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1 Peter 3:8-17
“Right Conduct: Avoiding Evil”
(written for sermon central to fill a gap in the series))
There was a wife who was struggling with her relationship with her husband, so she went to visit a marriage counsellor to talk about it. As he was exploring the problems the counsellor said, “Maybe your problem is that you’ve been waking up grumpy in the morning.” “No,” said the wife. “I always let him sleep.”
That is the issue about living in this world isn’t it. This world would have no problems, if we would all just stay asleep! But we don’t. We wake up. And we need to get up as Christians and live in this world. Today the passage that we are focussing on from Peter is going to help us do just that. 1 Peter 3:8-16.
8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil 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 their tongue from evil
and their lips from deceitful speech.
11 They must turn from evil and do good;
they 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 their threats; do not be frightened.” 15 But in your hearts revere 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 behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 17 For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
You don’t need me to tell you that there have been so many people who have been hurt by the church because the church was not functioning as it should have been.
Churches where a small group of individuals believe that they have the right to have everything their way. So, they are constantly causing division and stubbornly following their own minds.
Churches where there is obviously a difference between those who are in the inner circle, and those who are not, so not everyone is treated equally.
Churches where there has been abuse, and spiritual damage, and gossip and a lack of grace. And all they have done is left a wake of damage behind them.
Already at this stage in the life of the church, still so early and so new, Peter knows that this is a problem in the church. And he knows how much of a negative impact it can have. So, when it comes to effectively detailing with daily life Peter firstly addresses the Christian community and he says, “You need to get your house in order”.
In doing so Peter focusses on five outcomes.
The first outcome is to be like-minded.
Sometimes people think that a united like-minded church is a church where everyone has exactly the same beliefs and they think exactly the same way. That is not being like-minded – that is mind control. Like-mindedness comes when we seek to live in harmony.
The piano in our church is tuned by Roy Pires. Roy also tunes the Piano at other churches, and also at other homes. In fact I would guess that Roy tunes over 100 pianos a year.
Uprights and Grands.
Old pianos and new pianos.
All with different sounds. When you tune a piano you use a tuning fork. Roy would have one of those. All those pianos that Roy tuned, are all tuned to the same fork. Which means all those pianos are automatically tuned to each other. They would have slightly different sounds and be quite individual, but they would all play the same note. They are in harmony so they are like-minded.
When we are Christ we also are like minded when we are in harmony. This happens because each one of us individually is tuned into Christ.
Jesus is our spiritual tuning fork.
When we resonate with Him, then we will automatically resonate with each other.
That is how we become like minded.
The second outcome is to be sympathetic.
Bill Vaughan makes a very astute observation. He says,
One of life’s major mistakes is being the last member in the family to come down with the flu – after all the sympathy has run out.
Mum’s you get this for sure.
It’s true. It is hard to be sympathetic when you have been through a situation and now someone else is going through that same situation. You did it, so why can’t they? Just stop complaining!
That might work in the home with the flu, but in the church it can’t. Just because you have gone through a situation and you have come out the other side and all is well … that does not mean that we should place those same expectations on others. After all, others have coped very well with situations that have caused you to stumble. We need to show support to one another no matter how each one of us is dealing with it.
The third outcome is to love one another.
The text literally says “brotherly love”
Brotherly love is a strange thing isn’t it. One moment brothers can be going through the biggest break-down. The next moment they are protecting each other. Brothers can tell it how it is to brothers. There can be a brutal honesty that comes from deep affection and care. Brotherly love also brings responsibility.
I have two brothers – one is 10 years younger than me, and one is 12 years younger. When we were younger they used to follow me around all the time. It drove me crazy sometimes.
Mum used to say, “They just want to be like you” … that really didn’t help.
Now one of my brothers is in ministry. The other brother also has a powerful ministry as he lives his faith among his neighbours and friends.
I and proud to be a brother to both of them.
It is a special affection.
In this verse Peter is saying, “bring that brotherly love into the church”.
The next outcome is to be Compassionate
Compassion is more than empathy.
Empathy says, “I know what you are feeling”.
Compassion says, “I want to help carry your hurt”.
Compassion is more than having pity.
Pity says, “What a shame you have those difficult circumstances”.
Compassion says, “Can I help make it easier?”.
Compassion is action. Helping. Caring. Getting alongside. Doing.
It is the part of the body of Christ that moves us to show Christ in an active way too each other.
The fifth outcome is to be humble
When you act in the ways I have described don’t make a big fuss about it as if you are doing something extraordinary. Don’t call attention to yourself as if you are better than others. This is just how church works.
In the days of Peter such an attitude was rare. Only those who had a degraded social status were humble. Everything was about status and avoiding shame.
In our day of increased individualism and the demand for rights being humble is also becoming increasingly rare.
So when live this way we will stand out.
And that is the big point isn’t it. When we live this way we will stand out. Getting our house in order gives us the foundation to be able to deal with this world because we will not be facing the difficulties of the world alone … we will have a community that we can rely upon for support. People around us who will be there when everyone else has given up. That’s what we need to aim for. Because when we live like this as a community we are equipped to live like this in the world.
It is at this point that Peter gives us the key calling in this text.
9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
1 Peter 3:9
When you read these words there is a sense where they feel familiar. And they are. This is what Jesus said in Luke 6:27-28
27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
Remember Peter was the guy who was with Jesus for three years. This was the same Peter who retaliated when Jesus was being arrested by cutting off the ear of Malchus. Jesus said to him, “Don’t”. Retaliation doesn’t work. Retaliation is not My way.
As we go into this world we do not follow the way of repaying evil, or the way of insult.
That means we don’t respond to what others are doing with violence. But it also means we don’t resort to gossip, or exaggeration or even slander.
That means we don’t just clench our teeth and bear it. On the outside we look kind of calm but in the inside we are seething.
We don’t act like the little girl who was making angry faces at a bulldog. Her mother saw her and asked her to stop. The little girl said, “But Mom, he started it!” Yes a bulldog naturally looks tough and mean, but nothing is gained by trying to compete with it.
The person who thinks they must return every angry look they see, or repay any hurtful deed that is directed toward them, will have a never-ending job in this world. And all they are doing is letting the agenda of their life be set by others. A much better way to go is to have Jesus set the agenda of your life.
Rather than retaliate or just bear it we call God’s blessing upon the people who are doing this. This is more than just putting up with it. This is acting in a positive way towards the situation and going above and beyond. Knowing that good days come:-
… when we hold our tongue from evil.
… when our lips avoid deceit.
… when we seek peace.
Knowing that God’s eyes are on us as we live for Him.
And we live for God in a tough world.
We hope that doing good to others will result in good to us. We learn from a very early age that this isn’t true.
That is where parenting is so hard isn’t it. Especially when you send your children off to school for the first day.
What do you normally say?
Be kind to the other children and then you will make some friends.
Play nice and be good.
If you want to make a friend you need to be a friend.
All this sort of stuff we say don’t we.
But we are anxious because we know how it really works.
They don’t end up in a nice class.
All the other kids make friends but yours doesn’t.
Kids can be mean. And they don’t have to be old. Prep. Grade 1. It all starts there.
Our children come home and they are crying and sad because they have been hurt.
Now if it was just you, well you can deal with this can’t you. But these little … precious but misdirected … classmates are making your child’s life miserable. It doesn’t take long to fall into the retaliation mode. Does it.
And that is only one example.
Life is cruel and life is unfair. There are people in this world who just make life miserable.
And when we actively live our Christian faith we can find ourselves in an environment which is charged with suspicion and hostility.
Peter knows how it works. So Peter goes back and reminds us again. How do we have the right conduct as we live in this world of evil? Peter gives us two specific examples.
Do not be frightened. But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord.
We are not talking about fear of certain situations. There are people in this world who have real fears.
Claustrophobia – fear of small and confined spaces.
Arachnophobia – fear of spiders.
They are real – and there are plenty of strange things people fear.
Chaetophobia – fear of hairy people.
Levophobia – fear of objects on the left side of the body.
Odontophobia – fear of teeth.
Strange fears perhaps but still very real.
That is not the fear Peter is talking about. He has in mind here Isaiah 8:12-13.
12 “Do not call conspiracy everything this people calls a conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it.
13 The Lord Almighty is the One you are to regard as holy, He is the one you are to fear, He is the one you are to dread.
We all want to control our little part of the world. Isaiah is speaking to a group of people who are seeking to do that. To take control. But Israel is a small nation among many, and Israel is very rarely in control.
They keep trying to sort out their situations with political solutions.
They keep forgetting God.
Their fear of the world is driving them. The fear of their circumstances. They are not setting God apart and following Him. They are not making God the priority. And, because of that they are giving reverence to the situations of life. And reverence for God is being taken away. The right conduct we need in this world is a conduct that puts our relationship to God in Christ above all else.
Do not fear. But also
Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
You don’t have to be a silent sufferer as you go into this world. When people ask you about why you are different tell them! When you have an opportunity to defend your hope in Christ tell them!
We live in a generation that is screaming out for answers. The problem is that many Christians are stuttering – and not giving answers.
Be prepared to speak of your hope. Can you do that?
As we put this preparation in place we need to remember that giving an answer to the world isn’t the same as giving a testimony to other believers.
In our testimony we use jargon and Christian-ese.
I’ve been redeemed.
Jesus pays the propitiation for sin.
I’ve been sanctified by the blood of the Lamb.
It’s true. But what are you talking about?
Peter is talking here about helping those around us understand why we put our hope in Christ. We need to think about our words so that our words have clarity to those who have no Bible understanding. Speaking from the heart so that, even if they don’t understand, the non-believers around us will see the strength of our convictions.
Also putting this preparation in place means remembering that this isn’t a time for arrogance and rudeness
Let me tell you about my hope. I’m going to heaven and you are not. You are going to BURN.
I’d like to tell you, but you are obviously so much of a heathen you won’t understand anyway.
That is not giving an answer. And it is not following the heart of God who does not want to punish but for everyone to come to repentance.
We give an answer with gentleness and respect.
Gentleness in your words.
Respect for the other person who, despite what they might have done, is still an image-bearer of God.
Seeking to be a blessing and not resorting to an act of retaliation.
Speaking, not just being silent.
Because when we do keep silent about our hope we are basically saying, “I’m going to leave you in ignorance so that God will send you to hell”.
That is the ultimate retaliation … isn’t it.
So here is Peter again, helping us in a practical way to answer the question, “How do we live good in this world?
Ultimately, we live good by having a testimony that is one of actions and words.
Actions … as we live as a Christian community.
Words … as we speak the answer of the hope we have.
That is the calling we have as those who are “in Christ”.
To conform to the teachings of Christ.
To have the spirit of Christ.
To think and act under the influence of Christ.
Maybe those who repay evil for good will be ashamed. And maybe they won’t. But they will never set the agenda for our lives.
For only Jesus can do that. And when we follow the agenda of Jesus we can “live good” by avoiding evil.
Prayer
