Sermon Date: March 27, 2011
Sermon Title: Glow in the Dark
Sermon Text: 1 Peter 3:8-22
Small Group Text: 1 Peter 3:8-22 PERSECUTION ON THE HORIZON – HANDLE IT WELL Christians who live God-honoring lives will generally encounter a pushback from the culture at large. At school, in the workplace, within families, or community organizations, Christians can be at bit of an enigma (mysterious and confusing) to those outside the faith who just don’t understand the values and lifestyle of Christ-followers. In these circumstances, a certain level of misunderstanding and mistreatment can be expected. In this sense, Peter referred to “all kinds of trials” (1:6) , accusations of “doing wrong” (2:12) , “the ignorant talk of foolish men” (2:15) , and “the pain of unjust suffering” (2:19) . But at times, some Christians will have to endure the most severe harassment and suffering for their commitment to God and faith in Christ. In this passage, Peter instructed believers, (who were about to undergo extreme persecution) how to live peacefully in an extremely hostile environment. To make his point, Peter looked back at the examples of Jesus and Noah – both of whom responded with courageous faith in times of suffering and were ultimately blessed by God. Cultivate loving conduct within the Church (vv. 8-12) In chapter 3 (3:8-9) of his first Epistle, Peter quoted from an Old Testament Psalm (34:12-16) to make the point that the church is to be characterized by positive, loving relationships. He constructed his thoughts around three exhortations: 1. Don’t use your mouth as a weapon (3:9-10): "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.” (1 Peter 3:10) Squeeze a toothpaste tube; jostle a cup filled with liquid and what comes out? Whatever is inside! This law of physics is true in the spiritual realm as well. When we’re squeezed or jostled, whatever is inside comes out. A person’s words expose the content of the heart and indicate what kind of person he/she truly is: For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. (Matthew 12:34b) Peter noted certain characteristics that aid in producing the right verbal response when the pressure is on: a. Harmony within the body of Christ can also be translated “to be likeminded” – indicative of a group of people who are pursuing the same goals. b. Sympathy within the body of Christ is the ability to empathize with others and respond to their needs. c. Brotherly love within the Body of Christ demonstrates family-like affection. d. Compassion within the body of Christ is having a sensitive and caring heart toward others. e. Humility within the body of Christ is the ability to rejoice at the success of others and encourage the best in people. These kinds of Christian virtues help guard one’s mouth – countering the inclination toward deceitful and destructive speech (1 Peter 2:1, 22) .
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2. Don’t hit back (3:9): In fact, “turn away from evil” (3:11). One of the early church fathers Chrysostom, said, “Fire is not extinguished with fire, but with water; likewise wrong and hatred, not with retaliation, but with gentleness, humility and kindness.” Seeking revenge when wounded by a fellow-believer does not help the church’s cause – especially with persecution looming on the horizon. Retaliation for ill treatment only weakens the church’s resolve to stand strong. This idea of nonretaliation occurs throughout the New Testament beginning with Jesus (Matthew 5:39) , is underscored by Paul (Romans 12:17) and is here mentioned again by Peter. In fact, leaving room for God’s justice can be traced as far back as the wisdom literature of the Old Testament (Proverbs 20:22; 24:29) . 3. Promote peace (3:9-12): Advancing peace is a more active pursuit than passively walking away from conflict. In truth, making peace can be more work than waging war. Peace is pursued when, instead of maligning the person with whom one is conflicted, just the opposite occurs: one speaks well to/about the person from whom he/she has received an insult. Jesus instructed his followers to “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matt. 5:44) And Paul wrote, “When we are cursed, we bless” (1 Cor. 4:12) . To bless in this regard is to desire the good for one’s adversary – even to the point of actively working to enhance his/her life. The question then might be: “How can I bring a beneficial influence to this person with whom I am conflicted? These kinds of responses do not escape the attention of God who watches over the righteous and whose ears are attentive to their prayer (1 Peter 3:12) . Not only does God give careful attention to the needs of His faithful people; but He ensures their ultimate blessing at the same time (1 Peter 1:3-4; 3:9) . The opposite effect is also true. While God’s heart is toward the righteous, He opposes the wicked and does not hear the prayers of those who mistreat others (1 Peter 3:7. See also Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5) . Set apart Christ as Lord (vv. 13-15) One of the difficult facts of the Christian life is that despite all efforts to live peacefully, to love others well and to live a moral and respectable life, Christians have suffered persecution. What then? Upon these occasions, said Peter, there is no other recourse than to bear up under undeserved suffering in the full knowledge that a Christ-like response will ultimately result in blessing (3:13-17) . Historical examples of Jesus and Noah are then provided to punctuate the point in verses 3:18-22. There is a sense in which, in the normal course of life, a Christian’s zeal for doing good can counterbalance the tendency for others to treat him/her with ill will. A passionate love for goodness combined with an intense desire to love others might be confusing to an irreligious community; but it’s also eye-catching and inspiring. Hence, Peter’s question in verse 13, who is going to harm you…? Nevertheless, a culture can become so degenerate, so godless that values are turned upside-down. What is good is called evil; and what is evil is called good (Isaiah 5:20) . In such cultural environments, even Christians, eager to do good, become subject to physical suffering or material hardship. Peter’s solution was to re-contextualize the distress by placing the persecution in the larger context of God’s eternal perspective. Even if severe suffering should occur, Christians are blessed and thus should not despair. The word here translated “blessed” (Greek, makarioi) was used by Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:3-11) . To be blessed in this context does not denote a safe, problem-free life. It is not a reference to material possessions or to happy, carefree emotion. Rather, to be blessed is to be “highly privileged.” Were Christians to seriously consider and live in the realty of this divine blessing, the temporary sufferings would pale in comparison. Fear of what men could do to the body becomes less of a concern (Matt. 10:28) . Peter reached back to the prophet Isaiah to emphasis this exhortation to fear God rather than men. God assures the prophet that he need not fear what the rest of his people feared, but should trust in God alone (Isaiah 8:13).
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Another way to say this is to “set apart Christ as Lord.” As long as the Christian’s heart and mind are centered upon temporal, earthly matters (possessions, happiness, pleasure, ease and comfort) , persecution has power over the Christian but, we take the teeth away from persecution when Christ-followers value the supremacy of God and the Lordship of Jesus Christ above all else. Convinced from the depth of his/her soul that the promises of God are in tact – no matter how dire the circumstances, nothing in all the world can terrorize the Christian believer. These Christians are eternally secure in the knowledge of God’s supreme, sovereign Lordship on earth and in heaven (Read Romans 8:31-39) . This high confidence in God and in the forthcoming blessings enables the persecuted Christian to give a strong, rational defense for his/her unswerving trust in Christ. But to be truly convincing, this oral defense should be consistent with one’s Christ-like conduct. Peter admonished the Christian to “give an answer” – not to dispute. To state one’s faith with quiet confidence is one thing. To debate one’s faith with quarrelsome arrogance is quite another. The case for Christianity must be presented with attractive love and grace in the knowledge that impressing the truth upon a person’s heart is the job of the Holy Spirit. It’s been said "A saint is someone whose life makes it easier to believe in God." (Quoted from the Daily Study Bible) Keep a clear conscience (vv. 16-17) A wonderful Old Testament proverb states, The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. Proverbs 28:1 In essence, there is an inherent empowering to stand for truth and deep conviction when one’s conscience before God is clear. If the Christian can meet criticism and persecution with a life that is beyond reproach, such conduct may well disarm the false claims of the accusers. Did Jesus still go to the cross for holding to the truth? Indeed he did. But the lies brought against him at trial were so contrary to his testimony and character as to make the false accusations laughable. In the same say, Christians who suffer unjustly but maintain a clear conscience discredit those who slander their good behavior. This was Peter’s point, a verbal testimony, underscored by a life of goodness and love is the best defense against unjust retribution and persecution.
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