As we drove around Memphis during our Thanksgiving holiday, we realized that we were commenting when we drove by churches how many were struggling. That prompted us to begin a discussion about why isn’t the church stronger? It seems like so many folks are impacted by the world rather than impacting the world. We ought to be strong pictures of Jesus and forces for change. Doesn’t that seem to be what should happen?
People today are distracted instead of focused.
We are in financial bondage instead of building the kingdom.
We are hiding our sins rather than witnessing to sinners.
We vote our pocket books instead of kingdom principles.
Our bibles are laying in the back seat of the SUV rather than hidden in our hearts.
Title: Should Meeting Jesus Change Your life?
I Peter 2: 21 – 25
Read 2:9 to get a running start. Go through 12. Clearly, Peter believes meeting Jesus should change your life.
He then goes into applying this spiritual principle to each aspect of our everyday life. Peter hits citizenship(2:13-14), life integrity(2:17), wives & husbands(3:1-7), loving our brothers/sisters(3:8-9), and giving a defense for your observable faith and hope(3:15). So clearly, meeting Jesus should change us deeply and completely. It should provide the framework for completely and radically making us different from everyone else around us in every setting of life.
Peter gives us the why and how tucked away here in this passage. He explains that because we have been redeemed, we should focus on being different and have the power to be different.
Focus now on verses 21- 25, our primary text.
Outline: The Person of Redemption
The Price of Redemption
The Purpose of Redemption
The Provision of Redemption
I. The Person of Redemption
“Christ also suffered for us”
Being a Christian is a relationship, not a religion. Not based on rules, but a relationship. It is all about Jesus Himself. Explain here that it not a “power” that died for you on the cross, but the person of Jesus. He loved you and He died for you. He made a plan for your life and gave Himself for you specifically so you could be saved. He loved you personally and individually. When I learned how to memorize, my teachers fist taught us John 3:16. But here is how we learned it:
God so loved Greg, that He gave His only Son, that if Greg would believe Him, Greg would never perish, but have everlasting life.”
Illustration: I told the story of first meeting my wife Janet. I explained that I had “her on the brain.” I followed her around, chased her, thought about her until she would go out with me. Meeting Janet changed my life. Use illustration to show how meeting the person of Jesus should change your life as you realized how much He loved you and as you fell in love with Him.
We need to fall in love with Jesus all over again.
II. The Price of Redemption
“who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree”
There was a deep and terrible cost to redeem you and me. Jesus had to die for our sins. Moving into the Christmas season, here is the critical truth: w/ out Easter there is no need for Christmas.
Before making the next choice, ask yourself this question: what did this sin cost? Peter here focuses us back to the brutal nature of the cross by the visual image of the tree. He also reminds us of the graphic image of Jesus’ beatings – by His stripes we are healed. Remember during the heyday of the Passion of the Christ movie how everyone was offended by the brutality of the beatings? We hate thinking about that. Why? It forces us to realize just how terrible our sin is before a holy God. It reminds us of what Jesus had to go through for our sins to be forgiven.
Next time you face temptation, consider Jesus stripes. Did He go through that to heal me just so I could be free from hell, but free to watch that, log onto that, say that, or do that thing? No. This thought process would change our lives deeply.
The price then wraps back around to the person Himself who paid the price. Again, it was the person of Jesus. The price draws us back to the person of redemption.
III. The Purpose of Redemption
“that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness”
Today, churches focus on converts. But the Great commission is to make disciples and not simply converts. We view the fact of salvation as “fire insurance” and church as our premiums. Jesus commended us to be disciples and make disciples. How is that different than a convert? A disciple not only learns to follow a teacher, but then becomes a teacher of that truth as well. Your salvation is not only about you, but those to whom Jesus wants to take the message of salvation to through you.
The difference Jesus makes in us in us is to make a difference in the world. See again verses 11-12, 13-14, 3:1-8. Why put the application of our faith into the real life experiences of work, citizenship, home, and friends if it is isn’t supposed to impact others. It is! God specifically tells us that in verse 24. “That” makes a clear statement of purpose. He saved us and made us whole “so that” we might live for righteousness. Why? SO that our good works might be observable and that folks would turn to the Lord and glorify Him themselves. (2:11-12).
We must begin to own this truth of redemption. Illustration: I was witnessing to a man and he was almost ready to receive Jesus. The he paused and asked me this question. But Greg, I know people who are supposed to know Jesus, some even in your church. They go the same places and do the same things, and they have the same struggles I am asking you about. How do I really know this is true if it isn’t true in their lives?
Your life makes an impact. What is the impact? Are you living for righteousness in a way that helps or hinders those around you in coming to Jesus?
IV. The Provision of Redemption
Peter explains in verse 25 that when we were saved, we received everything that we needed to see this life change occur. He explains here the spiritual provisions that were provided when we were saved. Note: you do not ask for these as a Christian trying to live a changed life, they are already yours. They happened to you completely when you were saved. We just need to learn to realize them in our lives.
- salvation: “healed”
- restoration: “returned”
- preservation: “overseer of your souls”
These can be applied however you would like. I closed with a story of a young man I counseled who was saved early in life, but drifted away and then became involved in drugs. A few weeks ago he called to tell me he was preaching his first sermon. He had been reminded of his redemption and returned to the Lord. He repented and let God shepherd his soul again. He cleaned up, was married to wonderful and Godly young lady, was called into the ministry, enrolled in seminary, and was now preaching about God’s grace and redemption.
Here transition into the invitation.
