Sermon Tone Analysis

Peter has thus far given us instruction on how we should live in relationship with outsiders, with government, with masters, with husbands and with wives, and with that in mind I hope that after last week’s sermon our relationships with our spouses and with each other has improved, if we have taken to heart the things we heard – have us husbands loved our wives as Christ loves the Church?

We are in much need of perfecting for surely we fall far short.

In today’s passage Peter continues with how we should live in relationship with every other person we come into contact with especially our brothers in Christ.

We have heard that Jesus said that if we love one another then others would see and know we are His disciples.

This means that whether we are being watched or not our practise should always be the same.

Of course, even if we are not being watched we are being watched, right?

If we’re not being watched by people we are still seen by God!

We are called to base our love on that which Christ has shown to the Church – and it is an awesome love, for it was shown to us well before we could have even responded – He went the extra mile or however many miles it is from Heaven to earth to bring us back into relationship with God, to reconcile us once and for all through His death on the cross, proven by His resurrection and ascension back into Heaven where He sits exalted at the right hand of God.

His love took Him to the cross well before we knew who He was and perhaps for a long period in our lives we were even rejecting Him as is most of the world today.

In response to this love what should we be doing?

We are to take up our cross and we are to love one another.

So, why is there so much that divides Christians?

Surely it is plain that not all Christians get along with one another.

In the end there are always going to be things that separate us but there are really only two things that should.

The first is doctrine, that is, what we believe and the second is sin.

Of course, I am not talking about just any kind of doctrine for it will be a fact that we will all disagree on some points or even a lot of points though I think you all should agree to agree with me!

I do think that.

I suspect you also think I should agree with you!

The thing is just how important are all those different points of doctrine that we hold dear?

Doctrine is very, very important BUT unless it is about the Gospel and the basic doctrines such as the Trinity and that there is no salvation in any other but Jesus we should be tolerant.

I am not going to list all that we should believe but if someone claims that Jesus is not God, if they claim that we have to work for our salvation, if they claim that we can live life however we want and so on and so forth then we know that their doctrines are not truly Christian and should be rejected.

All this has to do with being of the same mind.

All of us have witnessed the harmony of an orchestra or a choir when all the instruments and voices are in tune and they are following the lead of the conductor – and how this should be in the Church – all doing our part following our conductor Jesus – and we also know how horrible it all goes wrong for any choir if we have ever watched Britain’s Got Talent!

The oneness and the harmony which our Lord desires for the church must begin with us.

The church is people—the people of God.

When we are all living under the lordship of Jesus Christ and are in tune with Him, we are in harmony with our brothers in Christ.

When there is disharmony and disunity in the church, sin is present.

So, doctrine can divide – and so can sin.

We must seek the will of the Lord together—and then do it.

Cedar, P. A., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1984).

Edited by Ian Thomas.

James / 1 & 2 Peter / Jude (Vol.

34, p. 159).

Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.

Peter continues and says that we are to have compassion for one another.

The word used in the Greek is the same one that we use to get the word sympathy.

There are always people that we come across including in our own fellowship that are having a hard time of it.

We have feeling for others, rejoicing with those who rejoice and, of course, weeping with those that weep.

As a fellowship here we have come to weep a lot in recent times.

And we as a people should also be sharing those things that are troubling us because we can rally round and because we can all come to God in prayer for one another.

Sometimes we think that the problems we have are little in comparison with someone else in the fellowship but we should be willing to share and be willing to be a listening ear.

There are those who have, we think, the right to be criticised.

But we are not to be like this.

When we ran the Foodbank at my previous Church we were to sympathise not criticise.

It may have been their own fault that they were in the situation they are in.

I think some ought to be criticised but certainly not without mercy and compassion being shown first.

Mercy is the watchword here.

Let me make sure there is no misunderstanding in what I am saying here.

Some of those who came to Foodbank got themselves into that situation all by themselves but many others were in hardships not of their own doing.

And unless we are intimate with all the details we are not called to judge but to help.

And even if we know we are still called to help.

Paul reminds us to

Towards each other we have to be tender-hearted, polite, forgiving, to treat each other just as we want to be treated.

It is all too easy to have heated debates that result in broken relationships and I am sure we have all been there either giving or receiving.

We can be so full of ourselves, our ideas, our ways that we cannot place ourselves in the shoes of the one who is on the receiving end of our diatribes.

That lack of empathy means that we will not treat others with respect and love and kindness.

Finally, in verse 8 Scripture says, be courteous, which really means to be humble-minded.

The word courteous really doesn’t say all what Peter wants to say.

It is to put others before yourself.

Courteous holds some of the import of that when we say someone is courteous for holding the door for someone – but it is a whole lot bigger than that – it is putting others before ourselves in all things not just at a doorway.

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And we have to remember all that when we are on the receiving end of people’s hatred we are all too quick to be judgmental or to be hurt and to give as good as we get but we are not called to this.

We are called to have the same mindset as Jesus whom we heard in the previous chapter.

Let’s read that again:

What a great passage of Scripture!

We are not to revile in return.

What is to revile?

It is to be abusive.

If we are abused we are called to bless.

Not exactly a natural response!

Let’s hear this verse from the New English Bible:

Do not repay wrong with wrong, or abuse with abuse; on the contrary, retaliate with blessing.

Great way of putting it.

Jesus said that we are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

I’m sure we have all been hurt by someone – but we are to pray and to bless instead…this is a choice – it is not natural – but it is supernatural, done with the Holy Spirit’s help in our lives…to forgive, to love, to give, it is a calling that we have been called to.

We have been called to bless.

Peter is saying these things because in his experience he has seen Christians react in a natural way rather than in the Kingdom way.

He himself, remember, cut off the servant of the High Priest’s ear in the Garden of Gethsemane with a sword!

Peter has learned his lesson and as a result is qualified to teach us.

And Jesus, as our example, has forgiven us so we must also forgive others.

We have been shown mercy and so mercy should be shown.

The result is that we inherit a blessing – it may be seen in this life but maybe not – but it will definitely be seen in the next.

There are so many promises of rewards in Scripture as long as we do not draw attention to ourselves.

There are rewards for the good things we do in secret that only our Father sees.

Rewards for the good we do to others.

Rewards for acting in Heavenly-Kingdom ways rather than earthly ways.

The greatest reward of all though is surely to hear our Father say: Well done!

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Peter then quotes Psalm 34

The first thing we should note about this Psalm is who wrote it and what were the circumstances?

David wrote it when he was on the run from King Saul.

David was under great duress.

It was the season of his life when, although anointed by Samuel as king, he was nevertheless forced into hiding from Saul.

Saul had become an unjust ruler, an authority figure who actively persecuted submissive and righteous David.

After David had gone to the priest, he retreated to the caves.

David, the elect of God, was forced to suffer on the earth as an exile.

Yet, Psalm 34 begins:

I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

David, the humble follower of the Most High God, submitted himself to God’s timing and continued to bless God (and Saul) in the most difficult times and under the most unfair circumstances.

Clearly this is why Peter picks this Psalm to support the point he has been making on submission, suffering, and blessing.

Twice David could have killed Saul and did not.

There is, of course, a societal reason why he should not revile and give back as good as he is being given, after all Saul was most certainly after his life and twice he had almost killed him with a spear.