Text: 1 Peter 1:1-25
Dr. J.H. Jowett said that while walking along the seashore one morning he noticed that at low tide there were hundreds of small, separate pools along the shore. Later that same day he observed that at high tide, not only was there one great glorious, pulsing expanse of water, but there was an overspray from the breaking waves that was cool and refreshing those passing by.1
Friends when the high tide of the Holy Spirit washes over us, we are made one in Christ. In the moving of the Holy Spirit our differences go awash in waves of love, – waves that not only pulse through our bodies, but an effervescent overspray touches all who pass by. Jesus said, in John 4:14, He would be to us, like a well of water, springing up or bubbling forth, and in
John 8:38 Jesus said the Holy Spirit would flow out of believers like a great river. When the Holy Spirit washes over us friends, we become one great, effective winning team walking and working together under His direction.
I want to suggest to you this morning that, winning in the life of a Christian is learning to walk and work together in genuine love.
Perhaps you’re wondering how the church can ever learn to truly walk and work together in love this side of glory? You’ve heard the little poem:
To live above with the saints we love
O that will be glory!
To be stuck here below with the saints we know
Is quite another story!
We have some significant changes in the wind at Rosebank and change can either be constructive or destructive. The outcome is based on our choice to have a godly response or a human reaction. Let’s get into our text and discover the winning ways the bible would instruct us in, so that we can walk together and work together for God’s glory.
In our text for today we recognize that Peter is writing to a group of new Christians, displaced by the persecution that has come upon them. He refers to them as pilgrims, strangers, sojourners, or exiles depending on which translation you are reading, but one thing is clear he addresses them as an identifiable group. What is it that ties these people together? What do Saints share in common?
1.) The first winning way we see is that they are all born again, as we look at verse 2. They were part of the elect according to the foreknowledge of God. The Holy Spirit was at work within them, sanctifying them, and they were sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ, which all points to the fact that these folks were together in the family of God. John 1:12 says, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” Our text tell us in verses 8 and 9, that these people had believed in Jesus Christ and received the end of their faith, even the salvation of their souls.
Friends this is the critical starting point. We must respond personally to the offer of forgiveness and new life in Christ. We must come to him repentantly, and expressing believing faith in His work on our behalf. Without Jesus Christ we are lost in this world and doomed to hell for all eternity. It is only through our trust in His work at Calvary, where He paid the ultimate price for my sin and yours, that we move into the great family of God. We are saved into a family. This redeemed community into which every believer is placed is known as the Church, – people called to serve Jesus Christ and called to live together in true Christian community as a witness to the character and values of His kingdom.2 The first winning way though must be a deep down heart-felt conversion in the core of our being. It was Luke Keefer Jr. who said in an address to the General Conference of the Brethren in Christ Churches that, “No amount of nurture will make up for a shallowness of conversion.” When we accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour, we may come as individuals but part of being saved is to be placed immediately on a team. Another way of saying it is, when we accept Christ as the head of the church, we become members of the body.
Verses 3 and 4 speak of the incredible hope that immediately belongs to new Christians and the community of believers to which they belong. (Vs.3.) “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy he has given us new birth, into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead….” If there is a living hope, there must be a dead hope. I hear it all the time! When I confront people with eternal questions like: “If you were to die in the next 24 hours, do you know where you would spend eternity?” They often respond, “I hope in heaven,” or I might ask, “Do you know for certain that heaven will be your eternal home?” “I hope so” is often the reply.
Friends listen carefully to what I’m about to say. If you answer questions like that with, “I hope so,” you have a dead hope. A living hope comes from the one and only living God, and His resurrected living Son, Jesus Christ, through the revelation of the living Word of God, conveyed to our understanding by the Living Holy Spirit, – and we do not have to hope so! We have the living hope within us and we can KNOW SO! No more -think so, – maybe,
- hope so,….. we can know so, because of the glorious living hope in Christ Jesus.
What is this certain hope we have? Verse 4 tells us that it is an inheritance, notice the inference to being a family member in the word, inheritance, and this inheritance is incorruptible, undefiled and eternal and it is kept or reserved for us in heaven. Friends if you have taken this first winning step, and joined the winning team of pilgrims and saints, through faith in Christ, then you have a personal reservation in heaven being kept for you.
Following this emphasis on hope for the future, the apostle turns his attention in verses 5 through 7, to the present, and addresses the practical side of everyday living with its tests and trials. Note the little phrase in verse 6, “for a little while.” Paul wanted them to know the trials won’t last forever, …but we will! In chapter 5:10 he uses the words, “after you have suffered for a little while,” and in 2 Cor. 4 :17 he says, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment….”3 Oh that we could have an eternal perspective on life, and know for certain that this life is so short, – so fleeting. No test or trial begins to compare with the glory that is to be revealed. If you know Jesus Christ today, no matter what the test or trial, – you’re on the winning side.
2.) The next winning way we come to is found in verses 13-21. It is the way of holiness.
The apostle Paul picks up on the Levitical theme of holiness and quotes from everyone’s favourite book, Lev. 11:45&46 “…Be holy, for I am holy.” One of the reasons we are in a family or on team once we come to Christ is so that we might help one another to walk in holiness. It was the cross that bridged the chasm between earth and heaven. It was the cross that bridged the gap between Jew and Gentile, and it is the way of the cross that brings peace to our relationship with others in the body. In the body we encourage one another in a walk of holiness. We rebuke and speak a loving word of correction where necessary. In church discipline, we need to see that justification and discipleship are inseparable. Discipleship is not an option. One of our former denominational mentors, Charles Wesley instructed each small group leader to visit each member of their house group once a week to enquire as to their spiritual behaviour. “Evil men were detected, ” says Wesley, “And reproved.” The call for mutual accountability is not new. To grow together as a church in the midst of a wandering, aimless, groping society, we need to love each other enough to call sin, SIN, when we observe it in each other’s lives and exercise discipline with a view towards reconciliation, restoration and harmony (Gal.6:1&2). Who is responsible for discipline within the local body? Everyone is!
Let me quickly explain. As we interact with each other, any one of us might find a brother of sister in a fault, as Gal.6:1 puts it. The scriptures instruct us to take heed to ourselves lest we fall too, and then to lovingly work at restoring the fallen comrade. Jesus expanded the instructions for us in Matt.7:1-5, and Matt. 18:15-20, and has made it so clear, that if we would only listen, hear, and apply the principles he shares, we would wipe out church schisms and controversy. What does he recommend? First, in Matt.7 we see the call for a ruthlessly honest SELF-EXAMINATION, and repentance of the sinful beams in our own eyes before we go after the speck in a brother or sisters eye. The next step is what Ron Sider calls the “Lonely Encounter.”4 “Tell it to him alone,” is what Jesus said to do. This is the often overlooked crucial bit of instruction we miss. What havoc would be avoided if we would obey this instruction? We so often feel, well I’ll just discuss it with one other mature person or perhaps we’ll talk to the pastor. Isn’t it always easier to discuss “The Problem” with others in the church who will agree with us. Jesus forbids that approach. An article in Christianity Today put it this way, “It is plain that one who goes to others, to the church, or to the general public with the faults of a brother before seeking in genuine love to go that brother and see him restored in a private meeting, violates the biblical pattern and is guilty of the sin of schism.”5 Friends we really ought to put Matt.7:1-5, and Matt. 18 back into the membership covenant. At one time they were a part of a membership covenant to a Brethren in Christ church. One of the great dangers we face today is that we are tempted to adopt the lifestyles and values similar to the surrounding communities in which we find ourselves so that we can attract as many people as possible without expecting painful changes in lifestyle.6
Part of becoming a holy people, sanctified or set apart to be in the world but not of it, is this process of discipleship or disciplining each other in accountable relationships of commitment and love. Accountability always begins with us taking the first step. It is not easy to make yourself vulnerable, but the only way to successfully share our observations of a brother or sister’s life is to welcome their observations about me. In the context of caring small groups our honesty in sharing our need for help will often precede the process of helping others. We need to keep the unity of the spirit, – speaking of attitude (Eph.4:3) until we all come to a unity of the faith – speaking of agreeing on the issues (Eph.4:13), and mature into the full stature of Christ. The only way that unity will be preserved is if we will practice Biblical discipline, steeped in love, the way the Bible teaches us too. What do we learn from our natural bodies? We should not play with fire, but if we do, and we burn our hand, the rest of the body doesn’t reject the hand. No, it lovingly sends healing resources to that injured hand and the brain stimulates defensive mechanisms to protect that hand and assist in the healing process. That hand may not be used for awhile and other body members may have to move in and compensate, but everything that is done in our natural bodies is done with the thought of restoration.
The Bible is the moral, ethical guidebook for Christian living. Both Howard Snyder, in his book “The Community of the King,” and Ronald J. Sider in his “Watching Over One Another in Love,” stress the importance of small groups, and studying the bible together. In the corporate study of God’s Word, we are challenged over and over again with issues of integrity and honesty as to how we are living out what we are seeing in the word. I’m convinced that one of the reasons people avoid small group study is that it makes discipleship and discipline somewhat unavoidable. Let me say very clearly here today that if you truly want to mature in the Christian faith and be a vital part of the redeemed community that God has chosen to be a testimony of his grace in this fallen world, then you NEED TO BE a part of a small group. There you will find friends to help you grow, and there too you will find the ideal format to express your own gifts given to you by God. The redeemed community marches to new orders from their New King, who is establishing His New Kingdom in their hearts. Jesus gave the subjects of His new kingdom a new life to live. He gave a new way to deal with offenders – love them. He gave a new way to deal with violence and hate – suffering and loving. He gave a new way to deal with finances and resources – sharing. He gave a new way to deal with leadership – by drawing on the gifts of every member. He gave a new way to deal with societal corruption – by building a new order that reflects the answer to His prayer, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”7
3.) The third winning way is the way of Love. Look again with me at our text in I Peter 1:22-25. “Since you have purified your souls, in obeying the truth, through the Spirit, in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart.” In the very of expression of love to the brethren we have a purifying of the soul taking place. Notice that it is the area of soul – our minds, emotions, intellect and our will that are purified by the Word, -“Thy Word is truth.” Who leads us into all truth? The Holy Spirit. Do you see it in vs. 23, “Through the Holy Spirit?” And how does He choose to infuse our souls with the truth? In the sincere love of the brethren. Friends, a fervant love for God and His word will be reflected in a fervant love for the brethren, and in our loving of the brethren, the Holy Spirit will bring the truth of God’s Word to bear in our lives so that together we are purified.
If we truly desire to work and walk together in such a way as to affect the society around us, there will need to be profound evidence of the love of God in our midst. Augustine wrote in his book, “The City of God,” that role of the church is to be the essential agent in preserving society. He said that pagans did not have the strength to do it out of love for country, but the Christian God demands it of citizens of His kingdom, out of love for Himself.8 Here we see the profound difference between just being a believer, and being a disciple or one under discipline. You can be a believer and remain aloof from involvement and keep to yourself. In his great passage on the relationship between our faith and our works, James says that our believing must convey the vital signs of having received, and that becomes observable in what we choose to do. In chapter 2, verse 19, he said, “Even the devils believe and tremble.” Love is an active verb friends, and love will produce noticable fruit. Love makes leaders, – servants. Love makes the strong – submissive and compassionate. Love chooses to place others ahead of ourselves.
The great commission did not say, “Go and make believers.” Jesus said, “Go and make disciples.” Jesus wanted society to be transformed. Discipleship is not a love ‘em and leave ‘em proposition. Jesus told his disciples to get involved with people (Matt.28:19-20). They were to start in there own small group with folks they knew as we see in Acts 1:8. They were to nurture relationships and maturity in each other. “And these things you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim.2:2). They were to be personable, loving, kind, gentle, and a joy to be around (Gal.5:22). They were to be winsome by the depth of love they displayed. Are you? Are you a magnet for the Kingdom, drawing people because of the obvious expressions of love in your life. Fervent love, the kind of love our text is talking about covers a multitude of sins. Look around you folks, -see the people God has put you with. Do you have a fervent love that covers a multitude of sins or are you suspicious of anothers motives and intentions? In 1 Peter 4:9 we are told to be hospitable, without grumbling. This too is part of a fervant love. When is the last time you made a conscious effort to be hospitable?
If we as Christians are going to restore the broken down walls of society and culture, we need to begin in the arena of loving servanthood and care one for another. The principle Christ taught, – a recurrent theme in the Bible is of the suffering servant who later triumphs, who serves faithfully, lovingly first, and then sees the fruit of it later.9 Love always wins out in the end.
Well known psychotherapist, Dr. Larry Crabb has recently released a facinating book entitled, “Connecting.” In that book Crabb states, “We have made a terrible mistake! For most of this century we have wrongly defined soul wounds as psychological disorders and delegated their treatment to trainned specialists. Damaged psyches aren’t the problem. The problem is disconnected souls. What we need is a connection! What we need is a commited, healing community!”10
Conclusion: Friends what would happen if the church really became the church? We would have brothers and sisters in close relationships, spurring one another on in holiness and works of love and compassion. Our commitment to each other in discipleship would show to a watching world what the Kingdom of God is really like. They would see love, forgiveness, servanthood, compassion, and the witness of God’s power in our midst. Our text closes with the reminder in vs.23 that our salvation comes through the eternal word of God. In vs. 25 again Peter emphasises that it is the word of the Lord that endures forever, and for good measure he states in the last line of this chapter, “Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.” Winning in the life of a Christian is learning to work and walk together in love. Are you connected? Are you a part of the team?
Bibliography
Crabb, Larry; Connecting, (Nashville, TN; Word Publishing, 1997)
Gilson, Etienne, “Foreword,” in Augustine, City of God. (New York: Image/Doubleday, 1958)
Hester, Dennis J. The Vance Havner Notebook, (Grand Rapids, Mi. Baker Book House, 1989)
Sider, Ronald J. Watching Over One Another in Love, (Reproduced handout by permission?)
Snyder, Howard L. The Community of the King, (Downers Grove, Il. Intervarsity Press – 1977)
Waldron, Peter; “Word and Deed”, from Salt and Light, (Dallas, TX; Word Publishing, 1993)
Yoder, John H. The Original Revolution, Essays on Christian Pacifism, (Scottsdale, PA, Herald Press)
1 Kennedy, D. James The Communion of Saints, (Fort Lauderdale, Fl. Coral Ridge Ministries)
2Snyder, Howard L. The Community of the King, (Downers Grove, Il. Intervarsity Press – 1977) p.12
3Hester, Dennis J. The Vance Havner Notebook, (Grand Rapids, Mi. Baker Book House, 1989) p.128
Sider, Ronald J. Watching Over One Another in Love, (Reproduced handout by permission?)
5Sider, Ronald J. Ibid. p.19
6Sider, Ronald J. Ibid. p.15
7Yoder, John H. The Original Revolution, Essays on Christian Pacifism, (Scottsdale, PA, Herald Press) p.33
8Gilson, Etienne, “Foreword,” in Augustine, City of God. (New York: Image/Doubleday, 1958), p.19
9Waldron, Peter; “Word and Deed”, from Salt and Light, (Dallas, TX; Word Publishing, 1993) p.127
10Crabb, Larry; Connecting, (Nashville, TN; Word Publishing, 1997)