1 Peter 2:9 - But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him.
1 Peter 2:12 - Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.
1 Peter 1:7 - …so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold…
1 Peter 2:4 - And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God…
1 Peter 2:6 - For this is contained in Scripture: “Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, and he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”
1 Peter 2:7 - This precious value, then, is for you who believe.
1 Peter 3:4 - …but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.
3 specific actions to take during unjust suffering that God finds precious
I. Adopt a Submissive Posture (vv. 18-20)
1 Peter 2:18-20 - Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.
A. By placing ourselves under appropriate authorities: “Submit” – place yourself willingly under (v. 18)
B. By giving authorities appropriate respect
1 Peter 2:17 - Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.
1 Peter 2:18 - Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect…
1 Peter 3:2 - …as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior.
1 Peter 3:15 - … always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.
Point: In unjust suffering, though the individual may have treated you as lessor than themselves, you treat them as greater than yourself
“There are an awful lot of things that we call love that don’t really rise to the level of what love is and what love does. Being willing to tolerate things that are wrong in the eyes of God may create a comfortable surface peace, but it isn’t what love does. Being willing to live inside of a circle of evil and not make waves may cause people to like me, but it isn’t love. Saying, ‘It’s okay – don’t worry about it,’ to a person who did something wrong is not really loving.
I think often we opt for silence, willingly avoiding issues and letting wrong things go on unchecked, not because we love the other person, but because we love ourselves and just don’t want to go through the hassle of dealing with something that God says is clearly wrong. We are unwilling to make the hard personal sacrifices that are the call of real love.
Now, I’m not talking about being self-righteous, judgmental, critical, and condemning. … Love doesn’t turn its back on you because you are wrong. Love doesn’t mock you. Love doesn’t mean I turn the tables and work to make you hurt in the same way you have hurt me. … Loves moves toward you because you are wrong … so that you may be made right again and be reconciled to God and others.” (Tripp, Paul David. New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional. Kindle Locations 1551-1573. Crossway. Kindle Edition)
C. By willingly facing consequences for doing what is right
II. Embrace Your Calling to be Like Christ (v. 21-24)
1 Peter 2:21-24 - For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
“In the life of God’s people will be seen first of all a remarkable reversal of values. They (God’s people) will prize what the world calls pitiable, and suspect what the world thinks desirable.” (Michael Wilcock, The Savior of the World: The Message of Luke’s Gospel, 86)
A. Returning good for evil
B. Absorbing the injustice of others
John 12:27-28 - Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, “Father, save Me from this hour”? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name. Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”
III. Entrust All Aspects of Your Life to God
1 Peter 2:19-20, 23-25 - For this finds favor… But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God … but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously…,for by His wounds you were healed For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.
A. Because He extends His “grace/favor” in this situation
B. Because He judges righteously
C. Because righteously suffering injustice can bring about healing
When my son was learning to ride his bike, I did something a bit unorthodox.
I don’t necessarily recommend this as a general practice, but it seemed to work.
I had taken Josh to the church parking— a wide open space so there were no cars to run into.
There certainly were light poles and parking islands widely spaced.
I was not prepared however for the magnetic force that those things had to drawn Josh right to them out of the acres of empty parking lot.
Nevertheless I digress
The biggest challenge was that Joshua would not or could not keep his feet on the pedals in order to get the momentum going.
The freedom he felt to constantly pull his feet off the pedals to save himself hindered him from the task at hand—learning to ride his bike
I devised a solution to this problem the next time we went to the church parking lot.
What is life’s answers to nearly every problem—duct tape.
Yeah…I did it to my son. I duct taped his feet to the pedals.
I assured him that I was there to save him if the wobble or the balance was off…and he started to fall.
I told him I would be holding the bike and running behind him.
So, we laid the bike on its side with Josh laying down on his side straddling it.
I strapped Josh’s feet to the pedals with duct tape.
I then pulled my 50 pound son up with the 20 pound bike and stabilized it.
My son was constrained, forced, to not attempt to save himself during difficulty
He had to rely on me and me alone.
Being constrained in such a way that you cannot save yourself truly is a vulnerable position to be in
Unless the person you are relying on is greater than yourself and inherently has your best interest at heart this is terrifying
I instructed him to pedal.
At first, I could see him trying once again to escape the situation and get his foot off the pedals so that he could save himself
But he was securely strapped in.
I instructed him to pedal harder/faster.
I ran behind him keeping my hand on the back of the seat.
Before you knew it Joshua was riding his bike.
Occasionally, as I was running, I said, look Josh at daddy… no hands…to give Josh confidence he was riding on his own..
Then Josh would instinctively aim right toward the lighting poles in the midst of the parking islands and then I would have to put my hand back on the seat to stop him.
When Joshua was constrained to not save himself with his own power…and trust in someone greater…he was able to accomplish the purpose of why we were there.
Now, I teach a Parenting 101 class anyone now, want to come to my class on parenting techniques? Probably not.
With that in mind
Please turn with me to 1 Peter 2:18. That is on page 181 of the back section of the Bible under the chair in front of you.
We are continuing our series this morning on Hope for Everyday Life.
Before we dive into the text let’s remind ourselves of some context and some truth we have studied already.
The apostle Peter was writing to a group of churches facing rising persecution— most likely during the reign of the infamous Roman Emperor, Nero.
Christians in pockets of the Roman empire were under threat of
- Loosing livelihoods
- Loosing possessions
- And losing their very own lives
The Christians were facing injustice from people outside of their church who had authority over them
Problematic injustice for us is most often from people in authority over us.
If we are authority over someone, and they hurt us in some way we can simply pull the levers of power and influence that we have and nearly force a solution to the problem.
The problematic issue is when we do not have the levers of power to pull to resolve an injustice against us.
In those circumstances, our natural tendency is to attempt in some way to save ourselves and harm the other by
attempting to escape the situation
grasping for power in the situation
slandering
manipulating
scheming
seeking revenge
embracing a limp noodle approach by becoming
cynical, apathetic, appeasing, avoiding,
unproductive in our efforts
If for some reason we attempt to save ourselves in these circumstances with the response I have just mentioned…we will not be accomplishing our purpose as children of God in this broken world.
Which Peter has communicated to us up to this point
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him.
1 Peter 2:12 Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.
What has Peter said about our purpose?
—to strap into this broken world and engage….so that we may proclaim the excellencies of God’s value system!! So that others may come to know God and glorify Him on the day of visitation….
And we will do that by manifesting what is most precious to God in the midst of unjust suffering…
Peter has and will be explaining and illustrating what is precious to God and draws others to him.
He has said,
1 Peter 1:7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold
He has said, something about Christ is so precious and we will see that today….
1 Peter 2:4And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God,
1 Peter 2:6For this is contained in Scripture: “Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”
1 Peter 2:7 This precious value, then, is for you who believe.
This value in Christ and of Christ is also what God is duct taping our feet to…
Peter comes right out and says it to wives suffering unjustly from their husbands in authority….
1 Peter 3:4 but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God
So…if we follow our natural instincts in the face of unjust suffering…and pull our feet off the pedals… in an attempt to save ourselves
- First we will not manifest what is precious to God
- Second we will not fulfill our purpose on why we are here
- Third we may not see others come to know God
1 Peter 2:18–25, This is the word of God
18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable.
19 For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly.
20 For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.
21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,
22 who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth;
23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;
24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.
This morning we are speaking about Manifestations of (the believer’s living) Hope (in the midst of unjust suffering)
3 specific (hope-inspired) actions to take during unjust suffering that God finds precious
I. Adopt a Submissive Posture (vv. 18-20) (amidst unjust suffering)
1 Peter 2:18-20 - Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.
We will talk about that last phrase “finds favor” with God in our last point.
This passage is directly addressed to slaves that had become Christians in ancient Rome.
Some slaves had Christian masters and some slaves did not.
They were ducted taped in their positions.
It should be noted that anytime we speak about Roman slavery we should remember that it was not exactly the same as American slavery.
Ancient slaves could be well educated, live well, have meaningful jobs, and potentially purchase their freedom.
However, both ancient and American slavery meant ownership. A slave was not free.
While institutionalized, legal slavery does not exist in America, there are always authority structures that we find our selves “ducted taped” into.
And Peter says….do not attempt to pull-off the duct tape…Adopt a submissive posture….
By placing ourselves under appropriate authorities: “Submit” – place yourself willingly under (v. 18)
Say “under”
Our tendency is to be “over”
I want you to see how upside down this point is.
Our natural instincts as I have mentioned is
attempting to escape the situation
grasping for power in the situation
slandering
manipulating
scheming
seeking revenge
embracing a limp noodle approach by becoming
cynical, apathetic, appeasing, avoiding,
unproductive in our efforts
In each of these natural responses our focus is on exalting ourselves (over) with the potential of hurting those who hurt us that they might be (under us)
That is not what Peter instructs…he says in essence…lean in to the duct tape
Furthermore….adopt a posture of being “under” or low by
B. By giving authorities appropriate respect
Can you believe this…?!
Someone in my situation with whom I am duct-taped in and has treated me poorly….I am to honor/respect
The word here translated “respect” is the same word that Peter uses in other very similar instructions in his letter.
2: 17 Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.
(our verse)
2:18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect
(wives)
3:2 as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior.
(every believer)
3:15 … always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.
Point: In unjust suffering, though the individual may have treated you as lessor than themselves, you treat them as greater than yourself.
What would you do for someone greater than yourself?
Kindness in my responses
Gentleness in my responses
Diligence in my work and efforts
Appropriate appeals
Obedience in not sinful requests
However, I know what you are thinking…which is the typical response…Am I to be a door mat?!!!…and let people walk all over me…
In Paul Tripp’s New Morning Mercies, devotional dated February 28th, Paul Trip states….
There are an awful lot of things that we call love that don’t really rise to the level of what love is and what love does. Being willing to tolerate things that are wrong in the eyes of God may create a comfortable surface peace, but it isn’t what love does. Being willing to live inside of a circle of evil and not make waves may cause people to like me, but it isn’t love. Saying, “It’s okay— don’t worry about it,” to a person who did something wrong is not really loving.
I think often we opt for silence, willingly avoiding issues and letting wrong things go on unchecked, not because we love the other person, but because we love ourselves and just don’t want to go through the hassle of dealing with something that God says is clearly wrong. We are unwilling to make the hard personal sacrifices that are the call of real love.
Now, I’m not talking about being self-righteous, judgmental, critical, and condemning. … Love doesn’t turn its back on you because you are wrong. Love doesn’t mock you. Love doesn’t mean I turn the tables and work to make you hurt in the same way you have hurt me. … Loves moves toward you because you are wrong … so that you may be made right again and be reconciled to God and others. Tripp, Paul David. New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional (Kindle Locations 1551-1573). Crossway. Kindle Edition.
When we function this way…. then also understand that my submissive posture that also speaks truth when necessary requires that I be willing to face ….
C. By willingly facing consequences for doing with is right
Peter makes the statement about facing consequences for doing what is right…
And Peter says, this finds favor with God….
We have to ask ourselves, is God some kind of masochist who enjoys our pain and then rewards us for it?
For the moment say, “No”
We will answer this in our last point.
The first hope inspired action to take during unjust suffering that God finds precious is to Adopt a Submissive Posture
Not surprising then…the second is this submissive posture was precisely the calling of Christ…
II. Embrace Your Calling to be like Christ (v. 21-24) (amidst unjust suffering)
Folks, we are about to behold that which God finds precious.
Peter has given us the truth that our faith is more precious than gold
Peter has given us the truth that Christ is the precious corner stone
Peter has referred to something that is of precious value.
Are you ready for it….its not going to be easy!
Here it is….
1 Peter 2:21-24 - For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
YOU HAVE BEEN CALLED FOR THIS PURPOSE
This is to what God is duct-taping our feet!
To what purpose are you called?
The surprising and upside-down response to unjust suffering as found ultimately in Christ
And of which God is molding all of us into….as living stones being aligned by the corner stone…
Michael Wilcock in his commentary on Luke’s account on the sermon on the mount states about God’s and His people’s value system that is precious….
In the life of God’s people will be seen first of all a remarkable reversal of values. They (God’s people) will prize what the world calls pitiable, and suspect what the world thinks desirable. Michael Wilcock, The Savior of the World: The Message of Luke’s Gospel, 86.
What the world thinks is desirable in the face of injustice is
- you will get yours
- wait till I get power
- wait till I find a way to scheme against you…
- you shoot me with a pistol, I will get a cannon
- I cannot wait to rejoice in seeing the day when the perpetrator of injustice gets a taste of his own medicine
God’s people should see all this that the world delights in as suspect
And prize…something unfathomable…and the world would look at as pitiable….
A. Returning good for evil
In the facing of reviling and mocking Christ did not return evil for evil…
But he …in the face of evil….He was
B. Absorbing the injustice of others
Christ was bearing our sins in his body….He was absorbing our sins
This is what we are to prize!
This is what God finds precious
To whom did God say…this is my beloved son in whom I am well-please? Say his name! Jesus.
And when God duct tapes our feed to suffering unjustly he is molding us into the image of His Son…..to fulfill the purpose of valuing what is most precious.
You say Brent, how do we follow Christ example here….I know what it means to return good for Evil, but I don’t know how to absorb others sins and injustice?
Of course you do.
Jesus Christ absorbed your sins in his body so that you could be forgiven.
What does He ask us to do with others? Forgive as the Lord has forgiven you
Every injustice against another has a cost.
What makes an injustice an injustice is that it hurts another
…costing some earthly possession,
…costing bodily hurt,
… costing personal hurt and humiliation….
…costing a valued relation
And the expectation of justice is that the person who incurred the cost will indeed bear the cost and make it right.
So, what is forgiveness, friends?
Forgiveness is when the victim chooses to absorb the cost.
Forgiveness is when you lower your self and remember that you are just like the perpetrator, you understand how you can function in the same way, and that because you were the one who functioned this way with Christ, He came down and lowered himself below you and considered you greater and absorbed your sins in his body and forgave you…so certainly you will extend this grace to others…..
You absorb the sin in your body…..in grace in the act of forgiveness.
C.S. Lewis in His book, The Weight of Glory said to “To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.”
God’s people have an inverted value system in this world.
So, we certainly do not seek suffering but we must savor the opportunity to show forth what is precious
We do not pursue the experience of injustice, but this is what we prize!
We do not seek to escape to what God has duct taped our feet, but we engage for the possible glory of highlight God’s kingdom values.
In the Gospel of John, perhaps you remember when we studied that great book two years ago.
The constant refrain of John’s Gospel regarding the cross was that the cross was the hour of Christ’s glory.
That Glory was the invert value system of the greatest glory returning of good for evil and absorbing sin in the body of Christ.
That Glory was the Love of God in Christ—blazing from the Son like the Sun….This was the epitome of God’s glory…
As Jesus approached the hour of his glorification, the gospel of John records the following in John 12:27
John 12:27 “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28 “Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”
And on the cross, Jesus allowed His Father and the authorities to duct tape his hands and feet to the cross and there…the inverted value system of God’s kingdom that the world despises was shown in stark contrast to the value system of the world exercising their unjust power plays in crucifying Jesus.
And we are to become like this in being what we are in Christ…
So folks, I know this is a high calling and that is why the third hope-inspired action to take during unjust suffering that God finds precious is to
If your father has duct-taped your feet to the pedals of suffering and injustice, and you dare not try to save yourself, you must trust your Father who is greater at saving you than you are…..
III. Entrust All Aspects of Your Life to God (amidst unjust suffering)
1 Peter 2:19, 20, 23, 24 25 - For this finds favor… But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God … but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously…,for by His wounds you were healed For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.
Entrust all of your life to him because
(please put the line below on the same ppt screen as the quote above if possible)
A. Because He extends His “grace/favor” in this situation
The word “find” as in “This finds favor with God” is not in the original Greek. This is an interpretative decision by the translators and could be construed by some like God is a cosmic masochist—i.e. he derives joy out pain..
That is a horrible view and not consistent with the character of our God.
Certainly, God weeps with those who weep and does not delight in suffering.
Also certainly, the phrase, “This finds favor with God” can mean that God will one day exalt those who have taken the posture of submission and embraced the example of Christ.
Later Peter will mention rewards….
However, let me show you also what Peter may have had in mind.
The word “favor” is the Greek word grace.
And, in every other instance in Peter’s writings this word is translated as “grace” in every other instance in first Peter.
Perhaps Peter is saying this…When you return good for evil and absorb others injustices through forgiveness…This IS GRACE
And what is your purpose? To highlight what is most precious to God…this is grace…
God has given and will give you grace supernaturally to function as a conduit of grace to others.
Entrust all of your life to him….
B. Because He judges righteously
Earlier I spoke about all injustice has a cost and the perpetrator or the victim will bear the cost.
In each of our cases, we are those who have perpetrated injustice. against God and his law.
God so loved us though that he sent his Son to bear that cost for humanity.
Christ has willingly offered his body to absorb our sins.
So God judging righteously means that you have a choice—either to allow the Son of God to bear the cost of your injustice or you will bear it yourself eternally.
The Lord will one day make everything right. He settles all the scores.
Please see one of the pastors today to understand the Good news of Jesus Christ.
Believer, yes, God will make all injustices right one day. And he knows better how to execute justice than us.
Finally, trust all your life to God
C. Because righteously suffering injustice can bring about healing
Believers, how were you healed?
Were you healed by God strong arming you into submission by the force of his might?
Were you healed by Him manipulating or bribing you?
You were healed by the blazing brilliance of the Love of God in Christ Jesus who returned Good for evil and absorbed your sins in his body.
By his stripes you were healed
You were continually straying and now you have returned.
And because you have been healed he calls you to that same purpose with others.
Tim Keller says, “Until you are amazed with the mercy Christ gave, you will never be empowered to provide the mercy he requires.”
Suffering…God is strapping your feet to this with duct tape, and he is asking you to trust in him for something gloriously better than this world.
What is our motivation for this kind of supernaturally living where…
I’m not seeking to be exalted over my abuser?
I’m not clamoring for the security of my lost possessions?
I’m not pursuing revenge for those who have hurt me now?
I’m not chasing the hurt of those who hurt me?
How could it ever be true that earthly power, vengeance, exaltation over those who hurt me cannot control me.
Only in one way…
- If your future is secure, what do you have to fear now? You can just engage without fear…
- If your life is eternal, what do you have to lose now? You can simply sacrifice that life…
- If your are promised riches that cannot fade, what hinders you from using your possessions to bless others now. You can simply be generous…
- If you have a righteousness that God is well pleased with, why are you trying to impress others now? You can simply love.
- If you have a promise of exaltation in the future, why would there be any issue in being lowly now. You can adopt a posture of submission and embrace the example of Christ.
That’s where our Hope comes in….What we are speaking about are Manifestations of Hope.
One of C.S. Lewis’ famous quotes is “Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘throne in’: aim at earth and you will get neither.”
You may not realize it is in the context of Hope driving our being good for something here on this earth….not just trying to bide our time until we get to heaven…
Hear the full quote.
Hope is one of the Theological virtues. This means that a continual looking forward to the eternal world is not (as some modern people think) a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’: aim at earth and you will get neither.
Let’s not try to escape our Father strapping our feet to the peddles and trust him to conform us to his purpose to display His glory.
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