In His Steps
by Scott R. Bayles, preacher
Church of Christ
------------------------------------------------------
Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 2:21-25
In 1896, a man by the name of Charles M. Sheldon penned the words of what has become a classic, inspirational and best-selling novel, "In His Steps," in which Sheldon retells one of the serial sermon stories he used to read at Sunday evening gatherings. It is the story of a local church whose members pledged, for an entire year, not to do anything without first asking the question, "What would Jesus do if He were in my place?" Following Christ’s example brought great joy to this small-town congregation. It also brought misunderstanding, conflict and difficulty. It meant entire dedication of money, talent, career and influence to the cause of Christ.
One hundred years later, "In His Steps" swept the world like wildfire and became responsible for one of the most widely recognized acronyms in Christian history: WWJD (What would Jesus do?). The central concept behind the wildly popular fad and Sheldon’s original work is found in 1 Peter 2:21, where Peter says that Jesus left "an example for you to follow in His steps..."
Today, I am less concerned with what Jesus would do, and more concerned with what Jesus did do--and is still doing even today! Verse twenty-one is just part of an entire paragraph that Peter dedicates to what Jesus has done for all the world and is continuing to do for His beloved followers. Let’s read this incredible passage together.
1 Peter 2:21-25 (NASB-u)
For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, [22] who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; [23] and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; [24] and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. [25] For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.
What an encouraging passage for the readers of Peter’s letter. At first, Peter had opposed Christ’s suffering on the cross; but then he learned an important lesson, which he, in turn, uses to give confidence to us today. Peter encourages us by presenting three "pictures" of Jesus Christ. First, Peter shows us that Jesus is our...
I. STANDARD:
... in life. As Charles Sheldon pointed out, Jesus left "an example for you to follow in His steps." Jesus is the standard by which every man and woman will be measured. All that Jesus did on earth, as recorded in the four Gospels, is a perfect example for us to follow. But He is especially our example in the way that He responded to suffering.
In spite of the fact that He "committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth," He suffered at the hands of the Jewish and Roman authorities. I wonder how we would have responded in the same circumstances! That Peter drew his sword in the Garden of Gethsemane suggests that, if he were in Christ’s place, he might fought rather than submit to the will of God.
Jesus proved that a person could be obedient to the will of God, be greatly loved by God, and still suffer unjustly. There is a shallow brand of popular theology today that claims that Christians will not suffer if they are in the will of God--that as long as we are good Christians, nothing bad happens to us. Those who promote such ideas have not spent much time meditating on the Cross. Yet, our Lord’s humiliation and submission were not an evidence of weakness, but of power.
Jesus could have summoned the armies of heaven to rescue him; "He could have called ten thousand angels to destroy the world and set Him free," but He choose to fulfill His destiny. His words to Pilate in John 18 are proof that He was in complete command of the situation. It was Pilate who was on trial, not Jesus! Jesus had committed Himself to the Father, and the Father always judges righteously.
No one living today is capable measuring up to the standard that Jesus set, since He was without sin. Sinners need a Savior, not a standard. But after a person is saved, he/she will want to "follow in His steps" and imitate the example of Christ. Charles Spurgeon has said:
A Christian should be a striking likeness of Jesus Christ... we should be pictures of Christ... Oh! My brethren, there is nothing that can so advantage you, nothing can so prosper you, so assist you, so make you walk rapidly toward heaven, so keep your head upwards toward the sky, and your eyes radiant with glory, like the imitation of Jesus Christ! (Nelson 103)
The Bible says, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. [29] For those... He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren" (Romans 8:28).
The story is told of a heavyset woman who went to an exercise and diet clinic. The first thing the trainer did was draw a silhouette on a mirror in the shape she wished to become. As she stood before the mirror, she bulged out over the silhouette. The instructor told her, "Our goal is for you to fit this shape."
For many weeks the woman dieted and exercised. Each week she would stand in front of the mirror, but her volume, while deceasing, still overflowed. And so she exercised harder and dieted more rigidly. Finally one day, to everyone’s delight, as she stood in front of the mirror she was conformed to the image of the silhouette. (Nelson 103)
It takes time and hard work to conform to the image of God’s Son. The discipline of sorrow and suffering, the exercise of pain and trials conform us to His image. What Jesus is by nature, we can be by grace--as we "follow in His steps"! And so, the first picture we have of Christ is that He is our standard in life. The second is that Jesus is our...
II. SUBSTITUTE:
... in death. Peter expressed Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice with great feeling, "[24] and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed."
Our Lord died as the sinners’ substitute. Jesus did not die as a martyr; He died as a Savior--a sinless substitute for a people who in no way deserved Him. The word translated "bore" means "to carry as a sacrifice." Jesus carried our sins to the cross and died in our place. The Jewish people did not crucify criminals; they stoned them to death. But if the victim was especially evil, his dead body was hung on a tree until evening, as a mark of shame and indignity. The Bible says, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us--for it is written, ’Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’" (Gal. 3:13). Jesus died on a tree--a cross--and bore the curse, the shame, of the Law. I will ever cherish the words of George Bernard, who wrote:
On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.
O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above,
To bear it to dark Calvary.
In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see;
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.
To the old rugged cross I will ever be true,
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me someday to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.
The paradoxes of the cross never cease to amaze us. Christ was wounded that we might be healed. He died that we might live. We are "crucified with Him", and thus we "die to sin" so that we might "live with Him" (Romans 6:6,8). The healing Peter mentions is not physical healing. One day, when we have glorified bodies, all sickness will be gone; but meanwhile, even some of God’s choicest servants may have physical afflictions. Rather, Peter was speaking of the spiritual healing of the soul.
Centuries before Jesus was born, Jeremiah prophesied, "Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has not the health of the daughter of my people been restored?" (Jeremiah 8:22). Jesus was the fulfillment of that prophecy:
There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole;
There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul.
It is not Jesus the Master Teacher or Jesus the perfect example that saves us, but Jesus the spotless "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). In life, He was our standard; in death, He was our substitute. But even now, Peter tells us, Jesus is our...
III. SHEPHERD:
...in heaven, which is the third picture of Christ. Peter writes, "[25] For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls."
In the Old Testament, the sheep died for the shepherd; but at Calvary, the Shepherd died for the sheep. Jesus Himself said, "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep" (John 10:11). Every lost sinner and every wayward Christian is like a sheep gone astray--ignorant, lost, wandering, in danger, away from the place of safety, and unable to save him/herself. The Shepherd came to Earth in search of His lost sheep; He died for them.
Now that we have been returned to the fold and safely in His care, He watches over us lest we stray and get into sin. The word bishop simply means "one who watches over, who oversees." Just as the elder-bishops oversee the flock of God, the local church, so the Savior in His glory watches over His sheep to protect them and perfect them.
David wrote beautifully about Jesus’ role as "Shepherd and Guardian" of our souls in the 23rd Psalm: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. [2] He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. [3] He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. [4] Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."
Sheep are very unintelligent animals. They are timid, defenseless and helpless. They are always getting lost, hurt and snake-bitten. They literally do not know enough to come in out of the rain. And then to have God tell us that we are sheep--we could be really insulted. But if we are really honest with ourselves, we know it is true. I know that I lack wisdom and strength. I know my tendency to go my own way and do my own thing. I know that I am in need of a Shepherd!
Here, in Psalm 23, is a picturesque scene of sheep bedded down in grassy meadows, having eaten their fill and now totally satisfied, and then being led by still waters. Sheep are afraid of running water; they will drink only from a quiet pool. Jesus cares for our inner needs. He calms our fears. He gives direction to our lives, guiding us "in paths of righteousness." Jesus is our great protector and guardian of our souls.
Corrie ten Boom has said, "When Jesus takes your hand, He keeps you tight. When Jesus keeps you tight, He leads you through your whole life. When Jesus leads you through your life, He brings you safely home" (Nelson 381).
Before ascending into Heaven, Jesus announced, "and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:20). The Bible says, "God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1). As our Shepherd, He laid down His life for us, and as long as we remain within His fold, He will guard our hearts and minds. Our souls will never be in danger for Jesus said, "I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand" (John 10:28).
Conclusion:
As we consider what Jesus has done and is continuing to do even today, it is no wonder we call Him Savior.
In life, Jesus is our Standard--the example which we must all follow.
In death, Jesus is our Substitute--the spotless Lamb of God, who bore our sins in His body on the cross.
In heaven, Jesus is our Shepherd--the Guardian of our souls.
Here, then, is the wonderful truth Peter wanted to share: as we live godly lives and submit in times of suffering, we are following "in His steps" and becoming more like Him. We trust and obey, not only for the sake of lost souls and for the Lord’s sake, but also for our own sake, that we might grow spiritually and become more like Jesus Christ.
The unsaved world is watching us, but the Shepherd in heaven is also watching over us; so we have nothing to fear. We can trust in Him and know that He will work everything together for our good and His glory.
Invitation:
Have you been following the example of Jesus? Are you striving to be more like Him? Have you been crucified with Him? Have you made Him your Shepherded and Guardian? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? If not, then we offer you the invitation of Jesus, to "follow in His steps" and be saved tonight! If you are ready to follow after Him, then come now as together we stand and sing...
