The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study Group is studying the book of 1 Peter.
The thing that separates Christianity from other religions is grace. It is simply God doing something for you with no strings attached. God’s grace is solely motivated by love: deep, abiding, unconditional, sacrificial love.
Peter wrote this letter to Christians who were going through various trials. The apostle knew that a severe “fiery trial” was just around the corner, and he wanted to prepare believers for it. God’s message to us is, “Be hopeful! Suffering leads to glory! God can give you all the grace you need to honor Him when the going gets tough! The future is still as bright as the promises of God, so—be hopeful!
If the church is to be an example of how people are to live together as God wants then we need to do it God’s way under His authority. In other words we need to submit to God’s authority and do it God’s way.
We need to do it for the sake of the lost, the Lord’s sake meaning that we are representatives of Jesus and it’s our responsibility to show the character of God, and for our own sakes, in order for Christians to be optimistic and positive in the face of persecution. To prepare for the best we need to
Cultivate Christian love
Practice the Lordship of Christ
Maintain a good conscience
We are using for our study "Be Hopeful (1 Peter): How to Make the Best of Times Out of Your Worst of Times" by Warren W. Wiersbe.
Peter wrote to encourage them to be good witnesses to their persecutors, and to remember that their suffering would lead to glory.
1 Peter 1:6-7 NIV [6] In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. [7] These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
1 Peter 4:13-14 NIV [13] But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. [14] If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
1 Peter 5:10 NIV,[10] And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
“Prepare for the best!” was his message. In this section, he gave them three instructions to follow if they would experience the best blessings in the worst times.
The instructions were to
Cultivate Christian love
Practice the Lordship of Christ
Maintain a good conscience
1 Peter 3:8-17 NIV [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 behavior 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.
We only got got through the first instruction to cultivate Christian love last week.
1 Peter 3:8-12 NIV [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.”
We should begin with love for God’s people. Peter had been talking about submission to the authority of God and to sum all of what he said previously he said to finally, or to “to sum it all up.” love each other.
Romans 13:8-10 NIV [8] Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. [9] The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” [10] Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Just as the whole of the law is summed up in love, so the whole of human relationships is fulfilled in love. This applies to every Christian and to every area of life.
The reason we are able prepare for and experience the best in suffering is that we experience God’s grace in suffering.
So the next instruction Peter gives after cultivating Christian love is to
Practice the Lordship of Christ.
1 Peter 3:13-15 NLT[13] Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? [14] But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. [15] Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.
Let’s start with the fact that the fear of the Lord conquers every other fear.
Isaiah 8:13-14 NLT[13] Make the Lord of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble. [14] He will keep you safe. But to Israel and Judah he will be a stone that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare.
This was during a time in the history of the northern kingdom Israel under the wicked king Ahaz when the prophet Isaiah warned Ahaz not to ally himself and Isreal with Assyria.
Peter used this example to because
As Christians, when we are faced with crises, we are often tempted to give in to our fears and make the wrong decisions. Because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, because of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ and the fact that we have made him the Lord of our lives, we need never fear men or circumstances. Our enemies might hurt us, but they cannot harm us. Only we can harm ourselves if we fail to trust God.
Psalms 118:6-9 NLT [6] The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me? [7] Yes, the Lord is for me; he will help me. I will look in triumph at those who hate me. [8] It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people. [9] It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.
Generally speaking, people do not oppose us if we do good; but even if they do, it is better to suffer for righteousness’ sake than to compromise our testimony. Remember unbelievers are watching and remember from a couple of weeks ago one of the reasons we submit to God and do it His way is for the sake of the unbeliever.
Instead of experiencing fear as we face the enemy, we can experience blessing, if Jesus Christ is Lord in our hearts. The word happy in 1 Peter 3:14 is the same as “blessed” in Matthew 5:10ff. This is a part of the “joy unspeakable and full of glory” Peter mentioned in
1 Peter 1:8 NLT [8] You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.
When Jesus Christ is Lord of our lives, each crisis becomes an opportunity for witness. We are “ready always to give an answer.” as it says in
1 Peter 3:15 NLT Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.
Every Christian should be able to give a reasoned defense of his hope in Christ, especially in hopeless situations. A crisis creates the opportunity for witness when a believer behaves with faith and hope, because the unbelievers will then sit up and take notice.
We must give our reason for hope with humility and with good conscience not arrogantly or like a know it all.
1 Peter 3:16-18 NLT [16] But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. [17] Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong! [18] Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.
We are witnesses, not prosecuting attorneys! We must also be sure that our lives back up what we say. Peter did not suggest that Christians argue with lost people, but rather that we present to the unsaved an account of what we believe and why we believe it, in a loving manner. The purpose is not to win an argument but to win lost souls to Christ. One evidence that Jesus Christ is Lord in our lives is the readiness with which we witness to others about Him and seek to win them to Christ.
I said that we should present ourslelves as witnesses with a good conscience.
The definition of conscience is an inner feeling or voice viewed as acting as a guide to the rightness or wrongness of one's behavior.
The Bible offers a distinct perspective on conscience, emphasizing its connection to God and our moral compass. Here are some key points:
God-given: The conscience is seen as a gift from God, a way for humans to distinguish right from wrong. Romans 2:14-15 says even those without God's law have an internal sense of what's right, "demonstrating the work of the law written in their hearts."
Internal witness: The conscience acts as an internal witness to our actions and choices. It reminds us of God's standards and helps us recognize when we've fallen short .
Guiding moral compass: A well-formed conscience guides us towards moral behavior that aligns with God's will. Following it brings a sense of peace and avoiding it leads to guilt.
Individual responsibility: While influenced by external factors, the Bible emphasizes individual responsibility in following our conscience. We can't use it as an excuse for wrongdoing or avoid taking a stand for what we believe in.
Informed by Scripture: The Bible is seen as crucial for shaping our conscience. By studying God's word, we gain a clearer understanding of right and wrong, which refines our conscience (Romans 10:17).
In summary, the biblical view of conscience highlights its role as a God-given gift that helps us live morally. By following a conscience informed by Scripture, we can strive to make choices that are pleasing to God.
How does a good conscience help a believer in times of trial and opposition? For one thing, it fortifies him with courage because he knows he is right with God and men, so that he need not be afraid.
A good conscience also gives us peace in our hearts; and when we have peace within, we can face battles without. The restlessness of an uneasy conscience divides the heart and drains the strength of a person, so that he is unable to function at his best. How can we boldly witness for Christ if conscience is witnessing against us?
A good conscience removes from us the fear of what other people may know about us, say against us, or do to us. When Christ is Lord and we fear only God, we need not fear the threats, opinions, or actions of our enemies.
Psalms 118:6-9 NLT [6] The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me? [7] Yes, the Lord is for me; he will help me. I will look in triumph at those who hate me. [8] It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people. [9] It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.
More and more, Christians in today’s society are going to be accused and lied about. Our personal standards are not those of the unsaved world. As a rule, Christians do not create problems; they reveal them.
Philippians 2:14-15 NLT [14] Do everything without complaining and arguing, [15] so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.
Ephesians 5:10-14 NLT [10] Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. [11] Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. [12] It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. [13] But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, [14] for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”
No Christian should ever suffer because of evildoing, and no Christian should be surprised if he suffers for well-doing. Our world is so mixed up that people “call evil good, and good evil” and “put darkness for light, and light for darkness”
Isaiah 5:20 NLT What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter.
The religious leaders of Jesus’ day called Him a criminal . How wrong people can be! As times of difficulty come to the church, we must cultivate Christian love, for we will need one another’s help and encouragement as never before. We must also maintain a good conscience, because a good conscience makes for a strong backbone and a courageous witness. The secret is to practice the lordship of Jesus Christ. If we fear God, we need not fear men. “Shame arises from the fear of men,” said Samuel Johnson. “Conscience, from the fear of God.”
No comments:
Post a Comment