Jesus, our example

Lord, thank you that we can meet together.

Lord, we are opening your word.

Your word is powerful.

It is for us.

It is about you.

And we ask that you will minister to us by your word.

Any kind of dross or unnecessary words that I say,

may they fall to the ground.

May your word be lifted up.

And minister to us today in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Please be seated.

We are a people that, whether we think so or not,

we like conformity.

I just read an article about a lifestyle blog.

I didn't read the lifestyle blog.

But there's like this sub-genre of lifestyle blogs that's about parenting.

And there's a bunch of moms who are talking about how much parenting sucks

and about how they regret the kids being such a ball and chain, so to speak.

And it seems kind of crazy.

But, you know, because of our propensity to conform,

there's going to be a lot of people, a lot of parents that read that.

And it will give them license to indulge in their selfish nature.

There's a lot of good lifestyle blogs as well that help people to cook healthier foods,

to be more conscious of social issues around.

The point is, we are people that conform.

We do.

There's not too many fully autonomous people sitting in this theater this morning.

And I would suggest that there's not many walking the streets of Ottawa.

In Canada, in the States, conformity is the air we breathe.

And I'm not suggesting that it's wrong.

I'm just drawing your attention to it.

So, we are on the third week of our sermon series on the crucified Messiah.

Each week, we're taking a look at one aspect of what Jesus has done on the cross,

how he accomplished something.

So, the first week was Jesus.

George preached on Jesus.

He was a substitute for us.

And that's what he did on the cross.

Last week, we talked about how, on the cross, Jesus inaugurated a new covenant.

This week, we're looking at how Jesus is an example for us to follow.

And the thing with Jesus being an example to follow,

we're looking at 1 Peter 2.

Shane read a big section, 18 to 25, just for context,

because we're actually just reading, taking a look at one verse, verse 21.

And we could have looked at a few other verses throughout the New Testament

because this idea of imitating Christ is actually throughout the Bible.

So, we could have looked at John 13.

It says this in verse 34, a new commandment.

This is Jesus speaking.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another just as I have loved you.

You also are to love one another.

In Philippians 2, it says,

Do nothing from selfish or empty conceit, but with humility of mind,

regard one another as more important than yourselves.

And it continues on.

It says,

Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 5, verse 1 and 2.

Ephesians 5:1

Therefore, be imitators of God, and walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.

You get the picture.

There's a ton of verses about imitating Christ.

But we're reading 1 Peter 2, verses 21.

1 Peter 2:21

And this is what it says.

I'll read it again.

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you,

leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.

This text is worth our consideration.

I mean, all of those texts really are, but this text in particular this morning,

because it flies in the face of our current cultural moment.

Because at the heart of this text, it teaches us that true satisfaction in life,

and real, genuine happiness is found in actually giving up our prerogatives,

and giving up our freedoms for the sake of others.

But it actually goes a bit further than that.

It says, it'll teach us, and I'll hope to bring your eyes, your attention to it.

It also tells us that we are actually created to be subjects,

not autonomous individuals.

That we were created to be subjects, not autonomous individuals.

And that true human flourishing is found not in the expressions of more freedom,

but the limiting or the suspending of such freedoms for the sake of others.

We live in a society that values a curated life.

If something doesn't tickle your fancy, or you want to incorporate something new,

you do it, you get it, you spend the money.

You take a class, you watch YouTube tutorials till the cows come home.

But the point is, you can curate your own life.

It's about what you can do, your own freedoms.

And I'm suggesting that the scriptures, and this one in particular, suggests the opposite.

But before we can really jump into this verse in 1 Peter chapter 2,

1 Peter 2 · chapter mention

I just want to take a few moments to talk a bit about the background of the book here.

Or, I guess, really chapter 2.

So Peter here is talking to slaves.

It's likely that a good amount of Peter's audience,

the people that he's addressing, were slaves.

And slavery was bad back then.

It was terrible back then.

However, just to be clear, it wasn't the same as the African slave trade.

It wasn't based on race.

It wasn't man-stealing.

People found ways into, found, you know, themselves in slavery for a number of different reasons.

One could be that they were conquered people.

Another, that they couldn't pay back debts.

So people, I mean, slaves were all sorts of different ethnicities.

And they could participate to a degree in social life.

But nevertheless, they were slaves.

They were still property owned by other people.

And as property, their masters had full authority over them.

To treat them really well or to treat them terribly.

To inflict beatings on them.

There's no sort of mechanism that they could appeal to,

to have their masters' hands stayed or punished for beating them.

They were really at the whim of their master.

And just a pause on this.

Because as I was studying this, one thing came to mind.

And I'm reading this.

Peter's addressing slaves.

It sounds really good.

Why doesn't Peter tell the slaves to run for the hills?

To fight for their freedom?

Why does he just tell them how to act in a nice way to their unjust slave owners?

To their masters?

Is this somehow Peter condoning slavery?

And if he's not condoning it, why isn't he fighting against it?

And I struggled with this a bit.

Struggled, in one sense, with my own, I don't know, frustration.

Initial frustration.

But also, how am I going to explain this to the folks here?

Or, I don't know, I have new neighbors now.

They say something like, well, like, have you read this part of the Bible?

How do I explain that to them?

I would just like to say one thing.

The overarching story, like, the story in the Bible that is used time and time again

to communicate God's interaction with humanity is the Exodus story.

God has rescued, we looked at a bit of this last week,

but God rescues this people from terrible slavery.

Slavery, that was generations after generations after generations after generations,

saves them into promise, into freedom, into non-slavery,

but really into human flourishing.

And this story is brought up time and time again throughout the Scriptures.

And I would also like to say, wherever the true Christian faith,

the true Spirit-filled, real conviction of the Spirit message is believed,

believed, slavery diminishes and eventually is no more.

Slavery is incompatible with the message of the Scriptures.

So what do we have here with Peter?

I think Peter is addressing specific people in a specific situation

with a specific goal in mind.

And this is actually one reason why the Bible can be trusted,

because it doesn't talk in just outrageous platitudes,

ideals that are so lofty, they don't make sense.

The Bible speaks into the muddy mess of life.

Peter is addressing slaves.

Who addresses slaves?

It was a problem then,

it is a problem in parts of the world now,

and has been a problem throughout human history,

but he addresses it.

And that gives me great hope in the Scriptures,

because I know that they apply,

they touch different parts of real human experience.

So that's a little apologetic for why I think,

actually, Peter isn't somehow condoning slavery in the Scriptures.

If you still struggle with that,

I'd love to chat with you about it.

I might not have the answers,

but we can still have a bit of a dialogue about that.

But anyways, so Peter here is addressing slaves.

And although they are slaves,

how does Peter address them?

Verse 9, take a look with me in chapter 2, verse 9.

This is what Peter says.

Speaking to slaves.

You'll speak to other people as well,

but right here he's speaking to slaves.

But you are a chosen race,

a royal priesthood, a holy nation.

If you're a slave, imagine hearing this.

What else does he say?

Verse 16.

He says,

live as people who are free.

Here's a big, big, important thing for you to understand.

That if you are in Christ,

whether a slave or free,

a woman or a man,

poor, rich, young or old,

your eternal standing is declared,

even if your current temporal standing hasn't changed.

These are slaves.

They're still slaves.

But they're free men.

They're a part of a holy nation,

a royal priesthood.

That's who they are,

and that's who they'll be for eternity.

And that's how Peter addresses them.

At the same time,

he's addressing them as slaves.

So it's important that we keep this in our mind

as we take a look at our verse.

So let me read our verse again.

1 Peter 2, verse 21.

1 Peter 2:21

For to this you have been called,

because Christ also suffered for you,

leaving you an example,

so that you might follow in his steps.

If we're talking about these slaves,

Peter is addressing these free men

that are currently slaves

but will eternally be free,

there is no more free person

in the entire universe

than God himself.

The scriptures teach us that

God is the uncreated one

and that everything that is created,

he created.

We see this in John chapter 1.

John 1 · chapter mention

This means he's subject to no one.

He relies on no one.

He looks to no one for affirmation.

He is not seeking somebody's approval.

He's not a debtor of anybody.

He is in no need of anyone

or anything.

And what does he do?

The second person of the Trinity,

God, the Son of God,

what does he do?

He descends to earth,

is born of a virgin,

fully man, fully God,

and he suspends his divine rights,

his divine freedom, so to speak.

And he's born in a specific time

in very not the greatest circumstances

to common folk

and grows up in a backwater,

dinky little town

some hours north of a walk of Jerusalem.

You remember when he first comes on the scene,

what do they say about Jesus?

Can anything good come from Nazareth?

Like, what's Nazareth?

The completely free and independent God

lays it down

to enter into the reality of humanity.

And Peter is addressing this.

And, I mean, this is all throughout Scripture.

The Apostle Paul actually says in Ephesians 2,

Ephesians 2:7

verse 7,

talking about Christ,

but Christ emptied himself

by taking the form of a servant,

literally taking the form of a slave,

a bondservant,

being born in the likeness of men.

So Jesus came to save,

and what happens to him?

What happens?

He is crucified not because of crimes he committed,

but because a Roman governor

kowtowed to an unruly and jealous Jewish mob

2,000 years ago.

He is crucified as a criminal unjustly.

He suffered unjustly.

He had accusations thrown on him unjustly.

He suffered, he suffered, he suffered unjustly.

But this was God's design all along.

Jesus, what he did when he came,

it wasn't a plan B.

It was always in God's plan and providence

that this would happen.

That Jesus would suffer for the sake of others.

This was always, always God's plan.

And although this text is specifically addressing the slave,

it's actually addressing everyone.

It's addressing all Christians.

And Peter uses two ways to elaborate

on our call to suffer

as Christ.

The first is this.

Let me just read this again.

Verse 21.

For to this you have been called

because Christ also suffered for you,

leaving you an example

so that you might follow in his steps.

So how do we imitate Christ?

We take him as an example

and we follow in his steps.

The idea of an example

is literally like a stencil.

If you take a stencil,

you're not innovating.

You're trying to stencil the exact image

of whatever stencil you're kind of filling in or using.

It's like painting by numbers.

You don't elaborate.

You try to mimic the exact image that you're seeing.

And this is the same type of idea

that we are not innovating something new

in the Christian faith.

We are looking to Christ.

We are trying to imitate him.

We're using him as an example.

We're looking at his life

and then examining our life.

And if there's some kind of incongruity,

then we adjust.

We'll talk about that adjustment in a bit.

But also the second thing

that we follow in his footsteps.

It's not something that we see today,

but the idea here is that

there's disciples following a rabbi.

The rabbi goes this way.

The disciples go this way.

The rabbi goes that way.

They're hanging on his every word.

They're forsaking all other opportunities

to follow the rabbi.

To be a disciple of the rabbi

is a very, very good thing.

Maybe they'll have disciples later on,

but that's the idea that we're seeing here.

To follow in his footsteps

is to literally follow on his coattails.

Again, the call is not to innovate

new ways to be a Christian.

The call is to imitate Christ.

So when we suffer unjustly,

interestingly,

and we suffer righteously,

we bear witness to Christ.

It's a wordless witness.

And that's, by the way,

not an excuse not to share our faith.

But it means we bear witness to Christ

in his suffering,

but without words.

Indeed.

Like, with deeds.

Not indeed.

Like, indeed, that's what you'll do.

No, but like, indeed.

We also trust that God will vindicate us,

so we ought not to seek vengeance.

And I'll just pause really quickly.

It is not an ungodly thing

to push back against misunderstandings

or slander.

I think there's a,

we live in a society

where we have mechanisms

to fight injustice,

and we ought to.

But I think what this is getting at

is this.

I'll just say this.

Like the slave

is addressed as a royal,

a holy nation,

a royal priesthood,

that they are freemen.

That's their eternal standing.

There is nothing that will

further that eternal standing.

Their reputation

before God Almighty

is secure.

Christ calls them brothers

and sisters.

There is nothing more

that they can do

to be accepted

or righteous in God's eyes.

The problem is

if you're pushing back

against unjust suffering

in a way

to guard your reputation,

to advance your reputation.

in a selfish way,

maybe if somebody

is unjust to you,

you're going to be unjust back.

You're going to get them back.

If they slander you,

you're going to slander them back.

You're going to dig up

a bunch of dirt

and broadcast it.

Because to hell

with them

if they're going to mess me up,

if you have that idea.

Because how can one

elevate one's own reputation

if your reputation

is secure

for eternity

in Christ?

So,

this is not calling us

to be a perennial doormat.

We fight injustice

when we can,

but not

as a self-serving way,

in a way that's still loving

the person

that is persecuting us.

But, you know,

to really understand

how to

faithfully endure

unjust suffering

in the same way Christ did,

you have to have

an eternal mindset.

You have to.

And I'll tell you

the reason why.

The slave won't be

a slave forever.

The slave will either

be released

or will die

and then they are

a slave no longer.

And by the way,

their eternal,

as a reminder,

their eternal position

is free man

or free woman.

So, to have an eternal mindset

means we can endure

suffering now.

Why?

Because there are benefits

and pleasures

and glories

and union with Christ

forever and ever.

Romans 8

says this

in verse 31,

What then shall we say

to these things?

If God is for us,

who can be against us,

he who did not spare

his own son

but gave him up

for us all,

how will he not also

with him graciously

give us all things?

Matthew chapter 5,

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

Jesus says this,

Blessed are you

when others revile you

and persecute you

and utter all kinds

of evil against you

falsely on my account.

Verse 12,

Rejoice and be glad

for your reward

is great in heaven.

Your eternal rewards

are just that,

they're eternal.

So, it's important

to have an eternal mindset

to remember that this world

as we see it today

with all of the ups and downs

and it feels like 2020

has a bit more downs and ups,

that this will not be

the end of the story.

Interesting too

that Christ lays down

his life for us.

He endures the cross

despising the shame

and remember that Christ

doesn't stay on the cross,

he doesn't stay in the tomb.

He is resurrected forever

and if we endure

the sufferings like him

as he is our example,

then we too will participate

in the resurrection.

That if we are found

in Christ,

we will have

that eternal

security with him.

That's a wonderful,

wonderful truth.

So, I mentioned

at the beginning

that this flies

in the face

of our current

cultural moment.

This text asks us

to give up our freedom

and be defined

not by how we curate

our lives

but in following

a life of self-sacrifice.

And calls on us

to have a life

of duty

and not self-expression.

So, by the way,

if this is wrong,

your quarrels

with Christine, okay?

Christine,

if she watches this,

I'm sorry.

Anyways,

I was talking with her

about this.

I'm just joking around.

But Christine talked

about this idea

of duty

versus self-expression

and she says

it's interesting

because the queen,

she has embraced duty

at the expense

of her own dreams.

I mean, listen,

the queen's not suffering,

okay?

She's still the queen.

She still enjoys

a lifetime of benefits

that we don't have.

But how about if she

wanted to do something else?

How about if she

wanted to be an engineer?

I don't know

if you guys maybe

know a biography

or you've watched

The Crown 1,500 times,

you know.

But maybe she

wanted to do

something else.

What does she do?

What has she done?

She suspended

her own privileges,

her own self-interest

for the sake of others.

And Christine goes,

compare that with

Meghan Markle and Harry.

What do they do?

They say,

forget about duty.

We're going to live

our best life now.

We're going to curate

our life.

We're going to live

the life that we want

even if it means

despising

laying down our lives

for other people.

You get what I'm

trying to say here.

It's an interesting

compare and contrast

with the Queen

and Meghan and Harry.

By the way,

if I'm wrong

on that at all,

again,

the quarrel's with Christine,

so I feel no problem.

Christine's a big,

she's a big royal fan.

Being self-defined

is the highest form

of humanity

in our culture.

Having freedom

to embrace

whatever we want,

to embrace

whatever we want

for a time

and then throw it

to the wayside.

I mean,

a very,

very selfish,

we live in a very,

very selfish,

self-centered

cultural moment.

And I said to you

that true human happiness

isn't the embracing

of more freedoms

but the restriction of it.

Consider this.

if you are all about

creating the best life now,

then that's going to change

from time to time.

You're worried about

how other people see you,

so you spend a ton of money

on a new wardrobe.

By the way,

none of these things

in and of themselves

is wrong,

but hear me out.

Maybe your spouse

or significant other,

your partner,

just doesn't do the trick anymore.

How can you live

your best life

when they've gained

30 pounds?

You know,

they've lost their job

or this other person

looks a lot better.

How can you live

your best life?

No, no, no.

Forget about it.

What happens

if your children

are weighing you down?

They're not children

who are here.

You're not weighing

your parents down.

Hear me out.

How about if your children

are getting in the way of,

you know,

you want to vacation

three, four times a year

and not in a tent?

You know?

You want to be

in an airplane.

Well, I don't know

if you want to be

in an airplane now,

but you get what

I'm trying to say.

The point,

the point is,

your kids,

like they're a nuisance.

How are you supposed

to live your best life now?

And so on,

and so on,

and so on.

What does that sound like

to you?

Does that sound like

a free person

or like a slave?

If you worship something,

you will be enslaved to it.

And I'm going to put forward to you

that that's the case

for God Almighty as well.

That we are made to be slaves,

to be subjects.

But,

if this is rubbing you

the wrong way,

when we are slaves to God,

we are slaves to other people.

When we are subjects to God

and subjects to other people,

we experience true freedom.

Some of you have been Christians

for a long time

and you know

that there's some seasons

that are just sweeter

with the Lord.

It's like,

you read the Bible

and every verse,

it's like it is,

it is,

it is water

in a dry land,

but then there's other seasons

where,

I mean,

you labor over the scriptures

or you labor at church

and you're just,

you don't feel it.

But just,

hold on a second.

Those times when you are,

it's a sweet season

with the Lord,

does that feel like slavery?

Or does it feel like freedom?

Does it feel like you are less

of your true self

or that you are more

like your true self?

The world tells us

that we need to

obsess over me,

consume to overflow,

to live whatever life

makes us happy,

but it really is

calling us to slavery

to our flesh.

And if you're honest

with yourself,

I'm honest with myself

right now,

we fall into it.

We fall into it.

We prayed it

at morning prayer

at the 8 a.m. service,

but we didn't today.

There's a call

called the call for peace.

I don't know if we'll,

it'll be in the,

yeah,

it won't be.

But the call for peace

goes like this,

a very ancient prayer.

I love it.

This is what it says.

O God,

who art the author

of peace

and lover of concord,

in knowledge of whom

standeth our eternal life,

whose service

is perfect freedom.

And then it goes on.

Laying your life

down for others,

suspending your own freedoms,

following the example

of Christ

will lead to blessing

and blessing

and blessing.

Enduring unjust suffering

might feel really,

really,

really unfair.

But remember

that Christ went through it.

So He can relate to you.

So when you pray to Him,

it's not that He says,

you know,

sucks to be you.

I know what you've gone through.

I've experienced it.

I can relate.

And what fruit does it bring?

It brings blessing to others.

No more slavery

to our flesh,

to our desires,

to our addictions,

to our passions.

And it means we get to operate

the way we truly

were designed to operate.

To both the Christian

and the non-Christian,

consider the reality that

no matter what,

you will be a servant

or slave to something.

You will.

And if that bothers you,

we can talk about it.

If you want to beat me

over the head

after the service,

verbally,

you can.

I'm happy.

I'm happy to talk.

And if you're honest with that,

if you're honest with that,

if you really consider it,

consider becoming a slave of Christ.

Maybe for the first time.

Maybe you're struggling

with your faith.

Maybe you haven't truly

ever been saved.

You know it,

you know,

deep down,

you may be feeling

conviction today.

today is a perfect time

to become a slave

to Christ,

a slave to God.

To follow the example

of Christ,

to lay down

whatever freedoms

you may have

for the sake of others

because ultimately

you are doing it

for God.

Bearing witness

to the very nature

of the cross of Calvary.

And he will help you do this.

He will help you do this.

Israel was taken from Egypt

out of slavery.

Still slaves up here.

Still slaves up here.

But God was patient with them

and he'll be patient

with you as well.

Slavery to Christ

is true freedom.

Let us pray.

Heavenly Father,

thank you so much

for your words

in Holy Scripture.

Thank you so much

that our example

is Christ

of how to suffer unjustly.

How to walk

in a way

that is pleasing to you.

How to be a slave to you

which is perfect freedom.

Lord, I pray

that this morning

that you will

to the Christian

and the non-Christian,

to the skeptic,

to the believer,

to anybody in between,

that by your Holy Spirit

you will show us

areas in our lives

where we are addicted

to pleasure.

That we are slaves

to pleasure.

We are slaves

to the need

to be recognized

and rather,

Lord,

you will begin

the process,

again,

by your Holy Spirit,

fellowship of believers

by your word

to start removing that.

Help us to serve you.

Help us have

that eternal mindset

and to look to Christ

as our example.

Pray all these things

in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.