Get Up and Grow: Perseverance

Can I put a plug in for working bees too?

In our last parish, the last parish I was in,

we did two a year and working bees were one of the really great fun days of the year

because we put the list up like we've got out here.

We'd offer people the opportunity to take responsibility for one job

so you didn't have to do everything and you didn't have somebody

leaning over your shoulder telling you how to do it.

You could just do it, which was really good.

And we'd have a barbecue or something together in the middle to celebrate,

but just good fun, lots of good conversations,

but really helpful to the overall what's going on around the place.

So I think I know that you'd take a great weight off Dave Lawrence's mind

if you're getting in touch with him and saying,

I can do this job, I'll do this job and split the day up like that,

but I'll have fun as well.

So just great.

I'm going to pray.

Heavenly Father, as we come to your word now

and a passage which in many ways is a difficult passage for us,

please speak to us by your spirit.

Speak to our hearts and minds that you would be transforming us in Christ

and growing us in his image to your glory.

Amen.

Darian Klintos took us into 1 Peter 2 last week

and the first seven verses of chapter 3 were part of the passage

that we were going to deal with and we plan to deal with

and anybody in a small group will know it was part of the same study.

And it's 1 Peter 2 is a passage which tells Christians

how to live submissively under all sorts of governments and employers,

both for good and for bad.

Governments and employers that are good for you,

governments and employers that maybe are quite difficult for you.

And so we were urged to live lives of faithful submission

grounded in the life which Jesus himself lived.

Called to patient endurance

and we are encouraged that it is actually commendable

before God to bear up in the face of unjust suffering.

Now, Darian did a really neat sidestep.

He just stepped right away from the one, the third area of submission,

family life, wives and husbands.

He didn't enter into that, he just left that hanging.

Although, to be fair to him, it was with permission.

And he's gone away for the weekend with Vanessa.

He and Vanessa were going to be here today

but somebody in their family gave them a weekend away up at Terrigal

and we think that's just a blessing for them

and glad for them to be able to enjoy it.

It begins, verse 1, chapter 3.

Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands

so that if any of them do not believe the word

they may be won over without words by the behaviour of their wives

when they see the purity and the reverence of your lives.

We ventured into this passage in Bible study the other week

and one of our lovely women said in really quite a lovely way,

it's very hard to read this passage without it sounding like sit.

So this is not about men and women generally.

You might have a female boss at work.

In fact, your wife might have a higher power job than you

but this is when you come back into a family.

If you've got a female boss at work,

if you work for your wife at work and she's your boss at work,

you will submit to her leadership in the workplace

on the basis of what Peter says in chapter 2.

But chapter 3 is a journey into family life

and this is about submissive lives within the family,

husbands and wives.

Chapter 2 taught that God is a God of order.

He brings peace out of chaos.

He brings restoration to a broken world.

He brings order to society through government.

He brings order to the workplace

and now in chapter 3,

he teaches that God brings order to family life.

He gives us a framework in which to conduct our relationships.

Submission is a dirty word for many of us.

It sounds even worse when it comes from the mouth of a man.

And there are many unhappy overtones and all sorts of issues for us.

But listen to what the Bible says.

Wives,

Wives, be submissive, yield, give way to your husbands.

He has two types of husband and wife.

A husband who isn't a believer and one who is.

And his hope is that a wife with an unbelieving husband

will win him to Christ by her behaviour.

Not by her words,

by her behaviour.

It's a specific example of chapter 2, verse 12.

Living such good lives among the nations

that they may see your good deeds

and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

I've seen this happen.

My best friend was won to Christ

because his wife regarded this first.

He has become a wonderful Christian leader in his family and church

because of his wife's witness to him.

It was a joy for her

when her husband came to Christ and grew in him

and she deliberately stepped back from spiritual leadership in her family

as she encouraged her husband to take up the reins

and to lead spiritually because of her...

She did that because of her relationship with Christ.

I've seen the opposite.

I have seen women in churches

disrespecting their husbands in such a way

that they completely undermine their witness.

They nag them.

They complain about them.

They belittle them.

And then they wonder and wring their hands

when their husbands won't go anywhere near the church.

Wives, in the same way,

be submissive to your husbands

so that if any of them do not believe the word,

they may be won over without words

by the behaviour of their wives

when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.

Now, I reckon by about now,

there should be a growing underbelly of what if.

You know, what about my friend who's in this situation

and what about where I've been?

And I just want to say before we go there,

let's read the next bit, verse 3.

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment,

such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewellery and fine clothes.

Instead, it should be that of your inner self,

the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit,

which is of great worth in God's sight.

For this is the way the holy women of the past

who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful.

They were submissive to their own husbands,

like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master.

I'm hoping that's not contentious,

maybe the last bit, but the bulk of it,

because it's all about inner beauty being much more important than outer show.

And that's totally consistent with the Gospels,

where God always says that what's on the inside matters more than externals.

And to put it crudely, the world's always trying to make,

dress up mutton as lamb.

You go to the top level of the chase and you buy the branded clothes.

Maybe you don't.

Maybe you do.

Or you shop a lower level, something like that, a level lower.

Designer jeans, accessories, having the right look, having the right label.

In some communities, it's all about having the right set of tattoos

and the right set of piercings.

In terms of how we present ourselves to one another.

But Peter says it's what's on the inside that matters, not the outside.

A friend of mine told me about his university ministry.

And this goes back 30 years.

And he was discipling a young man and he was preparing him for leadership

within the university fellowship.

And the young bloke wanted the old bloke's wisdom

about a girl that he was thinking of asking out,

who looked pretty good.

She was the hot one.

And the old bloke said that he thought another woman that they both knew

would make a wonderful partner.

And the young bloke said, but she looks pretty ugly.

Now, I know that woman.

I know the ugly one.

Not my wife.

We both know her.

And I've got to tell you that she is full of inner beauty.

And her inner beauty makes her outer beauty quite lovely as well.

She radiates Christ.

And in that conversation, the young bloke went down a lot of notches

in the eyes of his mentor.

Because all he could see was outer beauty.

He couldn't see the precious beauty and the shine and the witness of the woman

that he called ugly.

Peter says, inner beauty over outward adornment.

And then he says, you are her daughters, speaking about Sarah,

if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

And I think that little line gives away something.

I think it gives away the fact that he understands that there is pain

in what he is teaching here.

Peter understands that a woman might have a whole lot of fears

about submitting to her husband.

And he says, do not give way to fear.

And I'm confident when I talk to this congregation,

just like when I spoke to 8.30 this morning and my wife was sitting there,

that there are women here who know how painful it can be

submitting to a man who thought that it was all about him.

We've had to sort that out in our marriage sometimes.

And I think we'll probably have to do it again.

It's not a problem solved forever and ever.

I sat with a Christian counsellor a while back

and I talked to her about this passage.

I actually said, do I've got to get up and preach this on Sunday?

What am I going to say?

What are a wife's fears in submitting to her husband?

And she said things like having wounded hearts,

wives who've been injured mentally,

wives who've been abused emotionally,

wives who have been mistreated sexually,

wives who have lost a sense of self

as their marriage becomes all about her husband, the husband.

And she said there will be people sitting in your congregation

who will be angered and distressed by the word submission

because they have been hurt.

And she said men and women wrongly interpret submission

as being...

I was going hell for leather making notes while she was talking.

But she said men and women...

..said men and women wrongly interpret submission

as being a doormat,

doing whatever he asks.

And it's not about that.

We need to be ourselves within our relationship.

We need to be able to say when we're tired

and when we're hurt and when we're lonely.

We need to feel safe with our spouse

to be able to reveal deep needs

and feelings and longings.

And if your spouse opens up

and says things that reflect badly on you,

are you able to hear them

and still affirm your love for them?

Or do you shut them down

because you cannot bear to hear

how you impact on them?

And she said husbands and wives' hearts are sinful.

There's often a struggle over roles and place in a marriage.

She said if people would listen to God's word

and understand that he is a God of order,

marriage can be a delightfully safe place

where a husband and a wife

can know wonderful security

with one another and with God.

A husband who leads and loves,

who brings harmony and peace and safety

as he submits to Christ

and serves his family.

It's really interesting

but Peter speaks a specific word to husbands.

He doesn't say anything to our governments.

He doesn't say anything to employers.

But he does speak to husbands.

Verse 7,

Husbands, in the same way be considerate

as you live with your wives

and treat them with respect

as the weaker partner

and as heirs with you

of the gracious gift of life

so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

Husbands, it's not all about you.

Be considerate to your other.

Treat them with respect.

He states the obvious

to call wives the weaker partner.

It's men who overpower women in violent crime.

Men and women do not compete equally in most sports

because of physical difference.

Women have a body clock

which is attuned to conceiving and bearing children.

Be considerate.

Recognise your wife for who she is.

Love her.

Find out and understand her needs

and her desires

and ask her what her fears are.

Regard her.

Be considerate.

And realise

that in spiritual matters

we are co-heirs

of the gracious gift of life.

We are full equals

in terms of God's salvation

and place in his kingdom.

One of the big fears

of this passage for a wife

is what her husband might do

with this teaching.

So you go home from the sermon this morning

and you march into your house

and you take control

and you rule the roost

and demand what you want

and when you want it

and there are too many stories

of husbands reminding the wife

of what she should be giving him.

My stomach still churns

about the man who said to me,

a Christian man

or the man at church

who said to me

he wasn't getting

what he was entitled to

in his marriage

and he was a Christian man

and he was talking about sex

and he was aggrieved

because he saw it as his right.

You can't take something like that.

It has to be given

and it's not going to be given

in the way that God intended

if it is demanded.

Marriage actually happens

I don't know if you thought of this

but marriage happens

when a wife chooses

to yield to a man

and to accept marriage.

That's one of the reasons

why it's very, very important

that you be careful

about who you say yes to

and do not undersell yourself.

See, I've got a little bet with myself.

I bet 95% of the women

in our church family

who are married

or who have been married

you waited for a goose like me

to summon up the courage

and take the initiative

to ask you.

Is that true?

Anybody ask their husband?

I'm not going to slam you for doing it.

There's nothing wrong with that

but did you do it?

Who took the initiative?

And who responded

to the initiator?

You waited for a man to initiate

you wanted him to lead

if you are still married

I'm sure you would love him to lead

with deep consideration

of who you are

and that may not be so.

And it may be that you live with deep pain

because your husband is failing

to be considerate to you.

And it may also be

that you are a man

who is struggling to lead

in a godly way in your family

because you have a wife

who doesn't think

she should ever give way to you.

My counselling friend said

you have to remember

that both men and women

have sinful hearts

when it comes to responding

to the word of God

and the will of God.

It is a spiritual problem.

Submission doesn't come easily

to any of us

but it can be

an incredible witness

to Christ

and I think you see that

throughout the rest

of chapter 3.

So verse 8

Finally

all of you

live in harmony

with one another.

Be sympathetic

love as brothers

be compassionate

and humble

do not repay evil

with evil

or insult

with insult

but with blessing

because to this

you were called

so that you may

inherit a blessing.

It's actually saying

lives of submission

bring an overall

harmony to relationships.

Remember he's summing up

submission to government

submission in the workplace

submission in the family

and so we are called

to relationships

which are driven

by love

where compassion

and humility

drive our dealings

with each other.

We've been talking

a lot about these things

when speaking about

the core values

of our church.

we've been talking

about things

like humble authenticity

treasuring Jesus

together

servant leadership.

The contrast

is really ugly

revenge

evil for evil

insult for insult

it's all about me

with no love

or care for you.

If we know Christ

our faith

should lead

to a transforming

of our relationships.

And 1 Peter 3

goes on to say

that there is

an even better

foundation

by loving

and submissive

relationships.

It makes us winsome.

It makes us people

that other people

are drawn to

and they want to know

why we are

like we are.

What is it

that's different

about you people?

Verse 14

Even if you suffer

for what is right

you are blessed.

Do not fear

what they fear

do not be frightened

but in your hearts

set apart

Christ as Lord

always be prepared

to give an answer

to everyone

who asks you

to give the reason

for the hope

that you have

but do this

with gentleness

and respect

keeping a clear

conscience

so that those

who speak maliciously

against your good

behaviour in Christ

may be ashamed

of their slander.

Don't fear

what other people

fear

don't be frightened

when a government

official

or an employer

or a spouse

treats you unjustly

in a relationship

do not fear them.

Live with Christ

set apart

as Lord

in your heart.

Whenever we're

oppressed

or experiencing

injustice

he's saying

there's a bigger

reality

Jesus Christ

is Lord

and our experiences

are not outside

of his rule

and they're not

outside of his authority

and Peter reassures

us a number of times

that it is commendable

to God

when we bear up

under injustice

in fact

we walk

in the footsteps

of Christ himself.

I only noticed

it just now

as we read

the first Bible

reading

from Psalm 34

Psalm 34

is quoted

heaps

throughout this passage

but in Psalm 34

he's speaking

to people

who are

bearing injustice

and he's saying

trust God

hang in there

and Peter's doing

exactly the same

here

verse 15

always be prepared

to give an answer

to everyone

who asks you

to give the reason

for the hope

that you have

but do this

with gentleness

and respect

people will notice

our hope

they will see

that we're different

when we endure

injustice

and they will want

to know why

why aren't we afraid

when living

in oppressive

circumstances

enduring difficulty

opens up opportunity

to confess

our faith in Christ

how we handle

difficulty

is a powerful

part of our

witness

in Acts chapter

Acts 16 · chapter mention

16

Paul and Silas

are unjustly

thrown in prison

because their

preaching's been

bad for business

the silversmiths

aren't able to

sell their little

trinkets

of the temple

of Diana

and so they're

chained to God

and they're singing

praises to God

and singing praises

to God

in the middle

of the night

and an earthquake

brings the jail

down

and the jailer's

about to do

himself in

because he thinks

they've all shot

through

and Paul says

don't do that

we're all here

we haven't gone

he could have

escaped

he could have

justified himself

by thinking

well the earthquake

's from God's hand

God's tool

to release me

and I'm out of here

but instead

he lived such a good

life before an

unbeliever

that the jailer

was brought to

Christ

he came to

Christ through

Paul and Silas

is suffering

I read a wonderful

little book

recently

Philip Yancey's

you know

what good is God

that's a fairly new

one

it's a kurong

you'll find all

over the place

but the first

chapter is worth

the price of the

book

he says that

Jesus is able

to redeem

evil

so Christ

is not thwarted

by the circumstances

of our lives

he's able to

redeem evil

in your heart

set apart

Christ as Lord

I know a family

living a new

life in Christ

in Queensland

I think they've

been there for

about 12 years

so they've got a

track record

a good track record

and the husband

lived up to his

mother-in-law's

hateful expectations

and I tell you

she was a buzzard

and he was

unfaithful to his

wife

can I say that

yeah she was a

buzzard

she was

he lived up

to the unfaithful

expectations

of his

mother-in-law

he was

unfaithful

to his

wife

he humiliated

his wife

in his

community

by his

behaviour

and she

would have

been

entirely

justified

in leaving

him

but instead

she sought

to honour

Christ

in the

oppressive

circumstances

of her

marriage

and that

man was

brought to

Christ

and he

has grown

in Christ

because of

a wife

who loved

him

despite his

offences

against her

by the

grace

and kindness

of God

she has

modelled

love

and mercy

and forgiveness

in such a way

that he

recommitted

his life

to Christ

and to her

and she

has brought

much hope

to other

women

in circumstances

similar to

her own

but her

hope

was not

in her

cheating

wreck of a

husband

her hope

was in

Christ

who

redeemed

the

evil

in her

life

and in

the

process

redeemed

her

husband

as well

all glory

to the

Lord

Jesus

and that's

how this

whole passage

finishes

it finishes

in the work

of Christ

and with a

powerful reminder

that the whole

created order

will finish

his existence

in submission

to him

verse 18

Christ

died for

sins

once for

all

the

righteous

for the

unrighteous

to bring

you to

God

he was put

to death

in the body

but made

alive by the

spirit

through whom

also he

went and

preached to

the spirits

in prison

who disobeyed

long ago

God

waited

patiently

in the

days of

Noah

while the

ark was

being built

and in

it only a

few people

ate in

all

were saved

through

water

and this

water

symbolises

baptism

that now

saves you

also

not the

removal of

dirt from

the body

but the

pledge of

a good

conscience

towards

God

it saves

you by

the

resurrection

of

Jesus

Christ

who

has

gone

into

heaven

and

is

at

God's

right

hand

with

angels

authorities

and

powers

in

submission

to

him

passages

are

full of

Old

Testament

understandings

particularly

Psalm

53

54

and

61

and

one

line

in

particular

is

perhaps

or

arguably

the

most

difficult

passage

in

the

New

Testament

verse

19

at

face

value

it

sounds

like

Jesus

went

and

preached

to

the

dead

between

his

death

on

the

cross

and

resurrection

it's

a

verse

that

Roman

Catholics

used

to

justify

their

teaching

on

purgatory

a

place

where

people

go

before

the

final

judgment

of

God

a

place

that

they

can

still

be

redeemed

from

if

they

get

a

change

of

heart

and

it

also

seems

to

fit

with

the

apostles

creed

which

we

often

recite

he

descended

into

hell

and

on

the

third

day

rose

from

the

dead

probably

a

better

translation

is

he

descended

to

the

place

of

the

dead

she

all

and

I

think

I

just

want

to

say

quickly

that

I

think

all

those

interpretations

including

the

creed

are

wrong

I

don't

understand

everything

here

and

so

I'll

tell you

what

I

think

I

do

understand

and

leave

some

of

the

rest

unsolved

but

I

can

give

you

afterwards

an

article

which

helped

me

in my

thinking

for this

sermon

and

maybe

it's

helpful

for

you

but

I

think

imprisoned

spirits

are

us

before

we

belong

to

Christ

before

Christ

was

revealed

in

Ephesians

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

chapter

2

Paul

says

you

me

and

everyone

else

that's

everybody

were

dead

in

their

trespasses

and

sins

we

were

imprisoned

by

death

we

were

captive

to

the

grave

and

in

a

sense

all

the

people

of

the

Old

Testament

went

to

the

place

of

the

dead

Sheol

without

seeing

the

great

work

of

Christ

which

was

still

future

for

them

and

so

imprisonment

is a

way

of

referring

to

the

status

of

believers

in

the

Old

Testament

who

died

without

seeing

the

wonderful

work

of

salvation

which

God

did

in

the

death

and

resurrection

and

ascension

of the

Lord

Jesus

Christ

1

Peter

1

said

concerning

this

salvation

the

prophets

who

spoke

of

the

grace

that

was

to

come

to

you

searched

intently

and

with

the

greatest

care

trying

to

find

out

the

time

and

the

circumstances

to

which

the

spirit

of

Christ

in

them

was

pointing

when

he

predicted

the

sufferings

of

Christ

and

the

glories

that

would

follow

they

were

earnestly

looking

forward

for

what

God

was

going

to

do

without

actually

seeing

it

Jesus

arrives

on the

scene

in

Luke

Luke 4 · chapter mention

chapter

4

he

quotes

Isaiah

61

he

announces

his

ministry

and

he

says

the

spirit

of

the

Lord

is

on

me

because

he

has

anointed

me

to

preach

good

news

to

the

poor

he

sent

me

to

proclaim

freedom

for

the

prisoners

and

recovery

of

sight

for

the

blind

to

release

the

oppressed

to

proclaim

the

year

of

the

Lord's

favour

and

then

in

Luke

Luke 7 · chapter mention

chapter

7

Jesus

confirms

his

ministry

to

John

the

Baptist

John's

getting

the

wobblies

is

Jesus

the

one

who

was

to

come

he's

sitting

in

his

jail

cell

he's

thinking

are

you

the

one

or

should

we

be

expecting

another

and

Jesus

sends

a

message

back

to

him

go

back

and

report

to

John

what

you

have

seen

and

what

you

have

heard

the

blind

receive

sight

the

lame

walk

those

who

have

leprosy

are

cured

the

deaf

hear

the

dead

are

raised

and

good

news

is

preached

to

the

poor

and

in

both

places

Jesus

quotes

or

alludes

to

Isaiah

61

so

the

New

Testament

is

telling

us

in

a

number

of

places

including

here

in

1

Peter

that

the

Spirit

of

Christ

proclaimed

Jesus

in

the

Old

Testament

Isaiah

61

is

now

fulfilled

in

the

ministry

of

Jesus

the

hope

of

the

Old

Testament

believers

has

now

become

reality

through

Jesus

the

Spirit

of

Christ

empowered

Jesus

ministry

during

his

time

on

earth

the

Spirit

of

Christ

raised

him

from

the

dead

after

Calvary

Christ

has

gone

into

heaven

and

everything

is

in

submission

to

him

and

so

Noah

pops

up

and

Noah

is

an

example

it

depends

where you

put

the

full

stop

here

but

Noah

is

an

example

of

patient

waiting

judgment

that

ark

the

whole

community

is

hearing

the

gospel

God's

judgment

is

coming

save

yourself

from

the

wrath

to

come

they

all

hear

the

gospel

and

it's

as

they

will

this

is

stupid

is

God's

word

going

to

be

fulfilled

but

the

day

comes

and

eight

people

are

saved

God's

word

is

faithful

and

those

who

trust

in

him

were

absolutely

safe

chapter

three

is

an

incredibly

difficult

passage

you know

submission

to

wives

by

wives

to

husband

followed

by

Jesus

preaching

to

imprisoned

spirits

it's

a

doozy

and

I've

rushed

across

the

last

bit

but

I

want

you

to

see

the

big

picture

again

submission

is

not

a

dirty

word

the

believers

are

urged

to

live

wisely

and

harmoniously

in a

world

in which

they do

not

belong

strangers

and

aliens

we

belong

to

the

Lord

Jesus

and

our

journey

here

strangers

and

aliens

as

we

are

may

experience

a

peaceable

government

we

may

experience

a

peaceable

workplace

we

may

experience

a

peaceable

marriage

or we

may

not

we

may

experience

injustice

from

government

injustice

in

the

workplace

injustice

in

marriage

and

if

we

do

how

we

handle

it

is

a

powerful

part

of

our

witness

to

the

Lord

Jesus

Christ

he

is

the

one

who

powerfully

releases

us

from

the

captivity

of

sin

and

death

by

his

resurrection

he

is

the

one

who

now

reigns

supreme

over

all

creation

including

our

oppressors

strong

strong

overtones

of

philippians

chapter

two

at

the

name

of

Jesus

every

knee

will

bow

in

heaven

and

on

earth

and

under

the

earth

and

every

tongue

confess

that

Jesus

Christ

is

Lord

to

the

glory

of

God

the

father

I

think

Peter

is

saying

that

God

knows

every

difficulty

that

we

live

with

now

he

promises

that

we

will

be

safe

with

him

then

and

there

is

every

reason

for

hope

and

patient

endurance

even

in the

most

difficult

of

circumstances

now

Amen