Have you ever taken a picture with a camera that has an auto focus feature? Perhaps you’ve seen a picture where a branch or some other close object was in the way and the camera focused on that object instead of that which you wanted and you ended up with a fuzzy looking picture because the camera couldn’t tell what was really worth focusing on. Sometimes we are little like that. We ought to be setting our focus on something more important than we are acheter cialis en ligne france. We end up overreacting to things that are close up with out being able to see what’s further down. We swerve out of the way of the squirrel only to ram into the moose. Our life focus can be that way also. We minor on the majors and major on the minors. But Peter gives us in this passage three areas in which we need to adjust our focus and see it the way God sees it.
The key idea found in this passage of Scripture is that by having your focus set right, you’ll be able to accomplish God’s eternal goals instead of man’s shortsighted goals. And in these verses Peter tells us three ways in which we must have the right focus.
1. Have the right focus in doing good (vv.13-14a)
Peter begins this section by telling us to have a right focus concerning doing good. Peter notes that there are two keys to guide us in doing good found in verses 13 & 14.
A. Doing good normally does not result in harm
The first key to guide us in doing good that Peter notes is that doing good normally doesn’t result in harm. Verse 13 says, “Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good.” If you go about with the desire to do right, most people will be glad. This is not always the case but is the general rule. I can remember how Harold related a story to me that happened to him after he had been a believer for a short time. He worked as an auto mechanic and to be a good testimony he performed his work as quickly and efficiently as possible. Each job was allotted so much time and he usually finished under the required time. However, his coworkers began to persecute him. They threatened him and told him stop working so fast because he was making them look bad. Sometimes there are those who will not be glad at your attempts to do right.
Yet most sane people will see that you are trying to do good and will be glad. As believers, we should be looking for ways to do good as Peter mentioned in the previous section. Again Peter’s point from that paragraph was that blessing those who wrong you and doing good for them is a way to bring them to know Christ as their Savior. We do good to them so we will be able to share about the incomparable riches of the gospel. But there are some people who may want to harm us when we do good as Christians, so Peter gives us the second key to having a right focus concerning doing good.
B. If you do suffer, you are blessed
The key to guide us in doing good is that if you do suffer, you are blessed. By using the phrase, “if you suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed,” Peter brings to our minds Jesus’ statement in the beatitudes, “Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be glad because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Jesus makes it clear that truly if we suffer for Jesus’ sake it is a blessed thing. In Acts 5, Peter and John, after being beaten, go on their way rejoicing because they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And this brings us back to the theme of 1 Peter. What is the theme? Anyone remember? God’s grace is poured out on the elect, which results in suffering now and glory later. There seems to be a correlation between our suffering for Jesus Christ, and the amount of glory we will share with Him in eternity. Whether suffering comes in the form of physical or verbal abuse because of your stand for Jesus at work, or being passed over for a promotion because you won’t do the wrong your bosses want you to do, or even being ostracized from your family because they don’t understand your faith in Jesus Christ, Peter says that you are blessed. You must have the right focus in doing good. Don’t focus on the suffering, focus on the reward. After Abraham gave up a great amount of money by not taking the spoils from rescuing the king of Sodom (He refused to receive this money from this wicked man so that the king of Sodom could never say, that he made Abraham rich). But after that event took place, the Lord appeared to Abraham and said, “Abraham, I am your very great reward.” Too often we have our focus in the wrong place, looking to our jobs, our 401k’s, our inheritance as our great reward. Then if we lose them due to persecution we are distressed. But if our focus is on the Lord as our great reward, if we are cultivating a beautiful relationship with Him, when these things happen to us, we realize that he is still there beside us and that those other things could never satisfy us the way He does. So Peter tells us to have the right focus in doing good.
2. Have the right focus in being prepared (vv. 14b-16)
Secondly Peter tells us that we ought to have the right focus in being prepared. Peter mentions this in verses 14-16. How are we to institute this preparation? Peter relates to us two ways to institute this preparation.
A. We must fear the right One
The first way we are to institute this preparation is that we must fear the right one. When people want to threaten or intimidate us into disobeying God we must not do it. Verse 14 says, “Don’t fear their intimidation, don’t be troubled.” That word troubled means to be agitated, or all stirred up. Don’t get shaken up by their threats.
How are we supposed to do that? How are we to face persecution without fear? Peter goes on to tell us, “Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.” We are to set Christ apart as holy, or in other words, we are to consider Him the ruler of our lives. Let me explain. This verse is the focal point of the passage. Peter is quoting from Isa. 8:12-13. The great nation of Assyria was threatening to attack Jerusalem, and the Lord says to Isaiah, don’t fear what the people fear, don’t fear their threats but it is me, “Jehovah whom you should regard as holy.” Now Peter substitutes the name Christ for Jehovah in this passage and tells his readers that they ought to have respect and fear toward the Lord Christ. You see whether we are going to do good or not is determined by who we fear. When it comes to a choice we will obey whoever is on the throne of our life. If your boss asks us to do something wrong and threatens to fire you if you don’t, your response is determined by who you fear the most. If you fear your boss more than you fear Christ, then your boss is on the throne of your heart, he is the one you’re trying to please and he is your idol and you will obey him.
You know the story of King Saul. The Philistine army was gathering to attack the Israelites in Gilgal. The Philistines were greatly outnumbering the Israelite army. Saul became frightened because his army was dispersing in the midst of the Philistine buildup. He was waiting for Samuel the priest to come and offer sacrifices to obtain the favor of the Lord. However, when Samuel didn’t come by the time he said he would be there, Saul took matters into his own hands and sacrificed the offerings, although it was only lawful for the priest to offer it. He was rebuked for that and lost his kingship. The question we must ask is, “Why did he do it?” He feared the Philistines more than the Lord. He was willing to break a command of the Lord rather than obey because of his fear. He saw the Philistines as more powerful than the Lord. Didn’t Saul know about Gideon? Of course he did! How many people did Gideon need to defeat the Midianite army of 135, 000 people? Only 300! Saul should have feared the Lord and not the Philistines. We fall into doing wrong because we don’t fear the right One. Instead of having our heart set upon the Lord, we set up people in our hearts and try to please them instead. But Peter says, in order to have the right focus in being prepared, we are to fear the right one. Fear the Lord and allow Him to be the One who is your king.
B. We must set a defense
The second way that we are to institute this preparation is that we must set a defense. We are to set a defense to give a reason for the hope that is within us. “This term is used of a formal defense in court against specific charges” (Michaels 188). As we fear the Lord and do not give into the threats of those around us; As we stand firm for the Lord, people are going ask questions about our hope. They will see we are not giving into fear and they will ask what is different about us. Of course for them to ask, they are going to have to see a difference. What Peter is saying here is that we are on trial daily. We need to be ready to give a testimony for the Lord when someone asks. We need to have a defense set and be ready to answer. I can remember when I was working at Fed-Ex. It was about 6:30 one Saturday morning and I had let the truck driver who was bringing the packages into the station. I was whistling a Christmas tune and the man said, it sounds like you’re filled with the Spirit. I was kind of stunned by his statement until I realized that he meant the “Christmas Spirit” and not the Holy Spirit. I hadn’t been ready to speak about the Lord that morning and so I gave him some trivial answer. I wasn’t ready. There would have been no better answer than to tell him about the real spirit of the season. How what really changes our outlook on the whole matter is receiving the most important gift at Christmas. I missed an opportunity because I wasn’t ready. There were other times I was ready and was able to share the gospel with people. But our hearts need to be set and ready to give an answer. We need to be thinking about how we will be able to tell others about Christ. There’s no need to fear that someone might ask you something you can’t answer. If someone comes to you with a question about your faith that you can’t answer, then tell them that’s a great question and you’ll find an answer for them. Then look it up or ask someone and get back to them. Then you’ll be prepared for the next person that asks you. Don’t fear not being able to answer, use it as an opportunity for further follow up. Peter tells us that we are to have a certain attitude about us when we share the hope (the fixed assurace) of Jesus Christ in our lives. So practically, how do we set a defense?
Peter says first of all that our attitude must be meek or gentle. Verse 15 says we must answer them with gentleness. Peter has used this word earlier in his letter and I mentioned it before and so I say again this word in no way implies weakness. The word is used of a stallion who has been broken. It has the idea of power under control. Sometimes we need to have power under control. We need to bridle our tongue and emotions in dealing with others. There are things we want to say that we ought not to. I think we rarely get anywhere with someone by speaking against them or their religious beliefs. Yes there are times for noting the difference between what the Bible says and what someone believes but I think that more often than not we need to hold back instead of hitting them with the whole load. This is being meek in our approach to someone who is asking us concerning the hope that is within us. Usually when someone is asking it is because they have realized the lack of hope that they have. And this is the time we ought to be gentle with them.
Secondly Peter says that we ought to respect them. Verse 15 says answer them with gentleness and reverence. If they don’t want to continue to listen, we can neither force them to nor badger them until they want to. We need to continue to pray that the Holy Spirit will work in their lives to make them want to listen. And when that happens you will have another opportunity. Does that mean we can’t encourage people to see the importance of such a decision for Christ? No but we must respect their own right to make a decision. I have known people to say that they’ll accept Christ just to get someone off their backs. That is what we have to avoid.
Thirdly Peter says that we ought to have a good conscience. This is verse 16. “Keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. We should live in such a way that people cannot accuse us of wrongdoing. Our lives ought to be free from any trace of evil. So that when we are accused, as it says here, of whatever we are accused, it will prove to be a shame to those who brought it out. Our good lifestyle in Christ will put them to shame. There will be those who slander you, but the charges will not stick.
Most of you know that Pastor Tom supplemented his income for many years through pharmacy. Then one day in 1987 he was arrested for allegedly taking part in a tri-state drug ring. He was later acquitted of the charges against him, but everyone who knew Tom, knew he was innocent. You couldn’t tell the investigator that, but no one else believed that Tom had done that. They had known his life in Christ for many years and had seen his love for the Lord Jesus and knew, “Not Tom.” Is your life as a Christian like that? Is it above board in every area?
Can people look at your life and say, no he wouldn’t ever do anything like that. When Daniel’s enemies tried to find a way to hurt Daniel, they said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.” Was it because there was no corruption in that government? No, it was because there was no corruption in Daniel. Those who tried to hurt Daniel were later put to death for their attempt to hurt him. Can people say the same of you? Will they say that they will never find any basis for charges against you unless it has something to do with the law of your God. If your life hasn’t been beyond reproach then start today. That may mean telling some individuals that you we’re wrong for doing what you have in the past, it may mean returning something that shouldn’t have taken. Maybe you’ve just never made a commitment to do right in everything you do and you need to make that commitment before the Lord. What you need to have is a defense that is set and ready to be used when your hope is called into question. The way to do this is to have a gentle and respectful attitude toward the unsaved and keep a good conscience.
3. Have the right focus in suffering (v. 17)
Peter says that not only must we have the right focus in doing good and to have the right focus in being prepared but finally he says that we must have the right focus in suffering. This is found in verse 17. This verse says, “For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.” In this verse, Peter is using a comparison proverb. He is contrasting two ways. You are familiar with these if you have acquainted yourself with the gospel accounts. Jesus used this linguistic device. In the Gospel of Matthew He said, “It is better for you to lose a hand than for your whole body to be cast into hell.” Peter’s comparison proverb in this verse sounds something like that. What he means is that it is better to suffer at the hands of men for doing good than to suffer at the hands of God for doing evil. It is not just some truism that states good is better than evil. No it’s a declaration that the just will be vindicated ultimately by God. For example, in Jesus’ proverb, He didn’t mean that you had to cut off your hand to get to heaven, he was saying that nothing else is as important as getting to heaven even if it means losing a hand to get there. In a similar way Peter ISN’T saying that if you don’t suffer now you won’t get to heaven, for he states this proverb in a mode of possibility, “If the will of God should allow it.” We understand Peter wasn’t saying that you can’t get to heaven without suffering because he clearly states in chapter 1 that it was through faith in the payment of Christ on the cross that brings someone eternal life not how much they suffer.
What Peter IS saying by this proverb is that there are only two kinds of individuals, 1st those who are righteous, characterized by good, and 2nd those who are unrighteous, characterized by evil. And his point is that whatever it takes you ought to align yourself with the righteous because there really is no good comparison between the suffering that the righteous endure and that which the unrighteous will endure.
The suffering that the unrighteous will endure is so great that no one would want to go through it if they could avoid it. The suffering that the unrighteous will endure is so much worse than the suffering the righteous endure for two reasons. The first reason is the intensity of the suffering. The worst suffering that we could endure here on earth is minuscule compared with what the unrighteous will endure in hell. The second reason that there is no real comparison between suffering that the righteous endure and the suffering that the unrighteous will endure is due to longevity of the suffering. The suffering that the righteous endure is merely temporary but the suffering of the unrighteous is forever.
And so I plead with you today as I believe Peter would have, if you are here and do not know for sure that you are going to heaven, please take care of it. Call out today to have Christ save you from your sin. He will make you one of the righteous so that you may live with Him forever.
And if you have already a home in heaven, if you have already been made righteous through faith in Christ then have the proper focus about suffering. Recognize the temporary nature of your suffering in relation to eternity.
Have you set your focus on the things around you instead of on God? Is your reverent respect and fear in someone else or something else beside the Lord Jesus Christ? Are your eyes fixed upon the hope of Jesus Christ and are you able to make a defense of that hope? Are you able to have the right focus in suffering? If you haven’t had the right focus just confess that to the Lord, agree with His Word and tell Him how you want to be a Christian with the right focus. Let’s get focused on eternity and live for Him today.