1 Peter Chapter 3

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That's for you. If you've got your Bible there, if you could take that out or open it up if you're using a digital one, we're going to be in 1 Peter as we continue our series looking at these letters of Peter. And we're just going to pray as we ask the Lord to help us with that. We'll be in 1 Peter chapter 3 this morning, but let's just commit ourselves to the Lord. Lord, we do thank you that Christ is alive. Lord, we thank you for the hope, for the joy, for the peace that that gives us. And Lord, we can look to you in hope this morning as we open your Word. Lord, thank you for these words. Thank you that you have revealed yourself to us, that we might know you, that we might know you more, that we might know the hope to which Christ has called us. We pray, Lord, that you would, by your Spirit, meet us where we're at. Help us hear your voice as we dig into your Word together. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. As we've seen over these first few chapters over the past couple of weeks, Peter's life was dramatically changed by his encounter with the risen Jesus, by the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. He went from denying Jesus and losing hope at his death to proclaiming the risen Christ, even at the cost of his own life. And Peter is writing to Christians who are facing persecution, opposition, and he calls them to follow Jesus. He calls us to live differently because of this hope that we have in Jesus. What's been the challenge as Peter continues to unpack this for us, particularly as we get into chapter 3 this morning, we see this kind of challenge come through again. The question is, what does it actually look like to live differently because we belong to Jesus? Particularly in the context of suffering or persecution or difficulty, what does it look like to live differently because we belong to Jesus, especially when life is difficult? Peter shows us in our chapter this morning that it affects the way we live in our marriages, the way we treat one another, the way we respond to those who oppose us because of our faith. But he also challenges us this morning to think differently about suffering itself. Following Jesus doesn't mean we're going to be spared from suffering, but rather, even in the midst of it, we can continue to hold firmly to our hope, trusting in the God who secured our future through this death and resurrection of Jesus. If you've been with us the last couple of weeks, probably a big takeaway that some of us have found as we've been going through is understanding who God is actually shapes the way we live. And in actual fact, how we live should actually point others around us to Jesus. If we call ourselves a follower of Jesus, this should be true for us. And so far in this letter, Peter's been showing us what it means to live differently because we belong to Jesus in a number of different ways. He's reminded us that we're a holy people set apart by God to live according to his ways. We saw that in chapter one. Chapter two, we saw that we're living stones being built together into a spiritual house with Jesus at the center. And then we're a people who are called to follow the example of Christ, living with humility, gentleness, and a willingness to submit. Just as Jesus willingly suffered and gave his life for us. That's where we got to last week. It's really countercultural. Our world tells us that our needs, our desires, our ambitions are what should come first. Our culture says that life is ultimately about pursuing what we want. But following Jesus turns that thinking upside down. It means laying down our lives for the sake of others, even when it's difficult and when it's costly. And Peter has been showing us what that looks like in everyday life. Last week we saw he talked about what it looks like in the context of society and governing authorities, and in the final parts of chapter two, we saw what it looks like in relation to our workplaces. This morning, as we come to chapter three, particularly we're going to look at it in two parts. But the first seven verses of chapter three, Peter continues his thought from last week, and he brings this same challenge right home. He's bringing it into the relationship between husbands and wives, and these first seven verses are about that. And just to acknowledge straight away, this passage, if you've read ahead or you've read it before, it can sometimes stir up a bunch of different feelings and reactions. For some, the very suggestion that Peter is going to make that men and women might have different roles within a marriage could sound archaic or even oppressive or maybe misogynistic. Sometimes that belongs in the ancient world, people think, not in a modern, enlightened society. I think it's worth recognizing that our own culture is full of contradiction when it comes to gender. On the one hand, we rightly celebrate diversity and difference. And yet, on the other hand, there are these voices in our culture that seem to suggest that for men and women to be truly equal, the very idea of meaningful differences between them needs to be erased. Something of a paradox in our society today. We live in this society that loves to celebrate difference, but it can become deeply uncomfortable with the suggestion that differences between men and women might actually matter. And underlying much of that assumption that equality means sameness, that if men and women are truly equal in value and dignity, then their distinction in their roles needs to be oppressive. That kind of bubbles beneath the surface there of our culture's voice. The question is, is that really true? More importantly, is that how God sees things? I think we need to remember that as Christians, our starting point isn't what culture happens to think, whether that might be ancient or modern. Our starting point is God's word. And this is where the challenge becomes personal. It's easy for us to point out the inconsistencies in our culture. It's much harder to examine the assumptions and attitudes in our own hearts. And so that's the question this morning that we want to keep in mind as we look at these first seven verses here. Are we willing to let Jesus shape the way we live? Even in our closest relationships, even when his ways challenge the assumptions of our culture. We've got to keep that question in mind. Peter isn't simply giving a set of rules about marriage. He's not creating this whole theology of marriage here. What he's doing is he's showing us what it looks like when the gospel transforms how we treat one another, when our identity in Christ shapes our attitudes and our actions, and even the way we respond when relationships are difficult. So with that in mind, let's dig into these first seven verses. Peter instructs us this way. He says, Wives, in the same way, submit to your own husbands, so that if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from an outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear. Husbands, in the same way, be considerate as you live with your wives and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life. So that nothing will hinder your prayers. So you look at these verses, you can see how Peter both affirms and challenges the culture of his day. He celebrates the differences between men and women without diminishing their equality and dignity. But then he challenges the misuse of power and calls for honour and care towards those who were vulnerable in that society. And in doing so, he gives us a picture of a marriage shaped not by selfishness or self-interest, but one that's shaped by sacrificial love. A marriage where the driving question isn't, What am I getting out of the relationship? but rather, How can the way I love and treat my husband or wife reflect the love of Jesus? Peter gives us a solid answer to the question. He lays out the reason why we would want to do this. He gives us the method by which we might hope to achieve it, and he gives us the benchmark to follow. Look at verse 1 again, the reason why. He says it clearly there, so that your own husbands, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behaviour of their wives. Peter's particularly addressing Christian women who are married to unbelieving husbands. Perhaps when we read these verses earlier, you were thinking, Peter, that seems a bit sexist. Six of those verses are for wives and only one for the husband. It's not really balanced. There's a good reason for Peter's emphasis. In the first century world, it was quite possible for a wife to become a Christian while her husband remained an unbeliever. And that created a difficult situation. You see, in this culture, a wife was generally expected to follow the religious practices of her husband. And so, in fact, the whole household was expected to follow the husband's beliefs. So you can imagine that if a wife chose to follow Jesus when her husband didn't, in that culture, it was no small thing. It created a challenge that challenged the very expectations of the society in which she lived. And this is where Peter does something quite remarkable. On the one hand, he affirms the cultural expectation of wives submitting to their husbands, but at the same time, he radically challenges the culture. For a start, Peter is challenging the culture in the way in which he addresses wives directly as disciples of Jesus. He addresses them in their own right, rather than speaking to them through their husbands, which was the thing to do in that culture. You didn't really talk to a woman that wasn't your wife. You spoke to her husband. So Peter's challenging the culture there. Even more significantly, he affirms these women's decision to follow Jesus, even when their husbands don't believe, because their ultimate allegiance is to Christ, not the religious expectations of their household. While this might not seem particularly radical to us here in Australia in 2026, it was certainly radical in Peter's day. Sadly, in many parts of the world today, choosing to follow Jesus against the wishes of your family can still come at an enormous personal cost. Put yourself in that first century mindset, though, for a moment. Imagine how difficult the situation could have been. A wife choosing to follow Jesus when her husband didn't, it could easily drive a wedge into their marriage. It could bring embarrassment or shame upon the husband in that culture, and potentially it could have social or economic consequences for the family. Remember, Christians in this time period were often viewed with suspicion, and they were blamed for all sorts of problems in society. Peter knows that a wife's newfound faith is seen as creating division and disorder in the home. The husband might dismiss claims of Jesus without ever seriously considering them. And so Peter is trying to walk a careful line there. He's not asking the women to compromise their faith or to do anything contrary to God's will. Their ultimate allegiance is to Jesus. But he's certainly not giving husbands permission to mistreat their wives or suggesting that wives should simply endure abuse or harm in the name of submission. That's not what he's saying. He's urging these women to live out their faith in wisdom, in humility and grace, and in a way that doesn't create unnecessary barriers to their husbands coming to know Christ. Now, this doesn't mean that following Jesus will never create tension in a marriage. It doesn't mean that today. Sometimes simply being faithful to Christ will bring opposition. Peter knows that, and he'll address that later in the chapter. But there's an important difference between facing opposition when we're following Jesus and creating unnecessary opposition because of the way we behave. That's not just a first century issue. Even today, Christians married to unbelieving spouses face that same challenge. How do I remain faithful to Jesus while also loving and honoring my husband or wife, particularly when they don't share the same convictions? Peter's message to us this morning is essentially this: don't use your newfound freedom in Christ to simply assert yourself or create unnecessary conflict. Instead, let that freedom shape the way you love, honor, and serve your spouse, with the hope that they too might come to know Jesus. That's the goal, right? It's not just for these wives. That's the goal in verse one. It's not just a peaceful marriage, as important as that is, but the goal is that their husbands might ultimately be won over to Christ. And notice how Peter says that might happen. It doesn't happen through arguments or pressure or constant persuasion. It comes through the example of their lives. And this brings us to Peter's second point: the method. It's a life of example. Notice the words there. There's a play on words. You might have heard that before. He said, Those who don't believe the word will be won over, or might be won over, without words. That doesn't mean we don't ever have to use words to share our faith. Peter later on in verses 15 and 16 says that we need to be prepared with words when people ask us about the hope that we have in Jesus. So we do need words. But here in these first couple of verses, Peter's point is that the husbands observe the transforming work of Jesus in the wife's life. They might begin to recognize the truth of the gospel. It's almost like the husband might say, I'm not sure I believe what you say about Jesus, but I can't deny what I see in your life. Notice the kind of character qualities Peter described: purity, reverence, gentleness, a quiet spirit. Those qualities sound familiar. They echo the very things Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount. He said, Blessed are the poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful, the pure in heart. Blessed are the peacemakers. Friends, these aren't just qualities for Christian wives; they're marks of Christian discipleship for all of us. If you're anything like me, to hear it like that, it's confronting. As challenging as it can be sometimes to tell someone about Jesus, there's something even more challenging about the thought of someone watching my life to see whether Jesus has actually made a difference. Suddenly, it's not just about what I say I believe; it's about how I live. Who sees that more clearly than the people that we live with at home? They're the ones that see us when we're tired, frustrated, impatient, or when things don't go our way. They see how we speak, how we respond to disappointment, how we handle conflict, and whether we're willing to admit when we're wrong. And so the question worth asking this morning, in light of this, is: if those closest to you were to judge your relationship with Jesus simply by watching the way you live. What would they see? It's a challenging thought. Would they see someone increasingly shaped by the character of Christ? I hope so. Would they struggle to see much difference at all? This is Peter's challenge this morning. Our lives should give credibility to the message that we proclaim. Now, this doesn't mean we're all going to live perfect lives. We know that it's because of the transforming work of Jesus that we're made more and more into his image. Peter's hope is that through this transforming work of Jesus, that people would be drawn to trust in him as they see him transform our lives. Peter gives a very practical example of this, of what that looked like. Look again at verses 3 to 4. He talks about beauty not coming from outward adornment, elaborate hairstyles, jewelry, that kind of stuff. It should come from inner self. Now, just be careful to put into context what Peter is saying. He's not saying that there's anything inherently wrong with dressing nicely, doing your hair, or wearing jewelry. Some people read these verses as though Christianity is supposed to take all the fun out of fashion, as though godliness and holiness means looking plain or frumpy. That's not what he's saying. He's saying that our outward appearance isn't what makes us truly beautiful. That's a remarkably positive and affirming message, especially in our culture today. We live in a society that's full of contradictions when it comes to beauty. On the one hand, we're told that we shouldn't judge people by their appearance, and yet on the other hand, women in particular are constantly bombarded with messages suggesting that their appearance is what makes them attractive, desirable, and ultimately valuable. We see it in advertising, in magazines, we see it on the socials, we see it everywhere. And let's be fair, men have often contributed significantly to those pressures as well. Peter reminds us here that God isn't superficial. He sees a beauty that goes far deeper than outward appearance, a beauty that doesn't depend on fashion, physical attractiveness, or the approval of others, a beauty that depends on the transforming work of His Spirit within us. Notice what he says there in verse 4. He describes a gentle and quiet spirit as something of great worth in God's sight. Where does that character quality come from? Well, he says in verse 5 there, it's how the holy women of the past adorned themselves. He's giving an example from history. He tells us something particularly important about these women who had this character quality. He says they put their hope in God. Their confidence and security wasn't ultimately found in how they looked, in what others thought of them, or even how their husbands treated them. Their hope was in God. And this is a theme that we see right throughout Peter. Because of the resurrection of Jesus, because of this living hope, we don't have to depend on our circumstances or the approval of others. We can rest in the love of God, the approval of our Maker. Peter points to Sarah as an example. Now, those of us that know Bible history know she wasn't perfect. We know neither was her marriage. But Peter holds her up as an example of women who sought to honor God in the way they lived. And notice how he finishes in verse 6 there. He says, You are her daughters, talking to the Christian wives, if you do what is right and do not give way to fear. Peter's telling these women not to be weak or timid or fearful. He's calling them to do what is right, even when their circumstances are difficult. He's calling them to remain faithful to Jesus, even when faithfulness comes at a cost. Friends, that's a courageous faith. It's a faith that's grounded in a living hope. And so the challenge here isn't simply to worry less about outward appearance and concentrate more on becoming a nicer person. It's something much deeper. The challenge is to not place your confidence in how you look or how others perceive you, but to place your hope in God and let his transforming work in your life be what others see. Because ultimately, Peter isn't calling these women to impress their husbands through their appearance, but to point them to Jesus through their character. This is what he's saying: let your life be a witness, and the kind of witness that doesn't come from weakness or fear, but comes from a courageous faith that trusts in the living God, that does what is right and allows the beauty of Christ to shine through our lives, even if there's a cost. Having spent six verses addressing the wives, he then turns to the husbands as he shifts into the benchmark we're to follow. While he only gives the husbands one verse, don't mistake the brevity for lack of significance. What Peter's saying to the men here is incredibly challenging. Look again at verse seven. He says, Husbands, in the same way, be considerate as you live with your wives and treat them with respect as the weaker partner, as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life. So that nothing will hinder your prayers. When Peter says husbands are to be considerate, he's not suggesting we spare our wives a thought every now and then. He's calling husbands to live with an understanding that we need to genuinely know our wives. We need to consider their needs. We need to treat them with honor and respect. And notice the phrase there, the weaker partner. You might wince at that. It's uncomfortable language today. Peter isn't suggesting in any way that women are somehow inferior to men. In the first century world, women were generally more vulnerable, both societally, socially, economically. Women had fewer legal protections and less powers within society. And generally speaking, men had greater physical strength. Women had very little protections for themselves in that first century culture. And so Peter is calling the husbands here to use whatever strength or position they have to honor and care for their wives, to never exploit them. Because he says in that verse there, wives are heirs with you of the gracious gift of life. In a society where women were often treated as having lesser status, Peter reminds Christian husbands that their wives stand alongside them as equals before God. She's your fellow heir. She belongs to Christ. She's your sister in Christ. She's a daughter of the King. Brothers, we need to hear that today. It ought to profoundly shape the way we treat our wives, because Peter finishes with a serious warning there in the end of verse 7, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. In other words, you can't mistreat your wife and expect everything to be right between you and God. Just can't do it. Think about it this way. Those of us who are fathers, particularly fathers of daughters, we might imagine a day when our daughter might meet someone she wants to marry. We'd hope that that young man would love her, honor her, care for her, and treat her with dignity and respect. And if he did, man, we'd be delighted. But if he began to belittle her, intimidate her, control her, mistreat her, well, that's going to be a very different conversation with her dad, isn't it? Men, our wives have a Father in heaven, and he cares deeply about how his daughters are treated. Peter's warning us that God takes this seriously, and I want to be very clear here because this matters enormously. We know that domestic and family violence is a serious problem in our society, and sadly, Christian churches are not immune. The thought that anyone would use their Christian faith or passages like this one that talk about submission to justify intimidating, controlling, or abusing their spouse is absolutely abhorrent. It makes my blood boil. If you're a husband who treats your wife abusively, you need to repent. You need to stop that behavior. You need to seek help. There's absolutely no justification for it in the teaching or example of Jesus. If you're someone who's experiencing abuse, please hear this. God doesn't require you to remain in danger in order to be a faithful Christian. Seek help and protection. As a church, we never minimize abuse or excuse it or use the language of submission to silence those who are suffering. Some years ago now, the ABC conducted an investigation into domestic violence within Christian churches, and one of the things they highlighted was confronting. They referred to some American research which found that Christians were no different from those that didn't have a faith. In actual fact, in one case, they were worse. This American research identified evangelical Christians that only attended church semi-regularly, occasionally. Nominally, they said, Yeah, I'm a follower of Jesus, but they weren't really connected in. They weren't really growing as a disciple. Interestingly, some of those men had the highest rates of domestic violence. But it's interesting that some of those same studies also reported lower rates among Christian men who were plugged in, who were serious about their faith, who were growing as disciples of Jesus, who were connected in weekly to a local church for accountability and growth together. Now, there's limitations to that research. We need to be careful not to draw conclusions that it can't support. Church attendance is certainly no guarantee that someone isn't abusive. It can occur even among deeply involved church members and leaders. But I think this raises a searching question for all of us. We're going to think in light of all of this: is our Christianity simply something we identify with, or is following Jesus actually transforming the way we live? We need to ask that question. There's a world of difference between calling yourself a Christian and genuinely seeking to follow Jesus. As we immerse ourselves in His Word, as we allow His Spirit to transform our hearts, as we grow together in genuine Christian community, we should increasingly reflect the character of Jesus. We should become more loving, more patient, more gentle, more considerate, more joyful, more willing to put the needs of others before our own. And when it comes to marriage, that means a love that honors, protects, serves, and seeks the good of our spouse. There's no place in that picture for intimidation, manipulation, coercion, or abuse. The closer we grow to Jesus, the more our lives ought to reflect His character, especially how we treat those who are closest to us. And this brings us right back to that benchmark that Peter gives for this whole passage. Ultimately, he's not calling husbands and wives to be better people or even to have better marriages. He's calling them to become more like Jesus. That's why these verses 1 and 7 were so important. Maybe you noticed that they both began the same way. They said, in the same way, both to the husbands and the wives. Some other translations use the word likewise. And it's an important connecting phrase. He's giving us instructions that are continuing this argument he developed in chapter 2. He talked about how Christians conduct themselves in society and in the workplace. Here he's talking about husbands and wives and how they should live together. But running through all of these examples is the example of Christ. Peter told us at the end of chapter 2, Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps. That's in verse 21 of chapter 2. Peter describes Jesus as the suffering servant, the one who didn't retaliate when he was insulted, but entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. Friends, Jesus didn't use his power or position to serve himself. He willingly laid down his life for the good of others, even those who wronged him. And that's the benchmark or the standard Peter is calling us to follow as disciples of Jesus. It's the same picture the apostle Paul gives us in Ephesians 5 when he calls husbands to love their wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. It's a costly, sacrificial, generous love. Wives too in Ephesians 5 are called to live lives shaped by Jesus, to honor him in the way they love, respect, and respond to their husbands. And so the Christian picture of marriage isn't two people asking, What am I getting out of this relationship? It's two people learning to ask, How can I love and serve this person in a way that reflects the love that Jesus has shown to me? This is the kind of Christ-like love that isn't just for husbands and wives; it's for all of us. And this is where the text continues. In verses 8 to 12, we see there's a benchmark for us to follow as disciples. He's addressed husbands and wives, and now Peter widens the focus to the whole church. Look at verse 8. He says, Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. It's not just advice for marriage; it's how all of us are called to live as followers of Jesus. He continues in verse 9, Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but on the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. Again, it sounds familiar. It's almost like we're hearing Jesus' Sermon on the Mount all over again. Peter's calling us to this same standard of living that Jesus taught and demonstrated when he was on the earth. It's a challenging way of living. We know it's one thing to love people who are easy to get along with. It's another thing to love people who disagree with us, maybe even Christians who disagree with us, people who have different perspectives or who frustrate us or have let us down. But friends, this is the kind of community that Peter is calling us to be. Church is not a social club for perfect people. We're a community of imperfect people who've been brought together by the grace of God, and we're learning to love one another as Jesus has loved us. Peter continues in verses 10 to 12. He reinforces this by quoting a psalm from Psalm 34. This is a psalm of David, we're told, if you read Psalm 34 during the week. A psalm that David wrote when he was on the run for his life from King Saul. Saul wanted to kill him. So David knew what it was like to suffer unjustly. Peter quotes this psalm. Notice the challenge in verses 10 and 11 of 1 Peter 3 as he quotes this psalm. He says, Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. They must turn from evil and do good. They must seek peace and pursue it. There's an emphasis there, not on retaliation or vengeance in the face of evil, but on blessing. An emphasis not on hostility, but peace. An emphasis that doesn't talk about getting even, but doing good. Why would we live like that? Well, verse 12 reminds us that the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayers. Friends, the lesson here is that we can entrust ourselves to God rather than taking matters into our own hands. It's really important that we know that. We can entrust ourselves to God, just as Jesus did, rather than taking matters into our own hands. And sometimes living this way does mean that we'll suffer unjustly, which brings us to Peter's next challenge and the benchmark to follow in suffering. In verses 13 to 17, look at verse 13 there. He says, Who is going to harm you if you're eager to do good? It's a bit of a rhetorical question. Ordinarily, the answer would be, Well, probably no one. If you're trying to do good, well, people aren't going to be out to get you. But Peter knows the reality is that's not always how life works. These Christians in Asia Minor that he was writing to, they were experiencing opposition precisely because they followed Jesus. And so he continues in verse 14, But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened. That's important. Just because we're suffering, it doesn't necessarily mean we're doing something wrong. We need to make sure we understand that. Sometimes we suffer precisely because we're doing what's right and following Jesus' commands. Jesus never promised that following him would mean we're spared from suffering. And Peter says, When we suffer, we don't need to be ruled by fear. Why? Well, because we belong to Jesus and our future is secure in him. That brings us to one of the great verses of this chapter. Look at verse 15. Peter says, But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. And I love this verse. Peter says that even in the midst of opposition, our lives should be so shaped by the hope that we have in Jesus that people might actually become curious about it. They might wonder, how can you still have hope when life is so difficult? How can you respond with kindness when you've been treated unfairly? And Peter says, when they ask, be ready to tell them. Notice how we're instructed to do that in verses 15 to 16. He says, But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good character in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. Friends, there's no place for arrogance or hostility in the way in which we share our faith. We might win an argument on Facebook or Instagram. We might have the perfect comeback to someone who mocks Christianity. But if we've humiliated someone in the process, have we really pointed them to Jesus? Our manner must reflect the message we proclaim. It comes back to that. It brings us right back to where we started in chapter 3. Remember those Christian wives whose husbands didn't believe? Peter encouraged them to let their lives bear witness to Jesus. And now he's saying something similar to the whole church: live in such a way that people see something different about you. And when they ask about that difference, about your hope, be ready to explain it with words, but do it with gentleness and respect. There's a connection there that our lives give credibility to our words, and our words explain the hope that shapes our lives. What happens when we do all of that and we still suffer? What happens when we're faithful to Jesus, when we do what is right and things still go badly? Well, Peter brings us back to the very heart of the gospel, and the final lesson from this chapter this morning, the benchmark to follow, and that's in our waiting. As we wait for Jesus, look at verse 18 then. He says, Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. And this is the foundation of everything that Peter's been saying throughout this chapter. We follow a Savior that knows what it is to suffer. We know that Jesus knew what it was to be rejected, to be betrayed, to be falsely accused, to be mocked and beaten and ultimately crucified. He didn't suffer because he'd done anything wrong. We're told here the righteous one suffered for the unrighteous. Jesus suffered for us. Notice why he suffered: to bring us to God. And friends, that's the wonderful good news of the gospel. Jesus didn't simply come to set us a good example of how to suffer. He came to deal with the problem of sin, to reconcile us to the God who made us, and to give us a living hope through his resurrection. And this is why we can keep trusting him even when life is difficult. Verses 19 to 22 are some of the most difficult in the whole of the New Testament. 19 to 20 particularly, Peter talks about Jesus making a proclamation to imprisoned spirits, the days of Noah and the flood, and then baptism. And Christians have debated precisely what Peter means in some of these verses for centuries. There are several interpretations, particularly concerning who these spirits are and where Christ went between his death and resurrection and when he made the proclamation. We don't have the time to settle any of that as questions this morning. If you're interested about that, have a chat with me after the service. I'll give you the cliff notes. There's at least, I think, I counted one of the commentators saying maybe a hundred or more different interpretations. There's three major ones. I can tell you those if you're interested in that after the service. Just come and ask me. The key thing in these verses at the end here, we don't want to allow the difficult details to distract us from Peter's main point. His main point in these final verses is that Jesus suffered and died for our sins. He rose again victorious, and now he reigns over every power and authority. That's where he finishes in verse 22. Jesus ascended into heaven at God's right hand, and all the angels, authorities, and powers are in submission to him. And so, in other words, Jesus' suffering and death didn't have the final word over Jesus. Because we belong to him by faith, suffering and death won't have the final word over us either. Peter brings up Noah and the flood, and you think about Noah for a moment. He lived in a world that was characterized by wickedness and rebellion against God, and yet in the midst of all that, Noah trusted God and obeyed him. When God's judgment came upon the world through the flood, Noah and his family, Peter says, just eight people, they were brought safely through the waters. Peter uses that event of God's saving work through the flood, and he points us towards the salvation that we now have in Jesus. And he uses the illustration of baptism. This is where the illustration of baptism comes in, in verse 21. He says that baptism now saves you. Look at verse 21 there. Baptism saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now again, Peter isn't suggesting that baptism is some sort of magical rite, that there's anything special about that water. We've done many baptisms here, and we explain this every time. It's just water in a tank. Our salvation is not in the baptism; it's in what the baptism represents. It's in Jesus' death and resurrection for our sins. That's where our hope is. Baptism points us to that. It's a public expression of our faith in Jesus. It identifies us with him in his death and resurrection. And so that's what Peter means when he says baptism saves us, because he's using it as a picture, as a metaphor of what has happened in Christ. And that's what baptism is. It's a public declaration, an external sign of an inward change. If you're trusting in Jesus this morning and you haven't yet been baptized, I'd like to encourage you to take that step of obedience. Talk to me or one of the pastors after the service. This is a hope that Peter wants us to hold on to. Just as Noah trusted God in a world facing judgment, we're called to put our trust in Jesus, the one who's already passed through suffering and death and has emerged victorious. Jesus is reigning now, and those who belong to him share in the hope of his victory. So we finish chapter three. Let me bring us back to the big idea we began with. Understanding who God is shapes how we live, and how we live should point those around us to Jesus. In this chapter, Peter has shown us how this applies in our marriages, to our relationships with one another in the church, to our dealings with those who oppose us, and even how we might respond to suffering. Running through all of it is this benchmark, this example of Jesus, the one who suffered for us, the one who gave his life to bring us to God. We don't follow Jesus because it guarantees us a comfortable life. We follow him because he's Lord, because he has saved us, and because our future is secure in him. So that's Peter's takeaway. What's yours? Maybe just think about the people you'll be with this time tomorrow, this week. Your family, maybe your workmates, classmates, neighbours. What will those people see of Jesus in the way you live this week? Will they see something of his gentleness or his humility, his compassion, his willingness to love when it's costly? When they ask about the hope that you have, will you be ready to tell them about him? This is the call of all disciples of Jesus: to be shaped by his word, transformed by his Spirit, growing in love together and reaching out with his hope. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the living hope that we have through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Forgive us for the times that we fail to reflect Christ's character in our relationships, in our words, in our actions. By your Holy Spirit, Lord, continue to transform our hearts. Help us to love one another with humility, gentleness, and compassion. Father, we particularly pray for those who are suffering, for those who are experiencing abuse or mistreatment. Lord, would you protect them, provide them with safety and support. Help us to be a church that responds with wisdom and courage and love to these things. Lord, help us this week to live in such a way that those around us might see something of Jesus. Give us the courage to do what is right, even when it costs. Thank you that Jesus suffered for our sins, that he rose victorious. You're right hand. We pray this in his name. Amen.