Brethren in Babylon

Posted: May 14, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Babylon, Faithful, Family, God, Grace, Jesus, Kiss of love, Motherhood, Parenting, Peace, Sermons, The Family of God, Truth, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Please turn in or on your Bibles to 1 Peter 5:12-14! If you do not have a Bible, we would love to give you one. What does this passage have to do with Mother’s Day? Let’s read it and find out. Read 1 Peter 5:12-14!          

All of us had mothers who at very least gave birth to us. Many of our mothers nurtured and cared for us. We honour mothers today, but this message is for everyone listening. It is about a love greater than our mother’s love. It is about the love within the family of God. Our biological families are a gift from God on this earth, but the family of God is a gift for this earth and in the new heavens and new earth. As Sam Alberry has said, “The blood of Jesus is thicker than biology.”[1] Moms, thank you for the tremendous impact you have made on our lives. You are often under-appreciated and today we appreciate you. Today as we study these final greetings in the Apostle Peter’s first letter, we will hope to encourage the under-appreciated and be reminded of the impact they make. 

Often we take our family members for granted. We don’t recognize how God has put us

into families to help us, tell us the truth in love and to cheer us on. Our family members made a huge impact on us for good and bad. Do you realize that all of you make an impact on each other? You often make an impact on me. You pray with and for me. You encourage me when I am down and things feel hopeless, especially those of you who have more wear and tear on the tires of life than I do. You show excitement to see me and my family. I watch how when university students like my son Josiah come home, you are excited to see them. As part of God’s family, He uses you to make an impact in one another’s lives. The final three verses in 1 Peter remind us of this truth.  These verses may seem insignificant, sort of like the sign-off on our email, but they are not. You can have a lot of fun and gain a lot of insight when you chase the names of these minor characters around the Bible. It is like being an ancestry researcher. Those mentioned only a few times, can have many times the impact. 

As part of God’s family, you make an impact when you are a … 1) Faithful brother (v. 

12). Look at verse 12 to see what I am talking about, “By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it.” Who was Sylvanus? New Testament scholar Craig Keener gives this insight, “Silvanus is usually regarded as the latinized version of the name ‘Silas’, a travelling companion of Paul in Macedonia and Achaia.”[2] Yes, that same Silas who was most famous for being in jail with Paul for preaching the gospel in Philippi when God sent an earthquake that flung opens the doors of the jail. Silas even back then remained faithful and he and Paul didn’t leave the jail, but instead witnessed to the jailer who then received Christ along with his family (Acts 16:25-40). That is the same passage we read Acts 16:30, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” That message still holds true for you and your household today. Silas, aka Silvanus, was a faithful brother! He stood firm in the gospel and made a big impact throughout his seemingly “insignificant” life. Bible Teacher William Barclay further explains, “Silvanus may have been more than a scribe since the Greek is at a higher level than most likely the Galilean fisherman that Peter was. The church always has need of people like Silvanus and many who cannot be Peters or Pauls can still assist the Peters and Pauls to do their work.”[3] Maybe you will never be on stage, but your behind-the-scenes service and faithful life will make a huge impact for the generations to come just like we are reading Silvanus’ work today? Other scholars like Tom Schreiner believes “Silvanus only delivered the letter.”[4] But even if Silvanus was just delivered Peter’s letter, it was an important task. The elect exiles scattered throughout “Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia” (1:1) known in the ancient world as Asia Minor and today known as Anatolia or central and western Turkey (see map). It was “755, 668 km2”[5] (a little less than the size of Northern Ontario) which would have been a long and dangerous trip. He would have gone to all the major churches in the early Christians. The believers would have been thankful for Sylvanus risking his life to bring encouraging news in the midst of suffering. You might think a mail carrier is not an important job, but even back then we find in Acts 15:22-23that the church actually selected some of their best to deliver letters because they had credibility, “Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas and Silas, leading men among the brothers.” During the pandemic, we learned how important postal and delivery workers are. They not only bring goods and services to us, they often bring good news to us. They are to be trusted and it is required that they are bonded. Recently, I had to get my I.D. confirmed and I was required to go to the post office for them to vouch for my I.D.. Mail-deliverers are trusted people. They protect your privacy.  Silvanus vouched for Peter to the elect exiles that this was his letter. Faithfulness is often seen As part of God’s family, you make an impact when you are a faithful brother … like Silvanus who serves and makes us better than we could be alone. This encourages us to be faithful in the work that only God sees. It could be staying up with that sick kid in the night. It could be doing laundry so that kids go to school and other family members go to work. How about the prayers for your family that cause you to lose sleep. Mothers, you know what I am talking about. But all of us, be faithful in that job or service or ministry that is helping others succeed. BE FAITHFUL!

By the way, when I say faithful brother, are the sisters in the house off the hook? Do Christian women and girls still need to be faithful? Yes! I am describing faithfulness for the brethren – a term that describes both male and female in the Body of Christ. Be faithful – all of you in God’s forever family. Not only can we be faithful by keeping our eyes locked on Jesus and therefore make a big impact, but as part of God’s family, you make an impact when you secondly are a 2) Testifier to the true grace of the Father (v. 12-13). A testifier to the true grace of God the Father. Let’s look again at verses 12-13, “By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it. She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son.” What is the true grace of God? In two words – the gospel. The gospel is both true and full of grace. My friends we cannot stop preaching the gospel to ourselves. Reading the Bible daily is one of those ways, but it also takes reflection to stop doing things in your own strength and rely on Christ. There are unevangelized regions of our hearts and lives where we still think we have to do things in our own strength or that we are too far gone that Jesus can’t redeem that area of your life. What area of your life is yet to be evangelized with the true grace of the Father? I have found that reading the Word of God helps so much, but I also need the Family of God to speak the true grace of our Father into our lives. One of you prayed with me this week when doubt crept in. You reminded me of the true grace of our Father. 

Do you know who else was a testifier to the true grace of the Father? Mark! We need to be testifiers to the true grace of the Father like Mark who formerly lacked courage, but became a helpful son (2 Timothy 4:11) Who is Mark? Mark was the John Mark who “travelled with Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey (Acts 12:25; 13:5, 13).”[6] “Peter would have known Mark from the earliest days, because the church met in his mother’s home (Acts 12:12).”[7] Which by the way, just hosting a small group or prayer gathering or having missionaries and pastors in your home helps expose your children to God’s Word and is a great way to grow spiritually through osmosis. I always want my kids to be around godly men and women. It helps their doubts. Mark believed, but he struggled with courage. Though scholars debate this, Mark may have been the young man who ran away naked when seized at Jesus’ arrest in Gethsemane (Mark 14:51-52).[8] It should have been a clue when Paul and Barnabas took him later on their missionary journey and Paul was so frustrated with John Mark’s timidity. Maybe he was a worry wort and didn’t cast his cares on God? Pastor and author Tim Keller says, “Worry is pride because you take the place of God and think you know how your life is going to go.” As we learned last week, casting your cares of God fights pride and removes our worry worts. We can humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand. We can then be sober-minded, alert and resist the devil. Our small group this week said that this turns us from a worrier to a warrior. John Mark seemed to be stuck as a worrier. Paul wouldn’t take Mark again on another missionary journey, so Barnabas, the encourager, had to literally build courage into Mark through the grace of God until Mark became a warrior in fighting the devil’s discouragement. Incidentally, that instance caused Paul and Silas to join together – the same Silas that we talked about in 1 Peter 5:12. This greeting at the end of 1 Peter ties down a lot of loose ends in the New Testament with what happened to Mark and Silas through the true grace of God. What a reminder that grace hasn’t finished its work yet? God is doing things and connecting all the pieces of His plan together through grace (Ephesians 1:7-10). Mark learned the true grace of God and stood firm it. This is evident when Paul is in prison and asks Timothy to bring along Mark to visit him in 2 Timothy 4:11, “… Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.” Mark is a connector. He has been mentored and has served alongside Paul, Barnabas, Timothy and Peter. The indication that Mark was Peter’s son in the faith “validates the tradition that Mark wrote his gospel at Peter’s direction.”[9] Peter, Silvanus and Mark could all testify to God’s true grace. Can you? How have you seen the true grace of God in your life? I would encourage you to talk about that around the dinner table today and in your small groups this week. TESTIFY GOD’S TRUE GRACE! This week our Staff heard author Barnabas Piper talk about his church that they testify God’s true grace by walking in the light as described in 1 John 1:5-7. Walking in the light means being honest with all your struggles with some Christian brothers and sisters and they pray for you and care for you. They declare a graveyard to your sins where you are not harming others – meaning your sins are buried and there is no record of wrongs. This is testifying God’s true grace.

As part of God’s family, you can make an impact when you are a faithful brother, a 

testifier to the grace of the Father and thirdly, an 3) Affectionate and peaceful member (v. 13-14) Look at verses 13-14, “She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings and so does Mark, my son. Greet one another with the kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.” Who is she who is at Babylon? “Babylon probably refers to Rome.”[10] She who is in Babylon is the Church of elect exiles (1:2) living in hostile territory, most likely Rome. The term Babylon goes all the way back to Babel and conveys human rebellion against God (Genesis 11:9). Babylon became an evil empire that took the Jews into captivity in 586 B.C. that is described in 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Ezekiel, Esther, and Daniel (who we will be studying next starting next week, Lord willing).

And yet, even though the elect exiles were living in a hostile culture and so was the church in Babylon, they greeted one another warmly. Maybe in a hostile and cold culture, appropriate affection is even more needed? In a culture where we have lost a sense of appropriate touch, a side hug, warm handshake or even kiss on the cheek is welcome in God’s family. I do not display much public affection with people outside my family, but it is helpful at times if the person welcomes it. The key is that they have to welcome it. You can say, “Do you want a fist bump or hug?” Greeting each other warmly like the elect exiles and church in Babylon did. GREET ONE ANOTHER LOVINGLY!

Maybe today you came and wondered if you are making an impact. Can you not see now that in Christ He is using you in significant ways to shape others for good and godliness? It could be faithfully scribing somebody’s work like brother Silvanus. It could be testifying God’s true grace as a son like Mark. It could be greeting one another with a hug as an elect exile (homeless, but hand-picked). May peace be to all of you who are in Christ!

[1] As quoted in Belong by Barnabas Piper (London: The Good Book Company, 2023), 37.

[2] Craig S. Keener, 1 Peter – A Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2021), 392.

[3] William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible (Toronto: G.R. Welch Co. Ltd., 1976), 276-276. Silas is mentioned in Acts 15:22; 16:19; 17:4; 2 Corinthians 1:19 and 1 Thessalonians 1:1).

[4] Thomas R. Schreiner, ESV Study Bible (Wheaton: Crossway, 2008), 2413.

[5] Stat from https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatolia. Accessed May 12, 2023.

[6] Schreiner, 2413.

[7] Schreiner, 2413.

[8] Robert Gundry reports William Lane and L. Johnson surmises that it was Mark who showed up the Garden of Gethsemane after hosting the Last Supper, falling asleep and getting out of bed quickly (Acts 12:12). (Robert H. Gundry, Mark – A Commentary on His Apology for the Cross, Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1993, p. 882) Dr. Wayne Baxter thinks it wasn’t Mark because Mark was a second-generation Christian.

[9] Schreiner, 2413.

[10] J. Ramsey Michaels, 1 Peter – Word Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Publishers, Nashville, 1988), 311.