YouTube video sermon
1 Peter 3:8-12
Let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to 1 Peter 3. Dr. Howard Hendricks served for over 50 years as professor of Biblical Exposition and Hermeneutics at Dallas Theological Seminary. He was a mentor to many of today’s Christian leaders and pastors: Tony Evans, Chip Ingram, David Jeremiah, Chuck Swindoll. Dr. Hendricks used to tell the story of the Zippy Dog Food Company. (As best as I can tell, this is a fictional company.)
Anyway, they were holding their annual meeting and all of their sales force was gathered together in a Hylton ballroom in Atlanta, GA, when the president of the company comes out to cheer up the crowd. And so, he says, “Who’s got the best dog food in the world?” And the entire audience says, “We do! We do! We do!” And he says, “Who’s got the best sales team of any company in America.” And, of course, they all jump up and down, “We do! We do! We do!” And then he says, “Who’s got the best marketing campaign and media group in all of the country?” And they all shout, “We do! We do! We do!” And then he hollers out and says, “Then why are we number 17 out of 18 dog food companies in America?”
Well, the crowd got deafly quiet, and there’s one new guy (there’s always a new guy) that stood up near the back of the auditorium and said, “Because the dogs hate it.”
Now, Dr. Hendricks used to tell that story as a parody of the Church. The pastor says, “Who’s got the best Church?” (We do!) “Who’s got the best music?” (We do.) “Who’s got the best instrumentalists?” (We do.) “Who’s got the best staff in the world?” (We do.) “Then why don’t the people come?” (Because they don’t like us.) Have you ever been to Chick-fil-A at lunch time? And we wonder why they’re not lined up in the parking lot and down the street, and the fact of the matter is they don’t like us very much, and sometimes we don’t get along very well. (Welcome to Mountain Hill. Thank you for coming to church today.)
Well, that’s what Peter is going to talk about today. And all of this is still connected to 1 Peter 2:12, “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” And following that, Peter talks about our conduct with the government, our conduct with employers, our conduct in the home – this week, somebody asked me, “How are you doing after preaching all these sermons on submission?” – thankfully those are behind me. And today, Peter talks about our conduct among ourselves, the world, and God. Following along with me:
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.”
“Holy and gracious God may the Holy Spirit give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that, with the eyes of our hearts enlightened, we may know the hope to which Christ Jesus has called us, the riches of His glorious inheritance among us, and the greatness of His power for those who believe. Amen” (Ephesians 1:17-19).
As I was reading and re-reading, and studying, and meditating on these verses, this week, it seemed to me that there were three (3) natural movements in the text. The first is in verse 8, where Peter is clearly addressing the Church. The second is verse 9, and while the commentaries are split on their opinion, it seems that Peter is still addressing the Church, but with an eye towards those outside the body of Christ. And the third is verses 10-12, because Peter is quoting Psalm 34, and he’s offering us direction on how to live with God. (Incidentally, our Call to Worship this morning was also taken from Psalm 34.) So, those are the three movements that we’re going to give some consideration to, this morning.
How We Live with Other Christians
Verse 8 includes five adjectives – four of which are only used in this one place in the New Testament. The concepts of the four words are clearly taught in the rest of the Bible, but the words that Peter uses are unique. They’re different. They’re unusual. Have you ever noticed that sometimes you have to use a different word to get someone’s attention?
Think about all of the things we say to one another and the common responses that we offer: “How are you?” (Good.) “What’s going on?” (Nothing.) “What do you want to eat?” (I don’t care.) I wonder if that’s not why Peter is using these words – to get the church’s attention, to wake them up to the significance of the task at hand. This is the way that we’re supposed to live with one another: when we’re in committee meetings, when we’re in Bible studies, when we’re in small groups, when we’re gathered in the foyer, when we get together for golf or pickleball or bridge or choir. This is the way that we are to live with brothers and sisters in Christ, even though we might be suffering.
Now, of all the things that Peter could say to us about our relationships together as Christians, what does he say? Well, he calls us to be a certain kind of people. He doesn’t just give us a list of things to do, rather he calls us to be a certain kind of people. And that’s not something that you can do on your own. It’s so against the grain of human nature that it’s virtually impossible without the work of God’s mercy – the “new birth.”
1. He says first, all of you be “harmonious,” that is, having a common mindset, not necessarily all the same tastes or gifts or habits, but the same thoughts and assessments of the essentials of life – God, salvation, virtue. That’s why we recited the Apostle’s Creed together. We affirm the essentials of our faith.
2. Next, all of you be “sympathetic,” that is, feeling what others feel so that you can respond with sensitivity to the need. People who have true “sympathy” don’t usually say, “I know how you feel.” Because, although they might know how you feel, they also know how unhelpful it is to hear someone say, “I know how you feel.” True sympathy is a fairly quiet, time-intensive, presence-intensive way of being.
3. Next, all of you have “brotherly love,” that is, don’t view each other as strangers, or as mere acquaintances, or as distant relatives. View each other as close family. Family can have some pretty serious squabbles and exchange some very harsh words, but there’s a reason that they say, “blood is thicker than water.”
4. Next, all of you be “tender-hearted.” This not a word about your conduct but about your insides – literally, your innards, your belly, your gut. The literal translation of the Greek here means “feel generous in your belly.” Be well-disposed to each other in the depths of who you are. It’s exactly the opposite of hypocrisy that acts tender, and yet feels malice.
5. Next, all of you be “humble in spirit.” Again, it’s not that we’re to act the role of a servant, but that inside, with all authenticity, we are to have a lowly spirit, we feel that we’re utterly dependent on God for life and breath and intelligence and emotional stability and faith and safety and the use of our senses; and we feel utterly fragile and vulnerable in ourselves. On top of that, we feel sinful and unworthy as we look at ourselves apart from the free gift of God’s grace. And this grace makes us wonderstruck that we’re loved. We have a humble spirit.
All five of those words are descriptions of what we are on the inside, not primarily how we act. A common mindset, sympathetic in feeling, a family love, kindly disposed in the depths of our innards, humble in spirit. Listen, that’s an unusual human being. That’s why I said that Peter’s call to us is not possible without the miraculous “new birth” by the mercy of God.
Some of you are thinking, “But Peter that’s not the way I am. You’re asking me to be something I’m not.” And, if Peter was here, he would say, “If you’re born again, if the Spirit of God really dwells in you, if you’re a child of God by adoption, if Christ is now your treasure, and God is your hope, then the seeds of all these traits are in you, and they’ll flourish if you go on trusting in God’s grace.”
It’s like Isaiah 26:3-4, which I was reading this week, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” In other words, go on trusting God for His future, endless, rock-like dependability to meet all your needs (physical, moral, spiritual); and the Spirit will be released in you to work these utterly unnatural and wonderful traits. That’s how we’re to live with other Christians, with one another. How are you doing?
How We Live with the World
Now, I want you to see this. Verse 9 helps us to see why the characteristics of verse 8 are so important. Verse 9 helps us to understand why the kind of person we are on the inside is the most significant thing we can work on. “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.” If you aren’t considering the kind of person that Peter says you need to be, then I can promise you one thing, you aren’t going to do verse 9.
Somebody says something that hurts you or does something against you that upsets you, what do you do? The “flesh” says, “Get ‘em back.” That’s the way the world responds. Somebody hits someone and the other person pulls out a gun and shoots the person. Somebody says something mean and hateful, the other person stoops to that level and says something even more despicable and nasty than the first. That’s how the world lives, but it’s not supposed to be how the people of God live. That’s not how the Church responds.
How does the Church respond? “Blessing…” The Greek word is eulogeó. What English word does that sound like, to you? (Eulogy.) It literally means “well-words.” Logos – “words.” Eu – “well.” That thing that you did for your grandmother’s funeral or your father’s funeral or your friend’s memorial service, when you stood up in front of the audience and spoke good words about them – that’s what we’re called to do. And notice that Peter says, it’s our “calling.”
When you and I acknowledged our sinful state, when we recognized that we’re not as good as we thought, when our eyes were opened and we saw how filthy dirty we were in the sight of a holy God, and in repentance and faith, turned to Jesus and cast ourselves upon His mercy and grace, one of the things that we were signing up for was to follow in His steps – to deny ourselves and take up our what (cross) and what (follow Him). Blessing instead of curse is part of our calling. Romans 12:14 says, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.”
Look, it’s easy to preach the text – just read the text and you’ve already preached to yourself. There’s no hidden message. It’s plain for everyone to see. The hard part is being obedient. As the great Scottish minister, Oswald Chambers wrote in his daily devotional My Utmost for His Highest, “One step forward in obedience is worth years of study about it.” Lord, help us to be obedient to what we already know You’re calling us to. Help me not to simply preach it but live it. Help Mountain Hill not simply listen, but live it, too.
How We Live with God
Finally, Peter quotes from Psalm 34. It’s a picture of the kind of person that God has received and the kind of person that God has rejected. One of the motives (not THE motive, but ONE of the motives) for living righteously, living godly, living the way the Bible instructs us, is because THAT kind of living will bring blessings from God.
Now listen, I’m not preaching health, wealth and prosperity, here. The blessings that I’m referring to, and the blessings that the New Testament primarily points to are NOT material or physical; they’re spiritual and relational. That’s why Peter quotes this psalm.
“Whoever desires to love life and see good days,” everybody wants that in this life, but not too many people give it thought in the life to come. In fact, many people don’t even believe in a life to come. For them, now is all there is, this life is all there is – and you can be ugly and mean and nasty in this life and still have many days and a “good” life. But let me tell you something, you can’t live that way and expect to see many days and a “good” life after death. Psalm 34 is speaking not only of this life, but of the life to come – eternal life – and it supports Peter’s argument that we must bless instead of curse.
“[L]et him keep 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.” Why? Because “the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous.” To have the eyes of the Lord on you is to have the blessing of God on you. “[H]is ears are open to their prayer.” Do you want God to hear your prayers, then this is the way to behave? This is what you do. This is how you live.
“But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” Listen, Isaiah spoke about that in Isaiah 59:2, “but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.” He doesn’t bless me. His eyes aren’t on me. And He doesn’t hear my prayer. Why? Because I’m running my mouth at somebody, or because I’m returning evil for evil. Somebody’s done something to me and I’m gonna pay them back.
Peter says, look, the Old Testament got it right, and I’m trying to tell you that if you’ve been called of God, if you’re trusted Jesus, if you keep on looking to Him who is the Author and Perfecter of your faith, then God hears your prayers, and He sees your face, and you receive the blessing of God in your earthly life and your eternal life. Folks, this is as practical as it gets.
I was talking with a group of people (from this church) this week, and one of them said, “One of the best things that’s ever happened to me is moving to this mountain and coming to this church.” Now, the person that said that wasn’t puffing me up. This was an honest appraisal of someone who sees their life as better TODAY than it was YESTERDAY. And what made it better, according to this person, wasn’t more money, wasn’t more fame, wasn’t less persecution, wasn’t better weather or cheaper gas, or the fact that they moved from a blue state to a red state – it was because they were actively engaging their faith and they were in community with the family of God.
Mountain Hill, if we’ll continue to demonstrate harmony, and compassion, and kindness, and tenderness, and humility, and all the things that Peter says the Church is supposed to be, then word will get out “That’s where you want to go, because they have access to something that the world knows nothing about – Jesus.” And we’ll hear more honest evaluations of spiritual growth that sound like, “The best thing that’s ever happened to me is coming to this church.” Why? Because that’s where Jesus’ Word is honored, Jesus’ Salvation is taught, and Jesus’ Life is lived.
“Almighty God, You have called us to be the church of Jesus Christ. Keep us one in faith and service, breaking bread together, and proclaiming the good news to the world, that all may believe You are love, turn to Your ways, and live in the light of Your truth. Forgive us, Lord, when people come against us and we strike back, or seek to get even. We need Your grace to respond with gentleness and respect, reflecting You, rather than defending ourselves. May we continue to find strength and courage in You, our resurrected Savior, amen.”