Sermon Tone Analysis

1 Peter 3:8-17

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stephen Caswell © 2000

 

The Child Apostle

 

When the late Bishop of Madras was visiting Travancore, there was introduced to him a little slave girl called /The Child Apostle./

She had won this title by the zeal with which she talked of Christ to others.

Her quiet, steady persistence in this had won several converts to Christ.

But she had suffered persecution too brutal to relate.

When she was introduced to the Bishop, her face, neck and arms were disfigured and scarred by stripes and blows.

As he looked at her, the good man’s eyes filled, and he said, /My child, how could you bear this?/

She looked up at him in surprise and said, /Don’t you like to suffer for Christ, sir?/

 

Introduction

 

Peter continues the theme of */submission/* that he started in chapter 2. Today his focus is on the Christian assembly.

Peter encourages believers to submit to one another and to the Lord.

He wrote this letter to prepare Christians for a fiery trial of persecution, yet his approach was optimistic and positive.

/Prepare for the best!/ was his message.

In this section, he gave them three instructions to follow if they would experience the best blessings in the worst times.

I.

Unity - Oneness    II.

Purity - Holiness    &    III.

Opportunity - Witness

/Firstly/     Unity - Oneness      

 

The first thing Peter asks believers is to do is to work towards unity.

True unity requires Christians to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Peter has been emphasizing */submission/* in regards to the ordained authorities like our government, the workplace and marriage.

Now he addresses the Christian assembly.

Unity would enable the Church to make a united stand against the world.

Unity requires believers to think and feel the right way about each other.

/a.

One Mind/

 

*1 Peter 3:8a* /Finally, all of you be of one mind, /

 

Wisely, Peter encourages believers to /be of one mind/.

The words */one mind/* o&mofrwn means */to be like minded, or of the same mind./*

Paul encouraged the Philippians to do the same thing to overcome their disunity.

*Philippians 2:5-8* */Let this mind be in you/*/ which was also in Christ Jesus.

Who being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and came in the likeness of men.

And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross./

/ /

Jesus didn't consider service, submission and sacrifice bellow His position.

This is the mind that we must all have.

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.

*If believers would only submit to the Lordship of Christ how much more could be accomplished?*/

*Philippians 1:27* /Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,  /

/b.

One Heart/

* *

*1 Peter 3:8b*/ having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;/ We have noted that love is a recurring theme in Peter’s letters, not only God’s love for us, but also our love for others.

*Verse 8* says that we should begin with /love for God’s people/.

True unity requires us to love.

*/Love as brothers/* translates the Greek word filadelfia.

It means brotherly love.

Another evidence of love is */compassion/*/,/ a sincere feeling for and with the needs of others.

Our English word */sympathy/* comes from this word.

We dare not get hardhearted toward each other.

We share both joys and trials.

The basis for this is the fact that we are brethren in the same family.

God teaches us to love one another.

/ /

*/Be courteous/* involves much more than acting like a lady or gentleman.

Be humble-minded is a good translation; and, after all, humility is the foundation for courtesy, for the humble person puts others ahead of himself.

Jesus demonstrated His love for people through kind words and deeds.

When Lazarus died Jesus ministered hope to Mary and Martha.

He grieved with them and wept at the graveside.

When the Jews testified of Jesus, they said, /see how He loved Him./ 

/ /

The Eleventh Commandment

 

Archbishop Usher was once wrecked on the coast of Ireland, and almost destitute of clothing he wandered to the house of a clergyman.

The ecclesiastic was quite wary and somewhat cold and incredulous.

/How many commandments are there?/ he suddenly asked, thinking to detect an impostor.

I can at once satisfy you that I am not the ignorant impostor you take me for, replied the archbishop, there are eleven commandments.

No, was the sneering comment, there are but ten commandments in my Bible.

Tell me the eleventh and I will give you all the help you need.

There it is, said the archbishop, pointing to this verse: /A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you.

/

/ /

Application

 

Peter encouraged unity in the Christian assembly by exhorting them /to be of one mind/.

Only a united Church can effectively stand against the world.

Then we can focus on reaching the lost.

/Are you willing to submit to God's will even if it means service and sacrifice?/

This is the first step.

We will never be compassionate to others unless we see them through the Savior's eyes./

Do you show brotherly love to your fellow believers?

Do you show them compassion?/  

 

/Secondly/  Purity - Holiness       

/ /

Peter has already commanded Christians /to be holy because God is holy/.

The word/ *good* /is used five times in today's passage.

If people want to know */good days/*, they should live good lives; lives that God can bless.

So Peter commands believers to watch over their */words/* and their */works/*/./

The things we say and do will display either holiness or sinfulness.

/a.

Good Words/

/ /

*1 Pet 3:9-10* /not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.

For He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit./

/ /

Patient’s Tongue In Place

 

After telling his fair patient to put out her tongue, the doctor continued writing out the prescription.

When he had finished he turned to her and said:/ There, that will do/.

/But, doctor, /protested the lady/, you never even looked at my tongue./

And the M.D. replied: /It wasn’t necessary.

I just wanted you to keep quiet while I wrote the prescription./

/ /

There are two commands concerning our speech, a positive one and a negative one.*/

Firstly/*, we must refrain from speaking evil or deceit.

*/Secondly/*, we must share a blessing with those round about us.

Christians mustn't retaliate when people mistreat them.

God wants us to return good for evil, blessing for cursing.