St Theodore's Sermon

	St Theodore's Wattle Park

Sermon of the Week

13/6/99

The Church in the New Millennium 1 Peter 4:7-19

We see these sort of headlines all the time. We are seeing a society that seems to be gradually disintegrating. We are seeing the Christian church shrink, while Buddhism and other religions are growing at a huge rate. We are seeing our nation move away from the Christian principles and moral code that it was founded upon and being replaced by a mish mash of conflicting ideas and weak value systems. Australia is no longer "into Jesus". Churches overseas are sending missionaries here.

Isn't it interesting that society doesn't see the correlation between the rejection of Christianity and the foundation that it provides for our existence as a community, and the subsequent decay of society in the Western World?

   But as individual Christians what can we do? The problem just seems too big. Every time I hear again of the plight of the Kosovo refugees I just want to cry. I can still see the image of the pain etched into the face of an old man who has seen his family killed in front of him. Or as I catch up with my two gay friends I wonder how I can communicate the love Jesus has for them, and in some way share the gospel with them. But I feel so helpless. As Christians we are living in a world that in many ways is foreign to us. What do we do about it?

   Well Peter has got a few clues to help us. The recipients of his letter are in many ways facing the same challenges we are. The readers of his letters were Christians in a culture that was not Christian. There were dramatic differences which separated their values from those of the societies in which they lived. These societies was also pluralistic - having more than one major philosophy or world view. It is in this context that Peter teaches his brothers and sisters in the faith.

   So what did Peter have to say to his readers? He says to them as he says to us: we need to pray. God must weep when he sees his world rejecting him and on a path of self destruction. How much time do you spend praying each day? Because the end of all things is near, it is vital that we individually maintain our relationships with God, and corporately seek God's direction and purpose for this church as we seek to reach out to those that are lost. Peter tells us that we need to be serious and clear minded. The mission that Jesus gave his disciples and us to make disciples of all nations is a serious challenge. We need to be clear minded so that we can understand why we are praying, and what we are praying for. We also need to be clear minded in order that we can be disciplined, and vice versa. Discipline is a key element in the Christian life, particularly in the area of prayer. I find praying hard. Sure the first few minutes go past OK, but after that I find it really hard. My mind tends to wonder and there's always more "important" things to do. One way of disciplining myself is to have a regular quiet time - my aim is to do it every morning. I also find praying in groups useful. Chris mentioned last week about having a prayer meeting [after the service at 9:15] every Sunday [three quarters of an hour before the service]. If you find praying hard, let me challenge you to meet with me in the small hall at the special time of 9:00 next Sunday before the 9:30 service.

   Be serious and self disciplined about your prayer. Why? So that we can maintain our relationships with God, seek His direction and gain strength to share the gospel with our friends and family.

   So what are we going to do as we find ourselves being alienated by this increasingly non-Christian society? Well, as well as prayer, we need to stick together. When Jesus prayed for all the believers, which includes you and me, he prayed "that they may be one"¹ . As we can see in verse eight Peter tells us that the glue we should use is love. We love because God first loved us. This notion of love is that of a deep and constant love for all Christians, that is willing to keep being stretched. Just as sin separates and divides, love brings together and unites. We must acknowledge this, and be prepared to reach out, to stretch ourselves across the gulf that sin creates between each other. Love is the means by which we create that bridge. We see back in 2: 21 that Peter exhorts his readers to follow Jesus' example. Jesus love for us was so deep that he gave up his life for us, so that the gulf between us and God was bridged. Let's own that same attitude, and in that way our love will cover a multitude of sins that we commit against each other.

   So how at St Theodore's can we show love for one another? Are you holding something against someone in this church? What is more important - that particular sin, no matter how hurt you may feel, or showing the same love that Jesus showed to us?

   Love shows itself not only in forgiveness but also in being hospitable to each other. How do we do that? In Peter's day in meant giving a fellow Christian a roof over their head or food. What about if you were to invite someone you don't really know well yet over for dinner. What better way to show your love for that person, and your commitment to this community?

   Peter further explores this showing of love in action for this community in the use of our spiritual gifts. You have a spiritual gift² . Not only have we been given a gift but, as Peter says in verse 10, we are stewards of that gift. We are in a sense using something that belongs to God and are accountable to him for its use. These gifts are to be used for the benefit of the Christian community. Peter categorises them into two broad categories: speaking and serving. When speaking, you are speaking the very words of God. This is both an encouragement and also an awesome responsibility. So if you're up here, or having a chat with the lady next door, remember you are speaking the words of God.

   Part of your role at St Theodore's is to recognise the gift that God has given you, whether it be for example in the area of evangelism, teaching, or administration, helping or making cups of milo after the service, and then using that gift for the benefit of this community. Chris will be running a series of small groups later in the year to help us explore this issue further. The best way to find out your gift is in service.

   If God wanted seat warmers he would have created hot water bottles. He created a people to seek him and to work in unity to make a difference on this planet.

   Because everyone has different gifts, we can all serve each other in different ways. We are all called to love one another, but we all can show this love in such diverse ways which gives such a rich flavour to the whole meaning of community. This is what Paul is getting at when he talks about us being one body but different parts³ . The church can only function effectively when it is operating in a spirit of love and unity.

   By doing this we're following Jesus example. Jesus needed the Father's strength to do this. So do we. If God is to be glorified by ministry in his name, it must be ministry performed in his strength. In serving others we are serving God. Praise God that we can use these gifts that God has given to us so that we can benefit others in the Christian community.

   Now, you may be thinking that Peter's getting a bit inward looking here - focusing on the Christian community and forgetting about the rest of the world. But this gets back to what Peter understands as being the two roles of the church. The church exists firstly to support each other, and to encourage each other to draw closer to God. Remember, Peter is writing to a group of Christians in a non-Christian world. It was tough being a Christian. Social cohesion was needed in the recipients' church. This is not only the correct way for a Christian community to function as we've already seen, but Peter is also thinking practicalities here. If cohesion were not maintained their common Christian identity would be lost, their impact on their world diluted , and the risk of disintegration present. This is also our challenge.

   The second role of the church is to be a witness to the world. God chose the Israelites and gave them a mission to be a light to the nations⁴ . We as Christians are also chosen, as Peter reminds us in chapter 2: 9 and therefore also have that same task: "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light." A witness of what? Of the might acts of God, who has called you out of darkness. How do we communally and actively witness this? By presenting to the world an alternative world view and community. And we do this so that, as we see in 2:12, "that, though they may malign you as evildoers, they may see your honourable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge." Are we at St. Theodore's providing a visible community along the lines of which Peter is talking, which those outside would be able to recognise and praise God for?

   Let me encourage you with an example. I've been involved in an evangelistic youth mission during the Christmas holidays in South Australia for the last three years. In all three years, some of the local young people have come up to myself or one of the other team members and said that they could see that there was something about us: we loved and looked out for each other, and we all seemed really close. The fact was that many of the team members had only met each other a couple of times before, but it was God that unified us, and it was this unity that was a powerful witness in Millicent.

   When Jesus prayed that we be "one", it was so "that the world may believe that you have sent me".

   This idea of community is particularly important when it comes to the area of suffering, which Peter then turns to. Again, this issue is relevant to the church in an increasingly non-Christian nation. Now, although we may not be accused falsely in court, and sentenced to imprisonment or even death which the readers of this letter were familiar with, we do find different areas in which we suffer. As a Christian and Youth Minister I'm finding it increasingly difficult to maintain the level of relationship with my non-Christian friends from high school. They find nothing wrong with sleeping with their girlfriends or boyfriends, indeed they see it as natural and satisfying. They feel slightly rejected by my refusal to follow suit, and I feel this gap between us widening. In a very real way I suffer, as I've been close friends with them for 10 years. I suffer when my dad tells me that I've made a stupid decision and that I'm wasting my life being a Youth Minister. When talking to your non-Christian friends or colleagues at work over a bikkie at morning tea and the topic of last weekend comes up and you mention that you went to church, do they give you a bit of a sideways look as if to say: "I just don't understand why you do that"? You feel uncomfortable and distanced by the group? You may suffer in this way.

   Well Peter says not to be surprised, indeed he says to rejoice. Just as you are to follow Jesus example, expect suffering. There are basically two different paradigms at work in society: one that has Jesus Christ at the centre, and one that doesn't, and naturally conflict will exist between them. Rejoice because, as Peter says in verse 13, we share in Christ's sufferings as one day when he returns we will also share in his glory. Our suffering is in a sense a pledge to us of the reality of our belonging to Christ. Let's praise God for this, because, as Peter puts it in verse 16 we bear Christ's name.

   We need to recognise why we are suffering, and make sure that, even though we may have good intentions, it is not for the wrong reasons. Peter includes the term "mischief maker" or meddler in his little list in verse 15. This can refer to the person who takes it upon him or herself to be the holder of public morality and the spokesperson of the "moral majority". This is a very relevant matter, as we see society slide away from Christian values. We are not to judge others, as that's God's job, or to make it a case of you're all wrong and I'm all right, but as Peter tells us in 3: 15, 16, be prepared to give an answer for the hope you have, and then discuss it with them with gentleness and reverence, with the aim not so much of criticising them as much as to help them see where you're coming from.

   But the role of suffering also has other benefits. Peter talks of suffering in terms of "fiery ordeals". One of the roles of fire is to purify. To purify gold and remove all contaminants you must heat it to a very high temperature. The prophet Malachi talks of God as a "refiner's fire", who "will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness."⁵

   The writer to the Hebrews talks of trials and suffering in the context of God treating us as his children, with the aim of using these times as discipline in order "that we may share in his holiness"⁶ . And Both Paul in Romans 5 and James tell us to be joyful in the testing of your faith because it produces endurance⁷ - a fundamental element in the Christian journey.

   Suffering has the purpose of God bringing his chosen people to him, where they are faithful and most effective in being used by him for his purposes.

   This fire of suffering which has the role of purifying the Christian community, or the household of God, as Peter puts it in verse 17, also has the role of consuming the wicked. As Malachi puts it: "See the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts..."⁸

   So if this judgement, this suffering, is to begin with the household of God, and we find it hard and feel like chucking in the towel, then, as Peter puts it, what will the end for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

   Are you suffering? Are you feeling like you're too close to the flame? Or maybe you're not. Perhaps God is being gracious to you. Or perhaps you're too far from the fire in order to be purified.

   It is in this context of suffering that the first role of the church to support and encourage each other becomes all the more important. We need each other to maintain our integrity as a church. As Peter concludes this section, he urges us to entrust ourselves to our faithful creator: he is our rock and our fortress. Entrusting here has an active and ongoing sense. This is where our mission, the second role of the church to be a witness to the world comes into focus again. Continue to do good.

   As Christians we need to draw closer to God, as members of this church we need to draw closer in love to each other, and as a church we need to actively commit ourselves to the mission that Jesus gave us to reach this society that is drifting away from Him.

¹ John 17:21.

² 1 Cor 7: 7

³ 1 Cor 12: 12

⁴ See for eg Isaiah 42: 6, Is 49: 6

⁵ Malachi 3: 2

⁶ Cf. Hebrews 12: 5-13

⁷ Romans 5: 3-5, James 1: 3

⁸ Malachi 4: 1


	Contact us	Preaching Program	Home		Last Week's Sermon

	Sermon of the Week
	13/6/99
	The Church in the New Millennium	1 Peter 4:7-19

	We see these sort of headlines all the time. We are seeing a society that seems to be gradually disintegrating. We are seeing the Christian church shrink, while Buddhism and other religions are growing at a huge rate. We are seeing our nation move away from the Christian principles and moral code that it was founded upon and being replaced by a mish mash of conflicting ideas and weak value systems. Australia is no longer "into Jesus". Churches overseas are sending missionaries here.
	Isn't it interesting that society doesn't see the correlation between the rejection of Christianity and the foundation that it provides for our existence as a community, and the subsequent decay of society in the Western World?
	But as individual Christians what can we do? The problem just seems too big. Every time I hear again of the plight of the Kosovo refugees I just want to cry. I can still see the image of the pain etched into the face of an old man who has seen his family killed in front of him. Or as I catch up with my two gay friends I wonder how I can communicate the love Jesus has for them, and in some way share the gospel with them. But I feel so helpless. As Christians we are living in a world that in many ways is foreign to us. What do we do about it?
	Well Peter has got a few clues to help us. The recipients of his letter are in many ways facing the same challenges we are. The readers of his letters were Christians in a culture that was not Christian. There were dramatic differences which separated their values from those of the societies in which they lived. These societies was also pluralistic - having more than one major philosophy or world view. It is in this context that Peter teaches his brothers and sisters in the faith.
	So what did Peter have to say to his readers? He says to them as he says to us: we need to pray. God must weep when he sees his world rejecting him and on a path of self destruction. How much time do you spend praying each day? Because the end of all things is near, it is vital that we individually maintain our relationships with God, and corporately seek God's direction and purpose for this church as we seek to reach out to those that are lost. Peter tells us that we need to be serious and clear minded. The mission that Jesus gave his disciples and us to make disciples of all nations is a serious challenge. We need to be clear minded so that we can understand why we are praying, and what we are praying for. We also need to be clear minded in order that we can be disciplined, and vice versa. Discipline is a key element in the Christian life, particularly in the area of prayer. I find praying hard. Sure the first few minutes go past OK, but after that I find it really hard. My mind tends to wonder and there's always more "important" things to do. One way of disciplining myself is to have a regular quiet time - my aim is to do it every morning. I also find praying in groups useful. Chris mentioned last week about having a prayer meeting [after the service at 9:15] every Sunday [three quarters of an hour before the service]. If you find praying hard, let me challenge you to meet with me in the small hall at the special time of 9:00 next Sunday before the 9:30 service.
	Be serious and self disciplined about your prayer. Why? So that we can maintain our relationships with God, seek His direction and gain strength to share the gospel with our friends and family.
	So what are we going to do as we find ourselves being alienated by this increasingly non-Christian society? Well, as well as prayer, we need to stick together. When Jesus prayed for all the believers, which includes you and me, he prayed "that they may be one"¹ . As we can see in verse eight Peter tells us that the glue we should use is love. We love because God first loved us. This notion of love is that of a deep and constant love for all Christians, that is willing to keep being stretched. Just as sin separates and divides, love brings together and unites. We must acknowledge this, and be prepared to reach out, to stretch ourselves across the gulf that sin creates between each other. Love is the means by which we create that bridge. We see back in 2: 21 that Peter exhorts his readers to follow Jesus' example. Jesus love for us was so deep that he gave up his life for us, so that the gulf between us and God was bridged. Let's own that same attitude, and in that way our love will cover a multitude of sins that we commit against each other.
	So how at St Theodore's can we show love for one another? Are you holding something against someone in this church? What is more important - that particular sin, no matter how hurt you may feel, or showing the same love that Jesus showed to us?
	Love shows itself not only in forgiveness but also in being hospitable to each other. How do we do that? In Peter's day in meant giving a fellow Christian a roof over their head or food. What about if you were to invite someone you don't really know well yet over for dinner. What better way to show your love for that person, and your commitment to this community?
	Peter further explores this showing of love in action for this community in the use of our spiritual gifts. You have a spiritual gift² . Not only have we been given a gift but, as Peter says in verse 10, we are stewards of that gift. We are in a sense using something that belongs to God and are accountable to him for its use. These gifts are to be used for the benefit of the Christian community. Peter categorises them into two broad categories: speaking and serving. When speaking, you are speaking the very words of God. This is both an encouragement and also an awesome responsibility. So if you're up here, or having a chat with the lady next door, remember you are speaking the words of God.
	Part of your role at St Theodore's is to recognise the gift that God has given you, whether it be for example in the area of evangelism, teaching, or administration, helping or making cups of milo after the service, and then using that gift for the benefit of this community. Chris will be running a series of small groups later in the year to help us explore this issue further. The best way to find out your gift is in service.
	If God wanted seat warmers he would have created hot water bottles. He created a people to seek him and to work in unity to make a difference on this planet.
	Because everyone has different gifts, we can all serve each other in different ways. We are all called to love one another, but we all can show this love in such diverse ways which gives such a rich flavour to the whole meaning of community. This is what Paul is getting at when he talks about us being one body but different parts³ . The church can only function effectively when it is operating in a spirit of love and unity.
	By doing this we're following Jesus example. Jesus needed the Father's strength to do this. So do we. If God is to be glorified by ministry in his name, it must be ministry performed in his strength. In serving others we are serving God. Praise God that we can use these gifts that God has given to us so that we can benefit others in the Christian community.
	Now, you may be thinking that Peter's getting a bit inward looking here - focusing on the Christian community and forgetting about the rest of the world. But this gets back to what Peter understands as being the two roles of the church. The church exists firstly to support each other, and to encourage each other to draw closer to God. Remember, Peter is writing to a group of Christians in a non-Christian world. It was tough being a Christian. Social cohesion was needed in the recipients' church. This is not only the correct way for a Christian community to function as we've already seen, but Peter is also thinking practicalities here. If cohesion were not maintained their common Christian identity would be lost, their impact on their world diluted , and the risk of disintegration present. This is also our challenge.
	The second role of the church is to be a witness to the world. God chose the Israelites and gave them a mission to be a light to the nations⁴ . We as Christians are also chosen, as Peter reminds us in chapter 2: 9 and therefore also have that same task: "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light." A witness of what? Of the might acts of God, who has called you out of darkness. How do we communally and actively witness this? By presenting to the world an alternative world view and community. And we do this so that, as we see in 2:12, "that, though they may malign you as evildoers, they may see your honourable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge." Are we at St. Theodore's providing a visible community along the lines of which Peter is talking, which those outside would be able to recognise and praise God for?
	Let me encourage you with an example. I've been involved in an evangelistic youth mission during the Christmas holidays in South Australia for the last three years. In all three years, some of the local young people have come up to myself or one of the other team members and said that they could see that there was something about us: we loved and looked out for each other, and we all seemed really close. The fact was that many of the team members had only met each other a couple of times before, but it was God that unified us, and it was this unity that was a powerful witness in Millicent.
	When Jesus prayed that we be "one", it was so "that the world may believe that you have sent me".
	This idea of community is particularly important when it comes to the area of suffering, which Peter then turns to. Again, this issue is relevant to the church in an increasingly non-Christian nation. Now, although we may not be accused falsely in court, and sentenced to imprisonment or even death which the readers of this letter were familiar with, we do find different areas in which we suffer. As a Christian and Youth Minister I'm finding it increasingly difficult to maintain the level of relationship with my non-Christian friends from high school. They find nothing wrong with sleeping with their girlfriends or boyfriends, indeed they see it as natural and satisfying. They feel slightly rejected by my refusal to follow suit, and I feel this gap between us widening. In a very real way I suffer, as I've been close friends with them for 10 years. I suffer when my dad tells me that I've made a stupid decision and that I'm wasting my life being a Youth Minister. When talking to your non-Christian friends or colleagues at work over a bikkie at morning tea and the topic of last weekend comes up and you mention that you went to church, do they give you a bit of a sideways look as if to say: "I just don't understand why you do that"? You feel uncomfortable and distanced by the group? You may suffer in this way.
	Well Peter says not to be surprised, indeed he says to rejoice. Just as you are to follow Jesus example, expect suffering. There are basically two different paradigms at work in society: one that has Jesus Christ at the centre, and one that doesn't, and naturally conflict will exist between them. Rejoice because, as Peter says in verse 13, we share in Christ's sufferings as one day when he returns we will also share in his glory. Our suffering is in a sense a pledge to us of the reality of our belonging to Christ. Let's praise God for this, because, as Peter puts it in verse 16 we bear Christ's name.
	We need to recognise why we are suffering, and make sure that, even though we may have good intentions, it is not for the wrong reasons. Peter includes the term "mischief maker" or meddler in his little list in verse 15. This can refer to the person who takes it upon him or herself to be the holder of public morality and the spokesperson of the "moral majority". This is a very relevant matter, as we see society slide away from Christian values. We are not to judge others, as that's God's job, or to make it a case of you're all wrong and I'm all right, but as Peter tells us in 3: 15, 16, be prepared to give an answer for the hope you have, and then discuss it with them with gentleness and reverence, with the aim not so much of criticising them as much as to help them see where you're coming from.
	But the role of suffering also has other benefits. Peter talks of suffering in terms of "fiery ordeals". One of the roles of fire is to purify. To purify gold and remove all contaminants you must heat it to a very high temperature. The prophet Malachi talks of God as a "refiner's fire", who "will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness."⁵
	The writer to the Hebrews talks of trials and suffering in the context of God treating us as his children, with the aim of using these times as discipline in order "that we may share in his holiness"⁶ . And Both Paul in Romans 5 and James tell us to be joyful in the testing of your faith because it produces endurance⁷ - a fundamental element in the Christian journey.
	Suffering has the purpose of God bringing his chosen people to him, where they are faithful and most effective in being used by him for his purposes.
	This fire of suffering which has the role of purifying the Christian community, or the household of God, as Peter puts it in verse 17, also has the role of consuming the wicked. As Malachi puts it: "See the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts..."⁸
	So if this judgement, this suffering, is to begin with the household of God, and we find it hard and feel like chucking in the towel, then, as Peter puts it, what will the end for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
	Are you suffering? Are you feeling like you're too close to the flame? Or maybe you're not. Perhaps God is being gracious to you. Or perhaps you're too far from the fire in order to be purified.
	It is in this context of suffering that the first role of the church to support and encourage each other becomes all the more important. We need each other to maintain our integrity as a church. As Peter concludes this section, he urges us to entrust ourselves to our faithful creator: he is our rock and our fortress. Entrusting here has an active and ongoing sense. This is where our mission, the second role of the church to be a witness to the world comes into focus again. Continue to do good.
	As Christians we need to draw closer to God, as members of this church we need to draw closer in love to each other, and as a church we need to actively commit ourselves to the mission that Jesus gave us to reach this society that is drifting away from Him.

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