1 Peter 2:11-12
Dear friends, I
urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to
abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good
lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may
see your good deeds and glorify God on
the day he visits us.
In other
versions he calls us- Aliens/Sojourners/pilgrims/immigrants/ strangers. **What
do these all have in common?- They are all set apart**
Romans 1:1- Paul, a servant
of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God
Definitions
of these groups-
Sojourn-
to stay for a time in a place; live temporarily
Foreign- a person not native to or naturalized in the country, a
person outside the community, an outsider
Pilgrim- a traveler or wanderer, especially in a foreign place
The
Message:
Friends, this world is not your
home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the
expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your
actions will refute their prejudices. Then they’ll be won over to God’s side
and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives.
Have you ever traveled to a foreign country where you didn’t
know the language or the culture? Think about how you felt while you were
there. If you have never been to a foreign country then maybe you have watched
a college football game with a friend or group of friends who were devoted fans
of a school you did not attend. I am sure you can think of a time when you felt
out of place or that you did not belong. Capture that feeling, remember how you
felt….. Is this how you feel throughout your daily life, as you go to work, the
grocery store, out to dinner… As “foreigners” living in a sinful world this is
how we should often feel.
Think about the TV shows you watch, the radio stations you
listen to, the books you read, and the news you hear…. Are you shocked,
offended, or ever confused? If we are honest, most of us would probably say no.
We have become numb to the customs and acceptances of this world.
Peter pleads that we wake up and recognize that our citizenship
is in Heaven, this world is to be a foreign land.
Friends,
this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it.
Philippians 3:18-20- For, as I have often told you before and now tell you
again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their
stomach, and
their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from
there, the Lord Jesus Christ!
1 John 2:15-17 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for
the Father
is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from
the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
The bible is clear- we cannot have a dual citizenship. We must choose
one or the other. I think most of us would say that we want to be a citizen of
Heaven, but if we are honest, have we given up our residency in this world? Many
of us (me included) struggle to let go of our fleshly desires and thus, we have
not fully forfeited our earthly citizenship.
2 Cor. 5:17 Therefore,
if anyone is in Christ, the
new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here!
What does it look like to be a new creation? How do we know that
the new has come? Peter tells us that as foreigners (new creations) we are to
abstain from sinful desires (passions of the flesh). When we become a new
creation, there is an internal battle in our mind and in our hearts. We are
still human so we find ourselves with human desires and often we give in-
leaving us with guilt. At times, I feel crazy, but this is what a new creation
should feel like! This internal battle we fight is proof there something is
different inside of us and that we are not like everyone else.
When we place our lives in Christ and live as sojourns, we allow
the Holy Spirit to give us the strength to fight our internal battles.
Nonbelievers do not have the Holy Spirit helping them, no wonder our world is
so messed up… Even with the Holy Spirit, I struggle. I cannot imagine the mess
my life would be without His power! But because I give my fleshly desires to
Him, I am free from guilt and I do not have to give in.
I don’t have to do it; You don’t have to do it… DO what-
whatever it is you are thinking about. Because the Holy Spirit has broken our
chains and we are no longer bound to sin!
Galatians 5:1- It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be
burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
As Christians, we are free from the slavery of sin- but this
freedom comes with a price: we must fight this internal battle of our flesh.
Do you remember the Emancipation Proclamation?
*The Emancipation Proclamation proclaimed freedom for slaves.
However, even after this was passed, many slaves were unaware that they were free-
their masters either hid the news or convinced them that it was a rumor- so
thousands continue working as slaves - they were living as “freed slaves.”
Many of us (Christians) live in this world as “freed slaves.” We
become consumed by our flesh and we listen to the lies of the enemy. We get so
far deep in sin that this world becomes louder and louder and we can no longer
hear or see the Lord offering freedom!
Romans 7:21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is
right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another
law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of
the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched
man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God,
who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Often times we fall into these desires because we forget the
definition of our title- sojourner: we are temporary visitors of this
world.
Think of
your favorite musician or band. Pretend you were best friends with this person
or group. You are a regular attendee of their concerts. You see fans going
nuts, trying suck every bit of excitement and joy out of this event, because
they may never see them again. But you are best friends with____. So you do not
fully share the enthusiasm- you don’t have to squeeze everything out of this
event because you know that you are going back stage and that you will be
hanging out with them tomorrow too!
As
Christian’s we are not suppose to squeeze every ounce of satisfaction out of
this world because, not only will the world let us down, but we know we are
going back stage! (We are going to heaven) When we begin to think like this, we
are not only free form bondage, but we are free to submit to others!
In what
ways would we be better able to submit? I can think of a few:
1)
Time-
If I just think back on this week alone, how much of my time was spent on
self-serving things? (To be honest- much more time than serving other people) I
wonder- why am I so concerned with making my life more comfortable when I know
this is not my permanent residence, why don’t I use more of that self serving
time to pour into others?
2)
Money-
This is a hard one for me… Can I justify the way I spend? Most of the time the
answer is NO. Nothing I buy for myself will last. It is not wrong to buy
things, but I personally need to examine my motives for buying. Lately this has
been an area God has pressed on my heart- The Lord has blessed me with a job
and the resources to have more than my needs, how can I use these resources to share
blessings with others?
3)
Influence-
I bet most of you currently hold or have held some form of leadership role- at
work, or in an organization, maybe even at church… but how do you use your
authority to teach others or encourage others?
Tim
Keller tells a story about a women who made a terrible mistake at work. Her
mistake cost the company thousands of dollars. It was something she could have
and probably should have been fired for. However; her boss decided he was going
to take the fall for her. He had a high enough ranking that he would not be
fired for this mistake. .. She asked why? He said: “I serve a God who did that
for me! My God became powerless for my sake- he took the fault on my behalf… I
want to show you what that is like.”
By
living lives that portray the love of Christ, we are able to do two things:
1)
We
can bring others to Christ. 1 Peter 2:12
2)
We
silence foolish talk-1 Peter 2:15
Even if
the lady in the story did not come to know Christ as her savior, she can no
longer speak poorly of Christians because she will always remember this act of
selflessness!
I think
this is so encouraging! We shouldn’t be frustrated when we do not have hundreds
of opportunities to verbally share our faith. This story confirms that how we
treat and respect others is even more important. We are called to put our faith
on display. When we live like an alien of the world, people will notice and
they will ask!
1Peter 3:15- always be prepared to
share the hope you have!
Think
about your favorite song… do you have it in your head? What do you really like
about this song? I would bet you really enjoy the beat …. Am I right? I would
also bet that you began liking the song before you knew all the words?
Our
lives need to have a beat that others like (our beat is our actions) and then
they will begin listening to the words we speak!
