Mission for Moral Distinction

1 Peter: A Living Hope for Holy Living in a Hostile World • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago • Presented 5 years ago • 49:47

1 Peter 2:11–12

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For the sake of our own souls and the salvation of others, believers must abstain from sinful desires and maintain godly conduct in all areas of life.

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Mission for Moral Distinction - 1 Peter 2:11-12

Intro: How many of you are willing to fight for a good complexion? (I have with me some common facial care products.) I mean, we go to battle for the sake of our complexion against pimples—with face wash, wipes, medication, and tubes of this and that acidic ointment. Some go to war against age wrinkles with creams and essential oils and the like. With tweezers we pluck out the dastardly eyebrow hairs that treasonously refuse to obey our command. And for Pete’s sake, men, why do our wives have to TELL us that long nose hairs and ear hairs need to be trimmed? :-)

If only we took as much care to cut out sin and live godly lives as we do for our facial complexion, and put as much effort into that as to how we tame our hair. If only we cared as much for personal holiness (for moral beauty) as we do for dressing ourselves with fine clothes and cool clothes for external adornment.

Peter tells us that we should, that we must, care for moral integrity. If we have indeed tasted that the Lord is good… since we, his people… 1:3-5… So we must 1:13-15… and 2:2-3. Peter continues… We are living stones being built upon THE LIVING STONE into his spiritual house and to be a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices in every part of life as we worship him. Unfortunately for many, they reject this cornerstone—Jesus Christ—and are therefore condemned because in their disobedient disbelief they do not accept and submit to him as Lord. Not so with you who are truly His…

1 Peter 2:9–12 ESV

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. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 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.

PRAY: Father, I ask you to enable me to speak with the passion of a saved sinner and with compassion for lost souls, (help me to speak) by the power of your Holy Spirit, from the pages of your Word, for the purity of your Church, to the praise of our Lord Jesus Christ… and to do so with patience and perseverance (modeled by the Savior) for as long as you see fit to keep me in this ministry and on this earth. And Lord, I ask for all of us here this morning, by your mercy and for your own glory, that you root out all evil passions within us and plant in us a pure desire to be conformed to your character.

In vv. 11-12 of ch. 2 we come to a transitional text to another major section of the letter (from 2:11 to 4:11)… like a brief prologue to this next series of exhortations in the letter. - The focus seems to shift here from the relationship that believers have with one another to the way they (as a group and individually) relate to an unbelieving world—a world that is suspicious and often hostile toward Christianity. - So Peter describes the conduct of the citizens of heaven among the citizens of the world…

Here’s an excellent summary of these introductory verses as they present the theme for the whole subsequent section of Peter’s letter: “Believers should live as aliens in this world so that unbelievers will observe their godly lives and glorify God by coming to faith in Christ.” Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, vol. 37, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003), 118.

Beloved, I Urge You…

The passionate plea of someone who dearly loves the Church and desires God’s glory - This is no trite, “Can I make a suggestion?” No, this is, “Beloved—those whom I love because you are chosen and beloved of God—I implore you, plead with you, exhort you (from a position of both sincere caring concern as well as from a position of authority based on the truth of God’s character and revealed word)…

I beg you to abstain from fleshly desires and to maintain a godly lifestyle. To abstain from worldly passions (which are the very thing that is leading men to destruction and from which you have been rescued, purchased, brought out and set apart)… and to maintain a godly lifestyle (that is consistent with the beautiful character of the God who has adopted you and made you his child, and which has the power to bring conviction upon men, even those who seek to slander you and do you harm because you bear the name of Christ). - Your holy living can expose to others the gaping whole in the life they’re living!

But before abstain and maintain, he reminds the readers again of their status with relationship to this world with its systems and its people. We are foreigners and sojourners here, meaning…

As Temporary Residents of This World (because you are in Christ, with citizenship in heaven)

God’s people dispersed among the nations… - This kind of thinking for God’s chosen people dates all the way back to Abraham, who specifically described himself as an alien and stranger (Gen. 23:4). “Abraham uttered these words in a context in which he had no property on which to bury his wife. Similarly, the Petrine readers had no permanent home in this world.” Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, vol. 37, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003), 119.

What’s the point of thinking of ourselves as only temporary residents here? You aim to live well here but with primary allegiance elsewhere—to the heavenly kingdom of God, ruled by Christ.

Such a perspective allows us to not be bound by materialism.

…To not set our hope in temporal things, people, governments, etc. - Our hope is fixed on Christ, on the character of God, on our eternal inheritance that is sure and that we look forward to.

…To willingly sacrifice earthly ties to serve the Lord even in painful separation from what and whom we consider our home here on earth. - Wayne Grudem notes, “The knowledge that Christians have no true home here on earth has been of comfort especially to those who spend years and even lifetimes away from their earthly homes in the service of Christ.” Wayne A. Grudem, 1 Peter: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 17, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 122.

Once again, now we come to a negative exhortation and a positive one, where Peter portrays an image of warfare against our sinful desires and of witness to a watching and often hostile world.

Abstain from Fleshly Desires

Natural passions of the flesh

1:14 the passions of your former ignorance… 4:2 of human passions, and v. 3 as examples of flaunting a lifestyle of such passions (which you used to participate in, but now you do not… must not)

Notice also that having the Spirit does not exempt you from fleshly desires:

Galatians 5:24–25 ESV

And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

Galatians 5:16 ESV

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

How? By choosing to submit to the Holy Spirit as he keeps you accountable to His revealed word in the Bible RATHER than giving in to earthly passions. Here, Peter says to abstain, to remove yourself far away from them.

1 Peter: An Introduction and Commentary 1. Abstain from Following Sinful Passions (2:11)

Such a command implies that inward desires are not uncontrollable but can be consciously nurtured or restrained—a needed rebuke to our modern society which takes feelings as a morally neutral ‘given’ and disparages any who would say that some feelings and desires are wrong.

IN FACT, they wage war against your soul.

To describe it as “waging war” gives some picture of the depth of the struggle

You are daily in the ring with sinful passion (an enemy that attempts to overcome and conquer you) - And when we give into it (whatever that passion is), it rules us. Some of us are ruled by our sexual desire… others by greed (love of money)… still others by selfish ambition. Have you not noticed that we can sometimes almost became equated with a vice that rules us? - The overbearing leader, the discontented wife, the rebellious youth, the angry child, the control freak, the overly-sensitive one, the opinionated know-it-all, the selfish one (me first), the crass/inappropriate talker, the cranky neighbor, … we could go on. - When I say some of these, a person literally pops into your mind. Now look in the mirror! I have been most if not all of these things! Ah! - If we do not wage war against them in abstinence of such desires, by removing them far from us, they will rule us.

To say that this war is “against your soul” helps us grasp the harmfulness of sin (Holding on to sinful desires brings you spiritual harm.)

How? (Practically speaking, how do these earthly/sinful/carnal passions harm you as you give in to them?)

They are the very thing that lead to the eternal destruction of souls, marking men as enemies of God and objects of His holy wrath.

(If you claim to be a Christian but habitually give into sin) They sap your own assurance (of sincere faith) - If the Bible says that as a new creation we should have new desires, then regularly giving in to wrong passions and especially continuing in wrong directions that God says are wrong… leaves us in a place where we lack certainty of our salvation.

They stunt spiritual growth (2:2)

Hamper witness (discredit your testimony/profession, 2:12) - Bring defamation upon Christ, hurt the witness of THE Church

Forfeit spiritual blessing (both now and potentially in eternity)

1 Peter 3:8–9 ESV

Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.

Rather, we are blessed by God for doing what is right even or especially when suffering for doing good. (that’s the next point being made in that section of chapter 3…)

So, wage war against carnal passions… abstain from them (be distant from them, avoid them) AND

Maintain a Godly Lifestyle

We see now too that “Christians are to abstain from sinful desires not only for their own spiritual well-being but also in order to maintain an effective testimony before unbelievers.” Roger M. Raymer, “1 Peter,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 846.

Good conduct - This means a day by day pattern of life. According to Peter, we make it our aim to proclaim the excellencies of God through godly living on a daily basis. — Even or especially in familiar situations, our conduct should be different.

I was reminded this week by this text that even as a local church, we should not aim primarily to be known for the specificity of our doctrine (though that is good) nor even our philosophy of preaching (which we also believe is critical) but to be known for the sincerity and beauty of our godly living. (The former are aspects of a church family that meets together and works well together, whereas the latter is a central appeal of the mission of Christ’s Church.)

Among the Gentiles - meaning unbelievers (in this overarching metaphor), carrying the theme of the NT believers being compared to OT Jews… - So, among unbelievers.

Can I remind you too that this means that you are not of the world but certainly among those who are still held captive by the world? - If you make it your aim to never be near unbelievers because you’re afraid of contamination, who will bear witness? (Of course, the balance here is that our nearest and dearest friends need to be believers who strengthen us and comfort us and hold us accountable to God’s word… and that we not make excuses for loving what the world loves because we’re merely being near the world. That’s foolishness. What I am saying is that your cursing coworkers need the accountability of your presence among them, not swearing but speaking kindly and truthfully, not cheating but being a woman of integrity, not faking morality but being a person of sincere and evident faith. Our family members whom we love that are living in sin need the constant reminder of our loving presence that holds their feet to the fire that we disapprove of their sin, not because we are perfect, but because God and his command is perfect. That jerk of a neighbor NEEDS you to keep mowing his lawn and saying hello and asking, “Can I pray for you?”, even while he grunts and spits (and while dog poop is suspiciously appearing regularly in your fenced off back yard!). Tell me, if not you, who is going to be that evidence of the long-suffering, self-sacrificial love of Jesus if you refuse to be what God has called you out of darkness for? Who will be that light?

SO THAT...

When they slander you (wrongly) as evildoers - As believers, we are viewed with suspicion and hostility precisely because we do not conform to their way of life (4:4).

Our testimony among unbelievers is an additional reason to abstain from sin, to die to self, to deny the passions of our old life… otherwise, they will rightly accuse us of being hypocrites! Now, this does not mean of course that you’ll never mess up and need to confess and seek forgiveness, but that you don’t have patterns of life that prove contrary to your claim of pursuing Christ.

Take note, by the way, that you can’t call it slander when you’re actually doing the very thing they say you’re doing. “These people say that Jesus changes everything, but then they sleep together outside of marriage just like the rest of us. They pursue money as an end in itself. They claw their way to get what they want for personal gain. Their leaders behave just like us and lord it over those in their charge. They talk about the servanthood of Jesus but I’ve never seen such lazy people who complain about working. Their wives give lip-service to the example of Jesus in submission to the Father’s will, but they don’t really want to submit to God’s order for the family and for the church. Some of their boldest young leaders that everybody seems to be touting will some years later completely renounce the faith and everything they’ve been loudly proclaiming for years. (At least now they’re finally “enlightened.”)

People of God, there’s only way way to shut that down. You must actually be different, actually deny the passions of the flesh and pursue the godly character of Jesus Christ. There are so many fakers in the Church at large and undoubtedly even some among us today—sitting, standing, singing, clapping, smiling, perhaps even giving, praying, teaching—but it’s all for show and just for right now. If you spent time with them at work, at school, in sports, in band, even in ministry… you’d find that the world is justified in calling their bluff! More importantly for their own eternity, who will ultimately call their bluff?!!! Yikes. You should be very afraid of your falsehood.

INSTEAD, in beautiful contrast … Godly living proves us for who we are, for whose we are. And consistent godly living takes the stinger out of slander. In fact, it is particularly powerful to continue in godly conduct even in the face of slander and false accusation. It can potentially carry the impact (by God’s grace) that...

They may see your good deeds and glorify God

Some unbelievers will repent and believe (and thus glorify God) - Peter almost certainly alludes to Jesus’ own words:

Matthew 5:16 ESV

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

By contrast to what we said earlier as examples of those being ruled by fleshly passions, here are standout examples of godly character manifesting itself in good deeds in a way that becomes synonymous with who we are: The generous and hospitable couple, the merciful encourager, the consistent and sacrificial leader, the joyful and submissive wife, the peace-making child, the patient teammate in ministry, the co-worker who never slanders the boss, the laborer who goes the extra mile, the constant encourager to others in ministry … hopefully, given a few minutes, we could list many more examples. - As you serve Christ, what do you want to be known for?

On the day of visitation - Some interpreters take this to be a reference to glorifying God on the last day (the day of judgment), and others to their initial conversion when the Lord “visits” them. Or perhaps it is best to understand this in an even broader sense: They glorify God by believing, by devoted hearts and good works in the Christian life, and at the end of the age.

The New American Commentary: 1, 2 Peter, Jude 1. The Christian Life as a Battle and Witness (2:11–12)

Peter’s hope was that unbelievers will be compelled to admit that the lifestyle of believers is morally beautiful, and this admission will bring them to saving faith so that God will be glorified on the day of judgment.

Of course,

The New American Commentary: 1, 2 Peter, Jude 1. The Christian Life as a Battle and Witness (2:11–12)

Peter realized that not all will be saved when they observe the lives of believers (cf. 3:16). Nevertheless, he summoned believers to holiness with the confidence that some unbelievers will be brought to faith as they see the transformed lives of believers.

Conclusion: [butterfly image]

Does a butterfly look and behave anything like a caterpillar? - Imagine a butterfly who had the mental and moral capacity for frequent cravings to return to behaving like a caterpillar. What would you tell said butterfly? - “But you’re not a caterpillar anymore! That’s not what you are, it’s no longer your purpose, you have been made into something new, with new purposes and new desires. Pursue those and leave caterpillar-ing to the caterpillars! When they see you, they’ll realize how different you are from them and potentially what they can become through the transformation that faith in Jesus Christ brings!”

We’re on a mission for moral beauty, for moral distinctiveness.

What is a mission? (definition)

a group or committee of persons sent to a foreign country to conduct negotiations, establish relations, provide scientific and technical assistance, or the like.

the business with which such a group is charged.

any important task or duty that is assigned, allotted, or self-imposed: Our mission is to call all people to know and grow in Jesus.

an important goal or purpose that is accompanied by strong conviction; a calling or vocation: She has finally found her mission in life.

It is part of our mission to be transformed by Christ in such a way that people cannot help but take notice. That we abstain for fleshly desires to pursue the goodness of God. That we live godly lives, even in the face of suffering and slander, so that others may see the goodness of God.

And this is NOT an impossible mission. To live in such a way as to draw attention to the miraculous life-giving and transformative power of the gospel of Jesus Christ is not an impossible task. In fact the mission is guaranteed if we will abide in Christ and submit to the word of God by the power of His Holy Spirit!

END with Video: It’s Our Time - Igniter Media

Points for Application with Family/Groups:

Reorder Priorities - We frequently need to refocus on priorities and bring all our activities in submission to what we know our Christian priorities ought to be. - List just a few supreme priorities. List a bunch of subordinate, even important, tasks that need to remain aligned under those superior priorities. - In your own life, what things and people tend to become elevated to places that they should not be? What will you do to restore right order?

Be on High Alert - See 1 Peter 4:7-8, 1:13 - What things cause you to drop your guard? What practices help you to stay alert?

Take Deliberate Action to Abstain and Maintain - Outline specific steps to put into practice for a given sin struggle and specific godly quality, with others to hold you accountable.

Draw Near to God (which is really always application #1) - We frequently neglect our prized possession and privilege in the Christian life—direct access to God himself. - Make very detailed plans for time alone with God. When during the day? Where will you do it to have privacy and not be interrupted? What content will you read and pray through? Who will be your teammate to keep you accountable?

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