1 Peter Bible Study #9: Submitting to God's Plan Gives God's People Opportunities to Share the Gospel

We’ve spent the last 3 Wednesday nights looking on Christian submission and how otherworldly that topic sounds like. We don’t like the idea to submit, and we especially don’t like the idea of submitting to our government leaders, to our bosses, and inside the house as well… yet, this is what God’s Word instructs God’s people to do. Not because it is easy, but because it is necessary. Peter, tonight, transitions from submission to suffering - we’re going from one favorite topic to another, right! How are these two topics related?

Both require us to persevere through challenging and at times confusing times

As we grow in submitting to God’s plan, we grow in our understanding that suffering has a purpose. If we can truly submit to God, we will succeed better whenever we face seasons of suffering (see 1 Peter 3:17 as we’ll get to later)

Tonight we continue on with the trend of uncomfortable topics in God’s Word as we will see that God expects His people to not only submit, but to trust in Him even in difficult seasons of suffering. Even when that suffering is not deserved due to something silly or foolish that we have done. Even when following Jesus Christ and standing on His Word gets us in hot water, we are instructed to keep on standing and keep on proclaiming. To keep on loving others, even those who insult and gossip about us and slander us… we are to submit to God’s plan and do what is good for the simple reason that doing so glorifies our God and it gives us the opportunity to share the truth of the Gospel - this is important stuff!

Let’s continue walking through 1 Peter tonight in chapter 3

1 Peter 3:8–17 CSB

8 Finally, all of you be like-minded and sympathetic, love one another, and be compassionate and humble, 9 not paying back evil for evil or insult for insult but, on the contrary, giving a blessing, since you were called for this, so that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For the one who wants to love life and to see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit, 11 and let him turn away from evil and do what is good. Let him seek peace and pursue it, 12 because 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 what is evil. 13 Who then will harm you if you are devoted to what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear them or be intimidated, 15 but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. 16 Yet do this with gentleness and reverence, keeping a clear conscience, so that when you are accused, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.

3 things tonight concerning submitting to God’s plan and what that requires of us, first, compassion

Submitting to God’s Plan Requires Compassion (8-9)

Compassion is a word that many in our world are familiar with but few practice on a consistent basis. This is one of the dominant themes in the New Testament, though for followers of Jesus Christ, to be a compassionate people. A sympathetic people. A humble people. A people who desire to bless, not to insult. This is God’s plan for God’s people… but it’s not easy stuff. In fact, it’s incredibly hard. What is our first inclination whenever someone insults us or inflicts suffering upon us?

Sometimes to do the same back to the other person

Sometimes to defend ourselves

Sometimes to ignore the person

Consider what Peter calls on these Christians to do in the text. Whenever someone insults you or does evil to you, you are to do what? Give a blessing… in fact, this is what we are called by God to do in these moments of suffering. To bless others. So not only are we not permitted to fight fire with fire, we are called to actively seek to bless people who purposefully seek to bring about suffering in our life. Now, who here is like sign me up for that!? How can we even do that? We have to be a people of compassion.

Consider what Jesus shares in the Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5:44–45 CSB

44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. For he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Give a blessing to others. We ask, how can we do this? Here’s how: We remember that we have a past too where we didn’t know Christ as Lord and Savior. Notice verse 8 - all of you be like-minded, sympathetic, love one another, humble and compassionate. Who is this directed to? Believers. This is an encouragement to believers - those in the church. Those saved by grace through faith in Christ. Those who follow Christ as Lord. To a Christian community! The instruction is to be compassionate and to bless others outside of this community. Why would we do this? Let’s think of 2 reasons: One external and one internal

We show compassion because it provides evangelism opportunities and glorifies God (external)

We show compassion because God promises to bless us when we do this (internal)

Everyone in our world knows how easy it is to fight back when something doesn’t go our way. We’ve been talking about the difficulty of submission the last 3 weeks - that doesn’t come naturally or easily! It’s hard! But doing so provides us with an opportunity to share the Gospel and it glorifies our God. Go back a chapter to 1 Peter 2:12

1 Peter 2:12 CSB

12 Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that when they slander you as evildoers, they will observe your good works and will glorify God on the day he visits.

The term Gentiles here is specifically in reference to non-believers. Conduct yourselves honorably before them so that when they slander you, they will see your good works and glorify God. This is similar to Matthew 5:16. Let your light shine so that they see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. Peter is implying that whenever you bless others that offend, slander, hurt, and persecute you, at least some of those people come to saving faith in Christ and give glory to God. Think about this, deacon Stephen in Acts 7 is about to get stoned… he prays that God forgive his executioners and not hold this sin against them… who is holding the coats of the men about to stone Stephen? A young man who goes by Saul who did not have his name changed as many wrongly believe. Stephen chose to bless, not curse. Do you think that had an impact on Paul? You’d better believe it did. Add to this a million times over. There is an external blessing as this glorifies God and provides opportunities for people to come to saving faith in Jesus Christ… but there’s also an internal motivation

Think back to the Sermon on the Mount here as Jesus says that those who do these things are “Blessed” - not because they’re perfect, but because they’re saved disciples growing to be more like Jesus. Whenever you do what God’s Word says, you’re being obedient and there is a reward for doing so. We know that our works cannot save us, Peter would never argue that. But as those who are saved, we are to obey. As we do obey, there is a blessing that we receive - not a temporary one but one that we inherit. When do we inherit this blessing? In heaven, go back to 1 Peter 1:3-4

1 Peter 1:3–4 CSB

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead 4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.

Is anyone else thankful for what God has done for us? Our response is to be one of obedience. Compassion. Love. And faithful Gospel proclamation.

Submitting to God’s Plan Requires Community (10-12)

Next we see a quotation of Psalm 34 in verses 10-12 in our text. Here we see Biblical guidance on what we are supposed to do as God’s covenant people. To seek Him. To seek peace. To pursue what is good. To keep from evil. Now, some misconstrue this as legalistic and works based salvation - that isn’t true or in view. Have you ever seen the cosmic balance beam illustration? Your good actions are on this side and your bad ones are on this side and the hope of every human being is that whenever they pass away and see God face to face that their good actions outweigh their bad ones and then their good works get them into heaven or whatever paradise afterlife they believe in. This isn’t Biblical in the slightest! The Bible teaches us that our best works are like filthy rags before God. God has saved us by sending Jesus who did all the work necessary for salvation - we can’t add to that work. It is God who saves and gives us a living hope. Because we are God’s, we have been delivered from darkness to light and this means that we are now His children called to do things His way.

What some some of the evidences that someone has been adopted into God’s family?

Radical change in life

Fruit of the Spirit

As you and I seek to live a changed life as one saved by grace through faith in Christ, what is one of the foundational things that we need as a new creation?

Connection to the local body of Christ - a church fellowship

Consider what this text says, we are to turn our eyes to the Lord and to walk in faith as we do the things that He calls on us to do. This means that there are things that we can no longer do as Christians - we can’t speak evil and deceit and pursue what is sinful any longer. We seek the Lord. God will judge those who remain in sin, this isn’t an option for us! Yet, we’re tempted to remain right where we’ve always been. This is why submitting to God’s plan requires Christian Community. We need help in this process. We talked about this a few weeks ago on Sunday morning in Hebrews 13:17 - we need to submit to God’s plan for His people and that means to submit ourselves to the leadership and accountability of the local church. We can’t say that we are submitting to God by failing to submit ourselves to His church.

We are called to submit ourselves to our God and His plan and His way of doing things. In Psalm 34, David is being hunted down by Saul. Things are not going well for him in the sense that his very life is in danger… yet in the midst of his suffering, David starts this wonderful Psalm out with this verse

Psalm 34:1 CSB

1 I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.

How was David able to make this declaration? By trusting in and submitting to the Lord. David obeyed God and submitted to even an unjust and ungodly leader, as did Jesus, and as we are called to do as well. But David and Jesus are also proof that God does reward His righteous followers. We press on and do what is good, even when it might not feel good. To do this it will require us to gather together and do things God’s way.

Submitting to God’s Plan Requires Consistency (13-17)

The final few verses in our text tonight are ripe with hope, even though it might not exactly start out that way. As we continue on the track from submission to suffering, we find ourselves in situations where we’re tempted to be fearful of what stands in front of us. Contrast the modern church with the early church, what are we afraid of today that Christians historically wouldn’t have cared about?

Slander

Rejection

Opposition

Consider Peter’s audience here and their location being in an oppressive world, possibly during the period of Nero’s reign in Rome where persecution of Christians was beginning to ramp up throughout the Empire. Look at verse 13 - who then will harm you if you do what is good? If you live a godly life, who then will harm you? On the one hand, what are we thinking there? Lots of people! We live in a messed up, crazy, confused world! A world where you can get in legal trouble just for saying, “Yes sir” or “Yes ma’am.” We do what is good, verse 14, and should we suffer for that good we are blessed and should not be intimidated.

Why would Peter tell his audience to not be intimidated by evil/evildoers whenever they do good?

The worst thing that can happen is that we die and we receive our promised inheritance

All Death Can Do Is Make My Life Infinitely Better - Tim Keller

Do you think that this is an overnight switch that just flips in your head one day and turns off the next? No. This is something that happens over time as God’s people consistently die to self, look to Scripture, and follow Christ. Peter calls on these believers to study and be ready to give a defense at any time to anyone who asks about the hope that is in them. We call this Apologetics - giving a defense for our faith and apologetics aren’t just for pastors or seminary students or theologians, but it’s something we’re all called to do. To give a defense for what we believe and why we are the way that we are. Whenever a watching world see’s a Christian suffering and worshiping at the same time, that begs a question: WHY? This presents an opportunity to shine the spotlight to Jesus. Our call to action is to be faithful and do what is good and to tell others about our Savior and point them to Jesus with gentleness and reverence.

In the days to come, it is likely that Christians in the West will come under increasing scrutiny to cave in and go the way of the world on a number of issues such as sexuality, morality, subjectivity, and truth. We will be accused of all sorts of things, more than likely, because that has been the enemies playbook for thousands of years. When this happens, we can either prime the pump and add fuel to the fire, or we can conduct ourselves honorably. We can seek fights and sharpen our pitchforks and get our gasoline cans ready to douse on the fire… or we can look to Scripture, bear the Fruit of the Spirit, and prepare a defense of our faith as we speak the truth in love. If we chose the former, we are setting the stage for problems. If we chose the later, we are setting the stage for Gospel proclamation. We are to submit to God even in suffering, knowing that whenever things don’t go our way, our God fights for us and our opponents are fighting a losing war though they might seem to win a battle or two here and there. It is better to suffer for doing good if that is God’s will than for doing evil.

Church, this is our call. Consider Peter’s trial in Acts 4:10-12

Acts 4:10–12 CSB

10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing here before you healthy. 11 This Jesus is the stone rejected by you builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”

Peter denied Jesus 3x and here he is standing before these authorities and boldly declaring the truth to them in love that there is only salvation in Jesus and if you don’t trust in Jesus, you’re lost. That’s not hate, that’s truth spoken in love. Look at what these people said about Peter in the next verse

Acts 4:13 CSB

13 When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus.

This is my prayer for Salem. That our community would see our boldness and faithfulness and reliance in Jesus Christ and that our community would know that the only explanation is that we love Jesus and we live for Jesus and our hope is in Jesus. He’s our hope. It’s better to honor Jesus and to suffer than to deny Him and prosper.

“A submissive life affords many opportunities for God’s people to make a defense for the hope that is in them.” Submitting to God during suffering is one way to let your light shine and one way that Gospel conversations can be had. We have many opportunities to speak about Jesus in our suffering! We can explain “why” we are suffering. We don’t know all the answers, but we do have hope inside of us (v. 15). God will vindicate us - we endure through difficult times. We persevere. This message of encouragement should be like stopping at a gas station on a long road trip - we fill up the car and we keep on going pressing on towards our destination. We bless others, we trust in our God, we keep on doing what is good.

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