Table of Contents

.Introduction

.For the Sake of the Sinner (1 Peter 3:1-22)

1)Wives Submit to Own Husband (1 Peter 3:1-6)

In The Same Way...

1 Peter 2:13 – as we are called to submit to every authority
1 Peter 2:18 – as slaves are to submit to masters, even harsh ones
1 Peter 2:21-25 – as Christ suffered and entrusted himself to the Father

To Win Them...

The purpose Peter gives for the wives to submit is for the sake of the gospel. So that their lives might testify to the lost husband through purity and reverence.

Inner Beauty...

Don't compensate for an internal deficiency through external means.
In other words, it won't matter what you look like on the outside if there is no inner beauty.
This is so true in many areas of our lives as well. Sometimes we tend to get busy outwardly doing and neglect the quiet prayer life that is crucial.
It's often easier to correct something that is visible and not address the inner, root cause issue that lies under the surface.
Peter is by no means saying that external adornments should be avoided and done away with. Only that they cannot compensate for something lacking inside.
In order to live like this, the wife needs to experience God's sustaining grace. By living like this, the unbelieving husband experiences God's grace and might be won to the Lord.

What outward things might you be doing in order to compensate for some inward deficiency?

2)Husbands Respect Your Wife (1 Peter 3:7)

We're only given one verse, so we must be doing pretty well, right? Or perhaps Peter realized that our ability to handle too many things at once was limited.
Whatever the case may be, we are to respect our wives.
Look what Peter says about women in this short passage: they are partners, they are joint heirs in the give of life, the way we treat them can have an adverse affect on our own prayer lives.
Wow! They are not inferior to men in any way and they are recipients of all the blessings of salvation that men enjoy. No distinction.
But Peter does point out that they are weaker. Not in any spiritual sense. Not in an intellectual sense. Not even in a metaphysical sense.
I believe he is pointing out that they are not built the same way we are. They are generally more fragile in regard to physical characteristics. They are not able to endure as much physical strain as men. And certainly in the society in which these believers lived, they were in a situation in which the uncertainties of the future may have tended to weigh heavier on them – less control (or at least it seemed).
Men are to respect and protect and be considerate of our wives. To put aside some of our own aspirations and consider the wife's needs.
In order for men to live like this on a consistent basis requires God's sustaining grace and an ongoing outpouring of His love through us to our wives.

How could you show more consideration for your wife?

Does the way you treat your wife reflect a respect of her weakness?

3)Get Outside Yourself (1 Peter 3:8-12)

Peter calls us to exercise the call to selfless living:

Harmony – when someone sings harmony, they are not the lead. They are trying to complement the one singing the melody.
Sympathy – agreement in feeling; to empathize with another; to be willing to carry their sorrow and distress.
Love – (as brothers), this is a giving of myself to the needs of another, not expecting anything in return. This may be ongoing, without end.
Compassion – very similar to sympathy, perhaps even with a deeper identification with the person's plight.
Humility – serve, don't expect a return, put others first, seek to lift others up, don't seek my own interests and agenda.

It's a very simple list, isn't it? I mean simple on paper. But if we practice the opposite, what are the disastrous results? We reflect nothing but a worldly, self-centered agenda that cannot please God.
Because we are blessed, we are to give out blessings freely – even to those who insult and injure us. And these are not to be blessings by mouth only. They are to be actions that give back good to those who may hate us.
Apart from the grace of God, you and I haven't a hope in the world to live this way. But by God's grace, and in his strength, we are able to live this way to God's glory.

4)The Reason For Hope (1 Peter 3:13-17)

As believers, we should be known for doing good. I know the phrase, “do-gooder” has negative connotations, but it ought not be that way for us.
Our doing good should come from an internal motivation and not external.
I should not only be in the habit of doing good to those I consider to be deserving. I should not just do it when it is convenient.
Peter is saying, be in the habit of doing good, and if you are harmed as a result, don't retaliate, but use that as an opportunity to present the gospel.
Let your life reflect Christ in what you do, then when you endure abuse, use that as an opportunity to share the hope that you have in Christ.
If I react in kind to mistreatment, what will the lost world think? If I have a sharp or witty rebuttal to someones comment or action, what will they say? They certainly won't think I have anything in my life that is any better than what they have.
The adversity of life provides an opportunity for the hope of the believer to shine through.
But gentleness and respect and a clear conscience before God are all needed.

Who do you know that is aware of the hope that you have?

5)Our Savior's Example (1 Peter 3:18-22)

Once again, Peter brings us back to the reason behind these commands. Our lives are not about us, but they are about the One who saved us.
He's the righteous one, we are not. He's the one who died for our sin – the sin the we deserve to die for.
And He is the one who brings us into a relationship with God.
Anyone outside of this relationship with God through Jesus Christ, is in fact bound to sin and will one day face the consequences of sin – eternal condemnation and separation from God.
That's why Peter points out the example of the flood to us.
Noah was like us. He lived and was tormented in his day. He was a man that uniquely obeyed and feared God. He trusted God and believed Him while all around were those who disregarded God and his word.
Noah endured this type of life, but it was a life of hope. Hope in God's salvation, which he accomplished through the ark. This deluge that came upon the world wiped out human life except those in the ark.
And all though the ark-building process, Noah's life illustrated the grace of God to those around him. God was extending grace to those who were under the curse by giving grace to Noah in the midst of his trial.
But after that, there was no hope for the lost. Once this life is over, there is not second chance. That rejection of God's provision in this life binds one to an eternity of separation in the next.
It's only by God's grace through faith in Jesus that we have hope of this life and the next.

6)Principle

Christian suffering provides a unique opportunity to display God's grace.

.For the Sake of the Savior (1 Peter 4:1-19)

1)The Right Attitude (1 Peter 4:1-6)

Peter deals a lot with what is going on inside the mind of his listeners. I think this may be due to the fact that he realizes what he used to be like and how impulsive he used to be. He remembers how bold his words often were, how loyal he wanted to be, but how frail he was in his own power.
But after the resurrection and after Pentecost, we see a Peter that was willing to go before the very ones who tried Christ and tell them he had to obey God rather than men. And then to count is joy to be worthy of being beaten for his Lord.
What a change in attitude. What a transformation in what really matters in life.
That's why he calls our attention to the attitude of our Lord in suffering. If our attitude is His attitude, then we entrust ourselves to the Father and His will. And that becomes our life priority no matter how it is realized in this life.
And with that changed attitude, we also find that the thing that used to bring us enjoyment are not so glittery. We no longer long for to fulfill our own fleshly desires.
And if you are like me, once you stopped running with the old crowd, you began to hear derogatory comments about Christianity. And wondering why you don't hang with the gang anymore.

2)The Right Mindset (1 Peter 4:7-11)

Once again Peter calls us to be clear minded and self-controlled. What he is getting at is that we think correctly about they way things really are. We need to be Biblically informed in the way we think.
And self-control is not just willing to control myself, but it is an internal working of God – a motivation that is not based upon any external forces. I don't do what I do just because others are watching or because of the consequences, I do what I do out of a love and respect for God.
How else would I be able to love deeply. This love he is calling us to is not something that is pretty and clean and easy. It is loving the unlovely and even those who sin against us. That's why he says that love covers a multitude of sins. It is not like we are cleared of some sins due to love. But that when you love, you overlook many offenses (see 1 Corinthians 13).
So we are to:

9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Would you say the things you do are more internally driven by what God wants or externally driven by what others think or expect?

3)Christian Suffering (1 Peter 12-19)

Don't Be Surprised...(12-13)

Suffering should not be a surprise to the believer. For one thing, we should never think that we don't deserve it. But for another, Jesus even warned about it over and over. If we don't suffer, we may want to be surprised or concerned.
Part of this attitude change that we talked about earlier is to put suffering in the right perspective. As we said, Peter and John were able to rejoice when they were beaten, not because it was stimulating, but because they were considered worthy to suffer for the name of Christ.
If our suffering is for the cause of Christ, then we have cause to rejoice. Not that we are gaining any merits on our behalf or contributing to our salvation. But we are enduring abuse for our Savior's sake – the one who paid fully for our salvation through His suffering.

You're Blessed...(14-16)

It's not a reason for shame. Praise God that the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Suffering is in fact a mark of ownership – the world is going to hate the believer that is living for Christ. (16, 14)

Commit to Your Creator...(17-19)

If it's His will that I suffer, who better is there to commit myself than to Him. (19)

4)Principle

The Christian's attitude in suffering should be one of identification with Christ.

.For the Sake of the Saints (1 Peter 5:1-14)

1)To The Elders (1 Peter 5:1-4)

Look at the way Peter addresses the elders of the churches. He addresses then as peers. Not lording it over on them. But instead identifying with them. His role is the same thing – a servant of God for His people.
He also points out that we are all recipients of the same glory to be revealed. This is not some form of hierarchy, but it is an equality of persons with varying roles.
And the responsibility of the shepherd is one that is to oversee the care and guidance of the flock. To ensure that the teaching is not heretical. That true teaching about God and the gospel are presented and that doctrine is not in error. They are not above reproach but are under Christ's authority to lead, strengthen, and nurture people that belong, not to them but, to Christ.

How are you using your position in your church? Are you lording it over others or are you serving the flock?

2)Humility (1 Peter 5:5-7)

This submission word keeps cropping up throughout First Peter. Here once again he tells a group to submit to those placed in authority. He calls the young to submit to the elders.
This may not necessarily be young in age but young in the faith. Those he calls elders must be those qualified to teach and lead. Those who are newer believers must be willing to submit to the authority God has given to the elders for the building up of the church.
This takes humility because sometimes you may think that the elder is not doing things the way you think they should. Maybe you think you could do better. But there is a reason for roles within the body of Christ. And part of that is to refine those of us who must submit to those in authority.
They carry a heavy burden that we often don't see. And sometimes we think we have the answer, but that is only due to the fact that we haven't seen the entire picture.
One other item I think would serve us well and that is the idea of seeking Godly counsel from those who have been around a while. Those who have endured the test of time. Much wisdom is found in trying to find those that God has given long life and gleaning insights and perspectives from them. But sometimes we, as younger men, must seek them out. We often move too fast and we need to slow down and try to make the connection.

What Christian leader has God put over you that you need to start submitting to?

What mature believer do you know that you could seek counsel from?

3)Resist and Stand (1 Peter 5:8-9)

There are consequences to living in opposition to what Peter has just pointed out. For one thing, there will be disunity in the body. There will be divisions and back biting and talk. There will be much difficulty for the elders in shepherding and lose of fellowship for the proud.
And there will be much rejoicing the Satan's camp. He wants to devour and one big way he does that is to cause divisions and fights within the church. And this doesn't have to be over doctrine either.
So, we are once again to live lives that are self-controlled and alert. Besides, we are all on the same team in the struggles of life. We all serve the same master and suffer for his sake. So we could much better serve the Lord when we are unified and in prayer for our fellow believers that are experiencing similar (or worse) things in other parts of the world.

How good is your resistance?

Are you allowing the enemy a foothold in his fight against God's church?

4)The God of All Grace (1 Peter 5:10-14)

Once again Peter brings up this idea of grace. Both the grace in salvation and then the grace to endure. All grace that is necessary is found in God himself.
As Peter points out, our suffering is only a little while in light of eternity.
Restoration will come. Whether it is in this life or the next, it will eventually come. He is the source of strength.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Grace In Suffering (1 Peter 3-5)