Hope When Life Is Unfair - Part 2

Today on Fellowship in the Word, Pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ.

This is about as unpopular a subject matter as we can deal with. Life isn't fair. Life is consistently and blatantly and unapologetically unfair. The only question is how do you respond to the unfairness in your life?

Naturally, aggressively, blaming others, passively, victimization, trying to deny it completely and repressing your feelings or spiritually. Do you evidence the humble heart of submission when life is unfair to you, just like your Savior did when it was unfair to Him? Thank you for joining us today on this edition of Fellowship in the Word with Pastor Bill Gebhardt.

Fellowship in the Word is the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible Church located in Metairie, Louisiana. Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhardt now as once again he shows us how God's Word meets our world. Isn't that interesting, isn't it, that we don't face slavery but we face unfair workplace situations all the time? You see, all of us except the guys on this staff have bosses that are unfair. You see how this runs against the grain for you? This just runs against the grain. This doesn't make any sense, not to us at all.

He says something there in 20, though. He said, if you do what is right and suffer for it and patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. Now, when you go to Hebrews Chapter 10 and 11 and 12, these are the great chapters on faith. And you know what the writer of Hebrews says? What's the great test of faith? What will it endure? What will faith endure? That's what Chapter 10 brings up.

That's what Chapter 11 as a whole is to people. And in Chapter 12, he says that we are to fix our eyes. He said as we live the Christian life, run this race before us, fix our eyes on Jesus. And then it says, what did Jesus do?

He endured what? The cross. What's interesting about this, by the way, is that this methodology, as anti-instinctive as it is for you, won the world for Jesus Christ.

It won the Roman world. It's astounding how this works. Who do you think might know that? God. I think so many of us as Christians, when it comes to the unfairness of life, basically don't buy, don't buy.

But basically the philosophy of Scripture is we buy the philosophy of Islam. Fight. Just fight them. Christ says, no. Endure it.

Submit. Verse 21, for you have been called for this purpose. Since, and he says now, if you want to know what unfairness is, because you say, who should suffer when it's unfair? You should.

Why? He did. He says, for you have been called for this purpose since Christ also suffered for you. Has anything ever been more unfair in the history of this world than to take a sinless, perfect human being, nail him to the cross, and then pour all of the wrath of God on him for the sins of everybody?

Nothing is that unfair. But aren't you glad he submitted? Aren't you glad he endured? You see, what happened out of that? Millions and millions of us have our sins forgiven in a relationship with God because Christ did that. Since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in his steps.

Can it be clearer than that? Didn't it seem so unfair? They belittled him, and they came and they arrested him. And then they grabbed him, and they had those illegal trials, and they spit on him, and they slapped him, and they punched him. Then they mocked him, and then they took him, and they scourged him with a Roman cat of nine tails and tore his flesh off of him. And then they marched him up, and they nailed him to a cross, and then they hung him there.

How unfair could that be? He says, yeah, follow my example. Wow. He said, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in his mouth. And while being reviled, he did not revile in return. Notice, no fighting. He did not revile in return while suffering.

He uttered no threats. And here's hope, he kept entrusting himself to him who judges righteously. There is the real reason. Why would I submit when life's unfair? I entrust myself to him who judges righteously.

That's why. Because Hebrews 12 says that he endured the cross for the joy set before him. What a day we entrusted the Father and said, you know what, this is all going to work out to the glory of God. There are going to be millions of people saved because of the submission of mine and the unfairness of life.

You see, whenever we submit in that way, that's what we're saying. I entrust God. God doesn't miss anything. He is righteous as a judge. He doesn't let anything slide forever. But I have to entrust myself to him that he will judge at the appropriate time, not the time that I think so.

And not in the way that I think would be best. I have to entrust myself to him who judges righteously. He says, and he himself bore our sins in his body on the cross so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. For by his wounds we were healed.

He says, for you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls. Don't you see how great this turned out? He submitted to the unfairness.

Now you do it. He's our example. And then he's not done. He moves from government and the workplace to your home in the same way. In the same way. In the same way as Jesus, he now wants to talk to you wives who have lousy husbands. In the same way.

Wow. There will be seven verses here, by the way. Six verses are directed toward women. One verse is directed toward men. One commentator basically said it this way, that the reason for it is it's six times harder to be a woman in our marriage than it is to be a man.

There's probably some truth to that. In the same way as Jesus. In the same way. You wives be submissive to your own husbands. So that even if any of them are disobedient to the word.

It's unfair. Disobedient to the word and more likely because of the context of the rest of the verse. These are unsaved men.

These are men who are not saved. Now what we understand is a bad way or a chauvinistic way for a man to treat a wife in our culture is nothing compared to what it would have been like in that culture. The woman was basically owned.

She virtually had no rights. How can he possibly say something like this? Again, the audacity of this. In the same way you wives be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word.

Here it is. They may be one without a word by the behavior of their wives. Wow. They may be one. You mean to Christ? Yeah, I think that's exactly what he's saying.

Well, what is it you want to do? What's your natural response? When your husband's not fair. Pouting, sulking, scheming, nagging, coercing, humiliating, bargaining. That's how you do it, right?

You just stay at them. You're not going to push me around. I'm pushing back. That's a true statement by the way but that's natural. That's not of God. That's of your flesh. Notice he said they may be one without a word of their wives as they observe your chase and respectful behavior.

He gives a piece of advice here that's funny to me, interesting. Your adornment must not be merely external. He said the braiding of hair, the wearing of gold jewelry or putting on dresses.

But let it be the hidden person of the heart. He says with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit which is precious again in the sight of God. He said the most important thing about you as a woman and especially as a woman who is a wife is your internal character. By the way, he's not saying and churches have taken this over the years that Christian women should not in any way braid their hair because the Bible forbids it or wear jewelry because that's not what Peter is saying. If that's the case by the way, Christian women shouldn't wear dresses. Really?

No. He's saying don't let it be merely external. There's a whole lot more to you than simply what you see and there's something much more important to God than how you look outwardly. So you need to worry about how you are inwardly. He calls it that inner beauty of your soul, that type of thing. That's the priority of your life. He said that's precious in the sight of God.

He says let me give you an example. He said for in this way in former times the holy women also who hoped in God. There's hope again.

What is that it's saying? God will work this out. Now he works it out in God's timing, not ours. He said for in this way in former times the holy women also who hoped in God used to adorn themselves being submissive to their own husbands just as Sarah obeyed Abraham calling him Lord.

And you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear. Now, by the way, understand Abraham was a great man in many ways. He's the father of us all in his faith. But let me explain something about him. He was a lousy husband. He's the guy that twice tried to save his own skin by offering his wife.

Hey, how about if they take you then they won't hurt me. What kind of man is that? But the real question is how did it turn out?

Wow, that turned out pretty well, didn't it? He said that's what happens. He said your role is not conditional.

I thought that was interesting. Verse 6 says just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, that word obeyed is hupo ka uo, an interesting word. It means she listened attentively to him and then acted wisely. That's what it means.

It's not the normal word for blind obedience. She listened attentively and then acted wisely. And she did that. Now he gives three commandments to husbands. All three of them in imperative mood.

And on the surface it looks easy for you, but it's not. Here's it, you husbands in the same way. Same way as who? You be submissive to your wife the same way that she's submissive to you, the same way that Jesus was submissive, the same way we should be submissive to human government. In the same way, you husbands now, you be submissive.

First one, he says live with your wives in an understanding way. Oh, I've done that. I live with her.

I made it. All you have to do is live with you. No, it's not what he's saying.

He's not saying that at all. He's saying be at home with your wife. It's a way of expressing intimacy. You be there with her. You need to be with her. You see, she's not a property you own. She's part of the one flesh relationship. He says in an understanding way, not only to live with your wife, but to understand her. He said in an understanding way, according to knowledge. I remember years ago hearing someone say this, and it stuck with me ever since seminary, but the guy said one of the most important things God wants of you if you're a Christian husband is this, you better be a student of your wife. You should study her. In other words, what's that mean?

You should know all about her. And by the way, don't pretend, men, that I just don't know if I could do that. You know how men are with hobbies. You ever hear fishermen talk about fishing? They can remember 1,400 lures that you use to catch fish.

They can remember everything, sports. And you get a man on his hobby, and he knows everything possibly about it. What do you know about her? Well, she lives here with me, and we have kids. He says, you don't do that. He said, you have to live with her. You have, he says, to live with your wife, you have to know your wife. That's the priority of the relationship. And then he says, you husbands in the same way live with your wives in an understanding way as with someone weaker.

Now you go, oh, see, God, he's putting women down. Not necessarily. Some interpret this word weaker as she's simply physically weaker than you.

I get that. That word can be used that way, but it doesn't make a lot of sense to me in the context. It doesn't make sense. Well, you're stronger than her, so live with her in an understanding way.

I'm not sure about that. But this word also means, in a sense, weaker, in a sense as fragile. She's more fragile.

She's more emotionally intuitive. When I teach marriage classes, I always say it this way. Pretty much this.

This is how I see this verse. Women are vases. Men are buckets.

Okay? That's the difference between a woman and a man. You can look at a vase, and you could study it as a piece of art. You look at a bucket. You know what you see?

A bucket. That's why if you really look at a man and really look at him, you know what you're gonna find? Not much. They're not really labored. There's no layers to them. Men are pretty much just the way you see them.

That's their struggle. He says you need to see her in a different context. You need to understand her. You need to study her. And then he says this, and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life.

You need to live with her. You need to know your wife, and you need to honor your wife. It doesn't just mean honor in a generic sense. Turn back to chapter one for a moment, verse 19. Verse 18 and 19 together. Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold, but from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with the precious blood as of a lamb unblemished spotless the blood of Christ. That word precious, same word.

The precious death of Christ. How honorable is that? He said that's the way you honor your wife. You need in a sense to honor her, or put it this way, you need to convince her of just how precious she is to you. That's a commandment, by the way. Not an option.

It's not an elective. You live with your wife, you know your wife, and you honor your wife. He said if not, look what happens, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

Wow. What's he mean by that? He means your spiritual life is going to be affected. You don't love your wife this way? She doesn't have the quiet and chaste behavior.

If you don't have that in your marriage, he said don't expect me when you're praying to listen very much to what you're saying. Don't. Why? Because you're a hypocrite. I don't listen to hypocrites.

You're going to hinder your own prayer life. He said if you be careful, that's how important this is. Wow. Life isn't fair.

Not in my home, not in the workplace, not in this state, not in this country. He says, yeah, here's what I want you to do. Submit to that.

I'll work this out. You entrust yourself to me. Now, watch what he says, verse 8. To sum it up, let me just sum up what I've said so far. He said all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kind-hearted, humble in spirit, not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead. For you were called for this very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. He says no matter what happens, harmonious with others, sympathetic to feel with others, to rejoice and weep, brotherly, to be friends with other people, kind-hearted, humble. And he says don't you dare return evil for evil even when you want to and that's what you want to do when life is unfair. What's the typical marital conflict?

The returning of evil for evil. Or you said that to me. Well, I'm gonna say this to you. And you said, well, I'm telling you. And I always say that a typical marital conflict starts out like this. We take two little bean shooters and we hit each other with it and then we get mad and then we start coming out with bigger things and then we're throwing rocks and then we've got guns and then we bring out a cannon and then we try to nuke them. In other words, it just keeps escalating and escalating evil for evil for evil.

That's our instinct. If you're unfair to me, I'm gonna get you for this. He says that's categorically wrong. He says in verse 10, for the one who desires life to love and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. When life's unfair to you, do you speak with an evil tongue? Because you can talk to people, no justify it, but God won't. God says don't you dare do that.

If you desire life and to see the good in your days, don't you do that. You control your tongue. He said he must turn away from evil and do good. He must seek peace and he must pursue it. Reconciliation, blessed are the peacemakers.

And he says, and then this, for the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears attend their prayer. You know what he's saying? You approach unfairness the way I'm telling you and my eyes and my ears are directly on you. You do it and I'm listening. You see, you entrust yourself to me.

I'll work this out. It's all gonna work out. Read the end of the book, I win. You see, God says you entrust yourself for me.

You have a hope in you. You don't act like that, but notice what he says. If you decide to approach unfairness in the natural way, he then says, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

He said, I'll turn my face against you. That's what he says. This is about as unpopular subject matter as we can deal with. Life isn't fair. Life is consistently and blatantly and unapologetically unfair. The only question is how do you respond to the unfairness in your life?

Naturally? Aggressively? Blaming others?

Passively? Victimization? Trying to deny it completely and repressing your feelings or spiritually? Do you evidence the humble heart of submission when life is unfair to you? Just like your savior did when it was unfair to him. Entrusting yourself to him who judges righteously because you hope in him.

Let's pray. Father, this subject matter is an area where it's a matter of who influences us the most. Are we influenced by your word and the example of Christ or are we influenced by the culture in which we live? The culture in which we live says you always stand up for number one. You always fight unfairness. You fight on any term you can.

You try to overcome it and beat it down. But Father, that's not what Jesus did. That's certainly not what the early church did. And they experienced unfairness at a level that we never will.

And yet you were glorified. The lost were brought to the savior and the whole world was changed. May each of us be challenged to trust in you and your sovereign judging role over all creation that we entrust ourselves to that and that gives us a hope. A hope that allows us to submit for the Lord's sake. In his name we pray.

Amen. At that website you will find not only today's broadcast but also many of our previous audio programs as well. At Fellowship in the Word we are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible. We ask all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help this radio ministry continue its broadcast on this radio station by supporting us monthly or with just a one-time gift. Support for our ministry can be sent to Fellowship in the Word 4600 Clearview Parkway Metairie, Louisiana 7006. If you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format that is as a sermon that Pastor Bill delivered during a Sunday morning service at Fellowship Bible Church then you should visit our website fbcnola.org That's fbcnola.org At our website you will find hundreds of Pastor Bill's sermons. You can browse through our sermon archives to find the sermon series you are looking for or you can search by title. Once you find the message you are looking for you can listen online or if you prefer you can download the sermon and listen at your own convenience. And remember you can do all of this absolutely free of charge. Once again our website is fbcnola.org For Pastor Bill Gebhardt I'm Jason Gebhardt thanking you for listening to Fellowship in the Word.