*** 1 peter 3:8-9

There’s a word from the lord and it’s coming from the book of 1 peter chapter 3 verses 8-9

And you should find these words as printed

It says here ,

1 Peter 3:8–9 (NRSV)

8 Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called—that you might inherit a blessing.

That’s enough, I want to talk for the next fleeting moments with the holy spirit

I want to talk about

“Don’t miss out on your blessing”

Beloved , The world is full of people who are living a lie. Their lives are full of hypocrisy and hiding. They are pretending and presuming. They say one thing and show another.

Many in the world claim to be living the life, but in reality, they are living a lie! We see it every day, where people are hiding behind the masks of

◾ religious affiliation,

◾ social reformation,

◾ and public acclamation.

People today, are hiding behind religious masks, spiritual masks, and masks of good works, to obtain favors, reach their goals, and impress their peers.

But People need to realize, that the Lord knows all things and He looks upon our hearts and we cannot hide from the One whom we must give account.

And here, in our text , Peter declared the call of God to the people of God to live the life of a genuine born again Christian.

It’s time for us to unmask our hearts and live sincere, not secret, lives before the world for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

We are not to hide behind a mask, a veil, an act, but we are to be real genuine men and women of God.

Christian men and women are called to live out their faith, by the way they conduct themselves and the way they care for others.

I want to challenge God’s people to love the Lord Jesus and live a sincere Christian life in the way they relate to one another and to those who do not know the Lord.

It’s time for men and women to lay aside the masks and come clean before Jesus!

And here in These verses, these verses give us some calls to the Christian, to live the life and not the lie.

And here the first thing that we must do, is that

I. We are to behave spiritually (8–9)

A. It is a personal call (8)

1. To be connected to one another (8a)

Look what it says

“Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;”

Here , Peter gave an admonition to the church in several areas. He admonished the people of God, on how they are to relate to the government, to their masters or employers.

We have a call to live a submissive life and Peter reminded the church of the ultimate example of the Lord Jesus.

Peter also gave a word about how Christian’s are to relate in the home. The wives have a responsibility to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and to the leadership of their husbands. Husbands have a responsibility to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and to lead their wives, give honor to their wives, and pray for and with their wives.

Peter continues this theme of how we are to relate as Christians to this world. He admonishes the church to behave themselves in a way that honors and glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. We are called to behave spiritually mature in the way , we connect with other Christians.

We are to grow up in Christ, and go on to maturity in Christ. We are not to stay spiritual infants or worse spiritual fakes!

Charles Swindoll noted, “Without a doubt, the process of spiritual growth, is a long and often painful one. En route to maturity, we all spill our milk, say things we shouldn’t, and fail to act our age. Sometimes we throw temper tantrums like toddlers or pout like preschoolers or argue and complain like teens. All the while we should be conducting ourselves as mature believers setting an example to those who are younger in the faith.

We may have the knowledge, but we don’t have the will to do what’s right. Even those who are spiritually mature, have days when they take a return trip to the ‘terrible twos.’ ”

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Peter is exhorting the Christians, to be of one mind. One mind:

He is not telling Christians to be of one mind with a lost world that doesn’t know the Lord or His word. We cannot be in harmony with everybody in the world and be in harmony with the Lord.

This world is at odds with God! The people of the world are dead in their trespasses and sins.

• They think carnal thoughts,

• they conduct themselves in carnal ways,

• they love carnal pleasures,

• and they do not have the mind of Christ.

And see, Peter is not telling the church to get along and go along with any and everybody. He is talking here to the body of Christ.

As Christian’s though, we have the Spirit of God and we have the mind of Christ, so that we

◾ can discern the will of God,

◾ declare the word of God,

◾ and demonstrate the works of God in this world.

Warren Wiersbe wrote, “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.”

We are called as Christians, to be of one mind in our principles, purpose, and passion for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 15:5–6 says, “Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, 6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Here, Peter gives the church, a personal call for every Christian, to be connected to one another in the work of the Lord and in the will of the Lord.

We are not going to agree on everything in life, but when it comes to the word of God and the fundamentals of our faith, we must not waver.

If we are going to do the work of the Lord in the power of the Lord, then we must be unified in our purpose and passion for the Lord Jesus.

We have a personal call to be connected to one another.

But then, We also learn:

2. To be compassionate to one another (8b)

Look at the text

the text says“having compassion for one another: love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;”

And here, Peter continues to admonish the church on the way we are to relate to one another.

But now , He moves from the personal call to connect to one another, to the personal call to be compassionate to one another.

The people of God, should show the compassion of God, to one another and to others in this world.

→ Compassion is your pain in my heart!

We get our English word “sympathy” from this Greek word.

Peter uses the words “having compassion” which tells me that it is to be a continual thing in the life of a believer.

We are to be having compassion on others on a daily basis.

There is so much pain, suffering, hardship, evil, and death in the world, that we are not hard pressed to find someone we can show sympathy to.

When we think about those little boys and girls that live all over the world that do not have food, clothing, or a safe place to live in and schools to learn in we are moved to pray, give, and go.

There are great ministries that touches the lives of many boys and girls in the world by giving them gifts that they would otherwise not get and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with them that they would otherwise not hear. When we think about those little boys and girls that don’t have anything, we are moved to buy gifts and fill the shoe boxes and send them out.

We show sympathy towards those without.

We need to spend our days serving Christ and showing compassion.

Do we show compassion to a hurting and helpless and hopeless world?

We are to be compassionate to the hurting and the helpless; to the sick and the sinners; to the down and out and the up and out; to the poor and the pitiful!

We need to be compassionate in our work and also in our witness; in our practice

We serve a compassionate Savior and we need to be men and women of compassion.

There are multitudes in this world that need compassion

William Barclay reminds us, “Pity is of the very essence of God, and compassion of the very being of Jesus Christ—a pity so great that God sent His only Son to die for us, a compassion so intense , that it took Christ to the cross.

And this is something that we must understand

There can be no Christianity without compassion.”

We are to be compassionate to one another and we are to love as brothers.

This is a love of the will!

We are admonished to love as brothers , not because we have to, but because we want to.

We need the close fellowship of other believers who genuinely and sincerely love us as brothers in Christ.

But then, Peter also admonishes the church to be tenderhearted. Tenderhearted:

And when we look at This word,

this word means to be affectionately sensitive towards one another.

In essence, We are not only to say we love one another, but we are to show that we love one another

And so my question is

Do you have a tender heart towards the brethren?

Do you have a tender heart towards those outside the church?

We are to be compassionate towards one another.

Can i tell you

A church that truly loves one another, will attract a lost world that does not know the love of Jesus or have not experienced the love of Jesus.

Peter is admonishing the church to behave spiritually.

And so, In this admonition, we see that we have a personal call to connect to one another and a personal call to be compassionate to one another.

But then, We also have a personal call:

3. To be courteous to one another (8c)

Look what it says here

“Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;”

God calls for His people , to be courteous towards one another. Think about your brothers and sisters. Treat them with kindness and consistency.

He says to be Courteous:

And so my question is

Are we courteous, humble, and helpful to the family of God?

Beloved, We are to go out of our way for others. When we see a need, we need to seek to meet it, when we hear of a need, we need to seek to help out.

When we talk about being courteous, this means more than opening a door for someone, saying a kind word to someone, or letting others get in line at the food table before us.

This admonition for Christians to be courteous, tells us that this should be the consistent way we live.

In essence , Christians are not to be courteous every now and then, but every day and in every way!

This is a personal call on the lives of every believer.

We are to behave spiritually. It is a personal call.

But then, Peter also tells us in verse 9:

B. It is a powerful call (9a)

Look what it says

“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.”

Watch Peter , Peter tells the church, how they are to relate to and respond to one another, and then, he tells them, how to relate to and respond to those on the outside.

And what Peter shares with us

We are instructed on how we are to respond to those who mistreat us and abuse us. This is not just some abstract principle in the word of God. When God gives the word, He gives the power to carry out the word.

It takes the power of God, to respond as Jesus responded.

Do I have a witness?

You see, Peter had already told the church how Jesus responded. 1 Peter 2:22–23 says, “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; 23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;”

And Because Jesus didn’t revile when He was reviled , brothers and sisters , we are not to revile others who revile us.

We are not to give back

repay

we are not , to return

And See, People may say ugly things to us or about us.

People may do ugly things to us or to those we love, but we are not to do likewise.

we are not to repay Evil: for evil

bad for bad

And see, Throughout the history of the church, a wicked and lost world has sought to stamp out and stomp on the church. And It is no different today!

We have to be men and women of faith that live with grace in our hearts and under the influence and power of the Holy Spirit not to act like the world acts.

we are not to return evil

And see, This is a powerful call on our lives, to live out our faith before those who misuse, abuse, malign, curse, and treat us with contempt and crudeness.

Brothers and sisters , We are to behave like Christians no matter how others are acting or how others are treating us.

And so, here, Peter tells the church that , it’s a personal call, a powerful call,

But we also learn that:

C. It is a purposeful call (9b–c)

because watch the text

1. We are called to release blessings (9b)

“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.”

Peter admonishes the church, to not do evil or say evil to those who do evil and say evil to us. He tells them what not to do and then he tells them what to do.

We need to know what not to do, but we also need to know what to do.

Watch this

Peter gives a command that is in stark contrast to the way the wicked and evil people live.

Christians are called to release blessings and be a blessing to others. If and when they do wrong, we are to do right. If they say hurtful things we are to say helpful things.

If they do harmful things we are to do helpful things. We are to release a blessing to those who do not deserve it and who do not even ask for it.

It says that , we are repay with Blessing:

This means that, to say a good word about another.

Now I know that Sometimes, it’s hard to say a good word about someone who hates you and spitefully treats you and slanders you!

But Matthew 5:43–47 Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?”

Peter tells the church, that this is a purposeful call on the life of the Christian. The way we respond to those who are mean to us speaks volumes to others and brings glory to God.

And you know, God has a reason for telling us to respond by blessing others. All Christians have the potential to bless others and be a blessing to others.

Church, We are to release our blessings to others.

Don’t hold on to it but let it go! Because we have been called to this! This is a purposeful clause. And By using the word “knowing”

Peter is reminding the Christian’s of something that they had knowledge of. This was not some new doctrine he was teaching them, it was something that they knew and were now being admonished to practice.

And you know, We would all do well to practice what we already know!

” God has called all Christians to this very purpose.

We are to bless others intentionally and consistently and return good to those who have given us grief. This is hard to flesh out because our natural tendency is not to bless, but to blast.

We want to get back at those who have hurt us. We shy away from those who have mistreated us or our family. We want to fight when others do evil to us.

But That is not the Christian way and we must learn to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit who gives us power to respond the way Jesus would respond.

John MacArthur wrote, “Believers have received the divine, unmerited, and eternal blessing of complete forgiveness of an unpayable debt to a holy God and heavenly life forever with Him, rather than His deserved wrath and vengeance for sin.

A believer’s freely granting forgiveness to someone who has offended him, should be an easy consequence, since both that believer and the offense are so small compared to God’s greatness and how He has been offended.”

We are called to release blessings

But . We also learn:

2. We are called to receive blessings (9c)

“that you may inherit a blessing.”

The Bible teaches us that when we release a blessing to others that we will receive a blessing ourselves.

Johnny Hunt said, “When we bring blessings to others, we bless ourselves.”

Peter tells the church that they have been called to this very thing.

Notice what Peter tells the church: We do not earn a blessing, but we inherit a blessing.

Inherit: It is given to us by the Lord because of His grace and mercy. We do not earn or deserve any good thing, but it is the gift of God.

EXAMPLE: Some of you have inherited land, houses, businesses, money, etc. because you were in the family and because you were loved. You didn’t earn that inheritance and no one forced the owners to leave that inheritance to you. That word blessing is the same word Peter has already used and it means to speak well of another.

Peter is telling the church, that if they will speak well of those who slander them that they will be spoken well of. Oh, it might not ever come to pass on this side of glory, but we are to fix our eyes on Jesus and serve Him with all our hearts and when we do we will hear one day from the lips of our Lord “Well done, My good and faithful servant!” No one can say a good word to us like the Lord. When He speaks well of us we will realize that all that we went through was all worth it. God calls for us to live the life, that’s pleasing to him.