I Peter 3:8-9
(A Bible Study Led
by Dr. Larry Reynolds)
August 29, 2013
1.
I have always had a keen interest in World War
II...think that is because my father fought in that war in the European
theater...while he rarely will talk about his experiences in the war, I did
convince him to allow me to have a copy of his military discharge papers...from
those papers I discovered that he—
--was only 19 years old when he was drafted into the army in
1943 and had just turned 22 when he was discharged at the end of the war...
--was a platoon sergeant in Company L of the 22nd
Infantry...
--led machine gun squads and 60 MM mortar squads in combat in
France, Belgium, Luxemburg, and Germany...
2.
And because of dad’s reluctance to talk about
his experiences in World War II, I have found myself reading as much as I can
about the war to help me better understand what he experienced during that time
in his life...one of my favorite writers about World War II is Stephen Ambrose,
the well-known military historian...one of his books is entitled The
Victors, Eisenhower and His Boys: The Men of World War II...in one part of
that book Ambrose describes how General George C. Marshall selected the top
officers who would lead America’s war effort...listen to what Ambrose wrote
about that selection process:
“Marshall
headed a stupendous organization. To do
so effectively he needed assistants he could trust. In picking them, he took professional
competence for granted and concentrated on personality traits. Certain types were, in his view, unsuited for
high command. Foremost among these were
those who were self-seeking in the matter of promotion. Next came those who always tried to ‘pass the
buck.’ Officers who tried to do
everything themselves and consequently got bogged down in detail were equally
unsatisfactory. Men who shouted or pounded
on the desk were as unacceptable to Marshall as men who had too great a love of
the limelight. Nor could he abide a
pessimist. He surrounded himself with
men who ... concentrated on the possibilities rather than the difficulties.”
[Ambrose, pp.19-20]
3.
There are many similarities between the kind of
people General Marshall desired for his high command, and the description in 1
Peter 3:8-9 of how God’s people should live.
These two verses are the conclusion of a large section of I Peter
beginning in 2:13 where Peter addresses the question of how Christians should
relate to the world. We saw two weeks
ago that the general principle which permeates this section is that Christians
should be characterized by a spirit of submission--a spirit of voluntary
selflessness...in—
--2:13-16 Peter applies the principle of voluntary
selflessness to the relationship between Christians and their government...
--2:18-25 Peter applies the principle of voluntary
selflessness to the relationship between Christian slaves and their masters...
Then,
in the verses on which we’re going to focus in this session, Peter sums up how
Christians should relate to other people.
T.S.‑
Notice word "all" in the phrase “let all be”
in v.8...that is an important word...by using that word Peter is saying these
characteristics to follow not optional for Christians...they are not things
from which can pick and choose...they
are not just for few super‑spiritual Christians...instead these are things
which should be in life of every true
Christian...in these verses are six characteristics which should be evident in
the life of every genuine Christian...we’re going to focus on the first three
characteristics in this session and the last three in the next session...
1. The
Greek word which is translated “harmonious” in the NASB and “of
one mind” in the KJV is homophron...this is the only place in
the NT this word is used...homoprhon is made up of two other Greek
words...homos which means the same or together...and phren which
is a primitive word for heart or mind...so the word means to be together in
heart or in mind or to be of the same heart or mind...
2.
The word does not mean that we are to be exactly
like...it doesn’t mean that there are to be no differences among Christians...
invariably, wherever Christians gather there will be—
--a wide range of opinions on certain theological issues...not
every Christian will interpret every part of God’s Word in the same way...
--a variety of preferences and tastes when it comes to
worship...some prefer a more traditional worship style...others prefer a more
contemporary style...still others desire a blending of the two...
--differing levels of interest in the various disciplines of
the Christian life...some will lean more toward ministry...others will have a
passion for evangelism...some will have a special interest in missions...others
are drawn toward discipleship and Christian education...
3.
And being “harmonious” does not
mean that we must do away with all differences...instead, it means that we do
not allow our differences to become barriers to fellowship between us and or fellow
Christians...it means to have the kind of spirit about us which makes it
possible for us to blend together with our brothers and sisters in Christ into
a unified whole, into a fellowship of people who are together in heart...
4.
To say
that I am not a musician would be an understatement...you could write all I
know about music on the palm of your hand...but I think I do know the
difference between unison and harmony... unison is when everyone is on the same
note...harmony is when different notes are being sung or played, but they blend
together into a single sound...
5.
That’s the way it should be among God’s people...we
don’t have to all sing the same note...but we do need to learn to blend with
our fellow believers to present a united front and a beautiful sound to our
world...we are to be “harmonious”...
II. Every
Christian should be “sympathetic”
1. Look
the next word on this list of qualities...like the word translated “harmonious”
this is the only place this particular word is used in the NT...and like the
word translated “harmonious” it is made up of two other words...
--the first part of the word translated “sympathetic”
(sunpathes) is from a preposition meaning together or together with
(sun)...
--the last part of the word is from a verb meaning to
suffer...
So the word means to suffer with or to feel with another...
2.
It is very close to our word empathy...to
having the ability of putting yourself in another person’s shoes...to feel what
that person feels...to see things as that person sees them...
3. In
the Scripture the church is described as the body of Christ...we, as individual
Christians, are all parts of that body...and as parts of the same body we are
to look after each other...
4. This
is a principle which is often repeated in Scripture...in the book of—
--Romans we are instructed to “rejoice with those who
rejoice and weep with those who weep...”
--Galatians we are told to “Bear one another’s burdens,
and thus fulfill the law of Christ...”
--Philippians we are reminded to “not merely look out
for your own personal interest, but also for the interests of others...”
3.
In the publication Brian’s Lines Brian
Harbour tells of an instructor in a nursing school who gave the class a pop
quiz...the last question of the quiz
was, “What is first name of the woman who cleans the school?”...all
of the students had seen the woman but had never bothered to learn her
name...when they asked the instructor why that question was on the test he
replied, “In your careers you will meet many people. All of them are significant. They deserve your attention and care...”
4.
That’s what it means to be
sympathetic...genuinely caring for others...
III. Every Christian should be “brotherly”
1. The
word translated “brotherly” is philadelphos...like the
first two words on this list, it is also a compound word...the first part, philos,
carries the idea of beloved and the second part, adelphos, means
brother...
2.
This is the word that was commonly used in the 1st
century to describe the affectionate feelings members of a family should have
for each other...and what Peter is saying is that Christians should relate to
each other as brothers and sisters...
3.
I like how one writer puts it:
“We must love each other, because we are members of one
family. We are not strangers to each other
within the Christian church; much less are we isolated units; we are brothers
and sisters of each other, because we have the one Father, even God. The Christian church is not a collection of
acquaintances; it is not even a gathering of friends; it is a family of God.”
[Barclay, Romans 12]
4.
The
year was 1913...it was the 50th anniversary of the Battle of
Gettysburg, one of the bloodiest battles in the history of our nation...many
aging veterans of the War Between the States gathered on Gettysburg on that 50th
anniversary to re-enact Pickett’s charge, which was a key part of the Battle of
Gettysburg ...the Union veterans took their places behind some rocks up on a
ridge..the Confederate veterans started marching toward them across the field
below, the field that 50 years earlier was covered with the dead and
wounded...as the two armies met on the day of the re-enact, an incredible thing
happened...instead of doing battle as they had done 50 years before, the aging
men through their arms around each other and wept...
5.
That’s how it should be in the family of
God...instead of doing battle with each other, we should be embracing,
encouraging, and upholding one another...
CONCLUSION
1. B.B.
McKinney, the well-known musician and hymn writer wrote these words:
If I can plant a rose where thorns have been
Dispel the gloom, and let the sunshine in;
If I can help some broken life to rise again,
I shall not live in vain.
If I can sing a song of love and cheer,
Some song that lifts a soul from doubt and fear,
And bring them back to know that God is always near,
I shall not live in vain.
If I can be a light wher-e’er I go,
A light to shine for those in sin and woe,
If I can lead some soul my living Christ to know,
I shall not live in vain.
2.
I think that is something of what this
part of God’s Word is saying to us...our lives are not lived in vain when we
are—
--“harmonious toward others...when we are of the
same heart with them...
--sympathetic toward others...when we allow our
selves to feel what they feel and see what they see...
--”brotherly” toward others...when we treat
those around us as family...
Those are characteristics
of real Christians...
