1 Peter:  Resurrection Realities

The Day of Homiletical Reflection

May 2, 2007

The Fourth Week of Easter

Presented by Reed Lessing, Associate Professor of Exegetical Theology

Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO

lessingr@csl.edu

+ ILLUSTRATIONS FOR EACH SERMON +

The First Part in the Series

Resurrection Realities … On Life’s Tests

(1 Peter 1:3-9)

Have you ever stopped to think about the Easter Bunny? Probably not, so let me help you. The Easter Bunny is typically a big male rabbit that carries a nest of eggs. Yes, rabbits are extremely good at carrying out the “be fruitful and multiply” mandate in Genesis. And yes, eggs are perfect symbols of new life. But, and this is a big but, rabbits don’t lay eggs, rabbits don’t make nests and this applies especially to male rabbits!  Let’s be honest. A male rabbit making nests and laying eggs is a pretty far stretch from the truth. Getting to the honest truth, the bottom line, and the actual realities of Easter is what we’re going to do during this Easter Season. What does Easter mean?  What are its implications for my life?  How does Easter affect how I live, my relationships, what I think about myself?  And what does Easter have to do with my problems? 

Recently I came across these 911 calls to the LA Fire Dept. “Person has arm stuck in teller machine.” “Lady has blisters on her feet from walking to Taco Bell.” “Daughter says mom is acting weird.” “Woman has been hiccupping for three days.” “Husband claims wife is mentally unstable.” “Man out of breath after running from police.” So what is your test in life? Is it that your mother just died? Or your career isn’t in gear? Maybe your father is losing his mind and he doesn’t know you any more. Or your test comes from the constant reminder that your childhood was ripped apart by abusive parents who were alcoholics. Perhaps your miscarriage is still haunting you or your teenager conveniently looses his hearing at just the right (or wrong) time.

A kindergarten teacher asked the class, “What is the color of apples?” Most of the children answered red. A few said green. But one little guy blurted out, “white!”
The teacher tried to explain that apples could be red cr green or even golden - but never white. But the little guy was adamant, and finally said, “Look inside!” God is always looking on the inside; he is always trying to increase our faith. And he does that through suffering. Peter regards suffering as integral to the nature of faith (1:7) and as universal among Christians (2:19-20; 4:12; 5:9, 12). The joy of the Christian life is not an alternative to suffering, or in spite of suffering, but joy in suffering.

The promise in 1:4 may be captured by this paraphrase: untouched by death, unstained by evil, unimpaired by time.” Peter sprinkles eschatological promises throughout chapter one; i.e. vv. 5, 7, 13 (cf. also 4:7, 13, 17; 5:4). This is the hope of the baptized (cf. 3:15).

The joy described in verses 6 and 8 is indicative, not imperative. It is not a command to “feel good” but rather is a deep, inexpressible joy permeated by the mighty acts of God in the past (1:3), present (1:5) and future (1:4).

On Oct. 14, 1947 Chuck Yeager planned to get in his jet and crack the sound barrier and its “invisible brick wall.” Prominent scientists had “hard data” that the barrier couldn’t be penetrated. Others predicted that both pilot and plane would disintegrate at Mach 1. Still other scientists held that Yeager would lose his voice or revert in age. Yeager writes of that day in 1947: “As I approached Mach 1 (700 miles per hour) grandma would have been sitting up there sipping lemonade. The sonic barrier was just a poke through Jell-O, a perfectly paved speedway. The real barrier isn’t in the sky; it is in our minds.” Just so, when it comes to life’s tests the real battle is in our minds (cf. 1 Pet 1:13).

The Second Part in the Series

Resurrection Realities … On Lifestyle 

(1 Peter 1:17-25)

1) THE SLIDE: We all know about downward mobility. At times things grow so gloomy it seems as if someone turned off the light at both ends of the tunnel. Even though we did everything we could, we still feel cheated. We feel set up by the very system we invested in. Consequently, over the years Sliders increasingly see no reason to invest themselves in anyone or anything. We let the pull of gravity guide our lives and attitudes — dragging us down ever closer to the bottom of the slide, the end of the ride. Frank and Earnest cartoon — “The boss said I was the cornerstone of this organization, and then I found out they were cutting corners.”

2) THE TREADMILL: These people are always exhausted but fear slowing down for fear of losing ground. Some days we are so exhausted that we worry we will not be able to continue the next day. Like a treadmill, this lifestyle never really gets anywhere, up or down. On the treadmill we expend all our energy just to stay safely in one place.

3) THE ROLLER COASTER: One minute these people are high, the next minute, they’re low. One minute they are on top of the world, the next minute on skid row. These people don’t like the routines; they’re too dull and deadly. Gamblers by nature, people with this lifestyle love the fast track and like the pressure. But they also live with ulcers, migraines and high blood pressure.

4) THE ESCALATOR: Despite success these people can’t stop. They keep on upping the ante in their lives. They never feel financially comfortable, no matter how much they have. They are never satisfied with their job, their hobby, their marriage, their investments. Success is always in the future, around the next corner; never in the present moment.

The word anastraphete (NIV = “live your lives”) means “live your lives in a certain way.” Here it denotes the life of a Christian as a whole, including especially its public dimensions, as the arena where faith and hope become real. Peter is writing to a minority Christian population that was living in an aggressive pagan culture in Asia Minor. In other words, the original recipients of 1 Peter were surrounded by the lifestyles of The Slide, The Treadmill, The Roller Coaster, and the Escalator. The problem with these lifestyles is that they all produce emptiness.  

Have you ever started painting a room and get halfway done and wish you could start over? Have you ever started fixing dinner, find out that you don’t have all the ingredients and wish you could start over? Have you ever lived through half of your life and wished you could start over? This is what Peter promises. Most scholars believe the letter is more of a sermon, a baptismal sermon at that (cf. 1 Pet 3:21). Baptism is not just turning over a new leaf; it is receiving a new life and a new lifestyle.

When asked about his spiritual life, megastar Tom Hanks said, and I quote: “My wife is Greek and I go to her Greek Orthodox Church. The most important thing my wife and I get out of it is the sense of extended family, the connection with the grandparents, cousins and nieces. It broadens the whole foundation of the family.” Is that what Peter means when he says, “believe”?

An Arab chief tells a story of a spy who was captured and then sentenced to death by a general in the Persian army. This general had the strange custom of giving condemned criminals a choice between the firing squad and the big, black door. As the moment for execution drew near, the spy was brought to the Persian general, who asked the question, “What will it be; the firing squad or the big, black door?” The spy hesitated for a long time. It was a difficult decision. He chose the firing squad. Moments later shots range out, confirming the execution.
The general turned to his aide and said, “They always prefer the known to the unknown. It is characteristic of people to be afraid of the undefined. Yet we gave him a choice.” The aide asked, “What lies beyond the big door?” “Freedom,” replied the general, “I’ve known only a few brave enough to take it.” “Strangers” in 1 Peter 1:17 means we take a different door, the door to freedom. He uses the word paraoikias which reflects Israel’s status in Egypt (e.g., Deut 23:7). Peter employs parepidomoi (“strangers,” “pilgrims,” “aliens”) in 1:2 and 2:11 (cf. also Heb 11:13). In 5:13 he even uses the term “Babylon” to make a further OT connection with the NT church which also is in “exile” (cf. Phil 3:20).

The Third Part in the Series

Resurrection Realities … On Relationships 

(1 Peter 2:19-25)

Building began in 221 B.C. It extends some 2,500 miles. In most places it is 30 feet thick. It took over 700,000 slaves working around the clock for 14 years to build. It was originally made of earthwork, but later would be made out of brick. It stretches from Mongolia to the Pacific Ocean. I am describing the Great Wall of China.  The reason the wall was built was for isolation. Anyone who knows Chinese history knows that the key to Chinese policy is isolation. Walls keep others at a distance. They ensure that others will stay out. Walls are great for isolation.  You and I build walls as well. And the result is the same – isolation.

The word “example” in 1 Peter 2:23 is hupogrammos which is a word that refers to the sketch, tracing pad, or outline used to teach children to write the alphabet.  It is thus a guideline to be used in one’s own composition, not a mechanical pattern to be duplicated. Similarly, to follow in someone’s steps means to move in the same direction they are going, rather than a matter of reproducing every detail. Thus the call to adopt Christ as our example is not analogous to a child placing foot after foot into the prints of his father in the snow, but more like making our own creative adaptation of a pattern. Christ came to break down walls (cf. Gal 3:28).

One of the most bitter, sarcastic relationships recorded in the last century was between two of Britain’s finest individuals – Sir Winston Churchill and Lady Astor.
On one occasion, Lady Astor made the insulting remark, “Mr. Churchill, if you were my husband, I’d give you poison to drink.” Churchill fired back, “Lady Astor, if you were my wife, I’d drink it.” We all build walls.

One marriage cynic recently wrote: “The period of engagement is like an exciting introduction to a dull book.”  They say that before marriage, “Opposites attract.” But after marriage, “Opposites attack.”  

Do you recall seeing at the circus a performance featuring dogs that were trained to jump through hoops? The most unlikely dog – a tiny one – jumps through the hoop just when you knew there was no way the little fellow could possibly leap that high. But the trainer knew what to expect out of his performers, and, to the crowd’s delight, the little dog always succeeded. Unlike the circus trainer, most spouses haven’t studied and worked with their mates enough to know their limits and potential abilities. So we raise the hoops higher and higher. Then, when our mates find the point they can’t reach, we react by saying, “I knew you couldn’t do it!” Our hoops are so different [cf. the slides on what women and men need].

The most popular song in the United States in 1953 was sung by Eddie Fisher and was titled, “Oh! My Papa!” A portion of the lyrics are as follows: “Oh my papa, to me he was so wonderful. Oh my papa, to me he was so good. No one could be so gentle and so lovable. Oh, my papa, he always understood!” This sentimental song accurately reflected the way many people felt about their fathers at that time in our history. Sure, there were conflicts and disagreements, but family was family.
Needless to say times have changed. For example, in 1984 Twisted Sister released the song, “We’re Not Gonna Take It!” The song refers to a father as a “disgusting slob” who is “worthless and weak.” Then he gets blasted out the window of a second story apartment with a shot gun. But for sheer horror nothing yet produced can match “Momma’s Got to Die Tonight” by a group called Body Count. The album sold 500,000 copies and its lyrics are too unfit to quote from this pulpit, but they solved the animosity between a child and mother by burning the mother in her bed, beating her with a baseball bat and then mutilating the corpse. What incredible violence!  Generations build walls.

I’m reminded of the children’s song, “Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho. Joshua fought the battle of Jericho and the walls came a tumblin’ down.” Jesus fights the battle of my walls and by his love and mercy the walls come a tumblin’ down.

The Fourth Part in the Series

Resurrection Realities … On Identity

(1 Peter 2:2-10)

One of the family rituals I remember was that my dad would take mom, my sister and to a theme park in Denver every summer. The park had rides and enough sticky cotton candy to amaze my little life. But what always fascinated me were the mirrors. Some mirrors at would make me look tall and skinny. Others would make me look short and fat. Still others would make me appear all twisted and bent. To the point – how we see ourselves is all important. There have been a lot of studies done that have discovered this all-important truth: The way we see ourselves determines to a large degree how we act and react in life. For example, if we see ourselves as losers, chances are that we’ll continue to lose. If we see ourselves as victims, we tend to let people victimize us. If we see ourselves as unlovable, chances are that no one loves us. On the other hand, if we see ourselves as valuable then we will feel valuable.

The painful truth is that all of us, to some degree or another have a distorted image of ourselves. Our life experiences are like those fun house mirrors. Some of us see ourselves as stupid, slow, dumb. Others of us see ourselves as ugly, plain Jane, less than 10.  Still others of us see ourselves as losers, inferior, not quite with it. Let’s be honest. We live in a put down society and many of us have negative images of ourselves.

“Living Stone” sounds like a contradiction in terms. We normally don’t think of stones being alive. It is a non sequitor. “Living Stone” sounds like “jumbo shrimp” or “political ethics” or “government efficiency.” It seems like a contradiction. But it is not. This Stone was dead, but now he is alive! Just as Jesus is the Living Stone, so are the baptized called “living stones.” Both Christ and Christians are “elect” (2:4, 6, 9; cf. 1:1) and “honored” (cf. 1:7; 2:4, 6, 7). Just as Jesus was rejected and vindicated, so rejected Christians will be vindicated on the last day. The parallel between Christ and Christians plays a major role in Peter’s understanding of ethics (e.g., 2:21).

 
Most of us spend our entire lives trying to earn acceptance. We want to earn it from our parents. We want to earn it from our peers. We want to earn it from our partners. We want to earn it from so many people. This pursuit influences what kind of clothes we wear, what kind of car we drive, what kind of house we buy, even what kind of career we choose. Remember as a kid you longed to be accepted; so much that when someone from your group said, “I dare you” you did it just to be accepted.

1 Peter 2:5-10 conveys seven images to describe the church. Each of the seven originally applied to Israel and in this way they designate the church as the continuing people of God in history. The titles are as follows:

1.      “A spiritual house” 2:5 (cf. 1 Pet 4:17) = the OT temple

2.      “Holy priesthood” 2:5 or “Royal priesthood” 2:9 = Israel’s role as missionaries (Exod 19:6)

3.      “Chosen race” 2:9 = Yahweh’s election of Israel (Deut 7:7)

4.      “Holy nation” 2:9 = Israel contrasted with the other nations (Exod 19:5)

5.      “God’s own people” 2:9 (literally, “a possession”) = the HB segulah which is a prize, priceless possession (Exod 19:5)

6.      “People of God” 2:10 = the biblical covenant formula of Exod 6:7 and elsewhere

7.      “Received mercy” 2:10 = Hosea 2:23

The first word in 1 Peter 2:9 describing the recipients of his letter is the term “elect” (eklektos). God has chosen us; they did not chose him (cf. John 15:16). 1 Peter employs the term eklektos more than any other NT author (five of its 23 occurrences).  We are elect according to God’s foreknowledge (1:2, 20). We are elect by the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit (1:2, 12). And we are elect for “doing good” (1:2; 2:14-14; 3:6, 17; 4:19).

Let’s pretend that we could go back in time because we are in the movie “Back to the Future.” Remember the car called “The Delorean” and “Doc Emmet Brown” and “the flux capacitors”?  We are traveling back through US history; back to Jesus and the disciples; then to Moses and Israel and then all the way back to Adam and Eve. And get this; we’re now going back past Genesis 1:1 to see what God was doing. He was choosing you (Eph 1:3-4).

Now what determines value? First, value is determined how much someone is willing to pay. How much is your house worth? It’s worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Second, value is determined who has owned it. A car that was owned by Elvis Presley will be more valuable than a car that I have owned. I once read about a pair of sticky, sweat-stained, beat up tennis shoes were sold for $4,000. Why? They had been owned by a man by the name of Michael Jordan. Based on these two truths what is your value? Who owns me and what is someone willing to pay for me? (1 Pet 2:9; 1 Cor 6:23)

The two benefits that priests have are now available to everybody who is a believer. In the OT priests had two functions. First, the priests had direct access to God
everyone else had to go the LORD through a priest. Second, the priest represented the LORD to other people. These truths are now true of you and me. First, we have direct access to the LORD; we have a hotline to heaven. When Jesus died on the cross the veil in the temple was rent asunder – torn in two – from top to bottom. It was the Father’s way of saying through the death and resurrection of Jesus now all believers are capable of access to the throne. Second, now we represent the LORD to other people. All are priests but not all are pastors. Laity and pastors are capable of great things for Christ! [Eph 2:10]

Dr. Charles Cooley is the Dean of American Sociology, and he writes this: “Your self worth is determined, to a large degree, by what you think the most important person in your life thinks about you.”  Jesus has earned the right to be that most important Person and he says you are acceptable, valuable, capable, and forgivable.

The Fifth Part in the Series

Resurrection Realities … On Evangelism

(1 Peter 3:13-22)

The fact is, we would much rather remain just a “Holy Huddle.” We would much rather deny that America is the fifth largest mission field in the word. We would   much rather tune out the idea that 1.5 million people die in America every year without Christ.

Various methods are employed to communicate the good news of Christ to the lost. “The Redskin Routine” says, “the more scalps the better.” The major emphasis is numerical; telling the absolute maximum number of people every day about salvation. This approach is decision centered and little, if any effort is directed toward follow up discipleship. Redskins aren’t difficult to identify. They can usually
be overheard counting out loud the scalps in their belts or seen shooting their flaming arrows into every wagon train they spot during the day or night.

“The Intellectual Inquisition” says, “the more talk the better.” In fact, it gets really good when the already vague discussion shifts from Bahia to Buddhism to Baptists; from the pros and cons of no prayer in public schools to the rapid growth of the Mormon Church. But the direct discussion of forgiveness of sins through
Christ’s death and resurrection are about as welcome in this sophisticated rap session as a life-sized statue of Martin Luther would be in the Vatican.

Then there is “The Mute Movement” that says, “the less talk the better.” The best you can say about this approach is that no one ever gets offended. The believer who settles for this method could be tagged a “Clairol Christian” ... only God knows for sure! Somewhere down the line this person has begun to swallow one of Satan’s tastiest tidbits; “All God expects of you is a good, silent life. Others will ask you about Christ if they are interested in hearing.”  But you may be involved in “Mute Movement” and people will just think you’re a Boy Scout. Even Jesus, who lived a sinless life, even Jesus had to talk!

Many of you know that I wear contact lens. My vision is 20—400.
Have you ever seen that big “E” on the eye chart? I haven’t seen it in 40 years. I wear contacts because when your vision is 20—400 there are no good looking glasses.  Contacts are the only way for me to get properly focused. The first step in “The Peter Principle” is to be properly focused because hope can get kind of fuzzy.

Someone once asked Flip Wilson what his religious preference was and he said, “I’m a Jehovah’s Bystander.” Not a witness, but a bystander. I know a lot of “Lutheran Bystanders” who say, “Pastor, what if I run into someone who has three logical proofs for the non-existence of God? What if someone turns me into theological knots? What if I don’t know the location of the chapter and verse of a biblical passage?” I’ve got news for you. Most people aren’t atheists, people don’t have theological degrees. In fact you might say, “Habakkuk” and people will say “Gazuntient!” 

The “answer” or “defense” (apologia) in 3:15 indicates that Christianity is not a mystery cult with secrets to conceal from the uninitiated. In the second century it became a technical term for defenders of the faith, but Peter’s audience would know it as an activity someone might do in the court of law.

The “gentleness” in Greek is prautetos which means “strength under control.” Pete uses the term in 3:4 and it describes Jesus in Matt 11:29. In other Greek literature it denotes a wild horse that was tamed. It is also used to describe a medicine that was fine-tuned.

I once read a bock to our daughter Lori when she was little. It was about three turtles. They were going out one summer afternoon for a country picnic. One carried a basket with the sandwiches, relishes and desserts. The second had the jug with the turtle-aid. The third carried nothing. Just then they felt the first splat of raindrops on their shells. “We can’t have a picnic without an umbrella,” said the first turtle. “Who will go back for one?” Quickly the empty-handed turtle was chosen to go get an umbrella. “I won’t go,” he protested, “as soon as I leave, you’ll eat all of the food and drink the turtle-aid. You will leave me out of everything.” “No way,” responded the other two turtles. “We’ll wait for you, no matter how long!” “No matter how long?” So the empty-handed turtle went back to get an umbrella.   An hour went by and the other two sat waiting; then a day, then a week, then two weeks. Three weeks later one turtle turned to another and said, “Maybe we should go ahead with the picnic.” Just then the third turtle came from the bushes behind them and said, “If you do, I won’t go!” I’ve got my excuses, so do you. But Jesus first empower us and then commands us to go!

 
The Sixth Part in the Series

Resurrection Realities … On Satan

(1 Peter 4:12-19; 5:6-11)

Early on a crisp September morning in 1944, two cyclists taking cover in a small French town near the Luxembourg border decided that it was safe at last to venture out into the countryside. The nighttime rumble of tanks had died away. They sniffed the smoke of cooking fires in the cold autumn air. They noted the usual scattering of grimy, mud-stained vehicles which included trucks, trailers, canons and a few big M-4 tanks. When the Frenchmen stopped suddenly their eyes became wide in astonishment. They saw four soldiers walk over to a monstrous tank and, with one man at each corner they picked it up! It was the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops and they were special all right. They specialized in impersonating other troops with inflatable rubber guns and rubber canons and rubber trucks and rubber tanks! Couple that with amplified recordings and the 23rd kept the Nazis fooled.
This morning you and meet another impersonator, another fake, another one who with careful staging and show-business theatrics keeps us fooled and confused. fooled and confused. He goes by several names that include Lucifer, Destroyer, the god of this age, Accuser, and Satan. Peter calls him the devil.  

The admonition to “be alert” (gregoreo) is a watchword of apocalyptic exhortation (e.g., Matt 24:42; Luke 12:37; 1 Thes 5:6-10). In this way Satan is considered to be especially active just before his final eschatological defeat. Peter thus understands that the church is living in the last days (cf. 2 Pet 3:3). The outcome of this battle is not in doubt. The decisive encounter has already occurred (1 Pet 3:18-22).

People will try almost anything to gain self-control; pills, therapy, seminars, resolutions, surgery. A few years ago I came across an advertisement for a weight— loss program that had this heading — IF YOU’VE NEVER SUCCEEDED AT LOSING WEIGHT PERMANENTLY, MAYBE YOU NEED A LITTLE INSIDE HELP.I read on: “You’re fed up with weight loss programs, right? You’ve tried nearly every one, only to put the weight right back on. Well, there’s something you should
know. Overeating is not just a bad habit, it is a disease. And like any other, you can’t treat it on your own. You need professional help. You can get it from the Gastric Bubble Program. Here’s how it works. A plastic bubble is inserted into your stomach, without surgery. Two things happen. It takes up a large space, causing you to eat less. And it decreases your appetite. The result: You lose
weight.” People will try almost anything to gain more self-control, or to make up for their lack of it.

Peter must have won a year’s supply of “Sominex” for his “deep sleep.” A golfing cartoon shows a golfer missing his putt and then saying, “It’s hard to keep your head down anywhere but in church on Sunday mornings!” I’ve seen it all over the years; drooling, nodding off, hymnals dropped, and blank stares. These are all indications of not only what’s going on physically, but what’s going on spiritually. Have you ever been asleep, sawing logs and your child comes into your room and says something and you go through the roof? This is a common occurrence in cur home! You see, when you’re asleep anybody can sneak up to you and do anything.

When I was growing up there were few companies more familiar and respected than Borden’s. Remember “Elsie the Cow”? Milkman Gail Borden, who founded the company in 1858 with the invention of condensed milk, even had his tomb built in the shape of a condensed milk can! But first Frito-Lay and Doritos began to take larger shares of the chip market. Borden’s response was, “Our ‘Wise Potato Chips’ are great. There is no worry!”  Next, premium ice creams like Ben and Jerry’s and Hagan Dazs appeared on the scene. Borden’s response was, “Our ‘Lady Borden’ ice cream is great. There is no worry!” Then easy-to-prepare meals like Rice-a-Roni became popular. Borden’s response was, “Our ‘Prince Spaghetti’ is great. There is no worry!” Today this once 5.5 billion dollar business is out of business. Borden’s spent its earnings (no self-control), the company wasn’t alert, and it failed to be faithful to its pioneering past.

The body of the letter ends (5:10) where it began. Not in the imperative but in the indicative; not with a command but with a promise. God took the initiative (1:1-2) and called (1:15; 2:9, 21; 3:9) the believers to be in Christ (3:16). Now in 5:10 Peter promises God’s four-fold continuing care and eschatological vindication.