|
|
CHURCH IMPROVEMENT : BUILDING A CHURCH THAT HONORS GOD AND LOVES PEOPLE BY LIVING GOOD LIVES1 Peter 2:11-23 INTRODUCTION I think one of the most vexing and difficult issues that face us as Christians and as a Christian church is our relationship both personally and corporately to the society and culture within which we live. I don’t think this is a problem unique to us as we live in the United States of America, in the state of Wisconsin, in the city of Janesville in the year 2007. I think this has been a problem throughout the history of the church and in every culture. What makes this such a difficult problem are these two realities. On the one hand we know that by becoming a Christian we have become new people. We have left our old life behind. We are new creatures in Christ, the old has gone, the new has come. We belong to the society of Jesus, that is, the church, the people of God. This world is not our home. We know that this world is temporary. We are waiting for Jesus to return and to destroy this world and make a new heavens and a new earth where we will live with him forever. There are these enormous ways in which we are now very different from the people and the culture of this world. As Peter says in 1:18, “…we have been redeemed from the empty way of life that was handed down to us from our forefathers…” However, the other reality is that I still live in this world. I still live in the same body in which I lived when I became a Christian some 32 years ago, though it is older and a bit larger. I still eat the same kinds of food. I still sleep in a bed. I live in a house and wear the same kind of clothing that everyone else wears. If you didn’t know me and passed me in Woodman’s you wouldn’t know that I was a Christian. I loved to read and to go hunting before I was a Christian and I still enjoy those things. There is a lot of my life that is just like the lives of those who live around me who do not claim to be Christians. I share a lot in common with everyone else who lives in Janesville, regardless of whether or not they are Christians. I pay my taxes. I vote. I go shopping. Is that OK or not? Does God want me to be more different than I am or less different or doesn’t he care? How exactly are we to relate to the broader culture that we live in? What ought to be our relationship to the people and institutions of our city that are outside of our church? It is exactly this issue that Peter is addressing in the passage we are considering today. He has spent the first chapter and a half of his letter describing what God has done through Christ to save us, to make us his people. His description reached a crescendo in vv. 9-10 where he declared that all who trust in Christ have been made into the people of God. The point of these verses is that once we were homeless people with no family and no one to help us but now we are God’s children, heirs of heaven with all the resources of our eternal Father available to us. Our condition has been radically transformed through our union with Jesus. Yet, you can see beginning in v. 11 how he aims to describe how we are to live as new people in this old world. We have changed but the world we live in has not. This passage is a marvelous description of how we are to relate to the culture we live in as the people of God. Notice that in v. 12 the life we live is to be lived “among the pagans.” In other words, 1 Peter 2:11 and what follows describes in varying ways how we as the people of God are to live among the non-Christian cultures of the world and why we are to live this way. MAIN POINT Christians live (among the pagans) morally upright, constructive and submissive lives because…I. They are citizens of heaven (v. 11) Verse 11 first of all tells us how we are to think of ourselves in relation to this world and to the particular culture we live in as Christians. It uses language borrowed from the OT. We are called strangers and aliens and the non-Christian people we live among are called "Gentiles." This is what Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were called in relation to the land of Canaan and the Gentile people who lived there while they “lived in the Promised land as in a foreign land, living in tents.” This is what Israel was called living in Egypt. This is what Israel is called after the exile, living in Babylon. The author, having just identified the church in vv.9-10 with titles used to describe Israel in the OT now firmly establishes the fact that we, the church, all the elect who trust in Christ are the true people of God, the true Israel, who are now living temporarily as foreigners in this world just as Israel lived temporarily as foreigners in Egypt and Babylon. The point of the metaphor is that we are a pilgrim people who are on our way to our home in the new heavens and the new earth. This is not our homeland. We are citizens of a new country, the land of Promise, the new Jerusalem, the city of the living God. We live here like temporary, resident aliens. This is such a helpful metaphor to use as we think about our relationship to this world and this culture. I’ve traveled overseas twice for two weeks each time. I've lived as a foreigner in a country that was not my home. However, while my experience in China, Korea and Mongolia has similarities to what these words are describing yet these words cannot be used to describe me during the two weeks I lived in these other countries. “Strangers and aliens” are long term, resident aliens, not tourists. Though they are going to return to their homeland, yet their stay in the foreign country is not brief. The people of Israel, as we heard read for us earlier, spent 70 years living in Babylon before they returned home. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob spent their entire lives as resident aliens. The idea here is that we are going to live in this foreign country for some period of time and then we will return to our true home. What is that experience like? On one hand because you will live here for a fairly long period of time you will need to work to support yourself. You will probably learn the language and some of the customs and make some friends among the native population. However, at the same time you will be careful to cultivate a vivid memory of your homeland and its culture and values because you are going to go there and it is your permanent dwelling. You don't want to forget the language you will speak when you go home, so you continue to use it. You will be careful about your financial commitments and entanglements because you will need to take all your resources with you. You will also be careful about your relational entanglements because you know that no relationship you develop with a native born person can be permanent. We will be involved in life in this country always with a view to the fact that we are going to leave it one day. The particular command that we are given in light of the fact that this world, this U.S. culture is not our home, nor our native culture is that we should abstain from the sinful desires that wage war against our souls. The citizens of this world live to fulfill their sinful desires. The entire economy and culture is built upon the fulfillment of desires for things and pleasures other than God. Our hearts, though made new are yet susceptible to these sinful desires. Both from within ourselves and from outside of ourselves there are desires to find our security and contentment and happiness in people and things other than God himself. While we must make use of this world in order to live here and thereby take part in its life to some extent we must always be on our guard against the sinful desires which dominate this world order and this culture that we live in. This foreign culture in which we live is out to seduce us into making our home here. Our souls are under continual pressure to stop believing that to belong to Christ and to live with him forever is infinitely better than a comfortable life in the U.S. Our souls are under pressure every day to pursue the pleasures offered in this world rather than the pleasures that fill our heavenly home. In the future, when we are finally home, we will freely pursue all of our desires because all of our desires will be centered upon Christ, with no exceptions. Now however, while we live here, all of our desires must be evaluated to see if they are legitimate desires for sustenance on the journey or desires to make this our home. It is not an overstatement to describe these sinful desires as waging a war against our souls. The aim of a war is to win, conquer and dominate the opponent. If our sinful desires win the war, then we will live as though this world is our home. We will forget our true home, which is the new heavens and the new earth that God will make at the return of Christ. To say yes to our sinful desires is to say no to Christ and to living with him forever. From the point of view of v. 11 we are against this culture. We are suspicious of its offers and cautious in our use of its benefits. We recognize how easily our hearts are drawn to view this culture as our home culture. We say no to desires all the time that the people around regularly say yes to. The native born in our culture regularly tell us how foolish we are to not indulge our desires like they do. Sometimes they get angry with us for not participating in their indulgences. But we know that we must remain ready to leave at any time. We must not indulge our desires to make our home here because then we will not go home and we will not have the resources we need to live there. Therefore we stay far away from the sinful desires that rule this world and this culture and which are at war in our hearts, seeking to conquer us. Christians live (among the pagans) morally upright, constructive and submissive lives because…
II. They want everyone, even their enemies, to glorify God (vv. 12-17) While v. 11 tells us that we are to be against the culture, v. 12 tells us that we are to be for the culture we live in. We are to live good lives among the pagans, in their company, doing good works that can be seen by them. One thing this verse tells us is that Christians forming communities that are separate from the pagans is wrong. It is wrong to try to live separate from non-Christians. We are to stay far away from the sinful desires that war against our souls, not the sinful people who live in this world. This verse presumes close contact with non-Christians because they are able to observe how we live. We are to do good works among the pagans in spite of the fact that they are falsely accusing us of doing wrong. This is the first of five statements Peter makes about the verbal abuse that we are going to receive from the majority culture. Look at 2:15, 3:9, 16 & 4:14. The reality for us is the same reality that faces every long-term foreigner in any country. If you are not a native born citizen but a resident alien you are going to be under suspicion and will probably experience the prejudice of the native population. This is especially the case if you seek to retain the language and practices of your home country. Resident aliens are regularly accused of doing wrong simply because they are different from the majority native-born population. So when we live among the pagans, abstaining from sinful desires we can be sure that some of them are going to notice and accuse of us of disrupting the peace of the community or of causing trouble for the economy or of being narrow minded, self-righteous bigots. Our response to those who falsely accuse us of doing wrong is not to verbally defend ourselves or go to court to fight for our rights. Rather we live good lives and do good works that they can see. This implies that we are actively looking for opportunities to do good. We are not people known simply for what we do not do but for what we do. What kinds of good works does Peter have in mind? Good works are mentioned throughout the NT. The bearing and raising of children, showing hospitality, healing of the sick, caring for the afflicted, being courteous and polite to all people, are a few of the things identified as "good works." Most often, however, the phrase stands by itself without definition because good works are obvious. There is a common sense meaning to good works. We do the good to our neighbor that we would want our neighbor to do to us. While Peter would agree with this broader description of good works, yet he mentions three spheres of life where we as Christians interact with non-believers. It is in these relationships that he instructs us on how to do good. The three relationships are with civil authority (vv. 13-17), with employers (vv18-20) and with unbelieving family members (3:1-2). Before we look specifically at the good we are told to do we should note that the good works that God wants you and I to be involved in are not far away. It is an error to think that unless I am volunteering at the Salvation Army or protesting at the abortion clinic or building a house with Habitat for Humanity I'm not doing good works. You don't have to go far away to do good works that can be seen by non-Christians. The first "good work" Peter mentions is that we are to submit to civil authority in all of its various forms. We are not only to submit to the king but also to those local authorities who are sent by him. We are to be model citizens. We don't pick and choose which laws or which authorities we are going to obey. The only exception to our obedience to the civil authorities is when they require us to sin or seek to prevent us from obeying God. If the civil authority commands us to not share the gospel we will not obey. This is what the apostles did in Acts 4 when they were commanded not to preach. They simply replied that they had to obey God and could not stop talking about what they had seen and heard. Or if the civil authority demands that we give the worship that is due to God to some human or some other created object we will refuse. This is what Daniel's three friends refused to do when King Nebuchadnezzar commanded them to worship the golden statue or be thrown into the fiery furnace. They refused to obey him and would not bow down to the statue. If the government threatens to harm us if we seek to help the weak or the defenseless or the poor, we will not listen to them but will help. This is what the Egyptian midwives did when they refused to kill the Hebrew boy babies even though Pharaoh had commanded them to do so. However, while sometimes we must disobey civil authority, most of the time our relationship to civil authority is a relationship of submission and obedience. We are not looking for ways around civil law but we aim to obey it in every part. Look at vv. 16 & 17. These two verses are written to counteract two common errors within the Christian church. Christians are often tempted to view themselves as above civil law. We belong to the kingdom of God. We are king's kids. One day we will rule this world. We are the rightful heirs of the earth because this earth and all it contains belongs to our heavenly father. We are part of the new, spiritual reality that will one day become the only reality. We have been set free from the necessity of obeying God's law in order to be justified. We are free from the condemning power of the law and free from the power of sin. Therefore, it has sometimes happened that Christians have adopted a position of superiority to non-Christians and the governing institutions which are run by them. We use the freedom that God has given, not to serve God but to serve ourselves. We do evil by breaking civil law on the grounds that we do not belong to this world and are not under any authority here but are only under God's authority. Notice how Peter in both v. 13 and v. 16 tells us that submission to civil authority is submission to God. We are to submit to civil authority for the Lord's sake and we are to use our freedom to serve God. By implication, disobedience to civil authority is disobedience to God. Don't view yourself as above the law but for the sake of Christ, obey the law. Peter is simply saying the exact same thing that Paul says in Romans 13. Civil authorities are sent by God and so when you obey them you are obeying God and when you disobey them you are disobeying God. But v. 17 shows that there is a distinction between how I relate to the church and to God and how I relate to the non-Christian world and its civil authorities. Verse 17 is a list of four commands. "Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king." We are to treat all people with respect and courtesy. Christians are not to scorn or mock or disrespect any human being. However, we are to love other Christians. Our relationship to non-Christians is vastly different from our relationship to one another. We are to treat all humans with dignity but we are to be full of warm hearted affection for other Christians. There is something wrong with Christians who have closer relationships with non-Christians than with Christians. We are to relate to the church different from how we relate to the UAW or the Boy Scouts or the Rotary or the garden club. The second pair of commands contrasts how we relate to God with how we relate to civil authority. We are to fear God but only honor the king. We are to honor the king in the same way that we honor all human beings. We are not to worship the king or modify our conduct out of fear of the king. We are to worship and fear God alone. The people to whom Peter wrote would really get this. Emperor worship was demanded throughout the Roman empire. When Christians began refusing to worship the emperor they were arrested and tortured and killed. It was the first grounds of widespread persecution by the Romans. So in these two brief commands we are told to not worship the king and to not be afraid of what will happen to us if we refuse to obey him. We should fear God and what he can do to us, not human beings and what they can do to us. On the other hand, we are told that we are not to disrespect the king, even if he is godless and demanding that we worship him. We are always under obligation to submit to him and to honor him unless he commands us to disobey God. Notice that the motivation for the good work of submission to the civil authorities, as well as for every other kind of good work that a Christian engages in, is, in v. 12, "so that the non-believers who witness our lifestyle will glorify God on the day of visitation." "The day of visitation" refers to the time of Christ's return, which is God's final visit to the world as it currently exists. At that time all people will have to give an account to God. We will all stand before God's judgment seat. What does it mean to say that non-Christians will glorify God on that final day because they witnessed our good works? The primary thing we aim at by doing good is the conversion of the non-believers around us, some of whom are falsely accusing us. Our prayer and aim is that when Christ returns they will join us in worshipping and glorifying God. Our good works, accompanied by the proclamation of the gospel will result in their salvation. Please note: Peter is not saying that we bear witness to Christ's salvation only by how we live. This entire argument is based on the fact that the "pagans" around us know that we are Christians. The only way they can know that is if we tell them what it means to be a Christian. That the primary meaning of "glorify God" is the conversion of pagans so they join us in worshipping God when Jesus returns is shown in the use of the same language in 3:1-2. Believing wives are commanded to live such good lives in front of their unbelieving husbands so that when the husbands see (this is the same word and only used in the NT is these two verses) their good behavior they will be won to Christ. So the motive for our doing good among the non-believers, even when they are doing bad to us is that they will be saved and join in the worship of God forever. However, there is ample evidence to indicate that even if the non-believers who witness our good works are not converted they will yet glorify God on the day of visitation in their being judged and sent to hell for their unwillingness to see the glory of God in our suffering service. Peter means for us to see this by his use of the word visitation. It is first used in the Greek translation of the OT in Genesis 50 when Joseph is about to die and speaks to all the "sons of Israel" who are residing in Egypt. Listen to what he says, "…I am about to die but God will visit you with a visitation and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob… God will surely visit you and you shall carry up my bones from here." Joseph refers to the Exodus from Egypt that took place 400 years later under the leadership of Moses as the day of God's visitation. The next time this word is used in the OT is in Exodus 3:16 where God tells Moses that he is to tell the leaders of Israel that he has visited them. The Exodus stands within the biblical story as a picture of God's final judgment when he comes to destroy his enemies and to rescue his people. At the Exodus some Egyptians believed in Yahweh and joined themselves to Israel. They glorified God in a positive way. However, most of the Egyptians glorified God by being terrified of him and ultimately by being justly destroyed by him. The Bible repeatedly says that every knee will one day bow before God and his Christ and every tongue will confess that Yahweh alone is God and that Jesus alone is Lord. Most humans will do this unwillingly, as criminals who have no choice but to bow in fear and humiliation before their judge and executioner. Many of those who are destroyed by God on the day of visitation will have added to their sins the great sin of rejecting the evidence of God's presence among us as revealed by our doing them good even while some of them were doing evil to us. Christians live (among the pagans) morally upright, constructive and submissive lives because…
III. They are called to be like Jesus (vv. 18-23) A second kind of good work that we are to be engaged in is submission to our employers, especially to our bad bosses. The relationship between the household slave and his or her master is an economic relationship in which the servant obtains certain benefits in exchange for his or her labor. It is very analogous to the employer-employee relationship. The main difference would be that the servant is owned by the master and therefore cannot freely go work for someone else. The main point of vv. 18-19 is that in our relationship with our employer we are to be submissive, obedient to their demands even if they are a bad boss. There are good bosses and there are bad bosses but regardless of which kind you have your work is not to differ in the slightest. The word translated "harsh" says more than your boss is mean. It actually means the boss is immoral and irresponsible. He doesn't keep his promises, he doesn’t treat his employees with respect, he doesn't care about their work conditions. In short he treats his workers unjustly. Why would anyone put up with such a bad boss? And not only put up with him but actually submit to and obey him? It is because we are conscious of or mindful of God. What does that mean? Peter is saying in a shorthand way what Paul says at greater length in Ephesians 6. There Paul says slaves are to obey and respect their earthly masters "just as they would obey Christ." They are "to do the will of God from the heart, serving wholeheartedly as if they were serving the Lord not men." Ultimately the reason for this good work ethic is because they "know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether slave or free." We obey a bad boss not because we are looking for his approval or to change him or to win him to Christ but because we want God's approval. We do our work as if the one who signs our paycheck is God himself, not the bad boss. We know that one day we will be more than adequately compensated for the sorrows we experienced from the harsh treatment of a bad boss. It is right at this point that Peter makes one of the most shocking assertions in the Bible. He says that when God called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, when he gave us new birth into a living hope he also called us into a life where we gladly submit to those who are unjustly mistreating us. When you signed up to be a Christian you signed up to respect and treat well those who mistreat, disrespect and take advantage of you. The reason that this is the life you signed up for is because this is the life that Jesus lived and he expects you to live like him. Jesus never did anything wrong. He never once disrespected someone or didn't do what was required of him. He never spoke a word of unjust anger or slander against anyone. He never lied or misrepresented himself so that he could be justly punished. He was perfect and yet he was verbally abused, physically tortured and ultimately murdered by the authorities. When he was treated like this he never retaliated in any way. He did not complain about or curse any of those who abused him. He did not look to get back at anyone. Instead he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He placed himself and his tormenters in God's hands, knowing that God would do what was just. He knew that the joy that awaited him from God on the other side of the suffering was infinitely greater than the grief and pain of the suffering. Neither God nor man is impressed when you accept punishment for doing wrong. However, when you are unjustly treated and you do not retaliate in any way but calmly accept and continue to be faithful to do what you are supposed to do, God and man will take notice of that. God will reward you and other humans will glorify God on the day of visitation. When this happens you can know with certainty that you are being like Jesus who continued to treat others with respect even when he was being abused and mistreated. Dr. Howard Hendricks shares the story of how he was on an airplane that was made to wait to take off for about an hour and half. One passenger, who kept buying alcohol to drink, became increasingly belligerent and verbally abusive to one of the flight attendants. This young woman patiently and kindly dealt with this abusive passenger. Dr. Hendricks approached her and told her how much he admired how she was handling this situation. He told her he wanted to write a letter to her supervisors to commend her. She replied that she didn't work for the airline. He was confused and asked what did she mean? She said, "I work for Jesus Christ." If you want to bear witness to Christ, don't complain about your boss or your work conditions. Faithfully do your work all the time, no matter how you're treated and you will be noticed by God. You will be like Jesus. Christians live (among the pagans) morally upright, constructive and submissive lives because…
© Copyright 2007 John Swanson.
|