1 Peter 2:11-12

1 Peter 2:11-12

Sir Edmund Hillary failed in several of his early attempts to climb Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. On one occasion he had to leave five associates dead on the side of that great mountain. Still, the British parliament wanted to recognize these valiant efforts, so they invited Hillary into their chambers. They even placed a picture of Mount Everest at the front of the room.

When Sir Edmund Hillary entered the room, the members of Parliament rose to give him a standing ovation. When he saw these great legislators standing and applauding his good effort, tears filled his eyes. Many members of Parliament noticed the tears and thought, Look, the tears of happiness that we are recognizing this good effort he has made.

They were not tears of happiness and joy; they were tears of anger and frustration! Sir Edmund Hillary certainly had not set out to leave five associates dead on the side of that mountain, so he walked to the front of the room and literally pounded on the picture of Mount Everest. He screamed at the mountain: “You defeated me! But you won't defeat me again! Because you have grown all that you can, but I am still growing!”

As Hillary walked to the front of the room, he recognized something that many people never recognize: Certainly he had made a good effort to climb that mountain, but the greatest enemy of excellence is good! He had not set out to make a “good effort” at climbing Mount Everest, but to arrive at the top. Ultimately, he was the first person to climb Mount Everest. Why? Because he continued to grow and refused to be satisfied with the good.

Having worked for many years in Africa, David Livingstone returned to England briefly. Someone greeted him, “Well, Dr. Livingstone, where are you ready to go now?” Livingstone responded, “I am ready to go anywhere, provided it be forward.”

These should be our attitudes as well. Are we, like Sir Edmund Hillary, still growing? Are we, like David Livingstone, moving forward? Or, has rigor mortis of the soul begun to set in?

Turn with me to the second chapter of 1 Peter. This letter is about growing spiritually. The apostle Peter understood the danger of spiritual rigor mortis.

In our passage from last week Peter told us that we are now God’s chosen people, a royal priesthood and a holy nation. Who we are affects how we live. In our passage tonight tells us that who we are should affect these three areas of our lives: our attitude, our actions, and our witness.

First, Peter talks about our attitude.

1 Peter 2:11a Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles. . . .

Notice how Peter calls his readers as “Dear friends.” It is literally translated as “beloved” with agape being the root word. It refereed to someone who was worthy of love. It was a term of endearment. Peter liked this word. He used it eight times in his two letters. He wanted them to know in their difficult circumstances that they were loved by God. Also, before he gave them these instructions, he wanted to remind them that they were loved.

Next, Peter says that he is urging them to do something. We saw this Sunday morning in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians when Paul pled with them to live a life worthy of their calling. Neither men use their apostolic authority to demand action, but ask and encourage. It’s the difference between a cowboy and shepherd. A cowboy drives cattle but a shepherd leads sheep. Peter and Paul lead by example. You remember how Paul wrote the Corinthians saying:

1 Corinthians 11:1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

It’s a great lesson for leadership. We can’t ask others to do what we’re not willing to do.

And then we come to the first admonition. Peter asks that they live foreigners and exiles. In other words, we are to live as temporary residents in this world. Peter has already told us that we are only strangers in the world. We don’t belong here. This isn’t our home. We were reborn to live somewhere else. This knowledge affects our attitude toward this world.

How many of you have ever been on a vacation? Going on vacation can be a very pleasurable experience as long as you know where you’re going and what to expect when you get there. But not everybody does. Travel agents have told stories about people who misunderstood those things.

One agent said: “I had someone ask for an aisle seat on their airplane so that their hair wouldn't get messed up by being near the window.

Another said he had a client who called inquiring about a package to Hawaii. After going over all the cost information, she asked “Would it be cheaper to fly to California and then take the train to Hawaii?”

Still another agent he got a call from a woman who said she wanted to go to Cape Town. When the agent started talking about the length of the flight to Africa and the passport information the woman interrupted him saying: “I’m not trying to make you look stupid, but Cape Town is in Massachusetts.” He explained, “Cape Cod is in Massachusetts, Cape Town is in South Africa.” She hung up.

One man called his travel agent, furious about a Florida package they’d done for him. The agent asked what was wrong with the vacation in Orlando. The man responded that he was expecting an ocean-view room. The agent tried to explain that wasn’t possible since Orlando is in the middle of the state. The man replied, “Don’t lie to me. I looked on the map and Florida is a very thin state.”

A very nice lady called her agent. She wanted to know how it was possible that her flight from Detroit left at 8:20 am and got into Chicago at 8:33 am. The agent tried to tell her that Michigan was an hour ahead of Illinois but she could not understand. Finally he told her the plane went very fast, and she bought that.

Vacations can be a lot of fun as long as you know where you’re going, what to expect when you get there, and understand that you’ll only be there for a short time.

Over the years Mary Anne and I have been able to stay at some fairly nice condos when on vacation. Sometimes I’ll wonder what it would be like to live there. However, they weren’t designed as permanent dwellings; they were designed for temporary stays. For example, if you’re only going to be there for a week you don’t need a lot of storage space. You only need enough closet space for a week’s worth of clothes. What make a good place for a vacation may not make a good place for a home. This world is not our home. We’re looking forward to our heavenly home.

Our attitudes change when we know we’re going to be some place permanently. How does knowing we are only here temporarily change our attitude toward this life? Let’s look at the two words Peter uses to describe us.

The first word is foreigner. The Greek word literally means “alongside the house” and refers to someone who is only here temporarily, with no expectation of living here permanently, and without the rights of citizenship. It’s a good word to describe us because we live alongside people who make this world their home. We do not. The second term Peter uses in exile or pilgrim. It refers to a traveler far from home. They know that where they are is not their real home but are making their way home. We find additional term to describe our relationship to this world in Hebrews 11:13 where we are called strangers. A stranger refers to someone with different customs and habits. Jesus said we are to be in the world but not of it.

What do these terms tell us? They remind us that this life is temporary and that our permanent dwelling will be in heaven. It will affect the way we see the world. The things the world sees as most important – fame and fortune – won’t be as important to us. John wrote that we are not to love this world or the things of it. And Paul told the Philippians that our citizenship is in heaven.

When we remember that it will affect the way we talk and the way we treat others. We’re not living for the approval of people but of God.

Second, Peter talks about our actions.

Peter says that we need to:

1 Peter 2:11b . . . abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.

To abstain is to stay away from. We’re now in the season of Lent. Those who practice Lent give up certain foods or activities leading up to Resurrection Sunday. Some will abstain from meat or sugar. This year for Lent I’m going to abstain from eggs. I will not eat any scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, or omelets. I will stay as far away from them as I can.

Peter says we’re to abstain or stay away from sinful desires. Actually, that’s how the NIV translates it. The word translated “worldly” actually mean fleshly. It certainly refers to sinful desires but it’s not limited to them. It simply refers to the desire of our flesh or bodies. Some limit those to sexual desires. The desires of the flesh certainly include sinful sexual desires. Paul wrote to the Galatians saying:

Galatians 5:19a The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery. . . .

Not all sexual desires are evil though. God ordain sex and within the bonds of marriage. However, sex outside of the marriage of one man and one woman is considered to be sinful. So fleshly desires include sexual ones, but when Peter tells us to abstain from fleshly desire it is far more reaching than sexual sins. Going back to Paul’s letter to the Galatians we read:

Galatians 5:19a The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery. . . .

But then Paul continues:

Galatians 5:20-21 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

We understand why these activities are sinful. But there are others that we need to be mindful of as well. They aren’t sinful in themselves but can become sinful when we allow them to take control. We all eat, but the Bible says gluttony is a sin. We all sleep and on Sunday afternoons I enjoy taking a nap, but laziness is a sin. The Bible doesn’t forbid drinking alcohol, but it does forbid drunkenness. Each of these is allowing the desires of the flesh to take control.

Other desires of the flesh are even more subtle. We make a commitment to read through our Bibles in a year but then the pillow and warm blanket beckon us to stay in bed just a little longer and before long we’ve given up on our Bible reading. We want to pray more often but the activities of the call to us and we sacrifice our time of prayer. In these examples and others the desires of flesh rule over the desires of the spirit. Peter says that these fleshly desires war against our souls.

After walking to the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus instructed the disciples to pray saying:

Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Our spirit wants to do what’s right, but our flesh does not. Therefore, we must take control of the flesh. Paul told the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

What’s the purpose of this spiritual training? Paul wrote to Timothy:

1 Timothy 4:8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

We’re to train ourselves spiritually and rule over our fleshly desires that we might live holy and godly lives. But Peter adds an additional reason.

Third, Peter talks about our witness.

1 Peter 2:12 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.

The word the NIV translates as “good” really means beautiful, excellent, commendable, or admirable. We are to live such lives before pagans or Gentiles – that is before unbelievers. We’re to live such honorable lives before unbelievers to that they may see your faith and give glory to God. We saw this Sunday when we read where Jesus said:

Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Whether we realize it or not the people of this world are watching us. They are looking to see if our faith is real. Many are watching and hoping to see us fail so they can criticize us. This can be frustrating but it is also a great opportunity. When we live consistent Christian lives we prove that we are different, we prove that our faith is genuine, and we show what a difference Jesus can make in a life.

Andrew Maclaren wrote:

The world takes its notions of God, most of all from the people who say that they belong to God’s family. They read us a great deal more than they read the Bible. They see us; they only hear about Jesus Christ.

Or, as it has also been said:

Be careful how you live. You may be the only Bible some people read. You may be the only Jesus some people see.

Remember, the Christians Peter was writing to were suffering persecution from some unbelievers. They were to be examples even in the midst of suffering. The darker the world becomes the brighter our light will shine.

The Boy Scouts have a rule: “Always leave the campground cleaner than you found it.” The simple rule is if you find a mess on the ground you clean it up regardless of who might have made the mess. In doing this you intentionally improve the environment for the next group of campers. The original form of that rule, written by Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, the father of scouting, was “Try and leave this world a little better than you found it.”

We have been called out of the darkness into the light. And we should shine as lights in the darkness so that people might see Jesus.

The story is told of Gordon Maxwell, missionary to India, that when he asked a Hindu scholar to teach him the language, the Hindu replied: “No, Sahib, I will not teach you my language. You would make me a Christian.” Gordon Maxwell replied, “You misunderstand me. I am simply asking you to teach me your language.” Again the Hindu responded, “No, Sahib, I will not teach you. No man can live with you and not become a Christian.”

Ruth Graham used to say:

A saint is a person who makes it easy to believe in Jesus.

Do we make it easy for people to believe in Jesus? Christians should be the most honorable, trustworthy, and reliable people in the community. But too often you hear people say they would never hire another Christian or want to work with another Christian. Peter says we should live such good live that if someone were to say something negative about us no one would believe them.

If we could put paraphrase Peter’s words it might be this:

Hey church, the world is watching, even people who completely disagree with your faith in the God, but because they are watching, they may also be open to the Lord simply based off of what they observe from you. The way you behave, the words you chose and how you chose to say them, the choices you make all of it combined can have a greater impact on what God is doing than you’ll ever know.

Therefore, recognizing the fact that you are now of the household of God live a life that is honoring to God.

Red Jacket was Native American born in 1750. He is remembered is because after the Revolutionary War he played a prominent role in negotiations with the new United States federal government. Red Jacket was involved in different treaties involving Native Americans. In 1792 George Washington presented Red Jacket with a special “peace medal.” It was a large silver plated oval with an engraved image of Washington shaking hands with Red Jacket. That medal is now on display at the Buffalo History Museum.

In the summer of 1805, a number of Indian chiefs and warriors met in council at Buffalo Creek, New York to hear a presentation of the Christian message by a man named Jacob Cram from the Boston Missionary Society. Mr. Cram was seeking permission to do missionary work among the Native Americans that Red Jacket represented.

After the sermon, Red Jacket was chosen to give the response to the request. His response to Mr. Cram is one of the things Red Jacket is most remembered for. The thing that stands out the most from Red Jacket’s response was when he said this:

Brother, we are told that you have been preaching to the white people in this place. These people are our neighbors. We are acquainted with them. We will wait a little while and see what effect your preaching has upon them. If we find it does them good, makes them honest and less disposed to cheat Indians, we will then consider again what you have said.

What was true in Peter’s day and what was true in Red Jacket’s day is also true in our day. As Christians, we are called to live such good lives (even among those who stand completely opposed to our faith and might even wish us harm) that they may see your good deeds and glorify God. That’s the challenge Peter gives us.

We are members of God’s household. We are his chosen people, a royal priesthood and a holy nation. That knowledge should affect our attitude toward our place in the world, our actions, and our witness.