The People of God are a People of Blessing

1 Peter 3:8-12 The People of God are a People of Blessing Introduction: In these verses we are confronted with a major theme of the scriptures: The People of God are a People of Blessing. Sadly this is a truth and identity that the people of God have always struggled to maintain. The people of Israel rarely lived up to this calling; for when they weren’t engrossed in idolatry, they were caught up in spiritual pride, prejudice, self righteousness and self focus. Likewise often times the Church (the new people of God) if we are not engrossed in worldliness we are on the other end of the spectrum; As one saw it, we are often exclusive, judgmental, scornful, and afraid of diversity. But this is a a total betrayal of our true identity and calling. I’ve often wondered why is it that the “churches” who hold doctrine loosely are often the one’s doing the most good in the community? Why is it that those who hold tightly to doctrine are often those most exclusive in who they love and who they serve? It seems that it should be the other way around- Right Orthodoxy makes right Orthopraxy. Or Right doctrine makes right action. Sadly this is not always the case. This has caused people to say things like why are Christians so different from their leader? Or I don’t have a problem with Jesus, just Christians... According to the teaching of 1st Peter we are the people of God in exile in the city of Santa Rosa, and God’s desire is that we: Be a People of Blessing. (Period. Regardless of persons, deserving or undeserving,) 1. Our God and Father is a Blessing God. a. In the Book of Numbers God spoke to Moses and Aaron and he wanted them to do something to and for the children of Israel so that they might know something about their God and his character. He called Aaron to bless the people, He wanted the nation of Israel to know that he was a God who desires their good. b. "The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. "So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them." - Numbers 6:24-27 c. Here we see the Lord commanding a blessing upon the people through Aaron the High priest. In this we see that it is God’s desire to bless his people. The word bless and its various forms appears over 500 times in the Bible and in the vast majority of cases it applies to God ‘s favor toward man. d. And when we come to the NT what do we find? i. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” -Ephesians 1:3-6 ii. Not only is God a God of blessing, but we have been blessed by him, through jesus Christ. e. How sad it is that most people when they think of God think in terms of Him somehow making their lives miserable (the church, often of no help on this point). But nothing could be further from the truth. God is a God of blessing and His desire is to shower blessings upon man. (Which we see ultimately displayed in the gospel.) i. Because this is the character of God it is also to be the character of his people. 2. We are to be a people of blessing. a. “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For "Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." i. The Character of a Blessing People. 1. It would seem that Peter is first and foremost applying these characteristics to the church. That work of blessing is first and foremost applied to one another, then it spills over into our relationship with the surrounding culture. 2. Which makes perfect sense, how are we to bless those who curse us, and those who are not of us if we can’t even love, be unified and bless those in our own family? 3. The list that Peter gives here is a list of godly virtues that ALL believers are to Practice at ALL times. a. Unity of Mind - one mind, one thinking. b. Sympathy - literally means to “suffer with”. c. Brotherly Love - Family love for all believers..deep love and commitment. d. Tenderhearted - literally “good bowels” meaning good feelings toward one another. e. Humble in Mind -this is the opposite of self-assertion and egocentric pride. This is a uniquely Christian virtue. i. Paul gave us a picture of what this character looks like when played out. 1. “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by 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.” -Philippians 2:5-8 2. It’s easy to talk about..it’s another thing to practice this... Unity, like trust is hard earned and easily lost. ii. The Call of a Blessing People. - the result of Character. 1. Repaying Evil with Blessing is Our Calling. a. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. b. Whenever we read the word call, called or calling in the scripture our ears should perk up. It is very specific about God’s will for us as believers. c. What does it mean to bless? i. Jesus put it this way in Matthew 6:43-48 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is 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. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” ii. Paul puts it this way in Romans 12:17-21 “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” d. Blessing someone means to seek their good. i. This could be manifest in a prayer for their salvation. ii. This could be done by acts of kindness. iii. Practically it means that people are bettered for knowing us and coming into contact with us, because we are do gooders, and peace seekers (psalm 43). They feel enlightened, refreshed, challenged, and loved..because through us, they are coming into contact with the Spirit of the living God. iv. “Where is love more glorified than when she dwells in the midst of her enemies? Am I asked how this love is to behave? Jesus gives the answer: bless, do good, and pray for your enemies without reserve and without respect of persons” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer iii. The Identity of a Blessing People. 1. Some of you are thinking, “I cannot do that, it’s just not me, or it’s just not in me.” 2. If you are a Christian the problem with this statement is that you are finding your identity first and foremost in your fleshly identity and ability (who you are by nature) rather than in your adoption as a child of God (who and what you are in Christ). a. None of us possess these characteristics by nature. They are contrary to our natural inclinations. Thats why Peter calls those who have been “born again” (vs.1:3) to this upright character. i. I believe what Peter is calling us to is a life of virtue. The way I understand virtue is this: the practicing of certain character traits that become habit that in turn become a part of our character. So that when faced with an opportunity to act, we act upon those trained characteristics...that is virtue. We will fulfill the call of Matthew 6 and Romans 12 as we walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. ii. As we identify ourselves as children of God, as we continually yield our bodies to the obedience of God’s word, it will be come a living part of our being. 3. The Motivation of a Blessing People - God is watching. a. Those who bless others will receive a blessing. b. To give a motivation rooted in scripture, Peter quotes from Psalm 34. "Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." i. There is both a negative and a positive side to this quotation: 1. Negatively: God is watching. He is the ultimate judge of evil. Be careful how you live in relation to others. 2. Positively: God is watching. He is the ultimate rewarder of good. Be careful how you live in relation to others. a. It makes no sense to live our whole lives in contradiction of what we will be and inherit. We must live a life of blessing precisely because we have been blessed and we are inheritors of blessing. c. Does Peter Teach a Works Salvation? i. No. “When Peter says that blessing those who insult us is our divine calling, and that this calling is a condition of inheriting our future blessing, he's not saying that we earn our future blessing with meritorious works; he is saying you must truly be born again” -John Piper ii. If we are truly born again than we will bear the characteristics of our Father. He is a God of blessing, therefore we will be a people of Blessing. If we are not then we clearly show we are the children of another Father - The Devil. Conclusion: 1. God wants to use you to bless people. Period. You’re life is to be a life of blessing, because you are blessed, and you are to obtain a blessing. We are the body of Christ, we are his presence here on earth, and just as Jesus went about doing good and healing, the church continues this ministry of blessing. God wants to use us to bless this city 2. How can I bless others? How can I act out in small ways the glorious blessing I have received from God in Christ? 3.