Sermon Tone Analysis

1 Peter 1:22 – 3:2

Last week we asked the question, “What motivates your actions and choices in life?”

We concluded that our predominant motive should be a deep and supreme respect for Christ due to the great cost of his sacrifice and the great length of his commitment to us.

Has this been your primary motive this week more in a conscious, perceptible way?

Or have you still been motivated by other impulses and causes?

What trait best describes your actions, choices, and words in day-to-day life?

This week we’ll ask another question, “What trait best describes your actions, choices, and words in day-to-day life?” Cheerfulness?

Quietness?

Loyalty?

Something else?

Before you answer, did you know that distinct people groups and nationalities exhibit some shared tendencies and traits?

Accumulated genetic testing results indicate, for instance, that people with Northern European roots are much less likely to be lactose intolerant and more likely to have freckles, whereas people of African descent and East Asian descent are more likely to have dark eyes.

Another study indicates that certain personality traits are most dominant among certain nationalities, as follows:

People from Nicaragua, Lebanon, and Cameroon are among the most extraverted nations, while Lithuania, Chile, Brazil, and Poland are among the most introverted.

Italy and Brazil are among the most intuitive countries, while Ghana, Somalia, Singapore, and China are among the most observant nations.

Russia, Syria, and Iran are among the most thinking-oriented nations, while New Zealand, Australia, and Papua New Guinea are among the most feeling-oriented.

Still another study indicates the following:

Danes and Germans are most open to experience, while Chinese, Northern Irish, and Kuwaitis are least open and more cautious.

Japanese and Argentinians score highest for neurotic tendencies (anxiety, depression, etc.), while people from Congo or Jordan are more agreeable and relaxed.

People of African descent tend to score higher for being conscientious, while the scores for being least conscientious are most common among people from East Asia.

These studies also indicate that the way we tend to stereotype our own people group doesn’t often match the dominant personality type revealed by research.

The average British person, for instance, perceives the average American to be much more extraverted, yet professional studies indicate that British personalities are either more or equally extraverted on average.

Fascinating, right?

Now let’s turn away from demographical observations to our initial question: “what trait best describes your actions, choices, and words?”

One word.

One quality.

Write it down and compare it to what your spouse, sibling, or closest friend writes down about you.

This is a fascinating exercise because what you would like to think is your dominant trait (something positive) may not be.

You may imagine yourself to be friendly when in fact you’re withdrawn, generous though you’re stingy, joyful though you’re bitter, caring though you’re impolite, humble though you’re proud, or hard-working though you’re lazy.

This potential to have an unreal view of ourselves demands close scrutiny not only because we want to be better or more consistent people.

Since we’re followers of Christ, then we should reflect the very nature and qualities of God our Father – and God is ... Well, do you know what primary attribute describes our heavenly Father (1 Jn 4:8)?

That’s why we need to accurately assess our personal character to help ourselves determine whether we are accurately and effectively exhibiting the nature and qualities of our Father.

As we read 1 Pet 1:22-2:3, we can trace Peter’s thought process with seven statements:

We should love one another with pure hearts.

(Main Thought)

Because our souls have been purified by God.

(Reason 1)

Because the Word of God has given us new life.

(Reason 2)

Because the Word of God remains in us forever.

(Reason 3)

We must remove unloving attitudes, actions, and words from our lives.

(- Response)

We must crave more of the Word of God instead so our love will grow.

(+ Response)

This only applies to you if you have genuinely believed on Christ.

(Clarification)

Let’s follow this thought process through together since God has given it to us.

By doing so, we can align our thoughts, affections, and behavior to be more like his own.

This is an important process to pursue because it doesn’t match our usual thought process.

Here’s what our thoughts and actions are really like in far too many cases:

We should love one another with pure hearts.

(Main Thought)

But we can’t because no one is perfect after all.

(Clarification 1)

But we can’t because we were born with certain personalities flaws.

(Clarification 2)

But we can’t because the Word of God isn’t good enough.

(Clarification 3)

So we’ll tolerate some unloving attitudes, actions, and words in our lives.

(+ Response)

And we’ll reduce our attention to the Word of God to pursue other goals.

(+ Response)

After all, this is okay because we’ve been saved by grace.

(Reason)

Do you find yourself making excuses for your lack of Christlike love?

Let’s let Peter challenge our hearts to adopt a more biblical mindset and a more godly goal in our lives.

We should love one another with pure hearts.

Love one another fervently with a pure heart

This is the main thought in this section of this letter.

Why would this instruction be necessary?

When we experience intense, prolonged suffering, as these believers did, we easily become more focused on and protective of ourselves instead of on loving others.

“Love” here is a command.

Since it is a command, we should do this whether we feel like doing so or not.

To be sure, it is always better to feel love for the people we are called to love, and we can ask God to help provide that feeling when needed.

Yet we should love one another whether we feel like loving them or not and whether we feel like they deserve to be loved or not.

This is esp.

true of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ in the church.

“One another” is the object of our love.

We don’t get to pick and choose who we love as followers of Christ.

We should not limit our love for one another to those whom we’ve known the longest or get along with the easiest.

We must love whomever God places into our church family, whether we naturally like them or are naturally like them or not.

“Fervently” tells us the degree of love we should have.

It means “continuously, eagerly, intensely, and without stopping.”

We should love each other through the ups and downs of life – no matter how much suffering we face or even how much suffering it may require.

“With a pure heart” tells us the quality of the love we should have.

It means that we should love each other “without ulterior motives.”

So, we should love one another intensely and for no other reason than that we simply, truly care about them.

It is loving others for their own benefit whether or not we receive any benefit in return.

What does it mean to love?

It means to build close relationships with each other, the kind of relationships that put the interests and needs of others ahead of our own.

In our church’s five core values, we describe this love as the core value of “close relationships”:

Christ said, "Whoever does the will of God is my brother and my sister and mother” (Mark 3:35).

This statement motivates us to draw together through the joys and struggles of life as a spiritual, intergenerational family who connects, spends time with, and mentors one another in all aspects of life.

In what way (or ways) have you done this?

How – in observable, specific ways – have you expressed in actions and words a deep commitment to build close relationships with the members of this church.

In what definite, concrete ways have you put their needs and interests ahead of your own and been a servant to them and a friend?

This is an important reminder because it’s easy to lose sight of this bedrock, core, essential, foundational, and vital purpose.

As followers of Christ, this is not just a nice recommendation or an additional goal to add to our lives once we’ve tended to other things first.

This should be the defining virtue of our lives – but why?