Sermon Tone Analysis

1 Peter 3:15-22

As we begin a new year of taking our next steps in following Christ, what experiences lie ahead?

Peter provides us with some helpful, God-given thoughts to prepare us for the future – even if the year ahead will bring more hardship and suffering our way, though it will certainly also bring God’s blessing.

As Peter wrote these words, he wrote to a group of believers and churches in a region called Asia Minor, which is called the Anatolian Peninsula today, or modern-day Turkey.

He wrote this letter to them at a time when Nero, the deranged emperor of Rome, was either about to or had already begun his infamous persecution of Christians.

Through this cruel program of persecution, Nero assigned multitudes of Christians to the cruelest forms of humiliation and torture, bloody and grotesque deaths in the Coliseum, and even lined the passageways of his palace with living, impaled believers lit up as torches.

Though such treatment did not spread from Rome to Asia Minor, it would certainly have given the believers to the east a cause for fear.

Would they be next?

Peter acknowledges this very real concern further into his letter when he says, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is [about] to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you” (1 Pet 4:12).

While we may not be facing the same degree of concern about our future, we may face other very real concerns:

Will we fall into a financial crisis?

Will anyone litigate us for our moral beliefs?

Will close relationships be broken?

Will our freedoms be threatened?

Peter helps us know how to respond to the prospect of future, unknown difficulties like these and more.

In doing so, he teaches us that the best and proper strategy for facing our future is not to cling tightly, anxiously, or superstitiously to the wish that our future will be problem- and suffering-free.

Instead, it is to follow Christ closely.

As we follow Christ, though we may not and probably will not avoid suffering, we will certainly experience God’s blessing and triumph through him.

Are you prepared to suffer, if necessary, for following Christ?

Suffering for Christ is nothing to be afraid of.

Who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?

What is Peter trying to say by asking this question?

At first glance, it sounds like he is suggesting that if we live good and godly lives – as Christ himself also lived – that no one will harm or mistreat us.

Yet Peter has already acknowledged that we should expect to be distressed by “various trials” and “tested by fire” (1 Pet 1:6-7).

Elsewhere, Paul said, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim 3:12).

After all, Christ himself lived the most godly and perfect life possible and suffering most incredibly as a result.

Should we expect any better treatment than he when we behave less godly than he and identify ourselves publicly with him?

Peter is not telling us that if we behave well then we will increase our odds of living a comfortable life that avoids suffering.

Instead, he is reminding us that whatever harm or mistreatment we experience for following Christ, it is nothing to be afraid of.

Though it may seem scary, it isn’t as scary as it seems.

As the psalmist explains, “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear.

What can man do to me?” (Psa 118:6).

But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed.

Peter further acknowledges that much of our suffering as followers of Christ will not be avoided by doing right but will be caused by doing right, instead.

Remember when Christ was accused of breaking the law because he healed a blind man?

There are many other such examples from his earthly ministry in which he was accused of wrongdoing for simply doing the good and right thing.

Paul experienced similar treatment at times, such as when he said, “Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?”

(Gal 4:16).

When this happens, we are blessed.

We must not confuse our suffering for following Christ as being a sign of God’s displeasure but should rather view it as a privilege to suffer for him and a pathway to future blessing.

Listen to what Christ himself taught about this, teaching which Peter himself had heard Christ teach and to which he is undoubtedly referring here in this letter:

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.

Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

(Matt 5:10-12)

So, as you suffer for Christ, you accumulate real blessing and reward from God in his future, eternal kingdom.

This is a forward outlook on our suffering, but both Christ and Peter give a backward look at our suffering, too.

This is important because we easily feel that we are being treated more poorly and unfairly than anyone else – but this is not so.

“For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you,” Jesus said.

And Peter says:

“And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.”

With these words, Peter quotes from – you guessed it – the OT, Isa 8:12.

This instruction was originally given through the prophet Isaiah to the southern kingdom of Judah who was following God.

Meanwhile, the rebellious northern kingdom was forming an alliance with neighboring Syria to harass and invade them, while the much larger Assyrian Empire – a pagan world superpower – was threatening to invade them all.

So, this was not the first time God’s people had faced the threat of painful persecution from ungodly people.

To suffer well, we must prepare our hearts in advance.

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts,

Peter tells us view Christ properly in our innermost beliefs, feelings, and thoughts.

He is teaching us to revere and uphold Jesus Christ as our Lord and God above all else – not just in theory or in an academic or intellectual way, but in a committed and genuine way.

What does this mean?

It means to believe that Christ whom we follow is not only a man who lived, suffered, and died for us but who is, in fact, the God of the OT and eternity.

You see, in quoting from Isa 8:12, Peter was also aware of Isa 8:13, the very next verse, which says,” The Lord of Hosts, him you shall hallow; let him be your fear, and let him be your dread” (Isa 8:13).

That’s what Peter is talking about here.

Jesus Christ is the God who made the world and commands uncountable angelic armies.

Knowing this, we should prepare our hearts to keep this truth firmly in view when emotional, material, and physical suffering comes our way.

In those moments, it is easy to lose sight of the greater, invisible realities that Christ is our God, and he is far more fearsome and mighty than anything this world can throw at us.

As Christ himself taught, “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” (Matt 10:28).

Do you believe this?

and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;

With this belief and outlook firmly in mind, we should be prepared to “give a defense.”

While we commonly cite this verse to justify what we call “apologetics,” an academic, intellectual, logical, and even philosophical explanation for the legitimacy of the Christian faith, that is not necessarily what Peter has in mind.

Though this is not an entirely unrelated application, it is secondary at best.

Peter envisions here what happens when believers follow Christ through times of intense and public suffering.

As the world – even the very people who are causing or inflicting our pain – watch us suffer, they may wonder why we are willing to keep on following Christ.

In those moments, we should be ready to explain our reason – which is that Christ himself suffered for us and that he has called us to follow him through suffering.

“The hope that is in you” encourages us to include in our explanations of why we’re willing to suffer that we believe we’ll receive God’s blessing and salvation in the end through Christ.

This is what we live for, and we should be ready to explain so when asked.

Though not always, “a defense” specifically refers to instances when a believer would be placed on trial for a faith-based reason, such as refusing to worship Caesar as God.

“With meekness and fear” means that when we do have opportunity to explain our reasons for being glad to suffer, we should do so with a gentle, humble, and respectful attitude, not a bitter or mean-spirited one.

When believers who speak up for Christ do so in a caustic, harsh way, they undermine their testimony for Christ for Christ himself was gentle and lowly in his manner and speech.

having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.

According to this, when we explain the reason for our willingness to suffer for Christ and we do so in a gentle and respectful manner, we maintain a “good conscience,” which means we don’t do anything wrong.

If we blend a mean and hurtful spirit into our defense of our faith, we add sin to our testimony which is confusing and counterproductive.

What’s more, when we explain our motivations this way, nonbelievers who are mistreating us may themselves feel guilty.

They may become more aware of their hypocrisy and be encouraged to themselves to follow Christ.

For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

Again, Peter reminds us of the obvious – that if you’re going to get in trouble with the law or society in general, it’s better to get in trouble for doing the right thing the right way, not for doing the wrong thing and or doing the right thing with a bad attitude and approach.

Christ’s suffering was not just good – it was triumphant.

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God,

Having encouraged believers to prepare our hearts well for future suffering, he reminds us of our ultimate example – Christ.

But here, unlike in 1 Pet 2:24, he does not emphasize Christ as our example of suffering to follow.

This time he emphasizes the effectiveness and triumphant outcome of Christ’s suffering.

Christ suffered “once,” a word that means something like “once for all,” as in “once for all people,” or “once for all time,” or “once for all sin.”

The idea is one of completion and totality, as in something done only once.

Christ’s suffering and death was so effective that it must never be repeated again.

Christ’s suffering and death was both full and final.

It was so effective that not only must it never be repeated again, it must not be added to or aided by any of our suffering, either.

We cannot enhance, help, or improve upon Christ’s suffering.

Also, his suffering was “for sins,” which means he suffered because of sin – but whose sin?