1 Peter 3:10-12

Melcan Signe

1 Peter • Sermon • Submitted a year ago • Presented a year ago

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A Transformed Life Obtains Blessings from God

Transformed Life Wins People to God (1 Peter 3:1-9, last Sunday)

Today, Transformed Life Obtains Blessing from God (1 Peter 3:10-12)

Peter quoted from Psalm 134:12-16

Psalm 34 was written while David was running for his life (With Saul out to kill him, David found himself seeking refuge in the Philistine city of Gath.). Despite the injustice he suffered from Saul, Yet he says, “I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth, for I have tasted and seen in the midst of this difficulty that the Lord is good.”

Peter remembered Psalm 34 and used this as an exhortation and illustration for the believers who are at the moment experiencing suffering and injustice to respond like David - to TRUST God in difficult times, because God will take care of you and God will bless you when you respond in a peaceful and loving way.

Those who bless others will obtain blessing for themselves.

1 Peter 3:10 NET 2nd ed.

10 For the one who wants to love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from uttering deceit.

Peter is reminding the believers that you can have an enjoyment of life and contentment in the life God has given you, no matter what the outward circumstances…(injustices, poor treatment)

Eph. 5:20 (always giving thanks to God for everything)

Phil. 4:4 (Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice!)

1 Thess. 5:16 (Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you)

It is intrinsic for every human being to desire to be happy in this world, that is why people will do anything and everything just to be happy!

some even resorted to doing evil, they lie, they manipulate, they take advantage of others just to get what they want so they can be happy!

But that kind of lifestyle can only give a short term and temporary happiness…because those are contrary to God’s commands.

The only way to be happy and to be blessed in this world and in the world to come is to be under the submission of Jesus Christ.

Jesus wants the believers to have abundant life (John 10:10)

John 10:10 NASB95

10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

Jesus did not promise to give you a trouble free-life, nor a persecution free-life…but a life that is full - content

This is the Gospel?

God gave us his best, His most important GIFT to SINNERS - Jesus Christ.

God is continually giving us his gifts - Ephesians 1:3

How is God’s blessing obtained despite the presence of suffering and injustice?

1 Peter 3:10–11 NASB95

10 For, “The one who desires life, to love and see good days, Must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. 11 “He must turn away from evil and do good; He must seek peace and pursue it.

Here is Peter’s Prescription to the believers:

These are all imperatives (command):

speak the truth, not deceit.

turn away from evil (avoid, afraid)

do good

seek and pursue peace

I. Control Your Tongue

“speaking deceit” means manipulating situations to make it easier on oneself.

- This happens most easily when times get tough, as we begin to twist the truth, saying things that put us in a better light.

- The issue: we manipulate the situation to our own advantage.

James 3:8–10 NASB95

8 But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; 10 from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.

1001 Illustrations that Connect Illustration 898: Addicted to Harmful Words

Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, author of Words That Hurt, Words That Heal, often lectures on the impact of words. He asks audiences if they can go twenty-four hours without saying any unkind words about another person or to another person. Invariably, a small number of listeners raise their hands, signifying yes. Others laugh, and quite a large number call out, “No!”

Telushkin says, “Those of you who can’t answer yes must recognize that you have a serious problem. If you cannot go twenty-four hours without drinking liquor, you are addicted to alcohol. If you cannot go twenty-four hours without smoking, you are addicted to nicotine. Similarly, if you cannot go twenty-four hours without saying unkind words about others, then you have lost control over your tongue.”

Let us pause and reflect on this....

Proverbs 21:23 NET 2nd ed.

23 The one who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps his life from troubles.

II. Turn Away from Evil

Peter is telling the believers to be intentional in running away from things that tempts you to do evil things - in your pursuit of happiness.

Some people think they are blessed even if they know that what they are doing is against the will and the Law of God.

They did not know that they have been “abandoned by God to pursue evil”

Romans 1:24 NIV

24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.

God’s blessings will only be obtained through God’s ways

III. Do Good (Overcome Evil with Good)

Peter is telling the believers to be intentional in looking for opportunities to do good things that will benefit others - as they are blessed by your conduct, they will most likely do good things to you in return. God will repay whatever you have done good, regardless if they appreciate it or not.

3 John 11 NIV

11 Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.

IV. Seek and Pursue Peace

Seek harmony , not vengeance.

do not return evil for evil, insult for insult.

Matthew 5:9 NASB95

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Peter got this from the words of Jesus

Luke 6:35 NIV

35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

Luke 6:45 NIV

45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

A Christian person will have resemblance of Christ’s heart.

Understand this, the death of Jesus on the cross gave us a new identity, new heart, new desire - to do good, to love my enemies...

2 Corinthians 5:14–17 NIV

14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

the love of Christ controls us, so we no longer live for ourselves but for Christ.

This has something to do with the condition of the person’s heart

1 Peter 3:12 NASB95

12 “For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, And His ears attend to their prayer, But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

The Assurance of Blessings:

God is watching and he favors the righteous

God answers the prayer of the righteous.

God hates evil doers and God will punish their evil deeds (judgment)

(careful attention to his people’s needs) God is looking after them for good, recognizing and meeting their needs.

It is not wrong to desire blessings of good, happy, and lovely life even in in this earth, while waiting for Jesus to comes again.

We are not just called only to suffering, but to rejoicing as well.

Those that look to be happy must first look to be holy.RICHARD SIBBES

Holiness Comes before Happiness)

This passage does present a bold affirmation of the relation between righteous living and God’s present blessing in this life.

Conclusion:

“In the midst of suffering, difficulty, and challenges, don’t seek to fix the problem. Don’t make it easier. Instead, choose to do good and seek peace. Don’t murmur; don’t complain. You’ll find that you love life because God will meet you in the midst of your difficulty.”

Proper Response:

Ask God to correct the way you carelessly use your tongue.

Be mindful always that God is watching and listening.

(this will help you endure whatever injustice you encounter

This will help you to think twice or thrice before you make decisions and actions)

Pursue peace with the people around you because this is your duty to God.