Walking with Christ

1. Read: 1 Peter 2:18-25

2. About the Text:

1) Peter’s central message is the Christian’s holiness in the midst of persecution.

2) It is under persecution that Christians truly display Christ-like characteristics.

3) It isn’t how Christians treat their friends that define them, but how they treat their enemies.

4) Peter knows this very well.

5) The Christian’s call to holiness is consistent with a context of persecution.

6) Graciousness can only displays itself when the object of its favor returns nothing.

7) The crux of walking with Christ is being gracious under ill-treatment.

8) But the consequences are restorative.

3. Ref. to S, T, P, O, and A.

1. Peter places the persecution in the context of a servant (oiketes) and master (despostes).

1) Servants are to be subject (upotassomai) to their masters.

2) Not only to the good and fair, but also the unjust or crooked (skolios).

3) Suffering under the hand of a crooked master is an opportunity to be gracious (charis).

4) There is no good report in suffering for something you deserve.

5) However, if one endures suffering for doing right, this is an act of grace.

2. Christians are called to a context of persecution.

1) “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12).

2) “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:10-12).

3) “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also” (John 15:20).

3. Evangelism

1) What do people see in us when we do personal evangelism?

2) Do they see vindictive people who are always trying to get back at perceived injustices?

3) Do they see individuals who are ready to forgive and include others in their life?

4) Which of these two people do you want to associate with?

5) Which of these two people is going to be the best evangelist?

6) If we are going to take the gospel to the whole world, we must bear up under persecutions when they are not deserved.

1. Christians are called to be gracious under persecution.

1) The word “called” means “summoned” and can mean “compelled.”

2) The word can also express kinship or status.

3) Our kinship and status us to be like Christ.

2. What does it mean to be gracious?

1) It means to act favorably toward someone when they don’t deserve it.

2) To extend good will and acceptance even though it isn’t merited.

3. We are called to be gracious under persecution because Jesus was gracious with us.

1) Jesus was gracious under persecution.

2) This is the example that Christ left for us.

a. He did not revile when He was reviled.

b. He did not threaten when He suffered.

c. He committed Himself to the One Who judges righteously.

3) But more than that, Jesus was and is gracious with us as sinners.

a. This is what the phrase “because Christ also suffered on your behalf” means.

b. “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree.”

4) We were the sinners; He the sinless one (verse 22).

5) He was gracious with us even though we were ungracious to Him.

6) This is why we must be gracious to others, because Christ has dealt with us graciously.

7) So we must follow in His steps and be gracious with others.

4. Evangelism

1) How do we approach people we know to be sinners?

2) Look at Matthew 9:10-13.

3) Jesus was gracious with these folks even though they were sinners.

4) The Pharisees, on the other hand, were dismissive of them.

5) We have to be accepting of people if we want to evangelize them.

6) Being gracious with others means that we don’t sacrifice them on the altar of our righteousness.

7) We will not evangelize folks if we do this.

1. Through the grace of Christ, God restores us to fellowship with Him.

1) He is gracious with us so that we may die to sin and live to righteousness.

2) He is gracious with us by healing us through His wounds.

3) He is gracious with us by returning us to the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls.

2. God’s desire is to reunite mankind with Him through Jesus and promote brotherhood.

1) Read Ephesians 2:13-22.

2) By giving us Jesus, God has also given us who He created us to be.

3) He restores us to the original creation through Jesus, the second Adam.

3. Evangelism

1) As God has done with us, so we must proclaim to others.

2) We carry out God’s desires when we go into the world and preach the gospel.

3) We cannot afford to be ungracious to those to whom God through Christ has been gracious.

1. Let’s remember what it means to walk with Christ Jesus.

1) The context of walking with Christ Jesus – persecution.

2) The crux of walking with Christ Jesus – graciousness.

3) The consequence of walking with Christ Jesus – fellowship.

2. Invitation