. Amen. I'd like to draw your attention

to chapter 3, verse 15. If you don't have a a Bible we have it on the screen for you as well

this is a well known verse there's enough here for an entire sermon but i want to just briefly point out a few

things here uh notice what peter says here he says but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts.

And always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you.

Yet do it with gentleness and respect.

The first thing I'd like to point out to you here in this verse is that God wants us to be

ready.

To be ready to do something often requires preparation ahead of time, doesn't it?

If you're a football player and your coach says, hey, I want you to be ready

to play on the front line and defend the quarterback, well, there's some work to do ahead of time,

...