A Gospel-Shaped Community

Okay, well, this morning we continue to work through the book of 1 Peter in our series, The Splendor in the Furnace.

Now, if you're new to Watermark this morning, you're joining us in kind of the climax of our series.

We've been working through the book of 1 Peter, and this is the part where we really get to find out about the furnace and affliction and suffering.

And it's around this time that we get to see why we call this series The Splendor in the Furnace,

because Peter is writing to a bunch of Christians who feel like they're being thrown in the furnace of affliction.

They are going through a hard time.

They are being persecuted and maligned for their faith, for following Jesus.

They are being ostracized because they weren't worshipped, the household gods, etc.

And Peter writes them to say, though this may feel like you're being thrown in the fire,

something beautiful and splendid is going to come of it.

God is going to do something majestic and beautiful in the season.

And your faith, which is like gold, is going to be tested in the fire and is going to be purified and fortified and strengthened.

And so this book really is about how walking with God through pain and suffering really does produce something beautiful inside of us.

Now, if you're here this morning and you're not yet a Christian,

I guess you've probably got a whole bunch of questions around pain and suffering and evil and how can God allow these things.

And there's many good, those are good questions and there's many good answers.

The book of 1 Peter is just one of Jesus' answers to us, to this question.

Why does God allow these things?

Well, he does it partly to shape us and to form us and to fashion us.

And so if you're still trying to make sense of the claims of Jesus, we're so glad you're with us this morning.

Now, today's passage follows on closely from last week's passage.

If you're here last week, I felt like I did a very inadequate job of opening up the scriptures and I apologize for that.

So let's hope that we can make more sense of this today.

Summarize briefly last week and then dive into today's passage.

Okay.

So the big idea for today, this sounds very loud.

Is it loud to you?

No?

Okay.

I'll just bear it.

The big idea for today is this.

Watermark, let us not waste our time of suffering, but let suffering drive the gospel deeper into our hearts so that we become a community which is gospel sacrificial rather than self-indulgent.

Okay?

So, Watermark, when suffering comes our way, don't waste the opportunity that suffering produces to drive the gospel deeper into your heart.

Let suffering make us the kind of community which is gospel-saturated, that is gospel sacrificial rather than self-centered and self-indulgent.

And there's four points today.

Okay?

And so let's dive into the first one, which is the splendor of the gospel.

Now, the main idea from last week was this.

1 Peter 3, verse 9 says,

1 Peter 3:9

Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but bless those who persecute you.

And the way to bless them is to pray for them.

Someone's giving you a hard time, you pray God's richest blessings on them.

And the motivation for this was found in chapter 3, verse 18, where Peter writes and says,

For Christ suffered for sin, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.

And this verse really is a kind of summary of the entire Bible.

Everything from Genesis to Revelation is pointing to this one truth, that Jesus Christ, the righteous one,

suffered for sins, for your sins and my sins, that he might bring us to God.

Christ, the perfect one, died in the place of the imperfect ones.

Christ, the sinless one, died in the place of sinful ones.

Christ, the righteous, died for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.

You know, there's an amazing verse in the Old Testament in 1 Samuel chapter 14,

1 Samuel 14 · chapter mention

where a lady in Israel comes to King David and says,

We all deserve to die.

Let me just get it for us.

But like water that's been spilt on the ground and cannot be gathered up again.

But God does not take away life.

God goes out of his way to find ways to devise means so that banished ones do not remain estranged from him.

So here's what she's saying.

She's saying, like if you take a bottle of drinking water and it spills on the ground,

on sandy ground, it becomes muddy.

There's no ways you're going to be able to drink that water again.

It's gone, right?

It's unsavable, unsalvageable.

He says, that's how we are in the natural realm.

But God finds a way to save the unsavable.

God goes out of his way to find ways of doing the impossible,

of taking those that are far from him and bring them back to him.

And how did he do it?

Well, Jesus, the righteous one, died for sins,

the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.

This is the gospel.

And so this is what we've been talking about.

This is what the whole of 1 Peter is all about.

However, that's not all there is to the gospel.

You see, the gospel is magnificent and it's deep and it's beautiful,

but it's not one-dimensional.

There's many aspects to it.

And so consider this.

Consider how Christ's death on the cross was not only the means by which God purchased our forgiveness.

It was that.

But it was so much more.

Christ's death on the cross was the means by which God made his enemies his friends or his children.

Romans chapter 5 says,

Romans 5 · chapter mention

For while we were enemies of God, God reconciled us to himself by the death of his son.

Consider how Christ's death on the cross was the way that God made those that were spiritually dead alive again.

Ephesians chapter 2.

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

As for you, as for me, we were dead in our sins, but now we've been made alive with Christ again.

Consider how the cross is the means by which God's unusual way of defeating his enemies.

Colossians chapter 2 says,

Colossians 2 · chapter mention

God disarmed the rulers and authorities, put them to open shame, triumphing over them in Christ on the cross.

Well, consider how the cross is the way by which Jesus glorified God the Father.

Remember, just before he dies, he prays and says,

Father, the hour for my death has come.

Now glorify your name.

The cross is the way by which Jesus puts on display the infinite majesty and the holiness and the justice,

as well as the kindness and the compassion and the mercy of God.

Well, consider how not only that, the cross is the means by which God makes a new community.

He takes those that are banished and estranged and individuals, and he brings them back together as a family.

You know, sometimes we think, Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.

And that's true, but that's not the whole truth.

The truth is also that God makes a new community, a family, a royal nation, a people for his own possession.

Friends, Jesus dying on the cross to take people like you and I and bring us back into his family

is like a great shepherd going after the lost sheep and bringing them back to the fold.

It's like a father who goes to the judge and says,

I'll serve my son's prison sentence so he can be released from jail and reconciled with the family.

Jesus' death on the cross makes a new community.

But not only that, as we saw last week, Jesus' death on the cross, in all its anguish, in all its pain,

is a picture of how living for the will of God, though it will require you to die initially, actually leads to life.

Karen Job said it like this.

Christians know that Christ's death was both purposeful and victorious because death was not the final word.

Christians followed Jesus' footsteps through death to victory and life.

You see, Jesus' death shows us that death is not the final word.

It's part of the journey towards real, eternal life.

And for the Christians, this is the pattern of our lives.

Christ calls us to come and die when we follow him that we may find true life.

And all of this is because Jesus died on the cross, what Christ accomplished for us,

the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, the splendor of the gospel.

And that leads us to today's passage, chapter 4, verse 1, and to point 2.

And so point 2 is this, the splendor of the gospel and the furnace of affliction.

Okay?

So let's look at verse 1 of 1 Peter, chapter 4.

1 Peter 4 · chapter mention

Peter starts off like this.

He says,

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, so that's everything we've just spoken about, okay?

Since Jesus died on the cross, the righteous for the unrighteous, to accomplish all of those things and more,

therefore, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking.

Okay?

So Peter's saying this to these Christians that are facing the mill, right?

Things are not very comfortable for them.

And he's saying,

When persecution comes, when you suffer unjustly, when hardship and difficulty comes your way,

remember how Christ suffered unjustly on the cross.

Arm yourself with the same kind of thinking.

And it's interesting that he uses the word arm yourself.

What's he saying there?

He's saying,

Take up your weapons.

Take up your arms, right?

So when unjust suffering comes your way,

when people are persecuting you and ridiculing you and you're going to suffer for following Jesus,

when your boss refuses to give you a promotion because you won't flirt with him or sleep with him,

when your boyfriend breaks up with you because you won't sleep with him,

when your family ridicules you because you won't worship the ancestors or pray to them,

when you lose out on a financial deal because you choose to do the path of integrity rather than dishonesty,

arm yourself.

Take up these weapons.

And what is the weapon we should take up?

Is it swords and spears?

Is it guns and ammunition?

No, no, no.

Take up this weapon, he says,

which is to arm yourself with the thinking of the gospel.

Set your heart and your mind to think about Jesus and how the way he died on the cross.

Because last week Peter said,

well last week I said,

I was trying to say what Peter said,

that one of the ways we respond is to pray for our enemies.

We bless those who persecute us.

And now he gives us a second means,

and that's to arm ourselves with gospel thinking.

Friends, if you're a Christian here today,

and you're suffering,

or maybe if you're suffering because you're a Christian,

that will produce in us one of two responses.

Okay?

One of two responses.

Either opposition to the gospel will tempt us to try and live lives of self-preservation,

of self-centeredness.

It will either tempt us to try and find our joy and happiness in ourselves,

or it will drive the gospel deeper into our hearts.

Okay?

So in Matthew 24,

Jesus says this,

just before he dies on the cross.

He says,

the end of the age is drawing near,

and because wickedness will increase in the world,

the love of many will grow cold.

Okay?

So think about this.

You've got a massive fire.

Okay?

You've got a barbecue pit.

You're going to barbecue some roast lamb.

Okay?

And busy barbecuing there,

and next to it is a tin of see-through liquid.

And so I say to you,

hey,

what's in this liquid?

And you say,

I don't know.

Let's throw it on the fire and see.

Okay?

Now,

if that liquid is cold water,

let's say it's a big jug of cold water,

you throw it on the fire,

what's going to happen?

It's going to quench it,

right?

It's going to put it out.

It's going to kill the fire.

But if that liquid is paraffin,

or gasoline,

or something like that,

what's going to happen?

You're going to throw it in the fire end?

It's going to be an explosion,

right?

It's going to be a combustion.

Well,

Jesus is saying the same thing.

He's saying,

when persecution comes,

when suffering comes,

there's two ways that you can respond.

The one is it's like throwing cold water

on your affections for Jesus.

It's going to dampen.

It's going to cause the love of many to grow cold.

It's going to tempt you to retreat

into self-preservation.

But the other hand,

if you arm yourself with gospel thinking,

it's like throwing high-octane paraffin on the fire.

It's going to combust with explosion,

right?

Either persecution will make our sinful hearts

and temptations more appealing

and more tempting,

or it will open our eyes to see what sin is

and make sin more disgusting

and the beauty of Jesus more glorious.

And this is what Peter's saying.

Look at how he says it in verse two.

He says,

either suffering will make us feel sorry for ourselves,

and as a result,

we will look for joy and happiness and pleasure.

And what does he use the word here?

He says,

human passions,

okay?

That's self-seeking desires.

That's what makes me happy,

what satisfies my desires.

Or,

he says,

Peter says,

don't let that happen.

Rather,

combat the temptation to feel sorry for yourself

by seeking joy and pleasure and happiness

in what does he say?

In the will of God.

In the will of God.

And so,

look at how he says it here.

He says,

since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh,

arm yourselves with the same way of thinking.

For if anyone has suffered in the flesh,

if they respond with gospel thoughtfulness,

if they respond by reflecting on Jesus and his death,

they have ceased from sin,

so as to live for the rest of their time,

no longer for human passions,

my desires,

and what makes me feel comfortable,

but for the will of God.

You see that?

See that there's two responses here.

So either,

suffering and hardship will drive us

to become more self-focused,

self-aware,

self-centered,

and self-entitled,

as we feel sorry for ourselves,

or,

it will make us selfless,

others-focused,

generous,

and servant-hearted.

Okay?

The reformers used to say it like this,

the same sun that bakes the clay

also melts the ice.

The sun bakes the clay.

In one sense,

it makes you hard,

it can harden your heart

towards God and the gospel.

But the same sun can also melt the ice,

can also soften your heart

towards the gospel.

How do you know which one

it's going to do to you?

Well,

how are you going to respond

when hardship and difficulty

comes your way?

And so this is what Peter's saying.

He's saying,

don't waste your suffering.

Don't waste the opportunity

that opposition brings

to drive the gospel deeper

into your hearts

and to fall more in love with Jesus.

And this is why this book

is called

The Splendor in the Furnace.

When the heat is turned up,

when you feel like you're being thrown

in the furnace of affliction,

when difficulty comes

because you're following Jesus,

not genus,

Jesus,

the furnace will do something

in you and to you

which you'd never have discovered

apart from it

if you arm yourself

with gospel thinking.

Tim Keller,

gee,

I can't speak today.

Tim Keller,

I really do apologize.

Tim Keller

wrote the most incredible book

and I wish I'd brought my copy

to show you.

I really want to encourage you

to buy this.

It's called

Walking with God

Through Pain and Suffering.

Probably one of the best books

I've ever read in my life.

And in it,

he writes this.

It's quite a long quote

and I forgot to put it on the slide

so you're going to have to

listen up carefully.

It says this,

No matter what precautions we take,

no matter how well we have put together

a good life,

no matter how hard we've worked

to be healthy, wealthy, and comfortable,

something will inevitably ruin it.

In a secular view,

suffering is never seen as meaningful

but only as an interruption

to my good life.

Christianity teaches

that while suffering is overwhelming,

while it's real,

and contrary to karma,

suffering is often unfair,

it's not without meaning.

There is a purpose to it.

And if faced rightly,

it can drive us like a nail

deep into the love of God,

into more stability,

into spiritual power

you could never imagine.

While other worldviews lead us

to sit in the midst of life's joys,

foreseeing the coming sorrows,

Christianity empowers its people

to sit in the midst of world's sorrows,

tasting the coming joys.

You see that?

The gospel says that suffering

is not without meaning.

It's not always comfortable,

it's not fine,

it's not nice,

it's terrible,

it's overwhelming,

but it's not without meaning.

And so this is what Peter's saying to us.

He's saying don't waste the opportunity.

Friends, don't waste your suffering.

Don't run away from it.

Don't retreat into self-preservation.

Let God use the furnace of affliction

to open your eyes

and to fall more in love with Jesus,

to see the ugliness of sin

and the beauty of Christ

and the splendor of His glory

and to long for heaven.

And so this is what Peter's saying.

When you suffer for the gospel,

arm yourself with gospel thinking.

Fix our eyes on Jesus.

Remember the cross.

Remember what Jesus did for us.

For whoever suffers in the flesh

has ceased from sin

and spends the rest of their time

living for the will of God.

Okay?

So the splendor of the gospel,

the splendor of the gospel,

the furnace of affliction.

Thirdly, a community of self.

Now, what we see in this next section

from verse 3 to 11

is that one of the ways we know

how we will respond to the gospel

or how we will respond to suffering

is by observing the nature of the community

that we are part of

or more specifically,

our view of community life.

Okay?

So how do you know

which way you're going to respond?

More self-entitled

or more other-centered?

Feeling sorry for yourself

or more selfless and sacrificial?

Well, one of the ways you know

is by observing the nature

of the community you're part of

and how you view community.

Because in verse 3 to 4,

we have a picture

of what some people

might consider to be a fun community.

Okay?

Lots of passion.

Lots of excitement.

Maybe it's the kind of community

you want to be part of.

But there's something sinister about it.

And so let's see if we can pick it up.

Look at verse 3 and 4.

He says,

Peter talks about people

that are living in sensuality.

That means just living

for what feels good in the moment.

People who are living for passions.

That's what excites you.

Living for drunkenness.

Okay?

Living without any restraints.

Living for orgies.

Fulfilling all your sexual desires.

Drinking parties.

And lawless idolatry.

Now that may be,

maybe that sounds exciting.

Maybe you think

that's exactly what I'm looking for.

Sign me up.

Where can I join?

Right?

But there's something sinister

about this.

Because the problem is

that this lifestyle,

like a community

that's focused on this,

cannot sustain itself.

It's going to come to an end.

It's going to unravel

at some point in time.

Because look at how Peter

shows us this

in verse 3 and 4.

He says,

this is how you used to live.

Remember,

this is how you,

you were once part

of this community.

But now,

they are surprised

when you do not join them

in the same flood of debauchery.

And they malign you.

They ostracize you.

They persecute you.

Why?

Because a community

that's built

around pleasure seeking,

around self-indulgence,

around fulfilling

humanistic desires,

does not love you

and accept you

for who you are.

It merely loves you

and accepts you

because you join them

in fulfilling

self-gratifying desires.

Does that make sense?

So the community

doesn't say,

hey,

I love you

because I love you.

It says,

you can be part of us

as we both try

and fulfill

our own pleasures together.

Let me see

if I can tell a story

to demonstrate this.

When I was in high school,

so back in South Africa,

in high school,

you finish high school

when most people

turn 18

in their final year

of school.

And in South Africa,

everything happens at 18.

You finish high school,

you also get

your driving license

and you can drink

legally at the age of 18.

So most people

turn 18

in their final year

of high school

except most people

have started drinking

many years before that.

14,

15,

et cetera.

And so when I was

at school,

my final three years

of school,

I was in the boarding house

which was the best

three years

of my high school career.

We had a lot of fun.

But I had decided

that I wasn't going

to drink alcohol

before I was 18.

It's just a personal decision.

And so while I had

a lot of friends

in the boarding house,

I was always slightly

on the outside.

I was never really

in the circle

with the guys

because I wouldn't

drink with them

on weekends.

I'd go to the parties

but I would drink soda

and I was a little bit

on the outside.

A bit nerdy.

But when I turned 18,

I had a motorbike

in the boarding house

and so I went

out of the school grounds,

I went to a liquor store

and I bought

a whole case of beers

and I brought them

back to the hostel

and I said to all

the guys in my year,

I said,

listen,

I've turned 18 today,

we're going to go down

to the rugby fields

and we're going

to have beers together.

And so we went

down to the rugby fields

and we all cracked

open these beers

and had a couple

of beers together.

And it was amazing.

For the first time,

I was right in there.

I was part of the crowd.

Maybe that's what happens

if you buy beers

for other guys, right?

But something changed

that day

where I was part

of the crowd.

I was part of the men.

I was welcomed

into the circle, right?

Because I had bought

beers for them.

But the problem is

that the fickleness

or the ease

with which you join

a community

is the same ease

with which you'll be

excluded from the community

when you no longer

participate

or you dress differently

or you no longer

listen to the same kind

of music,

you're out.

And that's exactly

what's happening

to these Christians.

They were excluded

because they no longer

participated in the activities

of the same interest.

You see, friends,

a community which is formed

around similar ideas

of self-indulgence

or personal gratification

or what makes me happy

is self-defeating

because the very thing

that brings them together

is the same thing

that actually undermines

true community.

True community is formed

when you say

we have common commitments,

common convictions

where together

we are united

about a commitment

to something outside of us,

something bigger than us.

And in the Christian context,

it's the person

of Jesus Christ.

Communities form

not just around

common interests

but common convictions

and commitments.

And friends,

one of the challenges

for us as a church

is that a Christian community

can actually be

just as secular

but just around

Christian personal

self-gratification.

So we can pretend

and think we're part

of a Christian community

but it's not because

we actually committed

to loving and serving

one another.

It's because I fulfill

my own religious

self-gratification

and you fulfilling

your religious gratification

and we're doing it together

but as soon as

one of us is different,

as soon as one of us

has a different idea,

what do we do?

We shun the person.

We kick them out.

You're no longer allowed

to be our friend.

And Peter writes and says

that kind of community

is always self-defeating.

And that leads us

to the fourth

and the final point

which is a community

of gospel sacrifice.

And so let's look

at what a community

which is forged

in the furnace of affliction,

which is thought deeply

about the gospel

and Jesus looks like.

Let's read verse 7

to 11 together.

Peter writes this,

The end of all things

is at hand.

Therefore be self-controlled

and sober-minded

for the sake of your prayers.

Now just pause quickly.

It's interesting,

this is the third time

in three weeks

that the passage

of scripture we've looked at

has mentioned

for the sake of your prayers.

It's interesting,

Jesus is telling us

that God takes our obedience

to his word very seriously.

There is a correlation

between our obedience

to Christ

and our relationship with him.

Three weeks in a row

the passage has spoken about

obey Christ

for the sake of your prayers.

Then verse 8,

he gives us

four characteristics.

He says,

Above all,

keep loving one another

earnestly

since love covers

a multitude of sins.

Show hospitality

to one another

without grumbling.

As each has received

a gift,

use it to serve one another

as good stewards

of God's varied grace.

Whoever speaks

is one who speaks

the oracles of God.

Whoever serves

is one who serves

by the strength

that God supplies.

In order that in everything

God may be glorified

through Jesus Christ.

To him belong glory

and dominion

forever and ever.

Amen.

Four things that Peter

gives us.

Four marks of a gospel

community that's been

forged in the furnace

of affliction

but has thought deeply

about Christ

and who he is.

First thing is this.

Love one another

for love covers

over a multitude

of sins.

You see,

every community

whether Christian

or secular

is going to have

times of misunderstanding,

miscommunication,

difficulty,

disappointments,

right?

Chris mentioned earlier

this week,

he said,

a lot of people

get disappointed in church

because church

can be disappointing.

And it's true,

right?

As churches

we're not immune

from that.

We're full of sin,

we're full of pride,

we're full of stuff

and we get in the way

and we hurt each other.

What's going to stop us

from distangling

and becoming self-centered

and self-orientated?

The gospel community

is one whose association

is determined

not by self-interest

or what makes me happy,

by a common commitment

to love

and serve one another.

Jesus said,

as I have loved you,

so you love one another.

And how did he love us?

By dying on the cross,

by covering our sin

with his blood.

Christ's love

speaks

to Christian community.

You see friends,

Christian love

is not soft

and mushy.

It's not like,

oh,

rosy

and gentle,

right?

It's robust,

it's strong,

it's healthy,

it covers over sins.

And when someone

hurts you

and maligns you

and does something hurtful,

the Christian community

is able to say,

because Christ suffered

for me,

I can forgive you.

The gospel calls us

to love one another.

Secondly,

verse nine,

he shows that

a community

shaped by Christ's

selfless,

sacrificial death

is one that

is marked

by incredible

hospitality.

In Hong Kong,

because we have

small homes

and because

time is of a,

is a very precious

commodity,

the temptation

is to give in

to our secular culture

and to never have

people in our homes.

Friends,

I want to encourage us

not to go that route.

I want to encourage us

to let the gospel

shape us

and to become

incredibly hospitable,

to open up

not just our homes

but our hearts

to one another.

You see,

opening up our homes

is a way of showing,

of letting people

into the most private

areas of our lives.

It's a way of allowing

people to see the good

and the not so good,

right?

It's allowing people

to see our lives

when we're not putting

our best foot forward

but when our kids

are messy

and there's stuff

in the lounge

and the music

is too loud

and Claire

patiently puts up

with me

and I get frustrated.

When people

in my homes,

they get to see

the real me.

They get to see

all the sin

and all the mess.

Friends,

consider how Jesus

opened up

not only his home

but his heart to us.

Consider how Jesus

suffered in order

to bring us

into the family.

Remember how Jesus

welcomed us

with open arms.

Remember how Jesus

said,

I welcome you

and then you change.

I don't ask you

to change

before I welcome you.

Rosario Butterfield

wrote an incredible book

called

The Gospel Comes

with a House Key.

In this book,

she tells her story.

She was an antagonistic

anti-Christian,

didn't want anything

to do with Christians.

What changed her life

was she met a couple,

an older couple,

that welcomed her

into their home.

For two years,

they would just

welcome her at any time.

They said,

we have dinner

at 5.30 every night.

This is in the States,

not in Hong Kong.

We have dinner

at 5.30 every night

and you're welcome

any time you want.

Just pull in

and there will always

be food for you.

And this hospitality

challenged her.

She says this,

for two years,

I was loved and welcomed

by a Christian community

that I mocked,

despised,

and rejected.

I accepted them

when it worked for me

but all the other times

I rejected them.

But eventually,

this couple won her heart

and she explained

the gospel to her

and she became

a follower of Jesus.

And she writes this

in a book.

She says,

the gospel calls us

to engage in radical,

ordinary hospitality,

which means we provide

the time necessary

to build strong relationships

even with people

who think differently to us,

as well as strong relationships

with people

within the family of God.

Of course,

it takes planning,

intentionality,

and sacrifice

to create margins

of time and money.

but it won't take

anything from you

that you don't already have

in Christ

and the gospel.

Friends,

because of what we have

in the gospel,

God calls us

to spend ourselves

for the sake of others.

Thirdly,

Peter says this

in verse 10,

that such a community

born of the gospel,

shaped by affliction

and thinking about Jesus,

will live not for themselves

but for the well-being

of others.

Remember in chapter 3,

we spoke about this

two weeks ago,

in chapter 3,

Peter says,

husbands,

use the strength

that God has given you

to serve your wife.

Whatever strength

God has given you,

you use it

to build up

and encourage your wife.

Now,

Peter says the exact same thing

to all Christians.

He says here,

each of us

has received a gift.

So think about

the gifts you've received.

Maybe it's your natural talents

and gifting.

Maybe it's your resources,

finances,

or a house,

or a car.

Maybe it's connections

and contacts that you have.

He says,

use the gifts that you've got.

Each one has received a gift.

Now use it

to serve one another

as stewards

of God's gracious gift.

I think one of the best examples

I can think of

of this

is Franklin and Teresa.

Franklin and Teresa

have been really blessed

by God in many ways.

Good education,

good family,

blessings,

work,

opportunities.

Franklin is always

asking the question,

how can I use

the gift that God

has given me

to bless and serve others?

I think of the way

he even bought a car

a year ago.

I mean,

it's just Franklin and Teresa

in their home, right?

There don't have any kids

staying at home.

He bought a seven-seater car

and the thinking was this,

I'm sure there are going

to be people

that are going to need

lifts to and from things.

I'll give people lifts.

So he bought a bigger car

just to help people out.

But he's constantly

asking the question,

how can I use

the gifts that God

has given me

to love and serve others?

And then finally,

Peter gives us

the fourth,

I guess,

proof of gospel community.

And look at what he says

in verse 11.

He says,

Let him who serves

serve by the strength

that God gives

in order that in everything

God may be glorified

through Jesus Christ.

To him belong glory

and dominion

forever and ever.

Amen.

Friends,

if the gospel is true,

if Jesus Christ

went to the cross

to bear our sin

upon his shoulders,

if Jesus Christ,

the righteous one,

died for unrighteous

you and me,

if God does not

hold our sin against us

but rather welcomes us

into his family

and into our arms,

friends,

if God loves us

and forgives us,

not because of what

we've done but because

of what Jesus did

on the cross for us,

is there any room

left for boasting?

Is there any room

left for self-glory?

Is there any room

left for arrogance

or self-sufficiency?

Peter writes this,

to him,

to Christ,

belongs all the glory

forever and ever

and ever

and ever

and ever.

Amen.

Right?

A gospel community

forged and shaped

by the gospel

be one that says

Christ to you

be all the glory.

Watermark,

if there's one prayer

I've prayed for our church

the last year,

there's one prayer

I've prayed over

and over and over

again is this,

God make us

a gospel church,

make us a gospel

community,

get the gospel

deep into our hearts,

make us a community

which is formed

and fashioned

and shaped

around the person

of Jesus Christ

and what he's did

on the cross.

And I've prayed

that prayer for myself,

say God,

I want to be

a gospel man,

I want what you did

on the cross Jesus

to shape every area

of my life,

I want to be

a gospel man.

And you know what,

I think God is starting

to answer that in my life.

By 1%,

very slowly,

God is doing stuff

in my life.

But you know what,

there's two things

that are happening.

One,

the way that God

is doing it

is he's exposing

all sorts of sin

and rubbish in my heart.

I'm seeing things

that I've never seen before

and it hasn't been

very comfortable.

And secondly,

he's taken me through

probably the most

difficult trialing season

of my life.

But God is doing something.

And friends,

I think Jesus wants

to answer that prayer

for our church.

I think Jesus wants

to make us

a gospel community,

a gospel church.

But chances are

when he does it,

he's going to expose things.

The things that are

hidden under the surface

that are going to come up.

But secondly,

there's chances are

he's going to do it

by taking us

to the furnace of affliction.

He's going to dial up the heat.

He's going to allow us

to suffer a little bit.

But as he does that,

let's respond.

Let's arm ourselves

with the gospel.

Let's think about

Christ on the cross.

And let's become those

who don't waste suffering,

but use it to get

the gospel deeper

into our hearts

so that we're

a gospel sacrificial community.

Let's pray together.

Oh, Heavenly Father,

these things are good ideas

and they're nice theory,

but God, we need you.

We need a work of your grace

and a work of your spirit

to really do this

in our hearts.

Jesus, we need you

to make each one of us here

a gospel man,

a gospel woman, God.

We want to arm ourselves.

We want to think

carefully and intentionally

about you

and your death

on the cross

and what you accomplished

for us.

God, won't you

shape our hearts,

we pray, God.

And Father,

as you do that,

won't you shape

our community.

I pray, God,

that Watermark

really will be

a gospel community, Lord.

That we will be those

that love one another

intensely and deeply.

We will be those

that are extravagantly

hospitable and open.

We will be those, God,

that use the gifts

that you've given us,

not for our own benefit,

but for the well-being

of others.

And Father,

you'll make us

a community

that lives

and that the song

of our heart

is to the glory

of Christ,

the praise

of your name.

God, I pray,

make us different.

Make us a counter-cultural

community.

May we be a light

in the city, God.

May we swim upstream.

May people see

the wonder

and the beauty

of Jesus

because of what

you've done in our hearts.

We pray this

in your wonderful name.

Amen.

Amen.