Grace Means…Determination

1 Peter 4:1-6

1 Peter 4:1 (NKJV) Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.

The word “therefore” tells us to think back on the context. To understand, we must remember the direction the speaker (writer) has been taking. In 1 Peter 4:1, it says, “Since Christ suffered for us in the flesh…,” making it clear that the author is talking about the suffering of Christ and the “since” in this phrase also clarifies that he introduced this subject before this point.

So far in the book, the author has spoken of the suffering of Christ in relation to at least two issues - our persecution and our salvation. In 1 Peter 2:21, it says,

1 Peter 2:21 (NKJV) For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps…

This passage is speaking of bearing up under persecution. 1 Peter 2 is talking about suffering under injustice. Jesus is our example of where to find the strength to face persecution. Jesus told us,

John 16:33 (NKJV) In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

When we suffer persecution, we must learn from Jesus how to stand. Persecution is not a question of if but of when, because, as Jesus says, “in the world, we will have tribulation.” We see how Jesus overcame, and by following His example, we too can overcome. 

The short answer to how He triumphed is found in 1 Peter 2:23.

1 Peter 2:23 (NKJV) when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously…

Jesus committed Himself to God, who judges righteously. Jesus’ example of perfect trust will carry us through our troubles.

Peter also speaks of Jesus’ suffering for our salvation. In both chapters 2 and 3, Peter speaks of salvation. However, in chapter 3 verses 18 and following, he narrows the focus down to speaks directly to the question of how Christ’s suffering saves us. 

Please look at 1 Peter 3:18-22. In verse 18, Peter tells us that Jesus died “the just for the unjust.” “The just for the unjust” refers to the price Jesus paid for our sins. Then Peter uses the example of Noah’s ark to explain how believing in Jesus saves us. At the time of Noah, if people wanted to be saved, they had to enter the ark. It is the same with Jesus. If we are to be saved, we must ask Jesus. Jesus’ suffering for our salvation results in a message of warning and invitation - warning of coming judgment, and invitation to enter the “ark.”

Now, as we enter chapter 4, Peter calls us to consider the suffering of Christ once more. He says, 1 Peter 4:1.

1 Peter 4:1 (NKJV) Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.

Peter tells us to arm ourselves with the same mind that Jesus had when He suffered in the flesh. Then Peter says, “for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.” From this statement, we gather that this time Peter is talking about Jesus’ suffering in relation to our sin or “flesh.” However, this time he is not talking about how Jesus paid for our sin. He has shifted the focus to how we should live in light of Jesus’ sufferings. In other words, Peter is now telling us how to follow Jesus’ example in “ceasing from sin.”

In context, Peter just wrote about the ark. When the eight persons got on the ark, they floated above the destruction of the world. The people on the ark were kept from what everybody else went through. 

However, when we ask Jesus to save us and we enter the “ark” of salvation, He does not float us out of the world. We continue to live in the same house, eat the same food, and wake up in the same bed. However, as Peter explains, our lives must change in keeping with the salvation we receive. Jesus’ example is the key to this change.  Peter talks about Jesus’ suffering in relation to the flesh because sin originates in the flesh.

Let’s recap what we have said thus far. For persecution, we are to trust God. For salvation, we are to ask God. Now, for our flesh, we are to follow Jesus.

The main point Peter takes from Jesus’ example is found in 1 Peter 4:1. This verse instructs us to “arm yourselves with the same mind.”

Let’s start by considering what Peter means by “mind.” The word he uses for “mind” in this context can be translated as “determination” or “intent.” In Hebrews 4:12, this same word is translated as “intentions.” As in, “…a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV) For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

We are to have the same determination that Jesus had, and that determination has to do with ceasing from sin.1 Peter 4:1 says, “…for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.”

1 Peter 4:1 (NKJV) Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.

Jesus suffered perfectly. By “perfectly,” I mean that He did not sin. So in relation to His flesh, He suffered perfectly. Following His example is difficult because we do not suffer perfectly as He did. Hebrew 4:12 explains it this way:

Hebrews 12:4 (NKJV) You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.

At this point in our discussion, it will be helpful to consider the meaning of the word “ceased” that Peter uses. The word that Peter chose means “(a) active voice: I cause to cease, restrain, hinder, (b) middle voice: I cease, stop, leave off.”

When Jesus calmed the storm, and the waves stopped, the author of that account used this same word for “ceased.”

Jesus suffered perfectly or completely. He was crucified. In other words, He died in His flesh. To cease from sin, we too must die. We must “mortify” the flesh. That is “kill” it. Romans 12:1 uses the imagery of presenting our bodies as “living sacrifices.”

Romans 12:1 (NKJV)  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice…

Refusing the desires of our flesh may involve some discomfort. For example, consider Jesus fasting in the wilderness for forty days. Peter describes our ceasing from sin in verse 2.

1 Peter 4:1–2 (NKJV) ¹for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, ²that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.

1 Peter 4:2 describes the determination or intention that Jesus had and with which we must arm ourselves. We must determine, set our minds, and make it our intention to 1) no longer live for our desires (lusts) and 2) live for the will of God. We are to exchange living for our will for living for God’s will. Please notice this involves a putting off (the flesh) and a putting on (the Spirit).

We do not live for God’s will in our own strength but in the power of the Holy Spirit. To see this in Peter’s writing, we will have to jump from 1 Peter 4:2 to 1 Peter 4:6. Where it says,

1 Peter 4:6 (NKJV) For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

I have skipped some of what Peter says and will go back to where we left off. But I want us to understand where Peter is going. When it says that the gospel was preached to those who are dead, it is talking about those dead in their trespasses and sins. They are to move from “dead” to “living in the Spirit.” We see this also in verse 5, where it says,

1 Peter 4:5 (NKJV) They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

1 Peter 4:5 says that God is ready to judge the living and the dead. He says, “They will give an account to Him.” All men will be judged. (I am working backward, starting at the end, so please follow carefully.) The “they” of this verse (verse 5) are those of the world that judge Jesus’ followers harshly.  When Peter says, in verse 6, “that they might be judged according to men in the flesh.” He refers back to verse 4, where it says that unbelievers will speak evil of us because we do not run with them in their abominable idolatries.

In pointing out the judgment of the world against believers and the judgment of every person by God, Peter shows us the necessity of making a choice. Either we go the way of men and determine to do the will of the flesh and be acceptable to the world, or we choose to mortify (kill) the flesh and live for the will of God. Either way involves death. We are dead to God, or we die to the flesh. 

The Apostle Paul teaches this same thought in Romans 6:10-11.

Romans 6:10–11 (NKJV) ¹⁰For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. ¹¹Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Again, let me remind you, we do not do this in our own strength. If we walk by the Spirit, we will put the flesh to death.

Romans 8:12–13 (NKJV) ¹²Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. ¹³For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

At this point, I would like to go back to where we jumped forward. In 1 Peter 4:3, it says,

1 Peter 4:3 (NKJV) For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.

The word “Gentiles” used here is also translated as “nations.” Another meaning would be “world things” as opposed to “spiritual” or “heavenly” things. This word refers to someone living a “worldly” life. In other words, before we asked Jesus to save us, we lived just like the rest of the world (the nations). 

Living out the values of the world is meaningless. Peter describes the world’s values as lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, and so on. There is no profit in these things. They leave one empty, and the pursuit of such things is endless, tiring tedium. Peter says that no matter how short or long a time we have lived chasing these things, we have spent enough time to know that these pursuits are worthless.

However, the “Gentiles” (the world) think we are crazy for not pursuing the “fun” with them. 1 Peter 4:4 says,

1 Peter 4:4 (NKJV) In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you.

The Bible defines the things the world runs after as a “flood of dissipation.” Another way of saying this is an “overflowing waste.” Here is the contrast. What God says is an overflowing waste, the world says are the only things worth having. Thus, the judgment of the world; we are evil because we do not chase after the lusts of the flesh with them.

We have a choice. We can follow the example of Jesus and arm ourselves with the determination to do God’s will, or we can spend our lives as an overflowing waste.

Either way, we will be judged. The world will judge us according to the flesh. The world values the flesh. It feeds the flesh. However, spiritually, the flesh is death. The flesh always leads to death. Before we knew Christ, we were dead in our trespasses and sins. The gospel was preached to us who were dead that we might be made alive in God by the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead.

Have you not had enough of the world?

How long must we wallow in the abominable idolatries of the world before we determine to do the will of God?

Not one of us is perfect. We will still sin, but we must not determine to sin. We must not make sin our way of life. When we walk by the Spirit, He will make our sin known to us so that we can walk free of it. 

There is no need to be dominated by sin. 

Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in paths of righteousness, and He will.

Grace Means...Invitation

1 Peter 3:18-22

Up to this point in his letter, Peter has been telling us to honor those in authority over us even if they are unjust because our suffering serves a purpose. He tells us that we will receive blessings from God the Father for our submission. In 1 Peter 2:21 and following, he gives the example of Jesus Christ to show how we can find strength and courage to face the trials in our lives. 

In 1 Peter 2:23, Peter says, “He committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.” Trusting and believing in God the Father is where Jesus found His strength, and this is where Peter tells us to find our strength.

When Jesus’ disciples were facing their greatest trial, Jesus said:

John 14:1 (NKJV) Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

Jesus told the disciples to trust Him on the night that He was betrayed and arrested. He did this to prepare them because everything they were about to see would seem to contradict the truth that Jesus is the Son of God omnipotent. They needed the strength and courage of faith to face the approaching difficulties.

To face the trials of our lives, we also need the strength and courage that comes through belief (faith) in God.

Scattered throughout Peter’s exhortations to be submissive and humble are statements like “that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.” (1 Peter 2:15)

1 Peter 2:15 (NKJV) For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—

Revealed in such statements is the fact that we are God’s vessels to make Him known. God uses our suffering, trials, and example to point others to our Savior. As a continuation of this theme of reaching out to the lost, Peter explains the heart of God in allowing the suffering of His children. 

God’s purpose in the trials of His children is seen in 1 Peter 3:18.

1 Peter 3:18 (NKJV) For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God...

God had deep and eternal purposes in the life of His Son. Things that we cannot comprehend. In Hebrews 5:7-9, we see part of the eternal purpose of God in the life of His Son.

Hebrews 5:7–9 (NKJV) ⁷who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, ⁸though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. ⁹And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,

If Jesus learned obedience and was perfected in His sufferings, how much more necessary is it for us to learn obedience and be perfected (matured).

However, even in the “perfecting” that God worked in Jesus, He also worked out eternal salvation for all who believe.

1 Peter 3:18 tells us that Jesus suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, to bring us to God. God’s purpose in the suffering of our Lord Jesus (His only begotten Son) was to reconcile us to Himself, to “bring us to God.”

 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 says:

2 Corinthians 5:20–21 (NKJV) ²⁰Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. ²¹For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

This verse confirms that God continues to work to bring people (us) to Himself. First, as verse 21 makes clear, He provided the way (means) of salvation. Then He made us ambassadors for Christ to invite others to come to Him.

According to 2 Corinthians 5:21, the means of salvation was Jesus being made sin for us, that we might become righteous in Him. This concept is also expressed in 1 Peter 3:18 when it says,

1 Peter 3:18 (NKJV) For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit...

In this verse, we see that:

1. He suffered once for sin.

• His suffering was once for all. (See also Hebrews 9:26)
• His suffering was for sin.

2. He was put to death (for sin).
3. He rose from the dead.

These points are the gospel in a nutshell - a summary of what Jesus did.

This verse also tells us how Jesus rose from the dead. He was made alive by the Spirit. 

The Holy Spirit had a vital role in the work that Jesus did, just as He has a crucial role in our salvation. The Holy Spirit works to bring us to God. Jesus died and rose again to bring us to God. The Holy Spirit gives testimony to the truth to our spirits. He tells us about Jesus. 

At this point, Peter enters a subject that has divided the church since the time of Augustine and Jerome.

Jerome was born in about 347 AD and was a scholar who translated the Bible into Latin. His translation is known as the “Vulgate” and is still the official version of the (Roman) Catholic Church. (The word “Vulgate” means “common,” as in “common English.”)

Jerome’s understanding of this passage is reflected in His translation and is reflected in the King James Version of the Bible, which says:

1 Peter 3:19–20 (KJV) ¹⁹by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; ²⁰which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water...

The idea that comes out of this is that Jesus, while dead or in the spirit, went and preached in Hades or the place of the dead. This idea also ties in with the Roman Church’s teaching on purgatory.

Augustine was a contemporary of Jerome, and was considered the better theologian. To this day some consider Augustine to be the most important thinker in Christian history. Born in 354 A.D., he was seven years younger than Jerome. Augustine interpreted Peter’s saying differently from Jerome, and these two interpretations have remained the two principle interpretations in the Church to this day. However, since Jerome’s translation is the official translation, his interpretation has dominated.

With this background, let me show you the textual form in which the Greek New Testament came to the original readers.

1 Peter 3:19-20  inwhichalsotothespiritsinprison havinggonehedidpreachwhosometimedisbelieved whenoncethe longsufferingofGoddidwaitindaysof Noahanarkbeing preparinginwhichfewthatiseight soulsweresavedthroughwater

I do this to demonstrate that punctuation, and in rare cases even how one divides up the words with spaces, can make a difference. Now, putting in verse divisions and punctuation, we have:

1 Peter 3:19-20 ¹⁹in which also, to the spirits in prison having gone, he did preach, ²⁰who sometime disbelieved, when once the long-suffering of God did wait, in days of Noah — an ark being preparing — in which few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water;

As usual, Peter is hard to interpret. He chooses to use word order that can be confusing. Look at the phrase “spirits” in “spirit having gone.” The spirits have gone to prison (past tense, thus they are now in prison). Now, look at the phrase “when once the long-suffering of God did wait.” This phrase indicates when the preaching took place. In other words, the preaching took place in the days of Noah, not at the time of the cross.

This word order is something like saying “The robber, having run from the police, is in prison.” When one could just as easily say, The robber, who is in prison, ran from the police.” Or, “The robber ran from the police and is in prison.”  

When we look back at verse 18, we see that Peter says Jesus was raised to life by the Spirit. Then in continuation of the thought, he says “in which,” which also means “by which.” In other words, the agency or agent by which the preaching was done is the Holy Spirit. Jesus preached to the people of Noah’s day by sending the Holy Spirit. It is not saying that Jesus went to the prison. Rather, it is saying that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to preach to the people of Noah’s day, and since they did not believe and trust God’s provision, they are now in prison, waiting for the day of judgment.

If the people of Noah’s day had listened to the warnings of the Holy Spirit (spoken by Noah), then they would have been saved. Jesus (God) invited them and pleaded with them for 100 years while Noah built the ark. But since they did not get into the ark, they perished. 

After pointing to the fact that God waited patiently, preaching, while the Ark was being built, Peter says:

1 Peter 3:21 (NKJV) There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

“Antitype” means representation by type. Some translations say “comparable.” The Ark and baptism can be compared as types, both having to do with salvation.  Salvation comes by faith when we listen to the Holy Spirit and come to Him. He both warns and invites.

This warning and invitation are how Baptism is like the Ark. God warns us through the Cross that judgment is coming. And, He invites us all to come. He pleads with us to come. Just as Jesus preached to the people of Noah's day by the Holy Spirit working in Noah, Jesus preaches to the people of our day by the Holy Spirit working through His people, the Church.

This working of the Holy Spirit is why the removal of the Church plays such a significant role in End Time events. (2 Thessalonians 2:7)

Peter says baptism saves us because it represents us coming or turning to God. Peter says that it is not the washing of the body that saves us. Instead, it is the plea of the conscience to God that saves us. Being baptized is not the thing that saves us. Calling upon the name of the Lord saves us. 

God offered the people of Noah’s day a way of salvation. They were invited. The people of today (we) are being offered a way of salvation. We are invited.

This warning and invitation are what Peter is trying to communicate. This is the second interpretation, the way Augustine understood this passage and the way Martin Luther understood this passage. All this “preaching to spirits in hell” stuff confuses the issue and ignores the context of everything Peter has been saying about suffering. 

Our God warns and invites. He does not wish for any to perish. So, He always provides a way of salvation. He is waiting. But, the time when His patience will come to an end is quickly approaching. 

We should learn from history. 

For example, in the days of Moses, God warned Pharoah, and all Pharoah had to do to be safe was let God’s people go. God warned and invited Pharaoh ten times before His patience ran out. 

God warned the people of Noah’s day, and all they had to do was get on the boat. Noah preached to them for a hundred years before God’s judgment fell. 

God, by the Holy Spirit, is preaching to the world today, and all we have to do is believe. We show faith, an appeal to God, by Baptism. 

If you have not been baptized, how am I supposed to believe that you believe?

One more thing to consider is how Pete finishes his thoughts. He says:

1 Peter 3:21–22 (NKJV) ²¹through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²²who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.

“Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” tells us how our confession (baptism) saves us. But Peter also considers it essential to clarify who Jesus is. 

There are many false christs in the world, but Jesus is the Lord who is risen from the dead, one with God the Father, and all things have been made subject to Him, whether in heaven or on the earth. It is crucial, vital, important, and necessary that we are baptized in the name of this Jesus Christ and no other. The god that the Mormons worship will not do. The God that the Jehovah’s Witnesses worship will not do. The God that the Mohammedans worship will not do. Jesus was clear when He said:

John 14:6 (NKJV) No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Peter makes sure we understand which Jesus is inviting us to salvation.

Do you know Him?

Have you appealed to Him for salvation?

Have you been baptized?

Grace Means...Blessing

 

1 Peter 3:8-17

Today's passage begins with the word "Finally." This is because the verses we are looking at are a recap of Peter's instructions about submission. In the thoughts that follow this, "finally," we find the motivation and heart attitude behind our "submission" as believers. 

The primary motivation that Peter outlines is our blessedness as Christians. We, of all creatures, are blessed.

Let's begin by considering three possible meanings of the word "blessed." These three are not all the possible meanings, but these are the meanings pertinent to our discussion today.

1 Peter 1:3 says:

1 Peter 1:3 (NKJV) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ...

In this case, "blessed" means "praised," and the word in the original Greek text is a word that is used only of God. This sentence could be translated, "Praise.  be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ..."

Another use of the word "blessed" (blessing) means to pronounce a benediction, praise, or speak well of a person, to speak "good words." This is the meaning used in 1 Peter 3:9. ("knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.") An example of this use of  "blessed" is the blessing that Isaac gave Jacob. Isaac meant to bless Esau, but Jacob deceived Isaac. This blessing was prophetic and set the course of Jacob and Esau's lives.

The third use of the word "blessed" that we will consider today is the idea of happiness. An instance of this use of the word blessed is the "Sermon on the Mount" or the "Beatitudes." For example, Matthew 5:3 says:

Matthew 5:3 (NKJV) Blessed are the poor in spirit,

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Another excellent and literal translation of this verse could be "Happy are the poor in spirit..." 

In our English Bibles, the word "blessed" is used for these three meanings: 1) Praise, 2) Benediction, and 3) Happy. In the Greek New Testament, these are three different words. As we consider the blessing given by Grace, it is necessary to distinguish which "blessed" we are talking about.

I. Blessed in our inheritance

1 Peter 3:8-17 speaks of the blessedness of Grace. In verse 9, it says:

1 Peter 3:9 (NKJV) ...knowing that you were called to this, that you might inherit a blessing.

Let's consider three things Peter says in this verse.

1. We are called.
2. We have an inheritance.
3. We have a blessing.

First, Peter says we are called. This is not the same word as is translated as "chosen." This "called" means to invite. We have been summoned or invited to receive a blessing. Choosing to accept God's invitation (call) is a choice to receive a blessing.

Number two, our calling or invitation is to an inheritance. Earlier, Peter spoke of our inheritance, saying:

1 Peter 1:3–5 (NKJV) ³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

According to these verses, we have been born again to an inheritance reserved in heaven for us.

I already mentioned the blessing that Jacob stole from Esau. This blessing was a birthright or an inheritance given by the father. 

When we are born again, we gain an inheritance because we are children of our Heavenly Father.

The third thing we see in 1 Peter 3:9 is, “we have a blessing.” This blessing is part of our inheritance, and it is a blessing from our Heavenly Father. 

1 Peter 3:9 (NKJV) ...knowing that you were called to this, that you might inherit a blessing.

Isaac's blessing was a powerful influence and shaping factor in the lives of his sons. How much more powerful is the blessing of our God and Creator? I am telling you that nothing is greater, more powerful, or more valuable than the blessing of God the Father. We do not yet know the full extent of this blessing because it is reserved in heaven for us.

Because we are called to inherit this blessing, Peter tells us to:

1 Peter 3:8–9 (NKJV) ⁸all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; ⁹not 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.

The humility, meekness, and tenderness expressed here is the strength behind the happiness of the "Beatitudes." 

However, we have a weakness. We tend to focus on the things of this world. James 4:4 says:

James 4:4 (NKJV) Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?

The enemy of our souls, Satan, would love to rob us of our inheritance. Just as Esau was to inherit the blessing, and Jacob took it by trickery, the devil would trick us out of our inheritance. 

Our spiritual lives depend on faith, and this means fixing our hope on unseen things. This is why Colossians 3 gives us the following admonition.

Colossians 3:1-4 (NKJV) ¹If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. ²Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. ³For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

Being humble, loving, and compassionate may not seem to be connected to fixing our hope on our inheritance, but that is the case. We are meant for better things.

As believers, we can submit (endure) because of the hope of our inheritance. We also can be patient in suffering because we are blessed in our prayers.

Blessed in our prayers

1 Peter 3:10-12 says:

1 Peter 3:10–12 (NKJV) ¹⁰For

"He who would love life

And see good days,

Let him refrain his tongue from evil,

And his lips from speaking deceit.

¹¹Let him turn away from evil and do good;

Let him seek peace and pursue it.

¹²For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,

And His ears are open to their prayers;

But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."

Look at verse 12. It says, "...the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers." 

In this verse, God does not say He is obligated to us by our righteousness, but He tells us that He keeps His eyes on the righteous.

Consider Job. 

Job was a righteous man, and God was proud of Job. This did not keep Job from being severely tested, but then again, God assures us that He disciplines the child He loves, as any good parent would. However, after Job's testing, God restored to Him what He had lost. 

Also, consider Noah.

Noah was a righteous man, and because of this, God saved him and his family from the flood.

When we read the accounts of Job and Noah's lives, we see that they were not perfect. The record tells of sins committed by both of these men, but they were men of faith who walked with God. 

Returning to 1 Peter 3:10-11, we see that we must first control our tongues if we desire to have a pleasant and good life. The Scriptures say we should not speak evil or tell lies.

This is not talking about our salvation. Salvation is the forgiveness of our sins and eternal life. However, this passage is speaking about our lives here on earth. Remember, Peter is re-emphasizing the need to submit to human institutions like government, slavery, and marriage for the sake of our testimony for Christ in this world. We pray in this world. 

Even though we may suffer for doing good, our lives are happier because we live with a clear conscience and faith in God.

If we have a guilty conscience, we will not be able to pray freely. Our prayers are hindered by our guilty consciences. If we are weighed down with sins, our hearts will be reluctant to approach God because we know that our lives are not pleasing to Him. 

For His part, God is looking for those He can bless. Consider 2 Chronicles 16:9.

For the eyes of the LORD roam throughout the earth, so that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. (NASB)

Another way of saying this is that God wants to bless us. The problem is that God cannot bless our lusts, greed, and malice. If friendship with the world is enmity toward God, we cannot expect God to bless our love for worldly things.

If we would love life and see good days, we must pursue righteousness. God wants to answer our prayers. He is actually looking for the person He can bless.

So far, we have said that we are blessed in our inheritance and in our prayers. The third way we are blessed is in our defense.

Blessed in our defense.

Another way of saying this is to say we are blessed in our testimony before the world. When we need to explain how we live to other people, we can boldly point them to Jesus Christ because of the hope that is in us.

1 Peter 3:13-17 says:

1 Peter 3:13–17 (NKJV) ¹³And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? ¹⁴But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. "And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled." ¹⁵But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, 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; ¹⁶having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. ¹⁷For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

In verse 13, the NKJV says, "... who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?" A better translation of this phrase is, "Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?" To be zealous is to be eagerly enthusiastic about a thing.

For the most part, those in authority and those in the world around us will commend us if we are zealous for what is good. However, when we live for Jesus, the world does not like it. John 3:19 says those in darkness avoid the light because their deeds are evil.

The world and its prince, the devil, oppose God. Therefore, as believers, Jesus promises that we will experience persecution in this world. He told us that suffering for His name's sake brings blessings. Those who suffer for the sake of the gospel are both happy (blessed) and commended (blessed) by God.

Matthew 5:11-12 says:

Matthew 5:11–12 (NKJV) ¹¹"Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. ¹²Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

"Great is you reward in heaven." We live for a future reward, and this faith and hope are a testimony to the world. For those who resist the truth, our faith is offensive because they do not have the same hope. Telling someone that they are going to hell is offensive whether we say it with words or give testimony to it with our lives.

If we live godly and upright lives, we will always have a ready defense. If we are zealous for what is good, we will also tell others of the hope that we have in Jesus. 

It is much better to explain why we are doing right than why we are doing wrong.

Remember Paul chained between two Roman guards. He got to explain to them why He was in chains. He told them of the hope of eternal life that he had because of Jesus. This is what he said:

Philippians 1:12–13 (NKJV) ¹²But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, ¹³so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ;

The key to such a testimony is to "sanctify the Lord God in your hearts."

We are called on to be humble, loving servants to those around us for the sake of the gospel. We are called to do this because this world is not our home. We have an incorruptible inheritance in heaven waiting for us.

We look forward to the crown of righteousness that waits for those who have sanctified the Lord in their hearts. We must love righteousness and fix our hope entirely on the inheritance that waits for us in heaven.

I beg of you to set your hearts on eternal things - things that will last.