Living in a Pressure Cooker Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35; I Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11 May 28, 2017 By Dr. David B. Freeman, Pastor Weatherly Heights Baptist Church My father is 83 years old. I ve always considered him to be one of the most intelligent men I ve known. His life as a young man was different than life today. My father was a CPA and had a college degree, but it was relatively easy to get a decent job back then without college degree. One income would support a household of two adults and a couple of kids, including paying a mortgage. When the income provider (usually the husband in those days) got home from work, he could disconnect and not have to worry about his job until the next day. Life was relatively simple, uncluttered and unhurried. Fast forward 50 years and we see a totally different story. The cost of housing often means that both parents have to work, and they are toiling away for many more hours than their parents and grandparents. The pressures of global competition mean being constantly available, perhaps responding to emails or texts at 10 p.m. or jumping on a conference call early on a Saturday morning. Financial pressures are growing everywhere, not only because of housing but also because of the development of a more consumerist society. We simply buy more stuff than they did. The pressure affects our children also. They are constantly pushed to learn and achieve more and are monitored by far more rigorous testing. Competitive sports, academic teams, the drive for scholarships: our children s childhood is very different from that of their grandparents. I m not saying that life was better back in the 1950s and 1960s. It was simply different. And here s one of the biggest differences. We live in a pressure cooker today with stress often at unhealthy levels. It takes a toll on our health, our relationships, our emotional well-being, and our work. Our pressure cooker life takes a toll on the quality of our lives. Dealing with the pressure cooker is part of the art of living today. If we don t learn how to deal with the stress, life will be very frustrating, and we will never reach our potential. Stress can cause some to throw
up their hands and quit. Others get depressed. Others may lash out in anger. Some seek revenge. We ve got to find a better way. In our text for today from I Peter, the Apostle Peter describes a better way. He was addressing some newly baptized Christians and warning them about living in their own pressure cooker. I have mentioned before that some believe the letter of I Peter was originally a baptismal sermon. It was later gathered, put in the form of a letter, and sent out to the churches. So imagine Peter addressing five or ten newly baptized converts and the congregation gathered to witness their baptisms. He warned the new Christians of the pressures of being a follower of Christ and then gave them five helpful pieces of guidance. I believe these are still helpful for us today. First, he told them that pressure and stress are normal and that they should expect it. Beloved, he addressed the new converts, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. We don t know exactly what their fiery ordeal was, but Peter told them to expect it. Don t be surprised when the pressure comes; it s a part of life. I still remember reading the psychologist Scott Peck s bestseller, The Road Less Traveled. This was many years ago, but I still remember being struck by how he started the book. The first sentence of the book was three words: Life is difficult. He says that that is one of the great truths of life. But it is one of the great truths of life only to the degree that we believe it is true. And most of us, he says, do not really believe it is true. We moan about how difficult life is; we complain about all our problems, as if life should be easy. It s not easy, he says. Life is difficult, and once we truly accept that life is difficult only then can we make headway in addressing our problems. So here s the first piece of guidance Peter gave the new converts. Pressure is normal. Expect it. Don t be surprised as though something strange is happening to you. 2
The second thing Peter told these new converts takes a lot of maturity. He told them to rejoice. I don t think that is the first response from most of us when the pressure cooker gets intense. We all deal with pressure in different ways. Some people drink too much. Some people eat too much. Some people worry. Some withdraw. When I m under pressure, I don t eat. I have no appetite and will lose weight. I m not losing weight these days, so don t worry! Imagine being able to respond to pressure by rejoicing. Peter told them that when we suffer, we are sharing Christ s suffering. Imagine being so self-aware, so in control of our emotions, our reactions, that we could see our suffering as an opportunity to experience some of what Christ experienced. So we don t get angry. We don t get defensive. We don t internalize it. We see our suffering as sharing in the suffering of Christ. And since it is that, we are honored to suffer with Christ. We are even able to rejoice. It does take a lot of maturity, a lot of discipline, but it is possible, Peter says, to rejoice in the pressure cooker. Third, Peter tells these new converts that they must learn how to release themselves unto God. Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, he told them. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. Some theologians speculate that some of these new converts were slaves, and their masters were not Christians. It was very likely that their masters would raise serious, and possibly violent, objection to their new faith, which claimed a new Master. So Peter told them that they must learn how to release themselves unto God. I met with Dr. James Forbes a number of years ago. He s retired now, but at the time, he was pastor of the famed Riverside Church in New York City. He told our little group that when he went Riverside, he faced a lot of opposition. One Sunday someone threw confetti from the balcony onto the worshippers below. The confetti was actually little pieces of paper with messages of opposition to Dr. Forbes as pastor of the church. Someone in our group asked him how he dealt with that pressure. He pointed to a recliner in the corner of his study. He said, I ve named my chair the hand of God. When the pressure gets too 3
intense, I tell my folks I need to retire to the hand of God. I knew what he was saying. We all need a place like that where we can release our self into the hand of God. Here s the fourth thing Peter told them. He said to be on guard when you re under pressure. Be disciplined, alert, he said, because when you re under pressure you re vulnerable to evil and the Evil One. He used vivid language to describe their adversary, the devil. The devil, he said, is like a roaring lion, prowling around looking for someone to devour. He told them that they must be on guard and resist him. When we re in the pressure cooker, we re vulnerable to making poor decisions. We re vulnerable to acting in unethical and immoral ways. Most people don t intend to take money illegally from their company. They don t intend to make poor decisions. But when the pressure is on and an opportunity presents itself, it can sometimes be too tempting to resist. If the pressure wasn t there, you might easily turn a blind eye. Add the pressure, though, and it s like a prowling lion waiting to devour. So be on guard, Peter told them. And finally there s one last thing. Peter told them to trust God. The God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. Trust God. At the end of the day, that is our best counsel. Trust God to restore you, support you, strengthen you, and establish you. That s what God does best. Dealing with pressure and the stress it creates really is part of the art of living. We must learn how to live in the pressure cooker, or life will be very frustrating and we will never reach our potential. These five important truths from the apostle Peter were helpful back then, and they are helpful today. Life is difficult. Expect it. 4
Learn to rejoice because Christ suffered too. Release yourself into the hand of God. Be on guard because you re vulnerable. And trust God. Closing Prayer Lord, we want to trust you in all our dealings. We want to honor you with every aspect of our lives. Help us to do so. Amen. 5