I want to talk about living a just life. I thought that our readings for the book of Exodus would be the perfect book to use for this but that passage dealt more with the logistics of the courts system. So, the passage of Scripture that we will use today comes from 1 Peter 3:8-14.
It is as simple as this; if we are committed to God in love, then we will naturally be just in our dealings.
True story: July 15, 2000 Tim was rushing his wife, who had intense pain, to the emergency ward. But the entrance to Emergency was blocked, so Tim decided to park in front of another set of doors. He just wanted to get his wife into Emergency as fast as possible. Tim remembered getting a parking ticket. He forgot about it until he decided to clean out his car and remove his wife’s belongings after her death.
Tim then wrote a letter to the municipal court to explain the circumstances that led to the ticket. He expected that the ticket would be forgiven. The response was a notice that said “pay up by Sept.7 or 30 days in jail.” Tim said: “That was the last thing I needed, I was trying to help my wife, and it seemed they were trying to put me in jail.” The municipal court clerk explained that there was nothing that could be done. Tim paid his ticket and he asked “Where are the people behind the rules and regulations?”
In other words, where is the compassion? Is it possible that we just don’t see the people? Many people hide behind rules and regulations, in order to not have to deal with the messiness that comes with real life. If real people are hurt, who cares, who gives a rip? Just follow procedure! And if this frame of thought continues, folks like Tim will be hurt some more. Is this really the justice that God wants? That’s the trouble with many people who use the law of God, they hide behind it, rather than deal with compassion and mercy which reflects much more the image of God!
I’m reminded of the passage in Galatians 5 (NLT), where Paul told about how people who with no thought of expressing God’s love pervert the law. It shows how far folks go to insist on following the rule book rather than following the Spirit of the law.
Is that the case? Do we sometimes get so caught up in our churchy lives that we forget to have compassion on others outside the church? Paul says, “It makes no difference to God whether we are circumcised or not circumcised. What is important is FAITH EXPRESSING ITSELF IN LOVE.”
So how do we live justly? What does the Bible teach us about dealing justly with others? It gets down to something that we stress strongly here at SEBC—just care. Earnestly and sincerely care about other people and it will show. Then the Holy Spirit will use you to the fullest extent.
Originally, I was going to use this passage of Scripture from 1 Peter to close the message. But God caused me to really look at the passage in 1 Peter 3:8-14 (NLT) which tells us to keep on living justly by being loving to your neighbor. It’s rewarding. Let’s look at that passage. READ. Listen to God’s Word.
This passage was written to Christians living in a pagan society where Christianity was being attacked and Christians were persecuted and even put to death for their faith. Peter was calling them to grow into maturity in their lifestyles toward others. It was a call to right living in word as well as in their actions. He wanted these qualities to be the norm in a Christian’s life rather than the exception to the rule.
The natural response was to respond to hostility with retaliation and hateful cutting words. And isn’t that really OUR natural tendency? Peter is telling them, “No, you should respond in a different way--with gentleness--the quality that trusts God to do the work of changing people and attitudes.”
Peter had developed these qualities over a long period of time the hard way. In his early days with Christ these attitudes did not come naturally to him. He was impulsive, strong willed, and he was always putting his foot in his mouth and saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. He had a difficult time and suffered the consequences many times.
James says, “you can tame a tiger but you can’t tame a tongue” (James 3:7). Peter probably would agree with this statement. This sums up the problem that Peter had experienced earlier in his life and that the Christians under his care were experiencing as well.
So, a lot of dealing justly with others concerns watching our mouths. Each of us at one time or another has a problem with our mouths—especially when people rub us the wrong way. What can we learn from today’s scripture that will help us in this area of our life?
Let’s just get to some details in all this that we can use. First, what do we need to watch out for? We need to watch out for both direct and indirect things that we say to hurt people. We seem to fail time after time in our efforts to say and do what pleases the Lord. We blow it time after time.
STORY: A teenager came home from choir practice early one evening. His father couldn’t believe it. The boy had never come home early from anything. The father asked, "What brings you back so soon?" "We had to call off choir practice for this week," the boy replied. "The organist and the choir director got in a terrible argument about how to sing `Love Divine,’ so we quit for tonight." They kind of missed the point of the song, didn’t they?
In this chapter, Peter gives five characteristics that, if put into practice, will help us in what we say and how we say it. Peter knew that all of these characteristics were interrelated in the process of our Christian growth and maturity. He knew that if we followed these principles, we would automatically live justly. He says to live in
1. harmony
2. sympathy
3. love
4. compassion
5. humility.
How does this relate to our speech? He knew that if people lived in harmony with one another that there would be less opportunity for heated disagreements in which verbal hurt is hurled at one another. Romans 12:16 says to “live in harmony with one another... Do not be proud,... do not be conceited.” Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
Are you living at peace with everyone in your life? If not, then you are violating our church covenant. You are lying to yourself in thinking that you are living the Christian life.
Peter said to begin to pursue similar goals of being a Christian in a pagan world--to let Christ show through your life. If we were conscious of pointing others to Christ as our primary goal, we probably wouldn’t tear others down with our words. In our world, it’s considered acceptable by some to tear people down verbally or to get back at them if we feel hurt. Jesus came up with a different idea that most of us don’t put into practice or at least not very often. He told his disciples in Matthew 5:3, “if someone strikes you on the right cheek turn to him the other also...”
Second, Peter also says live in sympathy by being responsive to other’s needs and in love by treating each other as brothers and sisters. Jesus said to even go beyond that. “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Jesus’ readiness to pay back wrongs by praying for the offenders goes a long way toward avoiding hateful insults and quarrels that break out among people.
QUOTE: Abraham Lincoln was once being criticized for his attitude towards his enemies. "Why do you try to make friends with them? a colleague asked. "You should try to destroy them." Am I not destroying my enemies," the President asked gently, "when I make them my friends?"
In God’s kingdom revenge is unacceptable behavior as is insulting a person no matter how INDIRECTLY it is done. Some people will say, “I just get back at a person by making a little DIG at them. But they KNEW what I MEANT.” Direct or indirect comments still add fuel to the fire and break down the harmony.
STORY: A lady was sick, so she went to the doctor. He examined her, did a number of tests and told her the bad news. "I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but I’m afraid you’ve contracted rabies." The doctor left the room for a minute, and when he returned the woman was busy writing on a piece of paper. He asked, "What are you doing, writing your will?" She said, "No, I’m making a list of all the people I’m going to bite."
James again says, “Consider that a great forest is set on fire by a SMALL spark. The tongue also is a fire...” (James 3: ). You may not be able to keep people from slandering you but you can at least stop supplying them with ammunition. Keep your conduct AND RESPONSES above criticism and as long as you do what’s right their accusations will be empty and only embarrass them.
Peter said your lifestyle should involve compassion which is sensitivity and caring responses toward one another. The fifth thing Peter felt important in developing a better relationship with one another was humility--encouraging one another and rejoicing in each other’s successes. Philippians 2:5-8 says, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.”
Why Is it Important to Watch Our Mouths? Scripture says it is important because we have been CALLED to inherit a blessing. Galatians 3:14 says that “He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus that by faith you might receive the promise of the Spirit.” This blessing is for us as well in the 21st century. So often we miss out on the blessings of God because of our mouths and what conflicts they stir up.
Verse 9 links the way we respond to our receiving a blessing. How does this work? The way we respond to others causes the door of God’s blessing to us to be either open or closed. Peter explains this by saying, “whoever would love life and see good days must
1. keep his tongue from evil
2. his lips from deceitful speech
Don’t involve yourself in trouble and arguments that make your life a burden. When you bless someone, you are speaking well of someone, you have a friendly disposition, you pray for them, and you are trying to build them up. You are responding to hostility with GRACE--unmerited favor.
Peter is saying, “because of this--the calling of Christians to grace should make them GRACIOUS to others. When you are GRACIOUS to others you certainly are not saying hateful, insulting things to others. You are not doing hateful things. You are being gracious. Sometimes you give people the RIGHT OF WAY to go ahead of you even if they are not deserving.
STORY: On a driver’s test the applicant was asked, “Who has the right of way at a 4 way stop?” The person quickly replied, “The pickup truck with the gun rack in the back.”
As a result this way of responding with grace, it opens the door of God’s blessing to YOU as well. Being gracious to others may lead to longer life and better days ahead. Proverbs 13:15 says, “a life of evil and strife may be shortened and marred.” Proverbs 17:13 says, “If a [person] pays back evil for good, evil will never leave his/her house.” It is to your advantage to desire life in its goodness by guarding your ways and your tongues.
This week remember that “you were CALLED so that you may inherit a blessing.” Don’t allow your words to CLOSE THE DOOR to God’s blessing.
QUOTE: "Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves." -- J.M. Barrie
3. How Can We Achieve This?: It was the Holy Spirit that changed Peter, molding his strong personality to God’s use and teaching him tenderness and humility. We don’t leave it all to God to do for us and we don’t try to do it all on our own.
When the center of a person’s life is rightly related to God he/she is able to respond properly. We respond by being just in our dealings.
Ask yourself the question, “Is my life centered and rightly related to God?” It’s possible to live in such a way that our words will not hurt others or hinder the good life that God wants us to have. It takes some effort on our part to pursue peace--make it a priority. Verse 11 says, “...turn from evil and do good; ...SEEK peace and PURSUE it.” This is not a passive response but rather an ACTIVE one--SEEK and PURSUE. Do your part and God will do his.
A lot of times it seems like people go out of their way to get involved in things that are NUNYA. NUNYA business. We make rulings and decisions without knowing a fraction of the actual circumstance. How can you deal justly with others if you don’t know the facts?
How is it really possible to live like verses 8-12 says to live? It’s simple.
Deepen your relationship with the Lord by
1. developing the five characteristics that Peter described in this scripture.
He says to live in
A. harmony
B. sympathy
C. love
D. compassion
E. humility.
2. realize that you have been CALLED to receive a blessing. Don’t miss out on it.
3. Actively SEEK and PURSUE peace and allow the Holy Spirit to change you and make you gracious to others.
What better assurance do we need of God’s promise? What better encouragement do we need for being just in our dealings?
