Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Epistle Lesson just read, from 1 Peter 2. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- In an ideal world, there would be nothing but pure reward and joy for doing what is good and right, and there would be nothing but pain, suffering, and punishment for doing what is wrong. Sometimes we simplistically and foolishly wish that the world was this way. However, if this were the case there would be little opportunity for us to reap reward and joy, for “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,” and “there is not a just man upon the earth that doeth good and sinneth not.” We would be spending virtually all of our time under punishment and suffering.
- So God’s management of human “crime and punishment” is quite a bit more complex and nuanced. There is a deep nexus of love and freedom and dignity involved in God doing the very best that He can for us – and while it is at times difficult and frustrating for us to sort out and understand, He truly does work all things together for the good of those who love Him. But this requires faith from us, faith and trust in God, and a good bit of spiritual insight.
- This is what Peter is reflecting upon in our text – how to sort out the various trials and difficulties we face even when we are doing what we are supposed to be doing, what is good and right. It is the way of God, Who also suffered greatly for doing what is good and gracious for us – the suffering and death of the Good Shepherd Who laid down His life for us, for our salvation. Peter calls such suffering for good, for following Christ “THIS GRACIOUS THING.” And we need to understand the principles.
- First and of foremost importance is the assertion of Peter that:
I. The Lord Jesus Christ Has Unjustly Suffered For Us And Has Redeemed Us For Our Healing
Text: “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.”
Statement: This is the central foundational reality of human existence – that we are sinners, but Christ came into the world to save us. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” This reality denies anyone the right to evoke the principle that sin should be harshly punished for what it is – for that would put each and every one of us to death and in hell.
Application: The relief of knowing that our sins have been punished and paid for should be a great relief to us. But it is not just to take away our sin, guilt, and punishment that Jesus laid down His life for us. It is also to “heal” us, to help us “die to sin and live to righteousness.” This is what Jesus meant when He said: “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” The healing comes through God’s forgiveness, but the healing has a therapeutic effect on our sinful nature, changing our orientation and commitment away from sin and toward God and His good will.
But whenever we sin – and as we confess, we daily sin much – we turn to the Lord for His gracious mercy and forgiveness, and each time we receive His cleansing, and assurance of His eternal love and commitment to us!
Transition: It is this alone which binds us to Christ, and reorients our will to His will. And so Peter asserts that:
II. We Are Now Called To Follow Jesus; We Have Been Returned To The Shepherd And Overseer Of Our Souls Through His Grace And Mercy
Text: “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps. . . . For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”
Statement: Again, this is foundational to a good and decent life, and to understanding “THIS GRACIOUS THING” so that we can keep everything in perspective and actually live an abundant life. We are now with Jesus – at all times and in all places, called to “follow in His steps.” Yes we still sin, but we confess and rejoice in His healing and forgiveness.
Application: And this is God’s principal will – to have us as His own dear children, and through His gracious love, mercy, and forgiveness, to restore in us His own blessed image. Each day as we confess our sins and rejoice in His forgiveness we are drawn closer to God and renewed in His image. And in this way we are prepared to joyfully participate in “THIS GRACIOUS THING.”
Transition: For through this life of following Christ,
III. We Are Blessed To Be Mindful Of God
A. So That We Continue To Die To Sin
B. So That We Continue To Live To Righteousness
C. And So That We Also Are Blessed To Suffer Unjustly For Doing Good From Time To Time
Text: “This is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.”
Statement: When this happens to us, as it occasionally does, we become like Christ – suffering unjustly. And when this happens we are also blessed and privileged to follow His example – “He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth. When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but continued entrusting Himself to Him Who judges justly.”
Application: So as we follow Christ – dying to sin and living to righteousness, doing good but suffering for it, we also commend ourselves to “Him Who judges justly.” We do not lose sight of His gracious forgiveness and mercy, and so we do not “revile” or “threaten” or wish harm even on those who harm us unjustly. Rather we commit them, and our cause, into God’s hands, knowing that He will ultimately work everything out justly and fairly for our great good and benefit.
Conclusion: Peter and the other apostles experienced a great deal of this in making disciples of all nations, much more than we have. Knowing and understanding what God has done for us in Christ, and the more complicated nexus involved in God healing us and giving us an abundant life, they were able to bear up under unjust suffering, and even to consider it “THIS GRACIOUS THING.”
And in his own joy and satisfaction in this, Peter also invites us to the same, to sort out our suffering. Some of it is for our sin, as God’s discipline. Sometimes, however, it is not for our sin but is unjust. This “suffering” still produces “sorrows” which we must endure, but all things considered it is “THIS GRACIOUS THING” in the sight of God!
So let us also follow in Jesus’ steps. Let us rejoice in His salvation. Let us die to sin. Let us live to righteousness. Let us repent when we suffer for our own sin. Let us also endure with joy when we suffer unjustly for being “mindful of God.” After all, we are among those who have been returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls, the dear Lord Jesus Christ! Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.