41. The Good Life of Faith b

The Good Life of Faith 2

The last time we were in 1 Peter 3 we saw that Peter is issuing a closing statement in verse 8 with the word finally. And after addressing specific groups he issues a command addressed to all in the church. In verse 8 we saw a series of adjectives Peter uses in describing who we are in Christ. And who we are in Christ is the work of the Holy Spirit applying to us what Christ Jesus has secured just as the Father has decreed. 1Pe 1:2  elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied. There were three reasons why people were sprinkled with blood in the OT. You were sprinkled after being healed from leprosy, which is a visible symbol of the moral decay of sin. You were sprinkled with blood at the institution of the Mosaic Covenant. And you were sprinkled with blood in you were a Levite being promoted as priest. This is what our being sprinkled with the blood of Christ does for us. Cleanses us from our sin, brings us into the New Covenant which we will be celebrating today with the Lord’s Table, and bringing us into the priesthood of God of which those who are in Christ are all members. 1Pe 2:9  But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

Our lives are meant to be lived in relation to our being a holy and royal priesthood to God. That we are to proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness and light. It IS a privilege but it is also our obligation to do so and to neglect it is not a matter of simple failure but one of sin. It is not conditional on circumstances but always a matter of being ready in season and out of giving an account of the hope that is within us.

1Pe 3:8-12  Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;  (9)  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.  (10)  For "HE WHO WOULD LOVE LIFE AND SEE GOOD DAYS, LET HIM REFRAIN HIS TONGUE FROM EVIL, AND HIS LIPS FROM SPEAKING DECEIT.  (11)  LET HIM TURN AWAY FROM EVIL AND DO GOOD; LET HIM SEEK PEACE AND PURSUE IT.  (12)  FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE ON THE RIGHTEOUS, AND HIS EARS ARE OPEN TO THEIR PRAYERS; BUT THE FACE OF THE LORD IS AGAINST THOSE WHO DO EVIL."

There are two primary points to this text.

Two Points

1.Who we are – In verse 8 the list of unity or being harmonious, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind, are all adjectives describing who we are as Christians. We are these things based upon the work of redemption accomplished in Christ Jesus and applied by the Holy Spirit.

2.What we do vs 9-12 a. We imitate Christ. b. We repent and obey. c. We fear God.

1Pe 2:23 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;

We imitate Christ v9

Looking at this text we can see some general observations. This verse has a negative command, a positive command, and a purpose. In the negative command there is a prohibition against responding to evil both in action and in speech.

1. Not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling. Evil is used 5x from verse 9 – 12. Evil can be defined as any break from God’s prescribed moral code, profound immorality, wickedness, and depravity. In the present context it is an intentional action design to cause physical, mental, emotional harm to another. We have heard many times one of the primary themes of this letter is living as a Christian in the midst of suffering. This admonition is not exclusive to 1 Peter.

Rom 12:17  Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.

1Th 5:15  See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.

Pro 17:13  Whoever rewards evil for good, Evil will not depart from his house.

Pro 20:22  Do not say, "I will recompense evil"; Wait for the LORD, and He will save you.

Then we have Christ’s own words in Mat 5:38-48  "You have heard that it was said, 'AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.'  (39)  "But I say to you, do not resist him who is evil; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.  (40)  "And if anyone wants to sue you, and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.  (41)  "And whoever shall force you to go one mile, go with him two.  (42)  "Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.  (43)  "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, and pray for those who persecute you  (45)  in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  (46)  "For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax-gatherers do the same?  (47)  "And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?  (48)  "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

We read earlier Christ’s own example that when He was reviled He did not revile in return. He uttered no curses and desired no harm to those who had inflicted so much suffering upon Him.

How do we apply? What did Jesus say upon the cross, the pinnacle of evil and reviling done to Him. Luk 23:34  But Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.

Is that our response when someone does evil and reviles us?

Examples of Forgiveness: Stephen - Act 6:8-15  And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.  (9)  Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen.  (10)  And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.  (11)  Then they secretly induced men to say, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God."  (12)  And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council.  (13)  They also set up false witnesses who said, "This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law;  (14)  for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to us."  (15)  And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.

Stephen preached a message that concluded Act 7:51-53  "You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.  (52)  Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers,  (53)  who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it."

Act 7:54-60  When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.  (55)  But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,  (56)  and said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"  (57)  Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord;  (58)  and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.  (59)  And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."  (60)  Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

The young man Saul was no other than the future Apostle Paul. Stephen forgave and prayed for them all.

Foxes Book of Martyr’s Chapter 7 p 301 Lady Jane Gray - In 16th Century England King Edward chose his first cousin Lady Jane Gray to become queen. The King was protestant and in favor of the reformation and sought to keep the crown from going to Mary his sister, who was Catholic. Mary had gathered enough support from the military to overthrow and imprison the new queen who was only 18 or 19 years old at the time. Bloody Mary, as the protestants called her, had Lady Jane executed in 1554. This is the account of her execution. The next victim was the amiable lady Jane Gray, who, by her acceptance of the crown at the earnest solicitations of her friends, incurred the implacable resentment of the bloody Mary. When she first mounted the scaffold, she spoke to the spectators in this manner: Good people, I am come here to die, and by a law I am condemned to the same. The fact against the queen's highness was unlawful, and the consenting thereunto by me: but, touching the procurement and desire thereof by me, or on my behalf, I do wash my hands thereof in innocence before God, (meaning she was guilty of taking the crown at the request of others but had not desire herself to be queen) and the face of you, good Christian people, this day: and therewith she wrung her hands, wherein she had her book. Then said she, I pray you all, good Christian people, to bear me witness, that I die a good Christian woman, and that I do look to be saved by no other means, but only by the mercy of God in the blood of His only Son Jesus Christ: She read a Psalm. Then the executioner kneeled down, and asked her forgiveness whom she forgave most willingly. Then he desired her to stand upon the straw, which doing, she saw the block. Then she said, I pray you dispatch me quickly.

Then she kneeled down, saying, Will you take it off before I lay me down? And the executioner said, No madam. Then she tied a handkerchief about her eyes, and feeling for the block, she said, What shall I do? Where is it? Where is it? One of the standers-by guiding her there, she laid her head upon the block, and then stretched forth her body, and said, Lord, into thy hands I commend my spirit; and so finished her life, in the year of our Lord 1554, the 12th day of February, about the 19th year of her age.

How can we bestow such forgiveness? The answer to that question lies in verse 8. It is in who we are. As we have been the recipients of God’s grace and mercy. As we have been forgiven of the multitude of sins we have committed. We understand the lost state of the wicked. It was once our state. And we understand that the wicked can only act in accordance with their nature and apart from the supernatural intervention of God in us so we would be just as they are.

So what is our response? Do we forgive or do we call down fire and brimstone? What is our attitude toward the lost?

What about immoral people?

What about to the cultist/false religionist?

What about people who are openly hostile to you?

Specific Steps we can Take:

Be sympathetic/compassionate. From the last sermon we understand one aspect of this to mean entering into the sufferings of others. We understand their state. Many times people have referred families to speak to us whose children have cancer. Why? Because we can enter in particularly to their sufferings. We have been where the lost are. And as Christ has had compassion on us, we, being and bearing the fruit of that in salvation must show it to others.

Humble in spirit - means thinking lowly, esteeming ourselves small. Inasmuch as we are small compared to God, this is the correct estimate of ourselves. In the NT this word describes a quality of voluntary submission and unselfishness, humility or self-effacement and is the opposite of arrogance and pride. I ask you, what is a soul worth? Is it worth the hostility? Is it worth the persecution you might endure? What would you endure from your children for the sake of their soul? Is not another’s soul worth the same as your child’

2. But blessing instead for you were called for this purpose that you may inherit a blessing.

The wording Peter uses is reminiscent of the covenant of Abraham. Gen 12:1-3  Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you;  (2)  And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing;  (3)  And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

Gen 22:18  "And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."

We are fulfilling the covenantal promise of God in bringing the message of the gospel to those around us. Throughout church history in times of persecution the church has grown.

The issue is not a matter of condition to inherit a blessing. It is rather a matter of fact of blessing than a probability of blessing. The verb tense is indicative of an action that was completed in a point in time in history. It is effectual. What is the blessing? It is salvation and salvation has been applied.

The word for blessing is the same word we derive the word eulogy. It means to speak well of someone. Is Peter telling us to speak well of someone who is being evil and reviling us? The answer would be no. We do not return evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but we do not heap praise on our persecutors when praise is not warrented. The point is to speak well to that person. The blessing that Peter is speaking of is the gospel. We proclaim the gospel to our persecutors, we pray for them and we love them. I refer us back to Mat 5:43-48  "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?  (48)  Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Gal 6:10  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

3. Knowing that you were called to this

Knowing – there are three different words in the Greek that are translated as know, knowing, knowledge. This one comes from the root word to see. Meaning that it is a full and complete knowledge that is gained over time by what is observed and finally understood. This is the same word that is used in Joh 13:3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God,

When used in reference of deity is refers to complete or perfect knowledge and understanding. He understood perfectly the Father had given all thinks into His hands, that He had come forth from God and was going to God. But for us that knowledge comes over time invested in reading, studying, and applying the Word of God through the Spirit of God.

Knowing to this you were called. What is this? It is the calling to both suffering and glory, it is suffering and the inheritance of which we will all be a part. We have the same assurance that we have come from God, in His causing us to be born again, and we will be going to God.

What this boils down to is our priorities in life. What is the thrust of your life? Is it the good life of faith based on Christ and the high calling by which we have been called to proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light? Or is it just a good life according to the standards of this world.

If you are like me you are wondering how do we accomplish such a thing as this? My natural response is to give as good as I get. But this is not how we are to respond as the children of God. 2Co 2:14-16  But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.  (15)  For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing;  (16)  to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?

Indeed we are not, but God is, working through His Spirit in us to respond not in our flesh which is dead but in the newness of life we have in Christ Jesus.