Title: #blessed
Text: I Peter 3:13-17
FCF: We often struggle responding to unjust suffering well.
Prop: Because we are blessed if we suffer for doing good, we must fear Christ and honor all people.
Scripture Intro: CSB
[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to I Peter chapter 3. You can also turn to Isaiah chapter 8 and put your finger or some kind of marker there. We’ll be looking at the chapter soon. In the pew bible that is on page 770.
Last Wednesday at bible study, I was able to express some of my perspectives on Peter’s letter up to this point. To say that all he has to tell us is relevant and incredibly challenging would be an understatement. It seems that every week Peter is going after yet another tiny idol in my heart. Yet another tiny passion, need, desire, or comfort that I must be willing to sacrifice. Yet another perception shift and paradigm change.
A well-known preacher in our time once said, “If you can’t say amen, you better say ouch.” I wish I could say amen more, and ouch less through this.
Unfortunately, today, is another ouch day. At least it was for me. There are parts of this message that I find myself saying Amen to. But the commands – and particularly the appropriate application of those commands are where my toes crunch.
Nevertheless, Peter’s message is undaunted. He peppers his audience once more with counter-cultural thinking. And since nothing is new under the sun, the reason it was counter culture in his day, is the same reason it is counter culture in ours.
Perhaps the title of this message has you confused. Allow me a chance to explain it.
Twitter is a social networking site that allows people, especially people of influence, to post their thoughts on things. I am in no way recommending joining up. In fact, it is a fairly empty place of anything of value. Regardless, if you wish to start a growing conversation about something, you can put the number sign or, as it has been relabeled, a hash tag in front of it and post it with your comment. This enables people to search for that word and find what you have to say about it.
For a while, there was a popular hashtag in use. #blessed. It is probably still used. But most of the time you’ll find the hashtag blessed being used when you stumble upon good fortune, get something special, are rewarded, or generally life is going good.
I have titled this message from Peter, #blessed. Let’s find out why.
I am in I Peter 3, I’ll start reading in verse 13. I am reading from the CSB today but you can follow along in the pew bible on page 1366 or in whatever version you prefer.
Transition:
Well lets dive in and see if we can find out what Peter says is being… #blessed.
I.) Because we are blessed if we suffer for doing good, we must fear and trust Christ(13-15a)
a. [Slide 2] 13 – Who then will harm you if you are devoted to what is good?
i. As we pointed out last week, there are two ways to make sense of Peter’s comment here.
ii. Both are valid. And perhaps both are intended.
iii. First, as a general principle that holds true, when we do good, God’s good, generally speaking, we will be seen by the world as benign, unthreatening, and good for society.
iv. As the history of the church shows us, generally speaking doing good does not lead to harm. Many of the ideals the Lord has set up for how His people are to live are appreciated by the world around them. Perhaps this is the glimmer of the image of God in men still, that even the depraved children of wrath, of whom we once were a part, can still understand and appreciate generally what is good since it benefits society.
v. Another way to interpret this, which actually has some support from the context we will look at today, is that harm, true harm to us is not within the capacity of men to truly give to God’s people.
vi. That even if they are able to take earthly things away, they are not able to actually harm us in any real or significant way.
vii. As the scriptures say, what can man do to us? If God is for us who can stand against us?
viii. And so with these two perspectives, yes Peter is right by the inspiration of the Spirit of God, who is going to harm us truly if we are devoted to what is good?
b. [Slide 3] 14 – But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed.
i. So does Peter discredit what he just said?
ii. Of course not.
iii. First of all, he does say even if you suffer. Meaning that it is not the norm but the exception.
iv. Second, he does not say harm but rather suffer. Although subtle there is a difference. It is possible to suffer without being harmed. Even in our physical bodies often times we can bear no marks or scars of suffering.
v. Indeed, Peter’s audience were not being whipped, beaten, maimed or killed. Instead, they were being insulted, suspected of wrong doing and cultic practices, and held as enemies of the people.
vi. They are not being harmed here. But they are suffering.
vii. Furthermore, when we see this in not just the material realm but the spiritual realm as well, we recognize and understand that no spiritual harm can ever befall those who have been united with Christ. We may suffer physically but we can never be harmed spiritually.
viii. And then Peter absolutely destroys us with this last statement.
ix. Even if you suffer for righteousness… then you are blessed.
x. And so, it would be appropriate to translate his thought by saying… if you are fortunate enough to suffer for righteous living, then you are #blessed.
xi. This thought, this truth, will be the backdrop of all that Peter will say until the end of chapter 4.
xii. For God’s people, to suffer for doing good, means that God has shown His favor on them.
xiii. He has actually already said this in another way in 2:19. This is a grace to you if you endure hardships in suffering unjustly.
xiv. If you endure suffering for doing good – God has lavished His grace on you.
xv. So, what is our response to God lavishing grace on us and blessing us to suffer for doing good?
c. [Slide 4] Do not fear them or be intimidated.
i. This is actually a quote from Isaiah 8:12. But this chapter in Isaiah needs a full reading. Let’s go there and see what Isaiah says in his context. READ THROUGH VERSE 12
1-4 – This is a prophesy concerning what remains of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. But the cities of Damascus and Samaria will be plundered. Isaiah’s son is the promised son in Isaiah 7, the sign to Ahaz that God will bring the final destruction of the Northern Kingdom by the Assyrians.
5-8 – but rather than take heed of this and repent, Judah will instead rejoice over the fall of Syria without considering that they could be next. And God promises that indeed they are next. They too will fall to Assyria.
9-10 – But Isaiah breaks into a song of hope at the name of Immanuel. That one day the nations will be shattered. One day they will not be able to overcome God’s people. Why? Because God is with us.
11-12 – Isaiah is taken hold of by the Lord and warned not to act like the people of Judah and Israel. Specifically, that he should not be wringing his hands in terror and fear at the trivial earthly matters that they may be destroyed by invasion. Don’t be afraid of what scares them, God says.
ii. Let’s Pause right here in Isaiah, keep your place there as we look at the screen for verse 12 as quoted in I Peter 3 and combine the contexts.
iii. In Isaiah’s context he tells of the great fall of Israel and Judah. He tells of the destruction of God’s chosen people – but not ultimately. That one day, God with us, will break the power of the nations because He is with us!
iv. Then God grabs on to Isaiah and warns him not to imitate Israel and Judah. Not to fear what they fear. They wring their hands and are worried about the trivial earthly matters.
v. In I Peter, depending on your translation, you may see something a little different.
vi. Peter is either saying the same thing as Isaiah, don’t fear what they fear, or he is saying, don’t fear them. Well which one is it?
vii. Actually, it really doesn’t matter since what people often do to incite fear in others is to take what they fear personally and use it against their enemies. So regardless of whether Peter is saying don’t fear what your persecutors fear, or don’t fear your persecutors the end is essentially the same.
viii. So, Peter too reminds his audience that suffering is not something that they ought to fear. Even suffering unjustly. The world around them fears suffering. They fear it with every fiber of their being.
ix. Indeed, one of the most powerful motivators in all of human history is fear. Fear of suffering. Fear of losing life, limb, freedom, or property. This is why terror and fear have become an often used form of warfare. Not just harming or killing, but striking fear into the people who are not harmed or killed.
x. God tells Isaiah, and Peter tells his audience – Don’t fear what the ungodly do. Don’t be intimidated by the fear of having earthly comfort, peace, safety, freedom, or security ripped from you. Do not fear what men can do to you.
xi. What should we fear?
d. [Slide 5] But in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy,
i. Peter draws the same conclusions that God told Isaiah to draw.
13 – Instead, you must recognize the authority of the Lord who commands armies. He says you must fear Yahweh. He is the one you must fear.
14-15 – Yahweh Himself will become a stone making people trip. A trap or snare to the residents of Jerusalem. Many will stumble, and be destroyed. We saw this quoted in chapter 2 of I Peter.
16-18 – Let this account be evidence, reminders, object lessons of what? That God is the ultimate authority who needs to be feared and obeyed.
ii. You see, Peter tells his audience that rather than fearing what other men fear and can do to them, they must instead fear the Lord. They must fear Yahweh. Who Peter calls – Christ.
iii. Not only is this a great big teaching on the Deity of Christ and the Trinity in general, but it also immediately snaps us to attention.
iv. We ought to fear the Lord. We ought to regard Christ as holy.
v. This speaks not only to us obeying Him, but even more generally, to fearing His judgments, His will, His threats, His position more than anything else.
vi. Earthly concerns, even good earthly concerns ought to be nothing compared to our reverence and honor we give to Christ.
vii. This is the proper mindset for all of God’s people. And when facing suffering for doing good, we do not need to fear suffering or those who inflict it. Instead, we must fear our Lord and trust Him, for we serve the God of all things, who is holy, and our great Savior.
e. [Slide 6] Passage Truth: So, Peter reminds his audience, again, that to suffer for doing good is a blessing from God. What a backward thought! No wonder they needed the reminder, because to our natural mind – that does NOT make sense.
f. [Slide 7] Passage Application: So they must not fear what other men fear. They must not fear men in general. Indeed, their only fear ought to be the Lord. Jesus should have their reverent fear and trust.
g. [Slide 8] Broader Biblical Truth: Zooming out from here, we see the scriptures teach this truth implicitly and explicitly. Was Abraham not blessed in spite of having to leave his homeland, worship a different God, deal with barrenness of his wife, and ultimately never see the fullness of the Lord’s promise to him? Was Jacob not blessed despite being tricked by his father-in-law and pursued by his brother? Was Joseph not blessed even though he was sold into slavery and imprisoned unjustly? Was Moses not blessed though he be stuck with a complaining mutinous Israel for a generation and some change. Was David not blessed though he was actively boxed out of the Kingship God gave Him by both his father in law and his son? Was Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishaal not blessed though thrown into a furnace? Was Daniel not blessed though thrown to the lions? This truth is taught throughout – to suffer for doing good, is to be blessed of God.
h. [Slide 9] Broader Biblical Application: So, for us CBC, the message is clear. The enemy of faith and hope has always been fear. Fear of what other men fear and fear of what other men may do to us. We read the Voice of the Martyrs, we read foxes’ book of martyrs, we see the Ukrainian church worshipping Christ while missiles fly and we shudder at the thought of enduring anything so vile and so wretched. But Peter’s words remind us that to suffer for doing good is to be blessed. So what are God’s people to do when our flesh shivers? What are His people to do when our fears grow? We are to fear something greater. Our God and King ought to be set apart as holy in our hearts. He is greater than all men and all men’s fears. And He alone is worthy of fear and, since He is our God and Savior, He alone is worthy of trust and obedience as well.
Transition:
[Slide 10(blank)] So if we suffer for doing good, we are blessed. And people who are blessed of God don’t fear men or what they can do – but they do fear, honor, trust, and obey Christ. But what else do they do because they are blessed of God?
II.) Because we are blessed if we suffer for doing good, we must righteously answer scoffers when they doubt our hope. (15b-17)
a. [Slide 11] 15b – ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.
i. Faith and hope go hand in hand with each other.
ii. To receive faith in the promises of God is to receive hope in God fulfilling all of His promises to the fullest degree.
iii. We believe what God has said because He has opened our eyes to see and believe. And we hope in all that He has said but has not yet come about because we have believed all that He has said.
iv. But the opposite of faith and hope is fear.
v. And Christians do not fear what other men fear. We honor, regard, fear, and trust Christ. We hope in His work. We hope in His future coming.
vi. All of this is foreign to the non-Christian.
vii. Indeed, to not fear suffering for doing good, to not fear losing earthly treasures and trinkets, to not fear losing earthly comforts – but to hope in a future reality where the wrong shall fail and the right prevail… such a hope will be absolutely hated by the world.
viii. Peter suspects that they will be attacked by non-Christians, enduring ridicule and scoffing at the hope that they have in all that God has promised.
ix. So, in their fear of and trust in Christ they ought to be ready to give an answer for why it is they fear and trust Him.
x. His audience ought to be prepared to give a sound defense of their faith and hope in Christ.
b. [Slide 12] 16 – Yet do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience
i. Even our defense of our faith to the scoffing world is measured and restrained.
ii. Just because we are defending the hope that we have and how God has miraculously cut the scales from our eyes and transformed us and promised us eternal life in Christ, does not mean we can retaliate.
iii. Remember we must be harmonious and humble with all people.
iv. Including scoffers. Including those who see our faith as a trite crutch. Who laugh at our hope in a future eternal kingdom. Who ridicule our devotion to an ancient faith. Who roll their eyes at our assurance of a spiritual realm.
v. Even the most venomous of atheists, the most cutting of pagans, the most arrogant of cultists, must be afforded the gentleness and respect that Christ would afford to them.
vi. Why? Why can’t we just mop the floor with them and shout the truth louder?
c. [Slide 13] So that when you are accused, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame.
i. Again, the themes of I Peter come back around.
ii. God’s purpose in our doing good is to silence the ignorance of foolish people. God desires that we fear Him and honor all people. God desires that we abstain from earthly lusts and instead do good deeds before non-Christians – even the nasty ones – so that they may be forced to glorify God when He appears.
iii. And what will happen to those who mocked His people in that day?
iv. Will they not be put to shame? Either they will be put to shame as Paul was, who having spent his former life attempting to snuff out God’s people, only to become one and repent in shame for His actions. Or they will be put to shame in the eternal sense as they are separated from God forever in the second death.
v. Just as God told Isaiah, Peter tells his audience, there are bigger things than this world going on. Fear God, and trust Him.
vi. Afterall…
d. [Slide 14] 17 – For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.
i. There is a simple truth being taught here.
ii. If we trust and hope in Christ. If we fear God and not what other men fear.
iii. If we believe that God is sovereign as He claims to be.
iv. Then any suffering we endure for doing good is from Him.
v. We can rest in the fact that when we suffer for doing good, it is not by accident. In fact, we can know that we are blessed, and that God is giving grace to us.
vi. But when we suffer because of doing something evil – we get what we deserve.
vii. So, if we are to suffer for doing good, if our hope and faith is scoffed at and mocked, why would we then return scoffing for scoffing and trade a blessing with doing evil. Instead, we should be ready with an answer and give it harmoniously and humbly.
e. [Slide 15] Passage Truth: And so Peter’s reminded truth remains the same. Suffering for doing good means his audience is blessed.
f. [Slide 16] Passage Application: So they must be ready to answer for their hope, trust, fear and obedience to the risen Christ. They must be ready with an answer. But not just any old answer. A gentle and respectful one. So that there will be nothing but shame for the scoffers.
g. [Slide 17] Broader Biblical Truth: The New testament too is filled with stories of blessing amid great suffering. Every single apostle suffered a martyrs death save John. And he was only spared so he could write the Revelation of Jesus Christ. And countless others some without story and without name have been butchered and endured great pain for the sake of Christ. For doing good. Are they not blessed? If you asked them today… after years in the presence of God… they would answer that they were and are indeed… blessed. Beyond measure. And if they had to do it all again… they would. My friends there is something far more important than our life, liberty, safety, security, comfort, peace, and ease. And it is the glory of our God. Those who suffer for doing good – are blessed.
h. [Slide 18] Broader Biblical Application: So CBC, we must be ready. We must be ready to give an answer to the scoffers. We must be ready to give a reason for our trust in a God we cannot see. We must be ready to give a reason we cling to an ancient religion. We must be ready to describe to the most aggressive of critic why we hold fast to promises that have not yet been fulfilled for 2000 years. We must be prepared to demonstrate to all the nay-sayers why what we believe in our hearts is more true than what they see with their eyes. And we must do it with poise and grace. We must do so with gentleness and respect. We must be able to calmly and kindly, keeping our consciousness clear, answer the scoffer. And they may never repent. They may not be convinced. They may laugh in our face. They may even inflict suffering on us. Nevertheless, we fear, trust, and obey our King – King Jesus. And we live harmoniously and humbly giving an answer for our hope.
Conclusion:
[Slide 19 (end)] Peter reminds us of a specific truth today. He reminds us that if we suffer for doing good we are, indeed, blessed. That is a really backward thing for us to consider. In fact, the general logic we have is much like Job’s friends. If we are suffering– we must have done something bad. Maybe we don’t actually know we did it, but we certainly did. God is trying to teach us something. Perhaps. But perhaps our suffering is what He is teaching.
How interesting that Peter does not say as a response to this, make sure to search your heart for the lesson God is teaching. Make sure to search your heart for sin to stop the suffering. And messages like this stick out like a sore thumb to those from a prosperity gospel persuasion. How can I be blessed for suffering for doing good? Am I not supposed to have my best life now? What happened to name it claim it and word of faith?
Does Peter say to name their deliverance or have great faith to get out of the suffering? No. In fact, Peter doesn’t give any hope of getting out of suffering. Instead, he offers what to do in the midst of suffering. And what is that?
To not fear men or what they can do, but rather to fear, honor, trust and obey Christ. And when our hope in Christ persists even though we suffer, when we are not fearful over the threats we face but are resolved to trust the Lord – we will certainly endure a scoffers critique against such hope. What then? We have ready an answer that is gentle, respectful, but firmly rooted in truth. Why? So, they will be ashamed when they attempt to make us look bad for doing good.
So what does this mean for us?
My friends, we serve the living God. He is the maker of all things. By Him and through Him all things consist. When men malign us, threaten us, intimidate us, or carry out all manner of fear tactics against us causing us suffering and misery – it doesn’t change who we are and who God is. We can rest knowing that God has us in that suffering and will see to it that it’s end result is our good and His glory.
This means that instead of fearing men and what they may do to us – we fear our Lord. For He alone can cast men into hell. He alone is the judge of the living and the dead. We fear the Lord. We honor, and trust Him. He is our mediator. He is our Savior. He is our King. We hope fully and finally in him no matter what this world says or does.
And when people ask why we live in a fantasy. When people ask why we hope in a God who we cannot see, hear or feel. When they try to poke at the foundation of our faith – we must stand ready with a gentle, respectful, but firm answer.
CBC – these two commands are incredibly simple to express in words, but woefully difficult for us to execute in practice.
First, we must increase in our honor, fear, trust and obedience to Christ. He is not the warm squishy Jesus that our culture makes Him out to be. He is not the defender of refugees, or the savior of the oppressed, he did not come to fight against prejudice or to save the world from racism. His goal was not so narrow. He came to save His people from sin. He is the second person of the Godhead. He is Yahweh. All Yahweh’s promises to His people and all Yahweh’s commands for His people are fulfilled in Christ. Dear friends, we must make much of Jesus. We must worship Him. And how do we worship if not by honor, fear, trust, and obedience. If you do not honor, fear, trust or obey Him now… do you think you will when you suffer for doing good?
Second, we must be ready to defend the reason we hope. Now let me tell you what this does NOT mean. This does not mean that you must be an expert apologist. This does not mean that you must be a top scholar. This does not mean that you must write your own systematic theology or know the finer points of all the deep teachings of Christ.
But make no mistake – you must know this book. You must know what God says, commands, promises, and expects of His people. You must know it in order to do His good and to hope in Him. You must know it to stand in defense of the slanderous attempts to undermine its truth. And you need to know it well enough, so you can speak winsomely, gently, respectfully and without arguing.
I’m convinced the reason that people get in screaming matches over religion is because they do not know what they believe or what their opponent believes. If we simply know what we believe – we can stand firm against the attacks without retaliating.
Do you know this book well enough for that?
A great theologian, pastor and teacher named R.C. Sproul once said – everyone is a theologian. What he means by that is that everyone is required to study God. And every believer must study and trust God.
Paul says that the purpose of the church and ministry is for God’s people to grow in the knowledge of Christ. In a basic way, knowing who God is, Father, Son and Spirit, is the foundation of our honor, fear, trust, and obedience to Him. Not that knowledge in and of itself gives us anything. For raw knowledge does nothing. But in order to grow in our love for, honor of, trust in, and obedience to Him – we must know Him and we must know Him more and more.
And we cannot know Him if He does not first know us. We may know of Him. We may know facts about Him. But to truly know God, He must reveal Himself to you.
My friends. If you claim to be His, you will suffer. And you may even suffer for doing good. Indeed, if history is a teacher to us – this most certainly will be some of our fates. So what must we do? We must hold fast to our holy King, fearing, trusting, and obeying Him. And we must be ready to gently answer all who question our devotion to this hope.
Are you ready for that?
If not, I suggest you seek out someone who can help you grow. I suggest you come to Wednesday bible study. You can do so from the comfort of your living room. I suggest you get a bible study gathered. I suggest you seek out sound teaching from those whom you view as godly people.
Everyone is a theologian. Make sure you are one who trusts Christ and is ready to gently answer attacks against the hope you have in you.