Sunday's Message: Being the Church in a Challenging World (The Church Praises)

The First Letter of Peter was written to a church which was confronting certain challenges that it neither chose nor wanted. You see, they were living within a society that didn't share their focus and faith; therefore, they were facing the temptation to compromise what they believed, a situation that seems very similar to what we face as we try to be the church of Jesus Christ within a society that doesn't understand our fundamental values and motivation. And that's the reason we'll look at what Peter had to say about how Christians might be the church in a challenging world. 

• The Church Praises (1 Peter 1:3-9) - April 16
• The Church Remembers (1 Peter 1:17-23) - April 23
• The Church Grows (1 Peter 2:2-10) - April 30
• The Church Resists (1 Peter 2:11-17) - May 7
• The Church Follows (1 Peter 2:19-25) - May 14
• The Church Endures (1 Peter 4:12-14: 5:6-11) - May 21

During the first message in this series, we used 1 Peter 1:3-9 to consider how, when faced with a challenging world, the church praises God. Below is a copy and recording of the sermon. Next Sunday morning, you can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel at 10:00 a.m.

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Well, Easter 2023 is in the books. And just speaking for myself, I can now finally exhale, but I recognize that my feelings may be a little different from yours. I mean, even though celebrating Easter may involve doing a lot of stuff y’all don’t usually do, you know, like dying eggs and buying plastic grass and eating peeps, let’s get real, for the most part, the effort and expectations surrounding Easter probably aren’t in the neighborhood of what happens at Christmas, right? Of course, let me be clear; I’m talking about y’all. But for me, the week before Easter is a little like running a marathon, and last Sunday, sometime around 12:30, I broke the tape for another year. Of course, the next big day on the church calendar is Pentecost. It’s coming up on Sunday, May 28. But if you’re talking about work load, the coming of the Holy Spirit doesn’t even move the needle when compared to Palm Sunday and Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. For a minister, Pentecost is a cakewalk; Easter is an endurance race. But that’s just me.

And since we’re talking about Easter and Pentecost, you know, it’s interesting that during this time between, traditionally, Christians have focused on the early church, you know, on how it was established and started to function in what was really a challenging world. And that’s what we’re going to be doing for the next six weeks. We’re going to take some passages from Peter’s first letter “to God's people who are scattered like foreigners in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.” [1 Peter 1:1b, CEV] And we’re going to focus on some of the advice he offered those first century Christians as they faced a world that was challenging to say the least.

And I’ll tell you, I think that’s probably a pretty good thing for us to do, because I believe that we, the Body of Christ, also face some very real challenges in our world now-a-days. Of course, having said that, I also believe that like most other things in our society, Christians don’t necessarily agree on the nature of the problem. I mean, although we may all see challenges both out there and in here, I’m not sure there’s a lot of consensus as to what they actually are. For example, for some, the challenge faced by the church has everything to do with morality, or maybe better, immorality, because, for them, man, we live in an immoral world. In other words, people all around us are just flouting the moral standards of God, and that’s the problem. For others, though, the challenge facing the church is very different, and it comes down to the fact that our society no longer seems to value things like compassion and mercy and grace anymore, you know, like feeding the hungry and welcoming the stranger and caring for the sick. Now for them, that’s the problem. 

But you know, without minimizing either of these two perspectives, personally, I think we may face an even greater challenge as we try to figure out how to be the church in 2023. You see, based on some of the stuff I’ve read, I think the church faces the very real danger of becoming irrelevant in our country and in our world. I mean, if you look at trends, those who identify themselves as being Christian could very well be a minority by 2070, being replaced by those who identify as nothing, something that, by-the-way, has already happened for young people between  the ages of eighteen to thirty. Of course, I don’t think we need to study a bunch of graphics to know that. Just look at what’s happening within our own families. And I’ll tell you, I think this is really dangerous, because, if we’re not careful, we may find that even when we stand up and speak out, there won’t be a lot of folks who’ll listen much less care. 

But you know, whether it involves blatant immorality or shrinking compassion or growing irrelevance, I think we’d all agree that ours is a challenging world. Therefore, it makes sense to spend some time talking about how we might face it with faith and dedication and hope. And so, this morning, we’re going to start by using 1 Peter 1:3-9 to consider the first way we can be the church in a challenging world and here it is: right here and right now, we can be the church by offering praise, by offering praise to God.  Now that’s the first thing we can do. And I’ll tell you, according to Peter, we have two excellent reasons for doing it, both of which I believe will help us confront the challenges we face.

You see, first, according to Peter, we can praise God for what God has done. In other words, when we consider everything that God has either done or promised to do, that gives us a wonderful reason to offer him praise. And I’ll tell you, I think that’s what Peter was getting at when he wrote this:

Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is so good, and by raising Jesus from death, he has given us new life and a hope that lives on. God has something stored up for you in heaven, where it will never decay or be ruined or disappear. You have faith in God, whose power will protect you until the last day. Then he will save you, just as he has always planned to do. [1 Peter 1:3-5, CEV]

Now that’s what Peter wrote, and just think about what it means. God has already done two things for which we can praise him. I mean, God raised Jesus from death, didn’t he; something we remembered and celebrated last week. And you know, this is something Peter compared to baptism when he wrote this a little later in this same letter: 

But baptism is more than just washing your body. It means turning to God with a clear conscience, because Jesus Christ was raised from death. Christ is now in heaven, where he sits at the right side of God. All angels, authorities, and powers are under his control. [1 Peter 3:21b-22, CEV]

Now, think about this: without our permission or help, God caused Jesus to rise on the third day. God did this, but, according to Peter, that’s not all he did, because he also made us a promise, something that I think can also be seen in those verses I just read. You see, God not only caused Jesus Christ to rise from death, he also caused him to resume his position in heaven, and I’m talking about at the right side of God and over all angels and authorities and powers. And you know, that’s the basis for his promise, and I’m talking about the promise that right now, using the words of Peter, “God has something stored up for [us] in heaven, where it will never decay or be ruined or disappear.” [1 Peter 1:4, CEV] And this is something we can trust because, again using Peter’s own words, “[we can] have faith in God, whose power will protect [us] until the last day [and] then he will save [us], just as he has always planned to do.” [1 Peter 1:5, CEV] Now along with being able to see the resurrection, this is a promise we have from God himself.

And I’ll tell you, taken together, I think those two things that God has done can really help us as we deal with the challenges we face, because they give us reason to hope. You see, because of the resurrection, we have good reason to hope for a new life, one that’s as real and as tangible as an empty tomb. It’s like Peter said in the passage we’ll look at next week:

Christ was chosen even before the world was created, but because of you, he did not come until these last days. And when he did come, it was to lead you to have faith in God, who raised him from death and honored him in a glorious way. This is why you have put your faith and hope in God. [1 Peter 1:20-21, CEV]

You see, no matter what happens around us, because Christ was raised, we can hope for a new life right now. But that’s not all, because, since the promise was made, we can also hope for a new future, a new future that’s in the gracious and merciful hands of our eternal Father and one that’s grounded in a promise that was also made before the world was created. You see, because of the resurrection and the promise, God gives us hope for a new life and a new future. Now, that’s what God has already done. And I’ll tell you, in the face of a challenging world, that’s the first reason we can praise him. 

But, you know, for Peter, I don’t think that’s the only reason, because, second, we can also praise God for what offering praise does, and I’m talking about what offering praise does for us. And I think that’s exactly why Peter wrote this to those Christians who first read his letter:

On that day you will be glad, even if you have to go through many hard trials for a while. Your faith will be like gold that has been tested in a fire. And these trials will prove that your faith is worth much more than gold that can be destroyed. They will show that you will be given praise and honor and glory when Jesus Christ returns. You have never seen Jesus, and you don't see him now. But still you love him and have faith in him, and no words can tell how glad and happy you are to be saved. This is why you have faith. [1 Peter 1:6-9, CEV]

Now that’s what he wrote. In other words, for Peter, the very act of praising God affects us.

As a matter of fact, it can actually change us in a very profound way. Let me explain. You see, when our minds are focused on what God has done and on what God has promised, that changes the way we see and interpret the lives we’re living. And for Peter, that’s particularly true when we’re facing trials and troubles and challenges. You see, when we decide to trust the one who raised Christ and who will do the same for us, when we decide to trust in his love and mercy and grace, no longer will we see trials as a form of punishment but rather as a way to grow and to improve. It’s like what happens to gold when it’s refined. The impurities are burnt off and what’s left is pure. But that’s only going to happen when the fire is hot, right? And that’s exactly what Peter wrote is happening to us. Our faith is being tested, it’s being refined in fire. And in the end, we’ll have something that’s more valuable and more durable than gold. Now that’s what Peter believed. In other words, when we praise God, it offers us a perspective on the  challenges we face that we may never have considered before.

And I’ll tell you something, that changed perspective can keep us moving, and I’m talking about moving forward despite the garbage we might have to deal with along the way. You see, it can keep us moving with faith, confident that, with the help of God, we’ll be able to do more than just endure; we’ll be able overcome whatever obstacles have been set up before us. As a matter of fact, we’ll be able to exactly what Peter told his church to do when he wrote this:

Be on your guard and stay awake. Your enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion, sneaking around to find someone to attack. But you must resist the devil and stay strong in your faith. You know that all over the world the Lord's followers are suffering just as you are. [1 Peter 5:8-9, CEV]

Man, as we praise God, we’ll be able to move forward with faith, but I think we’ll also be able to do it with joy, believing that Peter knew exactly what he was talking about when he wrote this a little later in his letter:

Dear friends, don't be surprised or shocked that you are going through testing that is like walking through fire. Be glad for the chance to suffer as Christ suffered. It will prepare you for even greater happiness when he makes his glorious return. [1 Peter 4:12-13, CEV]

You see, because it can change the way we see trials and trouble, our decision to praise God can keep us moving forward with both faith and joy. Now, that’s what offering praise does. And I’ll tell you, in the face of a challenging world, that the second reason we can praise him. 

And you know, that’s a good thing, because I think most of us believe that, as followers of Jesus Christ, we face a world with a whole bunch of challenges. I mean, whether it’s because of blatant immorality or shrinking compassion or growing irrelevance or something else, maybe something more personal, we really need to do what the Body of Christ has always had to do, right from its birth. We’re going to have to figure out how to be the church in the world that we have even if it’s not the one that we want. But here’s some positive news, I think we can find some pretty good insight from a man who wrote to a church that I believe could identify with our problem. And as Peter started his letter to them and to us, before saying anything else, he told them and us to keep on praising God for what God has done, because it can offer us hope. And he told them and us to keep on praising God for what praise can do, because praising can move us into the future. You see, we can praise. And that’s the first way we can be the church in a challenging world.