The Christian Ethic of Blessing Others.

Steve Gentry

[0:09] We’ll go ahead and have a seat. [0:11] Welcome to Village Church. [0:12] If this is your first time here, my name’s Steve, [0:14] one of the pastors here at Village Church. [0:15] And as always, I am thankful and grateful to see each and every one of you. [0:20] If you have a Bible, go ahead and open it to First Peter, chapter three.

[0:23] We’re going to be starting in verse eight this morning. [0:26] But before we get to that, of course, [0:28] if you are a mother here, happy Mother’s Day, [0:33] a day invented by Hallmark [0:37] for profit. [0:39] But nonetheless, of course, we are thankful for our mothers.

[0:43] My wife is a mother, and I’m thankful for her to all four of her children, me included. [0:50] And I also have a mother who is here today. [0:53] And without her, I would not exist [0:56] because that’s the way biology works. [0:59] And so thank you, Mom.

[1:02] I owe you nothing.

[1:09] Oh, man, I’m going to eat lunch with her later [1:12] so she can tell me all that she’s done for me today. [1:16] No, but on a serious note, no, if you have a mother, [1:18] which I’m assuming many of you may, if you have a mother, talk to her today. [1:23] If she’s a great mother, thank her for being a great mother. [1:27] If you unfortunately are one of the people because we live in a sinful world

[1:31] who did not have the great gift of God of having a great mother in your life. [1:37] If you are still on talking terms with her, I would encourage you [1:40] to still have a conversation with your mother and show her the love of Christ. [1:44] As in all things, whether or not Mother’s Day is a day of great [1:49] celebration for you, because motherhood is a delight [1:52] and your mother is a delight, or if you are in a situation

[1:56] where motherhood brings up great pain from your life, whether it be [2:00] pain from a difficult childhood or pain [2:03] because you are unable to be a mother for one reason or another. [2:08] My advice to you and of course, my my begging of you from the word of God [2:12] is to understand that your life is not defined by those things. [2:17] Rather, your life can be defined by the love of Jesus Christ.

[2:21] Any void that you may be feeling on this or any other day [2:25] is a void that can be filled by faith in God the Son and all that he has done for you. [2:31] If you feel unloved or unlovable this morning, I want you to understand [2:35] that God loves you and Jesus Christ proves it. [2:38] He sank himself into the deepest depths of suffering for you [2:42] because of the debt of sin that you owe to God.

[2:45] But he has paid that debt completely on the cross, [2:48] and he offers you life through his resurrection. [2:52] And so the greatest way to celebrate Mother’s Day is to worship Jesus Christ. [2:57] And of course, my parents invested a great deal financially in my education. [3:02] And so my gift to my mother is that I’m going to preach the Bible that she loves so dearly. [3:07] And so Peter began

[3:09] this section of First Peter that we are in way back in First Peter, Chapter one, verse 13. [3:15] It was there that he told the churches that they needed to prepare their minds [3:21] for action to endure in faithfulness to Jesus Christ. [3:26] Now, of course, as I’ve said, this is very important in their context. [3:30] They were in the middle of a hostile culture that over time [3:34] would become increasingly more hostile towards them because of their faith in Jesus Christ.

[3:40] These were Christians who were going to experience isolation due to their faith. [3:45] Because they were going to be, as Peter said it in Chapter two, [3:49] a peculiar people in the culture around them. [3:52] They were going to have to endure great persecution for their faith [3:56] because it was going to put them at odds with really the totality [3:59] of not just Roman culture, but even the Roman government,

[4:03] as they were the controllers of religion in that day. [4:06] And since then, Peter has focused on instructing them [4:10] how to live faithfully for Christ in difficult times. [4:13] Over the last series of verses that we’ve been through, [4:16] his focus has been on how to live according to the different spheres [4:20] of relationships that they were going to experience in their lives.

[4:23] He began with the relationship with the governing authorities over them. [4:28] Then he went to the slave master relationship. [4:31] And last Sunday, he dealt with the most personal of relationships, [4:34] and that is the relationship between husband and wife. [4:37] You’ve noticed, though, that this focus has been on responding [4:41] as a follower of Christ in less than ideal circumstances,

[4:47] because the other party in that relationship was not a follower of Jesus. [4:51] The other party was an unbeliever. [4:53] The fact is that what Peter’s trying to tell them is you cannot abandon [4:57] your post just because your circumstances are uncomfortable, [5:02] nor does God command you to. [5:04] Instead, this book instructs you on how to remain faithful to the gospel,

[5:08] as well as God’s commands in your life with the hope [5:11] that others will see your faith through your actions [5:16] and it will become a witness for Jesus and turn them to faith [5:21] in Jesus Christ for their salvation. [5:23] So I want you to understand that if you’re in an unbelieving culture, [5:26] your actions matter in every circumstance

[5:30] as we are conformed to the image of Christ through our conduct. [5:34] People take notice, which is a good thing in any circumstance. [5:38] And from verses eight through twelve, which is what we’ll be covering today, [5:42] Peter begins a conclusion of sorts, [5:45] not a conclusion of the entire book, but of this particular section, [5:50] because in it, he’s going to summarize how the transforming work of the gospel

[5:53] in your life is going to prepare you to live by faith [5:58] in those difficult circumstances so that you can be a blessing [6:03] to everyone around you, even when they are not a blessing to you. [6:10] And so in many ways, the issues that we’re going to cover [6:13] in just these four verses are some of the most difficult issues [6:18] to apply in the Christian life, because within this,

[6:21] what we’re going to see is how do you bless others when they are persecuting you? [6:26] How do you respond when people do terrible things against you? [6:31] When the word of God tells you don’t revile just because you are reviled, [6:36] don’t act as the unbelievers are going to act. [6:39] You must act in a different way in response to their sin, even against you, [6:45] because it is the gospel that changes your life to the extent

[6:48] that you become what this text really is going to call a beacon of goodness [6:54] and a world that is cursed by sin. [6:57] And so I’m going to read the whole thing and then we’ll get into it. [7:00] I’m going to start reading in verse eight, finally, or to sum it up. [7:04] All of you have unity of mind, sympathy, [7:07] brotherly love, a tender heart and a humble mind.

[7:11] Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless [7:17] for to this you were called that you may obtain a blessing [7:22] for whoever desires to love life and see good days. [7:27] Let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. [7:30] Let him turn away from evil and do good. [7:33] Let him seek peace and pursue it for the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous

[7:38] and his ears are open to their prayer. [7:41] But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. [7:47] Number one, this morning, the first thing I want you to see from this text [7:50] is that the Christian life is good for you and others. [7:55] The Christian life is good for you and others. [8:00] One of Peter’s most interesting, really, hypotheses in this text

[8:04] is that a good life is only ever going to be found through faith in Jesus Christ, [8:10] that it is the follower of Christ that knows the good life. [8:15] And without Christ, you cannot have the good life. [8:18] That’s his conclusion there at the end of verse 12. [8:21] And where I really want to start is really what I believe is the hinge [8:24] of this verse and of this text, rather, and the hinge of this text,

[8:28] I believe, is not in verse eight. It’s in verse 10. [8:32] It is in verse 10 that Peter casts the vision for the good life. [8:36] And he’s quoting the Old Testament. He’s quoting Psalm chapter 34. [8:40] And he basically poses the question, do you want to love life and see good days? [8:46] Well, yeah. Doesn’t everyone? [8:49] Obviously, I want to love life.

[8:50] I don’t want to hate my life. [8:52] I want to love my life. And I don’t want to see bad days. [8:54] I want to see good days. [8:56] How could you possibly say no to those two things? [9:00] Of course you want it. [9:02] But the posture that Peter takes in telling you

[9:06] how to gain a love for life and good days is probably surprising [9:13] because we are tempted to define both of those things [9:17] by only looking at the material right in front of our eyes. [9:21] Whether or not I love life and whether or not I think I’m seeing good days [9:24] are always dictated by my present circumstances, [9:27] are always dictated by what I have, what I own, what I’m surrounded by,

[9:31] the material that is right in front of my eyes. [9:35] I don’t know if you guys ever flick through. [9:38] I’m too old to have TikTok. [9:40] So I don’t have that. All right. [9:41] I’m also old enough to believe all the conspiracy theories about it. [9:45] You see, you reach this certain age. All right.

[9:48] And I know I look like I’m 20. [9:50] My wife says that’s a lie, but I believe it. All right. [9:54] But I believe all the conspiracy theories. [9:56] But I but you know, those those things don’t reach Facebook. [9:58] That’s where all us old folks are. [10:00] And so I don’t know if you ever flick through those videos. All right.

[10:03] I was flicking through those videos one day. [10:05] And this this podcast came up where they were actually having a debate [10:09] on what is the good life. [10:12] And it was, of course, two unbelievers who can’t possibly understand the good life [10:16] were having this debate. [10:18] And they got to a point in their conversation

[10:22] where one of them paused and looked to the other [10:24] who was arguing for a form of virtue while denying the power of God. [10:30] But he said, everything you say may be true. [10:35] But I will make more money.

[10:40] And there you have the defining rubric [10:44] for what our culture says the good life is. [10:49] You may have happiness, you may have goodness, [10:53] you may have love, you may have morality, you may have all of these things. [11:01] But if I have more money. [11:03] I have the good life.

[11:07] And philosophically, that is a great summary of the materialist worldview. [11:13] And I would venture to say it envelops almost the entire unbelieving world [11:18] and secularism, but I would venture to say it envelops [11:21] many of the pursuits in this room. [11:24] And what Peter is doing beginning in verse eight [11:27] is he is challenging that very notion.

[11:32] When he says the term finally in the original language, [11:36] it’s totetelos, which just simply means to sum it up. [11:41] He’s looking at everything that he has just said, [11:44] and he’s beginning to draw what is a conclusion [11:47] or an ultimate summarizing philosophy of it all. [11:52] And he’s basically saying, if these Christians are going to make it

[11:55] through these difficult circumstances, [11:59] they need to pursue the right kind of good life [12:04] as defined by the gospel of Jesus Christ and refuse to be tempted away from it. [12:10] And this is drawn, of course, from the vision that he’d already cast back [12:14] in First Peter one, verse six. [12:17] He says, in this you rejoice,

[12:21] though now for a little while, if necessary, [12:23] he’s been grieved by various trials. [12:27] It’s fascinating is that Peter is opposing [12:31] what many of us would think, because many of us would think that happiness, [12:35] goodness, the good life must be defined [12:38] by the absence of those various trials.

[12:41] But Peter begins with a different notion. [12:44] He says, in this, in the gospel, you rejoice [12:47] or you find your unshakable joy [12:51] that leads you to a place where you say, I have goodness.

[12:57] Even if you have to go through various trials, [13:01] you can still have that rejoicing matter. [13:04] He wants them to be willing to suffer [13:08] and sacrifice even greatly. [13:12] But with a mindset that the good life is not determined by those material realities, [13:18] it is determined by faith in Christ alone.

[13:24] That’s where the virtues listed in verse eight [13:29] become so important, because in a hostile world,

[13:34] Christians must be a blessing first to each other.

[13:40] See, that’s why taking the correct posture in every sphere of your relationships [13:44] is so essential. [13:46] Peter introduces, though here in verse eight, it’s a subtext, [13:52] but he introduces what I believe is a fourth sphere [13:55] of those relationships on top of the other three that he has already listed. [13:59] And that fourth sphere is the Church of Jesus Christ.

[14:03] What he states here begins at the level of the church. [14:08] Think about it. Unity of mind and brotherly love, [14:11] which brotherly love is put at the core, at the center [14:15] of the virtues that he’s talking about. [14:17] I believe that is on purpose as well. [14:19] These are fruits of love experienced as people follow Jesus together.

[14:25] You cannot experience unity of mind if you do not have the same worldview.

[14:30] You cannot experience true brotherly love [14:33] if your definition of love is not defined by the cross of Jesus Christ. [14:38] And so what is Peter really talking about when he’s talking about these values? [14:42] He’s talking about in the midst of those hostile relationships, [14:46] where do you find peaceful relationships? [14:48] You find it with other followers of Jesus Christ.

[14:53] It is essential to understand that the philosophy of life [14:56] that Peter is advocating for here, [14:58] is tethered, it is anchored [15:02] directly to the gospel of Jesus Christ, [15:05] because this environment and culture [15:08] can only be formed inside of the church.

[15:12] And that witness spreads to the world around you [15:16] as the gospel moves forward, because remember, [15:20] what’s the point of you living as a Christian in those other spheres? [15:23] Well, the point of living as a Christian is so that on the day of visitation, [15:27] first, Peter, two, twelve, those people will come to faith in Jesus Christ. [15:32] We’re saying, where do you go for virtue

[15:35] in the midst of relationships that don’t have those virtues? [15:38] Well, you go to discipleship. [15:41] You get your strength from other Christians.

[15:47] Christians are a blessing also [15:51] to any culture that they are in. [15:53] Even if the culture doesn’t recognize it, [15:58] and so everything that he’s saying in verse eight is really attractive. [16:04] Those are virtues that I think everybody looks at, like, Oh, man, [16:06] if I could just have that in my life, wouldn’t that be a wonderful thing?

[16:10] And so Peter’s driving these people to their Christian relationships, [16:13] and he’s saying, espouse these virtues, build these virtues, live these virtues. [16:19] This is how you live the good life. [16:22] Because that is how the world around you will see what you have [16:26] in the midst of their circumstances. [16:27] And even if they are hostile towards you, they will be envious of what you have.

[16:33] Paul echoes this in Colossians 312, and he states it well, he says, [16:37] put on then as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, [16:41] kindness, humility, meekness and patience. [16:44] I’m just going to pause there because what is the qualifier [16:47] for all of those things? God’s chosen ones. [16:50] Is that you can’t have these

[16:54] without the power of Jesus Christ in your life, but we believers [16:58] must clothe ourselves with all of these virtues [17:02] because they belong to us in Jesus. [17:06] If you’re not a follower of Jesus, you do not have grounded [17:09] definitions of these virtues. You can’t have them. [17:12] And so what the unbelieving world has to do

[17:15] when they see these things is they run amok, ascribing what I like [17:19] to look at as really anti-virtues and labeling them from [17:24] as though they are these things, but they’re not. [17:28] We not only offer the real virtues, but we actually have the capability. [17:32] And this is where so many Christians struggle. [17:34] We have real definitions because of our faith

[17:39] for what these virtues are, where these virtues can be found [17:42] and how these virtues are lived out. [17:44] And to really begin to understand that, you have to look at what Jesus [17:47] would call loving one another. [17:48] And he says in John 13, 34 to 35, [17:53] that it’s a new commandment that’s fascinating.

[17:55] This is a new commandment. [17:57] I give to you words of Jesus that you love one another, [18:00] just as I have loved you. [18:01] You also are to love one another by this. [18:04] All people will know that you are my disciples [18:07] if you have love for one another.

[18:11] So is Jesus saying nobody knew what it meant to love until now? [18:16] It had no definition. [18:18] And so people were just running around trying to find them. [18:20] That’s not what Jesus means. [18:22] Even though it was something that Jesus had already [18:26] commanded in the Old Testament, what Jesus is saying is that he came to earth

[18:31] and he example did in his life, death and resurrection. [18:36] And then on top of an example, he gave us victory in it through the resurrection. [18:41] And now we don’t solely have [18:46] topologies of love or kind of explanations of love, [18:53] kind of dimly in Christ. [18:56] We have a full force.

[18:57] We have the totality of love. [19:00] We have everything we could ever imagine of love. [19:02] More than that, God lived a perfect life showing us what love is. [19:07] And so we have what real love is all about. [19:11] And the rest of the world desperately needs it. [19:15] And that is good for the church’s endurance, as well as preserving

[19:20] the truth of the world around us and for the world around us. [19:26] Which leads me to a negative point. [19:29] What do you do if you get verse eight wrong? [19:31] Because almost everyone does. [19:33] Number two, this morning, you need to reject [19:37] what’s been labeled untethered versions of false virtue.

[19:41] You need to reject it. [19:44] All virtue is tethered, [19:48] it’s tied, it’s anchored to God’s word. [19:52] It must be. We don’t get to define them however we want to. [19:55] We try. We try to make it more palatable to ourselves, [19:59] as well as our unbelieving neighbors.

[20:01] But that’s wrong. That’s unloving. [20:03] Then you’re going to get a false version of a virtue that’s not a virtue at all. [20:07] And it’s not tethered. [20:08] It’s not anchored to anything. [20:10] And so it gets redefined, misdefined, undefined. [20:14] And then it just becomes positive feelings.

[20:18] Then it just becomes happy thoughts. [20:21] Or then it just becomes love is love, which has no meaning.

[20:27] And so what you have to do is you have to look at this list [20:29] and you have to tie it to something. [20:30] You have to anchor. [20:31] You have to have an unmovable objective definition for these things, [20:37] which is why Jesus said a new commandment I give to you, [20:40] because now it is tethered to the life of Christ, the death of Christ,

[20:44] the resurrection of Christ. [20:46] That is where you find meaning. [20:47] And it is anchored to him because so many are tempted in this world [20:52] to think to themselves unity, sympathy, love, tenderness and humility. [20:56] They are everything. [20:59] And so they’re totalizing on their own.

[21:04] And then what that leads to is we go about applying them [21:08] without thinking about the foundation from which all these things flow from. [21:12] And so then you have a chaotic world, [21:16] misdefining love, misdefining unity, misdefining humility, [21:21] misdefining even tenderness and everything around it. [21:25] And it becomes a very hurtful thing.

[21:29] And you see this from the mentality of, you know, [21:32] it’s it’s that one verse in Matthew seven, judge not, lest you be judged. [21:36] And then in verse two, he begins a definition of how do you judge yourself [21:40] rightly so that you can offer the right judgment to everyone else? [21:43] Well, it begins with the point of definition. [21:46] You have to be able to define everything right in our era.

[21:49] These virtues are often replaced with the novel concept of [21:54] and you hear it all over society, especially since 2016. [21:57] And beyond the novel concept of empathy, [22:02] you must empathize with everyone. [22:05] But rather, we must do the hard work of defining each of these virtues properly [22:10] and understanding that the genuine form of all of those things,

[22:15] even a concept like empathy, must flow from God’s word [22:19] or it is counterfeit and unhelpful at best. [22:24] And so to apply these virtues, which, by the way, [22:26] these virtues are all fruits of the spirit. [22:28] It’s the same thing. [22:30] We must understand how they are misapplied apart from Christian ethics.

[22:36] And I want to start in Hebrews four fifteen [22:38] because we see Christ’s sympathy being connected with his human experience. [22:44] We do not have a high priest who’s unable to sympathize [22:48] with our weaknesses, but one who is in every respect [22:54] has been tempted as we are yet without sin. [22:57] Now, if you have an NIV, which is, I think,

[23:00] the still the most popular translation, you’re probably going to see the word [23:03] empathy there as a bad translation, because that’s not the word. [23:08] And the original language is the word sympathies, though, [23:10] which literally is a direct crossover to sympathy. [23:13] But sympathy and empathy are actually two different words [23:16] with two very different definitions.

[23:19] The key is understanding that sympathy, just like it does in First Peter three, [23:24] carries the idea that you can help someone.

[23:29] Sympathizing with someone carries with it the idea [23:31] I can be a help to you in the middle of your difficult circumstances. [23:37] Empathy, though, in our modern vernacular, [23:41] does not necessarily carry with it the attitude I can help you. [23:46] Empathy as a concept was created. [23:48] And I think it’s important for me to tell you all this.

[23:50] So I’m going to tell you it was created in 1909. [23:53] The word didn’t even exist before then. [23:55] All words are made up, though, so that’s not a big deal. [23:57] But it was made up for social psychology. [24:01] And yes, it can be helpful, [24:03] but it has been in our day perverted into a hopeless concept.

[24:08] Empathy in our day becomes emotional blackmail, more or less. [24:13] It cultivates an environment of perpetual victimhood [24:18] that rejects help by responding. [24:22] No one understands my pain. [24:25] And if they did, they wouldn’t try to pull me out of my pain.

[24:31] It creates and cultivates a hopeless situation [24:34] that leads many to reject the idea [24:38] of moving forward from your pain to a hopeful future [24:41] or what Peter in this text is going to call the good life. [24:45] And because of that, I need you to understand that our pop [24:48] culture thoughts on empathy are very much anti gospel.

[24:54] I catch heat from by saying things like that, [24:57] especially those of you that are in therapy [24:58] and you like paying those copays a lot. [25:00] I know you’re addicted to the copays. [25:04] But it’s anti gospel to believe that you must saturate [25:08] your life and victimhood and never move forward in the contemporary era,

[25:11] especially in all woke movements. [25:14] It capitalizes on untethered empathy [25:19] by creating a victim class [25:22] and multiple classes through concepts like intersectionality [25:26] that define identity through perceived oppression. [25:32] And so when that happens,

[25:34] rather than speaking the truth of God’s power to heal. [25:39] Many, yes, cowardly pastors [25:43] have instead accepted the sinful posture [25:47] that takes place inside of identity politics. [25:50] What empathy does in our era, [25:53] misdefined empathy is it creates cruelty

[25:58] because it demands that others suffer with you [26:03] rather than pulling you to shore [26:06] with a rope tethered to a shore anchor. [26:10] And so C.S. Lewis really wrote about this well, [26:13] even before it became wokeness, [26:16] because he talked about a cultivated atmosphere

[26:21] where mercy becomes detached from justice [26:26] and quickly becomes unmerciful [26:29] because it allows lies to go unchecked. [26:33] And that’s what pity does. [26:35] Is it looks to someone, even if they believe lies? [26:38] Well, I feel sorry for them.

[26:43] As I can’t tell them the truth, [26:45] because that would just hurt their feelings anymore. [26:49] And so I have to let them live according to a lie. [26:53] I have to let them go unhelped. [26:56] I have to let them continue to suffer. [26:59] And by the way, I’ve got to take the rope off of the shore anchor,

[27:05] stay completely untethered. [27:07] And I have to join them and I have to suffer with them. [27:12] I have not only with them, I have to get in their shoes [27:16] and I have to die alongside of them to prove I understand.

[27:24] And so instead of one death, now you have two deaths.

[27:28] Instead of one suffering party, now we have thousands [27:33] who just suffer and suffer and suffer and suffer. [27:36] And it’s hopeless. I don’t know about you. [27:39] But if I was in a pool and I’m in the deep end, [27:42] I’m from the era where you had to do the deep end test. [27:45] I don’t know if you guys did.

[27:46] I thought I was going to die.

[27:49] But if I’m down there and I’m drowning.

[27:55] And somebody can tether themselves to something [27:59] and get in there and draw me out the safest way possible, [28:04] I’d be pretty thankful. I don’t know about you. [28:06] But what if instead I’m drowning? [28:11] I mean, I’m suffering, I’m in pain. [28:13] It’s beginning to get emotional.

[28:16] And they jump in and they say, good news. [28:20] I feel your pain, brother.

[28:23] And I don’t know how to swim either. [28:26] But at least we understand each other.

[28:31] I’d be like, you fool, we’re going to die.

[28:38] Unfortunately,

[28:42] that’s what our modern culture wants to do with pain. [28:46] Rather than helping.

[28:51] We just want to understand. [28:53] And rather than being helped, [28:57] many of you just want to be understood. [29:01] And rather than believing in a better day, [29:06] you don’t want anyone to have the audacity [29:09] to believe that they can help you move forward.

[29:14] That is not the gospel. [29:18] That is not virtue.

[29:25] Genuine kindness, then [29:28] is not always received well. [29:31] And it wasn’t going to be received well by the surrounding world [29:34] for the people that Peter is writing to. [29:36] That’s why I think that’s important to point out. [29:39] We must develop an ethic in the church for helping

[29:45] for building rather helping relationships [29:48] that are tethered to the truth. [29:52] There are hurting people who need hope from people [29:57] who, yes, you do seek to understand, [30:01] but you’re tethered to the anchor of the gospel. [30:04] So that you can help others move forward

[30:08] from their pain rather than just sit in it hopeless. [30:11] And that’s what’s offered in first Peter three eight. [30:16] But I think in defining what we’re talking about, [30:19] I think bringing in Ephesians four thirty two is one of my favorite texts [30:21] in the whole Bible, because it’s it’s so powerful. [30:25] Be kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one another.

[30:29] But notice he doesn’t stop. [30:31] And see, this is where our definitions of kindness fall short. [30:35] He doesn’t say, be kind and then figure out what that means. [30:40] You have 17 different definitions, all of them opposing one another. [30:44] No, what does he say? [30:44] He says, be kind, tender hearted, forgiving as who?

[30:49] God in Christ Jesus forgave you. [30:53] So what does he tether kindness to Jesus? [30:57] What does he tether tender heartedness to Jesus? [31:00] What does he tether forgiving one another to Jesus? [31:04] These are not novel concepts that are left to just be defined in the cosmos. [31:09] However, you feel comfortable, according to right here, right now,

[31:13] what you’re dealing with, he’s saying, anchor these virtues to Jesus, [31:17] or they are not virtues at all. [31:22] Jesus is the only reason I even know what real forgiveness is about. [31:28] It’s also how we understand sin is not just forgotten and swept under the rug. [31:35] Real justice is found for it on the cross of Jesus Christ. [31:38] He paid a very real penalty.

[31:42] So it’s demanded.

[31:45] It’s also how we understand how these concepts get misapplied apart from Christ. [31:50] We live in a day where sin is excused simply because of someone’s background.

[31:55] Criminals are pitied. [31:57] Because they had tough upbringings. [32:00] Remember, friends, it’s vital for us to understand we have not unhitched from God’s moral law. [32:06] What’s fascinating is when you compare scripture to scripture, [32:09] things begin to make more sense. [32:10] In Deuteronomy 19, starting in verse 11, we have a tension,

[32:15] a real tension between pity and sympathy. [32:18] He says, but if anyone hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him [32:21] and attacks him and strikes him fatally so that he dies [32:24] and he flees into one of these cities, the cities of vengeance, [32:27] then the elders of the city shall send and take him from there and hang him over. [32:32] Excuse me, and hand him over to the avenger of blood so that he may die.

[32:36] Well, that’s that’s not inspirational. [32:39] But look at verse 13, it gets even worse.

[32:43] Your eyes shall not pity him, [32:47] but you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel [32:50] that it may be well with you. [32:53] Now, some people explain these things away by saying sometime [32:56] between the Old Testament and the New Testament, God obviously had a lobotomy [33:01] and he changed his beliefs about a certain few things.

[33:03] No, that’s not what he’s saying at all. [33:05] You have to understand all of the ethics Peter offers [33:09] from First Peter to twelve forward.

[33:14] Are tethered. [33:16] To how God defines justice, how God defines mercy, [33:20] how God defines pity when someone is justly punished for a crime. [33:27] God says, don’t pity them [33:30] because you need to learn a greater lesson about how to love. [33:34] According to God’s word, we learn that from the proper application

[33:39] of justice in society. [33:42] But untethered empathy would never make anyone pay for any crime [33:48] because it can’t even define what morality is. [33:52] That’s not real virtue because that would just create more victims from criminals. [33:58] The hope is for people to turn to Christ. [34:02] It is not to untether it,

[34:05] but rather to tether our activity to the gospel [34:09] and show people how their lives can change through faith [34:14] to build a better society, [34:17] not an even more destructive and chaotic society, [34:21] which leads to verses nine and ten. [34:26] Number three, this morning, I want you to understand Christians

[34:28] bless when the world curses. [34:30] Christians bless when the world curses. [34:32] He says in verse nine, do not repay evil for evil. [34:35] I don’t like this. [34:37] Yeah, you read this and you’re talking about. [34:40] Of course, I’m going to repay evil for evil.

[34:43] Of course, if you revile me, I’m going to revile you back. [34:45] That’s where I get in the flesh. [34:46] I’m a very witty person. [34:49] People on staff love it until I get sinful, [34:51] because if you’re mean to me, well,

[34:56] people crying.

[35:00] Because it just goes, it’s like, well, I want justice. [35:03] Well, I don’t get to define justice all the time, [35:06] and I will define it wrongly. [35:09] So do not repay evil for evil. [35:13] Nor reviling for reviling on the contrary. [35:16] Oh, no, I don’t want to do this.

[35:17] Bless. Why would I do such a crazy thing? [35:21] For to this, here’s why.

[35:25] To this, you were called. [35:29] That you may obtain a blessing.

[35:32] What he’s saying is, do I believe the way of Christ [35:36] and do I believe the way of Steve? [35:39] Do I believe justice was had on the cross? [35:42] Or do I believe I must exact justice [35:44] from everyone that offends me? [35:48] And that is why this is one of the most difficult places

[35:50] to apply scripture to your life, because it will go against [35:53] so many of your instant reactions to things [35:57] that happen to you in your life.

[36:02] Some scripture is to be applied, though, at a personal level, [36:06] and others are to go to a national level [36:09] for the good of the church and or society at large. [36:12] And so I think verse nine is a very important example of this. [36:16] When you apply a proper understanding of sympathy, empathy, [36:23] tethering it to the gospel,

[36:25] it’s of great advantage to you for your personal life as well. [36:30] Living in a world cursed by sin brings with it [36:34] people who sinfully manipulate you. [36:39] Deceive you, emotionally blackmail you, [36:43] abuse you, and the list goes on and on. [36:48] When that happens, there’s a temptation to respond in kind

[36:53] and excuse your sinful behavior for revenge, [36:58] because at least you’re not as bad as those people. [37:01] I only did it because well, this text removes that for me. [37:05] It clearly states Christians must not be those types of people. [37:09] If, though, you read this text through the lens of untethered empathy, [37:13] you will then say, well, the government should not punish criminals

[37:17] or uphold standards of laws because of what this text says. [37:21] Well, no. Well, then you would create a contradiction in the Bible [37:24] because Romans 13 actually says, well, that’s the government’s job [37:28] is to do those things. [37:30] And so we know that what Peter’s talking about is very personal. [37:34] You may also wrongly apply this to say

[37:38] you can’t defend yourself or others from people seeking to do them harm. [37:43] And I’m just going to rattle off some text to you that would contradict [37:46] Exodus 22, Nehemiah 4, and even Jesus in Luke, Chapter 22, to name a few. [37:53] And so then how do we apply it? [37:55] Well, Romans 12, 19 is a good place to to help us. [37:59] Paul says, beloved, never avenge yourselves,

[38:01] but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written vengeance is mine. [38:06] I will repay, says the Lord. [38:07] One of my favorite texts of scripture is found in the pastoral epistles [38:11] where the apostle Paul says Alexander the coppersmith has done me great wrong. [38:15] You know, we don’t know what Alexander the coppersmith. [38:17] We don’t know anything about Alexander the coppersmith

[38:20] other than what Paul said right there. [38:21] And it fascinates me because it’s like, what did he do? [38:27] And Paul’s like, I’m not going to tell you. [38:29] Yeah, what is it? [38:30] It’s very personal empathize. [38:32] You know, no.

[38:33] Well, Paul says he’s done me great wrong. [38:34] But then Paul doesn’t say so. [38:37] So, Luke, you get Mark and you guys get Barnabas and Silas. [38:41] And you get over here. [38:42] We’re going to get him. [38:45] I mean, he says, God will do with him.

[38:47] I’ll do.

[38:50] Now, according to the scripture, Paul very well could mean [38:54] the wrath of God will bring the government to exact justice. [38:59] In this situation, the you know, God may use the church [39:04] to put that person under church discipline and maybe even excommunicate [39:07] Alexander the coppersmith because he’s done me great wrong. [39:09] God has given us structures and systems to deal with evil, even personal evil.

[39:15] He has not ordained you to be his sword of vengeance.

[39:21] He begs the question. [39:23] If you trust God for your salvation, do you trust him [39:28] to have vengeance when you’ve been sinned against in personal ways? [39:34] This is about a posture in life [39:37] towards sins committed against you. [39:39] It does not mean that if someone steals from you or worse,

[39:43] you don’t prosecute them according to the law. [39:45] It’s about preventing you from taking the law into your own hands. [39:49] I believe it is most helpfully applied to personal vendettas [39:53] that form resentment and strategies to plot revenge [39:57] against people who hurt your feelings. [40:01] I think that’s the most personal way you can understand this

[40:04] because I deal with that a lot. [40:06] It takes great faith and maturity to apply the atonement of Christ [40:10] to sins committed against you. [40:12] And I believe this passage directly instructs us on that [40:17] because loving your enemies requires standing against them for their good. [40:21] Never forget that.

[40:23] Verse nine commands us to bless and seek to be a blessing. [40:27] And we must stand against a society, [40:30] even in ways that we believe are a blessing to them. [40:33] And when you think about corruption in society on issues like abortion, [40:37] homosexuality, transgenderism and on and on, [40:40] we must realize it demands identifying people

[40:43] who advocate for those things as the enemies of Christ [40:47] to stand against their ideologies for their own good. [40:51] Don’t forget, absolutely, that in Luke Chapter six, Jesus says, [40:56] I say to you here to you here, love your enemies, [41:00] do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, [41:02] pray for those who abuse you.

[41:05] We know who the enemies of Christ are so that we can define [41:09] the real love of Christ to them, even if they’re not going to like it. [41:13] We want them to repent, but understand, first, Peter proves the point. [41:17] They may seek vengeance against us [41:20] when they revile us, we point them to Christ’s love on the cross. [41:24] We exert righteous influence over society to do good and prevent evil.

[41:30] We are a blessing to people [41:33] because we believe God has blessed us so much.

[41:38] But then number three or four, I don’t remember. [41:46] Fight for peace in a world of chaos.

[41:52] It’s almost sounds antithetical to fight for peace. [41:58] Seems contradictory. [42:01] But in verses 11 and 12, he says, let him turn away from evil and do good. [42:05] And then my favorite phrase.

[42:08] Let him seek peace and pursue it doubles down, he says, seek it. [42:14] But then the word pursue is is an even more radical form of seeking it. [42:19] For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are open [42:22] to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

[42:28] Pursuing peace necessitates faith filled action. [42:31] It’s not just going to happen. [42:33] As I said earlier, he’s quoting Psalm 34 here. [42:36] Many have a flawed understanding of peace. [42:39] Peace is not passivity. [42:42] It’s not waiting around for it to happen.

[42:45] In John 14, 27, what Jesus says is he pursued it for us in one way. [42:51] Just peace, I leave you my peace, I give to you. [42:55] Not as the world gives, do I give to you. [42:57] Let not your hearts be troubled. [42:59] Neither let them be afraid. [43:01] And I love that he says there’s going to be forces

[43:03] that will tempt you out of my piece. [43:06] Therefore, nothing in this world can take that from me. [43:08] I pursue that type of peace through faith. [43:12] It’s mine, but I must build a life in which that peace is applied. [43:16] Then Romans eight, six points directly to my mind. [43:19] And he says to set the mind on the flesh is death.

[43:22] But to set the mind on the spirit is what life and what peace. [43:26] Peace is from the mind of the Holy Spirit. [43:28] And when I focus on the work that God has done for me [43:31] and I pursue the work that God wants to do through me, [43:34] my mindset is taken off the things of the flesh [43:37] and controlled by the power of the spirit.

[43:40] Some of you are overwhelmed by the materialist mindset. [43:44] You are pursuing the good life in the same way an unbeliever would. [43:51] You will never understand the peace of Christ as long as you live that way. [43:57] You will also not be a blessing to anyone else.

[44:02] We display peace by trusting God above present circumstances. [44:08] Romans 12, 18. [44:10] It connects peace to our circumstances [44:14] when it makes a statement, says, if possible. [44:17] And then he double qualifies it so far as it depends on you.

[44:24] Live peaceably with all.

[44:28] Sometimes people will mess with your piece.

[44:33] Sometimes conflict is unavoidable. [44:38] But some of you need to desperately understand [44:44] you are not supposed to be the source of strife. [44:53] Live peaceably with others [44:57] until they cause a problem.

[45:03] You need to stop being the problem.

[45:10] When we as a whole of the sermon, when we live like that, [45:18] God will bless us with his righteousness. [45:21] He will hear our prayer [45:23] and work through us to fight against evil.

[45:35] Be peaceable [45:36] because Christ has given it to you. [45:42] Trust the gospel. [45:45] Live for Jesus. [45:47] Pursue the good life that blesses everyone around you. [45:54] A few application points.

[45:56] Live the good life according to God’s standards. [45:58] The world standards are going to go to hell. [46:01] Secondly, bless those around you by developing godly virtues. [46:06] That is how you bless others. [46:08] I can tell you the world around you, it doesn’t know how to be blessed. [46:14] You have to show them.

[46:16] Reject the false virtue of untethered empathy. [46:19] Friends, just because someone doesn’t want to be helped [46:23] doesn’t mean you can change what help is needed. [46:27] And then finally, [46:29] tether yourself to the anchor [46:30] and refuse to untether it.

[46:33] And then finally, defeat evil by pursuing gospel good and peace.