Encouraged

ENCOURAGED 1 Peter 1:1-2 August 29, 2021 Sunday morning worship is not a static event. Worship is continually changing. What time we meet, where we meet, what we do when we meet - is dynamic and different from community to community. No two local churches worship the same. On my first Sunday here, June 6th of 1993, we were meeting in a 60-year-old building which seated 70 people - if we were shoulder to shoulder. Which was okay, because there were fewer than 10 people in the church. The pulpit didn't set in the center of the front of the church. From your point of view it was off on the left side of the front. Right next to a closet door. There was no microphone or speakers. I had to shout loud enough to be heard over a very old, very noisy air conditioner. The carpet was fluorescent green. There was a funeral flower centerpiece at the entrance to the church, and another on the altar. They were funeral sprays provide by 2 women, who did not like each other, whose husbands had passed away many years before - and both women were competing for place of honor in the church. And, we were using a hymnal from 1955. The church didn't trust that new fangled 1992 hymnal. I began making changes, which ruffled feathers, but was necessary for the health of the church. If you were to bring those 1993 participants into this sanctuary today, and have them worship with us, they would be shocked at how much the church and worship have changed. And, it's not just local churches like ours. There has always been change in the big Church. In the year 1054 the Christian Church split into Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox. The Catholic Church said worship needs to be more academic, more intellectual. You need to understand your faith. The Orthodox Church said worship is spiritual. God is spiritual. What we do on Sunday needs to focus on the mystery and unknowable-ness of God. You need to feel your faith. So, the church split in two. Five hundred years later Martin Luther led the Reformation, and the Catholic Church split again; Catholics and Protestants. In the last 500 hundred years the Protestants have split well over 200 times into a wide variety of denominations. And, you might think - man, it's too bad the Apostles aren't in charge. It was better when everything was just the way they set it up. Well, guess what. The first change to Church came only 30 years after the Apostles began their work. And, it was the Apostle Peter who led the changes. He did it to make the Church more relevant, more responsive, and (especially) to make the Church more encouraging than it had ever been before. The epistle of first Peter documents those changes. Initially, the Christian Church didn't use buildings. On Sunday morning they gathered in a public area, and anyone was welcome to come and watch, and participate. Every week was a sunrise Easter service. Every Sunday, as the Sun came up the pastor talked about the empty tomb, the Resurrection of Jesus, and his ascension into Heaven. And, most importantly, Jesus is coming back. Soon. They celebrated Communion every Sunday. And, the expectation was Jesus will come back soon, probably before we get through this service. Well, 30 years go by. Jesus has not come back. Many of the original 12 Apostles have died. Peter is getting old. Both Peter and the world have changed in the last 30 years. And, Peter makes the decision to fundamentally change the Church.1 Some of the changes are because of what is happening internally. Some of the changes are because of external factors. First is an internal change. Sundays will no longer focus exclusively on Easter and the Second Coming. Jesus is giving us a lot longer than I thought to bring new members into the church. And, the single biggest recruiting tool we have, is our life witness. People watch us. And, when hard times come people like the way we respond. They want what we have. So, we are going to focus much more on how to live right before God. The moment we accept Jesus into our hearts we are justified - saved. When we get to Heaven we are made perfect - glorified. In between, we do the best we can to be more like Jesus every day - sanctified. The letter of first Peter encourages the Church to embrace sanctification. Let's spend a lot more time talking about what Christians do, and don't do. But, Peter presents this change in such a positive and encouraging way - that because of this letter, he is nicknamed the Apostle of hope. The vast majority of the world accepts Peter as the authentic author of this letter. He says so in the first verse. And, there is internal evidence as well.2 After the Resurrection, Jesus is walking the shore of the Sea of Galilee. He is having a private conversation with Peter. John is trying to eavesdrop on the conversation, and the rest of the Apostles are far away. Three times Jesus asks Peter - do you love me? If so, then feed my sheep. That conversation is repeated in this letter. Peter and John are the only two people who heard that conversation. And, John's gospel isn't written until 20 years after first Peter. So, logically, Peter is the author. In the last 100 years some of the more liberal seminaries have begun to cast doubt on authorship. Their reason is - Peter was an uneducated fisherman.3 Greek would have been a second language for him. Yet, the letter of first Peter is written in outstanding Greek. It's some of the best Greek in the Bible. So, it can't be Peter. It's someone else using Peter's name. Fortunately, Peter himself gives us the answer.4 At the end of the letter, Peter thanks Silas for being his secretary and putting his words on paper. This is the same Silas who traveled with Paul on his second and third missionary journeys. Silas was Greek, and was highly educated. I think that explains the language issue. The letter is written between 60 and 64 AD, from the city of Rome. At the end of the letter he references Babylon, but he's not being literal. He is insulting Rome by using the name of the most corrupt, defiled, sinful city in recent memory. It's kind of like me calling Ponder - little Las Vegas. That would conjure up images, and influence your perception. Peter has been in Rome for a while. He has not yet been arrested for being a Christian. Soon, he will be arrested. A year later he will be executed. He knows this is coming because Emperor Nero has targeted Christians. A few years ago Nero burned a large portion of the city so he could claim it for himself and build a fantastic palace. He blamed the fire on Christians. He has declared Christianity an illegal religion. And, when he throws parties he dips Christians in tar, ties them to poles and lights them on fire. He uses Christians for party lighting. Peter knows full well what is coming his way. And, he knows what is coming for his Church. This letter isn't written to the churches in Rome. It's written to the churches in modern Turkey. When he lists Pontus, Galatia, and the others he isn't writing to specific churches in specific cities. Those are large geographic areas kind of like states. It's as if Peter's letter is written to Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. It's a very large area, and he intends for the letter to be circulated to all of the churches in Turkey. Calvinists and Arminians argue about what Peter means when he calls us elect. Calvin wrote that before time even began, God already picked the people he wanted to save, and the people he wanted to go to Hell. The people God chose are the elect. Methodists are Arminian. We believe before time even began God made salvation available to everyone. Absolutely everyone. But, God already knew who would accept grace, and who would reject it. The elect are those who accepted God's wonderful gift. So, Peter begins his letter by saying you are going through some suffering right now. It's going to get worse. I want to remind you this was a choice you made. When you accepted grace, this was part of the deal. The second change Peter makes to the Church, with this letter, is to deal with this persecution and suffering. What Peter is going through in Rome, hasn't made its way to Turkey yet. But, it's coming. In the meantime, these churches are experiencing a different kind of suffering.5 And, I think it's really interesting, because it's a suffering you and I can relate to. Here's what the Turks are going through right now. When they made the decision to accept Jesus into their heart, they expected their families to be joyful with them. Yay! You will live forever in Heaven. Instead, they find their own families, and all of their neighbors, very suspicious of them.6 You Christians are atheists - there are hundreds of gods, and you just reject all of them. You Christians are cannibals - you eat the body of your Jesus, and you drink his blood. You Christians are incestuous - you call each other brother and sister, and your God told you to love one another. You guys don't fit in to good and decent society at all. So, Christians are finding themselves rejected by everyone. Belittled and insulted because of their faith. First Peter encourages the faithful through the suffering of rejection. The next change Peter makes is identity. You may have been born in Turkey, but this is not your home. You are a foreigner here. Your home is in Heaven. You may have been born into a human household, but they are not your family. Your family are the brothers and sisters who share your faith. And, Peter does this as an amazing positive way. When he writes these words they are very encouraging. Your home is perfect. Your family is perfect. When you get there you will be perfect. This is all good. You should be excited about this. In the meantime I want church to focus on sanctification - being more like Jesus. In fact I want you to embrace this mantra, trust and obey.7 Whatever happens to you in this life - trust God that it is for your good. Nero will probably kill me. That's okay. God means it for my good. What do I care? This isn't my home. Keep the faith, by getting up every day, and doing your best to be like Jesus. Trust and obey. Next, in this letter, Peter gives Christians a new identity.8 One, you are the chosen people of God. It used to be Israel. But, they threw it away. Now, you are the chosen people of God. That makes you special. Two, you have received titles of honor and praise. Peter writes (2:9 NIV), "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." Doesn't that sound good? I like that. Peter says church needs to emphasize this aspect of the faith. And, third, Peter says wear the name Christian with pride. Others will call you that as an insult. I say, shout out - I am a Christian. Peter says it's good to be humble. It's always good to be humble. But, from now on, I want to see some pride too. Walk with confidence. Tell people about your faith with a little swag. I want to see some attitude. You are the elect. That's special. Recognize your specialness. And, I want everybody in church to feel this way. You have the indwelling Holy Spirit. That makes you incredibly special. Lift up your eyes, lift up your hearts, listen to your pastor - and be more like Jesus. For as long as you live the world around you will change. Therefore, your church will change. It has been that way since the beginning. I want you to be encouraged by whatever comes next. God is in control. The Holy Spirit is driving the change. And we should be encouraged. This is not our home. We have a perfect home, where we will be made perfect. In the meantime, we are the special people of God, God has given us titles of praise and recognition, and we should wear the name Christian with pride. Peter says so. 1 William Barclay, The Letters of James and Peter (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2003), 161. 2 R. C. Sproul, general editor. New Geneva Study Bible (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 1967. 3 Donald Senior, New Interpreter's Study Bible (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003), 1967. 4 NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016), 2177. 5 Sproul, 1967. 6 NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, 2178. 7 Troy W. Martin, "Faith: It's Qualities, Attributes, and Legitimization in 1 Peter," Biblical Research, 61 no. 1 (2016), 46-61. 8 Edgar Krentz, "Creating A Past: 1 Peter and Christian Identity," Biblical Research, 53 no. 1 (2008), 41-57. --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ 2