1 Peter 2:11 - Living as Aliens in Front of a Watching World (I)

The Word Read

Please remain standing for the reading of the Holy Scripture. Hear the Word of the Lord from 1 Peter 2:11-12:

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.

Behold, brothers and sisters, this is Word of the Lord. Please be seated. Let us pray.

Summation and Diagnosis

I invite you to open your Bible to 1 Peter 2:11 this morning. I’d like to start the sermon by reading a couple of Scripture passages:

Colossians 3:5 ESV

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Romans 6:6 ESV

We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

Romans 8:13 ESV

For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

I started my week preparing for this sermon a little earlier that I normally do. I usually start sermon preparation on Wednesday afternoons after The Pastor’s Study. However, we had Presbytery this weekend and I knew I needed to finish the sermon by Thursday afternoon or evening by the latest. It normally takes me between 2-3 days to finalize a sermon. So I knew, I had to start on Tuesday.

I came into the office on Thursday morning and began to write out my manuscript. At this point, I had already made my notes on the text, I had studied commentaries, put together an overarching outline and then an analytical outline detailing all my thoughts. All I needed to do was to write it all out. I wrote out everything for 1 Peter 2:11 and said, “well, there is an entire sermon right there.” I began to pray and ask the Lord, “what should I do?” I had two choices in front of me - 1) Delete 40% of the material I had or 2) Separate the passage (1 Peter 2:11-12) into two sermons and continue writing what else had been placed on my heart for 1 Peter 2:11. Normally, I find the 40% to delete and count it as I learned some great things this week. However, this week the impression for us to sit in 1 Peter 2:11 was overwhelming.

The reason? I believe spiritual revival is possible at this church. I believe the Lord wants to work mightily in and through us. By mightily, I do not mean build us into a 500-1,000 person congregation. By this I mean the Lord working deeply in our hearts conforming us into the image of Christ in ways we have not yet been conformed both individually and corporately so we can experience the glory of God in more meaningful ways. In this type of mighty work friendships become deeper, marriages become sweeter, communion with the triune God becomes more precious, evangelism is a normal rhythm of life, and discipling one another to maturity is a joy shared by every single true believer in the congregation. Life is no longer compartmentalized, instead all of life is lived to the glory of God.

However, before spiritual revival can occur we must seek the Lord in repentance. A church that fails to live a life of repentance is a church that will fail to see revival of the souls and souls be saved. The burden for us to sit in repentance overcame me as I studied and prepared this sermon. My prayer all week has been that we would soften our hearts before the Lord, letting the Spirit work in the deepest places of our souls which would cause us to confess our sins as we throw ourselves upon the feet of our great and merciful High Priest who intercedes for us right now. Again, my prayer has been that we would soften our hearts before the Lord, letting the Spirit work in the deepest places of our souls which would cause us to confess our sins as we throw ourselves upon the feet of our great and merciful High Priest who intercedes for us right now. As Hebrews 4:14-16 states:

Hebrews 4:14–16 ESV

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

In the midst of temptation, there is a way out and it is no self-help, man-centered escape. The only way out of temptation and abstaining from sin is to run to Christ coming to the Father’s great throne of grace and mercy. It is the Father’s desire to give us grace and mercy as we come to Him when we are tempted by sin. Further, even after we sin the Father’s throne is open to those who have been justified by Christ! We do not need to hide from the presence of God like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:8), but we can come into His presence through Jesus the Son. We often struggle to do this, not because of God, but because of the great weight of sin that causes experiential separation. Our salvation is still secure because it is built upon the sovereign grace and election of God, but we feel the guilt and shame of sin. Like a teenager who has rebelled, they are still the parents’ child, but they feel the distance between their parents in moments of strife. The sermon title this morning is “Living as Aliens in Front of A Watching World (I)”. I have the verse broken into two sections: 1) 1 Peter 2:11a - Those Without a Home and 2) 1 Peter 2:11b - War Against the Soul. Again, the sermon title this morning is “Living as Aliens in Front of A Watching World (I)”. I have the verse broken into two sections: 1) 1 Peter 2:11a - Those Without a Home and 2) 1 Peter 2:11b - War Against the Soul.

Before we look at the text in depth, let us pray again.

Great God of Heaven, would you make our hearts soft this morning? Right now I pray that we would be driven to repentance with the goal of seeking to abstain from sin. So by the power of Your Holy Spirit would you cause us to desire the person and riches of Christ more instead of the sins that so easy entangle us here on earth. These sins that bring us both anger and fear because we've become their slave and they've become our master. Would you break these chains by the power of Your Word through Your Spirit? Would you create in us a desire to abstain from the passions of the flesh, putting to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit so that we would live an abundant life. Lord, these are not small issues but issues of following Jesus, holiness, and of life and death. We pray this in the name of the Son who died on our behalf, the Son who rose from the grave, the Son who purchased our redemption, and in the name of the Son who reigns supreme over all. Amen.

1 Peter 2:11a - Those Without a Home

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.

Peter begins with the word “beloved” and we will spend some time looking at this word, not what the word technically means, but what the implications of the word. Remember, these are individuals who are the outcasts of their society. They are ones who love the Lord Jesus and are facing some type of distress. There are some scholars who believe that the people of these churches had been relocated due to their beliefs in Christ Jesus. They were rejected by society, totally unloved. However, what does Scripture say here? Peter calls them “beloved” - those who are dearly loved. Though they have been rejected by the world they are loved with apostolic affection. Peter loves them because they are the Church. They are fellow members of the true building of God. We don’t experience this type of persecution or alienation here in America. We have not faced what they would have faced for their faith. So, we cannot really empathize with them, but we can attempt to sympathize. Could you imagine being the outcasts and receiving a letter sent by Peter that called you the “beloved”? You are not forsaken. You are still cared for by me.

Not only does “beloved” refer to Peter’s affection towards them, but also God’s tender and loving care for them. Yes, you may be the outcasts, but the eye of the Father has not left you. He cares deeply for you in the midst of the persecution you face. This would have brought immense joy to these struggling churches. Again, we do not face this type of persecution from the world, but we do face persecution. The occult, which is rooted in the demonic kingdom, is very active in our world today with hundreds of millions of members. Practices of the occult include Tarot cards, Ouija boards, astrology, spiritism, magic, fortune telling, etc. It has been documented that those in the occult learn Christian doctrine with the intention of becoming elders/pastors to bring division and destruction upon the Church. They actively pray against Christians, pastors/elders, and Churches. Though we may not suffer the physical persecution these churches faced in the first century, we certainly face a spiritual persecution. We are the church militant. We are in a very real war against a very real spiritual army. Even in the midst of facing this type of spiritual persecution and deep spiritual warfare against the demonic, the Lord says, “do not fear, you are my beloved.” Are you today facing the spiritual attacks of the enemy? Remember, the warm affections of God in Christ towards you. You are His beloved. He loves you deeply and personally. He formed you in the womb and has claimed you as His before the foundations of the world (Ephesians 1:4). Even if we do face this type of spiritual persecution, we know that the Lord’s power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). We are the beloved. We are the holy bride of Christ Jesus. Our victory over spiritual powers is secure in the cross of Christ (Colossians 2:15)! We are the ones whom the Father’s kind affections pour onto.

I want to jump past “I urge” for just a second. Peter provides a parenthetical identity note. He calls the churches “sojourners and exiles”. In short, he is explaining that they are ones who live in a place that is not their true home. One aspect of this epistle I mentioned in our first sermon was there are a lot of Old Testament echoes in this book - approximately 40. Here we find another one. As you may know, Abraham started as a pagan polytheistic worshipper whom the Lord called (Joshua 24:2). He left everything to follow Yahweh. After his wife, Sarah, died he bought a burying place for her. He said this to the Hittites, to whom he was speaking to, “I am a sojourner and foreigner (or exile) among you.” A man called by God, yet living as a foreigner amongst others. We too are sojourners and exiles as the true offspring of Abraham!

What is significant is this identity - sojourners and exiles - is the foundation for 1 Peter 2:11-3:12. Live spiritually moral and ethical because your identity is in the heavenly realms. You sit with Christ in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). The real question for us today is have we become too comfortable here on earth? Has the anchor for worldly riches plunged deeply into our hearts? Do we not desire to give up the luxuries of the world for the sake of Christ? I think if we are being honest there are multiple anchors of the world that are still hooked into our hearts at this very moment. When the Lord calls us to pull those anchors out, because we are exiles, our flesh screams, but I like this anchor! We must forsake the earthly anchors because we are not citizens of this world, but of heaven where the Great High King reigns.

1 Peter 2:11b - War Against The Soul

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.

Now, let’s jump back to the “I urge”. Scripture says, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

What is the goal for those in Christ in this verse? To abstain from the passions of the flesh. Why? Because they wage war against your soul. Wow. Have you ever thought about the inward sin you fight as war or violence against your own soul? Right now a group of guys and I are reading through a John Owen’s book entitled “Mortification of Sin”. In a divine act of providence, the chapter we read this past week mentioned this specific verse. Owen’s details how sin is violence in humanity. There is a very real, very inward war that occurs every single day. We led a small group mainly of 30-40 year olds who were married with children. Almost every single parent had this story, “I never thought I was an angry person or struggled with anger… until I had children.” Did the children somehow put anger into the parents? Did the enemy suddenly decided to attack the of parents in this manner? No. As James 1:13-15 states:

James 1:13–15 ESV

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

Sin/evil is already within us. It is like black oil that covers birds when a ship has a leak in the ocean. The black oil seeps into every crack and crevasse of a bird’s feathers. Likewise, sin seeps into the cracks of our hearts seeking to create division and destruction. Yet, we are called to fight to abstain from the passions of the flesh. As Romans 8:13 states:

Romans 8:13 ESV

For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

We must seek to kill the inward passions of the flesh. Outwardly we may look put together, but others do not know the conflict that rages inside. They do not see the battle and how we seek to abstain from the passions, or the forbidden desires, of the flesh. Yet, this is not simply individual, but also corporate. We, as a church, wrestle against sins that seek to ensnare us. These sins create idols in our hearts and make us their slaves.

How do we know when we’ve become enslaved by the passions of the flesh? I think there are two big indicators, and remember this applies to people individually and to churches, 1) A person or church filled with anger and 2) A person or church filled with fear. Again, the indicators of a person or church enslaved to the passions of the flesh, 1) A person or church filled with anger and 2) A person or church filled with fear.

First, a person or church filled with anger - I know a pastor who does coaching for pastors and churches. He told me it is very easy for him to identify the idols in a person and churches as he is coaching them. He simply said, find out what makes them angry. When you start touching the idols of a person or a church, they tend to get angry. Why? Because we’ve become slave to the idol and anger fills us when deep-rooted sin is revealed. This happens to us when the Lord begins to pull those foolish, worthless, earthly, idolatrous anchors out of our own hearts and congregations - we become angry or try to bargain with the Lord.

Second, we can know we are enslaved to sin because we are filled with fear. This type of fear is the result of our idolatries not being supported or fed. So to be clear, there are many Christians who suffer from anxiety and depression, but are still very much grounded and rooted in Christ. I am not speaking of this here. I am speaking about the reality that we become filled with fear due to the enslavement of our fleshly passions. We become like the Israelites worshipping the golden calf. We fear not having the idol or the idol being found out by others. This happens, again, on a person and congregational level. What does this fear ultimate reveal to us? We’ve become mere slaves to the sin/idol and we become fearful that we cannot feed the beast.

So, what is your idol dear sojourner, and what are our idols as a church, fellow exiles? Every church has idolatry that keeps them from living as holy exiles unto God and we are no different. This church has sinful idolatry. So, what is our idol as a church? I’m sure there are some of you that have thought of an idol or two at FPC. It immediately came to your mind as I asked the question. My follow up question to you is, how long has this idol been present? Finally, if it has been an idol for a while, why has it not been addressed? Are we, as a congregation, willing to allow the Lord to take those fleshly, sinful, earthly passions and do whatever He wants with them? Not abstaining from these passions of the flesh which create idols in the hearts will never allow us to grow as a person or congregation in Christ. Idolatry keeps us from growth and keeps us from experiencing the glory of God. Churches who experience spiritual plateau or decline usually, but not always, but usually have hidden unrepentant idolatry that reveals itself in anger and fear when revealed.

As we all know, we owe debt on this building and there are upcoming costs that will be needed with the upkeep of the building, and the potential strain that will cause on our budget. I’m sure some of you feel the weight of fear where thinking about these realities. How will we pay for roof repairs, new HVAC units, a cooling tower, etc.? However, I’d like to take a minute and speak from my heart regarding the fears that can potentially come with crushing debt. I think it would be wise for us to remember the words of Christ at the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:25-34. The passage speaks specifically to having anxiousness in our lives. Listen carefully to Christ:

Matthew 6:30–33 ESV

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Let us not fall into the trap of fear due to an enslavement of debt because of the passions of the flesh. Let us not sin due to the debt becoming consumed by fear. What if we turned our fear filled prayers to faith filled thankfulness. Lord, thank you for this debt. Thank you that it causes us to seek you continually. Thank you that we are entirely dependent upon You. We know that you will provide for all our needs, so would you replace our fear with faith? Would you help us to have great faith so we engage in the Great Commission despite our debt? Would you give us a heart for the 3 billion who have no chance at this time to hear the Gospel in the nations, while we trust You to pay the building mortgage? Would you give us spiritual eyes to see the harvest right here in Eden? Would you cause us to be a Church on mission instead of one focused on maintenance? Lord, we know You desire great things for Your Kingdom so we are excited for the evangelistic and discipleship opportunities You will give to us! Help our little faith to become great as we see the Gospel spread across the globe.

Our first step is to recognize that we are in a spiritual war that rages within. I had the chance to get to know a vet who served in the Vietnam War. One day he opened up and shared some stories from his time in the military. There were heartbreaking stories as I listened to him speak about his experiences. One thing was for sure, when he was in the field he never took time for leisure. Why? He was a in a very real battle and very real war. When engaging in firefights, there is no time to relax. All of one’s energy is used to pay attention to their surroundings. Every noise is heard and every motion is picked up. There is an intense focus so the soldier does not miss a thing. Why? Because his life and his fellow mates lives depended on it.

Our enemy being the passions of the flesh, unlike the soldiers of war, is not outside of us, but within. We wrestle through indwelling sin and we cannot outrun the battle. As I’ve mentioned before, I had a season of deep anxiety. I remember telling Kristin at times, “If I could just run away from the anxiety, I would be fine, but I cannot run from it because it is within!” This is what makes the war against the passions of the flesh so hard, it is a battle that rages within you. As the Westminster Confession of Faith Chapter 13 section 2 states,

The Westminster Confession of Faith Section 2

This sanctification is throughout, in the whole man; (1 Thess. 5:23) yet imperfect in this life, there abiding still some remnants of corruption in every part; (1 John 1:10, Rom. 7:18, 23, Phil. 3:12) whence ariseth a continual and irreconcilable war, the flesh lusting against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. (Gal. 5:17, 1 Pet. 2:11)

This war, flesh against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh will continue until the Lord brings us home. So, first we must understand we are in a war of violence against our very souls and it will not end in this life. Sin will not fight fair. It’s goal is division and destruction. Now, it may be discouraging to hear that this war will continue all your life, but we should be encouraged because the Father and the Son has given us the Spirit.

Second, we come to the Lord with a heart of repentance. Lord, these are the passions of the flesh that have a hold of my heart. These are the sins that I do not want to mortify. These are the idols our church holds as dear. Would you please forgive me and forgive us? We don’t want idols in-between us Lord. We know there is no growth without repentance. Repentance is vital to abstaining from the passions of the flesh.

Third, and this is vitally important to abstaining from sin, it is impossible for you to abstain from the passions of the flesh by using natural man-centered methods. The abstaining from these passions can only come as a result of using spiritual weapons given to us by the Spirit. Where do we find these weapons? In the Word of God! Ephesians 6:17 calls the Word of God the Sword of the Spirit. The only way we combat sin is by knowing and living the Word by the power of the Spirit. This is a MAJOR distinction because we will not and cannot kill sin by natural means. To put it frankly, you will never be able to mortify sin by modifying your behavior. The only way sin is mortified in our lives is by the deep, penetrating work of the Holy Spirit where He takes His scalpel and intentionally does the work in our heart. The mortification of sin will only come through the work of the Holy Spirit. Here is our great wonderful encouragement, He wants to do this in us! God wants to mortify the sin in our hearts. Our problem is that we love our idols too much. We don’t, in our flesh, want to abstain from the passions of the flesh.

What happens as we, by the power of the Holy Spirit, abstain from the passions of the flesh? We have a sweeter communion with the Lord throughout our day as we pray and read His Word. We desire deeply to walk with the Lord in the way that Adam and Eve did in the Garden. We desire a real and intimate relationship with Christ Jesus. We keep our eyes on Him knowing that our atonement is found in Him and Him alone. We have peace with God because of the person and work of Christ.

Conclusion

As we close and then sing, would you take time and ask the Lord if you are serious about abstaining from the passions of the flesh? At Presbytery over the weekend, Dr. Don Fortson give a lecture on the importance of Ruling Elders. He detailed a vital part of being a Ruling Elder - being willing to issue discipline to members for sin. He then spoke about how this was done throughout the course of Presbyterian history. At one point he said something along the lines of “This following Jesus and living holy thing, we need to take it seriously!”

So today, let us take living holy serious - dead serious, because the passions of the flesh are warring against your soul right now and will continue to do so until you pass into glory. Though we fight and strive against sin, we have the hope of Christ. Though we war against sin, sin no longer holds dominion over us. Christ has redeemed us and has given us His Spirit. This Holy Spirit helps us to mortify sin. Let us not fight with natural means, but by the spiritual weapons of the Spirit.