1 Peter 3:8-12
Cultivating Christian Love
Suffering for Doing Good
8Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be
sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 9Do not
repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this
you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10"For
Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his
lips from deceitful speech. 11He must turn from evil and do well; he
must seek peace and pursue it. 12For the eyes of the Lord are on the
righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord
is
against those who do evil.1
13:12 Psalm 34:12-16
Intro: During the teenage years, students usually here a consistent admonition
that consists of two words, “Grow up!” I must confess that to this day, I
still struggle with that admonition.
On our sojourn to maturity, we all spill our milk, say things we shouldn't, and
fail to act our age. At times we are like a two year old throwing a temper
tantrum. Other times we are like a nine year old pouting, or an early teenager
going through huge mood swings.
The sojourn is called “growing up.” Growing up is painful. We struggle
through it mostly by trial & error. On occasion we skin a knee, scrape a
chin, or bruise an elbow from falling.
We all have to grow up sooner or later. The sooner we do, the easier it is to
walk on the uneven & uncertain paths of life we encounter.
How do we determine if we are grown up? Does it mean our hair starts to turn
gray? That just means we are getting older! I know people with a head full of
gray hair and they are still immature! Signs of aging do not show signs of
maturity!
How do you know if you are more mature than you were last year? Does God require
that we grow up?
Growing up is an objective in His Word that is for every believer! Heb 6 –
Leave elementary teachings about Christ & go on to maturity.
This Scripture seems to tell us that some believers are perpetually immature!
The writer of Hebrews is telling us to leave the elementary stuff & press on
to maturity.
Here are some questions to consider as we begin this examination.
1. Are you searching the Scriptures on your own?
2. Are you actively involved in prayer?
3. Are you able to handle pressure better than you could two years ago?
We are called to mature. In Peter's letter to us, he gives us some checkpoints
to help us have hope to mature. There are three main categories I would like us
to examine today, all dealing with the powerful change agent known as love;
God’s love.
In several translations verse 8 begins with “finally”, but the Greek word is
more accurately translated “to sum up”.
We are called to live God’s love
1. We must love one another (8) 8Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one
another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble
Peter had a difficult time with this lesson.
These virtues are to be normative qualities in the lives of the people of God,
reflecting the attitude and example of Christ. Remember the context: The advice
offered is for believers facing persecution. Just as the whole of the Law is
summed up in love (Rom. 13:8-10), so the whole of human relationships is
fulfilled in love. This applies to every Christian and to every area of life.
Rom 13:8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one
another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.
9The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not
murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet,"and whatever
other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your
neighbor as yourself.
10Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the
fulfillment of the law.
A. It is evidenced by unity.
Unity=cooperation in the midst of diversity having a common mindset, not
necessarily all the same tastes or gifts or habits, but the same thoughts and
assessments of the essentials of life -- God, salvation, and virtue. That
"one mind" should be the mind of Christ (Php2:2, v5).All Christians
are to be examples and purveyors of peace and unity, not disruption and
disharmony (Jn13:35; 17; Ro12:16; 15:5; 1Co1:10; Php2:1, 2) You brothers join
hands together. The chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Unity does not
mean uniformity; it means cooperation in the midst of diversity. The members of
the body work together in unity, even though they are all different. Christians
may differ on how things are to be done, but they must agree on what is to be
done and why. A man criticized D. L. Moody’s methods of evangelism, and Moody
said, “Well, I’m always ready for improvement.
What are your methods?” The man confessed that he had none! “Then I’ll
stick to my own,” said Moody. Whatever methods we may use, we must seek to
honor Christ, win the lost, and build the church
B. It is evidenced by compassion
1. Suffering together
the phrase suggests "sympathizing with" one another. Sympathy is
feeling what others feel so that you can respond with sensitivity to the need.
People who have true "sympathy" generally do not say, "I know how
you feel." Because since they know how you feel, they also know how
unhelpful it is to hear someone say, "I know how you feel." True
sympathy is a fairly quiet, time-intensive, presence intensive way of being.
The church is one of the cruelest places on earth in many situations.
How tragic.
2. Brotherly love literally= "loving the brethren". Don't view
each other as strangers, or as mere acquaintances, or as distant relatives.
View each other as close family. Family can have some pretty serious squabbles
and exchange some very harsh words, but only in the rarest cases does the family
break up over it. Mutual love is one of the strongest "arguments" for
the Christian faith.
1 Thess4: 9Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for
you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other.
3. Tenderhearted Tender–hearted, full of compassion, pity Ep4:32 a tenderness
of heart toward others. Being tenderhearted means you have truly understood
forgiveness. If you are not forgiving, you will have great difficulty with
submission. Don't say you "Can't" forgive &
forget, but tell the truth that you "Won't". In the Roman Empire, this
was not a quality that was admired; but the Christian message changed all of
that. This not a word about conduct but about your insides -- literally, your
innards, your belly. The literal translation of the Greek here means "feel
generous in your belly". It's exactly the opposite of hypocrisy that acts
tender and feels malice.
Illus. The book Character Above All is a compilation of 10 essays on our
presidents from FDR to George Bush. Someone who knew the president very well
wrote each essay. His speechwriter, Peggy Noonan, wrote President Ronald
Reagan’s essay. The essay concludes with a story about his kindness. The story
is about Frances Green, an 83-year-old woman who lived by herself on social
security in a town just outside San Francisco. She had little money, but for
eight years she'd been sending one dollar a year to the Republican National
Convention.
One day Frances received an RNC fund-raising letter in the mail, a
beautiful piece on thick, cream-colored paper with black & gold
lettering. It invited the recipient to come to the White House to meet
President Reagan. She never noticed the little RSVP card that suggested
a positive reply needed to be accompanied by a generous donation. She
thought she'd been invited because they appreciated the dollar-a-year
support.
Frances scraped up every cent she had and took a four day train ride across
America. Unable to afford a sleeper, she slept sitting up in coach. Finally she
arrived at the White House gate: a little elderly woman with white hair, white
powder all over her face, white stockings, an old hat with white netting and an
all white dress, now yellowed with age. When she got up to the guard at the gate
and gave her name, however, the man frowned, glanced over his official list and
told her that her name wasn’t there. She couldn’t go in. Frances Green was
heartbroken.
A Ford Motor Company executive who was standing in line behind her watched and
listened to the little scenario. Realizing something was wrong; he pulled
Frances aside and got her story. Then he asked her to return at nine o'clock the
next morning and meet him there. She agreed. In the mean time, he made contact
with Ann Higgins, a presidential aide and got clearance to give her a tour of
the White House and introduce her to the president. Reagan agreed to see her,
“of course.”
The next day was anything but calm. It was the day Ed Meese resigned. There was
a military uprising somewhere and President Reagan was in an out of high level
secret sessions. Frances Green showed up at 9 AM sharp, full of expectation and
excitement.
The car executive met her, gave her a wonderful tour of the White House, and
then quietly walked her by the Oval Office, thinking maybe, at best, she might
get a quick glimpse of the president on her way out. Members of the National
‘Security Council came out. High ranking generals were coming and going. In
the midst of all the activity, President Reagan glanced out and saw Frances
Green. With a smile, he gestured her into his office.
As she entered, he rose from his desk and called out, “Frances! Those darn
computers, they fouled up again! If I’d known you were coming I would have
come out there to get you myself.” He then invited her to sit down and they
talked leisurely about California, her town, her life & family.
The president of the United States gave Frances Green a lot of time that day –
more time than he had. Some would say it was time wasted. But those who say that
didn’t know Ronald Reagan, according to Peggy Noonan.
The president knew that this woman had nothing to give him, but she needed
something he could give her. And so he (as well as the auto exec) took time to
be kind and compassionate.
C. It is evidenced by humility "being humble of mind" (Col3:12).
It’s not just that we are to act the role of a servant, but that inside, with
all authenticity, we are to have a lowly spirit. We feel that we are utterly
dependent on God for life and breath and intelligence and emotional stability
and faith and safety and the use of our senses; and we feel utterly fragile and
vulnerable in ourselves. On top of that we feel sinful and unworthy as we look
at ourselves apart from the free grace of God. And this grace makes us
wonder struck that we are loved, not pushy and self-assertive.
All of these words are descriptions of what we are on the inside, not primarily
how we act. A common mindset, sympathetic in feeling, a family love, kindly
disposed in the depths of our innards, humble in spirit.
That's an unusual human being. This is why Peter's call to us is not possible
without the miraculous new birth by the mercy of God & the Living &
Abiding Word described in 1:3, 22, 23.
Quote Oswald Chambers: “We have a tendency to look for wonder in our
experience & we mistake heroic actions for real heroes. It’s one thing to
go through a crisis grandly, yet quite another to go through every day
glorifying God when there is no witness, no limelight & no one paying even
the remotest attention to us. If we are not looking for halos, we at least want
something that will make people say, “What a wonderful man of prayer he is!’
or, ‘What a great woman of devotion she is!’ If you are properly devoted to
the Lord Jesus, you have reached the lofty height where no one would ever notice
you personally. All that is noticed is the power of God coming through you all
the time. We want to be able to say, ‘Oh, I have had a wonderful call from
God.’ But to do even the most humbling tasks to the glory of God takes the
Almighty God Incarnate working in us.”
2. We must love our enemies (9) 9Do not repay evil with evil or insult with
insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may
inherit a blessing
It is important to note that there was a certain amount of personal persecution
because they were following God. He is warning them that official persecution
was just around the corner.
He is encouraging them to prepare. The church must prepare because difficult
times are ahead.
Quote: Wiersbe – “As Christians, we can live on three levels.
1. We can return evil for good, which is the satanic level
2. We can return good for good & evil for evil – which is the human
level
3. We can return good for evil, which is the Divine level.
Our example is Jesus – 2:21-23
As God’s children we must not give an eye for an eye - Matt 5:38-48 is the
basis for justice
As God’s children we must function as God functions with us – on the basis
of mercy
Peter tried the conventional means to fight Christ’s enemies (Lk 22:47-53).
Peter & the apostles, when persecuted, depended on prayer & God’s
power – rather than wisdom & strength – Acts 4:23
Paul used every means possible to oppose the church, but after his conversion we
see he never used human weapons to fight God’s battles – Rom 12:1-21; 2 Cor
10:1-6
Quote: Wiersbe – “We must always be reminded of our calling as Christians,
for this will help us love our enemies and do good to them when they treat us
badly. We are called to ‘inherit a blessing’. The persecutions we experience
on earth today only add to our blessed inheritance of glory in heaven
someday.”
Don't let your flesh rise up and try to "get
even"...this is good advice but necessitates guarding one's heart &
being alert so that you remain under the control of the Spirit...beware: our
flesh will always try to defend itself & use "righteous
indignation" as justification...remember the
"example" of Jesus). Lv19:18; Pr20:22; Lu6:38 As God’s loving
children, we must do more than give “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a
tooth” (Mt5:38-48), which is the basis for justice. We must operate on the
basis of mercy, for that is the way God deals with us. This admonition must have
meant much to Peter himself, because he once tried to fight Christ’s enemies
with a sword (Lu22:47-53). If the coming of the promised Spirit can change
Peter's heart, He can effect similar change in any heart. What a difference a
day (Pentecost) makes: Before it was Peter's power but afterward when Peter and
the Apostles were persecuted,
they depended on prayer and God’s power, not on their own wisdom or strength
(Ac4:23).
The New English Bible: “Do not repay wrong with wrong, or abuse with abuse; on
the contrary, retaliate with blessing” (vs. 9).
3. We must love life (10-12) For whoever would love life and see good days must
keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.
11He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue
it.
12For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are
attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do
evil.1
1Pet 3:8-12
News of impending persecution should not cause a believer to give up on life
What may appear to be bad days to the world can be good days for a Christian.
You must meet certain conditions
A. Choose to love life
It is an attitude of faith that chooses to see the best in every situation
It is the opposite of Eccl 2:17 "So I hated life, because the work that is
done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after
the wind.
We can decide to endure life & make it a burden
We can decide to escape life & make it a battle
We can decide to enjoy life and make it a blessing
Because God is in control!
B. Choose to control our tongues
Many of the problems of life are caused by strong words spoken in the wrong
spirit.
Ps 141:3 Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my
lips.
There is no place for lies in the life of a saint
C. Choose to do well and hate evil.
Avoid it not because it is wrong, but because we hate it!
Wrong deeds are usually the product of planning & deliberate choice.
D. Choose and pursue peace
If we go out and seek trouble we will find it.
If we go out and seek peace, we can find it as well
This is not peace at any price
A Christian exercises moderation as he relates to people & does not create
problems because he wants to have his own way.
Rom 12:18 – If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with
everyone. If it is possible
Rom 14:19 – Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and
to mutual edification. Make every effort to do what leads to peace
What about being taken advantage of? The assurance of (Peter) Matt 14:22-3
We must trust God to protect & provide. For He alone can defeat our enemies
(Rom 12:17-21)
17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is
right in the eyes of everybody. 18If it is possible, as far as it
depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19Do not take revenge,
my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine
to avenge; I will repay,1 says the Lord. 20On the
contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him
something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.2
21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
1 12:19 Deut. 32:35
2 12:20 Prov. 25:21,22
Conclusion:
It is so natural to strike back when we are treated unjustly. We focus our
energy on anger & rebellion, and to rage against injustice & find ways
to overthrow the person or system under which we live. But Peter called us to a
different kind of life. Rather than exploding, we focus
our energy on love.
Every human society has its share of evil. Each of us who are hurt or mistreated
by the system might easily be drawn into endless crusades. It is not that we are
to compromise with evil or fail to work for social change. However, we are never
to be drawn away from the first calling of holiness: to live God’s love.
So Peter’s concern is that unjust treatments never tempt us to return evil for
evil and forsake our commitment to good.