UNITY IN UNIQUENESS: Standing in the Middle

1 Peter 4:1–11 NIV

Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you. But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit. The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

INTRODUCTION

A kindergarten teacher gave her class a “show and tell” assignment of bringing something to represent their religion.

The first child got in front of the class and said, “My name is Benjamin, and I am Jewish, and this is the Star of David.”

The second child got in front of her class and said, “My name is Mary, I am Catholic, and this is the Crucifix.”

The third child got up in front of his class and said, “My name is Tommy, and I am Brethren...and this is a casserole.”

Perhaps we can find another use for that casserole as we begin message number 2 in our series, Unity in Uniqueness.

Consider these words from James Bell as we begin.

The longer I pastor, he says, the more I am convinced that one of the great mistakes of modern Christianity is that we keep arguing about traditional church versus contemporary church.

That is not the deepest divide.

The deeper divide is discipleship versus consumerism.

You can build a consumer church with a worship band, stage lights, coffee, and skinny jeans.

You can also build one with hymnals, pews, choirs, suits, and a King James Bible.

Consumerism is not an aesthetic.

It is a posture of the heart.

Consumerism asks:

Do I like the music?

Do I like the preaching?

Are there programs for my children?

Do people dress the way I think they should?

Does this church share my politics?

Does this church make me comfortable?

And when the answer becomes no, we start looking somewhere else.

Discipleship asks an entirely different set of questions.

Where can I serve?

Who can I love?

Where do I need to grow?

What preferences do I need to surrender?

How can I help carry the burdens of this community?

Where is Jesus asking me to die to myself?

The problem was never primarily organs versus guitars.

The problem is that we have spent decades teaching Christians to evaluate churches as consumers rather than belong to them as disciples. (P)

And when we use our God-given gifts to fulfill our God-assigned role in His church, be it in front, behind, or in the middle, this will become a very important distinction to make.

Consumerism is comfy...sure...it’s like shopping for exactly what you want.

And discipleship can get difficult...but it is what God’s people need, and it is the only way the church survives.

Because it isn’t like discipleship is trying to find the discomfort, it’s just that the reality of discipleship, in effort to minister to God’s people as we are called to do, means meeting real people where they really are, and that does get messy sometimes - and it gets uncomfortable, and it becomes one of the greatest challenges of doing the work of a Christian, and doing that work in the church, where we may encounter people who are just like us, or at least like who we used to be, with whom we have little to no comfort. (P)

All of us who stand in the middle of the congregation, doing the work of the church to anybody and everybody who comes into our doors have to ask:

What is our attitude when doing that work, and does it match the attitude Jesus had when He did His work? (P)

So I thought a good approach today would be to take a gentleman who has been there and done that with all of the same questions, with all the same attitudes, and with all of the same struggles, especially when he lived his life as a disciple for Jesus, and see what he ended up having to say on the matter as the Apostle Peter helps us to discover how and why we do the work of the church. {CLICK}

THE WHY?

So we look at those two questions this morning:

Why?

How?

We’ll start with the why: Why do we give of ourselves in this way?

Why do we willingly take our place in the middle of the congregation, getting in the middle of the workload, getting in the middle of the mess, getting in the middle of the excitement, and sometimes, getting in the middle of the hardship and drama?

Of course, we hope to keep that drama and hardship to a minimum, but we know that sometimes it goes with the territory.

After a long week of working at my normal job, or jobs, taking care of my family, keeping up with the housework, I finally have a day to sleep in...that’s what I hear a lot of people say...why would I take that day or that evening (if it’s an activity during the week) to add this one more thing go my workload?

And anyone else from the outside looking in, watching you giving of yourself in this way, must conclude - or would hopefully conclude...

Man, there must really be something to this church thing to be willing to put yourself through this. (P)

Now I know people think that, but I wonder how many of you have heard someone say it...how many people have asked you why you give so much of yourself to the church.

And if so, you know we’re always talking about looking for those open doors to share our testimony and share the gospel; there aren’t too many doors that open wider than what that question provides.

Why do we or should we take our place in the middle of the congregation? (P)

And by the way, remember that when we talk about being in the middle of, in front of (like we talked about last week), or behind the congregation (that’s next week), we are simply talking about a position or a type of work in the church. Just because you do things up front, like lead music or worship, or teach or preach, doesn’t mean you don’t also find yourself doing those other tasks and jobs in other areas of the church, or just because you take the supportive role behind the church, doesn’t mean you haven’t or don’t do things in the middle, or even up front. It’s just the role you play at any given moment.

And we’ll talk about some of those specific tasks those in the middle find themselves doing as we close out with the how, but let’s address this question of why first - because it could be asked of everyone here, regardless of what you do in the church...and the answer...the honest answer you give of what motivates you is critical to consider...

Why do you do it?

What’s your motive?

Is it genuine?

Is it pure? (P)

The Apostle Peter helps us answer this from the perspective of actually having done that type of work. Of course, in his later years we see his letters, we remember his work at Pentecost, and later being a spearhead in the establishment of Christ’s church, so we might often consider this man Jesus called The Rock as one who was most often seen in front of the early church.

But let’s remember his role as a disciple of Christ that had to happen first...

As one who didn’t always understand what Jesus was doing.

As one who got grumpy with other people, more than once.

As one who would be quick to turn away many of the very people trying to get to Jesus, and Jesus had to cool his jets on more than one occasion.

As one who often thought he knew better than everyone else how things should be done.

And despite those imperfections, Peter was also one of Jesus’ most solid protectors, and he was often the first one to help with the work Jesus needed his disciples to do throughout his ministry.

So yes, Peter’s brain is a great one to pick as to why it is important to do these critical jobs in the middle of the congregation. (P)

Peter would say there are five reasons, which we will go through fairly quickly so we have some time to review the second question in a few moments, the how. {CLICK}

1. Our work is based on Remembrance.

And I would speculate that Peter starts with this one because it’s foundational. {CLICK}

1 Peter 4:1 NIV

Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin.

That’s the gospel message right there - Christ died for us, and it’s why the church exists and can do what it does, and it’s why it is supposed to do what Jesus designed the church to do. (P) {CLICK}

1 Peter 4:2 NIV

As a result, they (we Christians)do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.

{CLICK}

And so you hear Peter say in two verses what the Christian journey is supposed to entail.

Jesus died.

We believe that He did this for us.

We accept Him as our Savior.

We commit to living that Christ-centered life with a Christ-like mind - with the same attitude toward people that Jesus had, and a willingness to turn from sin and be a reflection of Christ.

And, in the light of that changed life, we pass this good news on to others, so they may find what we found! (P)

We talked about that last week: is the way you are living and demonstrating Christ so powerful that others want to take part in that same life, just based on what they see in you - because you carry the joy of salvation, and your life shows the joy of living for Christ? (P)

St. Basil once said:

I want creation to penetrate you with so much admiration that wherever you go, the least plant may bring a clear remembrance of the Creator. One blade of grass or one speck of dust is enough to occupy your entire mind in beholding the art with which it has been made.

Hopefully we have all experienced that from the beauty, wonder, and mystery of God’s creation, but can people be penetrated by the beauty, wonder, and mystery of a sinful life changed and saved by grace, so people’s entire mind can be filled with the art of God’s love and mercy? (P)

If so, we begin to see what that looks like in the second basis or reason for our work. {CLICK}

2. Our work is based on Testimony.

Peter begins listing in verse 3 of our text all the different sins many of us were once involved in, in the presence of many who knew us. But part of that mystery and testimony we speak of comes in what he says in verse 4: {CLICK}

1 Peter 4:4 NIV

They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living...

{CLICK}

And when people see this, they will have one of two reactions - and the question for us is how we will react to their reactions. (P)

Peter goes on to say in that verse that one of those possibilities is that they will slander, or speak evil against you.

They may make fun of you.

They may be offended that you no longer live like they probably still do, upset with you for being a “goody-two-shoes”, in their eyes.

Mark Twain once said:

Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example.

There are all kinds of possible sources for their ill feelings toward your changed life. And how they feel about your change of life is not your concern, but how you respond to their ridicule is. (P)

It’s not uncommon to wish for those people to suffer for what they did to you. The paradox here is that, according to what Peter says in verses 5 and 6, God will make sure that those who ridicule you because of their rejection of Christ will face judgment...but, should that be what you want?

What does Proverbs 24:17 say about that? {CLICK}

Proverbs 24:17 NIV

Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice.

So we can either wish for that, or we can wish for the second reaction people may have for the new life you found in Christ, where, as we talked about last week, they may come to rejoice in and praise God themselves because they now realize that they want what you have.

And if they happen to find faith, how will you feel about that?

Will you rejoice...or not? (P)

I know many people who have a hard time with the notion that people who come to faith later in life, after the damage is done, as they say, in how they’ve been treated, are given the same offer of salvation we have been given.

But because we also are recipients of that same grace that might have offended someone else, are we okay with our work in the church possibly being toward someone we might be uncomfortable with for that reason?

Can we still be a living testimony? (P)

Furthermore, what is our time frame? (P)

Peter addresses a third basis as we get to verse 7, and he would say that: {CLICK}

3. Our work is based on Urgency.

Verse 7 says that: {CLICK}

1 Peter 4:7 NIV

The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.

The issue of the end of time and the return of Christ has long been a hot topic of discussion in Scripture.

Paul said as much to the Romans in chapter 13 and verse 11: {CLICK}

Romans 13:11 NIV

And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

And the concern Peter and Paul raise is not that people don’t know that this is coming, because many people are aware that Christ is preparing for His glorious return.

The issue is that people don’t know when. And in not knowing when, there is an artificial sense of security and a reduced feeling of that urgency, which is quite the opposite of what we are supposed to have.

Perhaps you remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 24: {CLICK}

Matthew 24:36 NIV

But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

{CLICK}

And so we do our work in the congregation as though we don’t have much time at all, because for all we know, we may not.

It couldn’t be any better said than how Robert Moffat put it:

We'll have all eternity to celebrate our victories, but only one short hour before sunset to win them. (P)

You know, as that day of Christ’s return approaches, whenever it is, I can just see God’s head shaking at all the things people will “plan” to do, setting a date for those things that God knows is beyond the time of His return, and I can see His tears when those plans involve telling others about Christ...Oh, I’ll do that next year, if He comes before the end of this year, because it will be too late. (P)

And so our work in the church is to be done with a sense of scrambling to reduce the number of people who could be left in the dust should Jesus come before they have a chance to know Him.

And our ability to care about this comes strongly in where our hearts are with this fourth basis of our work: {CLICK}

4. Our work is based on Love for Others.

Peter offers this very strong plea for this very concept in verse 8: {CLICK}

1 Peter 4:8 NIV

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

Here he quotes Proverbs 10:12: {CLICK}

Proverbs 10:12 NIV

Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.

{CLICK}

And he does so because he knows the importance of that statement - not that loving someone means excusing what they’ve done wrong - that’s not what it’s saying. But loving people means that their mistakes don’t cut your desire to guide them back to the right path, because like God, we love them enough to accept them as they are, but we love them too much to let them stay that way...just as we hopefully have people that constantly keep us accountable that way.

Unlike the culture that says, if you love me, you won’t try to talk me out of my sin - with the same people using the love of Christ to justify their actions, Peter reminds us of the purification process He himself had to go through by the Word of God, in just one chapter before today’s text: {CLICK}

1 Peter 3:15 NIV

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.

And James 5:20: {CLICK}

James 5:20 NIV

Remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

Do we care enough for people and love people enough to make this a priority in the time we have left?

Is that why we do what we do at Codorus Church? (P)

I love the convicting and somewhat uncomfortable words Charles Spurgeon uses to challenge us. He says:

When Farmer Brown met Farmer Smith in the market one day, he said to him, “Farmer Smith, I can’t think how it is you find time for hunting. Why, man, what with sowing and mowing and reaping and plowing, and all that, my time is so fully occupied on my farm that I have no time for hunting.” Smith said, “Brown, if you liked hunting as much as I do, if you could not find time, you’d make it.”

And so it is with religion. The reason why men cannot find time for it is because they do not like it well enough.

What about the people our “religion,” I prefer the word faith, calls us to serve? Do we like them...love them, even...well enough to make this a priority? (P)

What about number 5, even more important than number 4? {CLICK}

5. Our work is based on Love for God.

Peter closes out this text with words similar to what we shared last week from Paul - do we do what we do with love for God, and by the power of God?

Verse 11: {CLICK}

1 Peter 4:11 NIV

If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

And indeed, that’s what our ultimate goal should be - loving God enough to want Him to get the glory He deserves, and so He is our motivation. (P)

Paul agrees, and we know that by what he told the Colossians in the third chapter of his letter to them: {CLICK}

Colossians 3:23–24 NIV

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, {CLICK} since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

...and to the Corinthians: {CLICK}

1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

(P) {CLICK}

So when those people ask you, impressed, astonished, or maybe even mortified at how much you do for the church, of all things, and they can’t figure it out. You don’t have to preach them this entire message; just sum up these five reasons that hopefully drive your work here:

I am a sinner, saved by the grace of a God who gave His life for us, and I want to be a testimony so others can experience that salvation as well, and I know I don’t have much time to work because Jesus is coming back. And I want people to experience what I found because I love them, and I love the God who provided this for me, and to whom I wish to remain obedient.

So there it is: Remembrance, Testimony, Urgency, Love for others, and Love for God; that’s why we do the work of Codorus Church, in hopes that whatever we do is built on that very mission, as portrayed in our own Vision and Mission: Love, Light, and Living Water. (P)

And as you have come to discover, as I see many of you stepping up and filling roles and purposes in this church, you do not need to be Up Front preaching to people, here or in the streets, to do this work...how else can we be the church? {CLICK}

THE HOW?

We talked about being Up Front last week; we’ll talk about being Behind the work of the church in a supportive role next week, but how do we do the work that needs to be done in the middle of the congregation?

It starts with understanding what all is involved in that position of the middle.

We know that Paul summarized this structure this way in: {CLICK}

Ephesians 4:11–13 NIV

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers (largely up front positions), {CLICK} to equip his people for works of service (middle), so that the body of Christ may be built up {CLICK} until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

That’s the gifting we have been talking about - where do our gifts help us to feel comfortable in the work we could do here, and the people we could minister to?

What are some of those acts of service?

Nursery and childcare workers, which Rhonda and I appreciate more than you know...

Program leaders or attenders for the many programs we have going (MomCo, Ladies Bible Study, Men’s Group, Youth Group).

Maybe you work a behind-the-scenes function for those groups, helping with set up or tear down, even if you can’t make it to the program itself, helping to care for children so those involved can be free to do what they need to do.

Maybe you have cooked more meals than you care to think about, whether for church functions or people here who need the food.

Maybe you write cards, make phone calls, or visit other people.

Maybe you’re an elder or deacon - or work within any of our departments to oversee the program and property of our church, without which we couldn’t do the ministry we do here.

Maybe you’re a handyman, have a green thumb, or care for the lawn, building, or property in some way.

Maybe you are techy and can keep all the sound and technology aspects of our Worship Services functional.

Maybe you love sports, and your presence here for those events makes you available to speak to or pray with others who also come who may be struggling.

Maybe you oversee the historical aspects of the church, which in a lot of ways could also be seen as a mentor/supportive role, as we use some of the successes and failures of our history to determine how God may be wanting us to do things today.

And I’m sure the list could go on and on and on.

And here’s the beauty of it. Every one of those things I listed - no matter what it was, behind the scenes or visible, working directly with the people or not - is a position that has impacted, and will continue to impact, somebody in some powerful way...whether you realize it or not. (P)

CONCLUSION

It brings full circle to the image I started with last week, being on the frontmost lines of a battalion of soldiers, getting attacked by the enemy, retreating, only to crest a hill to find a fresh batch of reinforcements to join you in the fight and win the battle.

It’s one thing to stand up here and preach the Word, and I’m not saying that that instruction isn’t important, because it is, but it will only go so far. At some point, people will leave this service, maybe getting something out of it, maybe not, but will then come to a Bible Study or MomCo or some other function where I may not be, but all of you are, as reinforcements to be the hands and feet of Christ in a powerful way...to discuss scripture, to share feelings, to hear one another’s burdens, to pray for others...and let people know they are loved.

That’s where lives are changed, when people can come and be with all of you, who take your place in a program, or in a task in the kitchen, in a building that is lit, heated, cooled, and comfortable, and well-maintained - again, because of you.

But more than just doing...you are being:

You are getting messy

You are getting uncomfortable

But you are loving

You are serving

And you are showing people who Christ is...

That’s why people have been blessed here - maybe a small percentage of what is taught from this pulpit, but mostly because of the relationships you all in the middle of the action form...

Praying with people

Listening to people

Spending time with people

Giving of your personal resources to help people

Talking to people after services who needed someone to lean on...

That’s what I see happening here; that’s why Codorus Church works.

But it must continue; and we step it up and keep it going. (P)

So let’s continue to do just that.