New Year's Message

2014 OUR GOD IS FAITHFUL 2015

In just three days we will be wishing each other a “happy new year.”

            If you are a glass-half-full kind of person (positive outlook) you will be looking back on 2014 with fondness. It will have been a good year for you and, with your characteristic optimism, you will anticipate another good year. “Happy new year” is a fond wish and a pithy cliché at the same time. No matter; 2015 will be good.

            If you are a glass-half-empty kind of person you will be remembering the failings and disappointments of 2014. Some would call this “pessimism” but you (we) call it “realistic.” When someone wishes you a “happy new year” you will think “indeed” since last year was anything but…Let me count the ways in which 2014 could have been better, you think. Considering the last 362 days all you can do is hope 2015 will erase the previous dark days.

            Both the positivist and the realist/pessimist have something in common. Their experiences are much the same: they have the same disappointments, failures, defeats, and even similar victories, accomplishments, and achievements. The difference between the two rests in how they evaluate or choose to feel about their shared experiences. One will say “it was great” and the other “it could have been better.”

            The challenge for us of moving from 2014 to 2015 will be how we choose to view the past year while looking forward to a new year. Can we leave the past behind and adopt a deep-seated hope for the future? On what basis can we begin to change our view of past events so that we can look forward?

            Let me draw your attention to the book of Lamentations in the OT. This little book was written by Jeremiah who was known as the weeping prophet. Throughout Jeremiah’s ministry, he preached a message of judgment on a nation that had grossly sinned before God. Jeremiah was not a popular guy in his day; other preachers spoke of peace and good times ahead; Jeremiah alone spoke for God and God was not happy. Because of Israel’s sin, God said that Jerusalem would be destroyed and the people taken into captivity. As Jeremiah prophesied, so it came about as the Lord had said.

            The book of Lamentations is as depressing as it sounds. It is a book of grief. It is the journal of a man who saw everything he loved become ashes before his own eyes. This book is a book of laments, Jeremiah’s laments.

            As you read the book of Lamentations, Jeremiah will tell you line by line how terrible his world had become. His first words in this book set the tone:

            “How deserted lies the city, once so full of people…” (1:1). For two chapters Jeremiah describes how the holy city lost its splendor, how wasted its gardens look, how her walls are torn down – his eyes fail from weeping (2:11).

            Then in chapter 3, Jeremiah gets personal. He turns from the scene of his beautiful city, now a heap of rubble, to his own spirit. Jeremiah lists 9 personal laments describing how he feels (remember this is a preacher, a prophet of the most High God, a spiritual man – if he can feel down in the dumps, anybody can):

            1 – He feels that God is angry with him (3:1)

            2 – He feels that God has driven him into darkness (some call this the “dark night of the soul”) (3:2, 6)

            3 – He feels like God has turned against him (3:3)

            4 – He feels old (3:4)

            5 – He feels trapped (3:5-7)

            6 – He feels like his prayers go unanswered (3:8)

            7 – He feels like God is a bear laying in wait for him, ready to pounce and mangle him (3:10-11)

            8 – He feels like a laughingstock among his people (3:14)

            9 – His hope, in short, is gone (3:18).

            This guy’s glass isn’t just half-empty, it’s bone-dry. Jeremiah’s experience of the past year has left him without hope of any kind.

            Unbelief causes us to look at our God through our troublesome circumstances. While Jeremiah's outward affliction and inward turmoil pushed him toward despair, Jeremiah forces himself to bring truth to the forefront of his mind. Like a computer that "defaults" to certain settings, each of us has a "despair default." If we don't reconfigure our minds, we will slide down the slippery slope of discouragement and complaint.

            What we learn from Jeremiah is that we cannot look at the past and fill our minds with despair. As hard as it may sound, we have to train our brains to think and process differently. Incredibly, despite what I have shared with you about Jeremiah’s experience and outlook, he splits the darkness of his despair with an amazing and profound truth. Put your feelings aside and grab hold of this hope. Listen to what Jeremiah teaches about hope:

a) Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed – Picture Jeremiah crying, wailing his head off, viewing his city through tears. The people are near starvation, threatening to eat each other – it’s that bad – and he stops and thinks: Why doesn’t God destroy me?

            It sounds strange Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed. We have lost everything. We have nothing to eat. We have nowhere to live. But God loves me. How do I know? Because I’m not dead. I’m not dead yet; I feel like dancing.

            As we wish each other a happy new year, it strikes me funny in a way. Somehow we think that we deserve a happy new year, as if each year should be better than the next. And then we place our hopes in some mystical unreality that fate will deal us a better hand than the last year. Fortune will smile on me eventually, if your God is Walt Disney perhaps.

            But what do we deserve? Nothing. God has seen our sin and sinfulness and declared “The wages of sin is death…” (Ro 6:23). Life doesn’t owe you anything; God certainly doesn’t owe you anything. And yet you live. How do you know God loves you? Because you’re not dead. “…but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” “The gift” is life.

b) His compassions (mercies) never fail – Since God’s love for us preserves us, his mercies will not fail us. God’s “compassions” or “mercies” are noted in the plural. Jeremiah highlights that they are many. That’s how intense and limitless are the mercies of God. We have no idea really, how much God loves us.

            “Compassion” comes from the Hebrew word for “womb.” Hebrew is a picture language and nearly every word causes us to think of a picture. This picture shows us that God has a gentle feeling of concern and care for us like a mother has for her newborn. The word literally means “to be moved in the heart out of love for another.” So God is moved in his heart when he thinks of you.

            When James thought of mercy he turned to Job. That’s odd isn’t it? Job, who suffered more than any man or woman who has ever lived, is a picture of God’s mercy. James said, “You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy,” (Js 5:11). Just because God allows suffering into our lives doesn’t mean that he isn’t compassionate. In fact, how would we know what compassion was if God only allowed good things to happen to us?

c) They are new every morning – “Morning by morning new mercies I see,” is how the hymn puts it. God’s mercies are new every morning; they are fresh for today.

            Try this a few mornings in a row: when you wake up, sit up in bed and loudly proclaim, “I’m alive!” If your spouse is still sleeping it will freak them out. You may recall the prayer your mother taught you, “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray thee Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray thee Lord my soul to take.” I went to bed some nights wondering how dangerous sleep really was. But as Jeremiah affirms, waking up in the morning is a real mercy.

            Every morning God’s mercies are fresh. They are not held over from yesterday but renewed for our enjoyment today. Consider the analogy of manna and the children of Israel as a comparison. Each morning the Israelites would go out to gather manna for the day. If they stored some away for the next day it would spoil. God had promised to provide fresh manna each day, except on the Sabbath. God’s mercies don’t spoil but we are reminded that we should not live in the past. It is good to remember God’s mercies but only as a reminder that He continues to show new compassions to us every day.

            In this way we want to live with a certain expectancy about the day. Even as the day brings fresh troubles, God counters those troubles with fresh mercies.

            I struggled a few weeks ago with being passed over for a teaching spot at the seminary. It was just a one-week intensive on Anabaptist History, but I really wanted to teach it. When I fell ill a week or so ago I began to brood over this rejection in the midst of my fever. Then one morning God revealed His mercy to me. With all the preaching I am scheduled to do, the dissertation, the EMC committees I am on, when would I have time to write 20-30 hours of lectures? God mercifully kept me from overloading.

d) Great is your faithfulness – Jeremiah delivers the summary of his great revelation concerning God’s mercies: Great is your faithfulness, O God, my Father.” Thomas Chisholm adds his own thoughts in his hymn, “There is no shadow of turning with thee.”

            God is faithful. When Moses wanted to see God, the Lord placed Moses in the cleft of a rock and passed in front of him showing only His back to Moses. As God passed, He declared, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness…” (Ex 34:6). Faithfulness describes God. He is consistently who He says He is day to day, moment to moment, without fail.

            Ethan the Ezrahite asked, “O LORD God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O LORD, and your faithfulness surrounds you,” (Ps 89:8).

            God is faithful. Like Jeremiah, when we surrender to live for God day by day, we feel fresh breezes of love, grace, and compassions blowing across our soul. God's supply comes when we need it - not earlier and not later. God gives us what we need for today. If we needed more, he would give us more. When we need something else, He will give us that as well. Nothing we truly need will ever be withheld from us.

            Paul discovered God’s faithfulness in all things through times of little and times of plenty. He said, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength,” (Phil 4:12b-13).

           

Jeremiah’s dramatic turn-around is a lesson for me. I hope it is for you too as we approach a new year of opportunity. While Jeremiah began to focus on the negatives, he realized that the difference between despair and hope is how you see life. More importantly, hope is seeing how God is faithful even when everything looks its worst.

            Consider your life. Consider 2014 alone. How has God been merciful to you? How has the Lord shown his faithfulness to you in the midst of your trials?

            Jeremiah said that the Lord is good to those whose hope is in him and those who seek him. Seeking God is that simple act of recognizing God’s hand in your life. As 2014 comes to a close, take a journal or sheet of paper or go to your electronic devices and list all the bad things that happened in the last year in one column. In a parallel column, beside each of those troubles or disappointments, write out what you think God’s mercy might have been in those moments. Consider how the Lord revealed his faithfulness to you. This is one way of seeking Him.

            Then as we approach 2015, adopt an attitude of waiting with expectation to see what God will do with each turn of events. When a set-back occurs, how will God work out the blessing in its midst? Wait for him; hope in him; seek him.

            Happy New Year!

                                                            AMEN

December 14 Advent message

THE JOY OF GIVING

Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” (Acts 20:35).

            Is there anyone who does not enjoy receiving a gift? At Christmas we give and receive gifts as a cherished tradition. One my fondest memories as a child was the anticipation that mounted in the weeks before Christmas. Our tree went up December 1^st and the pile of presents was steadily built up until the bottom of the tree could no longer cover the gifts. I believe the waiting was as thrilling as the opening of gifts.

            As I got older the thrill turned to disillusionment. On the one hand, receiving new toys was a childhood delight and had grown out of that phase. On the other hand, as my wants got more complicated and lists of requests were made, I knew what I was getting. I grew quite cynical about the whole tradition.

            Christmas joy has been rekindled in my heart in recent years as I have begun to realize that the giving is more fulfilling than the receiving. I still enjoy gifts, especially when Sharon finds something that she knows I will like but not expecting. But giving is where it’s at as far as the pursuit of joy at Christmas.

            Why do we give gifts at Christmas? I remember a rather theologically weak explanation being given when I was young. Someone explained that because the wise men brought gifts to Jesus on his birthday, we give gifts to each other as a remembrance of that great nativity. Tradition does not need much encouragement when gifts are involved.

            While the theology of gift-giving is weak as far as Jesus’ birthday is concerned, the magi do have some things to teach us about finding joy in the birth of Christ. There are three questions I want to ask that will help us to focus on the theme of giving and receiving as it relates to Matthew 2:1-12.

The first is this:

1. What do you want?

As we approach Christmas there are numerous expectations we place on this special day. Chief among these expectations is the anticipation of receiving. We want to receive joy from the celebrations, from the Church services, from the season in general. We want to know the “peace on earth” that the songs talk about. We want to be filled with the delight that commercials and movies proclaim is part of the Christmas fantasy.

            What did the wise men, the magi, want? What were they looking for the night they came to Jerusalem?

            This was not the Holy Night that Jesus was born. The math tells us that Jesus was two years old by the time these guys showed up (Herod killed boys 2 and under (2:16)). Matthew is quite brief in his description of Jesus’ birth. He writes simply, “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod…” (2:1). Then the magi come.

            For a gospel writer who writes to Jewish believers about Jesus the Messiah, the magi are a peculiar feature. Magi were star-gazers, astrologers, a practice strictly forbidden in the Law of Moses. Secondly, they were Gentiles from a foreign land a thousand miles away. The inclusion of the magi in this story hints at the inclusion of Gentiles in the receiving of the gospel and becoming part of the church.

            These magi likely saw in the night sky Pisces, a conjunction of two stars, Jupiter and Saturn. Jupiter was the royal planet and Saturn symbolized Israel. They deduced that a king of great magnitude was born in Israel. Following the message of the star, they came to Jerusalem to find the child.

            What did they want? Matthew tells us, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him,” (2:2).

            Their method of finding Jesus may have been off, but they had the right focus. The first step in finding joy at Christmas is looking for Jesus to worship him.          

            Some folks get pretty riled when Christ is spelled with an X. They preach, “Keep Christ in Christmas!” Quite right. Keep Christ in Christmas, but it has nothing to do with the spelling of his name (which in Greek is X). Keeping Christ in Christmas is first and foremost honoring his advent, his coming into the world, his condescension to become one of us. Worshiping Christ is priority one.

2. Where do you look for it?

The second question following “What do you want?” is “Where do you look for it?”

            We learn from the magi that there are right and wrong places to look for Christmas joy. Where did they look for a baby born king of the Jews? In the usual places…they sought him out in a palace in the middle of a major city. Logical thinking really.

            If we look for Christmas joy in the gatherings, the turkey, the gifts, or in overall season we may be disappointed. Black Friday teaches us that consumerism is dog-eat-dog; don’t expect to find Christmas charity in the mall when a sale is on. We can also place too heavy an expectation on family hoping that the laughter and good times will be replicated every year. Being with family can be hard work – you might have to prepare yourself to be with them and tolerate the same habits and stories you have always endured.

            The magi discovered that the Christ of their Christmas was found not in the usual places, but in Scripture. Sadly, those who knew Scripture had grown numb to the truth of the Word. When Herod called on the Bible guys to tell him where the Christ would be born it was sort of an anticlimactic revelation to them. They knew where Christ’s birthplace was foretold, but it was sort of “ehh” (shrug).

            Micah prophesied, “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel,” (Micah 5:2). We take for granted how amazing this prophecy really is in the story of Christmas. All eyes should have been on Bethlehem, even if it took several hundred years. Compare this with a prophecy that Christ’s second coming would begin in Kleefeld, Manitoba. Can you imagine? I should think that real estate would go through the roof.

            If you are looking for the joy of Christmas, you must begin with the Scriptures. Read them, marvel over them, pause to meditate on the coming of God into our world.

            I remember the hardest thing to do was to listen to the Christmas story from Luke before opening presents. So maybe don’t torture your children right then. Make it part of breakfast or Christmas Eve or something. Take time to read the nativity with a fresh heart and fresh set of eyes, and seek the Lord to worship him.

3. What are you willing to give?

Pisces, if that’s what it was, the star, reappeared, and the magi continued their journey until they came to Bethlehem and found Jesus. Here’s where the gift-giving comes in to the story.

            Three small boys were in a Christmas play at school.

They represented the three wise men and they were to give their gifts to baby Jesus. The first boy stepped forward, held out the gift in his hands and said, “Gold.” The second boy stepped forward, held out his gift and said, “Myrrh.” The third boy stepped forward, held out his gift and said, “Frank sent this.”

            What are you willing to give to Jesus in worship? What the magi gave in gifts were totally appropriate for the Christ. You would think that the gifts were inspired by the Holy Spirit, they were so bang-on.

            They gave gold – a gift fit for a king. The magi were acknowledging that 2-year-old Jesus was a king.

            They gave frankincense – a gift for a priest. Frankincense was an ingredient used by the priests in temple worship to blend with the smell of the sacrifices. With this gift the magi acknowledged that Jesus was One who would bring us to God.

            They gave myrrh – a gift for the dead. Myrrh was a fragrant ointment used to anoint a corpse before burial. What an odd gift for a toddler. The magi must have had some insight that the child was born to die.

            These were appropriate gifts for the Christ-child. I have seen a TV commercial (I don’t know what it’s for – bad advertising) where couples are sitting around exchanging gifts. In sweet, gracious voices they say horrible things. One says, “Oh, what a lovely sweater. You must think I’m fat.” Another says, “Thank you so much. I’m going to purposely forget this here when I leave.” And another, “I’ll never leave the house wearing this.”

            Gift-giving has become complicated in a society where we lack for nothing. Rather than a blessing, giving gifts becomes a game. There are four gift categories we need to consider:

            a) The gift for a gift, gift – When we receive a gift we try to figure out how much that gift cost so we can reciprocate and get the giver a gift of the same value. Sometimes these givers are long in the memory: “I got them something nice but they didn’t get me anything.”

            b) The gift for a favor gift, gift – these givers give a gift but don’t want a gift in exchange. They want a chip they can put in their pocket so that they can get something else out of you. Perhaps it is a favor; perhaps it is loyalty. It’s something, you can be sure.

            c) The re-gifted gift, gift – This is where you take a gift you received but never used and turn around and give it someone else. Just make sure you don’t give it back to the original giver.

            d) The “grace” gift – The “grace” gift is unrepayable. You can’t pay it back; you can’t work for it, pay it off, or do anything to measure up to it. The giver doesn’t even expect anything in return. They would do it regardless of our gratitude or inability to respond. They do it out of love for love’s sake.

            You know of course that this is the gift of God to us. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life,” (John 3:16). That is a Christmas message if there ever was one.

            I have received the “grace” gift from others and it is amazing. The gift is “spot on,” like they knew my character, and so touching. It leaves you with a funny feeling, like you want to do something in exchange but you know you can’t. That reflects the gift of God so perfectly.

            The wise men, the magi, brought Jesus material gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They also brought the gift of presence (they were wealthy; they could have sent a gift to Jesus but came themselves), the gift of time (it took 2 years for them to discern the star and make the trip), and the most important gift which is a culmination of all these gifts – worship. “When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.” They were overjoyed to be able to give Jesus, this poor carpenter’s boy who would be king, gifts of worship.

            There is one more gift that needs to be considered in this story: the gift of receiving. Humbling oneself to receive a gift, allowing oneself to be served by another, is a gift in itself. I have noticed this in many homes that I have visited: when you decline an offer of drink or food, it almost seems to disappoint people who want to serve you, to show you hospitality. Letting others bless you gifts them in return.

            But of course the Christ-child wants us to receive him most of all as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. That too takes humility – we must make room for him in our lives.

“Giving with a glad and generous heart has a way of routing out the tough old miser within us. Even the poor need to know that they can give. Just the very act of letting go of money or some other treasure does something within us. That something is it destroys the demon, greed.” (Richard Foster).

            “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Perhaps we experience the joy of giving because we are actually letting go of this world and reaching for the next; we are letting go of our treasures to claim the gift of God.

            A number of years ago, when our extended Klassen family had grown, I campaigned to cease giving gifts at Christmas. To buy presents for my brother and his family and my sister and her family had reached unrealistic proportions. Budgets could only afford so much per person and we all felt the pinch. I felt especially bad for my parents who felt obligated to buy gifts for every child, grandchild and great grandchild. I told my parents that if they wanted to write checks to everyone it would simplify their lives.

            You know, sometimes a check just doesn’t say much. Now that Mom is gone, I don’t have a book or a keepsake that I can remember coming from her own thoughtfulness. The older I get the more I realize that it is the thoughtfulness of the gift, not the cost. If someone buys me a history book, it doesn’t matter if it came from the bargain bin – they thought of me. I trust that goes both ways.

            If Christmas is about giving, let us give joyfully, thoughtfully, and intentionally to show the love of God in Christ to those around us.

                                                                        AMEN

           

            

Called to Holiness #9

SUBMIT TO YOUR MASTER

Submission! Not a popular word in our 21^st century context. We don’t like to submit; in a free and democratic country we have the right to speak out, to say “no,” to go and do as we please. We will not submit.

            Ah, but we do submit. We submit all the time. As Pete shared last week, we submit (generally) to traffic laws. We submit to the police officer who pulls us over. We submit to breathalyzer tests if, unfortunately, it is necessary. We submit to those in authority over us, like judges and employers. You are even submitting to me right now as you listen to this sermon. You have given me the authority to preach and you are respecting that authority by submitting.

            Submission is necessary for order and organization. The opposite of submission is rebellion. When man’s laws and God’s commands are in conflict, we must become civilly disobedient. But in general, submission is necessary for peace.

            Submit to law and order? Yes. Submit to my employer during work hours? Yes. But submit to my master? Wait a minute, I am not a slave. This passage of Scripture we are talking about today is about slaves and masters, and that is so first century. It does not apply to us today.

            Slaves are used and abused. They are treated like property with cruelty and inhumanity. You are nobody’s slave. Wives are not slaves to their husbands. Employees are not slaves to their bosses. This is an irrelevant passage and subject for Christians today. Or is it?

            We cannot relate to the context of slavery in first century Rome. There are, however, principles that can be gleaned from this passage. The main lesson is this: Peter teaches Christians to submit to authority in the context of suffering for the sake of holy living. He uses the slave, the most vulnerable person in Roman society, as a paradigm (pattern) for the person who follows Christ. And the lesson here is more about suffering unjustly than about slavery.

1. How we are, and are not, like slaves

a) Why you are not a slave – On the one hand, Peter is literally talking to slaves; you are not a slave. Some preachers have tried to preach about employer/employee relations out of this passage but that is a stretch. There is no parallel between masters/slaves and bosses/employees. Here’s why:

            William Barclay provides an excellent description of the slavery of that day: “To understand the real meaning of what Peter is saying we must understand something of the nature of slavery in the time of the early church. In the Roman Empire there were as many as 60,000,000 slaves. Slavery began with Roman conquests, slaves being originally mainly prisoners taken in war, and in very early times Rome had few slaves but by New Testament times slaves were counted by the million.” Slaves made up a quarter of the population.

            Slaves not only broke rocks and dug ditches (hard labor), slaves could also be doctors, teachers, musicians, actors, etc. They were beloved members of the family. But they had no rights. They were property, like a sheep was property. Slaves could not marry but could have children; if children were born, they were born into slavery and were automatically property of the master. It was said that the only difference between a slave and a wagon was that the slave could talk. Slaves were “things” and tools.

            In a nation of civil liberties and free will, you are not a slave.

            When slaves came to Christ for salvation they were taught about their “freedom in Christ.” While this was true, Peter reminded them that they were still slaves and needed to submit to their masters. They were not to work less, but work harder. Show the master that a Christian makes a better slave. This is why Peter writes as he does:

            “Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh,” (18). The Greek word for “harsh” gives us the word for “scoliosis,” the curvature of the spine. It is an easy thing to submit to a good and kind master, but Peter encourages Christian slaves to submit to crooked or cruel masters too. These are the ones who make you suffer.

            Peter continues, “For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God,” (19). That word “commendable” comes from the root word “grace.” What Peter is really saying is, “it is gracious to endure suffering,” or “bear your suffering with uncommon grace.” He repeats this “grace” word in v. 20.

            Suffering comes three ways: 1) for no apparent reason, 2) because of our mistakes, and 3) sometimes we suffer unjustly at the hands of others. Number 3 is the one that fits our text. How do we suffer graciously when others deliberately cause our suffering?

            Therein lies the key – grace. God’s grace helps us to endure abuse at the hands of others. The sufferer is “conscious of God” in their situation and can appeal to His presence there.

b) How you are like a slave – You are not a slave. And yet you are like a slave. Jesus taught that His followers are to behave in a manner like slaves. Jesus said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all,” (Mk 9:35). He said again, “Whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all,” (Mk 10:44).

             First in what? Jesus was talking about those who want to be top-notch disciples, first in His kingdom, prime followers. If you want to follow Jesus closely, you will become like a slave. A slave to whom? Well, Jesus is our master, but he did say “the servant of all.”

            Now the principles of suffering that Peter taught become relevant to us. There are going to be jerks in our life who make us suffer, who hurt us with their words and actions. Peter tells us, as slaves of Christ, submit to them. With God’s grace, bear the suffering and be gracious to your oppressor. Be conscious of God’s awareness of your pain and suffering.

            Why on earth would we want to do that?

c) Following the steps of Jesus – Why would we let others get away with making us suffer? Peter said, “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps,” (21). Slavery is our calling as followers of Jesus. Suffering is an expected part of being a disciple of Jesus. And as we suffer we follow in his steps.

            The word “example” in Peter’s day was used to refer to a pattern of letters of the alphabet over which children learned to write by tracing those letters. It suggests the closest of copies. So Jesus is the paradigm by which Christians write large the letters of his gospel in their lives. If we as Christians are willing to be slaves of God, our identity is such that we are willing to suffer unjustly as Jesus did. Jesus left us a pattern to trace out our lives upon and be like Him.

            While there appears to be insanity in this teaching – what purpose does unjust suffering serve in God’s greater plans – there is a purpose to this lesson. And God is glorified by it.

2. What Jesus taught us about suffering unjustly

a) The pattern of gracious suffering – Let’s first look at the pattern of Jesus’ suffering. How did he suffer?

            Peter makes a strong application of Isaiah 53 in this part of his letter. 1 Peter 2:22-25 is the deepest NT connection to the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53. It is Peter who identifies Jesus as the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy.

            Four reactions stand out in the way Jesus endured the suffering of unbelievers:

            1) Jesus did not sin – Quoting Is. 53:9, Peter notes that Jesus was an innocent sufferer, “He committed no sin...” He did nothing that deserved the suffering He endured. As I shared earlier, our suffering can come from our human condition such as illness, or aging, or death. Our suffering can be the result of sin and poor judgment. But sometimes we suffer because there are mean-spirited people in our lives who want to cause us pain. It is nothing we have done or said; we are simply the target of someone’s frustration or anguish, be it a boss or a relative. And they are socially-challenged to deal with their issues properly.

            2) Jesus did not verbally retaliate – “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate…” (23a). I observed that in Is. 53 three times the writer says he did not open his mouth: “he did not open his mouth” (7); “as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth” (7b); and “no deceit was found in his mouth” (9). Jesus did not defend himself; he did not object to the cruel treatment; he did not call them names or insult their character.

            It’s hard to keep our mouths shut when we experience injustice. We demand our rights. We tell the waitress off; we complain to customer service. That’s what they are there for, right? When have we learned to be silent like Jesus? How in our world of “rights” have we trained ourselves to endure like Jesus?

            3) Jesus did not threaten revenge – “when he suffered, he made no threats” (23b). Westerns are all about revenge. “You’ll pay for this,” the victim says, and then we wait for the gunslinger to exact justice on the bad guy. Jesus did not threaten the Jews or the Romans with payback.

            4) Jesus submitted himself to God’s justice – “Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly” (23c). One of the most difficult things to do is trust that God is going to judge our oppressor. God will bring justice; our problem is that we want to see justice done. Can we trust God to bring justice even if we are not there to witness it?

            As we entrust ourselves to God’s justice, our calling is to be gracious in suffering, as Jesus was gracious in his suffering.

            When we are threatened and refuse to compromise our faith, this is grace. When we suffer for what we believe and do not complain, this is grace. When we are passed over and refuse to get bitter, this is grace. When we endure harsh treatment and still praise the Lord, this is grace. When we are falsely accused and do not retaliate, this is grace. When we are ripped off and can still smile, this is grace. When we lose the game but not our temper, this is grace. When we face countless trials but still count it all joy, this is grace. When we love the Lord through our tears, this is grace. This is also being conscious of God.

b) What’s the point of suffering graciously? The point of suffering graciously is demonstrated in Christ’s suffering and victory. This is the way to break the world’s ways and perhaps bring unbelievers to a knowledge of God.

            Peter continues his argument for slave-behavior in the Christian by explaining what Christ won through suffering.

            By suffering, Jesus:

·         Bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness.

·         Healed us from our brokenness. “by his wounds you have been healed” (24c; Is. 53:5)

·         Reconciled us to God. “For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (25; Is. 53:6).

I will not stand here and lie to you – this is a painful route. To let people attack you for your faith, to suffer when you have done no wrong, to be gracious when others are ungracious, is a tough way to live. When it is appropriate, we can tell a Christian brother or sister when we have been offended. But this is about being a witness to unbelievers and showing them Jesus when all they show us is the devil.

            This is what Jesus endured, not just to save us, but to be an example to us, that we should put up with suffering if only to bring the unbeliever to Christ.

We come to Christmas once again, hoping against hope that the old story of Bethlehem will have something to say to us. While Christmas focuses on the pastoral scene of a baby born in a clump of straw with Joseph and Mary, some sheep and their shepherds standing around the crude manger, the shadow of the cross falls across this picture. The cross and suffering were part of the plan right from the start. Jesus came to die for the hurt and the sin we have experienced.

            We might question God in times of suffering, thinking he doesn’t understand our hurt, or that he has forgotten you. If we do, we’re wrong.

            “Let me pose a hypothetical question for a moment: What if Jesus had answered back when he was attacked? What if he had retaliated? What if he had insulted Herod, mocked Pilate, and used his divine powers to escape the Roman soldiers? He could have fought back. He could have told them off and even worked a miracle to free himself. What if he had? We would not be saved. We would still be in our sins. We would still be lost and on our way to hell. He entrusted himself to God in the midst of his suffering—and the result was our salvation. We’re going to heaven because Jesus didn’t lose his temper.

And what will happen if we do for others what Jesus did for us? Perhaps our powerful silence will convict them. Perhaps our kindness will disarm them. When you resist the urge to get even, when you stop claiming your rights, when you give up trying always to be understood, when you give up your anger and bitterness, do you know what happens? You become like Jesus! And that’s when your life begins to change the world around you.”[1]

            At Christmastime we know one thing for certain: Jesus is Immanuel, God with us. God is with us. He endured pain, suffering, and death – He knows our suffering. And God is with us. Submit to your master, Jesus Christ, and be like him.

                                                            AMEN

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[1] Ray Pritchard, In His Steps (sermon January 30, 2005)