Christ Church

1 Peter

Honest With God: Growth in Grace

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Introduction

We are considering the two components of growth in grace. The first is getting rid of impediments to that growth, which is a necessary thing—but preliminary. The second thing is actual growth in grace. This growth in grace is a form of life, and like all life it requires food. Our spiritual life in Christ must be nourished as much as our physical lives require nourishment.

The Text

“Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied” (1 Peter 1:2).

“And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all” (Acts 4:33).

Summary of the Text

We must always remember that the Christian life cannot be reduced to a series of techniques. It is not a thing you can tinker with. In all of the epistles, we receive the benediction of grace and peace. In most of the epistles we receive this grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The Spirit is usually not mentioned (although He is here in this passage). Why is that? I am following Jonathan Edwards in this, believing that this is because the grace and peace is the Holy Spirit. And so the pious wish that grace and peace be multiplied can be translated into personal terms. This too is related to honesty.

And as we see in the passage from Acts, when God visits a congregation in reformation and revival, He is poured out on everyone—and not just on the religious professionals. Sometimes it comes to the religious professionals last. One time in the nineteenth century, in Cornwall, a man named William Haslam was preaching a sermon entitled “What Think Ye of Christ.” During the sermon he was convicted of his own dry Pharisaism, and the Holy Spirit came on him. Another local minister who happened to be present stood up and shouted, “the Parson is converted!” And so we should yearn for the statement from Acts to be true of us as well—and great grace was upon them all.

Another Brief Word

As we strive for engagement with the means of grace, we want to make sure that we do not take what was said last week about the reality of remaining sin to discourage us. What is the point? As Christians we are called to the mortification of sin, and there are three kinds of mortification. The first is one that all true Christians have experienced—God has transformed our weed patch into a garden. “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” (Gal. 5:24). The second is what all backslidden Christians are called to. “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (Col. 3:5). The tense of mortify here indicates that it is to be an “over and done” action. You are digging up big weeds from your garden. You are not permitted to “phase out” the big weeds. The third kind of mortification is daily and ongoing. “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (Rom. 8:13). This is tending the garden also, but it is the gardener going out every morning at 5 am to pull weeds. And you always find something.

Worship

The last thing I would want to do is upbraid you over not worshiping the Lord when the only reason I could speak to you is that you are here. But I do want to remind you of the importance of weekly worship. “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Heb. 10:25).

This is not a lecture, and you are not coming here for mere data. This is a covenant renewal service, and you are coming here to be strengthened, edified and built up. “For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified” (1 Cor. 14:17). Paul is constantly after edification. The worship service is a construction zone. There should be spiritual sawdust all over the place. The word for edified there is oikodomeo, a compound word meaning to put the roof on the house. Mark a difference between an emotional blessing, say where you get choked up, say, and edification, where you come out of the service with a wall knocked out and a load of two-by-fours on the lawn.

And remember that the service culminates in the Lord’s Supper, where all the blessings of the entire service (the music, the readings, the preaching) are sealed for us. The relationship between the sermon and the sacrament is not that of paired items that complement each other, like wine and cheese, or ham and eggs. Rather the relationship of preaching (and the whole service) is like cooking and the Lord’s Supper is like . . .  eating. Services with great preaching and no sacrament are like watching celebrity chefs on television. Services with little mini-sermons (for all the mini-Christians) and Big Eucharist are like some kind of raw foods thing. Here’s your bag of carrots.

Read the Word

We are Christians who worship God the Father through the Word. As people of the Word, we are people of the Word. We are to be steeped in the Scriptures. Our lives are to marinate in it.

Consider what the Word says about our relationship to the Word. “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart” (Deut. 6:6). The king was required to copy out God’s law by hand for himself (Dt. 17:18-19). He was to have this Word so that he might learn to fear God. “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Ps. 119:11). Indeed, for a robust understanding of the role of Scripture, meditate on all of Psalm 119. “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Pet. 2:2). When the Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost, one of the results was that the people dedicated themselves to the apostles teaching (Acts 2:42).

This is why, incidentally, the Bible Reading Challenge has been such a good thing. Read the Word.

And Pray

The prayers we offer up together on the Lord’s Day are the prayers of this congregation. They are not meant to replace your own prayers. Rather, they help to train and shape your prayers.

“Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). “Brethren, pray for us” (1 Thess. 5:25). “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms” (Jas. 5:13).

For many Christians, private prayer is a great trouble spot. So let me conclude with two bits of counsel on learning how to pray. First, don’t be too proud to learn how to pray by learning to pray the Lord’s Prayer. Let Jesus teach you. That’s what that prayer is for. And second, start taking risks by asking for specific things. That way you will know if the prayer is answered, right?

And don’t forget to offer it all in the name of Jesus.

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God’s Sure Promises

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The Text: 2 Peter 1:1-4

 

1. Peter’s Confidence

“And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” ( 2 Peter 1:19).

2. Sense of Urgency

“knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me”  (2 Peter 1:14)

3. What is coming shortly?

 

New Heaven and New Earth

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;

And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.

But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;

For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing,

And her people a joy.  Isaiah 65:25

 

End of the Age

But he who endures to the end shall be saved.  And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.  Matthew 24:14

 

The Day of the Lord

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.  2 Peter 3:10

 

4. What is Peter’s exhortation based on this urgency?

“For I know their works and their thoughts. It shall be that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and see My glory.  I will set a sign among them; and those among them who escape I will send to the nations: to Tarshish and Pul and Lud, who draw the bow, and Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands afar off who have not heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles.  Then they shall bring all your brethren for an offering to the Lord out of all nations, on horses and in chariots and in litters, on mules and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord.  And I will also take some of them for priests and Levites,” says the Lord.  Isaiah 66:18-21

 

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The Shepherd: Humble and Glorious

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Text: 1 Peter 5:1-14

Introduction

As Peter has done throughout the letter, he calls Christians to look to Christ, to be like Christ, to act like Christ. In this final chapter, he does this again, and we are to be like Jesus the Shepherd––humble and glorious. To imitate the Shepherd, Peter gives two primary exhortations. The elders are to shepherd the flock of God (vs. 1-4), and the flock of God is to resist the devil who is a roaring lion (vs. 8-9). How are church leaders to shepherd the flock and how is the flock to resist this lion? The answer lies in the middle verses, “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time” (vs. 6). As the church follows our Chief Shepherd, we follow him both into his humility and into his glory.

Shepherd the Flock (vs. 1-4)

Peter first exhorts the elders as a fellow elder to shepherd the flock of God like the Chief Shepherd Jesus. Peter has received a special commission from Jesus to shepherd his people and now relays this same commission to the elders of the churches in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadoceia, Asia, Bithynia, Moscow.

Peter lists three negatives and three positives for how elders are to oversee the flock of God. 1) Not by compulsion (forced or fearful), but willingly. 2) Not for dishonest gain (greedy), but eagerly. 3) Not lording your authority over others like normal rulers (might makes right), but being an example like the Chief Shepherd.

How did Jesus treat his flock? “Behold the LORD God shall  come with a strong hand and his arm shall rule for him…He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those who are with young” (Isaiah 40:10-11). Jesus not only cares for his sheep but he fights against all who may harm his sheep (Ez. 34). Ezekiel charged the spiritual leaders of his day of being false shepherds who, instead of providing food for the sheep, ate the sheep for their own food, and wore their wool. A true leader puts himself in between his people and the danger. “I am the good Shepherd,” Jesus said, “The good Shepherd gives himself for his sheep” (Jn. 10:11). Peter now turns to the flock and exhorts them to be shepherded like this.

Humble and Exalted (vs. 5-7)

“Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to the elders.” An elder is one in authority and an elder is one under authority. If the sheep are not obeying the under-shepherds, then these shepherds need to look whether they are obeying their Chief Shepherd. Are you modeling humble submission?

Yes, everyone should be submissive to one another and be clothed with humility. This humility is a good thing because God opposes those who are not clothed with humility but gives grace to the humble. Is there anything more catastrophic than the omnipotent God opposing you? “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon him, for he cares for you.” You humble yourself at the rim of the Grand Canyon or under the arms of the Milky Way galaxy or when you rightly contemplate God. Humility sees that God is God, and I am not. Humble yourselves under the hand of God, so that His hand may exalt you. We don’t humble ourselves for humility’s sake, but so that we can be given glory. God tells us how to achieve glory, and it’s through humility. Will you trust God and his humble way to glory?

Resist the Lion (vs. 8-9)

Peter gives a sobering caution––there’s a man-eating lion prowling your city. Though you may not see the lion, you hear him roaring. You may not see the devil, but you see the carcasses of his victims. And so be sober, be vigilant, resist the lion––you flock of sheep.

But what hope do sheep have against a lion? Only a humble faith. Resist the roaring lion, steadfast in the faith. James adds, “Resist the Devil and he will flee from you” (Js. 4:7). A young boy straight from the sheep pasture challenged a roaring giant and remained steadfast in his faith (1 Sam. 17:37). David had the humility to not look to his own strength or Goliath’s but to the Lord’s. He knew that the battle is the Lord’s, and so was steadfast. You may look like a boy versus a giant or a sheep against a lion, but that’s the story God loves to tell.

To Him be Glory and Dominion (vs. 10-11)

What was Jesus doing in his suffering and death on the cross? He was resisting! He was breaking the teeth of the lion, casting down the giant, crushing the head of the serpent, conquering the devil. In humble submission, he triumphed. The Shepherd became as a lamb to save his flock so that his sheep could have a Shepherd’s strength. Believe this. Humble yourself to this glorious truth. Remain steadfast in your faith.

What happens when you do? “The God of all grace, who called us into his eternal glory by Christ Jesus after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you. To Him be the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

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God’s Math

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Sermon Text: 1 Peter 4:12-19

The Problem of Pain is a well known booklet written by C. S. Lewis making the argument for why a good God would allow pain in His universe.  One aspect of his argument is our culture’s confusion between kindness and love.  We prize kindness with the view that we would prefer a God with more of a benign “grandfatherly” kindness over a father’s disciplinary love.  The difference is mainly one of outcome.  The former is seen as just watching over us to keep us content and happy, the latter is focused on making us good using whatever means are necessary to achieve that benefit.  Lewis in his chapter on God’s Divine Goodness puts it this way:

“When we want to be something other than the thing God wants us to be, we must be wanting what, in fact, will not make us happy.”

Given how much Peter deals with existing and anticipated suffering in his letters, approaching this with the right calculus is extremely important.  I’ve labeled it using God’s new math.

How was Peter qualified to teach on this subject?

From verse 15, what is the one way that we are not supposed to suffer?

What Fiery Trial is Peter referencing in verse 12?

What is the timing of Peter’s letter?

How does Nero fit in?

What was the nature of the suffering/persecution? 

What does “his glory revealed” mean in verse 13?

What time stamp does Jesus give his disciples in Luke 9:23-27 and Matthew 16:24-28 related to his coming glory?

How does this coming in glory relate to Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew 24?

How was God’s glory revealed in the judgement of Pharaoh?

What is the connection between Christ’s suffering and our own in verses 13, 14, and 16?

What did Jesus accomplish in His suffering?

What is necessary if the Father is going to successfully make us like Jesus?

How are we to process God’s judgment starting with us in verses 17-19? 

Who actually goes first: us or God?

Who is clearly in control of our suffering?

What is the role of the church in the midst of persecution?

How does God’s Math apply to us in our time?

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Cross-Shaped Lives (CCD Easter 2018)

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The Text

Therefore, since Christ suffered for us[a] in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. 3 For we have spent enough of our past lifetime[b] in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. 4 In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. 5 They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. 7 But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. 8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”[c] 9 Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. 10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen (1 Peter 4:1-11).

Cross-Shaped Lives

How does Easter shape your life? In this passage Peter draws application for us based on Jesus suffering on the cross, “Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh…do this in our life.” A religion that has at it’s center a crucifixion is a scary religion––for its people. We follow a crucified Christ, a suffering Savior. Because Jesus Christ has shaped you at the cross through his death and resurrection, you are to live a cross-shaped life. What does this look like? Peter shows three results in our passage in 1 Peter 4. With a cross-shaped life, you are armed to fight against sin and to live for God. With a cross-shaped life, you have hope in the resurrection and judgment. With a cross-shaped life, you love God’s people and glorify the Father.

Armed to Fight Sin (vs. 1-4)

“Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind.” Christ viewed the cross and his suffering on the cross as the means to fight against sin, and we are be armed with the same mind. Thus armed, we cease from sin. There are two ways to understand this and both are biblical and profoundly glorious. The first is we cease from sin because of our spiritual union with Jesus in baptism (Romans 6). The second way to understand this verse is more practical in that one who has committed to follow Jesus, even to the point of suffering for him, does not have the desire for sin. Sin grows bland, revolting, undesirable compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus. If you’ve armed yourself with the thought that you will suffer with Jesus, then you are ready to pile up the rubbish heap of all that keeps you from treasuring Christ.

That’s what Peter says, “For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles, acting like the world––when we walked in lewdness, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.” Peter remembers when he walked like this––drunken nights down at the docks and the fights and the swearing, and he’s done with it! We’ve spent enough of our life chasing after sin. And you must be armed to fight first your own sin. “Now” is enough! Peter pleads with you abstain from the desires of the flesh because they war against your soul (2:11). Don’t give any more of your time to being drunk. Don’t give your strength to porn. Don’t fritter away your time in coveting. Don’t you remember that Jesus has redeemed you with his precious blood?

Arm yourself with the cross to fight your sin, and also fight against our culture’s celebration of sin, or even your friend’s. Have the backbone and gristle to be different than everyone else because you are doing the will of God. But sometimes when you live like that you get thrown into a lions den or chucked in a fiery furnace or nailed to a cross.

Judgment and Resurrection (vs. 5-6)

If your life is shaped by the cross, you have hope for the future. Even though those still running in the world will trash talk you, “they will give an account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but alive according to God in the spirit.” Peter recognizes that you got enemies that malign you because you’re not running with sinners and in sin anymore. He says that those who taunt Christians, look down on Christians, persecute Christians will give an account to the Judge. So don’t worry about you giving pay back. All wrongs will be righted. God will settle accounts with all people, the living and the dead.

Fervent Love and Covering Sin (vs. 7-11)

Above all, Peter tells us that to we must love one another, and love fervently. This is the clear result of those shaped by the cross. We love because he first loved us. “By this we know love because he laid down his life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for our brethren” (1 Jn. 3:16). We are told to cultivate a fervent love, and a good place to start with with hospitality. Give yourself away and do it without grumbling, just like Jesus did. What did Jesus do before the judgment of the cross? “Here is bread, here is wine.”

When we see the people of God, we see a parade of God’s amazing grace. God’s grace is evident and working in his people––those who teach, who serve, who throw baby showers, who pray for every prayer request on the church email, who clean up the fishy crackers ground into the carpet.      

In All Things Glorified

What’s the result when Christians live cross-shaped lives? What happens when you refuse to run with the world and fight against your sin? What happens when you have the unshakable confidence that whether you live or you die, you belong to the Lord (Rom. 14:8)? What follows when you love and forgive and feast and serve and teach according to the grace that God gives you? Your cross shaped life becomes a living doxology––glory to God through Jesus Christ to him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

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