EXHORTATIONS TO CHRISTIANS

BIBLE TEXT : I Peter 3:1-22; 4:1-19; 5:1-11.

LESSON 453 Senior Course
MEMORY VERSE: "The God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus,
after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthens, settle you" (I Peter
5:10).
BIBLE TEXT in King James Version Bible References:

1 Peter 3:1-22 I Peter’s Instructions to the Church

1
Likewise, ye wives, be in 1. Peter gives the duties of wives and husbands, and tells
how Christian women should dress, I Peter 3:1−7;
subjection to your own husbands; 1 Corinthians 7:13-16
that, if any obey not the word, 13 And the woman which hath an husband that believeth

they also may without the word be not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave
him.
won by the conversation of the 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife,

wives; and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else

2 were your children unclean; but now are they holy.
While they behold your chaste 15 But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother
conversation coupled with fear. or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God
3
Whose adorning let it not be hath called us to peace.
16 For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save
that outward adorning of plaiting thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou
the hair, and of wearing of gold, shalt save thy wife?
or of putting on of apparel; Ephesians 5:22-25
4 22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as
But let it be the hidden man of unto the Lord.
the heart, in that which is not 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ

corruptible, even the ornament of is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the
a meek and quiet spirit, which is in wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
the sight of God of great price. 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the
5 church, and gave himself for it;
For after this manner in the old
2. He exhorteth to love and unity, and to suffer boldly for
time the holy women also, who
Christ, I Peter 3:8−18; 4:1−5, 7−11;
trusted in God, adorned Romans 12:10
themselves, being in subjection 10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love;

in honour preferring one another;

unto their own husbands: Colossians 3:12
6
Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, 12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved,

calling him lord: whose daughters bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind,
meekness, longsuffering;
ye are, as long as ye do well, and
3. Christ preached to the spirits in prison before He ascended
are not afraid with any to Heaven, I Peter 3:19−22; 4:6.
amazement. 4. Christians are not to think it strange when they have fiery
7
Likewise, ye husbands, dwell trials, I Peter 4:12−19.
with them according to 5. Elders are to feed the flock of God willingly, I Peter 5:1−4;
knowledge, giving honour unto the Acts 20:28
28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, an d to all the flock,
wife, as unto the weaker vessel, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to
and as being heirs together of the feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his
own blood.
grace of life; that your prayers be 1 Timothy 4:16
not hindered. 16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; con tinue
8
Finally, be ye all of one mind, in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and
them that hear thee.
having compassion one of
6. Be humble, sober, vigilant; your adversary, the devil,
another, love as brethren, be seeketh whom he may devour, I Peter 5:5−10;
pitiful, be courteous: Luke 22:31
9
Not rendering evil for evil, or 31 And the Lord said, Simon , Simon, behold, Satan hath

desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

railing for railing: but contrariwise 1 Thessalonians 5:6
blessing; knowing that ye are 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch

thereunto called, that ye should and be sober.

inherit a blessing. Notes:

Exhortations to Christians 1 of 5
10 Duties of Wives and Husbands
For he that will love life, and
see good days, let him refrain his By God's appointment, man was placed as head of the house.
Although he may not be a believer in the Gospel, he is still the
tongue from evil, and his lips that head and should be treated as such so long as his actions do not
they speak no guile: go against the commandments of God. It may be that through the
11
Let him eschew evil, and do wife's conduct the husband will be won for the Lord. Sarah called
good; let him seek peace, and Abraham lord through respect and unselfish devotion, but we do
ensue it. not believe Abraham treated her as a slave or servant.
12 The love between husband and wife should be mutual. If we
For the eyes of the Lord are are Christians we should share in all the affairs of life: business,
over the righteous, and his ears social and domestic. What a woman admires in a man is strength
are open unto their prayers: but and courage. What a man admires in a woman is beauty and
the face of the Lord is against fidelity. Beauty of character is of much greater importance than
them that do evil. beauty of face and figure. The woman is the weaker vessel and
13 she likes to feel the strength the man can give; the man
And who is he that will harm appreciates the love and devotion the woman is capable of
you, if ye be followers of that bestowing.
which is good? Peter says they are heirs together of the grace of God. If they
14 are fellow heirs then there is an equality between them on
But and if ye suffer for
righteousness' sake, happy are ye: spiritual lines. They should share each other's joys and sorrows,
successes and failures.
and be not afraid of their terror, Women's Attire
neither be troubled; Neatness and simplicity often go hand in hand. The natural
15
But sanctify the Lord God in desire of a woman is to be attractive in personal appearance. But
your hearts: and be ready always a Christian woman does not want a lot of superfluous ornaments
to give an answer to every man to make her look beautiful. No amount of finery can take the
place of a meek and quiet spirit. The Lord looks on the heart; if
that asketh you a reason of the the heart is right, dress falls in line. We are told that heathen
hope that is in you with meekness women of old braided strands of gold with their hair to make it
and fear: more attractive. That explains the "plaiting the hair”, which Peter
16 mentions. It was expensive; and no amount of expensive attire
Having a good conscience; that,
whereas they speak evil of you, as can be a substitute for a gracious personality. The desire of a
Christian woman is to show by her life and appearance that she is
of evildoers, they may be ashamed a follower of Christ; and not try to flaunt herself, and draw
that falsely accuse your good attention to herself by immodest dress or costly adorning.
conversation in Christ. To the Spirits in Prison
17
For it is better, if the will of God This passage of Scripture has been hard to understand. We
be so, that ye suffer for well can interpret Scripture only by Scripture. We know that in the
interval between the death of Jesus on the cross and His
doing, than for evil doing. resurrection He went to Paradise, for He said to the thief on the
18
For Christ also hath once cross, "To day shalt thou be with me in paradise."
suffered for sins, the just for the Peter, on the Day of Pentecost, was preaching to the people
unjust, that he might bring us to about the resurrection of Jesus and He quoted Psalm 16:10; "For
God, being put to death in the thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer shine
Holy One to see corruption."
flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:7-11: "But unto every one of us is
19
By which also he went and given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
preached unto the spirits in prison; Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led
20 captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he
Which sometime were
disobedient, when once the ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the
lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that
longsuffering of God waited in the ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
days of Noah, while the ark was a And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some,
preparing, wherein few, that is, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers." This same
eight souls were saved by water. Scripture is most beautifully portrayed in Psalm 68:17,18: "The
21
The like figure whereunto even chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels:
the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place. Thou hast
baptism doth also now save us ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast
(not the putting away of the filth received gifts for men."
of the flesh, but the answer of a We are told that in olden days when a general of an army won
good conscience toward God,) by a great victory, he would lead his captives through the streets and
throw out gifts from the bounty he had received.
Exhortations to Christians 2 of 5
the resurrection of Jesus Christ: Deborah in her song of victory sang, "Awake, awake, Deborah:
22
Who is gone into heaven, and is awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity
captive" (Judges 5:12).
on the right hand of God; angels We know when Jesus arose from the dead, He came forth
and authorities and powers being conqueror over sin, death and hell. When He ascended on High
made subject unto him. He sent the Holy Ghost down to this earth and gave gifts unto
1 Peter 4:1-19 men. What a beautiful illustration!
1
Forasmuch then as Christ hath Perhaps the consummation will be when Jesus comes back to
this earth to reign and leads His saints through the streets of the
suffered for us in the flesh, arm city of Jerusalem and appoints them a place to reign with Him.
yourselves likewise with the same These Scriptures give us some insight of what Jesus did
mind: for he that hath suffered in between His death and resurrection. Just what He preached or
the flesh hath ceased from sin; proclaimed to those in Hades we do not know. The Bible does not
2
That he no longer should live the tell us.
We know from many Scriptures that there is no chance after
rest of his time in the flesh to the death of obtaining eternal life. "And as it is appointed unto men
lusts of men, but to the will of once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). There is
God. no purgatory where one can go and stay until some priest prays
3
For the time past of our life may you out.
suffice us to have wrought the will We have the account Jesus gave of the rich man and Lazarus.
The rich man begged Abraham to send Lazarus back to this earth
of the Gentiles, when we walked in to warn his five brethren not to come to that place of torment.
lasciviousness, lusts, excess of Abraham said, "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither
wine, revellings, banquetings, and will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead" (Luke
abominable idolatries: 16:31).
4
Wherein they think it strange The sinner who does not repent of his sins and get forgiveness
for them while he is living in this world, has no chance of
that ye run not with them to the escaping the damnation of hell.
same excess of riot, speaking evil God sent Jesus to this world and permitted Him to die on the
of you: cross that we might not perish but have everlasting life. He gives
5 us a lifetime here to make our decisions as to where we will
Who shall give account to him
that is ready to judge the quick spend eternity. But when once we have crossed over, the die is
cast.
and the dead. Fiery Trials
6
For for this cause was the gospel At times Christians do pass through fiery trials: trials of
preached also to them that are persecution, trials of heart sorrow, trials of sickness and affliction.
dead, that they might be judged We are told to rejoice inasmuch as we are partakers of Christ's
according to men in the flesh, but sufferings. The glory of Jesus will be great because of the intense
suffering He passed through to bring about our redemption. If we
live according to God in the spirit. suffer for Him here, the greater will be our rejoicing over there. If
7
But the end of all things is at we can grasp that truth it will help to ease the burden of our fiery
hand: be ye therefore sober, and trials. If we suffer as a Christian, we have nothing to be ashamed
watch unto prayer. of; but if we suffer for our wrongdoings, it brings disgrace on
8
And above all things have ourselves and on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Judgment begins at the house of God. We cannot do wrong
fervent charity among yourselves: and expect to get by with it. We will reap more than we sow.
for charity shall cover the Many times the Lord chastens us to bring us back into line. How
multitude of sins. much better to feel the chastening rod here and profit by it, than
9 to suffer throughout eternity! "And if the righteous scarcely be
Use hospitality one to another
without grudging. saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" (I Peter
10 4:18).
As every man hath received the Duty of a Shepherd
gift, even so minister the same “Feed the flock of God." Peter never forgot the lesson he
one to another, as good stewards learned just after the crucifixion and resurrection. For over three
of the manifold grace of God. years he had followed the Lord. He had been called away from his
11
If any man speak, let him speak fishing nets to become a fisher of men. But now discouraged,
restless, and impulsive, he said to some of the disciples, "I go a
as the oracles of God; if any man fishing." They said unto him, "We also go with thee." We never
minister, let him do it as of the step aside without influencing others.
ability which God giveth: that God Jesus did not leave him discouraged but performed a miracle
in all things may be glorified to prove to the disciples that He was the same Jesus as when He
walked with them along the shores of Galilee. After He had fed
Exhortations to Christians 3 of 5
through Jesus Christ, to whom be them, He talked directly to Peter's heart, "Simon, son of Jonas,
praise and dominion for ever and lovest thou me?" Jesus repeated the question three times. We
believe each time it was going deeper into Peter's heart never
ever. Amen. again to turn aside. When Jesus told him to feed His "sheep,"
12
Beloved, think it not strange Peter learned a lesson he never forgot.
concerning the fiery trial which is Now Peter is exhorting the other shepherds to feed the flock of
to try you, as though some God: to do it willingly, and not for remuneration, or financial gain,
strange thing happened unto you: they would get; nor as being lords over God's heritage. They were
13 to look for their reward when the Chief Shepherd shall appear.
But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a
partakers of Christ's sufferings; roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom
that, when his glory shall be resist steadfast in the faith, . . . But the God of all grace, . . .
revealed, ye may be glad also with make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you" (I Peter
exceeding joy. 5:8-10).
14 QUESTIONS
If ye be reproached for the 1. How should a wife treat an unbelieving husband?
name of Christ, happy are ye; for 2. How should a husband treat a wife?
the spirit of glory and of God 3. What kind of adorning is better than costly array?
resteth upon you: on their part he 4. What do we gain by suffering for Christ?
is evil spoken of, but on your part 5. What promise will help us to pass through our fiery trials?
6. Who are to feed the flock of God?
he is glorified. 7. What lesson did Peter learn about feeding the sheep?
15
But let none of you suffer as a 8. Who is trying to devour the sheep?
murderer, or as a thief, or as an 9. What admonition did Peter give to help us guard against
evildoer, or as a busybody in other the enemy?
men's matters. 10. Name three things Jesus conquered through His death
16 and resurrection.
Yet if any man suffer as a
Christian, let him not be ashamed;
but let him glorify God on this
behalf.
17
For the time is come that
judgment must begin at the house
of God: and if it first begin at us,
what shall the end be of them that
obey not the gospel of God?
18
And if the righteous scarcely be
saved, where shall the ungodly
and the sinner appear?
19
Wherefore let them that suffer
according to the will of God
commit the keeping of their souls
to him in well doing, as unto a
faithful Creator.
1 Peter 5:1-11
1
The elders which are among you
I exhort, who am also an elder,
and a witness of the sufferings of
Christ, and also a partaker of the
glory that shall be revealed:
2
Feed the flock of God which is
among you, taking the oversight
thereof, not by constraint, but
willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of
a ready mind;
3
Neither as being lords over

Exhortations to Christians 4 of 5
God's heritage, but being
ensamples to the flock.
4
And when the chief Shepherd
shall appear, ye shall receive a
crown of glory that fadeth not
away.
5
Likewise, ye younger, submit
yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all
of you be subject one to another,
and be clothed with humility: for
God resisteth the proud, and
giveth grace to the humble.
6
Humble yourselves therefore
under the mighty hand of God,
that he may exalt you in due time:
7
Casting all your care upon him;
for he careth for you.
8
Be sober, be vigilant; because
your adversary the devil, as a
roaring lion, walketh about,
seeking whom he may devour:
9
Whom resist stedfast in the
faith, knowing that the same
afflictions are accomplished in
your brethren that are in the
world.
10
But the God of all grace, who
hath called us unto his eternal
glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye
have suffered a while, make you
perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle
you.
11
To him be glory and dominion
for ever and ever. Amen.

Exhortations to Christians 5 of 5