1 Peter - Part 14 - 2:11-12 - 5-7-2017
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Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
As we approach the text this morning Father we pray for understanding and encouragement. We pray that you will teach us to battle our own sinful nature and desires through the power of the Holy Spirit. We pray that you would train our hands for war that we may fight the flesh that wages war on our very souls. Make us warriors oh Lord prepared for the internal conflict and external temptation and vigilant in our desire to win the victory that all may see and give you glory. This is our desire and this we pray in Jesus name, Amen.
Previously in we have seen Peter talking about our identity, who we are because of Christ’s powerful and effectual work. He said we as Christians are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession who have the privilege and the responsibility of proclaiming God’s excellencies. That’s who we ARE in Christ Jesus. We already are that people and as that people we are instructed to act like we’re that people. Your mama ever tell you growing up you’re a big boy, now act like one. Yeah, mama got that from Peter and she didn’t even know it.
Peter says as that people who are not just a chosen race and a holy nation, but also exiles and sojourners, which is language he used before if you remember back in chapter one at the very beginning, we are to abstain from the passions of the flesh which wage war against your soul. Remember he’s told us before we’re like exiles and sojourners as Christians. We’re no longer of this world, we’re in it and a part of it, but our greatest and deepest longings and desires and hopes are in the one who created this world. We are alien, strange, different from all those around us whose hope is in the material and temporal. And as such Peter says we should abstain from the passions of the flesh which wage war against our souls.
So first what is abstinence? I know to many of you that may seem a silly question, but I think it’s a legitimate one, because our culture knows nothing of abstinence. Our culture knows nothing of restraining the flesh and controlling oneself. American culture has accepted whole hog the mentality that we are merely victims of the wanderings of our minds and feelings in our inner most being. We’re told over and over you can’t help who you love and how you feel and what you do. But Peter says that’s not true. He says you can fight the flesh, you can fight temptation as a Christian because of the one who now indwells you, helps you, and counsels as a believer - the Holy Spirit. And Peter says it begins with abstaining from the passions of the flesh. Peter says stop partaking in the things that are tempting you - stop messing around with physical things that hinder you from spiritual progress. Stop! Abstain! Remove yourself from the temptation or the temptation from yourself.
“Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.
Jesus isn’t demanding bodily mutilation here - rather he’s saying whatever it is that is causing you to sin, no matter how important you think it is, it’s not worth it. That affair you’re having it’s not worth it. The money you’re stealing, it’s not worth it. The lies you’re telling, the gossip you’re spreading, the stuff you’re listening to and watching online - these things are not worth your soul. And make no mistake - that’s exactly what’s at stake. The desires that you have and that you cater to by playing around with the temptations are waging war on your soul. Your soul is spiritually embattled right now, did you know that? If you didn’t and you aren’t fighting and you aren’t praying and you aren’t struggling against the sinful desires you have chances are highly likely that you’ve already been conquered. Your soul is already a battlefield won by the enemy. One of the indicators of a true Christian is not that we become sinless in this life, but that we sin less as we struggle against our flesh and by God’s power bring it to heel under control to the glory of God.
Paul tells us in
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
1 Corinthians 9:2
We are to discipline our bodies and minds, to train, think, prepare, struggle, and fight so that our whole being is under control - not under the control of every whim or feeling or fleeting thought, but truly under control. And here in lies freedom my friends. So many people in our culture think freedom is being able to do whatever you want, whenever you want, however you want, to whoever you want regardless of circumstance. But that’s not freedom - that’s slavery - slavery to your own passions and lusts, slavery to your own desires and flesh. No true freedom is being able to deny oneself, to keep your whole being under control and that type of freedom can only come through the power and work of Jesus Christ my friends.
Peter continues admonishing the believers to keep our conduct among the Gentiles honorable. Some of our conduct? No all of it, every bit. All of it is to be honorable. Why? Because even our actions should be preaching a sermon to the world of how great our glorious God and King is. When we move, when we act in the world, when we speak - our efforts should be so ethical, so noble, so principled, so sincere, so virtuous, and so altogether distinguished from the rest of the world that it causes even the most hateful atheist or pagan to pause. They might hate you and speak ill about you because you love Jesus and disagree with them, but they have no choice ultimately but to recognize your good deeds.
We should pause here for just a moment to note something. Peter makes abundantly clear that as Christians we will be hated. Christianity is going to be loathed by those who hate God and we will be labeled evildoers. It happened in the ancient world to the people Peter was immediately writing to and it happens nowadays as well. Preachers in England get arrested for sharing the gospel with people and get labeled evildoers and hatemongers by the courts. Bakers refusing to glorify that which God condemns are labeled evildoers and bigots. Photographers refusing to celebrate sin are labeled evildoers and homophobic. Student organizations on college campuses standing up for the rights of pre-born infants are labeled evildoers and patriarchal menaces. We will be hated - make no mistake.
But here’s the cool part about what Peter’s saying here. Some of those same people who once hated us, after seeing our honorable behavior and conduct may give glory to God in the end. Our honorable conduct may serve as witness to these people proclaiming the power of Jesus Christ to them in such a tangible way that through this holy and honorable conduct the Holy Spirit is moving and working and changing hearts and minds. You have no idea how God is accomplishing His great works and you may very well be an instrument He uses. How awesome is that? How great a gift of God is it that He allows us to be a part of ministering to other people and proclaiming His goodness to them in our words and deeds?!? Can you think of a higher calling than to show someone the awesomeness of God? Can you think of a more satisfying responsibility? I can’t!
This is what we’re here for! This is why we exist to enjoy God and glorify Him forever! Remember last time what Peter said? It was so awesome I have to go back and remind you
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
1 Peter 2
As Christians we are chosen to proclaim God’s excellencies, to declare to the world how good God is and how gracious a savior He is who saves us from darkness. This isn’t a burden folks, it’s a blessing. We get to share Jesus with people.We get to contribute to someone else’s spiritual existence in a powerful way. Isn’t that mind bogglingly cool. I think so.
Praise God for his wonderful mercy and grace that He continues to save sinners, drawing us unto Himself and the He also works through our efforts to accomplish eternally important things. That is good news my friends and it’s worth celebrating. So we’re going to have one more song to praise our God and King. Sing to Him and give Him glory. Won’t you do that now as we stand and sing together.