1 Peter 2:11-12

Introduction

We must not forget the purpose of Peter writing this letter to these scattered Christians was to give them hope. From time to time it does not seem like hope because of the different subjects that Peter dealt with:

in the second half of chapter one Peter gave them four commands.

In chapter 2

He charges them to lay aside malice, guile, hypocrisy, envy and evil speaking.

He challenges them to desire the sincere milk of God’s word so that they could grow.

and he wants them to be solitarily committed to the Living Stone.

This leads to a valid question - what is hope?

One definition defined hope as a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen - Hope is more than a feeling.

Many people believe hope is - something to wish for, to expect, but without certainty of the fulfillment; to desire very much, but with no real assurance of getting your desire.

Biblically speaking Hope is just the opposite - It is not built upon the foundation of feelings or wishing for something without certainty. Rather, Hope is an indication of certainty. “Hope” in Scripture means “a strong and confident expectation. This implies two things about biblical Hope:

futuristic

Invisible to the eye.

Romans 8:24–25 KJV 1900

For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

Hope has results:

It changes how we view ourselves

It changes what we value

It affects what we do with our lives.

All three results of hope flow from our text this morning.

Relationships

It changes how we view ourselves in relationships.

Their relationship with Peter

I am so guilty of reading over words without fully understanding their power, intimacy, affection and influence. V.11 is one of those verse that I have been so guilty of this in the past.

“Dearly Beloved” - These two words are not filler words in an intro to a new thought. There is so much behind these two words and what these two words cause Peter to do:

Love

There are six Greek words for love:

Eros - Sexual passion

Philia - Deep friendship

Ludus - Playful love

Pragma - Longstanding love

Philautia - love of slef

Agapeo - Selfless love - the most radical love - C. S. Lewis refers to it as “gift love.”

The word that Peter used to describe his affection for these scattered Christians is Agapeo love. This word has three main points of emphasis:

Cherished love

to hold dear : feel or show affection for

To hold dear : feel or show affection for

To entertain or harbor in the mind deeply and resolutely

Preferred above all others

Never forget that Peter did have family and childhood friends.

Yet, the people he preferred to be with above any others were Christians. This does not mean that he did not love lost family members. It means if he lived out his preference, he would be with saints.

Illustration: A teacher asked a boy this question: “Suppose your mother baked a pie and there were seven of you-your parents and five children. What part of the pie would you get?

“A sixth,” the bot replied.

“I’m afraid you don’t know your fractions,” said the teacher. “Remember, there are seven of you.”

“Yes, teacher,” said the boy, “but you don’t know my mother. Mother would say that she did not want any pie.”

Partiality - Partiality deals with favoring.

Sometimes parents are guilty of having favorite children or grandparents are guilty of having favorite grandchildren.

In politics there are partisans. These people will vote for their candidate, regardless.

“Beseeching”

This love kind of love is more than just words or feelings or emotions - this love produces:

John 3:16 KJV 1900

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Matthew 5:43–44 KJV 1900

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

1 Corinthians 2:9 KJV 1900

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

The action this love produced was Peter beseeching. Do not forget who Peter was, he was the great apostle and here, because of his love for these scattered Christians, he is beseeching.

Active, present and real event.

Urging, imploring and exhorting

To earnestly support or encourage a response or action - In other words, Peter is not just saying “I love you” that is easy. He is putting them in a position to respond. This is important:

This letter is not Peter consuming the conversation

Peter loved them so much that he wanted them to respond (illustration a wedding). Peter did this in an earnestly, encouraging way.

Their relationship with the world

Hope changes how we view ourselves

Part of this beseeching by Peter is for them to understand their relationship to the world.

Strangers - The word means a foreigner. Not someone looking to be a legal citizen of the land he or she lives in. But someone who understands that they do not belong or desire to belong.

Pilgrims - Sojourner; Temporary.

Understanding our relationship to the world impacts what we value. This is important because Peter is about to draw a line in the sand that determines if the Hope that he wrote of in chapter 1 is real or do they have a pseudo hope. Whether it is a hope built on certainty, feelings, emotions, or question marks.

Refrain

Difference

There is a difference between “lay aside” - malice, envy, guile, hypocrisy, and evil speaking - and abstaining.

The connection with “lay aside” is no matter how hard we try to stay unpolluted by the world, just living in the world will get us dirty; therefore, we need to constantly do laundry.

Abstain is to make a conscious choice not to do something.

It means to be distant from something, to avoid.

Difficulty

There is difficulty in what Peter is urging and exhorting them to do.

Avoid fleshly lust.

Galatians 5:16–17 KJV 1900

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

It is important to understand what fleshly lust is - it is more than sex.

1 John 2:16 KJV 1900

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Satan used fleshly lust in his temptations with Jesus.

Fleshly lust is anything that keeps us from being faithful to God:

Destructive

Many people in poverty are there because of self-inflicted wounds.

Did not finish high school

They did not go to college, when they could have.

pregnancy outside of marriage

married the wrong person

lazy

not ambituous

poor financial decisions

This is the point he makes - if we do not abstain from fleshly lust then we are infliction ourselves.

The word “war” is in the middle voice which means the subject is being affected by his or her own actions.

Response

Hope changes how we view ourselves

Hope changes what we value

Hope changes what we do with out lives

This is the landing spot Peter wanted them to be at. They need to see how important abstaining from fleshly lust is:

Conduct

Conversation - conduct, lifestyle, our lives speak.

Honest - valued, virtuous - we are going to circle back to “honest”

The worlds response in seeing our honesty is they will speak against us as evil doers.

We may be-asking ourselves what is the value of abstaining in the flesh and walking in the Spirit, if the world will view us as evil doers?

Why should our response be to abstain from fleshly lust and live honestly before our community?

The answer is....

Conversion

1 Peter 2:12 KJV 1900

Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

What they are saying and how they are viewing (They shall behold) are two different things.

Our good works may convince them and convert them

So that they are glorifying God in the day of visitation.

Conclusion

Our hope is that our life is a difference maker for someone else.