Exiled to be a Blessing

Introduction

Good Morning we will be in 1 Peter 3:8-9.

So two verses this morning.

I was going to do more, but felt led as I have for much of 1 Peter to slow down, cover less text but be more in depth.

Football fans have do you remember a quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts named Andrew Luck? He was quircky guy.

He did a lot of odd things, the way he retired was odd. I am a month younger than Andrew Luck, and he retired at the age of 29. He was one of the better Quarter Backs in the NFL. He was entering into what would have been his prime years to be a QB. He would have made million and millions more dollars to remain. However he simply walked away in a suprising fasion. And really since retiring has felt the spotlight completely.

But what made me think of Andrew Luck for this sermon was not how he retired, but what he would do during the games he played in.

When Luck would get sacked or tackled, the defender is amped up! It’s a big play, there would be some trash talk!

Luck would get up and complement the defender.

That was a great hit!

Congratualtions for the sack!

Good job!

Defenders unanimously told reports this threw them off their game!

You are smaped up you just sacked a quarter back now they are going to have to punt it or try to gain 5-10 more yards for a first down. You think think yea I am in the QB’s head now! He is going to be worried about me. When you sack a quarter back and they get angry or up set and the blow up yelling throwing their helmet or whatever, the defender has won! You are absolutly in their head, and now you have changed the game because the QB is having to calm down before he can move to the next play.

So when Luck would get up and shake your hand and say a complement… the one who was now emotionally out of the game was the defender. One defender said you are not supposed to sack a quaterback and then feel bad and like the guy afterwards.

The irony is that Luck retired because of injuries, concussions, he had a lacertated kidney at one point, he was just physically beaten to the point that he could no longer do it.

Which makes his politness all the more powerful in hindsight. The guys who sacked him were in fact hurting him, causing him pain and this not to be able to play as well. But as one reporter writing an article about this phenominon that Luck was doing, called is Supernatural politness.

I do not know if Andrew Luck is a Christian or not, but what I do know if that the wisdom he used in those games, is something that Jesus teaches us to use in what is not a game, but life.

Let’s read

1 Peter 3:8–12 CSB

Finally, all of you be like-minded and sympathetic, love one another, and be compassionate and humble, not paying back evil for evil or insult for insult but, on the contrary, giving a blessing, since you were called for this, so that you may inherit a blessing. For the one who wants to love life and to see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit, and let him turn away from evil and do what is good. Let him seek peace and pursue it, because 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 what is evil.

Pray

Give a Blessing

1 Peter 3:8–9 CSB

Finally, all of you be like-minded and sympathetic, love one another, and be compassionate and humble, not paying back evil for evil or insult for insult but, on the contrary, giving a blessing, since you were called for this, so that you may inherit a blessing.

Peter starts by saying finally, this isn’t Peter wrapping up the letter, this is Peter wrapping up the point he has been making since 1 Peter 2:11-12. Which has been this idea to be living, conducting yourselves in such a way that may see your good works, the way you live your life, repents and beleive in Jeuss. So use your cisitzenship for the Gospel. Use your personal freedoms for the Gospel. Use your most intimate relationship for the Gospel. This is all rooted in the theological foundation Peter laid in the frist half of the letter. He is writting to these Elect Exiles dispersed across Asia minor. Passing this letter from church to church, distributing it. So it is not one particular church he has in mind, but rather this region that he does. They are suffering and being persecuted socially, but the political persecution is coming. So Peter tells the remember your salvation! Remember the grace and mercy that Jesus lavishes upon you. Remember that you are exiles. Remember that Jesus suffered too. Remember that he is your living hope, He is not dead. Remember that you need the Word of God proclaimed to you. Remember that everthing else will fade away but the Word of God will remain forever. Remember the Gospel. Be Holy (disitinct) because God is Holy. Jesus has taken you scattered Christians and made you into a God’s people. 1 Peter 2:9-10

1 Peter 2:9–10 CSB

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

So act like you are God’s people, exiles in Asian Minor.

How?

Do good when they do evil.

Honor, Respect, Use what you have been given by God for the Glory of God. Trust God with your life.

Submit in such a way to the authorities over you that they might be won over by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

That’s the finally Peter is refering to here.

So he says all of you:

Now this is important because we are Americans and we are Texans.

There is a fierce individualism that run in our blood, that if we are not careful can impact how we understand the bible.

One of the most helpful bible reading tips I can give you to help you read the bible is ask the question, who is each books first audience. Or in this particular instance, is this you or Yall?

Our minds tend to default to you, like a singular you.

So we read this and think is a vague command (really commands as we will see) welling me, as an individual how I am supposed to live as a exile in the World.

But for much of the New Testament the you’s are Yall. Refering to churches not individuals.

This makes this passage make more sense and it also makes it really easy to apply.

Yall.... Be like Minded.

This means cooperation in the mist of diversity. Sharing the same thoughts attitudes and actions.

We as Christians in a broad universal church sense, all Christians past, present, and future all over the world, can differ on how things should be done, it’s should be noted that sometime the bible does tell us how to do things, and if the bible clearly tells us how to do things then we do them the way the bible says too.

But there are many times the bible doesn’t give us the how, it just tells us the what and the why.

This is the beauty and one of the things that as a Baptist Church we can be proud of. Baptist’s have long beleived in autonomy of the local church, which basically means the local church runs the convention, not the other way around. We all agree to certain theologcial ideas, we all agree to certain ways churches should be run, but the details of how each individual church organized and does ministry is up to each individual church. This is the way the bible sets things up for us too. Ministry by a church in Ira, is going to look different than say ministry by a church in New York, or Los Angels, or even Snyder. How we do church there is some room for each congregation to minister. There are elements that need to not be changed. Every gathering of the church should have: a proclaimation of the Word, congregational singing, fellowship, prayer. We don’t partake in the Lord’s supper everyweek, but some churches do, the rule of thumb is take the Lord’s Supper often. Baptism my goal is not to baptize someone every week, only God can save someone. My goal is to be faithful in when we baptize someone they they know what is happening what they are committeing too, that they are alrerady beleivers and are joinging the church. That the church understand our job is to disicple them!

So unity being likeminded isn’t a vague command for an individual Christian, its for these churches. So for us, Mr Jones will read our purpose statement after announcements at the end of the service, that is our unified direction, or purposse as a church. To glorify God, by making disicples who make disicples who make disicples (not convert, not make people have a spiritual experience, but to help people actually tangable grow in Jesus from where ever they are at) by being centered on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We will not move from the Gospel. We will only dig deeper and deeper into it! We all of that through preaching, teaching, worship, community, service and multiplication.

Like Minded.

There is this idea that is helpful called theological triage. I didn’t come up with it.

When you go to the E.R. you are not neccisarily served in order of who comes in first.

You are taken care of my most pressing needs.

So if I go to the ER because I broke a finger, they will say take this paperwork, sit down and fill it out and we will be with you as quick as we can.

If someone else comes in and his arm is cut off and he is bleeding, they are not going to tell him, take this paperwork sit down fill it out and we will be with you as quick as we can. They will take that guy back! And I am not going to march up to the check in station and say, excuse me but I was in line before that guy… why did he get to cut me?

In Church there are 3 levels that you and I need to be aware of thinking about like-mindedness.

Level 1 are issues that you have to hold as a Christian.

If you disagree with these you are not a Christian.

Think like Divinity of Jesus. Justification by Faith. The Bible is God’s Word and is authoritative. Those kinds of bug things.

Level 2 issues are things that are important but differences that don’t make someone and unbeliever. We need to humble ourselves and understand that we do not have everything about God right. We have the most important stuff right, we beleive the Gospel, etc.

However these are secondary things that we can disagree on, and also still be brothers and sisters in Christ.

For example, Church of God does three ordinances, while we only do two. Lord’s Supper, Baptist, and the CoG does Feet washing.

We can disagree with that, while at the same time recognizing that it doesn’t mean they are not Christians.

This second level is the hardest, because these things are important. If you feel very strongly that the church should be washing feet, that is an issue that maybe means membership over at the Church of God might be better for you than over here.

The hardest part of secondary level issues is we often make to much and to little of them. May times why you believe certain level 2 things matters more than what the actual issue is.

We are not very Charismatic in this local body, so at least in practice we are cessionists, which means we beleive the gifts of the Spirit, speaking in tongues, prophecy (future telling) divine healing, have ceased.

Other don’t believe that. They are called conitnuationist.

If someone talks to me about wanting to speak in tongues at this church body, I want to hear their reasoning for it. I want them to explain it to me from the bible. There are people who can make compelling arguements from the bible, I believe those are brohters and sisters in Christ that we disagree with. For the sake of unity in the local church it’s often best for them and us to worship as different local bodies, not because hate them but because we disagree on an important issues.

There are others who is they come up to me and say they want to speak in tongues in this church body, I ask why they say God gave me a message. Or I want to command the Holy Spirit to come. Or I have a prophetic word. All of those reasons, are undermining the authority and sufficiency of the Bible by saying God is speaking through me not the Bible.

Those are secondary issues those are 1st tier issues. Do you see the difference, we must act with much grace and mercy here, we are heresy hunters, while at the same time being clear in our convictions and willing to have hard conversations with people. This is why I live the Member Class, and having people over and hearing their stories before they join the church. It’s in times like that that we are saying this is who we are and this is our goals… here is what you can expect and here is what we expect. Any many of these secondary issues get resolved. I can’t of three people who ended up being baptised as results of those membership conversations.

So secondary issues (if truly secondary) do not make someone and unbelievers, however they are probably enough that it will be hard to maintain unity and be members of the same church.

Third Tier issues are small things that we might disagree on, but should never leave the church over. I wanted blue carpet instead of red. I wanted red walls instead of blue. Etc.

I say all of that because tanigible on paper we love the idea of being like minded, but we must understand this means we must understand what our church’s purpose is, direction, values, theological leanings, clarity is not a bad things. This allows us to be unified in the most important parts so we can agree on what matters most, and then how we live that out in Ira TX will change and shift, but the what and why never will.

That is the idea behind like minded.

Yall be Sympathetic

Compassionate, feeling for and with others. Not hard hearted towards each other.

Yall love one another

This is a tangible love that is meant to be displayed by brothers and sisters who belong to the same church.

Love is a recoccuring theme in 1 Peter, they are being persecuted, Peter is saying the world hates you and is going to haye you more. Love one another.

Yall be compassionate

Tenderness of hear towards others.

Tender heart.

Carining not only in actions but in feelings and emotions for others.

Yall be humble

C.S. Lewis defines humility in a way that is helpful for us.

“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of your self less.”

Humility is the foundation of so much of Christianity. Without Jesus Christ humbling himself to the point of death, even death on a cross… God humbles himself we ought to be humble as well.

This whole section stems from Peter telling this audience to do good works for the gentiles to see… those are some of the good works. What is so encouraging here is Peter isn’t giving us a check list of things that we have to do. God isn’t saying ok just do this like this. Just say please and thank you. Just say yes maam and no maam. Just give them a gift.

GOd through Peter in this letter is telling those elect exiles gathering in church that were being persecuted and about to have that persection ramped up to focus on things like unity, compassion and sympathy, love and humilty.

And gives us a practical and actual place to live that out… the local church.

This is begging us to ask are we like minded? do we have the same goals as a church? Or are we working on the side to accomplish our own personal goals and agendas. We are one body made up of many parts. But are we all working in cooperation? We exisit to glorify God throguh Gospel Centered: Preaching, teaching, worships, community, service, and multiplication.

Do we care about the other people in the church? Is there sympathy and compassion tangibly expressed towards one antoehr? This is hard because we are all different. We struggle and wrestle with things differently. But does your heart go out to others in the church?

What love? I am trying to teach my kids to define love well, because love is a word that means differnt things to different people. Love is wanting what is best for someone else. That is what I am wanting them to understand. Love is commanded here, which means it’s more than simply an emotion. Emotions are by nature results of circumstances. I come home and find a box of oatmeal cream pie I am happy, why? Because I love oatmeal cream pies, and I wasn’t expecting them, etc. It’s emotional. I come home and track mud through the house, Morgan will be angry why? because She just cleaned the floors, and I am supposed to take my shoes off that the back door and I didnt. So how can Peter command love, if it’s an emotion? The reality is it’s not an emotion. Love is wanting what is best for someone else, so sometimes because you love someone, you have to have a hard conversation with them… hey you have dirnking to much, it’s changing you putting distance between you and those you are close to. Whats going on? Let’s figure out what to do… that hard but that’s love.

The heart lies! It’s been impacted and shaped by our sinful nature. The Bible doesn’t lie. Love like the Bible calls us to, not like what you heart longs for. Sometimes your heart will be on the same page of the bible, other times the they will not be on the same page. Don’t let your heart win.

How can we be humble?

Understanding that your job as a church member if you are church members is first and foremost not about coming to get things here. We do not exist to entertain you or your family. We do not exist to worship you or your family. We do not exist for your wants and needs to be filled. This is true about all of us, me included. Humility is understanding that this church isn’t about you, it’s about Jesus. So… when you get upset about something ask am I upset because of pride, I want somethings because I want it… or is it something that is a genuine reason to be upset, in humility, love, compassion, sympathy, and one mindedness that needs to be corrected.

You may have preferences on the style of worship we have, but here me clearly, we are not worshipping you.

Our goal in worship is that we as a gathered people sing together these songs, prayers to God.

The goal with these sermons is not for me to have a platform and have a soapbox to vent it all out from.

The goal of these sermons is not to fill your head with knowledge about God.

The goal of these sermons is not to play with your emotions and try to get you to sign and paper, pray a prayer, and get baptized.

The goal of these sermons is to open the bible and to expose God’s word to you (this specific church in Ira Texas) through verbal proclamation.

Expose Expository preaching.

My hope is when you leave you don’t things, man the worship was great or I didn’t like the worship.

My hope is when you leave you don’t think, man the sermon was good or man the sermon was rough today.

My hope is when you leave you think, man Jesus is a great God. The Gospel is truly good news. The Word of God is enough.

Peter is reminding us and those who read these letters the first time that the world will do evil to you.

Do not pay back Evil for evil or insult for insult.

One pastor said there is 3 levels for Christian interaction with Evil.

1: Returing good for evil : Is satanic.

2: Returning evil for evil : is human

3: returning evil for Good : is divine.

Evil for Evil insult for insult is justice. Getting what you deserve is justice. To a small degree we are responsible for justice, One of the God given roles of the government is for to award good and punish evil. We ought to, as citizen of Heaven and America, use our citizenship for defining good and evil as the bible does.

However we can sleep at night knowing that in the end, God is the ultimate one in charge of justice. Vengence is MINE says the Lord.

On the contrary give a blessing.

This is a common idea taught in the New Testament, It’s one of those things that head knowledge makes easy to do, but actually doing it is crazy difficult.

However, when we step back and remember that believes have received the divine, unmerited and eternal blessing from God of complete forgiveness of an unpaybale debt to a Holy God who is infinitly powerful and knows everything and is everywhere, and because of His kindness and love towards us by no reason of our own we have live forever with Him rather that face his deserved wrath and vengence for our sin. Then freely forgiving someone else really should become easier and easier as we mature in the faith. It’s one of the results of a Gospel Centered life, you are more quick to forgive. Especially since any human offense that takes place, is small compared to God’s greatness and the offense of our sin against Him.

So what is this blessing we give?

Love unconditionally.

Pray for salvation and sanctification

Express gratitude for other.

Forgive those who wrong you and seek forgivness for those you have wronged.

Maybe you are thinking ok Peter, that easy for you to say.

Peter is a hot head for most of the Gospel.

Remember the story of Jesus being arrested?

Peter, James and John are with Peter through the night in the garden, Jesus slips a little away to spend time in prayer tells these three disciples to pray, well of course they fall asleep. Jesus wakes them up, tells them to pray.

Three times this happens, the last time, Jesus wakes them up to tell them hey the people who are going to arrest me are here, get up.

They get up, and in the middle of their conversation and Jesus being arrested, Peter (the Peter who wrote this letter) pulls our a sword, and swings to cut and kill one of the guards, Peter misses and only gets his ear, Jesus tells Peter to stop, picks up this guards ear and puts it back on his head.

Sounds to me like Peter was returning evil for evil there.

So what makes Peter change his mind here in 1 Peter?

Maturity. Seeing that yes Jesus was arrested, but that was not Jesus being defeated, that was part of God’s plan to redeem and rescue to FORGIVE His people.

Jesus is killed, but is resurrected 3 days later.

This means… Peter gets it now.

The way of the Gospel is not eye for eye and tooth for tooth. The way of the Gospel is you get what you do not deserve because of Jesus. It’s turn the other cheek. It’s give a blessing.

Peter is telling these churches, yall are called for this.

Live this righteous behavior out.

To do good things.

To be a blessing.

No matter who or what happens to you.

When Evil comes. When insult comes. Return it with blessings.

It’s not an accident what you are going through.

God planned it for you to be this way. He is giving you opportunities to live out the Gospel for other people to see.

Will you?

Not supporting and acting like evil and is evil, not pretending like Sin is not sin, but living a life of saying Jesus forgave me, and I will forgive you too.

That YALL may inherit a blessing

Listen this doesn’t mean you do good things so that you can get blessings.

The blessing you inherit is Jesus Christ.

The blessing you inherit when you live this way is the contentment, the joy, the rest that comes in the Gospel. The freedom from hoping that life might get better at some point.

The blessing you get is a purpose in life.

Glorify Christ in all circumstances.

Application

These Things overflow from the Gospel Centered Heart.

Gospel Unity in the Church

Gospel Forgiveness in all of life.

Gospel Blessing