Chinese Finger Traps

As we continue this week in our series, Standing Firm, through the New Testament letter of 1 Peter, it seems like the apostle is going off the rails. He’s been preaching a consistent and powerful message, but here it looks like he’s switching gears entirely. If you look closely, though – as we’ll do in this message – he’s being perfectly consistent with the theme he’s had running from the start. Although it looks like this passage is about wives submitting to their husbands and is thus terribly controversial, it’s about something much more important than that. Lean in with me and let’s see what Peter has to say here.

Faith at Home

You all know what a Chinese finger trap is, yes? A few months ago, I gave one to everyone in the room. Naturally, everyone who was here kept theirs in a treasured spot as you do with all your sermon freebies. I don’t suspect I need to explain to you how they work. You put your fingers in and when you try to pull them out, you discover they are trapped. The harder you pull, the more thoroughly you find yourself trapped. The trap works by taking your natural inclination—to pull harder when you’re stuck—and makes it work against you. The design tightens more the more it is stretched. In other words, when it comes to escaping from a Chinese finger trap, force isn’t going to do the trick. So, what does? Gentleness.

Read the rest…

In this fourth part of our series, Pursue: Chasing God in a Godless World, we move in a direction that is perhaps unexpected given the assumptions of our culture. When Asa and the people were busily moving in the direction of God against the grain of the culture around them they did something most people wouldn’t have done then or now. As for what this is and what it means for us, keep reading to find out.

Worship and Surrender

Have you ever used a Chinese finger trap? Unless you’ve spent the last 30 minutes stuck in it and are waiting to get loose, grab the one you were handed this morning as you came in. Go ahead and stick your fingers in it. Now, try and pull them out. The natural reaction when you stick your fingers in and can’t immediately slide them back out is to pull harder. But, as perhaps you have already discovered, pulling harder won’t get your fingers out of the trap. There are times in life like that, aren’t there? Times when more pressure isn’t going to get the job done. There are situations in which we have to learn to stop fighting if we’re going to manage to get anywhere good. Read the rest…