Grace to Carry On (part 8)

Introduction

Review with THANKS!

a letter, likely written by Peter the Apostle

written for us but not to us, but to first century non-Jewish Christians who were under pressure, facing suffering

part 3 (Andrea) - grace allows us to stand firm even when suffering, to continue in love of God and love of neighbour - that’s what grace enables

part 4 (Barb) - the new identity and purpose - this astonishing part of this letter is where Peter, the Jew, includes all these non-Jewish Jesus followers in what he calls the New Israel. Paul

part 5 - Grace to do good - abstaining from sin, but also living good lives, doing good deeds… which isn’t just being “nice” but a call to pray, listen, educate and act (Janie)

part 6 - Grace in relationships is an expression of our faith that becomes an irresistible attraction for others to join us in following Jesus. (Ellery)

part 7 - pray, love, welcome serve (Barb)

Intro

In this epistle, as we read this letter from the 1st century, we can see that Peter taught what he knew.

“Stand firm!” says Peter. Even when you’re suffering for it. Stand firm because of who you are. Stand firm in doing good. Stand firm in expressing your faith in your most primary relationships. Stand firm in prayer, in love, in welcome, in service.

Let’s hear now the final section of this letter. Listen for the call to stand firm - in grace.

[Reading]

“Stand firm!” says Peter. Which squares with the stories we read of Peter in the gospels. Gregarious, impulsive, passionate.

Stand firm. But what do we stand firm in?

This idea reminds me of my Auntie Arlie - wise, smart, well-travelled, compassionate, … and easy to get along with. She lived with my family for a number of years when I was growing up and I loved having her around.

Often, as my Mom cleaned up from supper, she and my Dad and I would play Boggle

Once in awhile, she would push back while we were discussing something, or if there was uncertainty about the spelling of a word

But if she stood firm on something. Well, after a number of years, we learned. If she stood firm, she was very likely right. She chose very carefully what she would “stand firm” about… her curiosity and humility meant that if she didn’t know for sure, she was open to considering another perspective, a different idea, … but if she stood her ground, you learned pretty quickly that it was because she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that what she was saying was true. When she “stood firm” you paid attention.

Peter, on the other hand, is a guy we know to have big ideas, strong opinions. and he’s not afraid to speak or act before he’s taken time to think things through. We love him for it in the gospels. And in this letter, he’s matured and grown, but he’s still Peter. So all of this talk of “standing firm” sounds like him, doesn’t it.

But then, can’t you hear him clarify?

“Stand firm…but not just in your own ideas.” - “Get thee behind me, Satan.”

“Stand firm…but not just in your deep convictions.” - Jesus heals the guard whose ear Peter cut off.

“Stand firm…but not in your sense of moral superiority.” - “I would never deny you, Jesus!” … “Come, Peter. Come and eat breakfast. Do you love Me?”

So what is all this stand firm talk about then.

Stand firm. In grace.

Plant your feet firmly in the reality that we are here, part of the kingdom of God, by God’s grace.

We belong. We are loved. And we are even miraculously useful from time to time, in spite of ourselves.

Grace. All of it. Grace.

Stand firm in grace. Sounds nice, Andrea.

But what does that actually look like?

Well, I think we could trace Peter’s instruction to “stand firm” all the way through his letter, and not just here at the end.

Barb’s study which has been the basis for our series this summer, summarizes this so beautifully…

We began with Grace to Change intro to the summer series/format, review "how to read an epistle"; point out the big themes in the letter

Our true home is not in this world, but in Christ. an overview of the letter's context, audience, etc.

Born Again by Grace - The new birth begins a life of joy, hope and holiness.Growing in

Grace Together - Jesus gives us a new identity and purpose as the people of God - and as the new Israel.

Grace to Do Good - Jesus is our example of doing what is right, whatever the consequence.

Grace in Relationships - Christ is to be Lord of our lives and this has a huge impact on our relationships.

Grace for What Really Matters - Jesus shows us how to live.

Standing Firm in Grace - God gives grace to the humble.

What does standing firm in grace look like?

Peter gives specific instructions to two groups - but he’s not covering the whole community by dividing them in two halves. He addresses a specific subgroup and then another subgroup and then everyone.

The first sub-group is that of elders. Older, seasoned, tested, leaders. Or, as Peter calls them, shepherds. People who don’t just look out for their own interests, but have the wider picture in mind. Who lead gently from beside. Who protect. Who lay down their lives for those they have been given. This is not 21st century leadership or influencers. This is people who imitate the Good Shepherd, Jesus. And so, this isn’t just addressed to everyone over a certain age. There are elders among us. There are also people who have lived for quite awhile, but none of us would entrust the care of the community to them. So age and eldership don’t always go together. But we know an elder when we see one. They look like the Good Shepherd.

Certainly, when you hire a pastor, you’re looking for someone who can be an elder. But churches have non-pastors who are elders, too. It’s not automatic, but they usually emerge. And we need a wide array of elders.

The second sub-group Peter addresses are young people. Now, this I find funny. Because we want to be elders. We want to be followed and admired and respected. But in 21c culture, we also want to maintain our youth.

And Peter here, makes us realize the truth - we can’t have it both ways.

First of all, leadership is a heavy mantle.

And secondly, the young are called to follow. To accept the authority of the elders.

Now, realistically, it’s not just the young who need to accept the authority of elders. But perhaps Peter is addressing a community in which the young are struggling to accept that the elders among them have been given authority to teach and tend and watch over and give examples to follow.

So. If you’re longing to lead - there’s a high bar of what leadership looks like.

And if you’re longing to be young - there’s a high bar of what following and submitting looks like.

But then Peter addresses EVERYONE. So. Elders, listen up. Older people who aren’t given any kind of authority, hear this. Young people, folks who aren’t sure where you fit or who are quintessentially in middle, hear Peter.

Everyone, he says in vs 5. CLOTHE YOURSELVES IN HUMILITY.

The secret ingredient for standing firm in grace is humility.

What is humility?

Humility is when we view ourselves properly. Not an overly inflated sense of self, but also not a hyper critical one.

Our culture views humility as thinking less of oneself than one ought to. Sort of an over-correction to pride and self-centeredness. Humility is seen as an admirable but somewhat undesirable thing. I think this is more because of a misunderstanding of what humility is than a rejection of the real thing.

And article in a recent Psychology today magazine said this:

“cultivating our own humility means to be more honest with ourselves: to align our demeanor and actions with the inner truth of who we are, what we know, and how we feel. Sometimes we’re out of touch with that inner truth, deceived by our own defenses against the awareness of it. If coming into contact with that truth is painful, we naturally try to avoid it.”

This all reminds me of when Yo-Yo Ma came to Vancouver....

https://www.facebook.com/VSOrchestra/posts/the-full-story-of-how-yo-yo-ma-came-to-sit-in-our-cello-section-on-friday-night-/10153232364768815/

But Jesus demonstrates true humility. Knows who He is. Knows the limitations of being human. And yet, doesn’t despise Himself, nor others.

Paul sums it up this way in Philippians 2:

Don’t do anything for selfish purposes, but with humility think of others as better than yourselves. Instead of each person watching out for their own good, watch out for what is better for others.

Humility anchors us in the grace of having been gifted our identity as part of the family of God. Humility opens us to consider others first, which is counter to how most of us naturally would do things. Human nature is to consider our own needs, our own desires, even our own comfort before we consider others.

Humility is the secret ingredient in standing firm in grace.

And humility is for everyone. Young/old. Leader/follower. People of God… HUMILITY.

So the question then is… what are we standing firm for or in?

If you think about the things in your life that you’re willing to “TAKE A STAND” for… what are they? It isn’t likely to be a long list.

Go ahead, check your list against Peter’s list.

Stand firm in grace.

Clothe yourselves in humility.

This will enable you to accept the authority of the elders is your life.

And this will enable you to be a good shepherd of anyone who is put in your care.

God gives grace to the humble. May we stand firm in that.

Amen.

A song that will likely be new …