Responding to suffering the right way by following the right examples...

This week we have been looking at a section of a letter that has been preserved and recorded for us in the Bible called the book of 1 Peter. So far this week we have discovered that living as part of God's Kingdom Community should lead to a life that responds to suffering the right way. In 1 Peter 3:13-18, we discovered that, as followers of Jesus, we respond to suffering the right way when suffer for the right reasons. Today, we will see Peter reveal for us the second way by which followers of Jesus respond to suffering the right way in 1 Peter 3:18-20. Let’s look at it together:

For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; ¹⁹ in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, ²⁰ who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.

Now these verses are some of the most discussed and debated verses in the entire Bible. As a matter of fact, many scholars view these verses as being the most difficult verses to interpret in the entire Bible. So with that in mind, let’s start where Peter starts in verse 18. After calling followers of Jesus through history to respond to suffering the right way for the right reasons, Peter provides a first example of a person who responded to suffering the right way as He suffered for the right reason. And that first example is Jesus.

What is so interesting is that the word died in verse 18, in the language that this letter was originally written in, is the same that has been translated suffering earlier in this passage. Peter’s point is that Jesus suffered on the cross for the selfishness and rebellion of humanity. And Jesus suffered on the cross for the right reasons-the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God. Jesus lived the life we refused to live and died the death that we deserved to die so He could bring His followers into the presence of God as a result of them experiencing the forgiveness of sin and the relationship with God that they were created for.

Now that leads to the first question that we need to ask and answer, which is “what does Peter mean when he uses the phrase having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit?”  With this phrase Peter here is emphasizing the two different states of Jesus existence. Peter is referring to Jesus physical sphere of existence and His spiritual sphere of existence. Peter is pointing followers of Jesus throughout history to Jesus crucifixion and resurrection. Peter’s point to these early followers of Jesus who were experiencing sadness and suffering is that just as Jesus emerged from suffering and death into resurrection life, so would the followers of Jesus who were reading his letter.

However, that leads us to verse 19, where Peter states that Jesus, made alive in the spirit, “in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison,” Now several questions immediately arise here: Where did Jesus go? What did Jesus proclaim? And who were the spirits in prison? Now if you grew up in some church traditions, you learned a creed that answered the question “Where did Jesus go” with the phrase Jesus descended into Hell.

However, there are many problems with this answer. First, the word that is used by Peter is not the one that is translated descend. Instead it is the word that is translated go. However, this phrase first appeared in the Apostle’s Creed in 400 A.D., when the church, at that time in history, used its own traditional understanding of hell as being below and inferred the going to be a descent. In addition, none of the titles used to describe the place of the dead, or Hell that were used by the writers of the New Testament are found in these verses. Finally, the place of the dead, or Hell, is never referred to with the word prison. So then where is this prison and who are the spirits? Peter helps provide an answer to that question in verse 20. Let’s look at it again:

who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.

Peter explains that these spirits were once disobedient during the days of Noah? So is he talking about human spirits or angelic spirits?   To answer that question, we first need to understand the context of the days of Noah. We find this context in Genesis 6:1-4:

Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, ² that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. ³ Then the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years." ⁴ The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

One interpretation of these verses is that the sons of God were fallen angels who took human wives and had children in open rebellion against God. Now, while there are many questions about this passage and how it is to be interpreted, it is immediately after these verses that we read the account of the flood. However, in a non-biblical letter called the book of 1 Enoch, several chapters of this book were devoted to this event from history. 

The reason why this matters is that Peter and these Jewish followers of Jesus would have been very familiar with the book of 1 Enoch. However, the book of 1 Enoch was lost after the 2^nd century until a copy was discovered in the 18^th century. So, without the information contained in 1 Enoch, interpreters read this text and interpreted it using a different background, namely that of the Apostle’s creed that stated that Jesus descended into Hell. In addition, Augustine and other church fathers were far more concerned with the theological issues that this text could address, not the meaning that Peter was trying to communicate to the readers of his letter in the first century.

Another factor that we need to consider involves how popular Noah and the story of 1 Enoch was in the 1^st century. You see, Noah was the most prominently known biblical figure in this region of the world, even among Gentiles. His enduring fame is attested to by an amazing series of Noah coins that were minted by five different Roman Emperors from 193-253 A.D. So the readers of this letter would be very familiar with the story of Noah and the flood.

The readers would have been familiar with the fact that it had never rained on the earth before the flood. The readers of this letter would be very familiar with the reality that it took Noah approximately 75 years to build the ark. The readers of this letter would have been very familiar with the fact that Noah had to trust God and the promises of God in the face of criticism ridicule, and slander. Noah had to place his confident trust in God and act on that trust in the midst of being mocked and marginalized. “Hey did you hear what Noah’s doing. Noah’s building and ark because God told him that it was going to rain and that there would be a flood. What a loser!” Noah spent 75 years building what would serve to be a sign of God’s judgment to those who rejected Him and a sign of grace to those who trusted in Him.

You see, Peter brought Noah into this letter not because of a theological debate over baptism or whether or not Jesus descended into Hell. Instead Peter brought Noah into this letter so that he could connect the victory that Jesus experienced over suffering, sin, and death on the cross and His subsequent resurrection to the Noah tradition that was so popular and prominent in the culture where the readers of this letter lived. In light of the tradition surrounding the events that occurred immediately before the flood that are recorded in the book of Genesis and the book of 1 Enoch, Peter explained that the spirits that Christ preached to in prison were fallen angels and/or demonic spirits and the spirits of their offspring.

So what did Jesus say to these spirits? Was it the gospel? I do not believe so. And the reason I do not believe so is because of the connection that Peter is making between Jesus and Noah. You see, both Enoch and his grandson Noah delivered a message of condemnation to those directly involved in the evil that provoked the flood. The very act of building the ark was a condemnation of the wicked generation in which Noah lived.

The analogy Peter is making with Noah is that Jesus delivered the final message of condemnation to the spirits when He ascended to the throne of God. The confirmation is that the day of their impending and eternal condemnation, that was first announced by the flood, is now upon them. We see this reality revealed for us as Peter concludes this section of his letter in verse 21:

 Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you-- not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience-- through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²² who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.

Now an immediate reaction to these verses might be “Well Dave isn’t this saying that baptism saves us from sin. I mean that seems to be what Peter is saying here.” The reason why that is not what Peter is saying can be seen from the verses itself and the context in which these verses are in. First, did you notice what Peter immediately says after the phrase baptism now saves you? There is a hyphen right. And right after the hyphen, Peter states “not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience”. Then there is another hyphen right?

Now what happens when we read these verses without reading the words between the hyphens? It reads this way: Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Peter here is not advocating for baptism as a requirement for salvation. Peter is not concerned about arguing about theology as he is about addressing the current circumstances of sadness and suffering that the readers of his letter were experiencing.

And because of that reality, Peter continued to reinforce the connection between Noah, Jesus, and these early followers of Jesus by drawing an analogy between Noah’s deliverance from the floodwaters and Christian baptism.  Peter here is connecting the sins of these angelic beings in the past that were recorded in the book of Genesis and the book of 1 Enoch, the victorious proclamation of the defeat of suffering, sin, and death by the risen Jesus, and the lives of these early followers of Jesus who were reading his letter.

Peter used the flood as a type of God’s catastrophic judgment, which happened only after God’s restrained patience. Peter paints the survival of Noah as a word picture of the salvation that these followers of Jesus would experience. The followers of Jesus who were reading this letter were being encouraged by Peter that they would be among those who escape a second flood of judgment because they have already passed through the waters of Christian baptism as a result of identifying themselves with the life death and resurrection of Jesus that rescued them from their rebellion.

Peter paints this word picture to explain that the God who saved Noah as he suffered as a result of being mocked, marginalized, and slandered, is the same God who will save these followers of Jesus as they experience sadness and suffering. And it is here that Peter reveals for us the reality that we respond to suffering the right way when we follow the right examples.

As followers of Jesus, we have the example of Jesus response to suffering. Jesus suffered as one who was just for those who were unjust. Jesus suffered so that He could bring His followers into the presence of God. And just as Jesus emerged from suffering and death into resurrection life, so will those who trust in Him in the face of suffering.

And as followers of Jesus, we have the example of Noah’s response to suffering. Noah suffered as one who lived in a world corrupted by the selfishness, sin, and rebellion of spiritual beings and humanity. Noah suffered as one who was mocked, ridiculed, slandered and defamed for 75 years as he built an ark that proclaimed God's message of condemnation. Noah’s suffering for faithfully following God resulted in His rescue by God.

And the God who saved Noah as he suffered is the same God who will save followers of Jesus from their suffering. There are times where God saves followers of Jesus from their suffering. And there are times when God saves followers of Jesus as they faithfully go through their suffering....

Responding to suffering the right way by suffering for the right reasons...

This week we are looking at a section of a letter that is preserved and recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of 1 Peter. Yesterday, we looked at 1 Peter 3:13-14, where we discovered a timeless truth when it comes to about how we are to live in a rapidly changing culture as followers of Jesus in that living as part of God’s kingdom community should lead to a life that responds to suffering the right way.

In 1 Peter 3:13-22, we are going to see Peter reveal for us two different ways that followers of Jesus respond to suffering the right way. First, we see Peter reveal for us the reality that we respond to suffering the right way when suffer for the right reasons. Peter’s point here is that as followers of Jesus, we experience God's favor when we suffer for living faithfully for Jesus. As followers of Jesus, when we experience suffering because we represent Jesus well by living a life that is right in line with the high moral standards of Jesus and that promotes what is good in our relationships with others, we are especially favored by God as a result of being in right relationship with God.

You see, one of the evidences that demonstrate that we possess a genuine and authentic relationship with Jesus is when we place our confident trust in Jesus and do the right thing, even when it is not the easy thing, or the popular thing, to do. And because doing the right thing is not necessarily the easy or the popular thing to do: Because suffering as a result of representing Jesus well by living a life that is right in line with the high moral standards of Jesus and that promotes what is good in our relationships with others is difficult, notice what Peter states next, beginning in the second half of verse 14b-16. Let’s look at it together:

 AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, ¹⁵ but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; ¹⁶ and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. ¹⁷ For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.

Peter begins this statement by quoting from a section of a letter that is preserved and recorded for us in the Old Testament of the Bible called the book of Isaiah. In Isaiah 8:12, the prophet Isaiah proclaimed to the Jewish people the Lord’s message that they were not to fear the invading Assyrian Empire. Instead they were to place their fear, their reverent respect towards God in a way that resulted in submission and obedience to God.

Peter quoted this Old Testament passage to reinforce the reality that they were not to live in fear or intimidation of those who were causing sadness and suffering in their lives. Instead the confident expectation for the future that they had as a result of Jesus life, death, and resurrection, should lead to a life that was dedicated to looking like Jesus and that was driven by a reverent respect for Jesus as a part of His kingdom community.

In addition to demonstrating a reverent respect for Jesus that overcomes the intimidation of those who were causing sadness and suffering in their lives, Peter commands followers of Jesus throughout history to sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.

Now as we have talked about in the past, sanctify is a big fancy church mumbo jumbo talk word that means to set apart and dedicate. In addition, the word heart here refers to the center and source of one’s inner life. So Peter is commanding followers of Jesus throughout history to respond to suffering by setting apart Jesus as the one who is large and in charge of their lives from the center and core of their being.

In addition, these early followers of Jesus were to always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you. In other words, as these early followers of Jesus we ridiculed, criticized, and slandered for holding on to a faith that was viewed as strange and outrageous; as these early followers of Jesus were challenged for representing Jesus well by living a life that was right in line with the high moral standards of Jesus and that promoted what was good in their relationships with others, they were to be ready to make a defense.

And that defense that they were to make involved the hope, the confident expectation for that future that they had as a result of Jesus life, death, and resurrection. Notice that Peter did not call them to defend theology: Notice that Peter did not call them to defend the Bible, or creation, or the church for that matter. Instead, Peter called these early followers of Jesus to respond to criticism, ridicule, and even suffering by being able to defend the difference that Jesus had made in their lives and the hope that Jesus provided for their lives.

Peter then explained that such a defense was to be done with gentleness and reverence. What is so interesting is that the word gentleness refers to the quality of not being overly impressed by a sense of self-importance. In other words, as followers of Jesus, we are to engage those who challenge and even criticize and slander our faith in a way that does not come off as being full of ourselves and that is respectful towards others.

Because, as Peter points out in verse 16, when we engage those who challenge, criticize, and slander our faith in a way that does not come off as being full of ourselves and that is respectful towards others, we will be able to keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. Now our conscience is our inward faculty that distinguishes right from wrong. Peters’ point is that when we respond to suffering the right way, we will maintain a clear conscience in the face of any evil or slander that will reveal our integrity and that will result in shame for those who defame and treat us in a despicable way.

Peter then hammers his point home in verse 17 by basically saying, "if God has a purpose in mind that results in us experiencing suffering, then we better make sure that we are suffering because of God’s purpose for that suffering. We better make sure that we are not experiencing suffering because we have been doing what is wrong, because that is on us for doing what is wrong. We better make sure that if we are suffering, we are suffering because we are doing the right thing, the faithful thing that lines up with the message and teaching of Jesus."

And the same way today, as followers of Jesus, we respond to suffering the right way when suffer for the right reasons. As followers of Jesus, we experience God's favor when we suffer for living faithfully for Jesus. As followers of Jesus, we are not to be intimidated by those who seek to intimidate us for living faithfully for Jesus. Instead, as followers of Jesus, we are to revere Jesus and be ready to defend the reasons why we live faithfully for Jesus.

As followers of Jesus, we are to set our lives as being dedicated to Jesus as being large in charge. We are to be ready to defend the reasons why we live faithfully for Jesus to anyone who asks for an answer as to why we live the way we do. We are to be ready to defend the confident expectation that we have for the future regardless of our circumstances.

And as followers of Jesus, we are to be ready to defend the reasons why we live faithfully for Jesus in the right way. A way that is not to overly impressed with a sense of self importance. A way that is respectful of others. A way that maintains a clear conscience in the face of any evil or slander, that reveals our integrity in the face of slander and that results in shame for those who defame and treat us in a despicable way.

And as followers of Jesus we are to make sure that we are suffering for the right reasons. We are to make sure that we are suffering as a result of doing the right thing in the eyes of God, not as a result of the evil and wrong we may have done to God and others.

Friday, we will see Peter reveal a second way by which followers of Jesus respond to suffering the right way...

Living as part of God’s kingdom community should lead to a life that responds to suffering the right way...

At the church where I serve, we have been spending our time together looking at a letter that is preserved and recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of 1 Peter. This week I would like for us to spend our time together picking up where we left off last week. And as we jump into the next section of this letter, we will discover another timeless truth about how we are to live out our identity as followers of Jesus who are part of God’s kingdom community in the midst of a rapidly changing culture. So let’s discover that timeless truth together, beginning in 1 Peter 3:13:

Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good?

Peter begins this section of his letter by asking the readers of his letter throughout history a rhetorical question: “Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good?” As we talked about earlier in 1 Peter 2:12, when Peter uses the word good, he is referring to followers of Jesus living out their day to day life in a way that is in line with the high moral standards that Jesus called them to as His followers.

So if Peter was asking this question in the language that we use in our culture today, this question would have sounded something like this: Who is really going to harm or mistreat you if you represent Jesus well by living a life that is in line with the high moral standards of Jesus and that promotes what is good in your relationships with others?  Now the reason this question is rhetorical is because of what Peter had stated just one verse earlier in verse 12.

Last week, we saw Peter quote from a section of a letter that is preserved and recorded for us in the Old Testament of the Bible called the book of Psalms. Peter quoted Psalm 34:12-16 to reveal the reality that the Lord is against anyone who wrongs another. Peter’s point in quoting Psalm 34:12-16 is that the Lord will position Himself in opposition to anyone, even Christians, who speak and act in a way that is morally or socially reprehensible toward another, regardless of the circumstances that preceded such behavior.

So Peter is basically saying, in light of what I just pointed you to in Psalm 34:12-16, what harm could possibly come to you? I mean the answer seems obvious, doesn’t it? However, as we have already discovered in this series, these early followers of Jesus were being squeezed as a result of the circumstances of sadness and suffering they were experiencing.

These early followers of Jesus were being squeezed as a result of being strangers in a strange land as a result of their ancestors being scattered during the Babylonian invasion of the Jewish nation. These early followers of Jesus were being squeezed as a result of a persecution against followers of Jesus that is recorded for us in Acts 8.  These early followers of Jesus were being squeezed as a result of the new movement of Christianity beginning to experience persecution at the hands of the Roman Empire.

These early followers of Jesus were being squeezed as they found themselves feeling marginalized and isolated by those around them. These early followers of Jesus were being squeezed as they found themselves the object of ridicule and slander for clinging to a religious belief system that was viewed as being both strange and outrageous as compared with the religious systems that were prevalent in the culture around them. And what is more, Peter already knew that they were being squeezed as a result of the circumstances of sadness and suffering that they were experiencing.

So, if that was the case, why would Peter even ask this rhetorical question? We discover the answer to this question in what Peter says next in verse 14:

But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed.

Not to fully understand Peter’s statement here in the first part of verse 14, we first need to define a few terms. First, when Peter uses the word righteousness, this is a big fancy church mumbo jumbo talk word that refers to the quality or state of upright behavior. In addition, when Peter uses the word blessed, this word conveys the sense of being especially favored by someone. 

So Peter’s statement here if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: “But even if you should suffer at the hands of others because you are representing Jesus well by living a life that is right in line with the high moral standards of Jesus and that promotes what is good in your relationships with others, you are especially favored by God as a result of being in right relationship with God”.

To which we go “What? Really?” Maybe that is your response to Peter’s words here?  Maybe you are wondering “How can Peter possibly believe that someone who suffers is especially favored by God? I mean, bad things usually happen to bad people and good things usually happen to good people. It is a tragedy when bad things happen to good people and when good things happen to bad people. So how can Peter say that a person is especially favored by God when bad things happen to them as a result of doing the right thing?”

If I have just described the thoughts that are going through your mind, I just want to know that I am so glad that you are reading this. I am so glad that you are reading this because it is in this passage that we are going to look at that we will see Peter provide the timeless answers to those thoughts and questions. Because it is here, in this passage that that we see Peter reveal a timeless truth when it comes to about how we are to live in a rapidly changing culture as followers of Jesus. And that timeless truth is this: Living as part of God’s kingdom community should lead to a life that responds to suffering the right way.

Just as it was for these early followers of Jesus who were experiencing sadness and suffering as a result of their current circumstances; just as it has been for followers of Jesus throughout history, living as part of God’s kingdom community should lead to a life that that responds to suffering the right way. In 1 Peter 3:13-22, we are going to see Peter reveal for us two different ways that followers of Jesus respond to suffering the right way.

First, we see Peter reveal for us the reality that we respond to suffering the right way when suffer for the right reasons. Peter’s point here is that as followers of Jesus, we experience God's favor when we suffer for living faithfully for Jesus. As followers of Jesus, when we experience suffering because we represent Jesus well by living a life that is right in line with the high moral standards of Jesus and that promotes what is good in our relationships with others, we are especially favored by God as a result of being in right relationship with God.

You see, one of the evidences that demonstrate that we possess a genuine and authentic relationship with Jesus is when we place our confident trust in Jesus and do the right thing, even when it is not the easy thing, or the popular thing, to do. And because doing the right thing is not necessarily the easy or the popular thing to do: Because suffering as a result of representing Jesus well by living a life that is right in line with the high moral standards of Jesus and that promotes what is good in our relationships with others is difficult, notice what Peter states next.

Tomorrow we will discover what Peter said next…

Evidence that Jesus never asks us to do soemthing that He has not already done...

This week we have been looking at s section of a letter in the Bible called the book of 1 Peter, where we have discovered that living as part of God’s kingdom community should lead to a life that represents Jesus well in our relationships with others. In 1 Peter 3:8-12, we see Peter reveal for us two different ways that we represent Jesus well in our relationships with others.

First we have seen Peter reveal for us the reality that we represent Jesus well in our relationships with others when we live in genuine and authentic community with one another as a church. As followers of Jesus we represent Jesus well as a church when we are living in genuine and authentic community with one another that is marked by unity. As followers of Jesus we represent Jesus well as a church when we are living in genuine and authentic community with one another that is marked by an understanding of one another. As followers of Jesus we represent Jesus well as a church when we are living in genuine and authentic community with one another that is marked by a mutual, brotherly and sisterly love for one another. As followers of Jesus we represent Jesus well as a church when we are living in genuine and authentic community with one another that is marked by compassion for one another. And as followers of Jesus we represent Jesus well as a church when we are living in genuine and authentic community with one another that is marked by humility toward one another.

Wednesday we saw Peter reveal for us the reality that we represent Jesus well in our relationships with others when we respond to being wronged the right way. As followers of Jesus, we respond to being wronged the right way when we refuse to respond in kind. And as followers of Jesus, we respond to being wronged the right way when we ask God to extend favor to the one who wronged us. As followers of Jesus, we are to ask God to extend favor to the one who wronged us in response to the life that Jesus called us to live as part of God’s kingdom community.

You see, we are called as followers of Jesus to follow the example of Jesus by blessing those who insult and wrong us. We are called to respond to being wronged in such a way because our inheritance of the blessings that come as a part of God’s kingdom community are freely given to us as we live out our identity in that community. And as Peter points out, our inheritance of the blessings that come as a part of God’s kingdom community enable and empower us to seek God’s favor on others, even those who do wrong to us.

Now right about now you are pushing back against everything I have just said. Maybe you are thinking to yourself “Well Dave If you only knew my situation; if you only knew how I have been wronged, you would not be saying what you just said to me. If you only knew how I have been wronged, you would understand why I think it is okay to retaliate and respond in kind to what has been done to me.  If you only knew how I have been wronged, you would understand why I am not going to ask God to extend favor to the person who has wronged me.”

If those thoughts, questions, and objections are running through your mind, I just want to let you know that those are fair objections. And we see how Peter responded to those objections in 1 Peter 3:10-12. Let’s look at it together:

 For, "THE ONE WHO DESIRES LIFE, TO LOVE AND SEE GOOD DAYS, MUST KEEP HIS TONGUE FROM EVIL AND HIS LIPS FROM SPEAKING DECEIT. ¹¹ "HE MUST TURN AWAY FROM EVIL AND DO GOOD; HE MUST SEEK PEACE AND PURSUE IT. ¹² "FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE TOWARD THE RIGHTEOUS, AND HIS EARS ATTEND TO THEIR PRAYER, BUT THE FACE OF THE LORD IS AGAINST THOSE WHO DO EVIL."

Here we see Peter quote from a section of a letter that is preserved and recorded for us in the Old Testament of the Bible called the book of Psalms. In Psalm 34:12-16, the Jewish nation’s most famous king, King David proclaimed that the person who desired to experience life in right relationship with God and who took pleasure in living as a part of God’s kingdom community in relationship with God kept their speech free from what was morally or socially reprehensible and from what would be considered shady or underhanded.

King David proclaimed that the person who desired to experience life in right relationship with God and who took pleasure in living as a part of God’s kingdom community in relationship with God ceased engaging in actions that were morally or socially reprehensible. Instead the person who desired to experience life in right relationship with God and who took pleasure in living as a part of God’s kingdom community in relationship with God strove to live in a way that met a high standard of worth and merit and for harmony in their relationships with others.

King David explained that the reason why the person who desired to experience life in right relationship with God and who took pleasure in living as a part of God’s kingdom community in relationship with God would live in such a way was due the reality that the Lord is attentive to and present in the life of a person who strived to live in a way that promoted what was right and just and that promoted a right and just society. By contrast, King David proclaimed that the Lord positions Himself in opposition to those who live in a way that is morally or socially reprehensible in how they treat others.

Peter quoted from this Psalm to reveal the reality that the Lord is against anyone who wrongs another. Peter’s point in that the Lord will position Himself in opposition to anyone, even Christians, who speak and act in a way that is morally or socially reprehensible, regardless of the circumstances that preceded such behavior. Peter quoted from this Old Testament Psalm to underscore the reality that asking God to extend favor to the one who wronged us has been a part of God’s kingdom community all along.

You see, God’s kingdom community has always been concerned with one thing. And that one thing is that members of God’s kingdom community represent Him well. And it is our response to when we are wronged that serves as a powerful apologetic that brings the light of the Kingdom of Heaven into the dark spaces and places where wrong occurs. And in the same way today, living as part of God’s kingdom community is to live in a way that represents Jesus well by responding to the wrong that occurs to us in our lives in a way that is an apologetic for the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel by doing the right thing in the face of that wrong.

Because, as we have discovered, living as part of God’s kingdom community should lead to a life that represents Jesus well in our relationships with others. As followers of Jesus, we represent Jesus well in our relationships with others when we live in genuine and authentic community with one another as a church. A church, a community of faith that is marked by unity: an understanding of one another: a mutual, brotherly or sisterly love for one another: a compassion for others: a humility towards others.

And as followers of Jesus we represent Jesus well in our relationships with others when we respond to being wronged the right way. As followers of Jesus, we respond to being wronged the right way when we refuse to respond in kind. And as followers of Jesus, we respond to being wronged the right way when we ask God to extend favor to the one who wronged us. You see, Jesus never asks us to do something that He has not already done for us. As followers of Jesus, we are called to follow the example of Jesus by blessing those who insult and wrong us.

As followers of Jesus, our inheritance of the blessings that come as a part of God’s kingdom community are freely given to us as we live out our identity in that community in our day to day lives in relationship with those around us. As followers of Jesus, it is our inheritance of the blessings that come as a part of God’s kingdom community that enable and empower us to seek God’s favor on others, even those who do wrong to us. And as followers of Jesus, the reality is that asking God to extend favor to the one who wronged us has been a part of God’s kingdom community all along.

So here is a question to consider: Do you represent Jesus well in your relationships with others? Do you represent Jesus well when it comes to how you live in community with other followers of Jesus? Do you represent Jesus when it comes to how you live in relationship with those who do not know Jesus? Do you represent Jesus well when it comes to how you respond when wronged? Do you respond in kind when wronged? Or do you respond by revealing and reflecting Jesus as you pray for God’s favor on those who wrong you?

Because, living as part of God’s kingdom community should lead to a life that represents Jesus well in our relationships with others…

We represent Jesus well in our relationships with others when we respond to being wronged the right way...

This week, we are looking at a section of a letter that has been preserved and recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of 1 Peter. Yesterday, we began to look at 1 Peter 3:8-12, where we discovered that living as part of God’s kingdom community should lead to a life that represents Jesus well in our relationships with others.

And in 1 Peter 3:8-12, we are going to see Peter reveal for us two different ways that we represent Jesus well in our relationships with others. First, in verse 8, we saw Peter reveal for us the reality that we represent Jesus well in our relationships with others when we live in genuine and authentic community with one another as a church.

As followers of Jesus we represent Jesus well as a church when we are living in genuine and authentic community with one another that is marked by unity. As followers of Jesus we represent Jesus well as a church when we are living in genuine and authentic community with one another that is marked by an understanding of one another. As followers of Jesus we represent Jesus well as a church when we are living in genuine and authentic community with one another that is marked by a mutual, brotherly and sisterly love for one another.

As followers of Jesus we represent Jesus well as a church when we are living in genuine and authentic community with one another that is marked by compassion for one another. And as followers of Jesus we represent Jesus well as a church when we are living in genuine and authentic community with one another that is marked by humility toward one another.

We asked the question “Do these characteristics mark the church you attend? Would people who explore faith here at your church say that these are the traits that mark your church? Would people in the community say these things about your church if they were asked about the church?

Is your church marked by unity? An understanding of one another? A mutual, brotherly or sisterly love for one another? A compassion for others? A humility towards others? Because, as Peter points out in this verse, as followers of Jesus we represent Jesus well in our relationships with others when we live in genuine and authentic community with one another as a church.

Today we will see Peter make a subtle transition, from addressing how followers of Jesus should live in relationship with one another as part of the church, to addressing how followers of Jesus should respond when we are wronged by others who are outside the church. We see this subtle shift in 1 Peter 3:9. Let’s look at it together:

not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.

Now to fully understand what Peter is communicating in this verse, we first need to understand the culture to which Peter was writing these verses to. You see, in the Greco-Roman culture of the first century, a person’s honor was of ultimate value and virtue. A person’s honor was to be defended at all times and a person always sought to enhance their honor, often at the expense of others.

Sociologists and historians refer to this phenomenon as being an honor shame culture. So when a person’s honor was questioned or challenged, the cultural expectation would be that one would retaliate, in kind, in order to defend one’s honor and reputation and in order to bring shame to another’s honor and reputation. So, in the culture that these early followers of Jesus lived in, a common occurrence would be instances that were referred to as honor challenges.

In honor challenges, one person would attempt to challenge another’s honor so as to increase their honor as they shamed the other person. The outcomes of these honor challenges would establish a sort of societal pecking order when it came to status within the culture. Now, to respond to one’s honor being challenged by not retaliating, by not responding in kind, would be viewed as most unusual by the culture around them and would give them pause.

However, that is exactly what Peter commanded these early followers of Jesus to do here. Instead of retaliating when wronged; instead of responding in kind when wronged, Peter commanded these early followers of Jesus to give a blessing instead. When Peter uses this phrase, he was calling early followers of Jesus to pray sincerely for the person that wronged them in a way that asked God to bestow divine favor upon them.

Peter was calling these early followers of Jesus, and followers of Jesus throughout history, to respond to being wronged by praying that God would intervene in that person’s life in a way that extended His divine favor upon them so that they would come to know Him. Peter then provided the reason why they were to respond to such a way to being wronged by stating “for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing”.

With this phrase, Peter is revealing the reality that God chose and drew these early followers of Jesus to the place where they experienced the blessings that come as a result of experiencing the forgiveness of sin and the relationship with God that they were created for though Jesus life, death, and resurrection so that they may be used by God in a way that reveals and reflects Jesus in how they respond to being wronged by others.

You see, just as we discovered a few weeks ago in 1 Peter 2:23, Jesus opened a new and better way that breaks the escalation of conflict and provides an example for us to follow as followers of Jesus. Once again, Peter is reminding followers of Jesus throughout history that part of following Jesus is to respond to the suffering and wrong that occurs in our lives in a way that is an apologetic for the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel by doing the right thing in the face of opposition and suffering for doing the right thing.

And it is here that we see Peter reveal for us the reality that we represent Jesus well in our relationships with others when we respond to being wronged the right way. As followers of Jesus, we respond to being wronged the right way when we refuse to respond in kind. And as followers of Jesus, we respond to being wronged the right way when we ask God to extend favor to the one who wronged us.

As followers of Jesus, we are to ask God to extend favor to the one who wronged us in response to the life that Jesus called us to live as part of God’s kingdom community. You see, we are called as followers of Jesus to follow the example of Jesus by blessing those who insult and wrong us. We are called to respond to being wronged in such a way because our inheritance of the blessings that come as a part of God’s kingdom community are freely given to us as we live out our identity in that community. And as Peter points out, our inheritance of the blessings that come as a part of God’s kingdom community enable and empower us to seek God’s favor on others, even those who do wrong to us.

Now right about now you might be pushing back against everything I have just said. Maybe you are thinking to yourself “Well Dave If you only knew my situation; if you only knew how I have been wronged, you would not be saying what you just said to me. If you only knew how I have been wronged, you would understand why I think it is okay to retaliate and respond in kind to what has been done to me.  If you only knew how I have been wronged, you would understand why I am not going to ask God to extend favor to the person who has wronged me.”

If those thoughts, questions, and objections, are running through your mind, I just want to let you know that those are fair objections. And we see how Peter responded to those objections in what he says next.

Friday we will see what Peter has to say next…

Living as part of God’s kingdom community should lead to a life that represents Jesus well in our relationships with others...

At the church where I serve, we have been looking at a letter that is preserved and recorded for us in the New Testament of the Bible called the book of 1 Peter as part of a sermon series entitled living as part of God’s kingdom community. During this series, we are asking the question “How should followers of Jesus live out our identity as followers of Jesus who are part of God’s kingdom community in the midst of a rapidly changing culture? How should followers of Jesus live out our identity as followers of Jesus who are part of God’s kingdom community when our faith is minimized and marginalized? How should followers of Jesus live out our identity as followers of Jesus who are part of God’s kingdom community when our faith is ridiculed, criticized, and slandered?”

This week, I would like for us to spend our time together picking up where we left off last week. And as we jump into the next section of this letter, we will discover another timeless truth about how we are to live out our identity as followers of Jesus who are part of God’s kingdom community in the midst of a rapidly changing culture. So let’s discover that timeless truth together, beginning in 1 Peter 3:8:

To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.

Peter begins this section of his letter with the phrase “to sum up”.  With this phrase, Peter is basically saying “In conclusion to what I have been saying in this part of my letter to you: In light of the fact that living as part of God’s kingdom community should impact how we live out our day to day lives in relationship with others. In light of my concern was that our relationships would be an apologetic for the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel that affirmed part of that social order that lined up with the message and teachings of Jesus while rejecting those parts of the social order that were not compatible with the message and teachings of Jesus.

In light of the fact that living as part of God’s kingdom community should lead to a life that represents Jesus well in the face of suffering at the hands of others. In light of the fact that living as part of God’s kingdom community should result in wives representing Jesus well in marriage. In light of the fact that living as part of God’s kingdom community should result in husbands representing Jesus well in marriage: In light of the key question “Are followers of Jesus representing Jesus well? What is the reputation of followers of Jesus in the eyes of unbelievers?”In light of that, to conclude my thoughts on how you are to live out your day to day lives as part of God’s kingdom community in relationships with others, I am going to give you an overarching command concerning your relationships with others.

Peter then commanded the readers of his letter, and followers of Jesus throughout history, “be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit.” Now when Peter uses the word harmonious, this word literally means to be like minded in spirit. In addition, the word sympathetic means to be understanding to another. The word brotherly conveys the sense of having a mutual brotherly or sisterly affection for another. The word kindhearted literally means to be tenderhearted or compassionate toward another. And the phrase humble of spirit conveys the sense of declaring oneself powerless to defend one’s status or position.

And it is with these string of commands that Peter reveals a timeless truth when it comes to about how we are to live out our identity as followers of Jesus who are part of God's kingdom community in the midst of a rapidly changing culture as followers of Jesus. And that timeless truth is this: Living as part of God’s kingdom community should lead to a life that represents Jesus well in our relationships with others. Just as it was for these early followers of Jesus who were experiencing sadness and suffering as a result of their current circumstances; just as it has been for followers of Jesus throughout history, living as part of God’s kingdom community should lead to a life that represents Jesus well in our relationships with others.

And in 1 Peter 3:8-12, we are going to see Peter reveal for us two different ways that we represent Jesus well in our relationships with others. First, in verse 8, we see Peter reveal for us the reality that we represent Jesus well in our relationships with others when we live in genuine and authentic community with one another as a church.

As followers of Jesus, we represent Jesus well as a church when we are living in genuine and authentic community with one another that is marked by unity. As followers of Jesus, we represent Jesus well as a church when we are living in genuine and authentic community with one another that is marked by an understanding of one another. As followers of Jesus, we represent Jesus well as a church when we are living in genuine and authentic community with one another that is marked by a mutual, brotherly and sisterly love for one another. As followers of Jesus, we represent Jesus well as a church when we are living in genuine and authentic community with one another that is marked by compassion for one another. And as followers of Jesus, we represent Jesus well as a church when we are living in genuine and authentic community with one another that is marked by humility toward one another.

So here is a question to consider: Do these characteristics mark the church you attend?  Would people who explore faith the church you attend say that these are the traits that mark your church? Would people in the community say these things about the church you attend if they were asked about your church?

Is the church you attend marked by unity? An understanding of one another? A mutual, brotherly or sisterly love for one another? A compassion for others? A humility towards others? Because, as Peter points out in this verse, as followers of Jesus we represent Jesus well in our relationships with others when we live in genuine and authentic community with one another as a church.

Peter than makes a subtle transition, from addressing how followers of Jesus should live in relationship with one another as part of the church, to addressing how followers of Jesus should respond when we are wronged by others who are outside the church.

We will see this subtle shift in verse 9 tomorrow…

Husbands represent Jesus well in marriage when they live in a way that brings honor to Jesus and their wives...

This week, we have been looking at a section of a letter that is recorded for us in the Bible called the book of 1 Peter. We looked at 1 Peter 3:7 and discovered that living as part of God’s kingdom community should result in husbands representing Jesus well in marriage. In 1 Peter 3:7, we see Peter reveal for us two ways that living as part of God’s kingdom community should result in husbands representing Jesus well in marriage.

Tuesday, we saw Peter reveal for us the reality that husbands represent Jesus well in marriage when they live they live in a way that demonstrates an awareness of where their wives are at in their lives. Husbands demonstrate a respect for their wives by exercising an awareness of where their wives are at when it comes to having a relationship with God.

And husbands demonstrate a respect for their wives by exercising an awareness of how their wives have been wired by God. Husbands are to exercise an awareness that their wives have been wired differently physically and are to treat them accordingly in a way that results in the spiritual good, growth, and flourishing. And husbands are to exercise an awareness that their wives have been wired differently emotionally and are to treat them accordingly in a way that results in the spiritual good, growth, and flourishing. Peter then reveals a second way that husbands represent Jesus well in marriage in the second half of 1 Peter3:7. Let’s look at the entire verse again:

You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

Now when Peter uses the word honor, here, this word refers to honor as a possession. In other words, honor here refers to the respect that one is to enjoy. So Peter here is commanding husbands to give their wives respect as a result of the commitment that they had made to their wives to love their wives as Christ loved the church. Peter then explains that the reason why they were to give their wives respect was due to the fact that she is a fellow heir of the grace of life. But that does that mean?

With this phrase, Peter is referring to God’s transformational intervention and activity in the world through Jesus that results in one experiencing eternal life in relationship with God.  Peter’s point is that both men and women are equal recipients of the inheritance that comes as a result of being a part of God’s kingdom community called the church. Both men and women equally have a new identity as a part of God’s kingdom community as a result of God’s transformational intervention and activity through Jesus in their lives. And because of that reality, husbands were to treat their wives with respect.

Peter then warns husbands throughout history that failure to treat their wives with honor and respect would result in their prayers being hindered. You see, how we live out our horizontal relationships with others here on earth impacts the depth and intimacy that we have in our vertical relationship with God. You see, here’s the thing: the reason why the health of you marriage is so important in God’s eyes: the reason why God has a divine design for the roles that men and women are to have within a marriage relationship is that marriage has been divinely designed by God to be a picture on earth of the intimacy that we will have for all eternity with Jesus.

Marriage was designed by God to be a word picture to the unbelieving world around us of the vulnerability, the transparency, and the intimacy that followers of Jesus will experience for all eternity with Him. Again, Peter is concerned with the key question “Are followers of Jesus representing Jesus well? What is the reputation of followers of Jesus in the eyes of unbelievers?”

Peter recognized that as these early followers of Jesus lived as citizens of God’s kingdom community, that they would be watched closely by those around them as they lived distinctively different lives than those in the community around them. And nowhere would that dynamic be more evident than in relationship between a husband and a wife. Peter recognized the power that a healthy, vibrant marriage that was lived out according to God’s design would have to be used by God to bring those around them to the place where they became followers of Jesus as well.

And it is here that we see Peter reveal for us the reality that husbands represent Jesus well in marriage when they live in a way that brings honor to Jesus and their wives. Husbands bring honor to Jesus and their wives by recognizing their equal inheritance as a part of God’s kingdom community. Husbands bring honor to Jesus and their wives by treating their wives as those who have an equal inheritance as a part of God’s kingdom community as a result of equally experiencing God’s transformational activity in their lives that results in them equally receiving eternal life through faith in Christ.

And husbands bring honor to Jesus and their wives by recognizing that failing to honor their wives slows their spiritual progress. You see, when husbands bring honor to Jesus and their wives, the result is a marriage that serves as an apologetic for the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel to the unbelieving world around them, as they live faithfully as a part of God’s kingdom community. And for Peter, living as part of God’s kingdom community should result in husbands representing Jesus well in marriage.

As part of God’s kingdom community, husbands represent Jesus well in marriage when they live they live in a way that demonstrates an awareness of where their wives are at in their lives. Husbands demonstrate a respect for their wives by exercising an awareness of where their wives are at when it comes to having a relationship with God and when it comes to how their wives have been wired by God.

And as part of God’s kingdom community, husbands represent Jesus well in marriage when they live in a way that brings honor to Jesus and their wives. Husbands bring honor to Jesus and their wives by recognizing their equal inheritance as a part of God’s kingdom community. And husbands bring honor to Jesus and their wives by recognizing that failing to honor their wives slows their spiritual progress.

So with that in mind, men here is a question to consider: Are you representing Jesus well in your marriage? Are you demonstrating an awareness of where your wives are at in their lives? Are you aware of where your wives are at spiritually? Emotionally? Are you living out your marriage relationship in a way that brings honor to Jesus and your wife? Are you struggling in your relationship with Jesus because you have not been honoring Jesus by how you treat your wife?

Because, the timeless reality is that living as part of God’s kingdom community should result in husbands representing Jesus well in marriage...