How Shall We Live (1 Peter 3:13-17)

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How Shall Christians Live (1 Peter 3:13-17)

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH on Sunday, June 30, 2024

This Thursday, we celebrate Independence Day. Today, we celebrate Independence Day in our worship service.

I love history! I am a student of history. I love American history. Recently, I watched the Apple TV series “Masters of the Air.” It is a mini-series about the men who flew B-17s during WW II. It was an insightful show that gave me even more insight into what our soldiers endured. Of course, I read a lot of history as well. Watching that show made me even more proud to be an American. To be sure, America is not God’s chosen nation. We can and should be proud and good citizens. This is true whether the country shares our values or not. How do we live when the nation does not share our values? Well, how do we live either way?

Regardlss, of what nation we liveiand of whether or not the nation shares our values, Jesus is Lord.

I expect the world to be the world. We, as Christians, must take our faith seriously; why? Persecution is coming, and we are called upon to represent Christ.

I want to talk about 1 Peter 3:13-17 and show you that Peter gives his readers instructions on how to live as Christians when the country does not share their values.

If you brought a Bible, please turn to 1 Peter 3:13-17

Let’s read:

1 Peter 3:13–17 (ESV)

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.

  1. Be zealous to do good:
    1. In verses 13-14 and 16-17, Peter encourages them to be zealous to be good.
    2. Let me say a few words about the situation in 1 Peter: This was written around AD 62-63, probably from Rome.
    3. There was sporadic persecution.
    4. Later, Peter was martyred, likely crucified, and maybe upside down. Legend is that he watched his wife crucified first, saying something like, “Remember our Lord.”
    5. There is a lot about persecution in 1 Peter (word “suffering” in 1 Peter: 1 Peter: 1:6–7; 2:12, 19–21; 4:12–19; 5:9–10).
    6. Now, the NIV says to be eager to be good. I like the NASB’s use of the word “Zealous” better. In verse 13, Peter communicates with a question: “Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good?”
    7. Answer the question: honestly, how often do we face trouble for doing good? Not often. Certainly, there are occasions, specifically with children, when they are laughed at and made fun of for doing the right thing.
    8. Unfortunately, this is on the rise among adults as well. A few years ago, I spoke with another pastor, who said that our culture is becoming one that glorifies sin. That is so true.
    9. Peter does not deny that there are occasions when we will face trouble for doing good. Verse 14 acknowledges that, and we will come back to that in a moment.
    10. First, let’s acknowledge that Peter talks about being eager or zealous to do good. This is not simply doing the right thing by helping someone carry their groceries to their car. This is looking for opportunities to do good. At the time of Christ, the name “zealots” was applied to a party among the Jews, half religious and half political, founded by Judas the Galilean (Acts 5:37). These undertook to punish without trial those guilty of violating Jewish practices, under which pretext they themselves committed the greatest excesses of crime.[1] These people were intense, and that is the word Peter uses to describe our good behavior.
    11. Now, look at verse 14: even if we suffer for doing good, we are blessed.
    12. Peter uses the term righteousness: If we suffer for righteousness, we will be blessed. To be righteous means to be “just,” to be “right.” To be righteous is the character that God requires of man. What God requires is grounded in what God is. God is righteous.
    13. Matt 5:10: Jesus says blessed are those persecuted for righteousness
    14. In verse 14, Peter also quotes Isa. 8:12 about not being intimidated.
    15. In verses 16-17, Peter reviews this idea.
  2. How to be prepared:
    1. Now, look at verse 15 and see what Peter tells us to do to be ready for persecution and how to respond.
    2. Peter has already told us one way to be ready, hasn’t he? He told us to be good, more than that, to be eager to do good.
    3. Now Peter says to sanctify Christ as Lord in our hearts. The NIV will say to “set apart Christ as Lord in our hearts.” Or “Revere Christ as Lord.” This means the same thing.
    4. If we are sanctifying Christ, this means that we are setting Him apart in our lives—or, actually, we are setting our lives apart for Him. To be sanctified means to be set apart for a purpose—this is like being holy. So, if we are revering Christ as Lord in our hearts, then we are giving Him prominence in our hearts and in our lives. Let’s stop right here.
      1. Are we doing this? Does Jesus have prominence in our lives?
      2. Is Jesus Lord of our lives?
    5. I must battle this, too. Don’t think I am only preaching to you; I must also apply this to myself.
    6. So, as we can see, the first step in being ready for persecution is living for Christ. This is holiness, making Jesus Lord of our life; this is surrendering to King Jesus. Men, this means becoming a man of God. Women, this means becoming a woman of God.
    7. We must live eager to do good, surrendered to Jesus, and learning about Jesus. That is the third and final step in being ready for persecution.
    8. Peter writes: “Always be prepared to give an answer or defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you.”
    9. In a devotion on Job 21, Swindoll writes this:

Chances are good that many of you who are reading these lines are currently the target of someone’s lying accusations. That can be an anguishing cross to bear. I’ve been there, so I speak from painful experience. Since this is an ongoing issue for many of us, it should be helpful to draw a few guidelines to follow based on the way Job handled his accuser.

Listen to what is being said, considering the character of the critic. Stay calm! You will be tempted to jump in and rashly react in the flesh, saying things you will later regret. Do your best to listen to what is being said. While doing so, keep in mind the character of the person who is the source of the accusation. Calmly take it all in. Job did that, which prepared him for his further response.

Respond with true facts and accurate information, knowing the nature of your accuser. Speak truth! Stay on the side of accuracy, regardless. The other person may be a former husband or former wife. He or she could be your previous or current boss, an employee, a neighbor, a pastor, or a friend. It doesn’t matter who the individual is. If you are being accused, you need to focus only on facts. Don’t react or ponder ways to retaliate. If you yield to either temptation, you’ll come off sounding like the accuser. God honors integrity. Maybe not immediately, but ultimately you’ll be vindicated. Remember David’s prayer: “Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity” (Psalm 26:1). Truth will prevail among people who traffic in it and make their decisions based on it.

Abraham Lincoln was told that he needed to fire his postmaster general. All kinds of accusations were being leveled against the man. Lincoln weighed rumor against hard evidence, and on July 18, 1864, he wrote Secretary Stanton a letter saying he was not going to do that because the information was based on hearsay, not accurate facts. In that letter he correctly concluded, “Truth is generally the best vindication against slander.” Wise response.

Stay with the truth. Don’t exaggerate it, don’t deny it, and don’t hesitate to say it.

  1. Swindoll is writing about integrity and that is a vital part. It is also important to know the Bible. How we respond is important, it is important to know the facts and to know information about your faith.
  2. Are we prepared?
  3. I know that some of you are very prepared and that is great.
  4. As Christians, we must be learners. We must be studying the Bible and studying books about the Bible.
  5. But notice this: First Peter talked about being a Christian
    1. Be zealously good
    2. Make Jesus Lord in your life
  • Then Peter talked about knowledge.
  1. If we have knowledge without a Christian lifestyle we are hypocritical and aggressive. That is the next part of how to respond to persecution.
  2. Peter says to respond with gentleness and respect or reverence.
  3. How we respond is important.
  4. I shared the following in the May-June newsletter.

Grace towards everyone, Faith towards God, Biblical wisdom towards everything.

I believe if we can keep those phrases in the forefront of our minds, we will be happier and more Christ-like.

Certain Bible passages convict me. Over the last few years, scriptures related to submissiveness, grace, forgiveness, and gentleness have been on my mind and prayer life. Also, the scriptures that are against being critical, grumbling, and complaining. Let me share a few:

Proverbs 15:1 (ESV)

A soft answer turns away wrath,

but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 19:11 (ESV)

Good sense makes one slow to anger,

and it is his glory to overlook an offense.

Philippians 2:14–15 (ESV)

14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world…

1 Corinthians 13:7 (ESV)

Love bears all things, believes all things [this means love gives each other the benefit of the doubt], hopes all things, endures all things.

There are other passages, such as Gal. 5:22-23 and the fruit of the Spirit, but I will stop with those verses. So, think with me:

Grace towards everyone: God gives us grace. Grace means unearned favor. This is 1 Cor. 13:7. This means we give each other a break. We give each other the benefit of the doubt. God gives us grace. We give grace towards everyone. This means we do NOT grumble and complain. This means we live Eph. 4:32: Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. We get rid of the hyper-critical attitude. What if we get up each morning and pray: “Lord, help me to encourage others today.”

Faith towards God: without faith, we cannot please God (Heb. 11:6). We need to trust the Lord. The Lord is in control. Psalm 115:3: Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. Sometimes, we grumble and complain, forgetting that the Lord is in control. For whatever reason, the Lord allowed the trial we are going through. We can trust Him. The Lord is faithful (Prov. 3:5-6).

Biblical wisdom towards everything: Everything we hear, read, see, and encounter must go through the lens of the Bible. James 4:4: You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Another verse is Romans 12:2: Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

I want to write more, but I will stop at that, except to say: Those phrases flow together. Think of them backward: When you apply biblical wisdom towards everything, AND when you have faith in God, IT WILL be easier to give grace to everyone.

So, how do we live?

Be zealous to do good.

Set apart Jesus as Lord in your life.

Always be ready to give an answer of your hope, which is Jesus.

Do so with gentleness.

Grace towards everyone, faith towards God, Biblical wisdom in all things.

Pray.

 

[1] Zodhiates, S. (2000). The complete word study dictionary : New Testament (electronic ed.). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers.

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