Have you ever been walking with a full cup of coffee when someone suddenly bumped into you? Coffee spills everywhere, and our first response might be, “Look what you made me do!” But why did coffee spill out of the cup? Because coffee was what was inside it. If the cup had contained water, water would have spilled out. Whatever fills the cup is what comes out when it is bumped.

Life has a way of bumping us. Someone insults us, disappoints us, misunderstands us, or treats us unfairly—and whatever has been filling our hearts begins to spill out. Anger comes out. Bitterness comes out. Pride, fear, resentment, and grace come out. We may say, “Look what you did!” or “accidents happen”. What is inside? Whatever it is, is revealed when we get bumped.

Maturity would say, I need to check my heart before God. Why am I feeling these strong negative emotions? Lord Jesus I want: unity, compassion, love, humility, blessing, hope, and gentleness to come spilling out, not whatever this is. Help !

The clearest evidence of the condition of our heart, is not how we behave when life is peaceful—it is what comes out of us when life bumps us, people hurt us, and we react.

1 Peter 3:8–9 Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.

Peter is saying “finally, to conclude my thoughts on this topic” of Christian relationships, I have these instructions for you, the Church, in Asia Minor. These instructions are for Christian’s. This is how every follower of Jesus is called to live.

Last week we began exploring what happens when Christianity enters the home. So follow along as I review.

Biblical submission is not inferiority, keeping one’s mouth shut, being controlled, or enduring abuse; it is voluntary cooperation, and trust in God’s order. Peter urged Christian wives with unbelieving husbands to let their lives become the sermon. Christianity had changed the landscape for women. For the first time, women could worship publicly with men. Women were not equals to men at all, Christ changed all of this. Both got the Holy Spirit and gave both equal spiritual gifts to be used in building up the body of Christ. And in a short amount of time, the work of God transforming lives was just as powerful a testimony in women as it was in the lives of men. This was unheard of before Jesus!

Peter is encouraging wives to win over their husbands by their behavior and the beautiful conduct of their new character in Christ. Ladies, where do get our value, worth, hope, beauty? Sadly, more than ever its from how we look and what we wear and how good our selfie filter is working, BUT it should not be…your inner self that is being changed by the Holy Spirit is your beauty.  Your new character is a trust in Jesus that is so gentle and quiet, fierce and confident in your worth in what Christ has saved you from, that God sees and smiles!!! Fear you’ve lost your hold on me!!! That wins husbands over. Fear of rejection, fear of being alone, fear of abandonment, fear of not being enough… GONE! Okay well, we are working on it…I struggle with all of those, but I see them as sin and unbelief…and I bring them to Jesus and do not expect my husband to be my savior, my rescuer, because Jesus is. He gets to play a part in my rescue because of the role that he plays when he is submitted to Christ. TODAY…

Last week Peter told us that following Jesus sometimes means doing what is right even when doing what is right costs us something. He gave us the ultimate example in Jesus Christ, And now Peter continues the same thought by taking everything he has been teaching us about following Jesus into one of the most personal and sometimes difficult places of all: our homes and our marriages. Peter has talked about our relationship to the government, our relationship to those we work for, and now our relationship to our spouse. 

And that is where Christianity gets very real, because it is much easier to look like Jesus around people who only see us occasionally than around people who live with us every day. Our spouse sees us tired, frustrated, disappointed, stressed, irritated, triggered, and afraid. Marriage has an incredible ability to reveal selfishness, pride, impatience, control, insecurity and our need to be right. 

Verses 1–2 Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.

 NIV But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”

When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

RECAP

Last week Peter told us that following Jesus means enduring suffering that we might not deserve and gave examples of the government, employment, next week the home. He challenges us to do what is right even when we are treated wrongly, and now he gives us the ultimate example of what that looks like: Jesus Christ. In these final verses of chapter 2, Peter shows us Jesus as our example, and how he stepped in as the substitute for our sin, and how he wants to be the Shepherd, the keeper of your soul.

Verses 20-21 you will notice vs 21 starts with..To this you were called, to what? Let’s look back to the previous sentence in verse 20, “But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God”.  To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

God has called us to do good even when doing good results in suffering. 

We have been called to do good and many times obedience costs us something. That does not mean Christians should seek suffering, tolerate abuse, or refuse to confront evil. Peter's point is that when doing what is right brings difficulty into our lives, and we bear up under such suffering, it is for the Lord that we endure it. 

A wrong assumption when we do something good, and suffer for it, is thinking I must have misunderstood God. He must not have wanted me to do that. He must not have been in that. We begin to doubt God and doubt his Word, etc.

Sometimes you are misunderstood because you told the truth. Perhaps someone is angry because you established a godly boundary. Many times obedience to Jesus costs popularity, comfort, relationships, opportunities, money, energy, time,  or approval. Peter says when that happens, look to Jesus. Suffering because you refused to compromise is startling to those whose values come from our culture rather than Jesus.

Jesus suffered for us, but Peter says He also left us an example to follow. The Greek word for example.. hypogrammos - carries the idea of a pattern of writing that a student would trace while learning to write. Given to beginners as an aid in learning to write.

Think about a child learning to write their letters. We don't hand them a blank piece of paper and say, “Figure out how to make the letter A.” We give them the letter and tell them to trace it. I absolutely remember doing that in Kindergarten. Peter is saying Jesus has already drawn the pattern. When you are mistreated, copy Jesus, trace Him. When someone attacks your character, imitate how he responded. Christianity isn't simply believing certain things about Jesus; it is learning to walk in the footsteps of Jesus' character, and be holy because He is holy. We learn God’s word so we know what to do, so we know how to live as Jesus as our example. If you don’t know him, you can’t imitate him.

WHEN DOING RIGHT STILL HURTS

Lifestyle of a Christian 
1 Peter 2:18–20

Recap: Last week we were urged by Peter to deliberately keep our distance from sinful desires. Why? Because they are at war with our soul. To say it another way, these sinful desires have not the Spirit of God. So if we continue in sin, deliberately, like me continuing to lie or Shandel being impatient, without any effort to repent, am I really saved. Same with any other sin. When sin is part of our lifestyle, are we truly living according to the Spirit? No.

Today we continue with the theme “submission”. Last week we learned that we submit to governing authorities. And it is God’s will that we live such good lives that any accusation against us would be an outright lie, and absurd.  

For we as Christians show proper respect to everyone. 

*Peter will take this into the home in the next chapter and today he takes this teaching about submission and brings it into the workplace and into the difficult relationships of life. He is going to show us how believers should respond when the people over us are not kind, fair, or reasonable.

1 Peter 2:18–20 NIV

(18) Slaves, in reverent fear of God, submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. (19) For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. (20) But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.

1 Peter 2:18 Slaves, in reverent fear of God, submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.

Vocabulary: the first word we must understand is, slaves. In the NKJV it’s translated as servants– one who lives in the same house, under the authority of the householder. This is someone who lives in the home and is close relationally with the family. These servants are domestic workers. Slave isn’t an ideal translation, servant is better. 

Recap: Peter has spent the first two chapters reminding us who we are in Christ. We have been born again through the living Word of God. Last time, Peter reminded us that our identity is no longer found in our past, in our failures or our successes, our accomplishments, or even our nationality. We are now the people of God, that is who we are. Everything Peter has written has been building to this point. Now he begins answering the obvious question: If we truly are God's people, how should God's people live in a world that doesn't know Him?

(11) Dear friends (BELOVED), I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. (12) Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

(13) Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, (14) or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. (15) For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. (16) Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. (17) Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.

1 Peter 2:11 Who knows what the word agape means? CS LEWIS  a selfless love that is passionately committed to the well-being of others. 

Peter begins by addressing them as: "Beloved" agapetos, deeply loved with a divine love from the word agape. I urge you as foreigners and exiles. He isn't correcting them out of frustration; he is pleading with them as a shepherd who desperately wants them to remain faithful. 

Recap: Peter has been talking to us about our identity and now he goes even deeper. Last week, we talked about… Because we have been born again through the living and enduring Word of God, a sign of our new life in Christ is a longing for God’s Word, craving it like newborn babies crave milk. Today, Peter shifts from our individual growth to God’s greater purpose: He is not saving isolated people; He is building a living temple that displays His glory to the world and He wants you to be a part of it. This is great stuff!

(4) Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, (5) you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (6) Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,“Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.” (7) Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,” (8) And “A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. (9) But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; (10) who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

"If I held this rock up and asked you what it's worth, most of us would say, 'Not much.' You'd probably throw it into the landscaping or toss it into a field. By itself it's just another rock. But put that same stone into the hands of a master builder, and suddenly it becomes part of something beautiful—a fireplace, a cathedral, a bridge that carries thousands of people. The value of the stone isn't determined by what it looks like lying on the ground; it's determined by whose hands it's in."

"Peter says that's exactly what God has done with us. Alone we are just scattered stones. But when we come to Christ—the Cornerstone, we become Living Stone—God begins building something we could never become by ourselves." That longing for purpose is fulfilled.

(4)   In the NLT..You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor.

Vs 4 begins with: “Coming to Him, Coming to Christ,” Before he mentions who we are, he grounds us in a very practical, extremely vital present reality. We don’t ever stop coming to Him. We continue coming to Him every day for strength, wisdom, forgiveness, grace, and direction. We come to Him when our faith is strong, and we come when our faith feels weak. We come when life is joyful, and we come when suffering has drained every ounce of hope. We come after victories and after failures. The Christian never graduates from needing Jesus. The closer we grow to Him, the more we realize how desperately we need Him.

And we come to him “as to a living stone.” A living stone? Stones are inanimate objects. Yet Peter deliberately joins life with stone because he is building a great metaphor to describe the construction of the Church. Every person who chooses to be a follower of Jesus is a stone hewn by God Himself fitted precisely into the body of Christ the Church.  

We are back to our study in 1 Peter. We left off in Chapter 1 where Peter has reminded us that believers have been born again through the living and enduring Word of God, and obedience to the truth found in God’s word, cleanses us from our sins. Because we have been born again, God's Word gave us new life, now the Bible must shape the way we live every day and that’s where we pick up as we begin chapter 2.

2:1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. NIV

"Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind."

This verse is going to be a word study, because this one little verse is packed with practical information.

Notice how Peter begins this next thought, he uses the word, "Therefore." Peter is connecting everything he has just taught with everything he is about to command. Since we have been born again through the living Word of God, since we have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, and since we have been called into a new family, our lives should begin to look different. Christianity is believing truth that causes us to live a new and different life. 

Peter then uses a phrase that when taken literally means to take your clothes off, but he uses it figuratively to "rid yourself of something, to put off or away, to give something up, or renounce". Peter is saying that I want you to renounce, give up, cast away.. all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander (of every kind).  

We live according to the standards of God as aliens in a strange world of shifting ideals. 

We don’t study God’s Word so we can know more—we study it so that we will live differently. Biblical knowledge is valuable, but it only has value when it  transforms our life. It’s not merely about what we know; it’s about how our lives reflect Christ.

In the previous passage, Peter reminded us that our salvation did not come through perishable things like silver or gold, but through the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Now he explains what that redemption produces. Christ was God’s eternal plan, our faith rests securely in the risen Savior, our new birth comes through God’s living and enduring Word, and the evidence of that new life is sincere love for one another.

1 Peter 1:20–25 (NLT)

“God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake. Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory. You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart. For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. As the Scriptures say, ‘People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. But the word of the Lord remains forever.’ And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.”