1 Peter 3:8-12
We’ve been talking about submissive evangelism.
That this is how we evangelize with our lives.
Civil Responsibility
Slaves and Masters
Wives and Husbands
God has shown us that in regard to evangelism, not only must the message be preached, but our lives must be Christ-like as we preach it.
In our text tonight, Peter begins to sum up his point.
#1 PROCLAMATION
1 Peter 3:8-9a
If you have ever been a part of the rejected selected,
Then this is how we are to present ourselves in the world.
This command is also corporate.
“all of you”
We aren’t just speaking to a select group, as has been the case in the previous
And Peter gives 6 characteristics that we must all possess to be faithful administers of the gospel in our world.
1) HARMONIOUS (HOMOPHRON)
HOMO = same, PHRON = mind
Peter wants us to be likeminded with one another.
Of course here then we know that we are talking about our relationship with other believers, since it is
impossible to be “likeminded” with unbelievers.
And since Peter prefaces this text by saying, “all of you”
He is not so much singling people out to tell them to think like everyone else, but rather telling us all to think the same.
It is the concept of biblical unity.
John 17:20-23 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.”
Peter wants believers to share passions.
And we should!
The reason of course is because there is only one passion a Christian should have: JESUS
Ephesians 4:1-6 “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”
We as Christians are commanded to be “same thinkers”.
When we don’t, it is a detriment to our message.
2) SYMPATHETIC (SUMPATHES)
The King James says, “having compassion”
But is more than feeling sorry for a person.
It denotes suffering with one another.
Hebrews 10:34 “For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one.”
3) BROTHERLY (PHILADELPHOS)
PHIL = to love ADELPHOS = fond of brethren
“love like a brother”
Romans 12:10 “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;”
4) KINDHEARTED (EUSPLANCHNOS)
The King James = “pitiful”
It means to be tender hearted, or good hearted.
Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”
5) HUMBLE IN SPIRIT (TAPEINOPHRON)
PHRON = mind TAPEINO = humble
While the word is not used, it is displayed in Paul’s command to the Philippian church.
Philippians 2:1-4 “Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”
It is the idea of loving others more than yourself.
6) FORGIVING
“not returning evil for evil, or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead.”
Of course the definition of forgiveness is “surrender the right to punish”.
It forgets the offense, and still seeks on the best for the offender.
No where is it better demonstrated than in Jesus & Stephen’s statements.
Acts 7:60 “Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep.”
The thing that strikes me about all 6 of these characteristics
Is that they are nearly all synonyms.
They all nearly mean the same thing.
Peter continually drives home the idea
That we are to place others above ourselves.
Forgive no matter what, be like minded, sympathize with them, love them like a brother, etc.
If we can submit to the government…
If we can submit to our boss…
If we can submit to our spouses…
THEN BY ALL MEANS
WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO SUBMIT TO ONE ANOTHER.
I believe it can be summed up with the word PEACE.
Christians ought to live in peace with one another.
You cannot expect peace with an unbelieving world.
Matthew 10:34-36 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. “For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; and A MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD.”
Matthew 10:13-14 “If the house is worthy, give it your blessing of peace. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace. “Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet.”
You cannot expect peace with an unbelieving world,
But God does expect that believers live with one another in peace.
There ought to be unity between those who confess Jesus
If there isn’t, our testimony is shot.
Romans 12:18 “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.”
Romans 14:19 “So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.”
2 Corinthians 13:11 “Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.”
Colossians 3:15 “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.”
Christians ought to be able to live in peace with one another,
And I want you to see why.
TURN TO EPHESIANS 2:11-22
Jesus Christ is the one who is our peace.
He is the One who brings us together.
As Paul would say later in Ephesians.
Ephesians 5:17-21 “So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.”
#2 THE PURPOSE
1 Peter 3:9b
The reason is, not only because you were called for this,
But because God wants to bless you.
We have already seen that submission to others finds favor with God.
1 Peter 2:15 “For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.”
1 Peter 2:20 “For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.”
1 Peter 3:4 “but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.”
It still finds favor with God.
And this is a good thing, because God desires to bless you.
If there is one theme that runs throughout the Old Testament, it is:
“Obedience brings blessing, Disobedience brings judgment.”
Deuteronomy 28:1 “Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.”
This verse is followed by 14 verses of blessing.
Deuteronomy 28:15 “But it shall come about, if you do not obey the LORD your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:”
This verse is followed by 53 verses of cursing.
Moses sums himself up in:
Deuteronomy 30:19-20 “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”
God desires to bless you, but if you will not be obedient to Him, He will not.
If we choose to be arrogant instead of humble
If we choose to slander instead of bless
If we choose to divide instead of unite
Proverbs 6:16-19 “There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.”
Peter’s point is “DO THIS” so God can bless you,
For that is what He wants to do.
#3 THE PATH
1 Peter 3:10-11
Here Peter is quoting Psalm 34:12-16 in order to reinforce that God wants to bless those who will submit themselves.
And in such, he gives us the path to receiving God’s blessing.
It is important to point out again what it means to be blessed.
Blessing is our ability to know God.
Psalms 73:25-28 “Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.”
If you want to blessed in your life, this is the path.
1) HOW YOU SPEAK (10)
“For the one who desires life, to love and see good days, must keep keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.”
In other words, if you are a deceiving liar, you cannot see blessing from God.
When you deceive, you are not acting like God.
John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
A life of deception works against a life of blessing.
If God is not blessing you in life, then ask yourself this question.
Am I practicing deception in my life?
Am I a liar?
2) IF YOU SNEAK (11a)
“He must turn away from evil and do good;”
Here is another problem we face in seeking to be blessed by God.
We tip toe into sins we should steer clear of.
The word for “turn away” means get off the path.
Do not entertain evil, do not participate in evil, do not linger around evil.
DO YOU REALLY EXPECT TO BE BLESSED BY GOD IN THE BAR?
This is how the psalmist mentioned it.
Psalms 1 “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.”
It is hard for God to bless you
If you insist upon dwelling in the tents of the wicked.
Believe it or not our surroundings play a big part in being blessed.
Look at it from the flip side.
Non-believers are more blessed hanging around believers
Than if they are staying solely in the world.
1 Corinthians 7:12-14 “But to the rest I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her. And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy.”
This is why Paul insists upon putting out the “so-called” immoral brother, and quit protecting him from God’s anger. It is time to kick him out of church, so he can get right with God.
1 Corinthians 5:1-5 “It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife. You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst. For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present. In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”
3) WHAT YOU SEEK (11b)
“He must seek peace and pursue it”
“seek AND pursue”
The word for “pursue”
DIOKO – it is the same word for persecute.
Luke 21:12 “But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake.”
John 15:20 “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘ A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”
The word is a picture of a hunter seeking out and hunting down his prey.
This is how Jesus said we should go about looking for peace.
God does not take pleasure in one who stirs up enmity.
He blesses one who forgoes his own rights for the sake of others.
This is why Peter gives the commands he does.
If you will quit trying to make sure that others bless you,
And surrender your life to the blessing of others,
Then God will bless you for it.
That is the path to being blessed by God.
#4 THE PROMISE
1 Peter 3:12
1) EYES
“they are toward the righteous”
It denotes a Father who has joy in watching his children.
God enjoys watching those who walk in righteousness.
2) EARS
“attend their prayer”
This is contrasted to what Peter said about husbands who don’t “live with their wives in an understanding way”, and cause their prayers to be hindered.
God loves to listen to those who speak righteous words.
This is one of my truest motivations for preaching.
3) FACE
“against those who do evil”
This speaks of judgment. It is the scowl of God. It is the burning anger of God.
He is angry with those who push righteousness aside as unimportant.
He is angry with the arrogant.
Psalms 138:6 “For though the LORD is exalted, Yet He regards the lowly, But the haughty He knows from afar.”
James 4:6b “…GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”
There is nothing about submission that is fun.
In many ways it is to turn your back on what seems like
Your right to peace and happiness.
BUT GOD PROMISES A BLESSING
James 1:19-25 “This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.”
