Pilgrim Living in a Fallen World: On Being a Blessing in the Desert I Peter 3:9-12

Pilgrim Living in a Fallen World: On Being a Blessing in the Desert

I Peter 3:9-12

Introduction: If our purpose in life is to know and love God and to do our part in spreading the fame of Jesus in the world, how should we then live? Peter has been urging his readers, who are experiencing trials as they live “scattered among the nations,” to endure hardship for the sake of the gospel, to be willing to have the attitude of a servant, as did Jesus, and by so doing to be light in the world. There is a saying in bioethics, “Above all, do no harm.” That is part of what Peter is talking about in this letter. We are not going to be perfect, we certainly are not sinless, but we want to live a life that draws people toward the Lord, not one that gives them an excuse not to believe! Above all, do no harm! Last week, primarily in v.8, he told them the attitudes that they needed, that God could give them, as a foundation for living as pilgrims in a fallen world: “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.” Now Paul points to some of the actions that should flow from those attitudes.

The Maine* Idea: As forgiven people, destined for blessing, we should be patient and forgiving, guarding our speech, seeking to do good and pursue peace.

I. Responding to Opposition: Overcoming Evil with Good (9).

⁹ Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.   

       That verse probably sounds familiar for a couple of reasons: 1) I touched on it in the message last week, and 2) it echoes something Jesus said in the sermon on the mount.  We read in Matthew 5:38-45...  

³⁸ "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'  ³⁹ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.  ⁴⁰ And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.  ⁴¹ And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.  ⁴² Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.  ⁴³ "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  ⁴⁴ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  ⁴⁵ so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.”

I don’t believe Jesus is saying that Christians are to be defenseless, but rather that we don’t need to be defensive, because it is really not all about us, it’s about Jesus, His glory, and His mission in the world. Besides, the Bible makes it clear that the battle is the Lord’s!  So rather than striking back, we who have experienced such extreme forgiveness can practice radical forgiveness. C. S. Lewis said: “To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.” I read a story of extreme forgiveness this week…

After the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989, no person in all of East Germany was more despised than the former Communist dictator Erich Honecher. He had been stripped of all his offices. Even the Communist Party rejected him. Kicked out of his villa, the new government refused him and his wife new housing. The Honechers were homeless and destitute.

Enter pastor Uwe Holmer, director of a Christian help center north of Berlin. Made aware of the Honechers’ straits, Pastor Holmer felt it would be wrong to give them a room meant for even needier people. So the pastor and his family decided to take the former dictator into their own home!

Erich Honecher’s wife, Margot, had ruled the East German educational system for twenty-six years [she was called the purple witch by some in Germany in those days because of the slight bluish tint she put in her white hair]. Eight of Pastor Holmer’s ten children had been turned down for higher education due to Mrs. Honecher’s policies, which discriminated against Christians. Now the Holmers were caring for their personal enemy—the most hated man in Germany. This was so unnatural, so unconventional, so Christlike.

By the grace of God, the Holmers loved their enemies, did them good, blessed them, and prayed for them. They turned the other cheek. They gave their enemies their coat (their own home). 

Don’t answer evil with evil, or reviling with reviling.  Overcome evil with good. Augustine said: “If you are suffering from a bad man’s injustice, forgive him lest there be two bad men.” God called us to be peacemakers, “…that you may inherit a blessing…” He is not saying that we “earn” this inheritance, this blessing. This is alluding to the future for which we were saved. God loves us, He is our Father. John said, “Behold what manner of love the Father his given unto us, that we should be called the children of God, and such we are!”  Remember what Jesus did for you, then, as forgiven people, destined for blessing, we should be patient and forgiving, guarding our speech, seeking to do good and to pursue peace.

II. The Pathway to Abundant Life and Peace (10,11). 

¹⁰ For "Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;  ¹¹ let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.

     Peter begins v.10 with the word “for,” which introduces a quotation from the Old Testament. The sense is, “For [it is written]…” The motivation for the attitudes he describes in v.8, the reason we don’t strike back verbally (9), is because God cares deeply about our speech, he has given us instruction about how in the world we should live in His Word. Verse 10-12 are a quotation from Psalm 34:12-16. I’ll include a verse or two before and after from the psalm to give a context,

^34:11 Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.  ¹² What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good?  ¹³ Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.  ¹⁴ Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.  ¹⁵ The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry.  ¹⁶ The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.  ¹⁷ When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.  ¹⁸ The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. 

Guard your speech! By the way, as Peter quotes from this verse he realizes that his readers are suffering and are experiencing injustice. He quotes realizing the theme we have referred to repeatedly in this series: We are Pilgrims living in a fallen world. A pilgrim has a homeland, there is a destination and a hope for which he is looking. And because of Jesus, that hope is sure. The next couple of verses in that psalm say,

¹⁹ Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.  ²⁰ He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.  ²¹ Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.  ²² The LORD redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned. 

Jesus is the Righteous. We are righteous only because we are in Christ, He bore our sins and his righteousness was reckoned to our account. “He keeps all his bones, not one of them is broken…” That Scripture was fulfilled when the soldiers were breaking the legs of the condemned men to hasten their death, and when they came to Jesus, he was already dead. So instead the soldier thrust a spear into his side. Jesus’ death made possible forgiveness and reconciliation for fallen humans like us. His death makes it possible for us to have peace with God, and so to experience the abundant life, the “good life,” for which we were created.

       And so Peter quotes the psalmist, “Whoever desires to love life and see good days…” Peter was talking about the abundant life of blessing that God wants us to have. Jesus said, “I am come that you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).  That doesn’t mean your life will be marked by “health and prosperity.” I am reading Libby Grove’s book “Grief Undone.” She is sharing the story of their family’s experience as her husband Al (my Hebrew professor at WTS) dealt with melanoma that had metastasized to his brain and lungs. God’s people deal the effects of living in a fallen world as do unbelievers. Jesus was also pretty explicit in the upper room, “Don’t be surprised if the world hates you. It hated me first!”  He said, “In the world you will have tribulation…”  The point is, we can have peace and joy that goes beyond the circumstances of the moment.  We can count it all joy when we fall into various trials. Why? Because God is with us and in us. Because we know the end of the story will be better than we can imagine. Because we can be assured that God is not only interested in the destination, but he is with us on the journey.  Remember Psalm 84:6, “Blessed is the man who passes through the valley of Baca and makes it a well…” Streams in the desert! We are still “passing through” this valley of tears. At times we walk through the “Valley of the Shadow of Death.” But we know this isn’t home. All of the things we love, that truly bring us joy in this life, are only a glimmer of what God has in store for us. The best is yet to come! Because that is true, we love life, and anticipate the “good days” God has for us.

        Turn from evil and do good! Turning from evil implies a change of direction, a new orientation in our life. The idea is not that we will never sin again (would that that was possible!). But it means that we are no longer slaves of sin and of Satan. We have been set free. So we need to make choices to live in the light of that reality. Paul said to the Romans, “…How can we who died to sin still live in it? …So you must also consider yourselves dead to sin an alive to God in Christ Jesus…” (Rom 6:2,11). We are dead to sin because of our union with Christ. Still, moment by moment, day by day, decision be decision, we turn away from our old life, from the things that we know are against God’s will and in rebellion against His authority, and we turn to Him. He is in charge.

        Seek peace and pursue it!  The language of “seeking” and “pursuing” peace is like that of a predator going after its prey, it doesn’t give up, it knows the importance of the pursuit, life and death! We might think of times we have pursued something in life. Maybe your spouse. Maybe your job, or a promotion. Here it is “peace.” One of the lines that Jesus spoke in the famous sermon on the mount was, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” The Christian life is all about peacemaking. He has commited to us the ministry of reconciliation. Humans need to make peace with God. And we need to be at peace with one another. James said “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?” (James 4:1). Peter says that we are to not only want peace, but we are to “seek” it and “pursue” it. That means we go the extra mile. That means we do our part first of all, we forgive, let go of bitterness and anger, make peace with those who would “war” with us.  We have an enemy, and he isn’t flesh and blood. We wrestle against “Spiritual forces of wickedness in high places.”  If you have trusted in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you have peace with God! And so, as forgiven people destined for blessing, we should be patient and forgiving, guarding our speech, seeking to do good and pursue peace.

III. Trusting our Sovereign Lord (12).

…For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

      When we see these references to “the righteous one” in the psalms, it is good to remember that there is only One who was practically righteous, who never sinned.  In fact the psalm that Peter is quoting, as we noted above, Psalm 34 goes on to say in verse 20, as he is talking about the afflictions of the righteous, “He keeps all his bones, not one of them is broken.” That is quoted in John 19:36 as finding its fulfillment in Jesus. He is the righteous One, and because of Him, if you know Him, if you have trusted Him as your personal Lord and Savior, you are "justified," declared righteous, by grace, through faith. 

       Jesus is the righteous one, the One who knew no sin. And the Father laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He took our sin so that we could receive His righteousness. In that time on the cross the “face of the Father” turned against Him, such that He cried, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”  He did that for all who would one day turn to Him in faith. We symbolize in baptism our unity with Christ in His death and resurrection, buried with Him, and raised to new life. As Paul said in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live!  Yet not I, but Christ lives in me. And the life I know live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” And so, because of Jesus, when the eyes of the Lord are on us, because we are hidden in Christ, He sees Jesus Christ, the Righteous.

What is God saying to me in this passage? As forgiven people, destined for blessing, we should be patient and forgiving, guarding our speech, seeking to do good and pursue peace.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage?  Is your love and joy in the Lord, “Sweeter as the years go by”?  Do you feel like something is missing? Remember the story of the married couple who were talking as they drove down the road. The wife, sitting in the passenger seat, asked the husband as he drove, “Dear, why don’t we sit together like we used to when we were dating?” He was sitting behind the steering wheel, looked over and said, “I haven’t moved!”  God is still there, He hasn’t moved! In fact, he is still calling, still wooing us, still speaking to us. 

       C.S. Lewis said, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world…” Are we listening? If you know Jesus, you are forgiven!  You have eternal life! That is reason to rejoice, no matter what else is happening in your life.  You are destined for blessing, and the certainty of that future blessing is itself a blessing right now, that sure hope motivates us to love life, to live the abundant, Spirit filled life for which we were created.

       It means since God has loved us, that we love one another, and we are moved to compassion for those who don’t yet have the same peace. As forgiven people, destined for blessing, we should be patient and forgiving, guarding our speech, using our tongue to build up, not to tear down.  God has you in the world for a purpose. Seek to do good.  And as far as it rests with you, pursue peace with all. And be about the mission He has entrusted to us.          AMEN.

Pilgrim Living: Emotionally Healthy Discipleship I Peter 3:8,9

Pilgrim Living: Emotionally Healthy Discipleship

I Peter 3:8,9

Introduction: In a Peanuts cartoon, Lucy demands that Linus change TV channels and then threatens him with her fist if he doesn’t. Linus asks,

"What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?"

"These five fingers," says Lucy. "Individually they are nothing, but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold."

"What channel do you want?" asks Linus.  Then, turning away, he looks at his fingers and says, "Why can’t you guys get organized like that?"

       There is power in coming together! Have you enjoyed watching the Olympics this year? The individual events are great to watch, amazing abilities and accomplishments, but there is something special about the team events and the relays. A couple of nights ago the Japanese men, none of them a medal contender in the individual events, took a silver medal in the 4x100 relay. They practiced precision in the baton exchange for a full year before the Olympics. There is something special about a cohesive team.  Personally, I was blessed by a few athletes who spoke out when they were in front of the cameras and microphones about their faith in Christ, for them the world stage was an opportunity to point to Him, to give God the glory (like the US women’s 4x100 relay team, and the US women who swept the 100 meter hurdles).  What is our “focus” in the Christian life? As we’ve been walking with Peter through this letter, I trust He is helping us to gain (or regain) perspective. We are pilgrims living in a fallen world. We were created for eternity and we are here “on assignment.” Our lives will either be a light that draws people toward the Truth, or, God forbid, our life may give them an excuse not to believe. Peter said in 1 Peter 2:12 “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”

Context: Finally, all of you… (citizens, workers, wives, husbands)… All of the “pilgrims” to whom he has been writing, you are on a mission, so live like this…

The Maine* Idea: The key to having a “heart” for people is to give our heart to God, and to allow him to make us more like Jesus.

I. Live in Harmony with one another: BE LIKE MINDED (like Jesus prayed, and the early church showed [Jn 17; Acts 4:32; Rom 12; I Cor 1:10;  Eph 4:13]).

⁸ Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 

The idea of unity is fundamental to God’s design for the church. We are one body. The problem is we don’t always act like it. We know it is God’s desire for the church to experience practical unity, to be of one mind. Jesus prayed that would be our experience. In fact the model for the unity of the church is the unity between the Father and the Son,

And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one… (John 17:11).

We also read in John 17:22,23…

²² The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, ²³ I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

Notice the result of the unity that Jesus is praying for here, “…so that the world may know…” That fits right in with Peter’s thesis in this context. We should have the mind of a servant so that we don’t give people an excuse for unbelief, rather we show them that something real, something supernatural, is happening our life.  God gets the glory. The key to having a “heart” for people is to give our heart to God, and to allow him to make us more like Jesus.

II. Have… sympathy: Empathize with the suffering, have compassion on the perishing. We feel for the people around us. We care!

⁸ Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 

       These next three words seem to be closely related: sympathy, brotherly love, and a tender heart. “Sympathy” is basically a transliteration from Greek. The root idea is to be “with” someone in their feelings or emotions. If “one mind” denotes trying to understand each other’s thinking and being focused on the same goal, then “sympathy” means we seek to share in their feelings, “…rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep…”  It is related to #IV below, “a tender heart,” I have a hard time separating the ideas. It seems this word might emphasize more the idea of empathy, identifying with others in their pain and struggle, perhaps the other is more about being “moved to compassion,” focusing on our heart attitude toward those in need, having a “tender heart.” When I think of “sympathy” the biblical picture that first comes to mind are Job’s friends who came to him in the midst of horrible loss, his children, his business, finally his health. We read in Job 2:11-13,

  ¹¹ Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him.  ¹² And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven.  ¹³ And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.   

They sat with him for a week before they said anything, “for they saw his suffering.” Do we sympathize with the hurting people around us?  In the body, if one part hurts, we suffer together, if one part rejoices, we rejoice together. The key to having a “heart” for people is to give our heart to God, and to allow him to make us more like Jesus.

III. Have... love: What is the defining and identifying characteristic of authentic Christianity? Love. Love for God, and “…brotherly love…”

⁸ Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 

We’ve seen a form of this word “brotherly love” (“Philadelphia” comes from the same root) already in this letter. We read in 1 Peter 1:22 “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart…” The same idea was reflected with a different word in 1 Peter 2:17 “…love the brotherhood…” The idea is that we are a family, and like a family, as brothers and sisters, we are committed to our relationships. Remember, Jesus told us to love one another, and that by our love “they will know you are my disciples.” Is God’s glory your top priority? Peter says, choose love. The key to having a “heart” for people is to give our heart to God, and to allow him to make us more like Jesus.

IV. Have a… tender heart: Guard your heart!

⁸ Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 

       Paul uses the same word in Ephesians 4:32 when he exhorts, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” The same root word is used of Jesus in Matthew 9:36, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” The noun form of the word used here refers to the “bowels” or intestines. Most often it is used to describe the emotions, much as we use the word “heart” in modern English.  Jesus saw the multitudes and was “moved to compassion.” We need to see the people around us in the same way. What things keep us from having a tender heart? Why is it so easy for our heart to get “hard”?

       I think that we need to be intentional about “guarding our heart,” as the Proverb says, “Everything else depends on it…” (Prov 4:23). The key to having a “heart” for people is to give our heart to God, and to allow him to make us more like Jesus.

V. Have... humility: “…a humble mind…” (When we see God rightly, we see ourselves more clearly).

⁸ Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 

       Philip Brooks said “The true way to be humble is not to stoop until you are smaller than yourself, but to stand at your real height against some higher nature that will show what the real smallness of your greatness is.” If we focus on God’s holiness, if we think about His majesty, if we reflect on the depths and perfection of His love, we’ll see ourselves a little more clearly, we all fall dreadfully short.  False humility is talking down about ourselves (secretly hoping someone will speak up and say how great we are!). Humility is to know the truth about ourselves, and being so overwhelmed by the grace that God has shown us, that we desire His glory above all.

       Corrie ten Boom was once asked if it was difficult for her to remain humble. Her reply was simple…

“When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday on the back of a donkey, and everyone was waving palm branches throwing garments on the road, and singing praises, do you think that for one moment it every entered into the head of that donkey that any of it was for him? If I can be the donkey on which Jesus Christ rides... I give Him all the praise and all the honor.”

Andrew Murray gave a beautiful definition of biblical humility:

“Humility is perfect quietness of heart. It is to expect nothing, to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me. It is to be at rest when nobody praises me, and when I am blamed or despised. It is to have a blessed home in the Lord, where I can go in and shut the door, and kneel to my Father in secret, and am at peace as in a deep sea of calmness, when all around and above is trouble.  The humble person is not one who thinks meanly of himself, he simply does not think of himself at all.”

       The idea of humility is reflected by putting into practice the elements in the acrostic for the word J.O.Y… Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last.  God gets the glory, and He is glorfied when we put others before ourselves.  The key to having a “heart” for people is to give our heart to God, and to allow him to make us more like Jesus.

VI. Be... forgiving: Not insisting on “justice” and our personal rights, it is all about Jesus. So, as a people forgiven, having experienced God’s grace,

Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing… (9).

Remember, Peter is writing about having the attitude of a servant, putting our mission and God’s glory above our preferences or our rights. Peter says don’t strike back.  Jesus didn’t (cf. I Pet 2:23)!  Instead, we should be quick to forgive, we should be quick to extend grace.  C.S. Lewis said: “Everyone thinks forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive.” Isn’t that the truth? We embrace our right to be offended. We want justice!

      This week I read in a devotional the story of two writers collaborating on a book…

There was only one problem when Tara Barthel and Judy Dabler set out to write their book Peacemaking Women: No sooner had they started than they weren't speaking to each other. [How is that for irony! SN.]

Judy had been Tara's first choice as co-author for a book about resolving conflicts. Everything from her conciliation expertise to her Christian experience made her the ideal partner.

Tara was pregnant with her first child when the writing process began, and in her task-oriented mind, it was imperative that the manuscript be completed before the baby came. Judy, however, was blindsided by a series of major setbacks, including personal health issues, her husband's hospitalization after a lawn-mowing accident, her mother's hip replacement, her father-in-law's bout with lung cancer, the loss of two employees in her counseling ministry and an unusually taxing caseload.

     But Judy isn't one to make excuses. And though Tara would have probably understood why Judy's work wasn't coming in on time if she had known what her friend was up against, all she could see was a colleague who wasn't making good on a promise.

     Everything at this point became email driven—the kind of communication that strips itself of personality and voice inflection, leaving the real meanings obscured by cold keyboard strokes. And every time the other's name would appear in the in-box, stomachs would churn.

     This wasn't going well. Not at all. Two peacemaking professionals in a standoff. In need of peace.

     You'll be glad to know that both of them finally applied the truth of their book. The hurt came out, understanding occurred, and forgiveness was expressed and granted. And their book had an extra chapter about very up-close-and-personal conflict.

     Their story teaches a lesson. When people disappoint you, be patient. There may be more going on underneath the surface than you realize.

Isn’t that a great picture of the danger of unforgiveness? These ladies were collaborating on a book...  about peacemaking!  If they could fall into the trap of harboring a grudge or becoming bitter, it can happen to any of us. You see how these ideas fit together? If we love we will be forgiving, “Love keeps no record of wrongs.”

       A Texas businessman and philanthropist, Robert L. Thornton, told the story of his parents having an “energetic” disagreement…

…my father jumped up from the table, grabbed two pieces of paper, and said to my mother, “Let’s make a list of everything we don’t like about each other” Mom started writing. Dad glowered at her for a few minutes, and then wrote on his paper. She wrote again. He watched her, and every time she stopped, he would start writing again. They finally finished. “Let’s exchange complaints,” Dad said. They gave each other the lists. “Give mine back,” Mom pleaded when she glanced at his sheet. All down the page, Dad had written, “I love you, I love you, I love you.”

Love covers a multitude of sins!  Love keeps no record of wrongs. Love chooses to forgive. The apostle Paul said, “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you…” (Eph 4:32). We are forgiven, we must be forgiving!  We have been shown such grace, we should be gracious!

What is God saying to me in this passage? The key to having a “heart” for people is to give our heart to God, and to allow him to make us more like Jesus.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? Individually we’re not much. But when we come together we can form an awesome weapon in the hands of God. God has us in this world for a purpose. And he has each one of us in this church for a purpose. It’s not just to take up space. This is GOD’S Church. And He says, we have two primary areas of responsibility. One, to use our gifts for the encouragement and building up of other believers.  Two, to be a witness in the place where God has put us. We’ve talked quite a bit over the last six months or so about the “Oikos” model for outreach.  This is not a man-made ministry model. It is God’s plan for building His church. It is a simple fact of history, that since the beginning of the church age, 95% of the people who have come to faith in Jesus come through a person or persons that they already know.  A friend, a relative, a co-worker, or maybe a neighbor. It makes sense. For a meaningful conversation to happen it always requires the permission of at least two people. Most people are more willing to hear what someone they know has to say about God rather than hearing from a complete stranger. 

      Consider this: God has intentionally, supernaturally, placed a small group of people (experts tell us on average it’s between 8 and 15 people) on the “front burner” of your life. You are their personal missionary!  I don’t want to put any pressure on you, but think about this: you may be the only one that God has assigned to bring them to Christ.  Will you trust God and embrace your mission? God has placed us here, on this peninsula, in this Body, for a purpose. He is building His church, and you are a part of His team, handpicked by the Creator himself! Individually we’re not much, but together, we can be a fearsome weapon in the hands of our mighty God!   Will you allow Him to use you?          Amen.

Pilgrim Living in a Fallen World: Gospel Centered Families I Peter 3:1-7

Pilgrim Living in a Fallen World: Gospel Centered Families

I Peter 3:1-7

Introduction: Dr. Edmund Clowney said “Marriage is not a sacrament conveying divine grace, but it is the human relationship that God has designed to mirror the love of Christ for the church, and of the church for Christ.”  Remember the context. I Peter 2:9-12 talks about our lives as “pilgrims” and our calling to be a witness to the world.  Do we “…live such good lives among the pagans…” that God is glorified?  Submission to authority is an aspect of “pilgrim living in a fallen world.” Peter has talked about government and our workplace and how our respect for authority opens a door for our witness to the Gospel. Here he talks about how our faith can have an impact on our family, starting with our spouse.

        With all the uncertainties of living in a fallen world, we can influence our spouse, our children, and others in our sphere of influence toward coming to the truth, and one way we do that is the example we set in our marriage relationship.  We speak the truth in love, and we flesh it out in our living. One aspect of a “pilgrim family,” is a husband and wife that realize that our Maker created the family, and that His design for the family is best, no matter what culture is saying at the moment. This is a critical application of Paul’s words to the Romans 12:1,2, “…do not be conformed to the world…”, or as one paraphrase puts it, “don’t let the world force you into it’s mold…”! God has designed the marriage relationship so that the man and the woman complement one another, they complete each other.  They recognize God’s plan and long to walk in it. As we do, by living in a devoted, sacrificial relationship with our spouse, we bear witness to God’s grace (the gospel).

The Maine* Idea: Our relationship with our spouse illustrates our love for God (and God’s love for us!) and is a witness to our spouse, to our children, and to the world.

I. Our life is a testimony to our spouse of our faith in God:  Biblical submission can win an unsaved spouse to faith in Christ (3:1-2).

Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives-  ²when they see your respectful and pure conduct. 

        “Likewise…” This reminds us that we need to read and understand Peter’s exhortation here in its context.  Back in 1 Peter 2:11-13 we read,

¹¹ Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.  ¹² Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.  ¹³ Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution…

That is the context. Is the gospel and God’s mission more important than your “rights”? He says we need to recognize and respect the authorities that God has allowed in our lives. Then in 2:15-18 he begins to get more specific,   

¹⁵ For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.  ¹⁶ Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.  ¹⁷ Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.  ¹⁸Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.

We are to live as God’s servants, so we respect government and we follow our boss’s directions at work, even when we don’t always agree.  That respect garners the attention of the world, and it bears witness to the gospel. Then in 3:1 he says, “…[likewise] wives, be subject to your own husbands…”  This entire context is talking about a servant attitude, guided by love, respecting the authorities that God has established, but about all, “living as servants of God” (2:16).  In 3:7 he says, “Likewise, husbands...” So Peter is talking about our mutual responsibilities in the family and the power of our witness, to an unsaved spouse, to our children, and to the world.  Jesus himself is the example. Peter just lifted up the Gospel and the message of the cross as an example of selfless service. It is what Paul spoke of to the Philippians when he said,

⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, ⁸ he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.        

The motivation for a believing woman is to win her husband to faith: “…so that even if some do not obey the word they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives…”   There were some women who had come to faith, and either their husbands had not yet been saved, or if they had, they were not walking with the Lord. The husbands had heard the gospel. How do we know that?  “…they do not obey the word…” That means they heard the word, they knew the truth, but they were not walking in obedience to the truth. They didn’t believe. Even in such a case Peter says, the wife respects the position of leadership in the family that God has established. So he says…

       Be subject to your own husband – This passage is specifically referring to “your own husband.” That makes it clear that that it is the husband/wife relationship, the family, that Peter is referring to. It doesn’t mean that couples don’t talk through their decisions together.  Women are not called to leave their brain at the marriage altar.  It means that she recognizes that God has established an order in the family, and given the husband the responsibility to lead. She respects and encourages that and follows his leadership.

       What about the husband that “does not obey the word”? This isn’t saying the wife follows the husband into sin.  But neither does the wife spoken of here incessantly beat her husband over the head with the gospel. She loves him, she respects him as the head of the family, and her “respectful and pure conduct” can be used by God to “win him without a word.”  That “respectful and pure conduct” is not only seen day in and day out by her husband, but it is also teaching the children, by example, God’s design for the family. And she shows her extended family and friends that she believes God is real, His way is best, and she trusts Him. That is faith, believing God, taking Him at His Word.  And in the marriage relationship that attitude should characterize believing wives and husbands. The gospel, and our mission, takes precedence over my “rights.” We’ll see in a minute that it is mutual. So, our relationship with our spouse illustrates our love for God and is a witness to our spouse, to our children, and to the world.

II.  Our relationships must not be based on the superficial but come from the heart and from faith in God (3-6).

³ Do not let your adorning be external- the braiding of hair, the wearing of gold, or the putting on of clothing-  ⁴ but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. 

Peter goes on to give more teaching about what this beautiful example really looks like, first of all, the negative: “Do not let your adorning be external…”

        What does true beauty look like (3,4)?  This is not saying that women shouldn’t do their hair or wear jewelry. How do I know that? Look at the next phrase, “or the putting on of clothing…” If it meant that they shouldn’t braid their hair or wear jewelry, then it must also mean they shouldn’t put on clothing, it can’t mean that! The world certainly has it’s own ideas of “beauty” and we can get caught up in that. Even Christian young people sometimes struggle with a poor self-image because of what culture is telling them is “beautiful.”  “Beauty” as the world defines it is fleeting, it is temporary.  External “beauty” is truly only skin deep.  Rather than the merely external, Peter urges, “…but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart…” God looks on the heart, and Peter is saying that is where true, lasting beauty, begins.

       “…with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit…” A gentle and quiet spirit, respectful submission to her husband in the role that God has given him to lead the family, is a kind of beauty that will never diminish, it never grows old, it doesn’t fade. In fact, it is a beauty “…which in God’s sight is very precious…” The word “precious” here is not very common in the Bible. It appears only two other times in the New Testament. In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, it appears another dozen times or so. One of those is in Proverbs 31:10, “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.” She is more precious than any treasure, her example is priceless to her husband and family, and is a witness to the world.

Examples of “inner beauty” have been revealed throughout history (5-6).

⁵ For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their husbands, ⁶as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.

We can look to Scripture and learn from the examples, positive and negative, that are recorded there.

      1. First, notice that Peter refers to “…holy women who hoped in God…” They are described as “holy,” i.e. “set apart.”  Based on the context this was a holiness that could be seen, it was evident in their conduct.

     2. They were “…holy women who hoped in God…”  “Hope” does not imply pie in the sky wishful thinking that everything is going to somehow work out. This is biblical hope, a confidence about the future that is rooted in faith in God.

      3. “…submitting to their husbands as Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him lord…”  Sarah was a beautiful, strong woman, and she recognized God’s design for the family. She followed Abraham and affirmed his leadership. He surely made some pretty big mistakes along the way. But she recognized God’s design for the family, and she submitted to his leadership. God made men and women to be different. We are different not because of culture or tradition, we are different by design.  And as husbands are called to be loving, sacrificial leaders in their family, women are designed to complement men, to fill in where they are weak, and to respect and follow them.

      4. “…if you do good, and do not fear…” They know God’s way is best, so they are not afraid of what people might think. So we read in Proverbs 31:30, “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.”  She knows God, even though the world is such a mess and there is so much danger and uncertainty that we face, if God is for us, who can stand against us? We have nothing to fear!

Throughout this context, but particularly when we are talking about God’s design for the family, the Scripture is calling us to a counter-cultural lifestyle that flows out of a biblical worldview.  We look around us and see the direction godless thinking is taking our society, particularly in the area of human sexuality and the family. Not every family has the ideal, intact, family situation.  But all of us have a perfect example of a father: “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation” (Psalm 68:5).  God is the perfect Father.  Jesus is the bridegroom, and the church is His bride. We love Him and follow Him.  Our relationship with our spouse illustrates our love for God and is a witness to our spouse, to our children, and to the world.

III. Honor God’s Design and rejoice in His grace: Choose love (7).

“Likewise, husbands, live according to knowledge with your wives…”

            “Likewise…”, i.e., “…in the same way…” The first word here is tying this exhortation for husbands into the previous context.  It’s the same word that began v.1, “Wives, likewise…”  Both these texts refer back to the foundation in chapter 2:9-11. Peter is saying “Know who you are, and whose you are!” We have been chosen by God, who made us his own, so that we could proclaim the riches of his grace to the world.  So we are different, we are pilgrims, sojourners and exiles, looking forward to something better.  We are not home yet. And so Peter says we submit ourselves to the delegated authorities, and likewise, men…

“…live according to knowledge with your wives…”

There is an ancient Greek saying, “Know thyself…” Peter is saying, “Know thy wife!” He is saying that the truth he has been talking about, the recognition of who God is, and who we are, how we fit into His story, should guide our life and our choices, including our relationship with our wives.  As we do that, we set an example that will impact our children.  The greatest gift a father can give his children is to love and cherish their mother. That sets an example for them, illustrating the Lord’s love for us and honoring God’s design for the family.  How do we do this? By “…showing honor to the woman, as the weaker vessel, and as joint heirs to the grace of life…” Look at one phrase at a time…

       “…showing honor to the woman…”  The word “honor” refers to something that is valued or treasured.  Husbands and wives, you chose each other. If you know Christ you are also chosen of God!  Mary Ann and I got a “vintage looking” marriage certificate on our honeymoon.  I remember that one line on it said, “…having chosen one another out of all the species…”  We are God’s, a “chosen people”!  As husbands cherish their wives, we reflect God’s love for the church.  Give honor to her.

       “…as to the weaker vessel…” What does that mean?  At one level this may be referring to simple, biological fact that men are naturally physically stronger than women.  Listen: men should never use their physical size or strength to intimidate a woman.  Any man who would hit a woman should be ashamed of himself. That cannot and should not be tolerated.  This passage goes far beyond the prohibition of physical abuse: he should “honor his wife.” I like the way the NLT puts it, “…She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God's gift of new life…”

Could it be that Peter is referring to how we value something that is costly or precious, like fine china or an expensive vase? It is “weak” in the sense that it is fragile, delicate. You take care of it, you keep it in a special place.  You protect it. We don’t have a lot of expensive “tchotchkes” around the house that we have to worry about breaking (if we had any I managed to break them over the years!).  We do have a couple of old plates that the owner of an antique shop gave us back in the late 80s or early 90s.  I think most of them were left behind (or broken!) in Brazil.  We don’t use the ones that we have left, we have them in a plate holder on the wall.  In any case, when our grandchildren came from a visit, we looked around the house to make sure there was nothing “breakable” within reach. We need to protect our wives, watch out for them. Keep them safe.

       “…also as heirs with you of the grace of life…”  Listen, there is no question that God designed men and women to be different.  It’s not a choice, it is nature. The Bible teaches a complementarian view of gender: God has made us different, we complete one another, he has assigned different roles to men and women in the church, and to husbands and wives in the family.  But when it comes to spiritual standing before God, our position in Christ, Paul said in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Here in I Peter 3:7 Peter uses a compound word, “joint-heirs,” implying unity, oneness. Heirs of what? “Joint-heirs of the grace of life.”  It seems certain, this is the “life,” eternal life, the life of the saved, that flows from God’s grace.  We, men and women, by grace through faith, are His children.  So we treat each other with respect, recognize that God has designed us to complement one another.  Together we long for God’s design for marriage and the family.  That is “counter-cultural,” and it’s a witness to our family and to the world.

Peter notes a positive consequence: “…so that your prayers may not be hindered…” The implication is if we don’t know and honor our wives as God says we should our prayers will be hindered. The connection between honoring your wife and your prayer life might not be immediately evident.  We are told that a result of loving, honoring, and respecting our wives will be that “…your prayers may not be hindered…”  For some reason I have always read that in terms of the answers to my prayers, as though my relationship with my wife could become a direct impediment to God answering my prayers.  I don’t thing that is the point.

       The idea is an impediment to some action or movement, some kind of obstacle that comes between a person and what he desires to do, or knows he should do.  How are your prayers “hindered”?  It’s not that God is delayed in answering us. Rather, if our relationship with our spouse is suffering, if it is not what God designed it to be, we are hindered in asking, our prayer life suffers because we know we are not where we should be in one important aspect of our Christian life, i.e. the family, specifically, in our relationship with our wife.  If we are not prayerless, we certainly “pray less” during those times.  Have you found that to be true?  Paul says in Ephesians 5:25, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…” Peter says “…you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together...” That is something that our children will see and learn from.

What is God saying to me in this passage? Our relationship with our spouse illustrates our love for God and is a witness to our spouse, to our children, and to the world.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage?  In the next verse Peter draws a conclusion to this section of his letter, after calling the believers to recognize and submit to the delegated authorities God has established, after teaching about the complementary roles that God has established in marriage, he says, “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind…” (v.8). That is surely an attitude that blesses our spouse, sets an example for our children, and is a witness to the world.  We’ll take a closer look at that next week, but this is a reminder that we are all called to be missionaries, and it starts at home.  Your oikos, your household. These are the people God has placed in your life.  Your marriage is a part of your witness. And you are His witness. What do your closest friends and relatives see? Think about that!     AMEN.

Pilgrims in a Fallen World: Good News for Exiles! I Peter 2:24,25

Pilgrims in a Fallen World: Good News for Exiles!

I Peter 2:24,25

Introduction: “Do you want the bad news or the good news?” I saw a couple of those jokes about pastors, The Good News: The Deacons voted to send you to the Holy Land. The Bad News: They only bought a one-way ticket!  The Good News: Church attendance rose dramatically over the last three weeks. The Bad News: You were on vacation. I don’t know about you, but if I am going to get both, and I have a choice, I’ll take the bad news first and hope that the good news that follows overrides it!  As we’ve been studying I Peter the apostle has been giving his readers some bad news – they are foreigners and exiles living in a world that is not their own. They can expect tribulation and persecution on the journey.  The world, which was created “good” is under the curse and currently under the deception of the devil. The good news however is that a price was paid for our redemption that is so much greater than we can express, that it more than overwhelms the bad news, or as Paul said, “The sufferings of this present age are not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us!”

       Last week, in our series in First Peter on “Pilgrim Living in a Fallen World” we looked at chapter 2:21-25 under the title, “Gospel Shaped living.”  I barely touched on verses 24 and 25 so I decided to return this week, a Communion Sunday, to these rich and important sentences that express so beautifully the Gospel.  It’s an old, old story but it never gets old! And it is the greatest “good news” that humans have ever received.

The Maine* Idea: Jesus took our sins and died as our substitute so that we could have a new life in a living relationship with God.

I. Jesus willingly became our substitute and paid the penalty for our sins (24a).

^24a He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree…

       First of all we have to understand that we (all humans since the fall) have a sin problem. The first humans were created directly by God, in his image. With the rest of creation He pronounced them “good.” They were without defect, without moral flaws, God’s masterpiece.  Then, what was good and perfect was plunged into darkness by human rebellion. God had told Adam and Eve that sin would bring death. As you read the genealogies in Genesis a refrain carries through, “…so and so lived X number of years… and then he died…”  If God is good why is there sickness and suffering in the world? Because of human rebellion against the authority of God, because of sin. Paul said the same thing in Romans,

“...by one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all have sinned...” (Romans 5:12).

A little further down in the same letter he says,

“...the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord...”  (Romans 6:23).

In that verse Paul points to both the bad news (what we deserve because we are sinners) and the good news (the gift God offers us by grace). Peter gets to it right in the beginning of this verse. Yes, we have a sin problem, but...

         “He himself bore our sins...” The wording here is emphatic. “He himself...” did it. If He himself didn’t do it, we ourselves would have to! If we did not have his intervention, we would have no hope. If we had to answer for our own sins, it would mean no hope for reconciliation with God, no possibility for eternal life.  There had to be another, a perfect sacrifice, a substitute.  And so Jesus, the only human who was sinless by birth and by choice, who was fully man and fully God, He himself bore our sins in his body... Paul is equally emphatic when he says...

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in

him we might become the righteousness of God...” (2 Cor 5:21).

That unimaginable exchange took place, He was sinless, the spotless Lamb of God. We all, like lost sheep, had gone astray, we had turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord laid on Him, on Jesus, the iniquity of us all. The rest of the verse amplifies the awesome act, since it happened “…on the tree…” This word is not typically used to describe the cross in the New Testament, so why did Peter use this particular word? What point is he trying to make? He is inviting us to think of the Old Testament!

        “...on the tree...” The Law said that whoever committed a capital crime was to be hanged “on a tree” and “was cursed by God” (Dt 21:22,23).  By using that same word, Peter wants to make sure that we understand what Jesus did for us. The Law promised “blessing” for obedience to the stipulations of the covenant, “Do this and you will live.” It also warned that disobedience would bring “cursing.” Peter says Jesus absorbed the “curse” so that we could receive a “blessing,” He died so that we could have life. He took our sin.  That is the heart of the Gospel.  

       As he said in 2:21, “Christ died for you.” In Dickens A Tale of Two Cities, near the end of the book, Sydney Carton takes the place of Charles Darnay, sacrificing himself so his friend could live. He said, “It is a far, far better thing I do, than I have ever done before...” He was his substitute. Jesus took our sins and died as our substitute so that we could have new life and a living relationship with God.

II. What he did for us makes it possible for us to have a new life (24b,c).

“…that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed…”

       Someone might read this and think, “Is Peter saying that a believer in Jesus will never sin?” I don’t think that is the point he is making. The point is we were in bondage to sin, we were dominated by our old sinful nature, and now, through faith in Christ, our sins were “nailed to the cross.”  Paul said in Romans 6:8-11,

⁸ Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.  ⁹ We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.  ¹⁰ For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.  ¹¹ So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Notice what he says, Jesus “…died to sin, once for all.” And because of that “…you also must consider yourselves dead to sin…” What Jesus did objectively, as our substitute, has to be subjectively, personally lived out in our life. This is what Jesus has done, now live like you believe it!  If you know him, you are not a slave to sin!  Paul said it this way in his letter to the Galatians,

I have been crucified with Christ.  ²⁰ It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me… (Gal 2:19b-20).

      Paul wasn’t literally, at least not physically, crucified with Christ. Yet He understood that Jesus died as his substitute, and that now He lived his life in obedience to the crucified and resurrected Savior.  He lives by faith: notice that he believes who Jesus is, “the Son of God,” and he trusts in what He did, “…who loved me and gave himself for me…”

       The last phrase of I Peter 2:24 is a clear allusion to Isaiah 53:5 where the prophet says...

But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.

Here Peter says, “By his wounds you have been healed.” The only two times in the entire Bible that this exact word appears are in I Peter, and in Isaiah 53 (in the Greek translation). Do you remember the old song, “There is a balm in Gilead, that heals a sin sick soul...”  That seems to be the idea, healing our brokenness, restoring us to fellowship with God.  By his wounds.  As He addresses believers the verbal tense indicates Jesus did it all, they were passive: “...you have been healed...” Jesus took our sins and died as our substitute so that we could have a new life in a living relationship with God.

III. Jesus met our deepest need, and did for us what we could not do for ourselves (25a).

“For you were [constantly] straying like sheep...”

       This week, on Thursday, the VBS lesson for the kids touched on Jesus admonition to Peter, after the resurrection, “Feed my sheep.”  He is referring to his followers as “sheep.” Of all the animals we might be compared to, this is not the most flattering!  I never raised sheep, but in talking with those who have they are pretty dumb animals. They depend on the Shepherd for everything.  They are without any natural defenses, so they need to be protected. They depend on the shepherd to lead them to water and green pastures. If they fall over they may even need help to get back up!  Even though they are so needy they are prone to wander.  That need is the point of the metaphor here, “You were constantly straying like sheep...” The verbal tense (present participle) seems to indicate an ongoing condition that was characterizing Peter’s readers before they turned to Jesus.  It’s like what the writer describes at the end of Matthew 9:36,

“When he [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

Think back to your life before you trusted in Jesus. In my case it was just like the context in the book of judges, “Every man did that was right in his own eyes…”! Paul said the “natural man” simply “does not understand the things of the Spirit of God” (I Cor 2:14). It’s not that we are as bad as we could be, it’s that our “badness” touches every part of our being. My dad used to say, “Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly, runs right to the bone!” That is true of sin. As the prophet said, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it?”  That was where every human is apart from Christ.

       By the way, think about this in terms of our mission.  We need to see the harvest fields more like Jesus sees. Instead of judging the conduct of our neighbors or lamenting their lifestyles, we should be moved with compassion, we should ache with the realization that apart from Jesus they will be judged, eternally, for their own sins.  The first man and woman tried to hide from God—there will be no hiding at the Great White Throne.  We need to take seriously our responsibility to point our friends and relatives and neighbors to Jesus.  After all, Jesus took our sins and died as our substitute so that we could have a new life in a living relationship with God.

IV. Now, because of Him, we have been reconciled to God by grace through faith in Jesus (25b).

…BUT have now returned…

       The word “BUT” is a strong contrast.  You were a lost sheep, wandering, in desperate need, “BUT NOW…” For Peter’s readers, they were no longer in that hopeless position.  They had turned in their need in a new direction. Have you ever made a wrong turn? I frequently do!  During our time in Brazil we lived in a huge city. Once, when we were fairly new there I remember making a turn on a road and very quickly a car pulled up alongside of us. It was the grounds keeper from the school our daughter attended! He made it clear we were going the wrong way, into a dangerous neighborhood. We thanked him and turned around!  There are many wrong turns that people make trying to find peace and purpose in life. There is only One way that leads to life. Jesus said it plainly, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me…” (John 14:6).

       Peter says that his readers have “returned” or “turned” to the Lord.  The prophet Isaiah expressed this idea centuries before,

“...let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon...” (Isa 55;7).

The Hebrew word “return” [shuv] is translated in the Septuagint (the Greek Bible that most of the church was using in the first century) by the word epistrepho, the same word Peter uses, “turn, return.” It can be used of a literal change in direction, like coming down a mountain and returning to the camp, or going back to a city. It is frequently used of returning (or turning) to God, or negatively, of turning away from Him to idols. They had turned from their old lives to the Lord...

“…to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

These are familiar words in the New Testament. “Shepherd” is also translated “pastor,” and “overseer” is the word “episkopos,” which refers to a “bishop” in the KJV, simply “overseer” in most modern translations. Both words are used in parallel with the word “elder” when talking about the church office. The point here is, that the men that God raises up in the church have a role, but JESUS is the “Good Shepherd” who laid down his life for his sheep. I like the way the New Living Translation puts this verse,

“Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls...” (1 Peter 2:25). 

I think that is exactly what Peter is saying. The contrast is between our lost state, wandering, without direction, without hope, and turning to the one who is our Shepherd and Guardian.

What is God saying to me in this passage? Jesus took our sins and died as our substitute so that we could have a new life in a living relationship with God.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? I’ve got some bad news for you and some good news. Let me give you the bad news first. Every human being, by birth and by choice, is a sinner, and “The wages of sin is death…” Eternal separation from God.  The Good News? “…but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” As we consider the Gospel of God’s grace, the price that was paid for lost sheep like you and me, the first question to ask, are you sure of your salvation?  The price has been paid, of infinite worth, a perfect sacrifice, but the salvation is effectual for those who believe. Do you hear the Shepherd’s voice? Jesus said,

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give to them eternal life and they shall never perish...” (Jn 10:27,28a).

To “hear his voice” is to hear and believe the truth of His Word.  He is who He claimed to be, the Son of God, He did what He promised to do, died on the cross for our sins, to purchase a place for us in heaven, which He offers as a free gift. Have you received the gift that He is offering you? If not, don’t put that decision off, today is the day of salvation! 

       For those who are His, this message should motivate us, his people who have “turned” to Him in faith, to share this “Good News” with the people around us. I’ve been urging you to write down those names, those people who God has place on the “front burner” of your life, and to start praying for them every day. And as you pray, ask God for an opportunity to speak about your faith in Jesus, and to invite them to come to a church meeting.  In James 5:20 we read,

 “...let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

James is not saying that we save anyone by our effort. But he is indicating that God has chosen to use weak and fumbling creatures like us to bring that life changing message of salvation to the world. You are part of a mission to change the world! It starts with your extended family and friends, your oikos.  Are you willing to allow God to use you?  

       As we prepare our hearts for the Lord’s Table consider the events that we are commemorating with this ordinance. Remember the plan that God worked in history so that we could have forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with God.  The kids in VBS this week learned I John 4:9, “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.” Paul expresses the idea in Romans 5:8 where he said, “God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” We are saved by grace. It is His act of substitution that we remember today. Jesus celebrated the Passover meal with his disciples in the upper room. Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed for us.  AMEN.