Matt Chandler - The Suffering Servant

If you have your Bibles, go ahead and grab those. First Peter, before we get started, I need to bear some bad news—especially if you drive a white Jeep or a gray Tundra that’s parked in front of the ATM machine over at the bank. I’m just letting you know that we have the entire parking lot except for those two spaces. So, I’m going to come and pray really quickly; you have about 30 seconds to grab your things and move that car, or someone might move it for you, and I don’t want that to happen to you.

Here’s a way, if you’re a long-time member of the village, that you can serve what God is doing in our midst these days: we run shuttles from the Highland Village campus. The Highland Village campus is half a mile away; it’s not a long ride, but if you could, if you’re able—I know some of you have situations where it’s not possible—if you would park over at HV and ride the shuttle, that would help create the space we need. We’re currently working to hopefully have a police presence that can help us get out of the parking lot and into the service a little bit quicker. If you’re at home right now, you haven’t had to deal with any of that; your car is probably fine. I’m not omniscient, so I don’t know, but I might just check real quick.

Now, let me say this because I had a moment with the Lord this morning at about five o’clock, and I want to honor that. I just want to start—not because I’m going to be mean today, but I am a little. You make pastoring awesome! We are in a season where so many guys, I don’t know if you’ve seen these trends, are dropping like flies. They are underpaid, underappreciated, beaten up, and haggard; everyone always brings complaints and no joy—it’s brutal. I see the stats, and I read the stories, and, man, that is not the case here. You have loved me; you have put up with me; you have taught me; you have encouraged me. I feel flanked by you, and I couldn’t be more grateful to be with you over this long period of time. My whole adult life, basically, has been with you guys.

So, I just wanted to start by saying to you, not you saying to me, but me saying to you, thank you. You don’t make this harder than it needs to be—you make it a joy to serve Jesus. That’s why I love getting to bother Satan with you. I love that he hates us like he does, and so you’re my people. Thank you; you make this easy in a way that it’s not for all the guys out there, so thank you for that.

Now, we’re in First Peter. Let me see; this is week five in First Peter. What we’ve been looking at is, as Christians, how we are meant to live when culture gets a little acidic. Are you tracking with what I’m saying? It’s not that we are being persecuted, or that we are being arrested or thrown in prison; it’s just how do you live for Jesus when your belief system and your way of life are viewed as obstacles or hurdles for the predominant culture to get where they want to go? Right? How are we supposed to live—not when we’re beat up and thrown in prison—but when we’re just seen as odd, backwards, and pushed to the margins of society? I don’t think we’re there yet, but I think all of us feel that things aren’t the way they used to be, right?

Does anyone else feel that way? The way I hear other people talking about what I believe is not only incorrect but crazy. The way we’re represented when questions about sexuality, marriage, or other moral categories come into view is not only untrue but twisted and broken. At one point, we were just seen as odd, and now we’re perceived as enemies. And listen, I love you; I don’t foresee that getting better anytime soon, but I also don’t think you have anything to be afraid of. So, how are we meant to live in this environment we’re in—where we are seen, at the least, as odd and, at the most, hurdles to progress? How are we supposed to be faithful in that space?

Last week, we remembered that throughout the whole thing, Peter is like, «Keep in mind, you’re not from around here.» That’s history; you are an alien and stranger—you’re a foreigner in this world. You are a refugee; you belong to the kingdom of God, which is why you can see that the world looks crazy. But the world can’t see that it’s crazy because you’re from a different place. We talked about this last year—how are we to live? Well, the first way we live as aliens and exiles is by embracing lives of beauty and goodness and seeing the moral law of God in the Scriptures as something, like King David said, like honey on our lips. So, when God says, «This is what marriage is, ” we say, „Yes, this is what it is, ” and then we live into it. Right? We, as best as we can, by the grace of God, get help.