Please turn in your Bibles this evening to I Peter chapter 3 as we continue our study through the Word of God. Tonight we are continuing a section that deals with THE SUBMISSION OF THE BELIEVER and this section covers I Peter 2:13-3:12.
Now why would Peter write about submission when these Christians were being persecuted for their faith and that persecution was only going to grow more intense? As we have seen so far, Peter is admonishing them to have a steadfast endurance in the midst of the persecution they were facing and to live exemplary lives, holy lives in spite of the persecution they were facing.
In other words, God has saved you, He has a place reserved in Heaven for you that no one can take away. Thus, have a walk that is worthy of the high calling by which you have been called! Their witness needed to be strong in the unbelieving world they were living in and so does ours. You see, our faith is not lived in some ambiguous sphere, it is lived out in the real world. Thus, Peter tells us that we must live blamelessly and submit ourselves to THE GOVERNMENT – I Peter 2:13-17; we are to submit ourselves in THE WORKPLACE, to our boss whether he is nice or mean to us – I Peter 2:18-25; and tonight we will see Peter admonish us to have SUBMISSION IN THE FAMILY – I Peter 3:1-7; and he concludes this section by dealing with SUBMISSION IN THE CHURCH – I Peter 3:8-12.
Then we will move into the last division of this letter that deals with THE SUFFERING OF THE BELIEVER, which will take us to the end of the letter and we will see four areas of focus in regards to suffering:
A. HOW WE CONDUCT OURSELVES IN SUFFERING – I Peter 3:13-17.
B. CHRIST, OUR EXAMPLE IN SUFFERING – I Peter 3:18-4:6.
C. GOD’S COMMANDS TO US IN SUFFERING – I Peter 4:7-19.
D. HOW WE ARE TO MINISTER IN SUFFERING – I Peter 5:1-14.
So with that as our background, let’s begin reading in I Peter chapter 3, starting in verse 1 and see what the Lord has for us this evening.
VERSES 1-2
Isn’t it interesting how the world, the flesh and the Devil try to bring disorder in the family unit and the reason this works is people no longer want to submit or rank themselves under the authority of another. Thus, the end result is disorder in the home where kids are out of control, parents are out of control and the family unit is being blown apart!
Peter is putting the family unit back in order by saying wives need to submit to their OWN husbands even if they are not saved! In fact, the idea here is these unbelieving husbands are actively disobedient to God’s Word! You see, a wife is not to submit to her husband just because he is good or he deserves it but because God commands that this is the proper order of the home.
Now, by your actions your unsaved husband may come to know the Lord. But please understand that this is not going to happen by beating him over the head with the Bible or putting Bible verses in his lunch bag, or telling him to “Turn or burn!” Then how is it done? By loving him with the love of Christ. By serving him even if he doesn’t deserve it. You see, submission is a heart attitude that then is reflected in our actions and if your heart is not right, eventually your actions will reflect that and you won’t submit to anyone!
Now Peter tells wives they are to do this with fear, not a fear of their husbands but a reverential fear as they honor the Lord in their conduct and are not only a witness to their husbands, but to the world!
VERSES 3-4
Look at the emphasis that is placed on outward beauty today, the billions of dollars that are spent each year on plastic surgery. We have magazines that name the sexiest men and women each year. Folks, the dress does not make the person. In fact, this outward beauty is corruptible or it is fading away as much as we might try to stop it. Now I am not saying don’t paint the barn because if the barn needs to be painted, then paint it. Peter is not saying this is wrong, but that is not where true beauty is! Paul, in I Timothy 2:9-10 makes this same point as he said, “in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.”
I do understand that there are those who say Christians are not to wear make-up, wear jewelry, dress like the world, which I am not sure how you dress then but if you do feel that way, great. But also understand God is not telling us that it is wrong as long as your dress is modest, not vulgar! In fact, in Song of Solomon we are told of the bride, “Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments, Your neck with chains of gold. . . . Your lips, O my spouse, Drip as the honeycomb; Honey and milk are under your tongue; And the fragrance of your garments Is like the fragrance of Lebanon. . . . How beautiful are your feet in sandals, O prince's daughter! The curves of your thighs are like jewels, The work of the hands of a skillful workman.” Song of Solomon 1:10, 4:11, 7:1. You see, the bride is beautifully adorned but don’t let this be a preoccupation or the main focus of your life because that is not where true beauty is at, in spite of what Hollywood likes to tell us!
The main focus ladies is that you build up your spirit, the inner man you might say because that is where true beauty is at and it is incorruptible, it will not fade away. And what has taken place in your heart will then overflow in your outward actions, the fruit of the Spirit will flow from you! This is not only precious to the Lord but a blessing to your husband as you live your life obeying the Lord, of manifesting the inner beauty or spiritual virtue. Again, these things our culture does not promote and look at how dissatisfied they are because they are not living in a way that honors God, a way that God says is best for them.
VERSES 5-6
Ladies, do you want to trust in your ability to influence and control your husband or can you trust God and be submissive to your husband? Do you want to trust in your outward adornment, your outward beauty or can you just trust in God and cultivate a gentle and quiet spirit? You see, it all comes down to this, can you trust God and can you be obedient to what He has said? And Peter’s point is this is not something new but holy women in former times submitted themselves to their husbands and cultivated that inner beauty!
Peter uses the example of Sarah, the wife of Abraham who submitted to his leadership as her husband by being obedient and respecting him by calling him Lord. Now, ladies, I am not saying to call your husband “lord,” kind of neat but I don’t think it will fly. But the idea is how you talk to him and about him is a reflection showing if you are honoring him or not. You see, this is a heart attitude, like I have said; true submission is done with joy and not sulking or complaining on how humble you are and the sacrifices you have made. And if you are trusting in the Lord, there is no need to fear, God will honor your obedience.
VERSE 7
Men, just because your wife is to be submissive to you doesn’t make you a dictator in the family. Do you understand you are married to the King of kings and Lord of lord’s daughter? She is to be treated like royalty, not a slave. She is to be the most precious thing in the world to you, not your personal servant. I think a husband that bosses and mistreats his wife is out of sink with God and Peter even says that when this occurs, their prayers won’t rise above the ceiling, it will not reach the ears of God, He won’t answer them! Thus, repent and start treating your wife as God treats the church and gave His life for it! (Ephesians 5:25).
And Peter says we are to dwell with them with understanding. Do you take the time to understand your wife? I know, the Scriptures do say, “. . . ‘With men this is impossible . . .’” Matthew 19:26. I am in so much trouble!!!! No, that is not what that Scripture is saying because it is possible if we take the time to spend with them, to get to know them. When your wife is having a bad day, don’t say, “Suck it up!” Not a good idea and not very helpful. Have compassion on her, help her out, love her. When was the last time you took her out on a date? I know, you are married now, but that doesn’t mean you stop dating her, she is the King’s daughter you know! The more time you spend with her the more you will understand her, what she likes, what she dislikes, what she is going through and-so-on! This is not a suggestion men, dwell with her with understanding!
Now Peter says that wives are the “weaker vessel” and thus, we must be strong, manly men! Not exactly. Yes, they may be the weaker vessel but that makes us weak also. Why is that? Because our strength comes from the Lord and not our muscles, or intellect, or money or whatever resources we may have. And please understand that Peter is not saying that women are weaker spiritually speaking, or intellectually speaking, or have some kind of inferiority to men, because we are equal in Christ. In Galatians 3:26-29 we are told, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
Yes, woman was taken from the side of man, close to his heart, under his arm and thus, he is to protect her, love her, watch over her as God has placed him in that position, not because he is better than a woman, but that is God’s order for the family! And as we do men, we are honoring her in the Lord! You see, Peter says we are heirs together of the manifold grace of God!
VERSES 8-9
Not only does Peter plea for submission towards the government, submission in the workplace, submission in marriage but he also makes a plea for unity and love among God’s people that boils down to submission within the body of Christ. Peter tells us that we need to be of one mind and that is no problem as long as they agree with me, and that is what usually happens and that is not Peter’s point, that is not the mind he is speaking of!
Paul, in Philippians 2:1-5 tells us, “Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”
What is the mind of Christ that we are to put on? The mind of Christ is one of humility, servanthood, submission, looking out for the welfare of others. How do we accomplish that, how do we put on the mind of Christ? By allowing the Spirit of God through the Word of God to direct us to walk in His ways, for as Paul said in
I Corinthians 2:16b, “ . . . But we have the mind of Christ.” Thus, as we are one with God, as we put on the mind of Christ, there will be unity with the brethren and if not, then it just gets ugly as Paul said in Galatians 5:15, “But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!” What can we do? Paul goes on to say, “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” Galatians 5:16-18. You see, there is the answer to our fighting, our anger, or whatever, walk in the Spirit and the Fruit of the Spirit which is love, will flow from your life and not the ugliness that comes from the works of the flesh!
One of the challenges we face in this area of loving the brethren is when we have been wronged, someone treats us unfairly and the natural response is to repay evil with evil, distance yourself from them but the supernatural response is to love them and bless them, why? Because God has commanded us to love the brethren and if you can’t, you need to do a heart check and ask God to help you! As you love the brethren there is a built in blessing from God for you, don’t miss it! And think about it, God has blessed you by forgiving you of all your sins and thus, learn to forgive others as God has forgiven you!
VERSES 10-12
Peter is quoting out of Psalm 34:12-16 and the thrust of this is the blessings that come to those who turn from evil and do good. How often people go after things that may satisfy for a time but are very short-lived and usually have severe consequences attached to them and yet, people still go after “the good life” you might say. But in the end they come up empty. Case in point:
One of the most notorious twentieth-century personifications of the hedonistic life was famed novelist Ernest Hemingway. The author of the noted literary works such as The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms, and The Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway also became notorious for his avant-garde lifestyle. He had little regard for the teachings of the Bible or traditional systems of morality. He pursued the “good life” with a vengeance. His literary talent brought him fame, prestige, and money, which allowed him to seek pleasure all over the world through hunting and fishing expeditions, celebrity parties and gatherings, heavy drinking, fighting in and reporting on several wars and revolutions, and sleeping with women wherever he went. However none of that ultimately gave Hemingway any lasting or genuine satisfaction. His life ended tragically one day in 1961 when he inflicted himself with a fatal shotgun blast to the head.
- John MacArthur
Why did he kill himself when he had everything he could ever want? He had what most people are striving for today and yet it didn’t help. Some say he suffered from depression, but why? Because true joy, true satisfaction is only found in the Lord and the most humble Christian, having nothing, is filled with more joy and satisfaction than the riches men in the world who have everything. It is as David said in Psalm 16:11, “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” And in Psalm 17:15 we are told, “As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.”
We are to live lives pleasing to God, centered upon Him and the reward for obeying the Lord, even though it might not be immediate, is secure and it is rewarding! Evil practices will never produce true joy and satisfaction just take a look at the people of this world and you can see that for yourself!
Now we are moving into the third and final division of this letter that deals with THE SUFFERING OF THE BELIEVER and it covers I Peter 3:13-5:14. In I Peter 3:13-17 we are going to focus on HOW WE CONDUCT OURSELVES IN SUFFERING, something the people of Peter’s day were facing and it was only going to get worse and thus, they needed to know or be reminded of how they were to live in spite of these persecutions.
VERSES 13-17
For the most part, Peter is saying that it is unusual for people who are hostile to Christianity to harm you because you are zealous for Jesus, but it does happen and for the people of Peter’s day, the persecution was growing. Today we see in many parts of this world the persecution of Christians; in fact, more Christians have been martyred in our day than at any other part of Christian history! And folks, like in Peter’s day, that will grow only more intense and spread throughout the world! The question is, “Are you going to allow persecution, people coming against you and what you believe to change your behavior? Are you going to water down your faith? Are you going to play secret-agent Christian and live out your faith in secret?” Of course not, we are to live out our faith in spite of what people throw at us! You see, we should always answer evil with good even though when we do good, people may answer back with evil. Just don’t let it change how you live out your faith!
Jesus said in John 15:18-20, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”
It is always a dangerous thing when the church, when believers befriend the world because it will only weaken the believers, weaken their faith while persecution will strengthen it. Meyer put it this way: “Not to be hated by the world; to be loved and flattered and caressed by the world – is one of the most terrible positions in which a Christian can find himself. ‘What bad thing have I done” asked the ancient sage, ‘that he should speak well of me?’” I would have to agree and as James warns us, “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” James 4:4.
Now, if we do suffer, if we are persecuted, may it not be because we are obnoxious but because we are zealous for our faith, for Jesus and we respond in love. And when they do persecute us, may our good behavior expose their wickedness, their evil, may they be ashamed at what they did to us! Paul, in Colossians 3:2-4 tells us, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” You see, when your mind and affections are set on things above, when suffering comes your way, you will rejoice because you know that God is working and as Jesus said in Matthew 10:28, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Perspective is everything!
I like what Puritan Thomas Watson wrote regarding afflictions:
Afflictions work for good, as they make way for glory. . . . Not that they merit glory, but they prepare for it. As ploughing prepares the earth for a crop, so afflictions prepare and make us [ready] for glory. The painter lays his gold upon dark colours, so God first lays the dark colours of affliction, and then He lays the golden colour of glory. The vessel is first seasoned before wine is poured into it: the vessels of mercy are first seasoned with affliction, and then the wine of glory is poured in. Thus we see afflictions are not prejudicial, but beneficial, to saints.
- Thomas Watson
Peter also calls us to be ready to defend our faith. That word “defense” in the Greek is APOLOGIA, (ap-ol-og-ee’-ah) and it is where we get our English words “apology” and “apologetics.” Thus, it is a word that speaks of a formal defense in a judicial court. In other words, can you defend your faith before the court of this world, what you believe? You see, if we are living what we say we believe, then we need to be able to share that with others, give them the reason for the hope that is in us. How is that done? By “sanctifying” or setting your life apart for the Lord, by consecrating yourself to His control and be ready to share your faith, be men and women of the Word! You see, we are not to just endure through the suffering but we are to be ready to defend our faith as the opportunities come our way!
Why is this such a big deal? First of all if you can’t share your faith, you are a poor witness of Jesus and what are you going to give people if you are not giving them Jesus? Secondly, if you don’t know what you believe, when difficult times come your way, your faith is going to be shaken, you may even doubt your salvation. Thus, know what you believe and be ready to share it!
We have looked at HOW WE CONDUCT OURSELVES IN SUFFERING and now, in I Peter 3:18-4:6 we will be looking at CHRIST, OUR EXAMPLE IN SUFFERING.
VERSE 18
How many times did Jesus suffer for our sins? Only once as He hung on the cross of Calvary and bore the sins of the world and the wrath of God was poured out upon Him, the wrath of God that was for you and me! Why did He do this? To bring us to God, to restore that relationship that was broken by sin. The word “bring” was used “of admission to an audience with the Great King.” (Blum). That is what Jesus has done for us and thus, when we refuse to have fellowship with God we are trashing the work that Jesus has done for us. You see, I couldn’t save myself because I am a sinner but Jesus was the perfect sacrifice and He paid in full the penalty for my sins, your sins in order that we can come before God and have fellowship!
Now, Peter, as well as other portions of the Scriptures tell us that Jesus died a physical death but He then was raised from the dead on the third day. Who raised Jesus from the dead? Peter tells us the Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead. But in Romans 6:4 we are told that the Father raised Jesus from the dead, “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” But there is one more point I need to make and that is Jesus says that He raised Himself from the dead according to John 2:18-22, “So the Jews answered and said to Him, ‘What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ Then the Jews said, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?’ But He was speaking of the temple of His body. Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.” What does all this mean? It means that the Holy Trinity, the Triune God was actively involved in the resurrection!
VERSES 19-20
This is one of those controversial portions of Scripture and I am going to share with you what I believe Peter is telling us here. First of all this was done, I believe, after the death of Jesus but before His resurrection for now He is in glory with the Father. And Peter tells us that Jesus went down into Hades, the abode of the dead and He preached to the spirits who were in prison.
I do not believe these spirits are human spirits but demons who, during the time of Noah co-habituated with women to pervert the human race and prevent the Messiah from being born, (Genesis 6). And gross sin was permeating this world and God brought judgment upon it destroying all of creation except for the life that was saved on the ark, the animals and Noah and his family who were not contaminated. I believe it is these demons that are chained in Hades that will be released during the Tribulation Period spoken of in Revelation chapter 9.
Now, what message did Jesus preach to them? Not the salvation message because they can’t be saved but the message He preached was that of victory over sin, victory over the enemy! Thus, our victory is found in Christ no matter what the enemy may throw at us!
VERSES 21-22
Here is a picture of baptism as Noah and his family were saved as they went through the water. You see, the floodwaters came and washed away the evil and brought forth a fresh start for Noah and his family. As we look at the waters of baptism, it is the same general idea, the moving from the old to the new life in Christ!
Now some look at baptism and see it as being necessary for salvation, but that is not what the Scriptures teach. The washing of water doesn’t save us, Jesus does, but there is a spiritual truth behind the immersion of water. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone and baptism is an outward showing of what has taken place inwardly. You are telling those around you that you have died to sin, that old life and as you come out of the water you are a new creation in Christ! It symbolizes what has already taken place and is a witness to those around you of that reality!
Remember what Peter said to us back in I Peter 3:9, “not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.” Now Jesus has become our example of someone who suffered greatly for doing good and the blessing He inherited, He was received up into glory and is seated at the right hand of the Father and we too one day will be taken to glory to be with Him! As I close this evening let me leave you with these words from Paul in II Corinthians 2:14 where he said, “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” Our victory is in Christ and His completed work – thus, know what you believe and be ready to share it, give people the reason for the hope that is in you – give them Jesus, let His sweet perfume permeate your life and be the aroma of life to others!