Treasuring Christ, Transformed Life • 08.27.23
Nick Lees   -   August 27, 2023

Treasuring Christ, Transformed Life

1 Peter 3:8-17

Fulfilling our calling as those saved from sin to represent Christ

  1. Adopt God’s calling for his people
  2. Honor Christ the Lord as holy in your heart
  3. Pursue a godly life in the face of opposition
  4. Humbly evaluate your response to suffering

 

Good morning church family! (Welcome visitors + introduce self + series)

Dismiss 4th + 5th graders

Ushers + Bibles (1 Peter 3; page 1205)

Have you been enjoying the letter of 1 Peter? It has been a delight to dig into it and discover its riches for our life today. In the 2.5 chapters we’ve covered so far, Peter has really hammered home the identity and purpose of Christians. We are elect exiles, called by God to represent and reflect him to the watching world. We have the privilege of proclaiming the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. We have great joy as we do this because we have been born again to a living hope through Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. We have an eternal hope of God’s future grace for eternal life. There is a promise that God has an inheritance waiting for us in heaven. As Peter reflected on these beautiful realities, he began calling his audience to a particular way of life – living holy as God is holy and being witnesses to God’s grace, mercy, and glory. Most recently he has been explaining specific ways they can do this in their relationships with authorities.

Remember, he is writing to 1st century Christians spread throughout Asia Minor under the rule of the Roman Empire. (MAP) They were recent converts who were in a vulnerable position in society. Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve heard Peter walking through specific roles within a household as he equipped them to handle their roles biblically.

Today, as we pick back up in 3:8 we will see Peter move to sum up his counsel to all Christians in their relationships with one another and with unbelievers. As we will see, their calling (and ours) flows from the way we value or treasure Christ as holy in our hearts.

Here’s what you need to understand as we get started today à As Christians treasure Christ, their lives are transformed! Authentic faith in Jesus will bear tangible fruit of change in your life.

1 Peter 3:8–17 (ESV)

8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 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. 10 For

       “Whoever desires to love life

and see good days,

       let him keep 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 prayer.

       But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.

Remember, Peter is writing to a group of people who are facing real opposition for their faith. Their family, community, and authorities were treating them differently as a result of their choice to follow Jesus. Does that resonate with your life at all? For many it does. Now we may not face the same type of opposition as they did, but the principles still apply. Peter is counseling these “elect exiles” on how to live out their faith in an authentic and holy way in the midst of opposition. In fact, he is calling them to a way of life that is not focused on self but on Christ! And as they live for Christ, they will live winsomely in their relationships in their homes and society. What would it look like for you to do the same? *pause*

In the time we have remaining let’s focus our attention on…

Fulfilling our calling as those saved from sin to represent Christ

Our discussion begins with the calling that Peter lays out for his audience. There are some very specific ways they are to treat one another – both inside and outside of the church. Faith in Jesus changes us and our relationships with fellow believers and unbelievers. So, let’s begin by considering what it means to…

  1. Adopt God’s calling for his people

In verse 8, Peter moves from his instructions to husbands into broader teaching for all believers. The calling of God for his people here is…

  1. Live in a godly manner with others.

Specifically, Peter gives five different adjectives to describe this way of life. Let’s talk through them and, as we do so, think about whether these are present in your life and how they help you live a godly life.

  • Unity of mind

Other translations say “harmonious” or more literally “like-minded”. It conveys that Christians should strive to be united in their thinking and approach to life according to the truth. I recently read John 17, which records Jesus’ prayer on the night he was betrayed. In it, Jesus prays for his disciples to be unified. One of the clearest ways for this to be possible is by conforming our thinking and lives to the Word of God. Jesus goes on to pray, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”

It is important for Christians to be devoted to knowing and obeying the truth found in God’s Word so that we can be like-minded and unified as God’s people. We also live in a godly manner by having…

  • Sympathy

Meaning understanding; that we are seeking to understand another. This fits well with his counsel to the husbands to dwell with their wives according to knowledge. All relationships between Christians are benefited when we seek to understand one another rather than assuming motives or acting as if we know best.  We also live in a godly manner by exercising…

  • Brotherly love

It is good and appropriate for us to have love for one another. We ought to care about each other and seek to be involved in one another’s lives. How else can we be the compelling community that Christ has called us to be?! I love the examples we find in Acts of the early church sacrificing to meet one another’s needs – either physical or spiritual. There was such a spirit of selflessness. I also appreciate that I see the same spirit within our church as needs arise. I have heard of small groups pooling resources to cover overwhelming expenses or provide meals to someone in need. I see people giving rides to others on Sundays or passing on clothes from one family to another. These are ways to exhibit brotherly love by caring for each other. Another way to live in a godly manner is by cultivating…

  • A tender heart

The concept here is compassion; being moved to action when you see the needs of another person. This speaks to the internal disposition you have. As Christians, when we see or hear about needs, it is healthy and good when there is a deep-seated longing within us to move towards meeting that need. “How can I help?” should be quickly on our minds and lips rather than “Not my problem!”  Finally, living in a godly manner requires…

  • A humble mind

Meaning thinking rightly of self (not boastful/arrogant) in light of God’s holiness. Humility is a prized and essential character quality for all Christians. Without it, we will not desire to live for the Lord or lay down our lives to serve others. We are repeatedly warned that pride is at the root of so many of our struggles with sin. In fact, Peter will say the following in his last chapter of this letter:

1 Peter 5:5b (ESV)

…Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Without humility, relationships will struggle and fail. Without humility, a church will tear itself apart. Without humility, Christians will not represent Christ well in this world.

These five qualities truly require death to self and a real love for the Lord and others! Can you imagine being a part of a church community where each member took this calling seriously? How wonderful would that be!? Sign me up for that! This is what I hope to be as a pastor and what I hope to continue to see in increasing measure in our church family. I am so very thankful for the evidence of it that is already present in our body. If you’re a member of this church, I want to encourage you to take this list of character qualities home and commit to praying for growth in them this week. Take time to identify any hindrances to them in your life and how you can take the next step of growth in that area.

If you’re here this morning and you’ve not recognized the calling in Scripture for a HIGH COMMITMENT to God’s community (the church), then I want to encourage you to see it in our passage today. There is no such thing as a lone-ranger Christian. The New Testament does not speak of a man or woman coming to know Christ who is not immediately, deeply committed to Christ’s bride, the church. The healthy way to follow Christ is in community with other believers who are also pursuing him. Please take the steps needed to commit to a local church, whether it’s this one or another. At our church, we have a Next Steps process that walks you through the beliefs and mission of our church and helps you get connected to a small group as well as prepare to become a member of the church. If you’ve not completed that process, please take the next step. If you’re not in a small group, I want to encourage you as strongly as possible to make that a priority so you can walk and study God’s Word with other Christians. If you’re not a member, sign up for our next Membership class and come ready to learn enough to either commit to this local church or to allow us to help you find another local church to whom you can commit.

This is not all Peter has to say about adopting God’s calling for his people. In verse 9 he shifts to our response to those who treat us poorly.

  1. Bless those who treat you poorly

Peter revisits the same type of language he had just used in chapter 2:23 about Jesus Christ’s example. Remember the observation I shared about Jesus’ example two weeks ago? His example is like the letters our children trace as they learn their alphabet. Our lives are to replicate Jesus’, and he did not revile or insult those who reviled him.  Rather, Christians are to bless those who insult them! Say what?! When someone treats you poorly, you are not supposed to return tit for tat, instead you are to seek to bless them – literally to speak well to them or to ask God to bless them.

Sounds hard, doesn’t it? Am I willing to pray for those who malign me? Am I willing to serve them? Are you? Listen to Jesus’ example…

John 13:1–5 (ESV)

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, 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, 4 rose from supper.

He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

To the end, Jesus served those who would desert and betray him! The one who was most esteemed took the role of the lowliest servant that night and washed their feet. That’s the example of selfless service and blessing others that we’re to imitate. Or how about this example from Jesus on the cross?

Luke 23:34 (ESV)

34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.

Jesus sets the bar really high for us. Christian, do you realize this is the calling God has given you? Is this how you seek to live with those who do evil to you? These are some soul-searching opportunities both for Peter’s original audience and for us today.

Inevitably, we ask the question, “Why? Why should I live this way?” Peter provides the answer in verses 9-12 – God blesses those who live this way and opposes those who return evil for evil. To drive home the significance of the “why” you have to understand that the blessing being spoken of is that promise of eternal life. Peter is saying that living this way is evidence that you have truly been born again by faith in Christ. A true believer will increasingly live this way. He quotes Psalm 34:12-16 to drive home his point. The one who desires to love life and see good days, speaking about eternity, will live a particular way! They will follow the example of Jesus Christ.

What does this look like? Just as verses 10-12 say, turn from evil, repent of ungodly speech, put off quarreling and instead use your words and actions to speak life and truth and to pursue peace. It is a testimony to the work of God in a person when they are treated poorly and respond with blessing rather than reviling. Peter, through Psalm 34, has held up two entirely different ways of living. One that is evil and invites God’s opposition and the other that is holy and invites God’s blessing! Which way will you live? *pause*

Now I would be remiss as a pastor if I didn’t point out that changing to live this way is IMPOSSIBLE and UNATTAINABLE without a change of heart. These changes are all a work of God the Holy Spirit within a follower of Jesus Christ. If you want to be able to imitate Christ and live a life that God blesses with eternal life, then you must first confess your sin (say the same thing God says about it) and believe in Jesus Christ for salvation. This is the necessary starting point for all of us in adopting God’s calling for his people. Any of us here today who have professed faith in Jesus Christ would tell you that apart from him we could not and would not be able to obey the very things we just read about.

In fact, as Peter continues to call his audience to respond well in suffering, he makes it very clear that this heart change is necessary. Let’s read again what he said a man/woman must have in their heart:

1 Peter 3:15a (ESV)

15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy…

This is our second main takeaway in fulfilling our calling…

  1. Honor Christ the Lord as holy in your heart

This is the foundation for a Christian’s witness or testimony. To honor Christ the Lord as holy in your heart means to put Christ on the throne of your heart. To value him most. Your heart = inner man/woman; the “causal core of your personhood” as Pastor Paul Tripp puts it; aka the control center of your life – what makes you… you.

The principle at work here is this – whatever rules your heart rules your life. There is no disconnect between the inner and outer man/woman. If you treasure Christ in your heart, then it will show up in your transformed life.

If a person does not honor Christ as holy in their heart, then they will inevitably be living for something else, likely self. And rather than worship of Christ driving that person’s life they will be driven by what pleases them. You can begin to see how these two different ways to live will lead to radically different outcomes.

I hope this is a helpful framework for all of us to evaluate our own lives or even to help us come alongside others to help them grow in holiness. Truly we must daily seek to understand what is ruling our heart – in any given situation or circumstance, am I honoring Christ the Lord as holy in my heart? Or am I living for self/something else?

A Christian must honor Christ the Lord as holy in their heart. This is a daily desire that is renewed as we pursue the Lord through diligent prayer, study of God’s Word, and obedience to his commands. (Among other spiritual disciplines) From this stems all of the Christian life! If Christ rules your heart, then you will live in a manner that seeks to honor and please him. *pause*

And yet, even with new hearts, we still struggle with our sin nature (aka the flesh). The Bible teaches that through faith in Jesus we are made new, yet we are still locked into a war with our own sinful desires.  Thankfully we are no longer enslaved to those desires! As we heard a few weeks ago, through faith in Christ, we are free from slavery to sin and are now slaves to righteousness! Christians can daily die to our sinful desires and choose to honor Christ the Lord as holy.

As we do this, we live in the ways described here, and we invite the eyes and ears of the Lord to be upon us. This is the lifestyle that God pays attention to and blesses. Whereas he opposes those who do evil and live wickedly. So, let’s look in more detail at the life God blesses. Our third takeaway in fulfilling our calling is to…

  1. Pursue a godly life in the face of opposition

Let’s consider what verses 13-17 teach us. In verse 13 Peter asked, “Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?” He is saying that it is uncommon for someone to invite persecution when they are zealously doing good. What does this zealous good look like?! And why does this reduce, but not eliminate, the chances of persecution?

To be zealous is to be earnestly committed to doing good. Other translations use the word devoted to what is good. We’re talking about a man or a woman who is actively seeking out opportunities to do good in their spheres of influence. There are some relationships and spheres of influence Peter has already brought up to his audience in chapters 2-3. Let’s cover those and a few more.

  • In the home
    • Zealously doing good as a husband
      • Seeking to understand your wife – exerting effort in this pursuit
      • Seeking to follow God – study the Word; live the Word; wash her with the Word
      • Using your speech to edify and build up
    • Zealously doing good as a wife
      • Cultivating that gentle and quiet spirit
      • Submitting to your husband’s godly leadership
      • Using your speech to edify and support
    • Zealously doing good as a kid
      • Submitting to your parents joyfully
      • Being kind to your siblings; sharing toys
      • Looking for ways to serve and help around the house
    • In the church
      • How might one zealously do good within the church? (Discuss)
        • Submitting to the pastors as they lead according to God’s Word
        • Looking for opportunities to meet needs (filling HK roles!)
      • In the neighborhood
        • How might one zealously do good to a neighbor? (Discuss)
          • Helping with financial or physical needs (Andy giving us food!)
          • Building relationship; being kind; offering help in times of trouble (marriage counseling for my distressed neighbors) – you have the Words of life!
        • In the workplace
          • How might one zealously do good in the workplace? (Discuss)
            • Covering a task no one else wants to do (Em changing the trash @ the studio)
            • Using your words to edify not tear down
            • Resolving conflict quickly and humbly
          • In the community
            • How might one zealously do good in our community? (Discuss)
              • Honoring the governing authorities
              • Seeking to meet needs (food pantry donations, GVSS drivers, Together for Good, etc.,)

As you live out these very tangible expressions of doing good, it can have the effect of relieving tension with those who don’t follow Christ. Even those from different worldviews can acknowledge that your zeal for doing good is a benefit to the greater community. Consider this nugget of wisdom from Proverbs:

Proverbs 16:7 (ESV)

  7    When a man’s ways please the Lord,

he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

However, this is not a guarantee that you will not suffer. Peter goes on to address that even if his readers do suffer for righteousness’ sake, the outcome will be God’s blessing upon them. Despite what our peers may say/do to us, God has the final word! How sweet to remember that heaven is our home, and no human can take that hope from us!

This heavenly reality is why Christians do not need to fear or be troubled by human opposition. No mere man or woman can truly harm those who are zealous for God/good (we have an eternal hope!) Just two weeks ago I mentioned the promises of Jesus regarding this, and it is worth sharing again:

Matthew 5:10 (ESV)

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Christians are secure in Christ. You can face earthly suffering for righteousness’ sake because you have the hope of heaven. If you recall, Peter started his letter reminding them of this living hope!

This incredible hope then leads into the call to honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. There is an incredible assumption made by Peter here. Christians look and live differently than the world around them. There is something about their hope-filled way of life that causes them to stand out, especially when facing suffering/persecution for doing good.

I have used the example of Bassam several times now in this series. If you haven’t heard Bassam’s story, you’ll have to go back to the earlier sermons in this series to listen to it. He is a former Muslim man who lives in the Arab Penisula who became a Christian. Bassam’s conduct and lifestyle, especially while being brutally persecuted by his own family, has led to his family members and people within his community asking about Jesus! They see the hope that is in him, especially as he responds to reviling with blessing, and they are attracted to it. They want to know how he can respond so graciously to such horrible treatment. That’s exactly the kind of behavior Peter is commending to his audience and us today.

We must ALWAYS be ready to share the reason for our hope with ANYONE who asks about it. And we do it with gentleness and respect from a good conscience (or pure heart). Our goal is to give them the same hope that we have. Christians must be in the business of giving hope, not getting even!

The outcome of living this way is that those who slander you for your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. Now we have to be careful about how we interpret that. In our culture, shame is typically associated with the emotion of guilt. That’s not what it meant to the original audience. Shame was a status, not an emotion. To be put to shame was to be defeated or disgraced in battle. So, by living this way, the Christian demonstrates their victory over those who wrongly slander them. The slanderers are defeated and disgraced, not the Christian. Commentator Karen Jobes puts it this way:

Rather than being intimidated by whatever opposition his readers encounter in their society, Peter wants them to respond with a positive and effective explanation of the gospel. Instead of allowing fear to drive them to use the same tactics of insult and malicious talk against their opponents, they are to respond in a way that is beyond reproach. The humble and respectful testimony of believing Christians defeats the malicious talk of those who would malign the faith. (BECNT)

This is the kind of humble and respectful testimony that the Apostle Paul gives to King Agrippa in Acts 26. Though his life was on the line, and he had been imprisoned falsely for years, he was still focused on honoring Christ by sharing his testimony and calling the King to believe.

Acts 26:27–29 (ESV)

27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.” 28 And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?” 29 And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.”

Can you imagine having Jesus as the center of your life and affections such that you live and speak like this? That no matter how others might treat you, whether mocking your faith, imprisoning you falsely, or even physically harming you, that you would not return evil for evil but seek to do good to them and share the hope of Jesus with them!

This, of course, first requires you to be living out your faith boldly and publicly. If no one even knows you are a Christian, then you likely will not draw any attention for your responses of hope-filled faith. If you fit in with your unbelieving friends and co-workers and they would be surprised to find out that you consider yourself a Christian, that’s not a good thing. We’re called to be in the world but not of the world. Meaning we need to be engaging and interacting with our culture and society, not withdrawing into holy huddles, but we also need to be holy in our engagement with culture and society!

How often are you sharing hope from the Word with others? This is an easy way to be a light. Share what you’ve been learning and how God is changing you. When someone is going through a trial, ask if you can pray for them, then do it right then and there. These are tangible ways to honor Christ the Lord as holy in your heart and in public. Of course, there are many other ways we could add to that. For example, anytime you are able to use your skills or abilities to bless others or gain success in your company, you could give the glory and praise to God. Or, as Jordan shared last week, when others are speaking poorly about their spouse, you can use your words to intentionally speak well about yours. Students, when one of your peers/friends is choosing to live sinfully, you can seek to call them to a better, holy way of life with your words and actions. These are light-shining types of moments.

Before we wrap up, there is one more observation I want to make from verse 17. Any suffering that is allowed into our lives ought to be for doing good, not evil. Christians are not to be a people who are out doing evil and inviting the repercussions of such a lifestyle into their lives. We heard a similar comment earlier in the letter in 2:19-20. It is not Christlike to be running our mouths sinfully, or lazy at work, or a jerk in traffic and invite blowback into our lives. It is not godly to get even with those who hurt us. Recall again the example of Jesus. He suffered for doing good… and this was according to God’s will. It is his example we’re following (remember, we are tracing the letter of his life). With that in mind our final takeaway in fulfilling our calling as those saved from sin to represent Christ is…

  1. Humbly evaluate your response to suffering

Specifically, suffering at the hands of others. Do you return good for evil? Or are you responding tit for tat? Are you suffering for doing good or for doing evil?

If for doing good, do you view your suffering as an opportunity? An opportunity to bear witness to the persecutor/perpetrator and/or all who hear/see. An opportunity to grow in personal holiness and assurance of your own faith.

When we are persecuted for our faith, it is a reminder that our hope is in Christ and our heart must be set on him. Verse 17 does not imply that God is willing everyone to suffer; it simply is stating that it is God’s will that Christians remain faithful and obedient even if suffering results. May we be such a people, who are faithful to fulfill our calling…

Let’s pray.

Pray