Getting Dressed from Christ's Wardrobe--1 Peter 5:1-5 (1 Peter Series)

            Every so often, I find myself thinking about the first person to try out some dangerous thing—like the first person to jump out of an airplane with a parachute. I wonder—was it hard to find someone who was willing to be the first person to do it? Or how about the first person to go under the ocean in a submarine? What did they have to do to convince that guy to get behind the controls of that thing?

            Sometimes when situations are particularly challenging or dangerous, it can be hard to find people who are willing to go first—people who will be out front and in the lead. The Church has found this to be true on occasion during times of persecution. Leaders can become a special target for persecution, so people might shy away from a leadership role or from leading with any real effectiveness.

            These believers that Peter was writing to in Asia Minor may have been facing that dilemma, which is perhaps why Peter’s thoughts turned toward the elders among the people in the passage we’re going to look at today.

Central Idea: To be a strong church in all seasons, each of us must be like Christ—some of us by leading, all of us by embracing humility.

1. Some of us by leading…

            This little word “so” in v. 1 has been fascinating me as I’ve been thinking about this passage. It tells us that what Peter is about to say to the elders is not a diversion from this whole discussion about persecution, but a logical extension of it. What is needed when a congregation finds itself facing persecution? Godly, Christ-like leadership.

            [READ vv. 1-2a] “Exercising oversight” is a summary of what elders are supposed to do, and “shepherding” is a picture of how elders are supposed to do it. The elders of a church are supposed to oversee every aspect of the life of that church. They can certainly delegate some responsibility to others, like deacons or other leaders, but to borrow that famous phrase from Harry Truman, the buck stops here! The elders are finally and ultimately responsible for the life of the church.

            Exercising oversight is what the elders are supposed to do, and they are supposed to do it the way that a shepherd would care for his flock. Shepherding back then was a job that has almost no exact parallel today. The shepherd would literally live with his sheep and look after their every need. Sheep were on the level of livestock, but maybe the best comparison to what that relationship was like is the way that we care for house pets today. We let them live with us and we look after their every need. We develop a personal bond with them and genuinely care for them.

            So elders are not supposed to lead in some kind of cold, detached, disinterested sort of way—our leadership is supposed to flow out of personal concern for the members of our church, built upon bonds of love. Peter then goes on to give three clarifications for how elders are supposed to go about their work.

            First, he writes, “not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you.” It might sound odd to think of an elder serving out of compulsion, but it does happen! For example, men become pastors for a variety of reasons, one of which might be pressure from others. Perhaps grandma has always dreamed of having a pastor in the family, and maybe no one really wants to do that, but one grandson jumps into it out of a feeling of obligation.

            Or perhaps a church’s constitution calls for a 5-man elder board, but only 4 willing elders can be found. What are you going to do then? The constitution says there has to be 5, so somebody might have to be pressured into it against their will. So a man could end up serving out of compulsion, but of course in that scenario his heart won’t be in it, so his effectiveness will be greatly limited.

            Peter’s second clarification is, “not for shameful gain, but eagerly.” A man should serve as an elder not because of what he might get out of it, but because of what he can give to others. An elder might receive financial support if he is also in the position of pastor, but this should not be his greatest motivation. He might also receive honor and praise from others, but he shouldn’t make those things the fuel of his service, either. He should be eager to serve, even if he gets no tangible benefits out of it.

            Third, Peter writes, “not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.” An elder should draw people toward Christ by his example, not drag them toward his own agenda through manipulation or pressure. Too many men have looked at the church as a place where they can feed their own appetite for power and control over others, but a godly elder must not be that way. He must remember that he is shepherding the flock of God, not his own flock. The church is not his own little kingdom where he can rule like a dictator—it is the flock of God that is to be cared for lovingly and with tenderness.

            If an elder will serve in these ways, he stands to receive honor from none other than Christ himself [READ v. 4]. The chief Shepherd, of course, is Jesus Christ. He is the true shepherd of God’s flock – the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep, as he said himself in John 10. This fact is an encouraging reminder for elders, because we are not perfect in our role. But despite our imperfections, the chief Shepherd is always on the job overseeing his flock. And if we seek to serve him well in this position, we will receive unique praise and reward from him when he returns.

            So a congregation needs godly leadership to oversee its spiritual life, and this is perhaps doubly important when a congregation faces persecution. Those times can be very uncertain times, and the flock of God needs clear, compassionate, and Christ-like leaders to lead the way. The elders of the church can acknowledge this by leading in the proper way, and the congregation can acknowledge the importance of leadership by following the lead of their leaders!

            [READ v. 5a] Here, Peter is acknowledging the reality that typically speaking, elders are going to be among the older generations of the congregation. So he refers to the others as “you who are younger,” and he calls them to be subject to the elders.

            This does not mean that there should be an unquestioning obedience of the elders or some kind of cult-like following, but it does mean that the congregation should submit to the guidance and oversight of the elders. That decision is a very Christ-like attitude as well, because you may remember that Jesus has submitted himself to the leadership of God the Father. That is perhaps the primary reason that we refer to them as God the Father and God the Son, because of that relationship of leadership and submission.

            For the congregation to follow the lead of the elders is also a very humble response, which leads us right into Peter’s statement about humility at the end of verse five.

So to be a strong church in all seasons, each of us must be like Christ – some of us by leading, all of us by embracing humility.

2. …all of us by embracing humility.

            [READ v. 5b] This word picture of clothing ourselves with humility is so telling. When you see another person, perhaps the very first thing you notice about them is their clothing. Or if you’re trying to describe a person to someone else, one of the first things you might mention is that person’s clothing – “he’s the guy in the red shirt over there.”

            Your clothing is the most dominant feature of your appearance, and likewise, humility should be clear and obvious in the way that we relate to each other. The life of our church should not be characterized by power plays or ego trips but by serving one another and a refusal to think of ourselves as being more important and valuable than others.

            Humility is one of the most obvious ways in which we can imitate our Lord Jesus Christ. Every movement of his life was marked by humility. The decision to be born into this world in the first place was clothed in humility. Philippians 2:6-8 says that Jesus, “though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

            Our Lord chose to be born into a family of simple peasants, common folk. Yes, they were in the royal bloodline of King David, but all the trappings of royalty had long since disappeared from their family. Our Lord then spent the vast majority of his life – 30 of his 33 years – living in humble obedience to his parents. And even after he had conducted his public ministry and become such a well-known figure, he could be found on the night before he died with a towel around his waist, washing the feet of his disciples – a task that was typically performed by the lowliest servant in a household. If there ever was a man who was clothed in humility, certainly was our Lord Jesus Christ. Reflecting on his life and actions will help us to know what such a life of humility looks like.

            And according to Peter in our passage for today, why must we clothe ourselves with humility toward one another? Because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. How sobering to think that God himself might oppose the life of our congregation rather than support it, but if we are a proud and arrogant people, that’s exactly what we might find! Like the prophet Balaam who set out to curse the children of Israel, we might find God blocking our way to hinder us from moving forward if we are acting in pride.

            At all times in the life of our church, Christ-like behavior must be on full display. That is especially important when pressure from outside the church might be making life hard for us. For some of us, acting like Christ will mean taking the lead by setting the example for others to follow and being the chief servants who are overseeing the life of the flock. For all of us, acting like Christ will mean embracing humility – wearing it like a beautiful garment that adorns everything we do. With spiritual health like that in our church, we can be certain that God will not be opposing us but sustaining us with his grace to do his will.

Your Plan for Handling Persecution--1 Peter 4:12-19 (1 Peter Series)

            On this day when we celebrate a young man’s baptism, it may seem odd that we are about to take a look at a passage on dealing with persecution. But there is a connection between these things – allow me to explain.

            For many people throughout history and around the world today, their baptism is a moment that invites persecution from their friends and family. When people convert to Christianity out of some other religion, their baptism is often seen as the moment when they are making their break from their former religion official. They have trusted in Christ prior to that, of course, but their friends and family might be willing to tolerate their faith as just some quirky opinions. But when these brothers and sisters are baptized, they often find themselves facing the brunt of hostility from their friends and family.

            The attitude that one expresses in baptism – this desire to be known as a follower of Christ – is an attitude that will bring persecution to each one of us at some point in time. It may be the loss of a friendship, or it may be insults and slander, but as the Apostle Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:12, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

            We all must be prepared, then, to face persecution. In 1 Peter 4:12-19, we find a condensed version of Peter’s teaching in this book about how to handle persecution. In this passage, we can break down his plan into four phases.

Phase 1—Expect persecution (v. 12)

            This is not to say that we need to live in constant fear or dread, but we just need to keep ahold of the realization that at some point, someone is not going to like a decision that you make on the basis of your faith, and they’re going to let you know about it—perhaps in subtle ways, like avoiding you, or perhaps in obvious ways, like insulting you or making life hard for you. Notice what Peter writes in v. 12 [READ v. 12].

            The point is that we simply need to remember that persecution will come our way in this world that is in rebellion against God. If we don’t remember that, then we might be caught off guard by it and be ill-prepared to handle it. But by keeping the possibility in mind, we won’t be taken by surprise.

Phase 2—Rejoice during persecution (vv. 13-14)

            This commandment always seems at least a little bit counterintuitive, but Peter gives us three solid reasons as to why we should rejoice when we face persecution.

1. You’re being associated with Christ

            [READ v. 13a] That’s a very interesting way for Peter to word this thought. Obviously, you and I are the ones who are here physically on earth enduring the suffering, but notice how Peter states that the sufferings really belong to Christ. When people persecute you, even though they don’t understand this, their real target is not you but Christ who is in you.

            Jesus takes it personally when we are persecuted for being known by his name. When he appeared to the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus, the first thing that the Lord said was, “Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Now, Saul hadn’t been chasing Jesus all over the countryside because Jesus was no longer on the earth – he had already returned to heaven. But as Saul persecuted Christians, Jesus took it so personally that he could say, “Why are you persecuting me?”

            So when you are persecuted, not only are your persecutors associating you with Christ, but Christ himself is as well! He identifies with you; he is on your side and in your corner.

2. You will be rewarded for facing persecution

            Let’s finish verse 13 now [READ v. 13]. Our rejoicing at the revelation of Christ’s glory is not only from the fact that we will see Christ, but also because we will receive the rewards that he has promised to those who are faithful despite persecution.

            As Peter penned these words, I have to think that he had Matthew 5:11-12 in his mind: “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

            If God chooses to let you face persecution in this life, He will more than make up for it in the life to come. Because you have been associated with Christ in persecution, you will also be associated with him in his glorious reign, and you will be given a position of honor and authority in his future Millennial Kingdom on Earth.

3. It is confirmation of the Holy Spirit’s presence in your life

            Jesus noted in Matthew 5 that if you are persecuted, you are just like the Old Testament prophets – men through whom the Holy Spirit spoke. If you are persecuted today, it is confirmation that the Holy Spirit is upon you as well [READ v. 14].

            And so, as strange as it might sound, we can rejoice in persecution for these reasons. The whole experience reminds us that we are in good company – the company of none other than Jesus Christ himself – and we will be his trusted companions in his future kingdom as well.

Phase 3—Evaluate the cause of your troubles (vv. 15-18)

            Sometimes we might face anger and rejection from other people simply because we’ve brought it on ourselves – not because they’re lashing out at the Spirit of Christ within us. For example, when the members of the Westboro Baptist Church face insults and anger for displaying their hateful signs, I really don’t think they could call that persecution. It seems that they themselves are acting in hatred, so when they face hatred and return, they are simply reaping what they themselves have sown.

            So we should consider whether we have brought this trouble upon ourselves through our own behavior. Look at verses 15 and 16 [READ vv. 15-16]. This is one of the only times in the New Testament where we find this word “Christian.” That title has an interesting origin, because it was actually coined by unbelievers who used it as an insult toward followers of Christ. Eventually, that title became a badge of honor to our brothers and sisters for the reasons we just mentioned – it reminded them that they were being lumped together with Christ! So today, it has become the most common title that we use to identify ourselves as followers of Jesus.

            So if you can look at your trouble with others and say that it truly is coming because of your Christian faith, then you can conclude that it is part of the testing and assessing that God is putting us through. Peter reminds us of this process in the first part of verse 17 [READ v. 17a].

            When you hear the word judgment here, don’t think of the words “condemnation” or “punishment.” Remember, a judgment is only a bad thing if you’re on the wrong side of it! In verse 12, Peter reminded us that these fiery trials come upon us to test us, and all the way back in chapter 1, Peter argued that the tested genuineness of our faith is even more precious than pure gold, and it will bring us praise, glory, and honor when Christ returns.

            So God allows us to face persecution to test us so that he might reward us later on. And so his testing and assessing of us has a positive motivation – to make us fit to win the prize of future rewards. But for those who do not believe, God’s judgment of them will have a much different outcome [READ vv. 17-18].

            Verse 18 is not meant to make us question our salvation or something like that. Rather, it’s an argument that if we are saved in spite of what we actually deserve, what will become of those who actually get what they deserve because they refused to accept salvation through Christ. It is a very sobering thought!

Phase 4—Entrust yourself to God and do good (v. 19)

            I’ve said before that verse 19 could be seen as Peter’s entire message in a nutshell [READ v. 19]. It is sometimes God’s plan for us to face persecution, because when we respond to it well, we end up with something that is even more valuable than pure gold – a refined faith, for which we will be rewarded.

            So when we find ourselves in those moments, we can remember that God has it all under control. He knows what he’s up to, and he is seeking to give us something that is more valuable than we will probably even realize in this lifetime. So we don’t have to take matters into our own hands when we are persecuted. We can entrust ourselves to him and simply focus on continuing to do good – even to those who are doing evil to us!

            We can entrust ourselves to God in this way because he is exactly as this verse describes him. First of all, he is faithful. He will always keep his word, so if he says he will reward us for facing persecution, you can take it to the bank! If he says that tested faith is more valuable than pure gold, you can believe that and safely act that way.

            Second, he is the Creator. Among other things, this fact means that he is in charge. He is in charge of my life and of your life and of the lives of those who may persecute us. Even if they seem to have some power to make life miserable for us, they still are not in control. God is in control, so he is the one whom we must respect and obey more than any man.

            God is so kind to give us all that we need to know in order to handle persecution. He has warned us about it ahead of time so that we are not caught off-guard by it. He has told us what he seeks to accomplish through it, so we know that it is part of his plan. He has told us that he will reward us for enduring it faithfully, so we have that incentive among others to drive us toward obedience in those moments. And he reminds us in so many ways that he is in control over all. So let us entrust all of this to him, and on our part, let us simply continue to focus on doing what is good.

Keeping Christian Community Strong in the Last Days--1 Peter 4:7-11 (1 Peter Series)

            Whenever you come to the end of a major project or season of life, there is always a sense of relief. But leading up to the end, there can also be a lack of focus—and some downright sloppiness!—because you know the end is near. Just remember what it was like as a student to try to learn anything after Spring Break! Or if you’ve ever quit a job and had to give two weeks’ notice, I’m sure those final two weeks were not the most productive two weeks of your career! And at the end of any project, when you’re tired and worn-out, it becomes so easy to cut corners or just slap everything together because you know you’re so close to the end.

            In 1 Peter 4 today, we’re going to be reminded that we are living in the last days of this present phase of human history. That fact is both a great comfort and a great challenge. It is a great comfort because it reminds us that our suffering is not going to last forever! The general sufferings of life and the rejection that we might face because of our faith – it all has an expiration date, and we’re close to it; we’re in the home stretch, and it won’t be long now!

            But this fact is also a challenge because it means that we may have very little time left before Jesus returns and we have to stand before him to explain how we did or did not serve him. In these last days, then, we can’t afford to be like that student who has “senior-itis;” we can’t afford to be like an employee who’s just going through the motions during his last two weeks. We have to be living faithful, obedient lives, and as Peter is going to remind us today, part of such a lifestyle is doing what we can to keep our Christian community strong.

            In 1 Peter 4:7-11, Peter is going to take us back to the basics, in a sense, to remind us how to keep our fellowship and our relationships running smoothly. He’s going to remind us about the necessity of three keys for strong Christian community.

Key #1—Praying

            In verse seven, Peter writes [READ v. 7]. Here, Peter is giving us another reason why we can’t be messing around with the kind of lifestyle that he described back in verse three – a lifestyle defined by sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. Not only are such things sinful in and of themselves, but they also distract us from the important ministry of praying.

            I hardly need to remind you about how vital prayer is in our lives. It is so important that the Apostle Paul commanded us in 1 Thessalonians 5 to “pray without ceasing.” But our prayers are going to be less effective if we’re not in control of our own urges and lusts, and if we’re not thinking clearly about our circumstances and what God has called us to do.

            When Peter says that we should be “sober-minded,” he doesn’t just mean sober rather than drunk. He means that we have to have the proper biblical perspective about our circumstances and God’s expectations for us in those circumstances. This whole letter is designed to give us the proper perspective for facing persecution and opposition for our faith, so this perspective will help us know what kind of things we should ask for in those situations.

            And of course, we have to be praying for each other during trying times and in these last days. The Christian life is a team sport, we might say. It’s a little bit less like wrestling and a little bit more like baseball, where everyone’s individual contributions contribute to the good of the team. So we have to be praying for each other, and a lack of self-control on my part or lack of clear-headed thinking on your part is only going to hinder that.

Key #2—Loving

            Here in verse 8, Peter writes [READ v. 8]. What Peter means here is that loving one another will allow us to overlook so many of the sins that we inadvertently commit against each other. How often do we act selfishly, or in a way that’s just a bit rude or inconsiderate? Well, probably more often than we realize! And so many of these sins we don’t commit intentionally, but due to the frailties of our human nature, we end up doing these things. It seems that Peter is saying that rather than being overly sensitive about all of these sins, our love for each other can allow us to overlook them rather than get bent out of shape about every little perceived slight from someone else.

            Think of it like the suspension on your car. As you travel down the road, the suspension on your car allows you to have a nice smooth ride because it absorbs hundreds of little bumps that you barely even recognize, because your suspension has done its job – it has carried you smoothly over all of those little rough spots.

            Love does a very similar thing in our relationships with each other. As we travel down the road of life together, love allows us to glide smoothly over so many little bumps that are caused by our thoughtless or inconsiderate sins. So we don’t have to call each other to repentance each time we forget to return a phone call promptly, or every time we forget to say hello to each other at church. We can allow so many things to be covered by love rather than become a major point of contention in our relationships.

            And let’s remember that when Peter writes “keep loving one another earnestly,” he’s not primarily saying “try to cultivate warm, fuzzy feelings toward each other.” Peter would be thinking much along the same lines as the Apostle Paul did when he described love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 – “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” If we will choose to act in those ways toward each other, we can allow the blanket of love to douse so many of the tiny sparks of sin that threaten to flare up among us.

Key #3—Serving

            In verses 9 through 11, Peter first mentions a general way in which we could all serve one another, and then he reminds us of the unique ways in which we have all been gifted by God to serve each other.

            First, the general method of serving is showing hospitality [READ v. 9]. Remember the general setting of this letter, because it explains why hospitality may have come to Peter’s mind at this point. This letter was sent to some believers who were facing some persecution for their faith. They were possibly in conflict with government officials and masters or employers; there was possible conflict in some of their homes or with extended family. Because of these conflicts, some of these believers may have been having a very hard time making ends meet.

            So what might be part of the solution for meeting those needs? Showing hospitality to one another; sharing some of what you have with your fellow believers; opening your home to those who are rejected by others to tell them, “You’ve got a friend in me, and I accept you.”

            Showing hospitality is a very tangible way to express love for other people, and it can be a powerful testimony in our world that has a lot of lonely people who may be dealing with the fallout from broken relationships. Our tendency today is to think of our homes much more like castles than community centers – they are places we go to isolate ourselves from other people. When people see someone adopting a different attitude toward their home or their possessions, it gets noticed!

            When I was a youth pastor, a family in my church once opened their home to the youth group to have a cookout. We enjoyed some good food together, and then we played some silly Frisbee game out in the street and just laughed and played and had a good time. The mother of this family told me later that her next-door neighbor had asked her what that was all about, and she just explained that it was our church’s youth group getting together. Her neighbor was shocked that you could get a group of modern teens together who would have fun just enjoying each other’s company and playing a silly Frisbee game!

            Now notice that Peter commands us to show hospitality “without grumbling.” It certainly does take some sacrifice to share your space and your time and your possessions, and we might be tempted to complain about that sacrifice. There is also some possibility for bitterness if you show hospitality to others but they never reciprocate. But we shouldn’t let the sacrifice required or any concerns about a return invitation keep us from showing hospitality to others. This is a very tangible way for us to serve one another.

            Peter then goes on to remind us about what we usually call our “spiritual gifts” [READ v. 10]. The whole subject of spiritual gifts brings up some interesting questions. One of those questions is, “What are they?” What are these things we call spiritual gifts? Are they natural abilities that we’re born with? Are they abilities that we didn’t have before we were born again, and then all of a sudden we did have them after we were saved?

            You may be surprised to learn that the Bible doesn’t totally answer that question for us. Some of the gifts mentioned in the Bible certainly come all of a sudden after salvation – like the gift of tongues in New Testament times. But what about the gift of administration that Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 11? I’ve never known of someone suddenly developing amazing administrative skills right after they were saved!

            Another significant question is, “How do I know what my spiritual gift is?” Once again, you may be surprised to learn that the Bible really doesn’t spell that out for us. There’s no chapter in the Bible that contains a spiritual gifts test like you see online sometimes, and no chapter that lays out a procedure for determining what your spiritual gift is.

            Perhaps the best advice I’ve ever heard for determining your spiritual gift is to ask yourself, “How does my passion and talent intersect with human needs?” Or to put that another way, “How could I make the greatest difference with the greatest effectiveness and the greatest joy?” Some careful consideration of those questions can help you pinpoint how God has gifted you to contribute to a Christian community and meet the needs of others around you.

            Whenever the New Testament talks about spiritual gifts, the one fact it is certain to emphasize is that we all have one, and thus we all have something to contribute to the life of a Christian community like the church. None of us should let ourselves think, “I have nothing to contribute to the life of my church.” Maybe you’re not entirely certain about what your contribution should be, and sometimes churches aren’t great about helping people figure that out. But as surely as God’s word is true, you have something to contribute to the life of a church, and therefore you are needed and your contributions are important.

            Peter goes on in verse 11 to talk about spiritual gifts in just two broad categories – speaking and serving. For those who might preach or teach or in some way educate or encourage the body of Christ through words, Peter says this: “whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God.” Wow! Thanks Peter—no pressure there! This challenge reminds us that whenever we would presume to say, “This is a truth from God’s holy word,” we should approach that opportunity carefully and reverently. But also, when we are confident that we do have the truth of God accurately in our minds, we should communicate that with passion and zeal, knowing that we are not just passing along human opinions but the life-giving truth of God!

            Then for those who would serve in various ways, Peter says this: “whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies.” Now this does not mean that we should serve in a way that ignores our God-given need for rest, telling ourselves that it’s okay to stretch ourselves too thin because God will just keep us going. That is a rather foolish and presumptuous attitude. Rather, the idea is that as we serve, we keep in mind where our strength actually comes from – that we are being empowered by God to serve, so that we are actually doing His work, not just our own. We are actually his hands and feet in this world so to speak.

            And the purpose for this is to remember that it is God who deserves the praise and glory for every good thing we do. That’s why Peter closes this section with a beautiful doxology, or statement of worship: “in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”

            So the keys to keeping Christian community strong in these last days are praying, loving, and serving. If we will keep these keys in hand and make use of them as we should we will to be well prepared to withstand any opposition that may come our way and to have a good answer when we stand before our Lord at his return.

Arm Yourself With the Attitude of Christ--1 Peter 4:1-6 (1 Peter Series)

            There’s an old cliché which says, “Don’t bring a knife to a gunfight!” When you’re in a conflict – be it a sensitive conversation or battle against temptation – you want to make sure you’re well-equipped to win the victory.

            The Apostle Peter has been calling us to be willing to do good even if we will suffer for it. Today, in the first part of chapter 4, Peter will tell us what a powerful weapon Christ’s attitude is for us as we stare down our own sinful passions and face peer pressure from others to do what is sinful. We’ll look at his teaching today in 4:1-6, and then we’ll wrap up our time talking in slightly more general terms about the important role that thinking has to play in our spiritual growth. Make sure you grab hold of this thought:

When you face suffering for doing good, arm yourself with the attitude of Christ.

1. Christ’s attitude pushes us toward obedience rather than sin (vv. 1-2)

            Peter has just shown us how Jesus was willing to do good even if it led to suffering, and now he’s going to challenge us to embrace that same attitude by showing us what a powerful weapon it is against our sinful passions and temptations [READ 4:1-2].

            When you embrace this attitude of being willing to do good even if it means suffering or discomfort, spiritually speaking it’s like you’ve traveled over a railway switch that moves you off of one path and onto a very different path. It moves you from simply pursuing your own sinful desires – which is what we all do naturally – to pursuing the will of God no matter what.

            Notice how Peter said we should “arm ourselves” with this attitude. It truly is a powerful defensive tool against temptation, because the threat of suffering is one of Satan’s last resorts when we are about to take a step of obedience. In my mind this week, I pictured it as a little glass box inside of Satan’s bag of tricks, and on the box it says, “Break glass in case of emergency!” When Satan sees you about to take a step of obedience, he breaks that glass and he pulls out the threat of suffering. He throws a temptation at you that says, “You know, your friends might make fun of you if you don’t go along with this! They may not talk to you anymore after this!” Or it says, “You know, you’re going to keep feeling pretty tense if you don’t just let all of that anger out. You could really blow off all that steam if you just punch that guy or run your mouth with those things you’d like to say. Or it might say, “You’re going to lose your job if you don’t go along with what the boss wants you to do!”

            If you can stare suffering like that in the face and say, “I don’t care; I’m still going to do what God wants me to do,” then you have turned a major corner on the path toward spiritual maturity. You have clearly shifted from having sinful desires as the driving force of your life to having godliness as the driving force of your life. Clearly then, this attitude is a powerful weapon.

We must also remember that…

2. Any time spent in sinful living is too much time! (v. 3)

            [READ v. 3] Does this sound like any culture you know? It should, because you’re living in it! Peter’s list essentially revolves around two sins that are literally celebrated in our society: sexual sins and drunkenness. Since at least the 1960’s our country has declared that libido is lord. One by one, we have thrown off every restraint that might hinder us from expressing our romantic urges in any way that we might choose. Today, our government promotes policies that are based on the idea that your romantic desires are more fundamental than even biological facts about you. Sexuality is rapidly becoming the primary way in which people identify themselves in our culture.

            And if you want to know what kind of an impact the celebration of drunkenness has in our culture, just look at the defining cultural event in our country – the Super Bowl. Every year, the commercials that air during the Super Bowl set records for how expensive they are to purchase. They cost gobs of money, and yet almost every other commercial you see during the game is from a brewery. And of course, the commercials themselves are very telling. Good times are waiting for you, they say; just add booze, and everything will be great.

Since these sins are so celebrated in our culture, we face a lot of pressure to conform to our society’s way of thinking. We may be insulted if we don’t, as Peter points out next, but we must remember this observation…

3. Sinful living is silly foolishness and it will be judged by God

            [READ v. 4] Let’s make sure we don’t miss the humor in Peter’s metaphor of a “flood of debauchery,” or sinfulness. When actual floodwaters rise, no clear-thinking person runs toward the flood – everyone runs away from it! They see the raging, dangerous waters and they move to safety.

            But with respect to sin, these people see a flood rising and they say, “Let’s dive in!” And then they look at you and say, “Aren’t you coming, too?” When you have the audacity to say, “Wait a minute – do you really think this is a good idea? This is a raging, deadly flood!” they start to make fun of you!

            Peter wants to make sure we see the foolishness of all this so that the pain for many insults we receive will lose its edge. When we remember how foolish people are to rush carelessly into some of these sins, their opinion of us becomes a little less significant. If they don’t have better discernment than that, their evaluation of us becomes very insignificant.

            This is a lesson that I really want all of you teenagers to remember, because you are right at the beginning or even in the middle of a phase of life in which you may have lots of people make fun of you if you avoid sexual sins and drunkenness. Remember this – people who live for such things and pursue them are not thinking clearly, so if they make fun of you remember that their viewpoint is not correct. If they say you’re a loser, they’re wrong! Don’t let their insults pressure you into doing what you know is wrong.

            And don’t feel like you have to get even with them or treat them the same way, because they will have to answer to God for the way that they treat you. Look at verse five [READ v. 5]. Now lest we think this is cause for celebration, let’s remember that this is really cause for compassion. These people who make fun of us need the gospel, and as Peter told us in chapter 3, we need to be ready to share it with them. It is the only hope that any of us have for eternal life after we die. Peter reminds us of this in verse six. [READ v. 6]

            Don’t get the wrong idea from this statement. Peter is not saying that people will hear the gospel after death in some kind of a moment that would offer a second chance to receive it. Notice that he says the gospel was preached (past tense) even to those who are dead (present tense). He means that the gospel offers us the promise of eternal life even though we still have to go through physical death.

The Importance of Thinking for Spiritual Growth

            In the rest of our time, I’d like to take a bit of a step back and show you how this passage picks up on a very important New Testament theme. In these verses, Peter states that in order for us to stop pursuing sin and grow spiritually, our thinking must rule over our feelings and our passions. We must be led through life by careful thinking, not by the whims of our feelings or our passions.

            Several New Testament passages emphasize the importance of careful thinking for our spiritual growth, but probably none says it better than Romans 12:2—“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

            According to that verse, the process of transformation that takes us away from worldliness occurs as our minds are renewed – that is as we learn to think about everything from a biblical perspective. Notice that finding the will of God is also described here as a mental process, one that involves testing and discernment.

            In light of this verse and Peter’s declaration that we must arm ourselves with a certain way of thinking, it is vital that we realize that spiritually mature people must be thoughtful people – people who think clearly, frequently, and deeply about the issues of life, and learn to think about them from a biblical perspective.

            I’m concerned today, my friends, that many Christians seem to have flabby minds – minds that are rarely exercised on anything of great significance. I’m concerned that we may not be pushing back hard enough against two significant trends in our culture.

1. The trend to emphasize feelings over thinking

            Our culture tells us today to follow our hearts and listen to our hearts. We have enthroned our feelings as an infallible guide for our choices. I know this song is a little dated these days, but Sheryl Crow once sang, “If it makes you happy, it can’t be that bad.” We have minimized and rationalized all kinds of sins because the people doing them seem to feel good about what they’re doing.

            We can also spot this trend in the way that we talk. When people share their opinions today, frequently you will hear them say, “I feel that…” rather than, “I think that…” This isn’t just an innocent or meaningless change in the way we speak. It reflects and then feeds into this trend to marginalize thinking in favor of feeling.

            I fear that we have baptized these ideas and brought them into the church. Many Christians will judge a worship service based on how they feel afterward, or how they felt during the music. If they get to their “happy place” emotionally, then they decide that they truly worshipped, but if they didn’t find that “happy place,” then the service wasn’t very good, or they didn’t worship.

            Also, when faced with a very important life decision, many Christians will spend very little time studying the Bible for guidance and large blocks of time trying to sort out what they think the Holy Spirit might be telling them through their feelings.

2. The trend toward excess in entertainment

            I have a serious concern, my friends, that we as a culture are amusing ourselves into stupidity. Let’s just talk about one form of entertainment – consuming media, like television or the radio. About two months ago, the Nielsen Company released a study on the viewing and listening habits of adults in the United States. They found that the average adult in the United States today spends five hours a day watching TV, nearly 2 hours listening to the radio, and about an hour and a half surfing the web or using other apps on our smart phones. When you add in a couple of other things like watching DVDs or playing video games, the average adult today spends 10 ½ hours consuming media every day. Now I can only hope that those devices were on in the background during some of that time and that we’re not actually giving our full attention to media for 10 ½ hours every day.

            Consider those statistics and ask yourself, “How different am I than the average American?” How much time do you spend trying to improve your mind? How much time do you spend trying to learn how to think about all of life from a biblical perspective? How much time do you spend reading the Bible?

            Or consider this: when is the last time that you read anything longer than a blog post that was meant to challenge your thinking and help you have a biblical perspective on life? I’m not trying to put down blog posts, but honestly, how much do we really think about them after we read them? Not very much I imagine. Now contrast that with reading a book that might take you seven or eight hours to read altogether spread out over the course of three weeks. That process gives your mind much more time to reflect on what you are reading and actually take it in and allow it to shape the way that you think.

            Or consider this question: when is the last time that you intentionally did something in silence, just to be alone with your thoughts? No TV on in the background, no radio playing – just total silence from all media? It’s great to listen to Christian radio or to listen to sermons or to read good blogs or good books, but time spent without any media input at all is necessary time to allow our minds to digest everything that we are feeding them. In the same way that your stomach needs time to digest what you put in it, your mind also needs time to digest what you put in it.

            Think once more about the message of Romans 12:2. If we are going to be transformed out of a worldly way of living, that process begins with our minds being renewed into a biblical way of thinking. That means we must be people who have our minds turned on. We must be thinking carefully, frequently, and deeply about the issues of life. Otherwise, we will find ourselves with worldly attitudes and opinions, and the worst part is that we won’t even realize it.

            And as Peter challenged us today, victory over our sinful passions and desires begins with embracing a certain way of thinking – in this case, it’s the mindset that doing what is good is always worth it, even if I have to suffer for it. Let us be people who buck the trend of our society toward flabby thinking. Let us allow God to change us through a renewal of our minds.

Look to Jesus for the Right Response to Suffering--1 Peter 3:18-22 (1 Peter Series)

            Our neighbors to the east over in Missouri live in what’s called “The Show-Me State.” The idea behind that nickname is that Missourians are not gullible people – if you want to make a point to them, you’ll have to prove it; you’ll have to “Show Me” that what you’re saying is true.

            We all have at least a little bit of that Missouri attitude in us, don’t we? When a claim sounds too good to be true or it’s different than what we expected, we say, “You’re going to have to show me. You’re going to have to prove it!”

            In the previous passage of 1 Peter, the apostle has just called us to continue to do good even to those who have done evil to us. He said that we should even view such times as opportunities to share the Gospel. Now, Peter may have sensed that even though his readers lived in what is now Turkey, they were really Missourians at heart. He knew that the call to do good even to those who do us evil is a tough pill for all of us to swallow. So in our passage for today, he’s going to point us once again to the example of Christ to show us that God truly does honor those who do good despite suffering for it.

1. Jesus was willing to suffer for doing good (v. 18)

            In verse 18, Peter reminds us that Jesus was willing to suffer for doing good. We should be very thankful that he was willing to do so, because his suffering has resulted in our salvation! [READ v. 18]

            Notice how Peter makes it a point to emphasize that when Jesus suffered for our sins, it was the righteous one suffering in behalf of all of us unrighteous people. Jesus had never done a single thing wrong! Remember that back in 2:22, Peter had written of Jesus, “He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.”

            You’ll recall that after Jesus called Peter to become his disciple, Peter lived with Jesus night and day virtually every day for the next three years, and yet Peter says, “It’s true! He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.” Now, my wife and kids live with me night and day, and I can tell you that they won’t have to wait three years to spot me doing something sinful! During that amount of time, my sinfulness will be obvious, yet Peter was able to say of Jesus, “He was a righteous man.” He did not deserve a sentence of death in the least, yet he was willing to accept it and endure it that he might bring us to God. He did it for our well-being! He did it for you and for me.

           

But let us focus again on how Jesus is our example. In the next part of this passage, Peter will reveal how Jesus set an example for proclaiming an offer of forgiveness even to those who were doing evil.

2. Jesus was willing to proclaim good news to those who were doing evil (vv. 19-21)

            As we come into the next part of this passage, we encounter some statements that have proven to be some of the most difficult statements to interpret in all of Scripture. Let me read verses 19 and 20, then I’ll explain a bit of the difficulty and describe for you the two most likely interpretations of these statements [READ vv. 19-20].

            The difficulty of interpreting these verses comes in attempting to answer some basic questions about them. Who are “the spirits in prison,” and what connection do they have to the days of Noah? What did Jesus proclaim to them, and when did he do it? Let me ever-so-briefly lay out for you the two most likely interpretations of this passage.

#1—Between his crucifixion and his resurrection, Jesus spoke to demons who are confined in Hell to announce their ultimate doom.

            Some of you have perhaps worshiped before in a church tradition that frequently recited some of the ancient creeds of the Christian faith. One of those creeds says of Jesus that he “descended into Hell.” If you’ve ever heard that before and you wondered where that statement came from, it comes from this interpretation of this passage, as well as a small handful of other verses.

            Some people believe that this is the best interpretation primarily for three reasons. First, the statement in verse 18 that Jesus was “put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit” could seem to refer to a time when his flesh was still dead. Obviously, that was only true in the short time between his death and his resurrection, and so those who take this interpretation say that the proclamation must’ve happened during that time.

            Second, the word “spirits” is often used in the New Testament to refer to demons. Furthermore, when Peter is clearly referring to human beings in verse 20, he uses a different word – the word that is translated in the ESV as “persons.”

            Third, the word “prison” is used in the Book of Revelation to describe a place where demons are apparently being kept under arrest – so to speak – until the end times.

This is one possible interpretation. The second is…

#2—Jesus inspired Noah to proclaim an offer of forgiveness to the sinful people of his day while he was building the ark.

            What is the support for this interpretation? First, there’s a possible translation of v. 20 that would place the timing of the proclamation squarely within the days when Noah was building the ark. The word “because” at the beginning of v. 20 could also be translated “when,” which would make this passage read, “he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, when they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah.”

            Second, Jewish tradition outside of the Bible states that as Noah was building the ark, he called others to repent and join him inside of it. Now, in 2 Peter 2:5, Peter calls Noah a “herald of righteousness,” which indicates that Peter may have had those stories about Noah in mind as he writes about him.

            Third, the picture of Jesus inspiring Noah to proclaim hope and forgiveness fits much better with the previous passage, because that’s precisely what Peter called us to do in vv. 16-17.

            All in all, I think this second interpretation is best. This means, then, that Peter is calling us to reflect on Christ’s willingness to proclaim an offer of forgiveness even to wicked people. Even after God had announced to Noah that judgment was on the way—that it was going to wipe out mankind—even still he apparently moved Noah to call people to repentance and offer them room on the ark. God desires for us to proclaim the Gospel far and wide, even to people whom we think may not deserve it, because no one lies beyond the reach of God’s forgiveness—if they will only accept it.

            Recently, I read a biography of one of the Army chaplains who served in Nuremberg, Germany after World War II as captured Nazi war criminals were being tried for war crimes.¹ Many people don’t realize this, but the United States provided chaplains to minister not only to our own soldiers who were stationed there, but also to the Nazis who were on trial for war crimes. This book recounts how several of these Nazi officers repented of their sins and asked God for forgiveness. The man who wrote this biography had some of his theology a bit mixed up, but the story does remind us how all people can find forgiveness through Christ. If Jesus led Noah to preach forgiveness even to the people who mocked him for his faith, then the Lord would want us to do the same thing.

            Now notice that in verse 21, this mention of Noah and his family being brought safely through water brought the subject of baptism to Peter’s mind. I believe he may have thought of baptism because of the possibility that some people in his audience were shying away from being baptized in order to minimize the opposition they were facing. Remember that most of the people in the churches that first received this letter were apparently from a Jewish background. For their Jewish friends and family, baptism would have been the clear declaration that these believers were leaving behind Judaism to embrace Christianity.

            Some of these believers, then, may have been dragging their feet on baptism. But Peter has something important to say about this step of obedience [READ v. 21]. Let’s clarify what Peter is telling us when he says “baptism…saves you.” Is he saying that being baptized is what brings us forgiveness of sins and a home in heaven? Would Peter say, then, that we will not go to heaven unless we are baptized?

            In the context, Peter doesn’t seem to have the thought of going to heaven in mind at all. Recall that when we studied James 2, I told you that when we see words like “saves” or “saved” in the Bible, we have to ask ourselves the question, “Saved from what?” The word “saved” simply means “delivered from danger,” so we have to allow the immediate context of the passage to tell us what the danger is in that case.

            In this passage, the danger that Peter has in mind is losing out on the blessings that we will receive if we respond properly when evil is done to us. If we respond in a sinful way in those moments, we could lose the blessing of living at peace with the people around us, we will lose the reward in heaven that comes from suffering for righteousness sake, and we will lose out on the opportunity to have a bold witness for Christ. Now if those don’t sound like things that we really don’t want to miss out on, then we need to reassess what we cherish and value in our hearts.

            The act of baptism puts us in the right frame of mind to receive the blessings that come from responding properly to suffering. When you choose to be baptized, you are making a public declaration that you are a follower of Christ, come what may! You are declaring that your confidence is in him, and that you want to obey all that he commands his followers to do. And notice that just like with all of the spiritual benefits and blessings that we have, the benefits of baptism are based on what Jesus has accomplished, not on anything that we accomplish. Notice that Peter says that baptism saves us from these dangers “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” All of the glory goes to him, whether we’re talking about baptism or anything else. It is his power that accomplishes good in our lives, whether we’re talking about the good of becoming a child of God or growing in maturity as children of God. It all comes through his resurrection power.

Christ’s destiny after his resurrection also reminds us of the honor that we stand to receive for responding to suffering and evil in a godly way.

3. Jesus was honored for His willingness to suffer (v. 22)

            In verse 22, Peter writes of Jesus [READ v. 22]. The fact that Jesus is at the right hand of God means that he is in a position of great honor and authority. We may sometimes talk about a person being “my right hand man,” and this means that we highly value that person; we trust them and rely upon them greatly. So Jesus is in a position of great honor and glory ruling at the right hand of God.

            We can see this honor as well from the end of the verse. Angels, authorities, powers – these are all terms that refer to various ranks of angelic beings, and Peter says that Jesus has been placed in authority over them all. That has always been true of Jesus as God, but now it is also true of him as the God-man. Through his life and death and resurrection as a man, Jesus has now restored humanity to an honored and exalted position among all created things.

            Just as Jesus was honored for his willingness to do good despite suffering evil, we too will be honored if we choose to have the same response. The story of Jesus teaches us this important lesson, that choosing to do good in the face of injustice will bring us glory and honor down the road. Yes, we may experience injustice from other people right now. We can’t control how other people might treat us, but we can control how we choose to respond, and if we will choose to respond with continued obedience to God, we will inherit blessing and honor – perhaps even the blessing of peaceful living with others right now, but certainly the honor of eternal reward from our God when we get to heaven.

Notes:

1. The book is “Mission at Nuremberg,” by Tim Townsend.

Living a Blessed Life Through Every Situation--1 Peter 3:8-17 (1 Peter Series)

            What comes to your mind when you think about the idea of being blessed? What sort of events or circumstances might make you think, “Wow! I really feel blessed!” I wanted to get a bit of a sense of what our culture thinks about this idea, so I decided to go to the most accurate source of information about our culture – which is Facebook, of course. I did a search on posts that used the hashtag “blessed,” and by and large, the posts confirmed my suspicion that in our culture, we tend to think of ourselves as being blessed when we have nice stuff.

            On one post, I found a world-class athlete posting that he felt blessed as he was traveling in his private jet. I also found a celebrity who used that hashtag for a selfie as she was laying on a beautiful beach somewhere. But the post that really took the cake was a picture of a man literally lying in a pile of cash!

            But what does it mean to be blessed according to the Bible? How do we pursue a blessed life? In our study of 1 Peter today, the Apostle is going to turn our culture’s idea of being blessed on its head and show us that as Christians, we should measure the blessed life by very different standards, and we pursue it by pursuing godliness at all times and in all situations.

1. Cultivate a culture of blessedness in the Church through connected hearts

            In the first part of our passage for today, Peter once again addresses the entire congregation of the churches who received this letter. He had just given some individual instruction to servants, wives, and husbands, but now he addresses all believers once again in v. 8, where he gives us a summary of how to cultivate a family atmosphere within the Church—which is especially important in light of the opposition to our faith that we encounter from society at large [READ v. 8].

            Please note that when Peter calls us to have “unity of mind,” he’s not talking so much about our opinions – as in, we all have to have the same opinions about absolutely everything – but rather, he’s talking more so about our attitude toward one another. When another believer is involved, my default attitude should be one of pursuing unity. Our common faith in Christ places us on very significant common ground, and so I should seek to live in unity and harmony with my fellow believers.

            Notice also the emphasis that Peter places upon our internal faculties in this verse. We see words like “mind,” “heart,” and “mind” again, and of course sympathy and brotherly love involve our affections and emotions. We might say that Peter is calling for heartfelt connections with each other that form deep bonds.

            It’s not very difficult in a church setting to learn how to exchange small talk with each other or even pal around with each other and share a few laughs when we’re together. But Peter is clearly calling for our bonds to go much deeper. We should have an emotional connection with each other that unites us and leads us to feel each other’s joys and sorrows.

            One key for building these kinds of bonds is to remember that our love for each other really and truly is brotherly (or, we could say sisterly as well!). We really are spiritual siblings because of our shared adoption in the family of God. We are more than just neighbors, more than even just friends. We have a true family bond through Christ, and remembering that is one key for building relationships that touch our hearts.

2. Seek blessedness with others by acting in godly ways at all times

            In verse nine, Peter seems to turn his attention from the church toward society at large. What he’s about to say certainly applies to our relationships with other believers, but it seems that his focus is on our relationships with unbelievers. He gives us the basic command to bless them – even if they don’t do the same to us! [READ v. 9a, through “called”].

            a. “Bless others…” (v. 9a)

            In this verse, we see again the basic principle of Christian ethics that I am not supposed to allow your behavior toward me to dictate my behavior toward you. Peter states that even if someone does evil to us or insults us, we are not supposed to respond in kind. Rather, we are supposed to bless others, and Peter reminds us that God has called us to have this kind of response. It is not just Peter’s own opinion; rather, it is a calling from God.

            Now, what does it mean to bless someone else? In verse 11, will see that it certainly does involve our actions, but the term “bless” itself focuses on what we say. When someone does evil to you or insults you, you can easily cause that conflict to escalate by what you choose to say in response. Peter tells us not to respond with insults of our own, but with language that is still respectful and kind – language that reflects goodwill toward that person rather than hatred or evil.

            As Peter reminded us back in chapter 2, that is exactly how Jesus responded. Verses 22-23 say, “He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.” Since we are called to imitate Jesus, we should choose to respond like he did when we are insulted or slandered.

            b. “…that you may obtain a blessing” (v. 9b-13)

            Notice that part of the purpose behind this kind of response is mentioned here in the last part of verse nine: “that you may obtain a blessing.” Apparently, this kind of response sets us up to receive a blessing. And what is that blessing? We get a sense of it in this quotation from Psalm 34 that Peter includes in the next few verses [READ vv. 10-13].

            What is the blessing according to these verses? It is a lovable (or pleasant or enjoyable) life that is characterized by a sense of approval from God and peaceful living with others. Peter sums up this blessing with his rhetorical question in verse 13: “who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?”             Generally speaking, people will respond well if you pursue peace with them through the way that you act. This principle seems to be especially true in your personal relationships, like your relationships with your neighbors, coworkers, friends, and family members. Again, generally speaking, you can enjoy the blessing of a living at peace with others if you will treat them in godly ways. Peter may have had a verse like Proverbs 16:7 in the back of his mind here: “When a man’s ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”

            Obviously, if you treat people in evil ways, you are just asking for trouble – you are bringing it upon yourself. And that’s not just because other people will turn against you, but because the Lord himself will be against your behavior, as it says at the end of verse 12. It’s important for us to remember that just because we are children of God through our faith in Jesus Christ, we don’t get some kind of free pass on sin.

            As with your own children, their tantrums are not somehow less offensive to you just because they’re coming from your own children. In fact, they’re probably more upsetting and embarrassing to you because they are coming from your own children! In the same way that you would oppose that kind of behavior in your kids, God opposes evil behavior in us when we choose to go that route.

            So once again, in general, when we treat other people in godly ways, they will likely respond well to that. At the very least, our behavior is laying the foundation on which peaceful relationships can be built, and those relationships obviously lead to a more lovable or enjoyable life and days that are characterized by good rather than evil coming at us from every side.

Now Peter is also a realist, so he recognizes that there may be times when people do evil to you despite the fact that you are living in a godly way. So he goes on now to deal with that reality and remind us that even in that situation, we can and will find blessing.

            c. “even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed” (vv. 14-17)

            In the first part of verse 14, Peter writes [READ v. 14a]. As Peter wrote this, I imagine that he had the words of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount ringing in his ears: “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:11-12).”

            Notice in this scenario of suffering for righteousness’ sake that the fullness of the blessing only comes in the future. Jesus said, “your reward is great in heaven.” The persecution itself might be very unpleasant and difficult, and even though you could find satisfaction in your soul from knowing that God was pleased with you, the fullness of the blessing in store for you would come later.

            Peter himself had already experienced persecution for his faith, and in Acts chapters 4-5, he gives us an example of the kind of response he now calls for here – not to be afraid in those moments, but to view them as an opportunity to share your faith in Christ.

            [READ v. 14b-15a] What Peter means here is that in our hearts and minds, we have to continue to keep Jesus in a class by himself. In our thinking, we have to keep Jesus exalted above those who are persecuting us so that we won’t allow fear of our persecutors to lead us to be unfaithful to Christ. So, for example, we have to remember that disappointing Jesus is far worse than disappointing other people. If they want us to walk away from our faith in Christ, we have to remember that such betrayal would be far worse than letting them down.

            Also, we have to remember that Jesus is still truly the one in charge of our lives even if our persecutors may seem to be in control of the situation. So we can’t let any fear of other people force our opinion of them to grow out of proportion. Christ is still the Lord over all, and we must honor him as such with our obedience.

            When we keep Jesus in a class by himself, then we are prepared to respond as Peter calls us to in the rest of verse 15 [READ v. 15b]. We should look at these moments as opportunities to share our faith! When people treat you poorly and cause you to suffer, it can be shocking to them when you don’t respond the same way. When you respond to them with kindness and love and confidence in your faith, it can lead them to say, “Why are you doing this?”

            Notice that Peter calls us to explain our hope in Christ “with gentleness and respect.” Apparently we’re not supposed to say, “I’m doing this because one of these days, God is going to crush you under his feet, you filthy pagan!” No – rather we should speak with kindness, even with compassion for this person who obviously needs to hear and understand the gospel.

            Even the next part of Peter’s instructions is not motivated by a sense of personal triumph, but the notion that guilt and shame might bring our persecutors to repentance and faith in God [READ v. 16]. Like the Philippian jailer or the thief on the cross, godly behavior in the midst of suffering can be a powerful tool that God can use to bring people under the conviction of the Holy Spirit to lead them to repent of their sins. That should be our desire even for those who cause us to suffer for our godly behavior! If God was merciful and gracious enough to forgive us, how can we not forgive those who do us wrong and show them compassion by sharing the Gospel with them so they can find the same hope in Christ that we have?

            Peter sums up his teaching in verse 17 by saying [READ v. 17]. If we are going to suffer because of our own personal conduct, it’s far better than our conduct was good rather than evil. If we suffer because of evil that we had done, we’ve brought that suffering on ourselves. There won’t be a blessing that comes from it, and it certainly won’t create an opportunity for us to have a powerful testimony to other people. But if we suffer for doing good, we will be blessed by God, and what’s more, we could be used by God in a mighty way to bring other people to faith in him.

            So no matter our situation, we can obtain a blessing through godly behavior. Most of the time, that blessing will be the peace that we enjoy with other people in the pleasant enjoyment that comes from a life that’s characterized by peace rather than turmoil. And even if it should come about that our godly behavior leads to persecution, we can gain the blessing of a reward from God in Heaven, and the opportunity to shine as a bright light for Christ in the midst of darkness.

The Habits of an Honorable Husband--1 Peter 3:7 (1 Peter Series)

            We have several clichés and proverbs in our language that remind us not to make superficial judgments about things simply on the basis of appearance. For example, we have the very straightforward statement, “Appearances can be deceiving.” We also have some metaphors like, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” or “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”

            It would be wise for us not to judge by appearances as we come to 1 Peter 3:7. From a quick glance at 1 Peter 3, you can see that Peter devotes 6 verses to instructing wives, but only 1 verse to instructing husbands. It would be incorrect to look at that disparity and conclude that wives need more instruction or that husbands apparently do a better job in their role. In fact, if you compare this chapter to Ephesians 5—which also gives instruction to husbands and wives—you’ll see that the balance is exactly the opposite; husbands receive much more instruction in that chapter than wives do.

            So, let’s move past mere appearances with this verse and dig in to what Peter has to say to husbands. Here we will find 3 habits of an honorable husband.

1. An honorable husband knows his task and his wife

            Peter begins this verse by saying, “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way.” The Greek behind this translation literally says to live “according to knowledge.” In order to be an honorable husband, there are at least two areas of knowledge in which a husband must be well-versed.

            First, he must thoroughly understand the task that God has given to him as a husband. He is called to be a leader for his wife – to set the direction or set the tone in the home. Now husbands must remember that in most ways, the direction for the home has already been set for him by the Lord. So the husband’s real task is simply to bear the greater share of responsibility for implementing God’s plans for a Christian family.

            Men, when we hear that we are supposed to be the leaders in the home, our sinful pride tells us that that makes us like a commander-in-chief. We might picture ourselves as having unquestioned authority in the home, with the power to bark out orders and expect our wives to get in line.

            In reality, we are much more like a platoon sergeant. Sure – we do have a position of leadership, but it’s much lower on the ladder than our sinful nature would have us think. Again, in our role, our task is simply to take the commands we have received from above and implement them among those who are under our care.

            Second, a husband must also thoroughly understand his wife. Once we have a good grasp on our task from God, we then have to look for the best way to carry out that task in the context of our specific marriages to our specific wives. In any setting, if a leader is going to lead effectively, he must have a thorough knowledge of those who are under his care.

            I don’t have to tell you that every woman is unique. Each woman has her own upbringing, her own genetics, her own personality, her own innate gifts and abilities, her own spiritual gifts. When God gives you one of these wonderful creatures as a wife, you have to get to know her to figure out how she works! What are her opinions? What are her fears? What are her hopes, her dreams? What are her limitations and her weaknesses?

            You have to get to know your wife, and you have to keep getting to know her. You’re going to laugh at me for this one, but I remember distinctly about a month ago being reminded of something that I had forgotten about my wife. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you what it was because I forgot it again! That happens, doesn’t it? We learn, and we forget; or we learn and come to find out that we had misunderstood.

            So we have to keep learning about our wives so that we will know the most effective way to lead them as we work together to implement God’s plans for our home.

2. An honorable husband honors his wife

A. Due to the vulnerabilities of her position

            In the next part of verse seven, Peter tells husbands to “[show] honor to the woman as the weaker vessel.” Please note that Peter does not call women weak – he calls them weaker. He does not use an absolute term; so in other words, he’s not saying, “Look husbands, you’ve got to understand that your wives are just plain weak. No matter how you slice it, they’re just weak.” That is NOT what Peter says!

            Rather, he uses a comparative term; he’s saying that in some way as compared to their husbands, women are weaker by that standard of comparison. Now, what standard of comparison is Peter thinking of? It seems that there are basically two options.

            First, Peter could be thinking in terms of physical strength. It is generally true that husbands are stronger than their wives in terms of sheer, brute strength. I don’t know about the rest of you husbands though, but I’m not going to tell the woman who bore my children that she’s weaker than I am!

            It could be that Peter is talking about physical strength, and by “honor” then, he would apparently mean something like protecting your wife and keeping her safe. Your wife’s need for physical safety is certainly a need for which a husband wants to provide, so we should be looking after that.

            But Peter might have a second standard of measurement in the forefront of his mind, and that would be the standard of how men and women are viewed in society. At that time in particular, women were in a much weaker position in society in terms of their legal rights and in terms of the respect that was given to them.

            There are always exceptions to the rule, but the common wife at that time was totally at the mercy of her husband in numerous ways. Let me just give you one quote to illustrate this. These words come from the Roman statesman Cato, who lived around 300 years before 1 Peter was written, but nevertheless, his words capture the status of women that prevailed throughout the history of the Roman Empire. He stated, “If you were to catch your wife in an act of infidelity, you can kill her with impunity without a trial; but, if she were to catch you, she would not venture to touch you with her finger, and, indeed, she has no right.”¹

            So what was a Christian husband to do in a setting like that – a setting in which his wife was tremendously vulnerable? According to Peter, he was to show honor to his wife. By doing so, a Christian husband could calm any fears that his wife may have had about him abusing his position of authority. He could help her to feel extremely secure in his love and protection and thus send a clear message that she had nothing to fear.

            Wives today have a much different standing in society, but nevertheless, they still have a certain vulnerability in some ways. If a divorce occurs, for example, a wife typically takes on greater responsibility for any children, and she might be economically vulnerable if she didn’t work outside the home. Regardless, a wife still faces the reality that she is called to follow her husband’s lead in the home. Husbands, in light of this, we must show honor to our wives to reassure them that we have no intention of abusing our leadership role, but rather, we intend to cherish our wives and show them how much we love them.

B. Due to her spiritual equality in the eyes of God

            Regardless of how a society or culture may view wives, God sees them as being spiritual equals with their husbands – so husbands need to see them the same way! Peter writes that a second reason we should show honor to our wives is, “since they are heirs with you of the grace of life.”

            When it comes to receiving spiritual blessings from God, husbands and wives are on an equal footing. Neither a husband nor a wife is better off in terms of the ability to receive salvation or to relate to God. This is very important for a husband to remember, lest he think that his leadership position means that God loves him more or that his wife just simply isn’t capable of the spiritual insight that he is capable of. This simply isn’t true!

3. An honorable husband remembers that his own fellowship with God will be hindered by mistreating his wife

            The final statement of this verse reveals just how seriously God takes this issue of the proper treatment of wives. It tells us as husbands why it is personally very important for us to know our wives and honor them. Peter says we must do so “so that your prayers may not be hindered.” The Book of Revelation occasionally portrays our prayers as sweet-smelling incense in the heavenly throne room of God. Perhaps, then, we should think of mistreatment of our wives as a foul-smelling stench that overpowers any pleasing aroma that our prayers might have.

            Think of it sort of like this, men. If you are not treating your wife very well, do you think you’re going to have a great relationship with your father-in-law? Do you think he’s going to be all buddy-buddy with you, or do you think the atmosphere at family gatherings might be just a bit icy?

            Well, remember this—God is your wife’s spiritual father. Why would we think that his response would be any different than your wife’s earthly father? The fact is that it is not – failing to know your wife and honor your wife will have a chilling effect on your own intimacy with God as your father. God will be so put off by the stench of your sin that the sweet-smelling fragrance of your prayers will not have its usual potency.

            So what will it be, husbands? Will our prayers need deodorant, or will they be a sweet-smelling aroma before the Lord? At least part of the difference will be made by the way that we treat our wives!

           

Notes:

1. As quoted by William Barclay in “The Letters of James and Peter,” The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003), 257.