When I was a boy there was a side lot on our church property where we would play football. I remember playing with my best friend. It was just the two of us, so it wasn’t really football - it was more of a game of tackle the guy with the ball. I used to pretend like I was Tony Dorsett. I would get the ball and I would shake and move and jive and get past Craig - because I was fast just like Tony Dorsett.
Something happened though as we got a little older and started school - Craig learned how to tackle. Before, he would just try to grab me, but suddenly, I wasn’t making it past Craig anymore. The game had changed, and if I was going to compete, then I had to learn to tackle ...but you know what? I never did. I never could get my brain around the art of tackling someone. Maybe I was to small? Maybe I needed a proper coach - all I had was Craig trying to tell me what his coaches were telling him - but honestly, I think I was afraid of tackling...
If we are honest, We all have a lot of fears. It might be fun to spend some time going around the room asking what each of us fears - For instance, I’m afraid of heights. Its not something that I’ve always been afraid of - in fact, its just come on in the last few years, but I’ve noticed that when I get high up ...like on the rides at certain theme parks that my wife and kids love to go to - If we have to wait very long, my heart starts beating fast, and my breathing gets shallow, and I get to feeling a little sick...
One of the things that most of us fear is sharing our faith. We know that as Christians, Jesus tells us that we are to “shine our light” and tell others about him, but most of us fear that! We are afraid we’ll mess it up, we are afraid we’ll be too aggressive, we’re afraid of what that other person will think of us...
We are just afraid - and so it keeps us from sharing. Period. End of story. We might invite someone to church, or tell them about a good book we’ve read - but we are too afraid to mention the name Jesus.
In 1 Peter - Peter has some advice I think to help those of us who fit that description... (read 1 Peter 3:13-15)
Peter was writing his letter to Christians that were living in real fear of being persecuted for their faith. They were ostracized and abused and sometimes even tortured by their neighbors and society and government. We definitely live in a different society than that, but you know, if we take a stand for Christ, I do believe that we will face persecution...
I’ll give you an example. I have a Brother in law that is a professor at a large state school here in Texas. He’s a believer and a sunday school teacher and a great guy, not to mention an award winning professor - but because of his faith, because he takes a public stand for his faith - he has received some persecution. He gets made fun of by some of his colleagues. He gets a very cold shoulder in some circles. He isn’t asked to serve on some of the committees, and stuff that other professors serve on - I don’t think he’s ever been told “You can’t tell people you are a Christian” but I’m sure that his bosses are watching what he does very carefully, in fact, he’s said that he’s afraid that they might even be out to get him...
In John 15: 18-19, Jesus says “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.“
One of the questions I think we have to ask ourselves is this - if I am not being persecuted? Why not?
Could it be that our lives so match the world around us that we are no different from them?
Peter says first - DO GOOD. More than likely, your doing good will never bring you any harm. The call of Christ in our life means that we follow him and make this world a better place...
Peter isn’t arguing for us to make our arguments louder or for us to hold up signs saying “This is what God hates” He’s saying just do good... Live righteously. Live Holy.
But sometimes - you will face persecution just for doing what is right. Sometimes being on God’s side is at odds with what is popular.
My mind thinks of the civil rights movement and people like Martin Luther King Jr. The injustices were so apparent that they decided we are going to take a stand. We believe this to be right ...and yet many of them lost their lives...
Sometimes, doing good causes you to feel pain.
Here’s a lesson I was taught a long time ago - Hurting people, hurt people. I’ve seen it time and time again. I get involved in a situation just trying to help, trying to do what is right, trying to do good, and I am the one that gets the brunt of their anger and pain...
Does that mean we stop doing good? Does that mean we should just stay out of it? No... It just means that sometimes you are going to feel persecution for doing what is right. Even when you are on the right side, and doing what you feel God wants you to do - you may still feel the pain of persecution.
Peter says, “God sees...and God will give you your reward.” Its God who is your judge, and it is God who will set the record straight someday. You may never get any comfort here... But God is watching! God notices. God sees...
So Peter gives us this principle: Worship Christ as Lord of Your Life.
At Phoenix Church for the last few weeks we’ve been looking at messages on the Kingdom of God. Jesus mentions the kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven over and over again - but we don’t really talk a lot about the kingdom - At Phoenix - we’ve been working on this definition - The kingdom of God is where Jesus is made King... The most basic question we’ve been asking is, “Is Jesus king over you?”
In college we used a simple illustration to talk about this concept. Imagine a chair. This chair is a throne and the throne is in your heart - who’s on the throne? ...Who’s on the throne of your heart?
If Jesus is made Lord - there will be a difference in the way you live and the rest of the world... Peter describes it as hope. In the middle of persecution, a follower of Christ is still full of hope. We know God is on our side, we know that things can be better, we know that God sees and will reward us someday - so we are hopeful!
...and people will notice that!
Peter says if you live that way, be ready for people to take notice and ask you about it! be ready to give a reason for the hope that you have....
