The Good Life

Automated transcript of the sermon audio, generated with OpenAI Whisper (small.en). It has not been checked against the recording and may contain errors, especially in names and Scripture references.

You can open your Bibles to 1 Peter chapter 3. We will be in verses 8 through 17 as we continue our study, our Sunday night study of 1 Peter. And I have entitled this message, The Good Life. All men pursue happiness. We make decisions and we act based on what we think will bring us the greatest happiness in the end. Unlike our unbelieving neighbors, Christians can have true happiness because we love the giver of all blessings, not just the gifts themselves. Sure, there is a measure of happiness that is apportioned to unbelievers, but in order to have true and deep, abiding happiness, we must know our creator. We must worship him.

And of course, we want that for all men. But it’s something that we don’t earn and that God does give freely. we can have real happiness in this life. That’s something that the ancient philosopher scratched at. That’s something that we claim to. That happiness is what the philosophers used to call the good life. They pursued the good life with a calculated determination. I won’t go into now the differences between Plato and Aristotle and their efforts to try to attain this and to direct others to that end in this world. But they themselves couldn’t agree on how to attain this elusive goal. Fortunately for us, Peter gives us a pretty decent formula right here in this passage.

And we can know that for Christians, For Christians, the good life is the blessing of God. And it comes to those who bring the greatest blessing to others. And that’s a pretty simple thesis that I think will preach. In fact, I’m banking on it. The good life is the blessing of God, and it comes to those who bring the greatest blessing to others. And he talks about that in these verses here. First, he talks about the good life, and then, and that would be in verses 8 through 12, and then in 13 through 17 he talks about what happens when you apply, when you live the good life, and that is you invite the curiosity of the world, you invite their persecution, you invite opportunities to share a reason for the hope that you have. Well, the philosophers version of the good life doesn’t require the Holy Spirit, it It doesn’t require obedience to scripture.

It’s more naturally shrewd. There’s no need for spiritual empowerment to obey Aristotle, for instance. A man need only be interested in his own happiness to pursue Aristotle’s virtues. But to obey Peter, a man must be spirit-filled. And in his blessing of others, he, by the grace of God, brings about his own blessing. In his blessing of others, he, by the grace of God, brings about his own blessing. Our culture is too easily satisfied.

What our culture wants, the life that our culture wants looks like a beer commercial or the life of a rock star. But in scripture, we don’t find lasting satisfaction coming about from the pursuit of earthly pleasures. It’s true that sometimes temporal blessings come about as good gifts from God in his kindness, but never are they ends in themselves. lest you be guilty of the first commandment, or violating it. Neither are we to enjoy them without thankfulness, or again, we miss the point, just as we do when we pass them up, choosing asceticism instead, where God would choose to bless us. We may pursue them as means through which to enjoy God, like good Christian hedonists, I suppose, but they’re not ends themselves, God’s honor and glory, and our fellowship with him is.

So stuff is not itself bad, But it is not necessarily a necessary ingredient for the good life. But too much good stuff didn’t seem to be the problem for Peter’s audience. There was no AMPM, but there was lots of persecution. Peter wrote this letter to the dispersed Christians in Asia Minor during the reign of Nero. And there are differing opinions on when exactly it was written, but I think that the most compelling case can be made for after the Great Fire in 64. And during an intense season of persecution for Christians, and their persecution had the same effect on the gospel message that water tends to have on a grease fire.

Far from putting it out, it caused the message to spread as never before. And Peter’s big picture focus is on the testimony of his readers in this time of tremendous opportunity that is brought on by their suffering. When the martyr tied to a stake wishes to say a few words, the spectators will sometimes hush. Other times they cut out his tongue. But in the case of Peter’s readers, and of course Peter himself as we know, their affliction gave them opportunity as witnesses and he wanted them to take full advantage of that opportunity proclaiming Christ to the Gentiles with their words and with their actions. In 1 Peter chapter 3 verses 8 through 12, we find the back end of a section that’s introduced in chapter 2 verses 11 and 12.

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable so that when they speak against you as evildoers they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. And then from chapter 2 verse 13 onto through chapter 3 verse 12, he instructs him as is the how to live dynamic lives of faithful submission to authority and to one another. And then we’ll pick it up in verse 13 here in a little bit. Peter is offering a way to impact a perishing world around us, but also a formula for the good life, our greatest happiness.

While we are not called to pursue the fleeting pleasures in this life, neither are we simply to muddle through. The teaching that he has offered so far is dynamic, it’s radical, it’s Christ-centered, and these believers, if they were to apply what he is suggesting here, they would be equipped well to impact eternity by their godly conduct. The other apostles, Peter, Paul, John, by applying these same principles of boldness and joyfulness in Christ in the face of godless persecutors were said to have turned the world upside down in Acts 17.6. This is powerful. impactful obedience to Christ. With the addition then of the paragraph that follows, so verses 13 through 17, Peter introduces for us, with the addition of these two things, they are then equipped not only to make it through this life but to thrive.

And I would add that if the good life were attainable for the first century readers of Peter’s first letter here, how much more are we to desire to love life love life and see good days. If they could apply this paragraph and enjoy the promise of a real spiritual blessing, then I think it’s safe to say that the payoff is no smaller for us today. So keeping that in mind, let’s read together. First Peter chapter three, I’ll read verses eight through 17. Finally, all of you have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless.

For to this you were called that you may obtain a blessing. For whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good. Let him seek peace and pursue it, for 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 evil. Verse 13, now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them nor be troubled, but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.

Yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience so that when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.

shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.” This is two paragraphs in the English Standard Version with some poetry there in the middle. And it’s loaded with promises to cling to, but also plenty of warnings that I would like for us not to miss. So first we’ll consider Peter’s own thoughts on the good life in verses 8 through 11, then what I’m calling Peter’s keys to a potent testimony in verses 12 to 17. As for the first passage it seems as though there are four keys to the good life according to Peter and they’ll serve as our outline for the first part. Keys to the good life and in order they are, in the order that I’ll be giving them, but we do pluck from, these are in this order. So a good attitude toward others, a good response to evildoers, a good commitment to righteousness and a good motive for holiness. And I’ll go through those one at a time. That’s a recipe for tremendous blessing. That’s pretty good.

It’s possible to thrive in this world but to do so we must be living for the next one. And let’s look at this together starting with a good attitude toward others. He says in the second half of verse 8, finally all of you have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Finally may also be rendered to sum up. I think some of your translations, if you have the New American Standard updated version, says that. Let’s sum it up this way. It doesn’t signify the end of the letter. I mean, we’re right here in the middle, actually. Instead, it’s the end of a section where he has been teaching about Christians’ relationships.

We could consider it a focus on submission, but really the larger heading relates to believers’ relational conduct. So whether it’s in the form of submission to authorities, in the White House or in the home, Peter is aware that the believers’ conduct and interaction are important for their testimonies. And here he wraps up that section. What follows are five attitudes, five sort of Christian virtues by which Peter would like to have his readers be characterized. He lists five adjectives describing words that have a very instructional sense to them. The rendered is nouns here in the ESV. The New American Standard gives them as adjectives, or ways to be.

There’s not actually a verb here, but these virtues do require work. I like the adjective idea better because they are to describe every believer. So I may say them as nouns, but they’re really adjectival, if nothing else. So let’s look at them one at a time. Intentional or no, there’s sort of a chiastic structure here with these five adjectives. The first and the last deal with the mind, unity of mind and humble mind. The second and fourth deal with feeling, or the heart, sympathy in the tender heart, and then right smack in the middle, is what is central to all of this, that’s brotherly love. First he references have unity of mind.

True to this attribute and all others is that they are completely appropriate for believers and impossible for unbelievers. That’s crazy. Unity of mind. True unity can characterize believers because we are indwelt by the same spirit. And if we believe that the Spirit is not at odds with Himself, then it is possible for those who are commonly entwiled by Him to have a unity of mind. That’s a unity the only believers can enjoy as we do have that common spirit. He also points to sympathy, seconds, sympathy. That’s to be compassionate, to feel the same thing as someone else.

And that is what Christ does for us and we are what we are to do toward one another. We feel that when one another hurts, we are better equipped to minister to one another. There was a good word this morning from the pulpit related not just to wallowing, but also offering some encouragement so as not to simply feel the same in a way as to continue to promote a self-centered and yes, a purely self-oriented focus, but rather to give that person a hand up. And we would do that by the Spirit’s help. He referenced it right there in the middle, brotherly love. And that’s central, literally and figuratively, because the other four attitudes can’t exist without love. That’s particular love that believers share as they’re united in the same spirit. Unbelievers can’t take part in this love. Again, it sounds kind of like Christian snobbery, I suppose. But what I’m talking about are spiritual things that the natural mind cannot manufacture and cannot understand.

And so a spiritual love is something the natural man cannot have, but that God freely gives to those who repent. Peter was most certainly present when Christ told his disciples, by this will all men know that you are my disciples if you have a love for one another. That was in John chapter 13, verse 35. He calls them to have a tender heart. That is the deep-seated kindness from the bowels, Way down deep. Kindness from your gut. The contrast of this, to help you understand, might just be a surface level kindness. It might be a superficial plastic niceness on the outside. A simple good deed done to impress others or to stand in contrast.

That stands in contrast with the kindness that comes from the heart. And last he says, a humble mind. And that’s the most basic of Christian attitudes. Really. Christians of all people ought to be humble because we are beggars. We are aware that as sinners, we need an alien righteousness. We need favor of God that he gives that we cannot earn.

We may love, while love may drive all these other attributes, a humble mind makes them possible. There’s no place for self-promotion or self-glorification in the Christian life. Neither is there salvation without humility. The proud person recognizes no need for a savior as the healthy man has no need of a physician.

So Peter has shown what sorts of attitudes accompany the good life. And how does this play out in our response to evildoers? Well, let’s look at our second key to the good life. That is a good response to evildoers. You find that in verse nine. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless. For to this you were called that you may obtain a blessing. That’s so good, I’ll just read it again. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless. For to this you were called that you may obtain a blessing.

And that’s really good. Given the context, Peter is suggesting that those who seek revenge and other people will never actually find what they’re looking for. And think for a moment about what you may, if you think for a moment about a time when you may want to get back at someone. We say things like, I just want to see justice served. or it’s just not right. But getting beyond that, it is kind of funny that we’re so hungry for justice all of a sudden.

If we were really interested in justice, the cross would offend us too, though we’re beneficiaries of Christ’s work, as the wrath of God was poured out on Christ for sins that we committed. The key to the good life is to return good for evil. Do not return evil for evil or reviling for reviling, because it will not bring the satisfaction you’re hoping for. In my class we talk about this all the time, how in the economy of men, revenge is never satisfying and never ending. We call this sometimes the ethic of the mafia. You put one of mine in the hospital, I put one of yours in the morgue. And then if I put one of yours in the morgue, you’re probably going to put two of mine in the morgue, and when does it end?

It ends with returning good for evil and with grace and forgiveness. The gospel introduces a satisfying solution for sin. A gentle answer turns away wrath when you respond righteously to an unkind gesture or a word. In effect, you heap coals, burning coals on the head of your enemy. And so he says to this you are called. Peter strengthens this case as he suggests that this is part and parcel to the Christian life. To this you were called.” This of course is a life and a pattern of blessing our enemies. The calling is the call of salvation. The call of a believer is to be afflicted and to respond by blessing his enemies. The linchpin is the last phrase of verse 9, that you may obtain a blessing. And it does seem reasonable to conclude that if you don’t, you won’t. If you don’t do that you won’t receive the blessing that is in store for those who will return.

Evil for good. That’s huge. As you’ve already said, the good life is a life full of blessing from God as we bless others and if we would obtain a blessing we must bless others. And so it might have been tempting to think at the onset of this message that the blessing of other people was blessing nice people. Not so. If we consider again the context in which Peter was writing, there was blessing going around to unbelievers and believers alike. It is the design of God that He will bless us, He will bless us as an outcome of our being a blessing to others. God’s blessing is the end. Our blessing others is a means to that end.

God’s blessing us is the end. Our blessing others is a means to that end. And if we are to be eager to be a blessing to our persecutors, how much more are we to strive to bless other believers or those around our dinner tables? How can we know then that these concepts are tied together? Look at the next key. Third, a good commitment to righteousness, verses 10 and 11 read, For whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good. let him seek peace and pursue it.

So Peter here uses scripture. He’s quoting passages of scripture here from Psalm 34 verses 12 through 16 in the same way that you or I might do in a conversation to make a point. He’s defending his point by quoting God’s word. Peter says, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. Interesting passage for him to quote, one that speaks to the importance of taming the tongue. Elsewhere in the New Testament, James echoes a similar sentiment that the man who can tame his tongue is capable of taming the rest of his body as well? Well, from the mouth comes the outflow of our hearts, good and evil alike.

Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. That means the only way to keep our tongues from evil in our lips from speaking deceit is actually to purify the source, our hearts and our minds. That’s the recipe for the good life, in part. The one with pure speech will have a pure heart, righteous conduct, a good testimony and the blessing of God. He goes further in verse 11 saying, let him turn away from evil and do good. Let him seek peace and pursue it. Most of us are happy when peace comes our way, but we’re not active about pursuing it. The grammar here is emphatic. The pursuit of peace is no casual affair.

We’re to seek after it in the same way as you would for anything else that is of value and that is elusive, that is hidden, whether love or treasure. In quoting the Psalmist David, Peter is urging his readers to seek peace. Go after it, don’t wait for it to come to you. The call to do good hearkens back to chapter two, verse 15. For this is the will of God, that by doing good, you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. When believers do good as they’re supposed to, it quickly silences our adversaries.

But that’s not the only reason we are to do good. He suggests the key to the good life is also to have A good motive, a motive to holiness. That’s the fourth one, a motive to holiness. Verse 12. For 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 all who do evil. Our motive is the very favor of God. And it is not earned by our good behavior.

But rather it is revealed by our good behavior. So do you get that? Our capacity to bless others is commensurate what God has provided us in terms of ability. Though God does not actually have eyes, as David states, and Peter reiterates that God is attentive to the prayers of those who obey his law. That’s true for at least two reasons. Their prayers are not impeded by sin and they pray according to the will of the Father. Conversely, his face is against those who do evil and we would not be counted in this number, ideally. This is a sobering warning for Peter’s readers who are called here to righteous living of the good life, and that’s antithetical to a life outside of God’s favor.

Living the good life is synonymous with living righteously and living under the loving gaze of our heavenly Father. This is blessing, and it looks to the future. A life lived for Christ is opposite to a life lived for self, and when we live for Christ, we will look different from the world. We will stand out, we will not fit in. The world will take note, and the world will ask plenty of questions.

How we respond to the world and how we answer those questions will go a long way regarding how we impact this world for Christ. Peter assumes that this sort of testimony is compelling, and in the next paragraph he exhorts his readers along these lines. So one way to stand out in the world is do what you’re supposed to do, because almost nobody does so consistently. In this paragraph, Peter seems to be reiterating this point. By being zealous for what is good and by being obedient to their consciences, the world was bound to ask about the hope that Peter’s audience possessed.

Throughout the whole of this letter, he is concerned that his readers not waste the opportunity to before them, that they not waste their suffering by feeling sorry for themselves, but rather he knew well that they should take advantage of that opportunity to impact the world for Christ.

He had worked hard to align their perspective as well, that they may be best focused on the life to come. He also wanted for them to realize that suffering for Christ is not strange, and it’s not in itself bad. Suffering for Christ and the trials that come about as a result of our devotion to him ought not to be regarded as strange. they ought to be regarded rather as normal in the Christian life. We should count on trials. We should expect that when we go through them, people will be observant as to how we respond.

There’s not time to go into all the reason why we experience trials. I would point you to Sean’s message from this morning for that, but the world is always curious as to how we’re going to respond. Have you ever watched video footage of a courtroom when someone’s on trial? They always zoom in on the defendant’s face. Because whether he’s guilty or not, we always want to see how the person who is being tried response to his accusers or to his situation. It’s not that we necessarily have any preconceived notion or agenda. We just want to see what he’s going to do. It’s like when the kid gets in trouble with the teacher, you get whiplash looking back and forth between the kid and the teacher, right?

Ooh. What’s the kid going to do? Looking to see how each is going to respond. That’s the way it is with the world. The world is always watching the followers of Christ to see what we’re going to do. But while the observer, they may not admit it, but they’re looking. But while the observers may have been neutral in your experience, or my examples, the world is anything but neutral when it comes to Christ. So in the classroom, in the courtroom, they may just be observing. But when it comes to Christ, the world is constantly looking for an opportunity to justify its unbelief. The world is constantly looking for a way to justify its rejection of Christ.

How should we act in such an environment? Peter instructs his readers, and I think by extension us, in verses 13 through 17. We can be sure that living the good life, even in the midst of suffering, will raise eyebrows of the world. And for his part, he would have his readers maximize their opportunities while the world is watching. in order to reach as many of Christ as possible. So in this passage he sees, he gives us what I see as keys to an impactful testimony. First, asking the right question. Second, wielding the right promises. Third, having the right attitude. And fourth, owning the right motive. So this is a new paragraph, new outline, new set of points for giggles.

Let’s look at first, asking the right question. And this rhetorical one, Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But it is not strictly rhetorical, because a lot of rhetorical questions have self-evident answers. And this one, not so much, because it’s not nobody, and it definitely is somebody. The answer is our enemies.

Our enemies, they could harm us gleefully for being zealous for what’s good. Our enemies will do so, though even they may have a harder time justifying it, even cruel pagans, whether in their own judgment or the judgment of the world around them, will have a hard time harming someone who’s zealous for good. If you’re a genuinely righteous person, others will have no cause or little interest in making you suffer, generally speaking. And to a point, obviously there comes a point where the world will hate us as righteous people because the world hates righteousness in general. The best example of course is Christ, but that’s not the reason why most of us have problems.

Most of us suffer because we deserve it. Again, most of us don’t have problems because we’re so like Christ. To a degree, you do. But if we’re being honest, most of the time, most of the trouble we have is self-imposed. As a principal, if you are zealous for what is good, you will leave a relatively peaceful life. It’s true. And the term good, according to MacArthur, refers to a life characterized by generosity, unselfishness, kindness, and thoughtfulness. That’s helpful. Those are hallmarks of a spirit-filled life. So stated another way, a Christian’s being zealous for what is good is synonymous with walking in the spirit.

But don’t mistake this for a promise, and again, because that zeal comes from, that is spiritual. Don’t mistake this for a promise that they will avoid suffering altogether because that would not square the whole rest of the New Testament, let alone Peter’s letter itself. Second, a key to an impactful testimony would be wielding the right promises. Wielding the right promises. Peter says in verse 14, even if you should suffer for righteousness sake, you’ll be blessed.

He says in verse 17, it’s better to suffer for doing good if that should be God’s will them for doing evil. The promises of God are weapons to be wielded in our spiritual battle and the faithful warrior will practice. I say wielding because the promises of God are a powerful weapon in the battle versus lies and temptation and countless other sins. Peter makes no promise that the living of you or me or his readers will help them to avert trouble, they may suffer, they may find favor, but he does guarantee that by their obedience they will be blessed. And is that not the message we want for our kids, for ourselves? God often calls our… He often wills our suffering in order to bring about our blessing. When we suffer for righteousness sake, it may be a part of blessing in our lives. When we suffer for righteousness’ sake, it may be a part of God’s blessing in our lives. There are certain blessings that only come about in those circumstances. These are blessings of tremendous victory that are

the result of our obedience to Him, our trust in His Word, and how this speaks through our testimony to the world around us. This means that if God wants to give you a blessing that can only come through these joys, then He will necessarily bring suffering into our lives. I would like to think that was encouraging to Peter’s readers as it’s consistent with the tone of the rest of the letter far from being in a situation where you need to just bite the bullet and endure you can actually rejoice. I think it was Spurgeon who said that he couldn’t bear the thought that any of his suffering were not coming from the hand of a benevolent God. For those who think why are these bad things happening to me. He found tremendous comfort in knowing that they are coming from one who loves him and who means well. If you are zealous for what is good then you should view your current situation of suffering as a gift from the Lord and an actual blessing. Another key for Peter is having the right attitude. He says, have no fear of them, that is your enemies, nor be troubled but

in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy. Always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. Yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, and he goes on. When we view suffering as an opportunity from the hand of God, rather than as a curse at the hands of men, well, it takes away our fear of man. We can think of the examples of both Job and Jesus As again, just easy examples, low hanging fruit. Both of these figures suffered according to the will of God for very specific reasons. And though their suffering was great, you’ll recall that they were never afraid of men.

Job had a proper and profound fear of God and Jesus’ greatest source of distress was the anticipated wrath of the Father and the temporary estrangement from the fellowship of the Father. What men would do to him, scourging him, mocking him, even the physical act of crucifixion doesn’t seem to terrify Christ as that was not the object of his fear. Estrangement from the Father was. Those were trifles by comparison and Scripture does not seem to indicate or imply they were a major concern to him. When it comes to suffering God will typically use men as his instruments to bring that about and when he does we have no need to fear them. Provided we are zealous for what is good, being led by the Spirit and doing the will of God.

And you’re in your heart regard Christ the Lord as holy. Some will say sanctify the Lord, Christ in your hearts. Sanctification is being set apart, distinct. All Christians, as you probably know, are positionally set apart for Christ and continue practically to be set apart for Him the rest of their days.

For us to regard Christ in this way, He must be given a place of preeminence in our daily practical lives. He must be regarded with holiness and reverence and that regarding will impact our attitude and our testimony. When we regard Christ as holy we are resolute, we are intrepid, we are unflappable for Christ. As Peter told the same readers two chapters earlier, therefore preparing your minds for action and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ as obedient children do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance. But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct since it is written, you shall be holy for I am holy. When your hope is in Christ and is set fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ, people will ask about that hope. It results in a different life. The person whose hope is in Christ looks different from the world. The world will not understand it

and sometimes they will wonder why. Peter understood this firsthand. You can read the fantastic accountant, Acts chapter five verses 17 through 42 of Peter being jailed. It was Peter and John, and they were told to stop, and they were beaten, and they wouldn’t stop. Choose your mother to obey God and men. He also says in verse 15, always being prepared to make a defense for anyone who asks for a reason for the hope that is in you. Peter assumes that when Christians respond rightly to persecution, the world is going to ask questions. A curious but ignorant world will have no conception of the joy that Christ brings in the midst of suffering and the hope that we have in the midst of troubles.

Verse 16, he exhorts his readers to testify of Christ with gentleness and respect having a good conscience.

Think back to those apostles’ words chapter 5 of Acts. They’re bold, they’re definitely tactful, but they’re respectful. And Peter is a slave to his own conscience. If he were not to speak of the word of Christ in his life, his conscience would be guilty, it would be smitten. A conscience that is informed by Scripture will be convicted when we miss an opportunity to speak Christ. Or we just don’t take it. Having a good conscience often means doing what is hard and being able to live with yourself afterward. That too is the case with Peter and the Apostles in chapter 5 of Acts. They could have deferred the demands of the council and walked out without beatings but they would have to live with guilty consciences and damaged testimonies. You may remember Matthew 26 as Jesus was arrested and Peter followed him as far as the courtyard. You don’t have to turn there but let me read chapter 26 verses 69 to 75. Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard and a The servant girl came up to him and said,

you also were with Jesus the Galilean. But he denied it before them all saying, I do not know what you mean. And he went out to the entrance and another servant girl saw him. And she said to the bystanders, this man was with Jesus of Nazareth. And he again denied it with an oath. I do not know the man. After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, certainly you too are one of them for your accent betrays you. Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, I do not know the man. And immediately the rooster crowed Peter remember the saying of Jesus, before the rooster crows you will deny me three times.

And he went out and wept bitterly. This is a man who knows well the regrets that accompany a guilty conscience and also about having a good conscience and speaking of Jesus when the opportunity arises. Time doesn’t allow us to cite the various examples from the early chapters of Acts of how Paul was a different, Peter was a different man after the coming of the spirit and he followed his conscience. The last key here is owning the right motive. So that when you are slander, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. We come here to the key of owning the right motive. Our motive in all these things is ultimately God’s glory.

We’ve established that. Sometimes that involves silence or even shaming our enemies. But isn’t that not Christian to shame your enemies? Well, in this case, what does that involve? They are shamed because their accusations ring hollow. Their slander is unfounded. They have no legitimate case to make against us. When they revile good behavior, the shame is theirs. Peter evidently assumes that his readers will be slandered. It’s just going to happen. He assumes there will be detractors, but he also knows that those detractors can be silenced with a powerful testimony. Just as Nebuchadnezzar’s officials were frustrated when they tried to speak evil of Daniel, so Peter’s readers could shame their enemies by their righteous conduct.

Remember chapter 2 verse 12 he said, “…keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” If you’ve ever read Fox’s book of martyrs, you will have seen accounts of early Christians who were shamed that they were not being martyred. They believed the blessed, the fortunate ones were those who were being ripped apart by dogs, fed to lions, burned and beheaded because they were blessed with the opportunity to die for Christ, to speak publicly of their love for Him. And when they do, who’s actually put to shame there?

That kind of testimony, that kind of hope causes a dying and unbelieving world to take notice and to ask why. We are fortunate to live this side of the cross. And for as well as Plato and Aristotle and others did, orienting themselves around pretty self-consistent morals. They did pretty well. And for natural men, we can appreciate that. But any thinking person would have to really wonder by what standard are they, what is the standard for their morality, ultimately. And in the kindness of God, they prepared the way for the gospel. And when Christ was born and came in the fullness of time, he came to a culture that had been well prepared.

Let’s pray. Father, we do pray that as we do live out the life that you have directed us to lead, that the world would want in. That kind of jealousy is good. There’s no sin there. And help us to be appropriately focused on boasting in you and provoking the right sort of jealousy among the world around us who ought to want what we have and help us never to tire of boasting in you who give good gifts. We can boast freely because we did not manufacture, we did not earn any of what we have. It’s all grace and we give you praise. Thank you your word, help us to go forth in faith this week, looking to bring blessing to others, even those who would revile us. And then in so doing, invite your blessing. And we pray this in Christ’s name. Amen.

Let’s pray. Father, we do pray that as we do live out the life that you have directed us to lead, that the world would want in. That kind of jealousy is good. There’s no sin there. And help us to be appropriately focused on boasting in you and provoking the right sort of jealousy among the world around us who ought to want what we have and help us never to tire of boasting in you who give good gifts. We can boast freely because we did not manufacture, we did not earn any of what we have. It’s all grace and we give you praise. Thank you your word, help us to go forth in faith this week, looking to bring blessing to others, even those who would revile us.