Living Authentically: Reflecting Christ in Our Relationships

Devotional

Day 1: Living Authentically as Christians

Living as if the teachings of Jesus are true means embodying the fruits of the Spirit in our daily lives. This involves reflecting God's love and compassion through our actions, speech, and motivations. When people see these qualities in us, they are drawn to the hope we have in Christ. Authentic Christian living is not just about following rules but about a transformation that impacts every aspect of our lives. It is about being a living testimony of Jesus' teachings, showing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control in all we do. [03:35]

1 Peter 1:15-16 (ESV): "But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'"

Reflection: Think of one specific area in your life where you struggle to embody the fruits of the Spirit. How can you intentionally practice one of these qualities today?

Day 2: Submission in Relationships

Submission is a key aspect of the Christian life, whether in civic duties, marriage, or church relationships. For wives, this means being a living testimony of Jesus to their husbands through inner beauty and a gentle spirit. For husbands, it involves honoring and respecting their wives as co-heirs of life, fostering mutual submission. This mutual respect and honor create a more equal and loving relationship, reflecting the unity and love that should mark all Christian relationships. Submission is not about inferiority but about willingly placing oneself in a position to serve and uplift others. [09:33]

Ephesians 5:21 (ESV): "Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ."

Reflection: In what ways can you practice submission in your relationships today, whether at home, work, or church? How can you show respect and honor to those around you?

Day 3: Mutual Respect and Honor in Marriage

Peter's message to husbands is radical for its time, urging them to honor their wives, who were often seen as powerless. This mutual respect and honor create a more equal and loving relationship, reflecting the unity and love that should mark all Christian relationships. Husbands are called to see their wives as co-heirs of the gracious gift of life, treating them with the same respect and honor they would want for themselves. This approach fosters a partnership that mirrors the love and respect Christ has for the church. [16:18]

1 Peter 3:7 (ESV): "Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered."

Reflection: If you are married, how can you show greater honor and respect to your spouse today? If you are not married, how can you support and encourage mutual respect in the relationships around you?

Day 4: Reflecting Christ in Community

Our interactions within the church and with non-believers should be marked by unity, love, humility, and compassion. People are watching how we handle life's challenges and how we treat others, especially the powerless. Our behavior can either draw people to Jesus or push them away. Reflecting Christ in our community means being like-minded, sympathetic, loving, compassionate, and humble. It involves responding to evil with blessing and showing the world the transformative power of Christ through our actions and attitudes. [21:24]

Colossians 3:12-14 (ESV): "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony."

Reflection: Think of a recent interaction where you could have shown more compassion or humility. How can you make amends or improve your response in future interactions?

Day 5: Being Prepared to Share Our Hope

We must always be ready to explain the hope we have in Christ, doing so with gentleness and respect. Our lives should be a testament to the transformative power of Jesus, offering authentic hope to a world in desperate need. Being prepared to share our hope means understanding our faith deeply and being able to communicate it clearly and lovingly. It involves living in a way that naturally prompts questions about our hope and being ready to answer those questions with grace and truth. [24:45]

1 Peter 3:15 (ESV): "But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect."

Reflection: Who in your life needs to hear about the hope you have in Christ? How can you prepare yourself to share this hope with them in a gentle and respectful way?

Sermon Summary

### Summary

Today, we delved into 1 Peter chapter 3, focusing on what it means to live authentically as followers of Christ. We began by discussing the importance of living as if the teachings of Jesus are true, and how this impacts our actions, speech, and motivations. We are called to be holy and set apart, representing God's love and compassion to the world. This means embodying the fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control—in our daily lives.

We explored the concept of submission in various relationships, including civic authorities, marriage, church, and interactions with non-believers. Peter's message to wives is to be a living testimony of Jesus to their husbands, even if they are not believers. This involves demonstrating inner beauty through a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in God's sight. For husbands, Peter emphasizes mutual submission, urging them to honor and respect their wives as co-heirs of the gracious gift of life.

The sermon also highlighted the importance of how we treat one another within the church and in our broader community. We are called to be like-minded, sympathetic, loving, compassionate, and humble. Our interactions should reflect the qualities of Jesus, drawing people to Him rather than pushing them away. This is crucial because people are always watching how we handle life's challenges and how we treat those around us, especially the powerless.

Finally, we were reminded to always be prepared to give an answer for the hope that we have, doing so with gentleness and respect. Our lives should be a testament to the transformative power of Christ, offering hope to a world that is desperately seeking it. As we go about our week, let's strive to live in a way that reflects our faith authentically, knowing that people's lives depend on it.

###

Key Takeaways

1. heirs of life, fostering mutual submission. [09:33]
3. Mutual Respect and Honor in Marriage: Peter's message to husbands is radical for its time, urging them to honor their wives, who were often seen as powerless. This mutual respect and honor create a more equal and loving relationship, reflecting the unity and love that should mark all Christian relationships.

4. Reflecting Christ in Community: Our interactions within the church and with non-believers should be marked by unity, love, humility, and compassion. People are watching how we handle life's challenges and how we treat others, especially the powerless. Our behavior can either draw people to Jesus or push them away.

5. Being Prepared to Share Our Hope: We must always be ready to explain the hope we have in Christ, doing so with gentleness and respect. Our lives should be a testament to the transformative power of Jesus, offering authentic hope to a world in desperate need.

### [09:33]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:53] - Opening Prayer
[03:35] - Living Authentically as Christians
[04:42] - The Great Commission and Authenticity
[06:51] - Submission in Relationships
[08:17] - Cultural Context of Peter's Time
[09:33] - Submission in Marriage
[10:56] - Misinterpretations and True Meaning
[13:03] - Mutual Submission in Marriage
[14:31] - Honoring Wives
[16:18] - Husbands' Responsibilities
[19:46] - Equal Partnership in Marriage
[21:24] - Reflecting Christ in Community
[23:05] - Responding to Evil with Blessing
[24:45] - Being Prepared to Share Our Hope
[26:41] - Living as Christ's Ambassadors
[28:11] - Final Encouragement and Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

What qualities does Peter say are of great worth in God's sight for wives? (1 Peter 3:4)
How does Peter instruct husbands to treat their wives, and what reason does he give for this instruction? (1 Peter 3:7)
According to the sermon, what are the basic traits of Jesus that should mark our interactions within the church and with non-believers? [21:24]
What does Peter say we should always be prepared to do, and how should we do it? (1 Peter 3:15)

Interpretation Questions

Why does Peter emphasize the importance of inner beauty over outward adornment for wives? How does this reflect the values of the early Christian community? (1 Peter 3:3-4)
How does the concept of mutual submission in marriage challenge the cultural norms of Peter's time, and what implications does it have for modern Christian marriages? [16:18]
In what ways can our behavior within the church and community either draw people to Jesus or push them away? [23:05]
How can being prepared to give an answer for the hope we have in Christ impact our daily interactions with others? [24:45]

Application Questions

Reflect on your daily actions, speech, and motivations. How can you better embody the fruits of the Spirit in your interactions this week? [03:35]
In your marriage or close relationships, how can you practice mutual submission and honor the other person as a co-heir of life? What specific steps can you take to show respect and consideration? [16:18]
Think of a recent situation where you had to interact with someone who is not a believer. How did you handle it, and what could you do differently to better reflect Christ's love and compassion? [21:24]
Identify a moment this past week where you responded to a difficult situation. Did your response reflect the qualities of Jesus? How can you improve your reactions in future challenges? [23:05]
Consider someone in your life who is seeking hope. How can you be prepared to share the reason for your hope in Christ with them, and what approach will you take to ensure it is done with gentleness and respect? [24:45]
Reflect on your interactions within the church community. Are there any relationships that need mending or areas where you need to show more unity, love, humility, or compassion? What steps will you take to address these? [21:24]
Think of a specific person who tests your patience. What is a short prayer or action you can take before your next interaction with them to cultivate patience and self-control? [03:35]

Sermon Clips

1. "You can only offer others what is really inside of you. Is Jesus your Lord? We've been given a great commission. We've been given a great commission to baptize. I mean, to make disciples, to baptize, and to teach. And this is not a cut and paste process. This is a commission that's rooted in relationship. And as we live to bring others to Christ. We must remember that we represent God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Therefore, we need to do it truthfully. We need to do it authentically. Faithfully." [05:34] (40 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "Submission doesn't always mean obedience. And men, if you're focused on why your wife is not submissive to you, your priorities are out of whack. If you've ever demanded your wife be submissive, it wasn't the Holy Spirit that moved you to do that. It's probably you, your arrogance, and your ego. And I was reading this this week. I thought it was really interesting. It says, we've never seen a submission problem that did not have a controlling husband at its root. What I've seen is at a moment a wife begins to set holy spiritual boundaries, husbands begin to grow up." [13:03] (43 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "When it comes right down to it, wives, your job, your mission is to show your husband and, you know, to show Jesus to your husband, to live in such a way as if your very life will win over your unbelieving husband, or will encourage your believing husband to be more like Jesus than they've ever, ever been. Ever thought possible. Husband, your responsibility is to consider your wife. And what that means is you're not thinking of yourself first. In fact, the first thing you think of whenever you do whatever you do is my wife." [19:46] (35 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. Now, Peter lists the basic qualities here, basic traits of Jesus, unity, love, humility. And these are traits that should mark our congregation here. This is our context. This should mark our congregation. This is what people on the outside are looking in, hoping to see." [21:24] (40 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "This is the key part of our mission, and I think this is important to know that our life, it's either going to draw people to Jesus or it's going to push them away from Him. This has been hard for me because I'm not always someone who's drawing people to Jesus, and that's my job. It's not easy. Do your interactions with the world and with one another, do they bless or do they curse? So all this brings us back to why we focus on how we live. It's what we're talking about this whole month. Why do we have to live as if?" [23:05] (44 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

6. "But in your hearts, revere Christ as the Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. And what I've come to realize is that people aren't going to ask if they don't see something different in you. People aren't going to ask me if they don't see anything different in me." [26:41] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

7. "They're going to see how you treat your wife. They're going to see how you treat your husband. I mean, you may have been married for 20 or 30 years, and you may think you have experience, but if you treat your spouse poorly, that's not 30 years of great marriage experience. They're going to see how you treat your spouse, how you talk about them when they're not around. They're going to see how you treat your children and your friends, and they're going to see how do you treat those people who are powerless among you." [28:11] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

8. "How do you treat the barista who gets your order wrong? How do you treat the bank teller if there's a misunderstanding? Do you go off on just everybody just because you're mad and you want justice? They're going to see how you treat people, especially the powerless, and they're going to see if you're swayed by the turmoil around you. Because if we as believers, if we respond just like the world does to all of this, then why would they want what we have? Why would they want to taste and see if the Lord our God is good, if the Lord really isn't our Lord?" [28:11] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

9. "As modern and as, you know, modern as our world is, and it's technologically advanced as our world is, gentleness and respect are not two traits the world gives freely, but this is part of our mission, to live as if. So that's my question. How will you choose to live? Because people's lives depend on it." [28:11] (28 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

Transcript

What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?

Were there any personal stories shared?