Love Life and See Good Days 1 Peter

Love Life and See Good Days 1 Peter 3: 8 -17

Darrell Waltrip, a three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, shared how he became a follower of Jesus, telling the audience at the National Prayer Breakfast, which included President Obama and the Dalai Lama, "If you don't know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior … you are going to hell. . . good guys go to hell. "

The NASCAR legend told the audience, including Obama sitting a few feet away and the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama a little farther, that racing was both a blessing and a curse for him, as he was as aggressive on the racing track as he was in his life. People, who liked him, thought he was "brash, ruthless, pushy, cocky, conceited, aloof, boastful arrogance and … annoying, " he said. "You can imagine what people who didn't like me had to say about me. "

Waltrip said he did "everything to satisfy me. " And when his wife, Stevie, tried to take him to church, he said he just didn't have the time "for this church stuff. " But things changed after a car wreck. “…that wreck knocked me conscious, " he recalled. “…. I realized, what if I had lost my life that day at Daytona? Would I have go to heaven or would I have gone to hell? I thought I was a good guy, but folks, let me tell you something: good guys go to hell. " Waltrip continued, "If you don't know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, if you don't have a relationship, if He's not the Master of your life, if you've never gotten on your knees and asked Him to forgive you of your sins, or if you are just a pretty good guy or a pretty good gal, you're going to go to hell. "

The former NASCAR driver said the day he knelt down to invite Jesus into his life was the greatest day of his life, which "changed everything. " He said he still has wrecks and troubles, but he never feels he's alone. "You don't have to walk alone. … Get on your knees and ask forgiveness. He's waiting for you. He was there all the time. I just didn't know or acknowledge it, " he said.

Review 1 Peter 1: 6, 7 In this [our salvation] you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

Glory For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. --1 Cor. 6: 20 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. --1 Cor. 10: 31

Review 1 Peter 2: 5, 9 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ…. But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

Paul We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching everyman with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me. --Col. 1: 28, 29

1 Peter 3 8 To sum up, let all be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit;

Harmonious—Homophron --of one mind, concordant Sympathetic—Sumpathes --suffering or feeling the like with another Brotherly—Philadelphos --loving brother or sister in a broader sense, loving one like a brother Kindhearted—Eusplagchnos --having strong bowels, compassionate, tender hearted Humble in spirit—Tapeinophrosune --the having a humble opinion of one's self a deep sense of one's (moral) littleness modesty, humility, lowliness of mind

Harmonious 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. --Eph. 4: 3 16 For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ. --1 Cor. 2: 16 1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to dwell together in unity! --Psalm 133: 1

Humble You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. --1 Peter 5: 5 -7

1 Peter 3 9 not returning evil for evil, or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. 10 For, "Let him who means to love life and see good days Refrain his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking guile. 11 "And let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. 12 "For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. "

The believer has been granted the legacy to enjoy his life (John 10: 10). In this section, Peter gave straightforward advice on how to experience that rich joy and fullness of life, even in the midst of a hostile environment. The requirements of the fulfilled life include: (1) a humble, loving attitude toward everyone (v. 8); (2) a nonvindictive response toward revilers (v. 9); (3) pure and honest speech (v. 10); (4) a disdain for sin and pursuit of peace (v. 11); and (5) a right motive, i. e. , to work the righteousness that pleases the omniscient Lord (v. 12…. ).

The World Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If any one loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. --1 John 2: 15, 16

Solomon Also, I collected for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself male and female singers and the pleasures of men many concubines. Then I became great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also stood by me. All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all my labor. Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun…. So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind. --Ecc. 2: 8 -11, 17

“Repeatedly, believers are urged to suffer for righteousness' sake without retaliating. We are not to repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling. Instead we are to bless those who mistreat us, and to repay insult with kindness. As Christians, we are not called to harm others but to do them good, not to curse but to bless. Then God rewards this type of behavior with a blessing. 3: 10 In verses 10 -12, Peter quotes Psalm 34: 12 -16 a to confirm that God's blessing rests on the one who refrains from evil deeds and evil speech, and practices righteousness. The force of the first verse is this: The one who wishes to enjoy life to the hilt and experience good days should refrain from speaking evil or deceit. He should not repay insult and lies in kind. ” --William Mac. Donald

Who is the man who desires life And loves length of days that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil And your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous And His ears are open to their cry. The face of the LORD is against evildoers, To cut off the memory of them from the earth. --Psalm 34: 12 -16

Do Good Matt 5: 16 16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Titus 3: 14 14 And let our people also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, that they may not be unfruitful.

Seek Peace Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, " says the Lord. "But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head. “ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. --Rom 12: 17 -21

1 Peter 3 13 And who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled,

When Polycarp was promised release if he would blaspheme Christ, he said, "Eighty six years I have served Christ and He has never done me wrong. How can I blaspheme my King and my Savior? " When the proconsul threatened to expose him to the wild beasts, he replied, "It is well for me to be speedily released from this life of misery. " Finally the ruler threatened to burn him alive. Polycarp said, "I fear not the fire that burns for a moment: You do not know that which burns forever and ever. ” --William Mac. Donald

1 Peter 3 15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;

3: 15 In the last part of verse 14 and in this verse, Peter quotes from Isaiah 8: 12, 13, which says: "Nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. The LORD of hosts, Him you shallow; Let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread. " Someone has said, "We fear God so little because we fear man so much. " The Isaiah passage speaks of The LORD of hosts as the One to be reverenced. Quoting it, Peter by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says, sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. To reverence the Lord means to make Him the Sovereign of our lives. All we do and say should be in His will, for His pleasure, and for His glory. The lordship of Christ should dominate every area of our lives —our possessions, our occupation, our library, our marriage, our spare time—nothing can be excluded. --William Mac. Donald

"You are not to say, 'It is a conspiracy!' In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy, And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it. "It is the LORD of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, And He shall be your dread. --Isaiah 8: 12, 13

Fear of the Lord Peter “Honor all men; love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. ” --1 Pet 2: 17 Jesus “And do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. ” --Matt 10: 28

“One begins to get smart when he or she fears being crosswise of God: fear of not doing what he wants and not being as he requires. Fear is the anticipation of harm. The intelligent person recognizes that his or her wellbeing lies in being in harmony with God and what God is doing in the ‘kingdom. ’ God is not mean, but he is dangerous. It is the same with other great forces he has placed in reality. Electricity and nuclear power, for example, are not mean, but they are dangerous. ” --Dallas Willard

Fear of the Lord The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. --Prov. 1: 7 In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, and his children will have refuge. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may avoid the snares of death. --Prov. 14: 26 -27 The fear of the LORD leads to life, so that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil. --Prov. 19: 23

"Wisdom is conceived in a strange place. It is fathered by fear. . If our actions were without consequence, or if consequences were never painful or permanent, then fear would be foolish. But our actions and reactions do indeed reap painful results in this present life as well as in eternity. We live under a law of sowing and reaping that is as certain and unrelenting as disease and death. . if our choices can bring us to miserable ends, then fear is the healthiest deterrent we can have. It is the beginning of wisdom. Life without fear is a fool's paradise. What physical pain is to the preservation of the human body, fear is to the preservation of the soul. A Christian life without fear is a religious life without a living God. " --Debi Pearl

The English word apologetics comes from the Greek word here translated as “defense. ” Peter is using the word in an informal sense (cf. Phil. 1: 16, 17) and is insisting that the believer must understand what he believes and why one is a Christian, and then be able to articulate one’s beliefs humbly, thoughtfully, reasonably, and biblically. the hope that is in you. --John Mac. Arthur

Defense Apologetics involves the systematic scientific defense of the Christian faith in all its aspects against the intellectual attacks of its adversaries. --Henry Morris, Many Infallible Proofs

Not only are there no legitimate objections to a true Christian theology, but rathere are overwhelming evidences that Christianity is uniquely and completely true. As a matter of fact, the entire subject of evidences is almost exclusively the domain of Christian evidences. Other religions depend on subjective experience and blind faith, tradition and opinion. Christianity stands or falls upon the objective reality of gigantic supernatural events in history and the evidences that they really happened. This fact in itself is an evidence of its truth. --Henry Morris, Many Infallible Proofs

Share the Gospel For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. --Romans 1: 16 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I Also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, --1 Corinthians 15: 3, 4 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. --John 3: 16

Share Your Testimony Among the most powerful resources available to you in sharing the gospel is your personal testimony. A well-presented account of what God has done in your life can help people to relate to the good news with interest and understanding. By writing your testimony, you will become more familiar with it so that you can more readily share it with others. You will also have a useful and personal tool that can be easily reproduced for giving to others.

1 Peter 3 16 and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 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.

The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are bold as a lion. --Prov. 28: 1

“Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Therefore knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences. ” --2 Cor. 5: 9 -11