Is anybody thirsty? Man, after that awesome worship we just had, I’m thirsty! Do you guys mind if I drink this Diet Coke while I preach? You know what—We’re family! I’ve got a few extra Cokes and Diet Cokes with me today! Would anyone else like to have an ice-cold Coke while I preach! And these are ice cold! Would anyone else like a Coke?
Well, you know what; I’ve got enough cokes for everyone! [have ushers come down the isles with can’s of coke and diet coke…] -- [Be like Oprah, “You get a coke, you get a coke, you get a coke!”] – don’t open it yet! I’ve always wanted to do this… On the count of 3, let’s all open them at the same time, and let’s see what that sounds like… Ready – 1, 2, 3!
Pretty good stuff isn’t it? Did you know that it used to be promoted that if everyone would drink a Coke, the world would be in harmony? Some of you will remember jingle…
I'd like to buy the world a home and furnish it with love,
Grow apple trees and honey bees, and snow-white turtle doves.
I'd like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony,
I'd like to buy the world a Coke and keep it company.
It was one of Coca-Cola’s most successful ad campaigns ever!
Bill Backer was the one who originally came up with the idea for this successful jingle. He was on a flight to London that had to be diverted to Ireland due to bad weather. People were angry that they couldn’t make their destination, and all of them were forced to spend the night in the airport.
The next morning he and the other passengers were gathered around the little airport coffee shop and he began to notice something. No one was irritated anymore. In fact people were laughing and having a good time. (Kind of like us right now!) He noticed that everyone had something in common. They were all drinking Coke!
Bill Backer recalls that moment in his book The Care and Feeding of Ideas.
In that moment, I began to see a bottle of Coca Cola as more than a drink. I began to see the familiar words, "Let's have a Coke," as a subtle way of saying, "Let's keep each other company for a little while."
So that was the basic idea: to see Coke not as it was originally designed to be - a liquid refresher - but as a tiny bit of commonality between all peoples, a universally liked formula that would help to keep them company for a few minutes. - Bill Backer as recalled in his book The Care and Feeding of Ideas (New York: Times Books/Random House, 1993)
They were trying to sell the idea that Coca-Cola had the power to bring people together, to help them live in harmony! Can you imagine if that were true?
• Every refrigerator in every home in America would have an endless supply of Coke!
• I guarantee you that Coca-Cola would be available 24 hours a day 7 days a week here at New Life! Coca-Cola would be served at every service, every youth group, and every Life group! Coca-Cola would be the drink of choice in every leadership meeting, Bible study, and ministry activity!
• Coke would be offered in every classroom in every school and in the country!
• Every office, and factory in America would have Coke!
• Every police station and courthouse in America would require everyone to consume a Coca-Cola upon entrance.
• We’d airdrop bottles of Coke on Washington DC every day!
If that were true, every restaurant, gas station, and truck stop would hang a sign out front that says “Coca-Cola served here daily – It’s the harmony drink!”
But it’s not true! A Coke is “just a coke!”
I’m sure that all of us can think of at least one person in our lives that we are not in harmony with! – At least one person in your life that you say to yourselves, “This person’s sole purpose on this earth is to cause me grief!”
Man, I tell you, when relationships aren’t right, (when you’re out of harmony with someone else) life can be miserable can’t it!
Did you hear about the two guys named Rufus and George who were marooned on a desert island? After a year they couldn’t stand each other. One day Rufus found an old green bottle washed up on the shore. He rubbed it, and, voila! – a genie appeared. George saw what was happening, and grabbed the bottle – Gimmie a wish, genie.
The genie refused, saying, Rufus found me, he gets to make a wish. But, I tell you what – whatever he wishes for (doesn’t matter what it is), money, women, power – I’ll give you twice what he gets.
George said, Sounds good!
Rufus just smiled and said, Okay, genie, beat me half to death!...
When relationships aren’t right, life can be miserable! There’s probably at least one person that you’re not in harmony with! And if I had to guess, I would say that during this pandemic that we’re living through, with all the strong opinions floating around, and adjustments we’ve all had to make, and decisions being made that affect us all greatly… There’s a pretty good chance that somewhere during all of that, you’ve had a few struggles with harmony.
Please open your bibles to 1st peter 3. We’re in a series right now that I’m calling COVID and the Christian. This series is all about answering this incredibly crucial question:
• How should we as Christians be living out our faith during this historic moment in history?
1st Peter is the perfect book of the Bible to help us navigate this crazy season of life we’re in right now. I’ve been referring to 1st Peter as the Christian’s manual for enduring COVID with your faith intact!
Both, the church in Peter’s day, and the church in our day are experiencing suffering. The teaching that Peter gives applies across the board!
In our text today, Peter is going to challenge us, like he did the original recipients of this letter to live in harmony with others! That can be challenging in the best of times, but add Coronavirus to the mix, and all the opinions, politics, civil unrest, and social media that comes with it—well then, we just might be living during the most unharmonious time of our lives. Check out what Peter wrote in 1st Peter 3:8
1st Peter 3:8-17,
8 Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. 11 He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.” 15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17 It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
If I could summarize this Scripture into one singular truth that will help us during this crazy season of the Coronavirus, it would be this:
Striving to live in harmony with others speaks volumes about “who” & “what” you’re really living for!
If we are able to live how Peter instructs us to live in our text, -- well that says more about your faith in Christ and your confidence in God’s blessing than just about anything!
WHO you’re really living for: Jesus Christ!
WHAT you’re really living for: God’s blessing! (heaven)
[Expound]
When we read this text, one of the first things we have to determine is if Peter is telling these Christians to live in harmony with other Christians, or is he telling them to live in harmony with everyone (believers & unbelievers)
Some read our text and say that Peter just means relationships in the church! Live in harmony with other believers. They focus on verse 8 that says love as “brothers.” – Brothers is a common expression in Scripture referring to fellow believers…
However, in the very next verse (9) Peter tells them not to repay evil with evil or insult with insult. It’s no secret that sometimes the church can be a place where feelings get hurt, and insults get flung, -- but that doesn’t seem to fit the context of Peter’s entire letter. From everything we’ve read so far in 1st Peter, it seems strange that Peter would all of a sudden shift gears and address some kind of internal strife that the church was dealing with.
What makes sense to me and what fits the overall context and flow of Peter’s letter is that he is instructing these Christians on how to relate to the outside world! This is how you should act toward those who are outside the church! Yes, even the ones who are persecuting you!
So to me, the best understanding and application of verse 8 isn’t EITHER/OR! It’s BOTH/AND!!! Live in Harmony with everybody! Harmony should be a given for those within the church and an expectation towards those outside of the church!
Peter then rattles off 4 virtues of harmony in verse 8! People who take this text seriously (to live in harmony with others) are people who strive to:
1) Be sympathetic… - I’m so sorry you’re hurting…
2) Love as brothers… - I’m hear for you and will walk with you...
3) Be compassionate… - I care about you! How can I help? What do you need from me?...
4) Be humble… - You before me! Your needs before mine! How can I serve you..
Sympathetic, loving, compassionate, and humble. I don’t know about you, but I think these 4 virtues of harmony were difficult enough before the Coronavirus, but even more challenging now with everything going on!
When Peter originally wrote this, he was challenging the church to find ways to live in harmony with everyone, even those people and leaders who were persecuting and disparaging them! It’s amazing how 1st Peter (and the rest of the bible for that matter) still fit so well in our context today.
It’s impossible not to notice that in our country, it’s becoming more and more unfriendly towards Christians! There is an increasing amount of negativity thrown towards Christians today! Now, I’m not going to stand up here and pretend that Christians here in America are facing the same kind of persecution that the Christians were that Peter was writing to. Nor are we experiencing the same kind of persecution that Christians are in other parts of the world like China, or parts of India. – Or in countries like Sudan, Iran, and other Muslim controlled societies.
But there is certainly a negative trend against Christianity in the media which has spilled out on our nation. Not to mention that what is promoted, broadcast, and found acceptable today are things that would have only been said in the shadows when our grandparents were our age! But today, more than any other time that I’ve known, there seems to be an open and unconstrained negativity towards Christianity.
Why is that? Why such negativity towards Christians in the news, in Television and movies? Why are Christians portrayed as hypocrites, or intolerant, or weaklings, or the weirdo? Why are Christians portrayed as the raciest, or the extremist, or the fallen, or even the violent?
Why do so many tv shows, movies, talk shows mock Christianity and cast it in such a negative light? The main reason is because of the message of Christianity. – That we are all sinners in need of a savior! (And Jesus is that savior who died who gave His life for you. Deny self, and live in submission to Him).
The Apostle Paul warns us that the things of God are foolishness to those who don’t know Christ.
1 Corinthians 2:14 (NIV)
14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.
A few years ago, a friend sent me a link to a video of a comedian who came out on stage with a copy of Rick Warren’s book, “The Purpose Driven Life.” (The Purpose Driven Life is considered by many as required reading for all Christians…) -- This comedian proceeded to read excerpts from the book, while making fun of it, as well as Christians, all to the laughter and applause of the audience.
It made me angry! The last thing I was thinking about while watching his act is how to live in harmony with that idiot!!! But as I thought about it more, I think the Lord reminded me of the fact that this so-called comedian isn’t alone. This comedian:
• Represents the guy who lives next door to you.
• Represents the guy who sits on the other side of the cubical or takes his lunch break at the same time you do.
• Represents your father-in-law or brother.
• Represents the politician who thinks faith is for the weak.
• Represents the college professor who loves when 1st Semester freshman take his class so he can destroy their faith.
• Represents the waiter who hates working on Sundays because of the Christians who don’t tip and come across as self-righteous and rude.
• Represents the baseball coach who thinks Christians are a bunch of do-gooders for not letting their children miss church for games.
If we’re really serious about obeying God’s word and striving to live in harmony with others who live all around us and interact with us everyday… Then I believe: It’s time to get over the idea of being a Christian and actually be one!
I know much of what I’m saying is like preaching to the choir! We know this stuff! But what might not be so obvious is what is at the heart of our text: Which is How in the world are we to “live in harmony with one another?” And not just in a world that is growing more anti-Christian, but also in a time of such unrest!
I wish that it was as simple as drinking a Coke, but here’s our reality today: We need to get over the idea of being a Christian and actually just be one who follows daily in the footsteps of Jesus! Following Jesus in sincere faith is really the only way we will be able to “live in harmony with one another!” That sounds so nice, but wasn’t Jesus the best at doing this? Has there ever been anyone who was more sympathetic, loving, compassionate & humble… Has there ever been anyone better at living out verse 9?
1st Peter says in 3:9,
9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
Peter’s not telling us to be a doormat! He’s not telling to not speak up with the truth (in fact quite the opposite –vs. 15). He’s telling them to show all the haters of the world - what the love of God looks like through our actions! Friends we’re not living to shut the mouths of those who mock our faith! God can do that anytime He wants to! We’re living for Jesus and our blessing! Our inheritance!
We’re called to something higher… We’re living today a certain way because it matters for eternity! And by being sympathetic, loving, compassionate and humble to everyone (even the mockers and haters) – not paying back evil with evil or insult for insult, -- then we are speaking volumes about “who” & “what” we’re really living for!
Look at verse 10-11,
10 For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. 11 He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.
How are we going to live in a world that is growing more hostile towards us as followers of Christ? Be honest and do good!
When Jesus would preach, there were plenty who were hostile towards him?
• Matthew’s house… “eats and drinks with sinners” (sympathetic)
• He healed people (He did good to them)!!! (Love)
• Feed of the 5000… What did Jesus have? (Compassion) for them! What did he see? They were here helpless like sheep without a shepherd!
• Many hostile people changed their ways because Jesus was good! Look no future then the Thief on the cross!!! (Humble)
How are we going to live in harmony in a world that is growing more hostile towards us as followers of Christ? Be honest and do good! Don’t trade insults! Be compassionate, humble, loving, and sympathetic! Be like Jesus!
What did Peter say one chapter earlier? (2:12)
12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
Expound
Look at verse 15-16,
15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
Do you understand what Peter is instructing them to do? While doing “good” – don’t neglect the greatest good! To lay their fear aside and talk about Christ no matter what the consequences may be. With sympathy, love, compassion, humility, -- not with insults, but a clear conscience and an eagerness to do good… make Christ number one and talk about the reason for the hope you have (the blessings!!!)
Illustration of Jim going to the hospital to talk to Duane about his faith in God… There was a full room of people but Jim didn’t care if he looked foolish, got kicked-out, or laughed at. Jim was ready to tell Duane about the hope that he had in Jesus Christ…
Peter said, live in Harmony with one another! It would be nice if that “Harmony” was found in a can of Coke! But it’s not! It takes more work and trust in God than that! But if drinking a can of Coke would speak volumes of who and what I’m living for… I’d drink it every day and carry a can of Coke with me everywhere I went! But Coke doesn’t do that.
• But what you can carry with you every day is an eagerness to do good; that comes from setting apart Christ as Lord of your life!
• You can carry with you every day a confidence that the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and he is attentive to your prayers!
• You can carry with you everyday the ability to live harmoniously by being sympathetic, loving, compassionate and humble.
• You can carry with you everyday hope of eternal life and the knowledge that no matter how ruff things might get here, there is a blessings that we live for! Heaven!!!
Living in harmony with others speaks volumes about “who” & “what” you’re really living for!
