Untitled Sermon (3)

So we’re talking about building our home right? I don’t know about you, but I love building legos. They are one of my favorite things to do. Even now as a 28 year old I still buy legos, and yes, I still buy star wars legos. What makes me laugh about legos is that there is always so weird way to build them. Like I will start on one part, think I know how the pieces are going to go together, and then next thing I know I am working on a completely different part of the ship that I will use later on.

Somehow it all works, but I still get very confused on what I am doing. The thing is though, this is no where near how a house is built right? This weekend we’re using the idea of building our home “This is our home” or “This isn’t our home”, and really how we build out home. All homes start with a foundation. It has to, it is what keeps the house steady, keeps it from washing away when water comes in, and what you anchor the house to so that when wind comes it doesn’t blow away. It’s the start, and arguably the most important.

We talked last night that your foundation has to be in Jesus, and so if you do not have that foundation, then we need to get that addressed, don’t wait, talk to you small group leader.

The second thing that goes up are what we call the studs. Everyone say it with me “studs”. A stud is directly attached to the foundation of the home, and it is what everything else is attached to. You put your outside walls to it, the inside walls, even when you get the home finished built and you want to decorate the inside, you want to hang shelves, but you want to use the studs to hang those things on. Why? Because when the stud is right, it can hold a lot of weight, again being anchored to the foundation. It is not something that people see, but it is a crucial part of the house building process, and this is what we are going to be looking at here. What are the studs in our Christian life. This is what we are talking about here.

Today were going to be looking at 1 Peter 2:11, so if you have your Bibles, turn there with me. If you do not have a Bible, it is ok, the verse is going to be on the screen

1 Peter 2:11 ESV

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

First thing that Peter says here is “Dear friends” meaning that he is talking to believers. Those who know Jesus as their Lord and savior. We know this from the verses above it as well. He just laid the identity, that foundation, that base that we talked about last night, and is now addressing them from here. He is wanting to add more to the house, that we as believers should be in. So first, know that Christian, he is addressing you here.

Then he goes on to say as aliens and strangers in this world. So we know that he is talking to believers, and then he calls them aliens and strangers in this world. Why would he call them that? Well, because there is something that we need to understand as believers, is that we are and should be strangers to this world. That ultimately,

We don’t belong here

Peter is saying this because he is trying to draw a line between the world and us. He is trying to point out the way the world lives is not how we should live. He wants us to look out ourselves as people who are really just visiting, not living in and taking of the worlds customs.

To show this, lets play a game fast. This game is called ours, or not ours. So if you think it is ours, I want you to stand up, if you think it is someone else’s sit down. When I say ours, I am meaning of the US.

First one - British. The beans should have been a dead give away

Second one - Russian. You have some Blini, Russian Crepes, Schi, cabbage soup

Third - Indian meal. Naan, curry, rice

Fourth - American BBQ. This is my favorite

Or you have the American Taco.

Ok, last one, holidays

First easy, July 4th…American Holiday

Second - December 26th - January 1st…Kwanzaa

May 22nd - Canadian Holiday…Victoria Day

September 4th - Labor Day…American Holiday

Either I just exposed that you all need to learn more about the US, or you feel like you know a little bit more now. Either way, for some, it was pretty clear that we do not know or follow the things of other countries right? Or if we travel there, we do not just become like those people right?

You see what Peter is trying to express here is that while we live in this world, we are called to be different than this world. We, as believers are not supposed to walk in the same way the world does. We are not supposed to look like the world, but rather to act different, to live different, to be different. To build our house on the foundation that is Jesus, and then live our lives differently.

You see we as believers are only here for a temporary time. Our home is not in this world, we are not called to move to the ways of the world and put down roots, but rather we live in this world for a short time knowing that we do not belong and our lives should reflect that. So then how should they reflect that?

This is where he goes next when he says “abstain from the sinful desires of the flesh”. That word Abstain can also mean to be distant from, to refrain from, to keep away from. Peter is really trying to tell us that when we build our foundation on Jesus and look at our actions as the studs, our actions matter, and we need to keep away from the passions of the flesh. That ultimately we need to,

Pick the right studs

So then how do we no what is good and bad? Well, Peter here is not the only one that talks about this. Paul also talks about this.

Colossians 3:5–9 ESV

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices

While Peter says to refrain from, which is still good, Paul uses some harsher words…he says to “put to death”. You see putting something to death, what Paul is pointing out here is that these things, this list is more than just a “eh, I will put it in a box and keep it for later” or a “you know, this can just stay in this corner”, but rather he is trying to get us to understand the finality of what we are called to do. That we should not play with these things, that we should not try and keep just little pieces of them around, but rather kill them, get rid of them once and for all.

You see when you build a house, you do not pick the warped studs, the the ones that are bent, twisted and rotted to build a house. Instead you only want the best. Peter and Paul are both saying to not even entertain those ideas. Do not even think, look at, or grab them as a possibility, but rather throw them away, burn them, run away from them.

Peter talks about these being the “passions of the flesh” and Paul says “the way you once walked” because these are the sin nature that we lived in before coming to know Jesus. These are the things that our sin nature wants to follow and fall into, but God says no.

If we look at each one of these things, we can see why…They lead to death. We can look at the world around us and see the damage that these cause in lives, the death that it leaves behind. We have seen relationships ruined, hearts destroyed, and people left broken because of these. And you Christian cannot say that you love Jesus and that He is the Lord and savior of your life and walk in these. That would be like building the most beautiful concrete foundation of a mansion, only to fill it with rotten and destroyed wood to have your home crumble and be destroyed shortly after.

We have to pick the right studs in our lives.

Whats the right studs?

Don’t worry, I wouldn’t just stop there, and God does not just leave us with what not to do, but rather also gives us what we should do as well.

Colossians 3:12–17 ESV

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

In that same passage of scripture that the Lord, speaking through Paul, gives us of what not to do, well, He gives us what we should choose instead. In the same way that Peter throws out identity here, Paul does as well. You, God’s chosen, holy, beloved, you Christian, put on these things.

Compassionate hearts - have a brokenness for those that are broken

Be kind to one another

Have humility - not meaning to look at yourself as garbage, but rather to see who you are compared to who God is.

Patience - we could all do a lot better on this one. Myself included.

bear with one another through things

Forgive just as Christ forgave - meaning he knew the horrible wrongs that we have all done, and yet He still chose to give up His life on a cross for our sins.

Love one another as Christ loves you

Be thankful in everything, even when it sucks

This one is incredibly important - Let God’s word dwell in you. Meaning spend time in it. Dive into the Bible daily. Read it whenever you get the chance. Memorize Scripture so that it is imprinted on your heart

Sing praises to God

And living through this life, do everything in Love. Stand on truth, know truth, and act in Love