The High Octane Life

1 Peter 3:8-4:11

"The High Octane Life of Influence"

INTRODUCTION

Most people want to change something.

Hairstyle; car; address; Family situation; job; world events (poor and needy)

At the very least many people would like to influence their world to make it a better place. But what kind of life influences change? Well here, Peter describes it – and it’s what we might call the high-octane life.

The high-octane life is a powerful and effective life; it’s explosive; when it goes off it moves things along; it’s a fuel for getting things going. The high-octane life ignites, provokes, and awakens people. The high-octane life “gets things done” and really makes a difference in our world.

So how can we live the high-octane life of influence? Well to bring about change we need to ….

1. EARN THE RIGHT AND THE PRIVILEGE TO BE HEARD (3:8-17)

a. To earn the right to be an influence we need to live in harmony with one another - (v8-10)

We need to prove that we are someone who is worthy to be an influencer of change – someone who is worthy of a hearing.

1PE 3:8 Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 1PE 3:9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 1PE 3:10 For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.

Ill: James Dobson’s experience at the public school system from 1960-1963)

At the final year, he had to say goodbye to 25 to 30 teary-eyed kids.

One young lady whom he said goodbye to in 1963 called him in 1975. Julie had grown up. James remembered her as a seventh grader with a crisis of confidence in herself. Her Latin heritage embarrassed her and she was overweight. She had only one friend who had moved away the following year. She and Dr. Dobson talked on the phone about the good ole days.

“Where do you go to church?”

He told her, and she asked if she could visit. He told her she could, and the next week she came. In the coming months, she became a vibrant Christian.

A few months after her initial visit, Dobson asked her, “Julie, I want to ask you a question. Will you tell me why you went to so much trouble to obtain my unlisted number and call me last Autumn…?”

“Because when I was a seventh-grade student in junior high school, you were the only person in my life who acted like you respected and believed in me…and I wanted to know your God.”

The high-octane life earns the right to be heard by promoting harmony where harmony is absent. This girl was in emotional turmoil, but Dobson brought harmony – and he earned the right to influence his former student.

The bible says …

…live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble (1Pt 3:8).

We need to earn the right to be heard, but the high-octane influnecer of change also needs to earn the privilege to be heard. And to do that we need to ….

b. Be prepared to give a reason for your hope – earning the privilege (vv15-16)

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have (1 Pt 3:15).

If we want to bring about change in our world, then we obviously believe that the alternative we have to offer is better than what is already in existence – at least we are hopeful that it is!

You want to bring change to your world? What makes you hopeful that you can?

You want to be an influence? What makes your philosophy any better than mine? Can you give a reason why you are so hopeful?

You see, we will earn the right to be heard by the way we act (promoting harmony), but we must also earn the privilege to be heard by what we say.

Can you give a reason for the hope you have in life? Do you have a hope for the future?

The Christian Believer certainly does. - - i.e. Jesus Christ rules the world supremely and will one day come back to take them all home to Paradise! That’s why Believers are so positive about the future.

But you know, I’m astounded at how many Believers don’t know how to give a reason for their hope! Do you know the gospel? If someone asked you – how can I have the faith you’ve got, could you explain it clearly to them?