Someday - Co-Mission Sunday 2024
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Claim (of the passage): There is nothing to fear for those who do good for Christ our Lord, He will vindicate us.
Focus (of the sermon): Revere Christ in word and action before all for he will vindicate us and has given us life.
Function (for the congregation): To proclaim and live for Christ trusting in His vindication for us.
Pray
How do you treat other people?
A close friend, well we’re prepared to do much good and be gentle and patient, even if they are not at their best.
But The people Peter was writing to in this letter - they were afraid of others.
We’re not talking about friends and loved ones in this passage
But people who are looking to actually harm us.
1 Peter 3:9 (NIV 2011)
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult.
That’s what’s coming their way.
What do we do with people who insult us, or are rude behind our backs,
or just make life difficult for us?
What do we do in the face of peer pressure.
When we’re pressured to lie at work, or get drunk afterwork,
or pressured to celebrate Pride,
or to swear, or blapheme.
When we’re pressured to agree with the culture or - be seen as outsiders, saddos, bigots, different, weird - if we remain faithful to Jesus and being holy?
What do we prize most?
Acceptance? Or faithfulness?
Acceptance amongst our peers and culture,
or
faithfulness to Jesus and his Lordship in our lives.?
Acceptance is a massive driving force in us.
We want to have friends, be popular, fit in, to be thought of as cool, or normal at least.
But being a Christian does not call us to be accepted by the culture and people around us.
It calls us to be faithful to Jesus our Lord.
So how do we do that?
Jesus isn’t sat in our office defending us,
He’s not there in the playground so we’re not the only one who is being different.
And this little section of 1 Peter knows that.
So it reminds us, and encourages us to be faithful for other reasons.
this little section will remind us,
whatever we are facing,
however persecuted, or ridiculed, or ignored, or rejected, or laughed at, or just feeling left out,
It reminds us that ‘SOMEDAY’ Someday Jesus will right all wrongs.
But before that - we need to ask a few questions of ourselves:
1 - Test: Are we being faithful to Jesus?
1 - Test: Are we being faithful to Jesus?
2 - Method: What does being faithful to Jesus look like?
2 - Method: What does being faithful to Jesus look like?
3 - Motivation: How can we remain faithful to Jesus?
3 - Motivation: How can we remain faithful to Jesus?
1 - Test: Are we being faithful to Jesus?
1 - Test: Are we being faithful to Jesus?
The assumption of this passage is that if we are being faithful to Jesus
then 1 or 2 things will happen.
But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. ‘Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.’ But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
You will either be disliked, hated, threatened, for standing by or acting on Jesus’ commands and love
and/or,
people will Question us why we are being so loving and good towards them, when they are being demanding, or even threatening towards you?
The test: are we distinctive enough that we are: persecuted and or questioned for your faith?
There are things that the bible teaches us that should cause people to dislike us In our culture:
They will be different in every culture, but here are some for ours:
We will not celebrate samesex marriage,
we wont encourage or validate samesex couples having children.
We wont accept abortion as acceptable
We wont bend the rules at work to make a little more profit,
We wont get drunk or take illegal drugs to fit in.
We wont put our sports team before our church family,
We wont talk behind peoples backs even when everyone else is,
We wont agree that all religions or ways of life will lead to God
Or at least we shouldn’t do all those things and many more - and that means at times people wont like us.
They will at best avoid us, and at worst slander us.
Some might loose their jobs, or friends.
The point is, in a world that has rejected God’s rule, we, if we are faithful,
are going to be distinctive enough to attract objection, hatred, and even verbal or physical violence or threats.
We do not go looking for it, but we should always choose Jesus above culture - faithfulness above acceptance.
and that means rejection ought to sometimes find us.
When was the last time, someone gave you a wide birth becasue of your faithfulness to Jesus?
If it’s very rare, then perhaps we’re seeking acceptance rather than faithfulness.
But equally on this, being faithful to Jesus will not always attract opposition.
It will also attract interest.
If we are always seeking to love our enemies - even the ones who attack us, then we’re going to sometimes get people asking us why?.
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
We’ll come on to how to be motivated to always do good - but for now, another test as to whether we are wanting acceptance rather than being faithful, is if people notice we’re different - that we love when they or others hate,
and so ask us why we can be like that?
Most peoples ‘hope’ is in acceptance by others.
So if we’re loving even our enemies - they ought to ask - what is our hope in?, because those enemies will never accept you!
How do you deal with a colleague who is frankly annoying, and agressive towards you or others -
do you annoy them back, make things bit difficult, join the office angre whatsapp group?
Or the bully at school - do you join in with others being a bit rude about them or laughing about them behind their backs?
Or do we show kindness and love?
Of course a bully should still be reported to a teacher, and an abusive colleague still ought to be challenged by their managers,
but love doesn’t mean wishy washy niceties.
It is to do good things.
To do what is kind, when they are not.
To speak of them respectfully when they have not earned it.
It is to report them to a teacher out of loving concern that that is what is best for them - rather than out of hatred.
So,
Are we being faithful to Jesus?
2 good questions to ask are
When were you last rejected or even threatened for being faithful to Jesus?
and
When did your goodness towards someone who you don’t like get noticed?
So, if these are tests of our faithfulness……
2 - Method: What does being faithful to Jesus look like?
2 - Method: What does being faithful to Jesus look like?
What sort of behaviour will attract objections and threats, but also questions about our hope?
Well it’s all there in v15 and 16
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
Firstly, being faithful to Jesus, is to
A - Revere Jesus as Lord
A - Revere Jesus as Lord
That means we recognise his authority to rule over us.
We don’t fear the threats or rejections of people around us, we rightly fear the Lord who we belong to.
We want to be accepted by him - not people.
For he will not only judge us and all people - but he has also given us everything in love becasue he desires what is best.
So we obey his ways above our own, or others.
That is why I listed a few things that might get us in hot water with the culture around us previously.
Because if we want to be faithful to Jesus - it will mean we accept his lordship and rule - over and above the thoughts and ideas of our culture.
Culture will have false morals and false ideas about what life is all about.
But Jesus says:
Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
The only purpose of life is to know the creator of all - and the ONLY way to do that is through Jesus - the way, the truth, the life.
That sort of message is going to offend:
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Revering Jesus means we don’t have the luxury the world thinks it has to make up moral decsions about love, relationships, sex, religion, worldviews, war and peace, the purpose of life.
We are people of God who live under his rule - through the free grace and forgiveness of Jesus our lord.
And so we live wholeheartedly by His word - as found right here in the bible.
Faithfulness is to revere Jesus as our Lord.
Secondly, to be faithful to Jesus is to
B - Proclaim Jesus
B - Proclaim Jesus
We are to be able to Give an Answer for our Hope -v15.
In otherwords, faithfulness to Jesus is not just obeying Him, it is speaking of him.
You can be the nicest person in the world,
but without proclaiming Jesus as the source and reason for your behaviour,
you are not being faithful to Jesus.
- think of Ghandi - a very world famous and loved Hindu.
He helped gain independence for India,
was nominated for the nobel peace award,
inspired many civl rights movements,
championed women’s rights,
was famous for always using peaceful methods,
loved for his interfaith harmony message
He was an all round nice guy!
Or was he?
Without proclaiming Jesus - he distracted actually from the truth and has led countless people to hell rather than heaven.
We will do the same without proclaiming Jesus.
Our friends and our enemies need to hear us be ready to give an answer about the hope we have.
Being faithful to Jesus means being ready to tell people why we try to love even our enemies.
“It’s because of Jesus.
That he first loved me - forgave me if my sins - while I was still an enemy of his - he gave his very life so I might be loved and have life with God - the one true God.
It’s not really me loving you at all - I’m just passing on what has already been given to me by Jesus.
and you need to do the same - repent before God, and accept his grace and love in Jesus
The you can share the sure hope of eternity with Jesus - and you don’t need acceptance by the culture now either”
The other keys words to help us proclaim Jesus from this verse is to do so
end of v15
1 Peter 3:15 (NIV 2011)
But do this with gentleness and respect,
Remeber Peter is expecting us to speak of Jesus to our enemies - not just our friends.
People we don’t naturally want to like, let alone love!
So we’ll be tempted to shout an answer at them!
But someone who is faithful to Jesus needs to work hard at loving even those who repay kindness with evil.
Anyone can show gentleness and respect to those that deserve it - but do we proclaim Jesus with gentleness and respect in the way we act and the way we speak to others of Jesus.
So, we now have a test to assess our faithfulness,
and secondly we know what faithfulness will look like in our love towards others.
Thirdly then - all of that is a high calling, so what is going to motivate us
- what should we keep in our heads and hearts as we strive to be faithful to Jesus, even when those around make it difficult?
3 - Motivation: How can we remain faithful to Jesus?
3 - Motivation: How can we remain faithful to Jesus?
First off -
A - Remember, God is For us!
A - Remember, God is For us!
But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. ‘Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.’
Those who are loved by Jesus are on the right team.
It doesn’t matter what the world throws at us, we are blessed!
We have the creator God of ‘the entire universe and every person’ on our side.
In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge,’ and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.
It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me. Who will condemn me? They will all wear out like a garment; the moths will eat them up.
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
We need to get eternity in our heads!
For God will return and if he is for us, then we sure can be for Him!
If he is on our side - what suffering or pain, threats or insults, rejections, embarrassments or even death itself can separate us from him eternally!?
None!
2024 - Be faithful to Jesus, becasue He is for you - and so who can be against you.
B - Remember, Vindication is coming
B - Remember, Vindication is coming
This is of course related to the last motivation - but it should be spelt out in our daily thinking in how we love our enemies and proclaim Jesus.
Nothing will go unseen or undelt with by God.
He will vindicate (in other words bring justice on) our good and loving actions for his glory - and he will punish those who stand against him at the end.
we should be
keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
we should never lessen the day of judgement in our minds - for it is part of the hope we have.
Those ‘we have loved’ but have repaid us by evil, will be ashamed one day when they meet their maker.
It does not go unnoticed by God.
And so we are asked the question - do you want to suffer a little now for doing good, or suffer eternally for doing evil?
Vindication is coming - so we need not fight for it now. For now we do good in Christ, according to God’s will, and then - we will receive his blessing and vindication for we have remained faithful to Jesus.
Finally
C - Remember, Jesus has suffered more for you
C - Remember, Jesus has suffered more for you
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.
It’s not as if we were best friends with God, and he sent our mate Jesus down to give a helping hand to those who were good guys and girls!
No - Jesus came to earth and suffered, far more than we might have to now, for who?
His enemies. You and me, if we believe.
If we can’t love our enemies we should question whether we have too high a view of ourselves,
and how much we deserve God’s love in Jesus coming and dying for our sins!
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behaviour. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—
It’s not unreasonable for Jesus to expect us to love our enemies and those who frustrate, reject or threaten us.
When he loves us - and we put him to death on a cross!
Remember - next time we want acceptance by others for fear of their displeasure.
That Jesus suffered far more for us first.
So, Perhaps these motivations can all be summed up in one word.
Someday!
Someday we will fully enjoy God’s grace and salvation for us.
Someday we will see all things vindicated!
Someday we will receive our full inheritance with Jesus who loves us, his once enemies, who died on the cross for us.
Someday - which means today, we can love my enemies unlike they would ever love us.
We can do good according to Jesus’ word and proclaim him - bring that suffering or oppertunity to proclaim.
Someday - we will see Jesus like we have never done before - and that day - Jesus will overshadow everything we have given in this life.
Pray