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| First the Good News! July 18, 2010 Whether your congregation is traditional or if it likes to do things differently, we need to ask ourselves, "Why?" Does the outward expression of our faith desire to be different from the rest of the body's? Why? We need to ask ourselves these questions and look for the goals of wanting to be different from the rest of the church or wanting to do things the old way. Is our purpose as single-minded as Christ's or is there some pride there? Let's have a look at 5 virtues that St. Peter has called for throughout all congregations, throughout all ages and honestly examine the deeper motivation behind our worship. Please take some time and read the foundation for the lesson.
~GG
1 Peter 3: 8-15 Called to Blessing
8 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; 9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For
“ He who would love life
And see good days,
Let him refrain his tongue from evil,
And his lips from speaking deceit.
11 Let him turn away from evil and do good;
Let him seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their prayers;
But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil.” Suffering for Right and Wrong
13 And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. 17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. [*]Footnotes by BibleGateway.com
HOLD IT TOGETHER The bible is filled with good advice, and it teaches the highest and best virtues. But it should not be mistaken for a self-help manual, nor is its aim to make us nice. Instead scripture’s purpose is to make us holy; holy by faith in Christ who gave Himself for our sins, to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of God the Father.
The first thing we must realize if we want to properly grasp Peter’s words is that Christ is our virtue! As a man He lived a sinless life on our behalf, and by it we are accounted virtuous before God. It is true that faith without works is dead, but so are works without faith. Christ came to purify our consciences from dead works so that we might serve the living God, and serve Him we do. Granted, for now it comes in fits and starts because of the fever of sin that rages within us. But as forgiven sinners, powered by the Spirit of God, we make every effort to live out these virtues more and more. They are not merely a spiritual hobby but the keynote of our very existence. In heaven these qualities will be perfectly practiced by all of God’s people, but for now we are like minor league players rehearsing for the majors.
So let us examine each of the five virtues that St. Peter encourages so that we might learn how Christ fulfilled them for us and how He calls us to follow His example. The first thing Peter admonishes is that God’s people should all be of one mind. But Christian unity is not something we can achieve by blurring denominational differences, conducting joint worship services or by agreeing to disagree. Instead Christian unity, like every good and perfect gift, is given from above. The intercession of our Lord in John 17:21 “that they might all be one” bestows it and guards it. Because of it, we who are many believe in one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God and Father of us all who is over all, through all, and in all.
The Unity Peter speaks of is internal and therefore invisible to the eye, but it has always manifested itself in the external harmony of practice. That is why it is important for every generation to lay aside its cultural preferences and to confess the same creeds, pray the same prayers and worship with the same liturgy as the church that has gone before.
The inward unity of faith is outwardly displayed as well by the consistent use of lectionaries, seasons and even by the furniture we use. The altar, for example, has always been the central piece of the church’s ecclesiastical furniture. In the Old Testament it was the place of sacrifice which pointed to the coming Christ and the sacrifice He would make to cleanse us of our sin. In the New Testament it is the place from which the body and blood of Christ are given to us so that they might provide for the healing of our souls and abolish the fear of death in us. Thus a church that minimizes the altar, replaces it with a band stand, or overshadows it with a projection screen must, at the very least, make one wonder what kind of gospel it preaches.
Does God command conformity in such external things? He does not! These things are not the source of our faith, but they are apt expressions of it. And wherever men are united in faith, unity in practice will also be highly prized, rather than shunned as it is today.
The second virtue Peter enjoins is sympathy. We are dogged by sin, death and the devil 24/7. We cannot stand for a single moment without the divine sympathy of Christ, who for our sake became a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. The prophet Jeremiah based his hope on it. He lived in a day similar to our own. His nation, his church and his very life were all melting down at once and he was powerless to stop it. As God’s prophet he was painfully aware that in short order Judah would be over-run by the Babylonian army, God’s temple sacked and his people carried off into slavery. For all the world it appeared as if God were dead, and the cruel devil was now in charge. But in the midst of his lamentations he made this good confession in the coming Christ: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning, great is Thy faithfulness.” Let us make his words our own, and may we who have received divine pity in our distress be sympathetic to the needs of one another.
The third virtue Christians are to display is brotherly love. We do this because Jesus is our elder brother, the firstborn of many brethren and only Son of God, who in holy baptism makes us God’s sons as well. The love Peter speaks of here is the love that moved Joseph to treat his brothers with kindness even though they had done him wrong. Let us likewise do good unto all men, especially those who are of the household of faith.
The fourth virtue Peter charges is to be tender-hearted, which is a biblical synonym for forgiveness. St. Paul writes in Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” It is a maxim of the Christian faith that, as we have been pardoned for the great wrongs committed against God, we must so pardon the relatively lesser sins that men perpetrate against us.
Lastly Peter encourages humility. This is a hard one for sinners so we must remember Christ who lowered Himself in order to exalt us; who did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. As He was humble, we too must learn humility before both God and man. We humble ourselves before God when we acknowledge our sins, and believe in the pardon Christ obtained for us on the cross. We humble ourselves before man when we are more willing to serve than to be served, to honor than to be honored, and to give than to receive.
Christ is our virtue! Let your minds dwell on that wonderful thought! Christ is our virtue, who by His life, death and resurrection fulfilled all righteousness for us. In baptism He purified us and made us His own people, zealous for good works. Let us imitate His love and rejoice in it. Amen. ~ Rev. Dean Kavouras
The Choice of Life or Death Deuteronomy 30
11 “For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 14 But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.
15 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, 16 in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, 18 I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; 20 that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.” | |
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