WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.839 our sins. He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 00:00:11.380 --> 00:00:20.300 Now let's turn together in God's words to 1 Peter chapter 4. 1 Peter chapter 4, if you have that on 00:00:20.300 --> 00:00:25.580 a device or in a Bible, you can open that and keep it open, but if not, the words will be up on our 00:00:25.579 --> 00:00:37.239 screen. I will read the first 11 verses of this chapter. Therefore, since Christ suffered in his 00:00:37.239 --> 00:00:45.439 body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body has finished 00:00:45.439 --> 00:00:52.299 with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, 00:00:52.299 --> 00:00:59.140 but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose 00:00:59.140 --> 00:01:04.599 to do, living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and detestable idolatry. 00:01:05.479 --> 00:01:10.379 They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless wild living, and they heap abuse on 00:01:10.379 --> 00:01:15.719 you. But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 00:01:16.259 --> 00:01:21.780 For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be 00:01:21.780 --> 00:01:28.420 judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to 00:01:28.420 --> 00:01:37.260 the spirit. The end of all things is near. Therefore, be alert and of sober mind, so that you may pray. 00:01:38.159 --> 00:01:45.700 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to 00:01:45.700 --> 00:01:51.180 one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, 00:01:51.180 --> 00:01:59.080 as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one 00:01:59.080 --> 00:02:06.260 who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, 00:02:06.780 --> 00:02:13.760 so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power 00:02:13.759 --> 00:02:22.199 forever and ever. Amen. And we'll turn to read and reflect on that in just a moment. But let's once 00:02:22.199 --> 00:02:31.219 again bow our heads briefly in prayer. Lord, you invite us to seek the Lord while you may be found, 00:02:31.399 --> 00:02:39.659 and to call on you while you are near. Lord, we pray that we would be conscious of you being near to us 00:02:39.659 --> 00:02:47.180 as we spend time around your words, that we would seek you with expectation, that we might hear 00:02:47.180 --> 00:02:56.400 words of truth and life from you today. Speak, Lord, and may we, your servants, be listening. Amen. 00:02:57.359 --> 00:03:04.840 So let's turn again to 1 Peter chapter 4, and we'll look at these first 11 verses, 00:03:04.840 --> 00:03:13.879 and we'll think about living in the light of Christ's victory. Let me begin with a question. 00:03:14.740 --> 00:03:22.420 Now, the question is this, do Christians have a peacetime or a wartime mentality? 00:03:24.020 --> 00:03:28.159 I've just finished reading a novel set in the Second World War, and two things 00:03:28.159 --> 00:03:34.599 struck me as being helpful when we come to 1 Peter. First, the recognition 00:03:34.599 --> 00:03:43.479 that in war, loyalty and allegiances matter. So the story centered on the threat of a spy ring 00:03:43.479 --> 00:03:49.400 getting access to military secrets. So loyalty matters. But then the other thing that really 00:03:49.400 --> 00:03:55.780 came through from the novel was the sense of solidarity and togetherness that wartime brings. 00:03:56.079 --> 00:04:02.419 So there was a reminder of rationing, and everybody was in that same system. Everyone was signing up to go 00:04:02.419 --> 00:04:08.679 to the front line. There were the blackouts and people having to take shelter together. There was a 00:04:08.679 --> 00:04:14.679 reminder of those government slogans. You may have seen some of those posters while studying history, 00:04:14.779 --> 00:04:24.240 perhaps, dig for victory, or we can do it. Everybody was together. It's a really appropriate way to think 00:04:24.240 --> 00:04:30.699 about 1 Peter chapter 4 and to think about the reality of the Christian life, which reminds us that we are 00:04:30.699 --> 00:04:39.699 engaged every day in spiritual warfare. So we have some of that language in verse 1. We are to arm ourselves 00:04:39.699 --> 00:04:47.819 with the same attitude of Jesus who suffered for us. In verse 7, we are to be alert and of sober 00:04:47.819 --> 00:04:51.139 minded. We are to be alert and of sober minded. We are to be alert and of sober minded. We are to be on guard each 00:04:51.139 --> 00:05:00.519 and every day. Peter also helpfully reminds us why we are engaged in this warfare, why we will find 00:05:00.519 --> 00:05:09.839 ourselves suffering as Christians, and it's because of loyalty to King Jesus. It's as we stand with his people, 00:05:09.920 --> 00:05:17.719 it's as we stand as the church, that we will at times face opposition, similar to what 00:05:17.720 --> 00:05:25.560 Peter's first readers were experiencing. But of course, there is good news for us, because in this 00:05:25.560 --> 00:05:32.480 battle that Peter is describing, there is no question of where the victory lies. So last week, if you 00:05:32.480 --> 00:05:39.360 remember, in chapter 3, verses 18 to 22, he was reminding these same Christians of the death, the 00:05:39.360 --> 00:05:44.060 resurrection, the return to glory, the victory of the Lord Jesus. He's now sitting in the place of 00:05:44.060 --> 00:05:54.100 glory, power, honor, with all things in submission to him. The victory of Jesus is never in doubt for a 00:05:54.100 --> 00:06:05.720 moment. So the suffering that we endure, the spiritual battle that we engage in, is in that context. That as we 00:06:05.720 --> 00:06:15.440 trust in him, we trust in him, so to our victory in the end is sure. And of course, this wartime imagery also 00:06:15.440 --> 00:06:23.840 creates in us a sense of urgency. We want to make sure that we are on the right side, that we are on Jesus' side. 00:06:25.480 --> 00:06:31.720 So today, we'll look at the two different sections of our text, and see that in light of the victory of 00:06:31.720 --> 00:06:37.020 Jesus Christ. Now, there's instructions for how we should live, first of all, in the world. That's the 00:06:37.020 --> 00:06:45.440 first six verses. And then how we should live in the church, and that's in verses 7 to 11. So let's 00:06:45.440 --> 00:06:52.600 think about how, first of all, to live out Christ's victory in the world. So I came across this week a 00:06:52.600 --> 00:07:00.440 quote from a Roman historian by the name of Tacitus. It lived at the same time as Peter did, and his 00:07:00.439 --> 00:07:08.139 reflections on this early new religion, Christianity, he said, Christians are haters of the human race. 00:07:09.660 --> 00:07:15.459 That's a very striking assessment, isn't it? Perhaps a shocking assessment. Why in the world would he say 00:07:15.459 --> 00:07:22.439 that of a group of people who were to be marked by love? Well, he said it because the Christian way of 00:07:22.439 --> 00:07:28.300 life was so different, and they were saying no to so many things that Roman society accepted as normal. 00:07:28.300 --> 00:07:35.400 So they said no to blood sports and to the gladiators. They said no to a low view of sex and marriage to 00:07:35.400 --> 00:07:40.520 pursue a biblical view of sex and marriage. They said no to the worship of the Roman gods. 00:07:41.920 --> 00:07:50.259 They said no to worshiping Caesar as Lord. They said Jesus had priority over all. And the result was that 00:07:50.259 --> 00:07:55.639 people were sometimes confused and sometimes hostile towards Christianity, and so the church was 00:07:55.639 --> 00:08:02.180 finding life as a Christian could sometimes be hard. Living in isolation, living as a minority, 00:08:02.339 --> 00:08:10.680 they could feel like exiles. It could feel like battle. Perhaps we can identify with that. 00:08:11.459 --> 00:08:17.560 In our own lives, as we find ourselves saying no to cultural norms, values that perhaps society 00:08:17.560 --> 00:08:22.659 accepts, and we want to be different because we're living according to the Bible, we will inevitably, 00:08:22.660 --> 00:08:28.880 in different ways, stand out. And that will sometimes lead to opposition, and we need to be ready for 00:08:28.880 --> 00:08:35.200 that. And we need to let the gospel direct us as to how we should respond and how we should live 00:08:35.200 --> 00:08:42.519 in light of that. So what does Peter teach us? What does he teach us about living for God 00:08:42.519 --> 00:08:49.700 before an unbelieving world? Or to put it another way, what difference does the victory of Jesus 00:08:49.700 --> 00:08:57.200 make for the way that we live in? What does he teach us? What does he teach us? What does he teach us? 00:08:57.200 --> 00:09:02.180 What Peter does helpfully for us is he identifies four things that are new for the Christian. 00:09:02.560 --> 00:09:10.400 So we'll look at these together. In verse 1, we see that we are to have a new attitude. 00:09:10.399 --> 00:09:20.019 Therefore, he says, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, 00:09:20.819 --> 00:09:29.519 because whoever suffers in the body has finished with sin. So he begins with a gospel motivation. 00:09:30.220 --> 00:09:36.039 He takes us once again to the suffering of Jesus and the victory of Jesus beyond suffering, 00:09:36.039 --> 00:09:41.139 reminding us again that Jesus is the one he's just described who's defeated sin and death, 00:09:41.179 --> 00:09:47.379 who's now ruling with power. So the suffering of Jesus motivates us, but also, 00:09:48.120 --> 00:09:53.599 so too should the attitude of Jesus to suffering. And the gospels give us insight into that. 00:09:54.240 --> 00:10:00.819 When we think about Jesus approaching suffering, what do we discover? We discover that Jesus was 00:10:00.820 --> 00:10:07.760 determined. Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem, the place where he knew he would die. He was 00:10:07.760 --> 00:10:17.120 determined to die to do his father's will, to rescue his church, resolving to suffer so that by faith in 00:10:17.120 --> 00:10:24.760 Jesus we might be saved. And so Peter draws on that to say that for us as Christians, we should have that 00:10:24.759 --> 00:10:33.319 same resolve, being ready to suffer, recognizing that the reality that was true for Jesus will also be true for us, 00:10:33.379 --> 00:10:41.319 that at times we will suffer. And he goes on to say in the second part of that verse that suffering for Jesus 00:10:41.319 --> 00:10:53.299 becomes then a sign of our loyalty. It's a recognition that he is our master. In that moment, we're not going to live 00:10:53.299 --> 00:10:59.579 for self, we're not going to live for sin because that decisive break has been made in light of what Jesus 00:10:59.579 --> 00:11:05.679 has done for us on the cross. So the gospel motivates that new attitude towards suffering. 00:11:07.319 --> 00:11:14.539 And then he moves from there to think about new desires that we have as Christians that then shape how we live 00:11:14.539 --> 00:11:22.740 in the world. Verse 2, as a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, 00:11:23.120 --> 00:11:31.279 but rather for the will of God. So he's saying because of what Jesus has done, and as people respond in 00:11:31.279 --> 00:11:38.759 faith for the rest of our lives, however long that might be, Christians are to live for the will of God, 00:11:38.759 --> 00:11:48.700 not any longer for our sinful, selfish desires. Now where does that change come from? And it's really 00:11:48.700 --> 00:11:54.819 important to recognize that this isn't a change we work in ourselves. No, this is created by the gospel. 00:11:54.960 --> 00:12:02.740 This is a work of God. That faith in Jesus, it gives us this new life in Christ. We receive a new 00:12:02.740 --> 00:12:10.259 heart. We receive a new will and a new desire from the Spirit. And we need the work of God if we're to 00:12:10.259 --> 00:12:19.980 have that new desire in us. Just before Easter, you might remember we studied Jesus' prayer in 00:12:19.980 --> 00:12:29.060 Gethsemane, and that point where he prayed, not my will but yours be done. That becomes, should become, 00:12:29.059 --> 00:12:36.039 the Christian's, should be done. Even if it means suffering, not my will, but yours, Father, be done. 00:12:36.579 --> 00:12:43.819 Because Jesus is our captain, and we want to follow him. And Jesus always did his Father's will 00:12:43.819 --> 00:12:51.859 so that he might save us. And as we think about Jesus, that would become increasingly our desire too. 00:12:51.860 --> 00:12:59.580 The third thing that's new about our life that helps us to live for Jesus in the world is that we 00:12:59.580 --> 00:13:07.620 have a new lifestyle. And verses 3 and 4 really make that clear. Peter begins, you have spent enough 00:13:07.620 --> 00:13:16.139 time in the past doing what pagans choose to do. So this church, and we've seen this a few times, 00:13:16.139 --> 00:13:23.059 largely converted to Jesus from a pagan background. So not a Christian background. They didn't have 00:13:23.059 --> 00:13:28.879 parents and grandparents that were going to church. And so their change, their way of life was very 00:13:28.879 --> 00:13:35.980 dramatically different. And so perhaps these verses are particularly important for anybody in that kind 00:13:35.980 --> 00:13:42.100 of situation. I've been reading this week about sort of brothers and sisters in Christ who, 00:13:42.100 --> 00:13:49.680 there are certain times and certain seasons that are very hard for them because they are converted from 00:13:49.680 --> 00:13:57.720 other faiths. And when the majority of your family and your community is worshiping in a certain way, 00:13:58.019 --> 00:14:03.460 doing certain practices, and you are not, then you're going to stand out. And sometimes that's going to 00:14:03.460 --> 00:14:13.000 lead to opposition, charges of being unfaithful and disrespectful. But that might also happen if 00:14:13.000 --> 00:14:18.000 you've not grown up in a Christian family, and you don't have a lot of Christian friends, and then you 00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:24.220 become a follower of Jesus. You might find that the people in your family or your friends might do what 00:14:24.220 --> 00:14:28.759 this has been happening to this group, that they're being mocked and rejected and even abused 00:14:28.759 --> 00:14:35.019 because of their new life. And so perhaps this is really important for some of us. 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:43.279 What we discover about these Christians is that their past was wild. To use Paul's language, 00:14:43.480 --> 00:14:47.519 Peter's language rather, they're surprised that you don't join them in their reckless wild living. 00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:54.159 That's what they used to do, and that was normal in the culture. And it was still normal for their 00:14:54.159 --> 00:14:59.439 friends and family. But Peter says, you spent enough time doing that. Enough is enough. You've made a 00:14:59.439 --> 00:15:05.259 decisive break with that. So now they're living for Jesus. Now they're following the pattern of Jesus, 00:15:05.259 --> 00:15:11.579 and they're being mocked for it. And for some of us, that will be part of our spiritual battle. 00:15:13.159 --> 00:15:19.220 We're called to a different lifestyle to the surrounding culture, but sometimes that will also mean 00:15:19.220 --> 00:15:25.620 we're called to a different lifestyle to our family and to our friendship group. And that's a particular 00:15:25.620 --> 00:15:35.379 challenge, perhaps. Maybe for our teenagers, maybe for our students, that's a real challenge, to allow 00:15:35.379 --> 00:15:42.019 the Bible to guide our view of what's normal and what's the right way to live, not culture. 00:15:42.019 --> 00:15:52.259 It's a reminder that there is a cost to consider. You know, the cost to follow Jesus might be about 00:15:52.259 --> 00:15:59.720 the reaction that our family or that our friends will have to our faith. Are we willing to say Jesus 00:15:59.720 --> 00:16:08.840 is Lord, even if that means losing friends, losing the support of a family network? 00:16:08.840 --> 00:16:17.680 The last thing that's new for this group of Christians, helpful for us as we think about 00:16:17.680 --> 00:16:23.800 how to live, is that there is a new view of judgment that they are presented with. So he's 00:16:23.800 --> 00:16:28.980 just spoken about a group of people who are heaping abuse on Christians, but then in verse 5 there's the 00:16:28.980 --> 00:16:36.879 turn, but they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 00:16:36.879 --> 00:16:43.779 Encouraging the church. Yes, you are going through struggle and spiritual warfare just now, and 00:16:43.779 --> 00:16:48.980 you're finding yourself abused and rejected, but that's not the last word that will be spoken on 00:16:48.980 --> 00:16:54.899 your life. He reminds them again of the day of judgment, a reminder that all will stand in the 00:16:54.899 --> 00:17:00.019 courtroom of Jesus to give an account of our lives, and especially to give an account of what we've done 00:17:00.019 --> 00:17:08.099 with Jesus as Lord. And then in verse 6 he goes on to speak about those Christians who have, it seems, 00:17:08.220 --> 00:17:15.700 recently died, reminding Peter's readers that the gospel was their source of hope and victory, so that 00:17:15.700 --> 00:17:21.879 yes, they have died physically, but now they are more alive than ever spiritually. They are enjoying 00:17:21.880 --> 00:17:31.780 victory from Jesus and with Jesus in glory. And so Christians who are suffering are invited again to 00:17:31.780 --> 00:17:40.640 look forward, to look forward to the judgment day and to look forward to being vindicated 00:17:40.640 --> 00:17:53.100 by Jesus, to be welcomed into heaven by Jesus. They are to keep that, we are to keep that hope in view. 00:17:54.180 --> 00:18:01.300 So Peter's big point in these first six verses is this, that the victory of Christ calls for us 00:18:01.299 --> 00:18:11.839 to be loyal to him and to live for him in the world. Three things to think about before we move on. First, 00:18:12.379 --> 00:18:20.899 the question of balance and that truth that as Christians we are to be in the world, but not of 00:18:20.899 --> 00:18:25.659 the world. And we think about the importance of that balance, in the world but not of. There's two ways 00:18:25.660 --> 00:18:32.200 that we can lose balance. One, we can try and sort of keep as far away from possible from the world. We 00:18:32.200 --> 00:18:39.040 can, as it were, try and find our monastery existence. But when we do that, when we isolate 00:18:39.040 --> 00:18:44.840 ourselves, we don't allow the light of Jesus, the love of Jesus to shine. So there's imbalance that way. 00:18:45.700 --> 00:18:50.840 But then on the other side, there could be an imbalance where we so conform and blend in 00:18:50.839 --> 00:18:56.419 that we're both in the world and we're just like the world. And so people don't see anything 00:18:56.419 --> 00:19:03.419 different, anything distinctive, any light from Jesus in us either. And so in spiritual warfare, 00:19:03.419 --> 00:19:09.740 there's that battle ongoing for balance, that we'd be in the world but not of the world, 00:19:10.139 --> 00:19:17.639 reflecting Jesus and his light and his love and his good news. And that's going to require wisdom 00:19:17.640 --> 00:19:25.620 for us to live in that balance. Wisdom for the boundaries that we need to set personally, 00:19:25.780 --> 00:19:33.140 individually. Wisdom in relation to our friendships and how to invest ourselves in them. 00:19:35.140 --> 00:19:44.420 And it's going to require us to keep hold of the gospel also, to recognize for ourselves that our 00:19:44.420 --> 00:19:50.180 hope is found in the death and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and eternity in heaven. But also to 00:19:50.180 --> 00:19:59.400 remind ourselves that's the hope for the world as well. So we want to keep moving out to bring Jesus, 00:19:59.539 --> 00:20:07.519 to bring the good news to others. So balance matters. I think it's also important for us as a local church 00:20:07.519 --> 00:20:14.220 to think about friendship and fellowship. Because what's happening here in this story is that 00:20:14.220 --> 00:20:19.819 obviously believers are becoming isolated because of their new way of life, because of their new faith. 00:20:20.519 --> 00:20:22.879 And so they need a Christian community to belong to. 00:20:25.579 --> 00:20:32.039 Local churches need to be ready to provide for the lost connections that people may have. 00:20:32.039 --> 00:20:36.740 A family that doesn't want to know them because they've become Christian. 00:20:38.200 --> 00:20:42.899 Friendships that have been lost because their life has changed by meeting Jesus. We need to be ready 00:20:42.899 --> 00:20:49.980 to welcome and to be family for those that don't have family. That also means we need to, 00:20:50.440 --> 00:20:55.039 as individuals, take the responsibility as Christians to get plugged in, to be part of a living 00:20:55.039 --> 00:21:04.039 gospel community to be part of a local church. Third thing to think about before we move on is the idea 00:21:04.039 --> 00:21:12.960 of approval. And Peter takes them to the judgment day. And it's important to recognize as we suffer, 00:21:13.099 --> 00:21:21.000 one question to keep in mind is whose opinion matters most to us. And Peter would have us to say 00:21:21.000 --> 00:21:27.500 Jesus' opinion matters most because it matters for eternity. Remember in the parables, so often you see 00:21:27.500 --> 00:21:33.079 Jesus dividing people into different groups, a reminder that judgment is real, heaven and hell are 00:21:33.079 --> 00:21:41.420 real. What we want is to hear Jesus say to us, well done, good and faithful servant, enter into your 00:21:41.420 --> 00:21:48.599 master's happiness. We don't want to hear him say to us, depart from me, for I never knew you. 00:21:48.599 --> 00:21:59.339 It's an invitation to trust in, to have faith in the Lord Jesus, and then to live out of his victory 00:21:59.339 --> 00:22:07.759 as we live in the world. But it's not just in the world that we are to live for Jesus. In verses 7 to 11, 00:22:08.579 --> 00:22:16.019 we are called to live out the victory of Christ in the church. So remember, we have this wartime 00:22:16.019 --> 00:22:23.940 mentality. We're engaged in spiritual battle. We're seeking to live out our allegiance, our loyalty to 00:22:23.940 --> 00:22:31.200 Jesus, and we are to stand together as the people of God, as Christians in a local church. We are to stand 00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:39.680 in solidarity and loyalty together for Jesus. We're in the trenches together as we seek to live for Christ. 00:22:39.680 --> 00:22:50.440 He gives a context for this. Again, verse 7, the end of all things is near. The hinge is the return 00:22:50.440 --> 00:22:56.140 of Christ, and the judgment day, and a reminder to the church, final victory is secured. So live in light 00:22:56.140 --> 00:23:05.680 of that. And then he goes on to say, therefore, be alert and of sober mind. And if we've got that sort 00:23:05.680 --> 00:23:11.539 of spiritual warfare mindset, perhaps it might be helpful to think of scenes that we've probably seen 00:23:11.539 --> 00:23:18.380 played out on the television. Think of perhaps UN peacekeepers going through a war zone on their 00:23:18.380 --> 00:23:24.779 tanks, you know, when they're on patrol, and they're away that round any corner, there could be a hostile 00:23:24.779 --> 00:23:33.140 attack, there could be bombs planted any which way. And there's permanent vigilance, being on guard 00:23:33.140 --> 00:23:40.980 against attack. We need to be aware of the reality of spiritual attack, of the power of sin and the 00:23:40.980 --> 00:23:49.400 devil in our own lives, in our own hearts, and also from the world. So we need to be on guard, but we also 00:23:49.400 --> 00:23:57.300 need to be, as it were, on guard duty, on sentry duty, where again, we are watchful for our own sake, but also 00:23:57.299 --> 00:24:06.599 for the sake of others. In the church, we are to care for one another and our spiritual health and 00:24:06.599 --> 00:24:16.119 well-being. So having set a context, he then gives us four things that we are to do for one another as 00:24:16.119 --> 00:24:25.220 we live together for Christ as a local church, for very simple but very crucial things. First, verse 7, 00:24:25.220 --> 00:24:36.039 be alert and of sober-minded so that you may pray. We are to pray for one another. We pray in dependence 00:24:36.039 --> 00:24:46.600 on God. We pray that God would act in our lives and in the lives of others. We pray recognizing there 00:24:46.600 --> 00:24:51.860 are so many times each and every day where we need God's wisdom and help. We need God's guidance and 00:24:51.859 --> 00:24:58.039 comfort and what we need for ourselves. We recognize that our brothers and sisters, they need that too. 00:24:59.819 --> 00:25:05.439 Perhaps one of the most important questions we can ask of each other is, how can I pray for you? 00:25:08.559 --> 00:25:13.959 Perhaps one of the most important things that we can do is, as we pray for ourselves, we pray for our 00:25:13.959 --> 00:25:19.639 brothers and sisters. As God speaks the truth of his word to our hearts, we recognize that that truth 00:25:19.640 --> 00:25:24.360 that's changing me. Everybody in this room, everybody in our church needs that same truth as well, that we 00:25:24.360 --> 00:25:32.220 would pray it for them also. When we think about spiritual warfare, what should we pray for one 00:25:32.220 --> 00:25:41.040 another as Christians? We should pray for perseverance. Pray that people would keep going in their faith, 00:25:41.759 --> 00:25:47.560 that they would keep following Jesus with hope and with joy. This year has been a hard year. 00:25:47.559 --> 00:25:55.679 We know this. And so we pray that we would persevere together. And we'd also pray for one another's 00:25:55.679 --> 00:26:01.579 mission, that mission that we have of going into the world to make disciples, to be ambassadors of the 00:26:01.579 --> 00:26:09.339 Lord Jesus. To pray for not just our own opportunities and effectiveness in sharing the love of Jesus, 00:26:09.500 --> 00:26:12.359 sharing the gospel, but also praying for our brothers and sisters. 00:26:12.359 --> 00:26:20.339 We need the prayers of one another. Church members, we need one another's prayers. Your 00:26:20.339 --> 00:26:26.179 discipleship groups need your prayers. Your elders need your prayers. Your minister needs your prayers. 00:26:26.259 --> 00:26:31.000 So we are to pray for one another as we live in this spiritual battle together. 00:26:33.279 --> 00:26:35.299 Secondly, we are to love one another. 00:26:35.299 --> 00:26:44.359 Verse 8, above all. So love is the priority. Love is the guiding principle of the church. And above all, 00:26:44.960 --> 00:26:52.259 love each other deeply. Because love covers over a multitude of sins. Here's a particular kind of love. 00:26:53.279 --> 00:27:01.980 Here's a long-suffering love. Here's a patient love. Here's a love that is ready to overlook the wrongs of 00:27:01.980 --> 00:27:10.440 another. And isn't that so important? You know, when we commit individually, if I commit to ignoring an 00:27:10.440 --> 00:27:17.960 unkind word, an unkind action, that is so significant. Because in a sense, at the same time, I am committing 00:27:17.960 --> 00:27:25.259 to church unity. Because nothing can explode church unity quicker than if somebody jumps to take offense 00:27:25.259 --> 00:27:32.480 and to get angry and to be critical and judgmental of another. If I overlook an offense, I am determining 00:27:32.480 --> 00:27:40.980 to honor Jesus as I seek to love a brother and a sister who intentionally or unintentionally has done 00:27:40.980 --> 00:27:47.519 us some kind of wrong. As we determine to love one another in a long-suffering way, 00:27:47.519 --> 00:27:53.660 what else are we doing? We're showing to one another the love that God has shown to us. 00:27:54.579 --> 00:28:01.220 God's love for us is very patient and very long-suffering. And as we live out of the love 00:28:01.220 --> 00:28:06.319 of God expressed to us in Jesus coming to die for us, then that's what enables us to love 00:28:06.319 --> 00:28:10.220 and overlook a multitude of wrongs. 00:28:10.220 --> 00:28:14.299 God's love for us. Some questions to ask of ourselves. 00:28:16.519 --> 00:28:23.059 When somebody does me wrong, word or action, am I quick to believe the best about that person 00:28:23.059 --> 00:28:30.420 or am I quick to assume the worst? Am I quick to give the person a benefit of the doubt 00:28:30.420 --> 00:28:35.940 or do I rush to pass judgment and give light for light? 00:28:35.940 --> 00:28:43.380 In a church family, like any family, we will mess up. We will disappoint one another. 00:28:43.960 --> 00:28:47.440 But like any family, we need to show love and we need to show patience. 00:28:48.519 --> 00:28:55.500 So we are called, as we live for Jesus together in spiritual warfare, to love one another. 00:28:56.640 --> 00:29:03.680 And then in verse 9, we're told to offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 00:29:03.680 --> 00:29:11.360 So we show hospitality to one another. Hospitality to open our hearts and to open our homes, 00:29:12.080 --> 00:29:20.700 to open our gardens, to be willing to give time and energy and money to make room for others. 00:29:22.480 --> 00:29:28.560 Again, remember the context. Peter is writing to a group of Christians who are experiencing the loss 00:29:28.560 --> 00:29:33.519 of family and of friends. They need to be welcomed. They need to have families. 00:29:33.519 --> 00:29:40.500 Think about our context. There are lots of people in our local church that are not native to Edinburgh, 00:29:40.639 --> 00:29:46.539 not native to Scotland. Lots of people who have been alone for a long time due to restrictions. 00:29:47.740 --> 00:29:55.220 One of the goals for us as Buclew has to be that we would be a spiritual home from home for many 00:29:55.220 --> 00:30:02.819 who come to our city for lots of different reasons. That's going to mean we need to be creative at the moment. 00:30:03.759 --> 00:30:06.360 Obviously, there are limitations to how we can show hospitality. 00:30:08.339 --> 00:30:13.740 Two of my highlights for this week, we had a community group in our garden on Wednesday evening. 00:30:13.740 --> 00:30:16.400 It was wonderful to share God's Word face to face. 00:30:16.400 --> 00:30:24.540 And then on Thursday, a group of students we met in the Meadows. And again, to be able to offer that kind of hospitality, 00:30:25.380 --> 00:30:28.240 we need to learn to be creative because we need one another. 00:30:29.040 --> 00:30:35.820 So we use our walks, we use the Meadows, we use our barbecues for the sake of growing in love for one another 00:30:35.819 --> 00:30:44.419 and welcoming others in. And then fourthly, Peter reminds us that as we live for Jesus together, 00:30:44.919 --> 00:30:51.460 that we are to serve one another. Peter very helpfully gives us some guiding principles for 00:30:51.460 --> 00:30:57.899 how to serve one another. In verse 10, each of you should use whatever gift you have received 00:30:57.900 --> 00:31:06.940 to serve others as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. So each Christian, Peter says, 00:31:07.060 --> 00:31:17.500 has a spiritual gift. And that comes from God's grace. And those gifts look different. But everyone 00:31:17.500 --> 00:31:26.040 has a gift, and every gift is to be used to serve others. And that, first of all, works itself out in 00:31:26.039 --> 00:31:32.259 the context of a local church. It's an important question to consider. What's my spiritual gift? 00:31:32.339 --> 00:31:39.519 How can I use that gift then to serve others in this local church? Peter then goes on to give two 00:31:39.519 --> 00:31:47.240 broad categories. Verse 11, if anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very Word of God. 00:31:48.240 --> 00:31:54.480 If you be given the gift of speaking for God, that requires a level of humility, 00:31:54.480 --> 00:32:04.180 recognizing it's a serious business to speak God's Word, to represent God through speaking His Word. 00:32:04.900 --> 00:32:10.680 And then, if anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides. 00:32:12.420 --> 00:32:18.559 Some of us, we're natural servants. Some of us, it's not difficult for us to make time for other 00:32:18.559 --> 00:32:24.279 people. But even if we're wired for that kind of service, we are to do it in the strength that God 00:32:24.279 --> 00:32:30.039 provides. And we have a goal for all of our serving. End of verse 11, so that in all things, 00:32:30.819 --> 00:32:37.359 God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen. 00:32:39.200 --> 00:32:45.980 We do it. We serve for the glory of God, so that Jesus would be praised. That we could express our 00:32:45.980 --> 00:32:53.559 loyalty, our love for Him as we stand with and for His people. That we might help one another, 00:32:54.099 --> 00:33:01.019 recognizing that we are engaged in spiritual battle. There are times when life is hard as Christians. 00:33:02.779 --> 00:33:08.960 Do Christians have a peacetime or a wartime mentality? We should always have a wartime mentality. 00:33:08.960 --> 00:33:15.160 Thinking back to that novel, it was just as Britain in World War II, constantly on a wartime footing, 00:33:15.680 --> 00:33:21.579 with that mentality which shaped public and private life. So, it should be true for us as the people of 00:33:21.579 --> 00:33:28.440 God. Now, Peter reminds us, of course, with hope that Jesus came to do battle, to win the victory 00:33:28.440 --> 00:33:36.620 for us. And He will return to judge the world and to save His people. But in between that time, 00:33:36.619 --> 00:33:45.819 the church is engaged in spiritual battle. We engage knowing that victory is secure when we are in Him, 00:33:45.919 --> 00:33:57.319 and so we are looking to Jesus as we look to live for Him. So, as we close, two questions. 00:33:58.819 --> 00:34:04.159 And we'll give some time to reflect and to pray. First, am I trusting in King Jesus? 00:34:04.160 --> 00:34:10.119 Am I trusting that when He died on the cross, He died for me and for my sins, that when He rose, 00:34:10.180 --> 00:34:17.159 He rose for my salvation? If not, the Bible would say, come, as we read at the beginning, 00:34:17.320 --> 00:34:28.360 come to Him, find life from Jesus. Secondly, are there changes that I need to make to my life 00:34:28.360 --> 00:34:35.740 so that as we live day to day in the world and in the church, we might live in the light of Christ's 00:34:35.740 --> 00:34:43.320 victory, that we might live to His honour and glory? We're going to have a time of silence, 00:34:43.500 --> 00:34:47.240 a short time of prayer, and then we'll hear Psalm 16. 00:34:47.240 --> 00:34:47.340 Psalm 16. 00:34:49.380 --> 00:34:51.380 Psalm 16. 00:34:51.380 --> 00:34:52.039 Psalm 16. 00:34:52.039 --> 00:34:53.380 Psalm 16. 00:34:53.380 --> 00:34:55.380 Psalm 16. 00:34:55.380 --> 00:34:57.380 Psalm 16. 00:34:57.380 --> 00:35:22.559 Lord, we thank you that we will shortly take up bread and wine that remind us of the cost of our 00:35:22.559 --> 00:35:30.179 salvation. They also speak to us of the victory of Jesus over sin and death, that give us hope, 00:35:30.719 --> 00:35:36.299 hope in the middle of life that can be hard and frustrating and tiring, where we can feel 00:35:36.299 --> 00:35:42.299 discouraged and downhearted. Lord, we pray that for your people you would keep our eyes fixed on 00:35:42.299 --> 00:35:49.480 the Lord Jesus. Help us to have wisdom to know how to live for Him in the world and in our local 00:35:49.480 --> 00:35:55.599 church. And Lord, for those who aren't yet Christians, may they see the hope and the love 00:35:55.599 --> 00:36:03.820 that Jesus brings. May they see also the necessity, the urgency of trusting in Jesus to be right with 00:36:03.820 --> 00:36:15.360 Him, to have His well done as the one to live for. Lord, we pray that you would continue to be with us 00:36:15.360 --> 00:36:19.920 and to be present with us as we are in your presence. Amen. 00:36:21.480 --> 00:36:24.539 Now let's hear a section of Psalm 16 together. 00:36:24.539 --> 00:36:54.519 Psalm 16 together. 00:36:54.519 --> 00:37:24.500 Psalm 16 together. 00:37:24.519 --> 00:37:54.500 Psalm 16 together. 00:37:54.519 --> 00:38:24.500 Psalm 16 together. 00:38:24.500 --> 00:38:26.500 Psalm 16 together. 00:38:26.500 --> 00:38:54.480 The path of life divine. 00:38:54.480 --> 00:39:02.519 The earlier service I said, the psalm was a good time to open because it takes a wee bit of time to open. 00:39:02.519 --> 00:39:12.759 So what I'll do, so while you're sugary and getting your bread and your cup ready, I'm going to read from Romans chapter 3. 00:39:12.760 --> 00:39:23.800 Don't be worried about the book, so let's hear the book, so let's hear the book of the book. 00:39:23.800 --> 00:39:35.840 But now, apart from the book, so let's read it. 00:39:35.840 --> 00:39:43.640 Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and 00:39:43.640 --> 00:39:50.460 fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the 00:39:50.460 --> 00:39:57.519 redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement 00:39:57.519 --> 00:40:05.440 through the shedding of his blood to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his 00:40:05.440 --> 00:40:13.179 righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished. 00:40:13.619 --> 00:40:20.420 He did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just, 00:40:21.400 --> 00:40:31.679 and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. As we come shortly to the Lord's Supper, 00:40:31.679 --> 00:40:38.419 what are we doing together? We haven't done it for over a year. Well, on the one hand, we are looking 00:40:38.419 --> 00:40:46.399 back, aren't we? Jesus said, do this in remembrance of me. Jesus went into battle for his church, 00:40:46.879 --> 00:40:53.819 winning that decisive victory over sin and death through his death on the cross. The price of our 00:40:53.819 --> 00:40:59.699 salvation has been paid. The price of our redemption has been paid, and we take the bread and the wine 00:40:59.699 --> 00:41:06.699 to remember. But the Lord's Supper is also for us as the people of God, a looking forward, 00:41:07.500 --> 00:41:15.579 a looking forward to the day when the battle, the war, will be over, when those struggles with sin 00:41:15.579 --> 00:41:21.759 will be done, when we will feast with our Savior forever in the new heavens and the new earth, 00:41:21.760 --> 00:41:26.220 enjoying the peace and the love and the joy that awaits us. 00:41:28.300 --> 00:41:31.200 But we also share the Lord's Supper for the present, 00:41:31.840 --> 00:41:36.780 because as Christians today, we do suffer. 00:41:38.880 --> 00:41:43.640 We recognize what Peter was talking about, don't we? We do face opposition. 00:41:43.639 --> 00:41:52.980 We do have those days that feel more like a defeat than a victory. And so we stand in need of the 00:41:52.980 --> 00:42:00.599 grace of God. We stand in need of Jesus, the host coming to meet with us at this supper, 00:42:00.859 --> 00:42:09.359 to give us fresh strength and grace today for him to commune with us, to draw near to us, just as he 00:42:09.360 --> 00:42:21.200 has promised. So let me read familiar words of institution as we come to the Lord's table in 00:42:21.200 --> 00:42:29.900 1 Corinthians 11 and at verse 23. For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you, 00:42:30.220 --> 00:42:37.880 the Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and 00:42:37.880 --> 00:42:47.340 said, this is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. Let's pray. And then after we 00:42:47.340 --> 00:42:58.780 pray, we can take the bread together. Lord God, as we come to the Lord's table, we want to do this in 00:42:58.780 --> 00:43:07.780 remembrance of Jesus, our Savior. As he gave us these symbols, the bread to speak of his body, 00:43:07.780 --> 00:43:15.140 which would be broken for us, the wine as a symbol of his blood that was spilled for us. 00:43:16.280 --> 00:43:24.240 We come with a sense of wonder, that you would, through your Son, pay the price of redemption for 00:43:24.240 --> 00:43:32.120 us. We come with a sense of gratitude, knowing that in Christ there is no condemnation, that our 00:43:32.119 --> 00:43:40.739 sins have been forgiven, that we enjoy peace with God. And so we are invited to come, weak as we are, 00:43:41.239 --> 00:43:49.679 sinners as we are, trusting in the Lord Jesus. And so we pray that we would take this simple meal 00:43:49.679 --> 00:43:58.239 as a way to remember our Lord and Savior. Amen. So let's take the bread together. 00:43:58.239 --> 00:44:22.519 And then to continue our reading at verse 25, in the same way, after supper, he took the cup, 00:44:22.519 --> 00:44:30.280 saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this whenever you drink it in remembrance of me. 00:44:30.840 --> 00:44:38.239 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. 00:44:39.179 --> 00:44:43.219 So let's take the cup and let's drink in remembrance of our Savior. 00:44:43.219 --> 00:44:52.759 Let's once again pray. 00:44:55.219 --> 00:45:05.419 Lord, we thank you for this visible demonstration of the gospel, this reminder that Jesus' physical 00:45:05.420 --> 00:45:16.440 body was broken, that he actually died in our place, that we might have eternal life. Lord, we pray that 00:45:16.440 --> 00:45:24.700 we would proclaim the hope of the gospel to one another, to encourage each other, that we might walk 00:45:24.700 --> 00:45:33.260 in faith together. We also pray for help and strength to proclaim the Lord's death to those who as yet are 00:45:33.260 --> 00:45:36.860 not trusting in the Lord's death to those who are not trusting in the Lord Jesus and who need that hope 00:45:36.860 --> 00:45:48.740 for themselves. May you take glory and honour to yourself as you work in and through us. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:45:50.800 --> 00:45:56.060 Now we'll hear the hymn, A Man of Sorrows, as we close. 00:46:03.260 --> 00:46:04.260 Amen. 00:46:04.260 --> 00:46:05.260 Amen. 00:46:05.260 --> 00:46:06.260 Amen. 00:46:06.260 --> 00:46:07.260 Amen. 00:46:07.260 --> 00:46:09.800 God, O Lord, O Lord. 00:46:09.800 --> 00:46:10.680 Amen. 00:46:10.800 --> 00:46:28.360 Man of Sorrows, what a name for the Son of God, who came, ruined sinners to reclaim. 00:46:28.360 --> 00:46:34.400 Hallelujah, what a Savior 00:46:34.400 --> 00:46:42.360 Bearing shame and scoffing rude 00:46:42.360 --> 00:46:48.700 In my place condemned he stood 00:46:48.700 --> 00:46:54.440 Sealed my pardon with his blood 00:46:54.440 --> 00:47:00.480 Hallelujah, what a Savior 00:47:00.480 --> 00:47:08.780 Guilty, violent, helpless we 00:47:08.780 --> 00:47:15.119 Spotless Lamb of God was he 00:47:15.119 --> 00:47:20.760 Full atonement can it be 00:47:20.760 --> 00:47:26.800 Hallelujah, what a Savior 00:47:26.800 --> 00:47:35.760 Lifted up was he to die 00:47:35.760 --> 00:47:41.800 It is finished was his cry 00:47:41.800 --> 00:47:47.560 Now in heaven exalted high 00:47:47.560 --> 00:47:53.600 Hallelujah, what a Savior 00:47:53.600 --> 00:48:01.800 When he comes our glorious King 00:48:02.500 --> 00:48:08.160 All his ransomed home to bring 00:48:08.159 --> 00:48:13.759 Then anew this song we'll sing 00:48:13.759 --> 00:48:20.359 Hallelujah, what a Savior 00:48:20.359 --> 00:48:28.099 Now can we stand again 00:48:28.099 --> 00:48:32.339 and we can use the words at the end of Romans 8 00:48:32.340 --> 00:48:36.860 By way of affirming our faith together 00:48:36.860 --> 00:48:39.860 Let's read these words 00:48:39.860 --> 00:48:44.340 For I am convinced that neither death nor life 00:48:44.340 --> 00:48:46.820 Neither angels nor demons 00:48:46.820 --> 00:48:49.800 Neither the present nor the future 00:48:49.800 --> 00:48:52.000 Nor any powers 00:48:52.000 --> 00:48:54.220 Neither height nor depth 00:48:54.220 --> 00:48:57.260 Nor anything else in all creation 00:48:57.260 --> 00:49:00.140 Will be able to separate us 00:49:00.140 --> 00:49:01.600 From the love of God 00:49:01.600 --> 00:49:04.520 That is in Christ Jesus our Lord 00:49:04.520 --> 00:49:05.480 Amen