#4 - Pay Back with a Blessing
1st Peter 3:8-12 - Victory Fellowship
May 7, 2023 - Rev. Roderick Grabski
Everyone wants to live the best life. Have you ever met a single person who wants to have a bad life? Every one of us long to be happy, blessed, and want to enjoy life.
The problem is, people in our world have very different perceptions of what exactly enjoying life is. Do we enjoy life with a lot of money or with lots of vacations and travel around the globe? Is popularity and fame essential to enjoy life or is the best life a quiet and peaceful life?
As I’ve mentioned these last couple of weeks, Peter is writing to a group of Christians who are experiencing a tough life. In today’s text Peter shares some instruction about how to pay back with a blessing.
1. RIGHT ATTITUDE.
In verse 8 Peter summarizes what he has been saying about our relationships with others – Government, husband, wife, master, slave.
1 Peter 3:8 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.
Good Relationships are the key to enjoying life.
One of the most difficult things in life, is to harmoniously manage our relationships. Especially on FACEBOOK.
Relationships involve two or more people, and hence are prone to a clash or conflict of ideas. So if one can develop harmonious relationships that is the first step to enjoy life.
Jesus is our example. He came to reconcile man back to God. Christ is the embodiment of love, sympathy, compassion and humility. Only if you are having a strong foundation in Jesus can you have harmony in your other relationships. Jesus teaches us how to pay back with a blessing. So that begs the question: How is our relationship to Jesus Christ?
2. RIGHT RESPONSE.
1 Peter 3:9 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.
If we want truly want to enjoy life, we must not take revenge.
Illustration: While checking in the luggage at the airport, a man became angry with the employee was handling his luggage. For several minutes he belittled the employee and criticized his every move. Surprisingly, the employee didn’t seem troubled by this man’s verbal abuse and was remained calm. After the angry man moved on from the counter, a woman approached the employee with her baggage and asked, “How do you put up with such injustice?” The employee said, “It’s easy. That guy’s going to Dallas, but I’m sending his bags to Chicago.
No matter how unjustly you might be treated you do not retaliate. “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” You don’t try to get your pound of flesh in your own way.
God says don’t hold a grudge, don’t retaliate. Don’t pay back. Be like Jesus Christ. The right attitude is one of peace and harmony. The right response does not “seek its own.” To enjoy life then is not what you have on the outside, but how you respond on the inside, the right attitude, the right response.
3. RIGHT MORALS.
In vv. 10-11 Peter quotes Psalms 34 and 37: For the Scriptures say,
“If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.
Someone said, “Usually the first screw that gets loose in a person’s head is the one that controls the tongue.”
If you want to pay back with a blessing, then learn to control your speaking because, I guarantee you, if you say the wrong words, you won’t see too many happy days. In this modern society, our texting and typing on social media is an extension of our tongue. Think before you respond.
If we hope to pay back with a blessing, we need to keep our tongue from evil and lips from deceitful speech. Keeping tongue from evil is not to retaliate back with our tongue. God promises if we do these things we will enjoy life and see many happy days.
4. RIGHT MOTIVE.
1 Peter 3:12 The eyes of the LORD watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the LORD turns his face against those who do evil.”
Peter reminds the church what ought to motivate them - the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous. God is watching and waiting to meet your every need. What a tremendous promise, what a glorious truth.
Conclusion:
We do live in a challenging, maybe even hostile world. To enjoy life we must have the discipline to obey God’s authority and trust His promises. If we learn to pay back with a blessing we will truly enjoy life.
PRAYER
SONG: Less Like Me
1st Peter 3:8-12 (NLT) 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. For the Scriptures say, “If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it. The eyes of the LORD watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the LORD turns his face against those who do evil.”
