LIVING TO BLESS – 1 Peter 3:8-12

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on June 30, 2013 under 2013 |

Preached Sunday, June 30, 2013 from 1 Peter 3:8-12

Theme: One way that we point to Jesus in an evil world is by living to bless others.

(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version; copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)

As we return to our study of 1 Peter this morning, I find that—once again—I’m amazed at how God seems to sovereignly guide the things we study together. Often, I find that the circumstances of the world around us have prepared us for the relevant things the Lord wants to convey to us in His word.

Take the events of just the past week. It’s becoming clearer that, in our culture, the prevailing attitude toward the Christian faith and biblical holiness is far different than it was just a few years ago. Attitudes toward are faith are completely unrecognizable from what they were when our nation was founded. In order to justify the fundamental moral changes that are being made to institutions that are basic to our cultural history, things are being said about those who hold to the Bible’s authoritative standards that are shocking and upsetting. And these things are not just being said on the streets and around the water-coolers; but by those who hold high positions in the media, in the entertainment industry, and even in government. I believe more of those kinds of things will be said in the months and years to come. Some are even saying that the true, believing church is very close to being in the same cultural position today that it was in during the first three centuries of its history in ancient Rome.

Now; my purpose is not to get into those controversies this morning. We simply have the most recent controversies fresh in our minds; and there will be more to come. Rather, I simply point all this out to stress the relevancy of this morning’s passage. I genuinely believe we are drawing very close to the great ‘falling away’ that the apostle Paul wrote of in 2 Thessalonians 2; and to the time of our Lord’s glorious return. That makes these truly exciting days to be alive. And I believe that the challenges we will be facing in times to come could result in a great harvest for the gospel of Jesus Christ—if we are careful to respond to those challenges as God tells us to!

If we respond to those challenges with an ‘us-against-them’, ‘get-even’, adversarial kind of manner—if we respond to those who mistreat us and speak evil of us in the same way that they treat us; and try to serve back to them what they dish out to us—we will not be doing what God’s word clearly calls us to do; and we will miss out on the great opportunities that God is giving us to bear witness of His Son in this world. So then; how should we respond to these coming challenges? How would God have His people live faithfully and point to His Son Jesus Christ in a day of increasing hostility toward the faith? I believe that the apostle Peter addresses that in this morning’s passage.

In 1 Peter 3:8-12, he writes;

Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. For

“He who would love life
And see good days,
Let him refrain his tongue from evil,
And his lips from speaking deceit.
Let him turn away from evil and do good;
Let him seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their prayers;
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (1 Peter 3:8-12).

* * * * * * * * * *

When Peter wrote these words, he was addressing them to Jewish Christians who were suffering persecution for their faith in Jesus. They too were spoken of as evil-doers in their day. But Peter urged them in 1 Peter 2:11-12;

Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation (1 Peter 2:11-12).

“Gentiles” was the figurative name Peter gave to unbelieving people—those who are not yet saved and who are outside of a relationship with the God of Israel. And he was urging that his brothers and sisters in Christ live carefully before such unbelieving people—to live rightly, and to speak properly, and to conduct themselves honorably in their sight—so that the cause of the gospel would be advanced in their lives.

Over our past several times together in 1 Peter, we’ve talked about how he expanded this word of instruction. He touched on such areas of life as our submission to government, our obedience to those who are over us in the workplace, and to our marital relationships. The unbelieving world watches us carefully in all these areas—looking to see whether or not Jesus truly lives and is truly our Lord. And another area—the one that Peter takes up in this morning’s passage—is the one in which they watch us is how we respond when we are treated wrongly and spoken of as evil.

This passage is meant to be broad in its application to all of us as followers of Jesus—whatever position of life we may hold. He begins it by saying, “Finally, all of you . . .” And so, this important passage is concluding this important division of Peter’s letter; and is telling all of us—as believers who live in an unbelieving world—how to respond when that unbelieving world treats us wrongly. And what it calls us to do is to “bless” others—even those who do us wrong.

To “bless” is one of those things that we sometimes say, but haven’t often thought about. We say “bless you” pretty casually. But what does it mean to “bless”? The idea behind “blessing” someone is that we “confer favor” or “benefit” on them—that is, being “generous” and “giving” to them in some way; or at least sincerely wish for them that it to be so. In a world of “takers”, we ‘bless’ by being “givers”. In a world of “slanderers”, we ‘bless’ by being “appreciators”. In a world that is cold and hard, we ‘bless’ by being warm and feeling. In a world of those who curse one another, we ‘bless’ by wishing good for one another.

This passage calls us to be a people characterized by the act of “blessing” in a dark and evil time. It teaches us that one of the ways that we point to Jesus in an evil world is by living to bless others.

* * * * * * * * * *

Notice that Peter begins this passage with a focus on ‘us’—that is, on one another as believers. In dark and evil days, he urges first that . . .

1. WE ARE TO LIVE BLESSEDLY TOWARD EACH OTHER (v. 8).

He writes, “Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous” (v. 8). And it’s fascinating to me that he calls us to begin our work of blessing this world by concentrating on our relationship with one another. We are to seek to be a blessing—first and foremost—to one another as members together of the body of Christ. That’s very much in keeping with what the Lord Jesus taught us about our influence in this world. He said, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). In our church family and in our homes, we are to live blessedly toward each other as fellow believers.

Notice the specifics. Peter said first that we are to “be of one mind”. We are to have an attitude of unity. Now; this, of course, doesn’t mean that we have to agree on every point. Some of us may believe we’ll be “raptured” at one point on the end-times chart; and some of us may believe it will be at a different point in the outworking of God’s plan. Some of us may believe in one particular mode of “baptism”, and some of us may believe another. Some of us may believe we have liberty in one area of daily practice; and some of us may believe another way about those things. There is room for legitimate differences between us on those things in the body of Christ. But what we all are to agree on, and what we are to be single-minded about, is the basics of the Christian faith and in our sacrificial commitment to deeply love and serve one another in spite of our minor differences.

Next, Peter said that we’re to be have “compassion for one another”. This means that we’re to be ‘sympathetic’ toward one another. We’re to share in one another’s feelings. We are to actively rejoice with those among us who rejoice, and weep with those among us who weep. ‘When one has a heartache, we all shed a tear, and rejoice in each victory in this family so dear.’ We’re not to be cold to one another. We’re not to dismiss one another’s feelings as unimportant or somehow “wrong-headed” and “silly”. We’re to be a church that respects one another’s deep feelings, and that warmly and passionately feels those feelings together.

Third, Peter says that we’re to “love as brothers”. Literally, we’re to be “brother-loving” one another. We’re to bear one another’s burdens as if they were our own; and we’re to give to one another as if we are of the same kin. We’re not to live separated and isolated lives from one another. We’re to treat one another as equals in the sight of the Father that we have in common with one another. We’re to have one another’s backs. We’re to treat our gathering together at church as if it were a family reunion.

We’re also to be “tenderhearted” toward one another. This means that we’re to be the opposite of “close-hearted” and “impenetrable” toward one another; but to instead be vulnerable, and open toward one another in church life. We’re not to keep our needs and our hurts and our failures to ourselves; but rather, share our hearts and our lives with one another. And when someone among us needs to share their heart with us, we’re to be approachable and allow them into our circle of concern.

And finally, Peter urges us to be humble toward one another. The translation I’m using has it as “courteous”. Other translations have it as being of a “humble mind”. But whichever word is correct, the idea—it seems to me—is largely the same. We aren’t to be “high-minded” toward one another and look down our noses at one another; but rather humble in our approach to one another. When one of us falls, the others don’t scorn him or her; but humbly loves them and lifts them back up. We aren’t to be rude to one another, as if we were better than each other; but are rather to be courteous and respectful of one another.

I believe that one of the best ways to understand this is in a parallel passage from the apostle Paul. In Philippians 2:1-4, he told the church;

Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others (Philippians 2:1-4).

And when the world sees us treating each other that way—truly behaving ‘blessedly’ toward one another—we stand out as something different. The people of this world see that Jesus is our Lord.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Now; as I say, Peter puts our treatment of one another in the priority position. “Blessedness” starts in the body of Christ. And it’s then, I believe, that that Peter turns his attention to the people in the outside the church—out in the unbelieving world. He speaks of how, together . . .

2. WE ARE CALLED TO BLESS THOSE WHO DO US WRONG (v. 9).

Peter says, “. . . not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing” (v. 9).

Do you notice that Peter says that “you were called to this”? What is the “this” that he speaks of? I believe the “this” that we’re called to is the whole pattern of suffering wrongdoing and injustice patiently; and not responding in kind, but giving a blessing instead. This is the pattern that our Lord set for us in His own suffering for us on the cross; and we are “called” to follow His example in our own times of suffering. In 1 Peter 2:18-23, Peter spoke of this “calling” when he wrote;

For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:

“Who committed no sin,
Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;

who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously (1 Peter 2:18-23).

That’s hard to do, isn’t it? In fact; I would say that, apart from the grace of God, it would be humanly impossible. It’s our natural inclination to lash-out and try to ‘get even’ with those who treat us wrongly. But consider why we’re told that Jesus so patiently took wrongdoing that was done to Himself. We’re told that He “committed Himself to Him”—that is, to His heavenly Father—”who judges righteously”. He did not ‘avenge’ Himself—even though He was unspeakably powerful to have done so if He had wished; but instead ‘gave place to the wrath of God’ His Father. Vengeance belongs to Him alone; and He will repay “justly” and “righteously” in His own time. We can leave matters in His hands.

We, then, don’t ever have to return ‘evil for evil or reviling for reviling’. In fact, it’s utterly inconsistent with our faith in God for us to even try to do so. We don’t have to come up with witty retorts to every anti-Christian comment on Facebook. In fact—as one commentator I think very wisely pointed out—when we try to undo a word of reviling against ourselves by reviling in return, or when we try to payback an act of evil against us by doing evil in return, it’s like trying to wash off dirt with more dirt. It only makes us dirtier.

But note carefully that this doesn’t mean we’re to do nothing. Instead, we are to ‘on the contrary’ bless those who do us evil. How would this look in practice? I believe that the Lord Jesus Himself told us what it would look like in the Sermon on The Mount; when He said,

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:43-48).

This is what our Father does—even toward those who are unjust. He is merciful to them. He “blesses” them. And we show the unbelieving people of this world that we belong to the Father when we act like He does toward them.

* * * * * * * * * *

Now; you might say that verses 8-9 tell us what to do; and verses 10-12 tell us why to do it. Why then are we to be a blessing to one another and to the world? Peter goes on to tell us that . . .

3. WE ARE TO DO THIS AS THOSE CALLED TO INHERIT A BLESSING (vv. 10-11).

Peter said this, of course, in verse 9—that we’re to do all this “knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.” Some believe that this blessing involves heavenly reward; and I have no doubt that they’re absolutely right. But I think that Peter is specifically talking about our own blessedness—right here and now—in this dark and fallen world. He goes on to quote from Psalm 34 when he writes; “For, “He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it” (vv. 10-11).

Look at who these words were addressed to—that is, to the man or woman ” who would love life and see good days”. Who among us wouldn’t want that? Even in bad times, God Himself wants us to have a long and happy life, and to see good days along the way. Wouldn’t that be the ‘blessed life’? And yet, so many people—even among those of us who profess to be followers of Jesus—think that the way that we bring a blessed life about in an evil world is by not letting ourselves get pushed around; and by coming up with the snappy insults and witty come-backs that put other people in their places; and by finding cleaver and creative ways of paying back those who do us wrong. But all that does is spread the evil further. That’s not God’s way of bringing about our own blessedness in a fallen world.

Look at the details of how this psalm says that it is to be brought about. First, it is by ‘refrain our tongue from evil, and our lips from speaking deceit’. We are to refrain from speaking evil of others who speak evil of us; and not try to fool people or manipulate situations by our words. I have grown to appreciate an old cowboy proverb that I heard recently—and have been trying to apply it more and more in my life: “Never miss an opportunity to shut up.” You can’t hardly go wrong by adopting that policy; and believe it or not—in an evil world such as this one—that’s a part of the pathway to blessedness!

Then, this psalm tells us, “Let him turn away from evil and do good.” In an evil time such as this one—when we are being attacked as evil-doers—one of the worst things we can do for our witness to Christ is to support such an accusation with our own behavior. I watched an old adventure movie the other day about a small group of men who were trying to drive a pair of old rickety trucks through a South American jungle. Both trucks were carrying three boxes each of wet dynamite in the bed—hoping to survive in order to deliver them to a burning oil refinery. They had to drive through thick jungle brush, over rough and muddy roads, and across rope bridges. One little jostle or twist of the truck and the wet dynamite would explode. It was a pretty gripping adventure movie; but I thought later of how it illustrates professing Christians who are trying to go around in the daily business of life while holding secret sin in their hearts. They’re hauling around something that is extremely dangerous; and it doesn’t take much for the whole thing to suddenly erupt into disaster and loss. We must not cover up the things in our lives that are characteristic of this evil age—things like sexual immorality, or dishonesty in business, or theft and falsehood, or bitterness and resentment toward someone. Hauling those kinds of things in our inner lives will eventually destroy us. Instead, we are to be characterized as people who confess evil, actively turn away from it, and do good instead. In an evil time, this leads to blessedness.

Finally, this psalm says that blessedness in life comes from ‘seeking peace and pursuing it’. We can’t always be at peace with some of the unbelieving people of this world—no matter how hard we may try. But as much as we can do so, we are to ‘seek’ peace. In fact, this psalm says that we’re to ‘pursue’ it. We’re to actively chase it down—as if we’re on the hunt for something precious. We’re to be ready to give up our own rights and privileges if necessary, and seek and pursue peace with others as a thing to be earnestly desired and grabbed hold of by us. “Blessed are the peacemakers,” Jesus said, “for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9).

I think all of this can be summed up wonderfully in what Paul wrote in Romans 12:17-21;

Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:17-21).

That’s the pathway to blessedness in an evil time.

* * * * * * * * * *

And notice finally what Peter says at the end of his quote from Psalm 34. We don’t ever have to fear laying down our guard and refraining from our own efforts to defend ourselves. As he points out to us . . .

4. WE CAN REST ASSURED THAT THE GOD WHO BLESSES IS ALSO WATCHING OUT FOR US (v. 12).

Peter quotes from this psalm and says, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers . . .” (v. 12a). This can be taken as a positive statement of a spiritual principle in God’s moral universe. He always watches over those who are His. He knows those who seek righteousness. He hears them when they cry out to Him. He protects them, and preserves them, and blesses them.

But this can also be taken in a negative way. He watches over the righteous and hears their prayers when they cry out to Him in times of injustice and oppression. As the psalm goes on to say, “But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (v. 12b). He is the defender of His people; and He is the righteous judge of those who do evil to them. We can leave things in His hands.

* * * * * * * * * *

Some scholars have pointed out that Peter doesn’t quote the whole of this passage from Psalm 34. He stops short in the middle of Psalm 34:16; which says, “The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.” Why did Peter stop where he did, and leave that last few words of judgment out? I agree with those Bible teachers who say that it was because it wasn’t Peter’s purpose—n this particular word of instruction to the saints—to highlight the judgment of the lost. Rather, his purpose was to stress how we might win the lost to Christ.

One of the ways that God has ordained that we win others to Christ in this dark and evil age—an age in which we are mistreated, and misrepresented, and spoken against unjustly as evildoers—is by responding to such ill treatment in a Christ-like manner. We do so by first being a blessing to each other, and then—together—by blessing those who wrong to us.

I believe that in the months and years to come, we are going to have lots of opportunities to do this. Let’s commit ourselves to do it faithfully in obedience to Christ—so that others may know His love.