Good Friday morning to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Life is full of lessons to be learned, every day, isn’t it? And now at your age, whatever your age is, I wonder what you would identify as the most important lessons you’ve learned in your life? They say that in these days more information is available to every person in the world than at any time in history past.
Furthermore, they say the volume of information available is increasing at such a fast pace no one can absorb even a small percentage of all the available information. Finally, I understand no human being who has ever lived has come anywhere close to maximizing the potential of their God designed, God given brain! Now let’s pause and ponder that for just a few seconds.
In view of all I’ve just said about lessons learned, available information and brain capacity, join me again with our friend the apostle Peter as he is writing amazing truth that, while written 20 centuries ago, is very, very relevant to what you and I need to learn today: 1 Peter 3:15-17 “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, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” So let me ask us all… how often, everyday, are we asked to explain ourselves? Explain what we said or what we meant by what we said. Explain why we think the way we do or explain why we made a particular choice? Explain our behavior or our attitudes?
Now the truth is most often when someone is asked to explain it’s because their words or attitudes or choices or behavior are offensive or illegal or at least suspicious. But Peter challenges Christians with this: our words, our attitudes, our choices, our behavior should be so GOOD, so helpful, so much light in the darkness of our world that people are amazed, perhaps even stunned and they can’t ignore it, nor can they understand it, so they ask for an explanation!
But have you found that most often the amazement of people, when they consider the unexplainable good words or attitudes or choices or behavior of Christians, is normally wrapped with sarcasm or skepticism or maybe even, as Peter says, slander! Has that ever been your experience my dear friends? It hurts, doesn’t it? We’re trying so hard to be helpful and in response we are blasted or questioned with suspicion. Do you see the good advice Peter gives us? “… it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” We know that is true, don’t we? We have all felt the shame and piercing guilt of having mocked someone or slandered them and then felt the conviction of God in our hearts. Do you remember the wise words of the criminal being crucified next to Jesus? “Don’t you fear God? We are being punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man [Jesus] has done nothing wrong.” (Luke 23:40)
Right there is a core element in this problem, do you see it? The lack of fear or respect for God! People who mock or slander or persecute those people trying to do the right thing, the God honoring thing, are usually people who have no respect or fear for God. They are prideful, elevating themselves above those they put down, even elevating themselves above God! Now think about that… do you see that is true in those people who have put you down?
Peter is picking up his stylus to write again as he continues these powerful words of encouragement, challenge and instruction. Peter is remembering what he saw when he was an eyewitness to the mockery of Jesus and even the persecution, torture and crucifixion of Jesus: “For Jesus Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” (1 Peter 3:18) Now let’s be very careful with this sentence my friends for it is a centerpiece distinctive of Christianity, separating followers of Jesus Christ from all other people in the world!
Do you see it? Whose sins did Jesus suffer and die for? His? Oh no! Peter calls Jesus ‘the righteous’ and that’s true. Jesus was God incarnate, Emmanuel, the sinless Son of God! He had no sin, yet He died a criminal’s death, why? Well, for two reasons… first, He, God the Son, was totally rejected by humanity, both the religious leaders and the political establishment, but also by normal, everyday people like you and me. From the days of Adam and Eve, in every place in our world, in every generation, people have chosen darkness instead of light, evil instead of good, despair instead of hope! And it’s happening right now in your town. It’s the normal sinful, human nature we all have!
The second reason Jesus died that day was God’s wrath justice poured out on Him! God put on Jesus the sins of all humanity and then God punished Jesus with the same punishment you and I, and every person deserves for our rebellion against God…death!
Peter is making it clear, sinless, righteous Jesus suffered for OUR sins, died taking OUR justice wrath from God. Why? Peter says: “To bring you to God.” Because Jesus took God’s punishment for our sins, God can extend forgiveness to us if we will acknowledge our sin and trust that Jesus died for us! Then, God will do what Peter promised… God will draw the repentant, forgiven sinner close to Himself and God will declare that person righteous, and adopt them as God’s child! Paul writes it this way: “There is therefore now NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…” (Romans 8:1) Oh my it’s a glorious truth and a wonderful way to live… no longer condemned, no longer in bondage to sin, no longer a slave to Satan. Are you living like that friends and are you then pouring the light and hope and help of Jesus into the darkness of your world? And if you are persecuted for that, are you rejoicing that your life is for God’s glory and is honoring Jesus your Savior? That’s what Peter is talking about here. Peter is calling us to live our lives, every day, as reflectors of Jesus in our world, regardless of the response of the people around us who want nothing to do with Jesus. Paul said it like this: “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us.” (2 Cor. 5:20) Oh my that is so powerful, my friends, is that how you feel about yourself and the privilege of living this day in the place where God has positioned you in our world, even if you are mocked, or slandered, or persecuted?
I think it’s time to pray and worship… Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you today for offering to be our Savior and for how you modeled for us God’s way of living as light in the darkness, even if we are mocked or slandered or persecuted for it. We worship you today!
Today’s Scripture is 1 Peter 3:15-18.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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