Living as Exiles in an Unjust World

Welcome to Watermark. My name is Chris, if you don't know me.

And it's, I think going through this series in 1 Peter, I don't know how it's impacting you,

but actually I'm really very challenged by this. And actually, even with this passage today,

I've been going, God, just, I need you to work in my heart through this.

Because this is a, there's some tough things that God is saying, but things which I think are really,

we need to hear in our society. Because we live in a world which, if you ever watch the news,

is very polarized, right? We have all kinds of issues. There's mass immigration throughout the

world, whether it's in rural China into the cities or the mainland into Hong Kong or

war-torn countries into safer countries or people seeking economic opportunities in different places.

People are looking for a home. People are looking for an identity. And across the world, there's also

this kind of backlash against a lot of this. People are being protectionistic. There's nationalism

growing in different areas of the world. And everyone seems to be becoming either pro or

anti-everything. Pro-government, anti-government. Pro-immigration, anti-immigration. Pro-poor or

anti-poor. Pro-rich or anti-rich. And in 1 Peter, Paul is talking to a group of small groups of

Christians across Turkey. And he's writing to them and he calls them exiles and sojourners.

He says, basically, you're like migrants in a foreign land. And he says, your primary allegiance

isn't to be to any political authority. It isn't a national identity. Your primary identity is that

your citizenship, like Paul talks about, is in heaven. We have a different president. You know,

right at the heart of the gospel message is the statement, Jesus is Lord. That means he's higher

in allegiance to every other allegiance. And that puts us in this world in a kind of no man's land

in many ways. But in God's eyes, through faith in Christ, and this is what Bon Peter's been showing,

we are God's chosen people. We have a home. We are the royal priesthood, a holy nation. We belong to him.

And all of those privileges that David was talking about, of our heavenly identity, are ours. We have

a different hope. We have a different joy. We have a different holiness. We're distinctive, a different

honor. And last week, we talked about how we are now the new temple of God, this place where

God by his spirit dwells amongst us. And that's where we've got to today in 1 Peter.

But the question that comes with all of these things is how do we live out this heavenly identity

in an unjust world of politics and power struggles? How do you live that out in the day-to-day of life?

And the next two chapters, Peter's going to flesh out what this looks like. He's going to talk about

as citizens. He's going to talk about in workplaces. And he's going to talk about in marriage,

how these things work. And we're going to look at the first two today. But the early Christians,

just to give you background, the early Christians were often accused of being dangerous to society.

not because they were doing a lot of terrible things, but they didn't worship the emperor

or the pagan gods around them. And so people thought they were disrupting the harmony of society.

Slaves were meant to worship the gods of their masters. So if they became Christians,

it looked like they were rebelling against them. And then there were so many rumors that went around.

You know, there were a number of rumors which said that Christians commit incest because they call

each other brothers and sisters. They had other rumors which people thought they were cannibals

because like we've just taken with communion, they talked about eating the body and blood of Jesus.

And they ridiculed them. This is true. They ridiculed them for being killjoys,

because they wouldn't join in with all the drunken parties and they wouldn't go to all the gladiator

fights. And if you're a Christian in this and you're feeling rejected and misunderstood,

and ill-treated in many ways, how do you respond when you feel like life is unfair?

Well, I don't know if you've got kids or if you've ever been a kid, which I think is all of you.

But when things seem to be not going the way you want them to, what are the words that every kid says?

It's not fair. It's not fair. You didn't have to think about it. Every language in the world has

it's not fair in it. You see, you know, you get parents going to their child, did you hit your

younger sister? And the kid goes, well, she hit me first. And the parents go, well, you're her older

brother. And the kid goes, it's not fair. She always gets away with it. I always get in trouble.

Isn't that what happens? And we have this innate sense we want justice in the world. And we know

that this world is filled with unfairness. And it's not just kids who feel that. But what happens is

normally when we feel like we're treated unfairly, we think that that excuses us to treat other people

the way we've been treated. And we feel perfectly okay about our behavior. But Peter is going to say

to us, you guys, that's the way the world rolls. But you guys are a different people. You're a holy

people. You are following in the footsteps of the one who experienced the greatest injustice that history

has ever known. And yet, he stayed holy and responded perfectly. And that was Jesus. And so what I want

to do is start in this passage to look at the end of the passage and then to flow through the logic that

Peter is showing to how we are to respond to political authorities and to unfair bosses.

Okay? Are you with us? Kevin's with us. That's great.

Okay. I've got three things. Patterned after Jesus is the first one of them. Verse 21 to 25. Patterned after Jesus.

He says this. And have your, if you've got your booklet with you, have this in. Please make notes in your

booklet. If you don't have it, get your bulletin out. He says, verse 21, to this you were called because

Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example so that you might follow in his footsteps.

And that word, he left you an example, is the same word that you use for when a kid is learning to draw

the alphabet. Write the alphabet and you have a template over which they begin to start writing.

It's, that's the word. And what he's saying is, Jesus has given you a template.

Jesus suffered for you. He died to atone for our sins. You cannot do that. Jesus doesn't ask us to

suffer to make up for our sins or to atone for anybody else's sins. He's done that. But he does say,

your life is to be traced over the pattern of my life. And not just the way I lived, but the way I

suffered and the way I died. See my footprints and you start walking in them. And so he says,

when Jesus called you, he called you as a disciple and he said, follow me. And where did he tell you to

follow him too? To the jacuzzi? No. He tells you to follow him to the cross and then through the cross

to the resurrection hope that we talked about a couple of weeks ago. And so here, Peter begins to

kind of riff off Isaiah 53 to show you that Jesus understands. If you think the world is unfair,

Jesus knows exactly what unfairness and injustice is all about. It says, Isaiah 53, it says,

Jesus took up our pain. Our pain. It wasn't his pain. It was our pain. He bore our suffering.

Not his suffering, our suffering. It says he was pierced for our transgressions, our iniquities.

We deserved it. We deserved it, not him. And we even thought, it says, we considered him punished by God.

We thought he deserved it. And yet it was what we deserved. And so we get peace. He gets punishment.

We get healing. He gets wounds. We go astray. He takes the consequences. It's the ultimate in unfair

trade deals. But he did it to bring us back to God so we could come to know him.

And how in all of this did he respond to the injustice? Well, Peter tells us, without sinning,

committed no sin. When he was mocked and reviled, that means insulted. He didn't throw insults back.

When he suffered, he didn't threaten. In other words, Jesus didn't sin.

No one, their sin and our sin couldn't make him sin. When we shout, it's not fair, he said,

Father, forgive. When we get mad and to someone's face or behind their backs try and tear them down,

he showed grace. And Jesus in John 18, he says, my kingdom is not of this world.

If it were, my servants would have been fighting that I might not be delivered over to the Jews.

But my kingdom is not from this world. I don't fight the way everyone else fights.

You see, the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, he knew he was innocent, but he condemned him just to

give himself an easy life. His sin couldn't make Jesus sin. You know, people think that freedom is the

ability to do what you want. But freedom is actually the ability to do what God calls you to do,

regardless of the circumstances. And Jesus was the freest man the world has ever known.

Because no matter what they threw at him, nothing could touch his soul. He wasn't a fearful victim.

He was courageous and strong in the midst of the injustice. How did he do that? How was he without sin?

Because it says he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He entrusted himself to his father.

Do you know that word entrusted? It's the same word that is used for when Judas handed Jesus over to the authorities.

Judas entrusted Jesus to the authorities, but Jesus entrusted himself to his father.

You see, his silence wasn't passivity. It was a deep confidence that in an unjust world,

his father was always just and would vindicate him. He didn't need to judge and shout now because

he knew his father would be the judge. Because that's security.

Without sin, he could entrust himself over to his father. And he had this focus on his father's

mission through it all. Because you know, even in the most unjust situation, his life was a witness to

the gospel. He didn't just die to save us. Even the way he died, others were saved.

Right? On the cross, one of the thieves who'd been mocking him suddenly stops and says,

man, we guys deserve what we're getting, but he's done nothing wrong.

And he turns in faith to Jesus and Jesus says to him, today you will be with me in paradise.

Someone right at that darkest hour snatched out of hell into the heavenly kingdom.

How did he respond like that? Because he saw how Jesus responded.

You see, his response was evangelistic. His response was honoring his father.

And Peter says,

The one who was led like a lamb to the slaughter is now the shepherd of your souls.

He bore your sin not to just get you a get out of hell free card, not just to make you a nice person,

but he died so that you might die to the desires for payback in your own life.

And you might live to do what is right in God's eyes.

Do you realize that's why you were saved?

You see, the gospel isn't just what saves you, it's what shapes the pattern of your life.

The gospel's not just what saves you, it's what shapes the pattern of your life.

And so Peter is saying to these Christians who are facing this unjust, unfair treatment,

he's saying, that's who you're to look to.

Follow him.

And so he comes back, so if I move back, and he says,

Now this is how you were to live distinctively.

Verse 11 and 12.

As sojourners and exiles, abstain from the passions of the flesh that wage war against your soul.

Abstain from the passions of your flesh that wage war against your soul.

What he's saying is, just like Jesus, the way you respond in unfair treatment is evangelistic.

So don't let the desires for revenge, for anger, for bitterness, to overtake your desire to follow Christ.

Because it will destroy your soul.

Do you know what soul means?

Soul doesn't mean just kind of that spiritual kind of fuzzy part of you that you have no idea where it is,

but it's in there.

That's not what it means.

It means your identity.

That's what the word, your whole identity.

So don't let who you are, this chosen, holy, beloved child, chosen people, distinctive people of God,

for who Jesus died to make you.

Don't let that be derailed in this moment.

He says,

He says,

He's saying,

Don't just kind of withdraw from society.

You know, often in history, people, when they're oppressed, minorities just kind of back out and go into monasteries.

You know, don't just withdraw into your own little holy huddle.

And don't just go into society and try and be as disruptive as possible to make your own demands.

He says,

Be engaged in your city and known as Watermark who does good in this city.

That's who you're called to be.

So even if they hate your teaching on sexuality, even if they hate your teaching on truth,

they can't argue with your lives.

Do you know, Bill Clinton, who was a fierce abortion advocate,

that once heard Mother Teresa speak passionately at the UN against abortion.

And do you know what his only response is?

He stands up after her speech and everyone's stunned, waiting for him to answer.

And his one response is,

It's hard to argue with a life well lived.

That's who God has called us to be.

A witness as a community, even when you are slandered and mistreated,

to draw others to himself like that thief.

Because that's what's going to show and demonstrate the distinctiveness of the gospel.

So Peter's going to now earth that,

of Jesus as our pattern,

and how he's to shape the way to live distinctively in two ways.

First way is living distinctively as citizens in an unjust world.

He says this.

This is verse 13 to 17.

Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution,

whether it be to the Emperor Supreme or to governors,

as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.

For this is the will of God.

If you were wondering what God's will is, here it is.

That by doing good,

you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.

What is he saying?

He's saying the way that you live as citizens

and the way that you treat those in political authority

is also a witness to other people.

Because the Christians could say,

well, we belong to another kingdom.

Jesus is our king.

Therefore, we don't need to obey the Emperor.

And actually, you find in the history,

a lot of people have said that kind of thing.

Because he's just human.

We follow God.

We're free from that.

But Peter says,

you are free.

Your highest allegiance is to God, not the Emperor.

So live free.

Don't be intimidated by the power of unjust rulers.

But don't sin against them.

Everyone else is always trying to break the rules,

trying to get behind and get under

and trying to find loopholes.

But you guys be distinctive by honoring and submitting to them.

Because God has put them in place, Romans says,

Romans 13 says,

to protect society from chaos.

So keep the speed limit

for the sake of Jesus' name and reputation.

Because actually,

if you're the one who's speeding

and others are not,

what does that do to Christ's reputation?

Because he says,

your opponents,

like with Jesus,

may slander you,

may say all kinds of things against you,

but your life is your greatest argument

to silence them.

And you know,

I don't know about you,

but actually the first thing

that came into my mind was,

that sounds great, Peter.

But how do you honor,

not good governments,

I can cope with good governments,

but how do you honor

someone like Hitler?

How do you honor

an unjust government?

And Peter would go,

that's precisely the kind of governments

I'm talking about.

Because, you know,

Jesus knew about unjust politicians.

Herod at birth,

Pilate at death, okay?

He knew something about that.

Peter himself was beaten

and imprisoned by political authorities.

You know, Nero, the emperor,

would kill Peter in a couple of years' time.

And if you actually do any reading on Nero,

I don't know if you have,

but he's not the kind of guy

you want to hang out with.

Here's a couple of things.

He killed two of his wives,

one by kicking her

and their unborn baby to death.

He killed his mother.

He tried to murder

and force all his political opponents

to commit suicide.

He killed Christians mercilessly.

He's not the kind of guy

you kind of want ruling your country.

But if we complain sometimes

about the governments in our countries,

just look at Nero.

How do you honor a guy like that?

And that's who Peter is precisely talking about.

And maybe for us,

we're not quite at that stage.

Maybe we're like,

hey, how do you honor and submit

to political leaders

that you don't always agree with?

And you know, Christians can

and we should disagree on political issues.

The Bible is not a political handbook.

But I was reading something

that John Piper wrote

and I often quote him,

but this I found just very helpful,

just even as we're wrestling through this

because we live in an environment

with politically charged.

John Piper was writing

in an American context

about the abortion debate

under the previous U.S. administration.

and he wrote an article saying,

how do pro-life Christians

honor a pro-choice president?

And here's four things that he said,

which I think are just really helpful

for us as we think about this.

He said this, he said,

we honor the president

by acknowledging

that you are made in God's image.

Therefore, you have dignity and worth.

The government of your country

are not faceless.

They are people made in God's image.

So we will treat them

with that dignity

and we will not just mock them

and speak ill of them.

We will honor you

because along with Romans 13,

we know that God has appointed you

to this office

to be a servant for good.

Though we're grieved

by some of the political decisions

you have made with that authority,

we know that bad government

is better than no government

as Somalia

and other lawless countries show us.

He says,

we honor you

because we know

if we dishonor you,

we dishonor God

who placed you in power.

We honor you

through making you an image bearer.

We honor you

knowing God has appointed you.

We honor you

by submitting to the laws of the land

which don't conflict

with Christ's lordship.

Submission is a gift we offer.

It's a gift we offer.

Jesus pays his taxes

even though he says he's free.

He says,

I do it to not cause offense.

You know,

the only time you disobey

those authorities

is when they call you

to disobey Christ.

In Acts 5,

Peter is told

to stop preaching

and they go,

hey,

thanks for the suggestion

but Jesus has told us

that we need to preach

so we're going to honor him first.

That's the only time

you dishonor

and disobey them.

But also,

he says a fourth thing.

He says,

just like Jesus

and the prophets call us,

we honor you

by opposing injustice

with nonviolence.

And I think I have the quote

on the screen.

With nonviolence,

with reasoning

instead of rocks,

with rational passion

instead of screaming,

with honorable speech

instead of obscenities,

with forthright clarity

of language

instead of dodging

the tough realities

and tough words,

with evidence

instead of hearsay,

with real portrayals

of life

instead of blanket statements,

we'll honor you

by a relentless effort

to put truth

and not mere emotion

before you

in the White House.

Do you see what he's doing?

He's talking about

a hot button issue

that they're there

and he's saying,

our first allegiance

is to Christ

and though I disagree

with you

in this position,

I need to honor you

even in my disagreement

and the way I do that.

Do you know,

the emotion

that spreads virally,

let me just earth this

a little bit.

What's the emotion

that spreads virally

on social media

the most?

Do you know?

Anger.

All studies show

anger spreads

faster than anything else.

And you know,

anger and hate

is often towards leaders

and political decisions.

And I don't know

how you use

your Facebook account

and your social media accounts,

but you know,

we're called to honor

our leaders

and to glorify God

even there.

And so,

what we say is

we will not sin

in our disagreement,

but we will entrust

judgment to God

and we will care

about our witness

to his name.

Because you know what?

I've received so many

things as Christians,

I think we can actually

pass on information

which is unsubstantiated,

which actually

dishonors leaders

because we haven't

taken the time

to really work out

whether it's true or not

and we just WhatsApp it

on to everybody else.

And do you know what?

That dishonors Christ

because I've found

that sometimes

those things

are not always true.

And so,

here's just a few things

that I think

what Jesus is saying,

our pattern of Jesus

for how we live

distinctively

towards our leaders

on social media.

Okay?

The gospel's very relevant.

Here's a few things.

Am I glorifying God

by the way I'm reacting

and responding?

This is what you

should ask yourself.

Should I hold off

commenting before

I'm sure I have the facts

so I'm not just venting?

Do I praise the good

they do

as well as critique

or not just critique

the bad?

Do I pray for my leaders?

Because, you know,

and this is,

oh, I found this convicting.

I should not post

or speak a critique

of a leader

that I'm not praying for.

Do you know why?

Because my heart

is not entrusting them

to God.

I'm actually just trying

to take control

of the situation

and be what honors me

rather than what honors Christ.

Because 1 Timothy 2

tells us to pray

for those in authority.

So are we that kind

of church

that does that?

Respectful,

honoring,

but still speaking

where we need to speak

in a way that causes

Christ to be honored.

Because you see,

we live in a polarized world.

You're either pro-government

or anti-government.

But if we're citizens

of another country,

those who are pro

will dislike the way

we critique policies

which are unjust.

And those who are anti

will dislike the way

we honor people

they want us to hate.

But we're exiles

with a different president

and our lives,

even our political discourse,

is patterned after him.

Does that make sense?

I think this is challenging.

But we need to hear this

even in Hong Kong

right now.

That's the first point

of how we can live

differently patterned

after Jesus.

Second point,

we need to learn

how to pattern our lives

in an unfair world

as workers

in unjust workplaces.

This is tough.

Servants,

verse 18 to 20,

be subject to your masters

with all respect,

not only to the good

and gentle,

but also to the unjust.

Don't you just wish

Peter hadn't put

some of this stuff in here?

For this is grace.

That's what it means.

This is grace.

When mindful of God,

one endures sorrows

while suffering unjustly.

Let me just say,

the context here,

the Roman Empire

is made up of 25% of slaves.

So many Christians

came out of this group.

And life was tough.

When they converted,

they came out

and it's as if

they were standing

against the religion

of their master.

And you know,

a slave could be anything.

They could be

a domestic helper,

they could be a tutor,

they could be a doctor,

they could be a miner,

they could be anything.

But slaves were legal property

of their masters.

There were no career moves

for them.

It wasn't a kind of

great way out

that they had available.

Because if they escaped,

well, the consequences

could even be death.

And you know,

just like we have,

some slaves had good masters,

some slaves had bad masters.

And Jesus still says,

pattern your life after Christ

whether you have a great boss

or you have a bad boss.

And you know,

he's talking to powerless people.

He's talking to those of you

who have to answer your emails

at three in the morning

or you'll just get shouted

at the next day.

He's talking to those of you

who get unreasonable deadlines

placed on you

and no sense of appreciation

or recognition

for what you do

when you do them.

He's talking to those of you

who feel devalued

and who feel exploited in work.

Who get blamed for mistakes

that other people have made.

For those who feel

you're mistreated and mocked

even for your faith.

Some of you know

what that's like.

And Peter knows.

He says,

even when you've been

trying to do good,

you've been trying to do

the right thing,

you've been trying to honor God

and trying to show integrity

and work hard

and do all the things

that you know

good Christians should do

and then you still

get treated like that.

And that's really hard.

But he says,

endure,

keep going

without letting hate

or anger

or insults

shape you

because this is grace

to you.

This is pleasing

in God's eyes.

In fact,

it's a sign

that you are following

after Christ

and you will enter

into resurrection glory.

Because what Peter

is not saying here,

he's not saying

if you have a bad boss,

just kind of keep calm

and carry on

like a good British person.

He's not saying

have no emotion.

He calls it sorrow.

You see,

he knows,

you know,

have you ever read the Psalms

when they're in unjust situation?

It's not British emotion.

It's like filled

with cries to God

in the midst of injustice.

So it's not emotionless

and neither is it

simply accepting abuse

just passively

as if you've got to kind of

act as a punch bag

for Jesus

and then kind of

thank people

for hitting you.

That's not what

he's talking about.

He says,

no,

we honor and respect

our gods

because when we're

mindful of God,

we know

when we go

into our workplace,

I've got a higher boss

than the boss

who's right in front of me

and he has my allegiance,

not my boss

straight in front of me

and sometimes

that will mean

you speak out

where there is injustice

and sometimes

that will mean

you actually get out of there

if actually

it's going to lead you

to dishonoring Christ

and for those of you

who are going through,

if you are going through

an abusive situation

at work,

in family,

in any place,

come and talk to us

as elders

because we're a community

we want to walk

alongside you in that.

Because I want you

to hear that.

That's not what

Peter's talking about.

Peter's talking

about your heart.

Because, you know,

sometimes in work,

in hard workplaces,

we don't speak out

when we should

because we're so

intimidated and fearful

because we fear

we're going to lose

our job if we say something

or our sense of worth

has been so crushed

because what's happened

is their words

and our boss

has actually become

larger in our eyes

than God

and what he says

about us.

And God,

Peter says,

be mindful of God.

Fear him.

See him for who he is

whenever you go

into your workplace

because he's with you.

He's with you.

He's with you.

But sometimes

it's not just fear

which grips us.

Another response

when you're treated

unfairly

is we kind of

want to fight back

and we kind of

get a little bit

rebellious in our heart.

Maybe you don't say it.

Maybe you just vent

to all your colleagues

around and try and

show them how bad

the boss is.

Maybe you kind of

do the equivalent

of spitting in the food

when you're cooking.

You withdraw.

We forget

who we are

because the passions

of our flesh,

our anger,

begins to eat us up inside.

I wonder

how many of you

have actually become

so consumed

with the unfairness

of your situation

that it's no longer

even on your radar

to do good

to your colleagues.

Have you ever

thought about that?

Because he says,

or maybe you haven't

even prayed for them.

Because he says,

if you sin

and are beaten for it,

in other words,

you deliberately

get rebellious

and then you kind of

take the punishment

for it

and you endure

because I'm going

to be strong.

He says,

what reputation,

what credit

is that to you?

That doesn't honor Jesus.

You know,

I've shared before

but I had an experience

with a previous boss

and it wasn't Tobin.

Just in case,

you know,

rumors spread.

Where

a previous boss

just treated the staff

so terribly.

They lied

and tried

not to pay us

our salaries.

They blamed us

for problems

at the company

and when

this particular

boss left,

we discovered

she'd embezzled

the whole year's profits

from the company

and stole half

of the company's

computers as well.

I was pretty angry

during this time.

I was not,

well,

I felt justified

to be mad.

I felt absolutely

justified

because this was unjust.

The way she was treating

everybody there.

I was mad.

And before she left,

I knew I'm a good Christian

so I'd be polite

on the outside

but on the inside

I was a furnace

of hatred.

Anyone ever been like that?

Was it just me?

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Well,

come and see me afterwards

and pray for me.

But you know,

I wouldn't pray for her.

I'd join in

with all the venting

at all my colleagues

and I had not even

one thought

to do anything good

to her.

Didn't cross my mind.

I was not mindful

of God.

I was mindful

of her sin.

I was mindful

of all the things

I wanted to say to her

but didn't have

the courage to say.

But I wasn't mindful

of who God had called me

to be in that situation

and that my God

was with me

right there.

And then one day

I was reading my Bible

and God spoke to me

and said,

have you prayed for,

and let's call her Mary,

and I went,

no.

No way.

I'm not going to pray

for her.

Don't you know

what she's done?

And I felt God's voice

coming back at me

and says,

yes.

And do you know

what you've done

to me?

Jesus himself

bore your sin,

Chris,

on that cross.

By his wounds

you were healed.

Chris,

you are a victim

of injustice

but you're also

a perpetrator

perpetrator

of injustice

in the way

that you have responded

to people

who are made

in my image.

And Christ,

Chris,

is not just

your example.

He's also

the Savior

who needs to save you

from yourself

to show you mercy,

to save you

even from your bitterness

right now,

to show you

that grace.

And he said to me,

you know,

I've called you

from being a wandering,

stray sheep,

as Peter calls it,

insecure,

vulnerable,

feeling the need

to passively fight back.

But now,

he said,

you've got a shepherd

who cares

for your soul.

You're mine,

I've got you.

And you know,

as God convicted me

of my own sinfulness

and I repented,

I began to pray

regularly for my boss.

And do you know what?

It's hard.

Those of you who know

what I'm talking about,

it's hard.

But do you know,

over time,

God gave me courage

to speak out

where there was injustice

because my fear

of losing my job

if I spoke out

lessened

as I saw

that my boss

was insecure

and she didn't hold

my future,

my career,

in her hands.

Jesus did.

And I could speak

without hatred

and fear

and still honor her

in my words,

but still talk

about the issues

with clarity

and directness

because Jesus

is the shepherd

of my soul

and he's going

to bring me through.

You know,

it was Easter time

and I went

and bought Easter eggs

for all my colleagues

and I bought one

for everyone

except her.

And I felt God

tug in my heart

saying,

love your enemies,

do good to those

who persecute you.

How different are you

from all the pagans

around you

if you just love

the people who love you?

You see,

in an unjust world,

we're not called

to be just avoiding sin.

We're called

to be actively doing good

to those people

around us.

And you know what?

This is the last thing

I'll say.

You cannot do that

from your heart

by yourself.

Try it.

Unless you are mindful

of the one

who has done that

for you,

unless you see

the cross,

you can wear your cross

around your neck,

you can sing a few songs

about the cross,

we can take communion,

but until you see

Jesus who died

for you

and the pattern

of your life

is to be patterned

after him,

until you see

that the resurrection

follows the cross,

until you see

that you can entrust

and hand over

the situations

you're going through

right now

to him

who judges justly,

you can trust him

with whatever

you're going through.

You can trust him.

And that,

as we wait

for him

to sort things out,

we long

for his return

to come.

So your anger,

your fear,

your sorrow,

you're just continually

in community

giving that back

to God.

What will happen

is your life

will begin

to be a witness

to the people

around you.

Some will mock,

but there will be

some who are drawn

to see the gospel

lived out

in your life.

So how mindful

have you been

of Jesus

in your workplace

this week?

Let's be mindful

of him this week.

Let's pray.

Father,

there's,

I know there's

many people here

who struggle

with what we've

been talking about.

I know I do,

Father.

Father,

and I pray

for us,

Lord.

I pray for those

right now

who know exactly

that that bitterness

has really been

eating them up.

Whether that's

being expressed

towards leaders

in political situations,

whether that's

expressed towards

bosses or others,

Lord,

I pray

that you would

soften our hearts

to see you.

Open our eyes

to see who you've

called us to be.

show us that we

cannot do it

by ourselves.

Show us that we

need to have you

in front of our face

every single day,

reminding ourselves

of the incredible

gospel

so that,

Lord,

we just see that

you are both

our savior

and our example.

Let us be a

community in this

city,

even as we go

into places

of so many office

politics,

so many things

which are filled

with polarized

hatred.

May we be

different,

Lord.

Forgive us

where we have

gone along

with where

everyone else

goes along.

Change us,

Lord.

Bring healing

to those who

have been

really wounded

in their workplaces,

I pray.

I really feel

there are some

people,

you've just

been crushed

and Jesus

wants to say

to you,

I want you

to look up

and see me

and see how

much value

I give you

because I

died for you

to bring you

into my people.

Father,

I pray

that you'd

make us

this kind

of counter-cultural

community

in this city,

that you would

be our highest

allegiance

and that we'd

live for you.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.