Today, let's take a look at some instruction from the Holy Scriptures on differing attitudes.
Attitudes what a difference they make in every part of our lives!
Different attitudes of cashiers under certain circumstances.
Good cashiers:
Friendly, pleasant, courteous, smiling
If situation becomes difficult does best to resolve
If customer becomes intense keeps focused on finding solution
Never speaks back
Bad cashiers:
Acts as if you’re not really a human,
If situation becomes difficult acts irritated or angry
If customer becomes upset the cashier does things to
intentionally cause further problems
Cashier wants to find you outside the store and run over you
with their car
1 Peter 3:8-12 (NLT)
“Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.
“Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and He will bless you for it.
“For the Scriptures say, ‘If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.
“The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and His ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns His face against those who do evil.”
The book of 1 Peter was written around AD 60 which was about 30 years after the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Jesus.
It is a general letter written to be circulated among the churches in the five regions named in the first chapter of the book.
At that time persecution of Christians was common although it was not universal. It seems that it was localized according to the authorities in that area but not condemned by the over-arching government of Rome. (much like it is in China today)
In the preceding seven verses Peter has given some instructions to husbands and wives as to how they are to treat each other in various circumstances, but here, he gives us some general instructions as to how we should treat each other.
It is obvious that he is speaking about how Christians should treat other especially in verse 8 which says,
“Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.”
Wow! That’s quite a list, isn’t it? Have you ever thought what an inverse image of certain Scriptures would be? I mean, what if it was saying the opposite of what is actually written?
“Finally, all of you should hold your own opinions in the highest regard. Everyone should feel sorry for me and I don’t really care about how you feel. Hate each other as mortal enemies. Be unloving and hard hearted and while you’re at it, be arrogant!”
Illustration:
We’ve all most likely seen movies where there are young people in an orphanage and on certain days the orphanage will allow people to come in and view the boys and girls to see if there is one they wish to adopt. Of course, everyone is on their best behavior because they all want to be adopted.
Now, let’s take that scene and turn it around. Suppose there are two families that wish to adopt a child. Each family is having a huge family reunion and the child will be taken from one family reunion to another and then they will make a choice as to which family they wish to join.
When they arrive at the first family’s gathering no one notices because everyone is out back.
The child peeks around the corner of the house and sees twenty to thirty people smiling, chatting, children playing. Some are having a serious discussion but they are still congenial. An older man is having difficulties walking across the lawn and someone jumps up to help him. Some of the kids in the family are pushing each other on the swing set. Another adult seems to be comforting a relative who is grieving over some loss and everyone seems to have a servant attitude. Everything is relaxed, no tension, just lots of love. When the orphan comes around the corner she is noticed and everyone comes over to give her a hug and to greet her. She immediately feels welcomed.
After a while the orphanage worker takes her to the second family’s home and on arrival the scene appears to be the same. No one notices them because everyone is out back. The child peeks around the corner of the house and screams! Some of the adults are yelling at each other. An older man who was having difficulty walking across the lawn falls down and another man just steps over him in order to get another drink. Kids on the swing set are getting pushed off the swings by other children so that they can swing. A woman is crying over the death of her husband and a relative is telling her that it’s his own fault for being such a jerk. Everyone seems to be arrogant and want their own way. The child works up her nerve and walks around the corner only to be ignored by some and screamed at by others.
If you were the orphan girl which family would you want to join?
If you were a member of one of the families, and had a choice, would you switch families if you could?
This verse, “Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.” is of paramount instruction for us as a family of believers! This is how we should treat each other. This will be a great witness to the world!
By the way, that phrase that says, “Love each other as brothers and sisters” is talking about a functional family not a dysfunctional one.
And, it’s not talking about the classic example of “I can beat up my brother but you’d better not try it!” I am sure that that was not Peter’s intention when he wrote that admonition.
But, that’s just the first verse, what about the next one?
1 Peter 3:9
“Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do and He will bless you for it.”
“Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you.”
That’s a hard one, isn’t it?
If someone cuts into the checkout line at the grocery store what do you do?
If someone tells a lie about you and find out about it what do you do when you see that person again?
What if someone of great power alters the lives of your children in ways that will impact the future? What would you do?
What if your child needs a good education or medicine or an operation and the government denies it to you. What then?
Do you remember when there were two Germanys? Atheistic Communist East Germany and Free West Germany?
Illustration:
After the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and Germany was once again united into one free country, no person in all of East Germany was more despised than the former Communist dictator Erich Honecher. He had been stripped of all his offices. Even the Communist Party rejected him. Kicked out of his villa, the new government refused him and his wife new housing. The Honechers were homeless and destitute.
But there was a Lutheran pastor named Uwe Holmer, director of a Christian help center north of Berlin. When they were made aware of the Honechers’ situation, Pastor Holmer felt it would be wrong to give them a room meant for even needier people. So the pastor and his family decided to take the former dictator into their own home!
Erich Honecher’s wife, Margot, had ruled the East German educational system for twenty-six years. Eight of Pastor Holmer’s ten children had been turned down for higher education due to Mrs. Honecher’s policies, which discriminated against Christians. Now the Holmers were caring for their personal enemy - the most hated man in Germany. This was so unnatural, so unconventional, so Christlike.
By the grace of God, the Holmers loved their enemies, did them good, blessed them, and prayed for them. They turned the other cheek. They gave their enemies their coat (their own home).
They did to the Honechers what they would have wished the Honechers would do to them. (Reported by George Cowan to Campus Crusade at the U.S. Division Meeting Devotions, Thursday, March 22, 1990.)
Just imagine that, living in a godless country that persecuted Christians. Eight of your children did not receive a higher education because of one tyrant who hated Christians and that tyrant is now homeless, without food or shelter. You run a homeless shelter and could place them there but instead you take them into your home.
Wow! “Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t respond with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing.”
The Holmer’s were truly living out this Scripture. Would we be able to do so? Would we take them in? Would we let them sit at our table and share our food with them?
As amazing as that seems, that is exactly what God is instructing us to do in this Scripture and he follows it up with a blessing when He says, “That is what God has called you to do, and He will bless you for it.”
And, when we see an example such as this we think it’s extraordinary because it is. But should it be? If we are disciples, followers of Jesus, shouldn’t we be like Him? Pastor Uwe Holmer did not invent this course of action. He did not say, “Hey, this would be a good example and perhaps people will learn from me.” Pastor Holmer was following the example of Jesus as it says in
Romans 5:8 says:
“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
So, what about the rest of the Scripture that we read earlier?
1 Peter 3:10-12 (NLT)
“For the Scriptures say, ‘If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.
“The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and His ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns His face against those who do evil.”
In both verses 8-9 and 10-12 there is a theme, godly love is what is required of us as followers of Christ, the natural responses of humanity are evil and the Lord will bless the godly.
OK. So, let’s take a look at the writer of this particular passage. Peter! Peter who was the rough fisherman! He was impulsive. He got out of the boat to walk on the water to Jesus! He argued with Jesus and told Jesus that He was wrong! He cut off the ear of the servant of the High Priest. You didn’t want to cross Peter!
Then the Holy Spirit got hold of him and now he’s writing these tender words about unity and sympathy and love and being tenderhearted and humility.
Most of us think we’re doing good if we just become a counter puncher. We don’t start fights but we’re ready to jump in if someone else starts one. But, God is calling us to a higher level than that.
The apostle Paul says it this way in
Romans 12:15-21
“Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!
“Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
“Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, ‘I will take revenge; I will pay them back,’ says the Lord.
“Instead, ‘If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.’ Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.”
God loves us and wants to protect us, right? But, these Scriptures seem to be saying that it’s OK if we’re abused for the cause of Christ. It’s OK? He’s our Father right? He’s our Father and it’s OK if His kids get beaten up? Yeah, that’s right. It was right for His One and Only Son and it’s right for me and you as well. Why?
Here’s the thing. God didn’t send His Son Jesus to earth just to die only for me and He didn’t send His Son Jesus to earth to die only for you! Jesus allowed Himself to be tortured beyond our comprehension, he allowed Himself to be nailed to a cross, He allowed Himself to be murdered for everyone, not just me and not just you.
So, if by our suffering for Christ someone sees Christ living in and through us and they come to know Jesus as their Savior don’t you think that will please the Lord?
Now, what about the church? We belong to Christ! We do not belong to us. This part of the Body of Christ, Crossroads Church of The Nazarene, is not for us, it is a part of God’s Kingdom on earth for His use and for His disposal.
Our mission is to love God, to do the work of evangelism so that others come to know and love God and as others come to know and love God to teach them how to be mature in Christ.
Crossroads is a loving church with very little discord.
Repaying evil for evil within a church is like putting sand in someone’s engine oil. It’s abrasive. It won’t be long until the engine is so damaged that it can’t run properly anymore, or, perhaps it can’t run at all. And, repaying evil with evil will result in insults and the temptation to retaliate with insults. At this point the church ceases to be able to grow mature believers in Christ. At this point the church is no longer usable for the Lord to bring others into His Kingdom and apparently the church no longer loves the Lord.
We have 2.5 months remaining in our time to memorize 1 Peter 3:8-9 and I would challenge us, as faithful followers of Christ not only to memorize the Scripture but to make it a part of our daily prayers. And, as we pray, we can ask the Lord if our hearts are in alignment with the attitude of the Scripture. And, pray for Crossroads that this attitude of love for one another would continue to grow until our love for God and others is so contagious that those who do not know Christ will be drawn to Him!
Benediction:
“Now may the God of peace - who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with His blood - may He equip you with all you need for doing His will.
“May He produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to Him. All glory to Him forever and ever! Amen.” - Hebrews 13:20-21 (NLT)
