Living our best life

Introduction

Resolutions: Anyone make any resolutions this week? I cannot stand the influx of people at the gym in January. You know what I mean? And listen I am not judging, I just think its kinda cliche. See I do that at least every couple of months. Workout disappear, recommit.

In our text today, Peter is giving the churches he is writing to the resolutions they need. He is telling them that before you ever consider stepping into the world that is before you, you need to resolve these things.

Peter’s readers were likely to face opposition from a hostile society round about them. In the second part of the letter Peter will tell them what they are to do when they are actually in the world and facing hostility, but in this first part he instructs them on how to be prepared and equipped spiritually for what lies ahead of them. The Scottish preacher Murdo Ewan Macdonald used to speak of the necessity of having “adequate internal resources.” This is the heart of Peter’s message in this section of his letter, which is concerned with the personal lives of Christians and how they are to behave individually in relation to God (1:13–21) and to other Christians (1:22–2:3) and collectively in the church (2:4–10).

He is going to give them a pep talk, a pre game speech if you will. Now, we dont have the same challenges that the early church faced but there are new challenges and dangerous ones and this message applies to us as well.... making sure we have “adequate internal resources.”

First resolve: Respond to the Gospel

The structure of this section is the first and most foundational piece for Peter. He reminds them of the gospel and their responsibility in responding to it.

Verses 3-12, preach the good news....salvation has come for you

then in verse 13: therefore, set your hope on Christ

Then again proclamation 17-22: Jesus has paid the price took on the sin of the world for your redemption and you have been born again for those in Christ

2:1 therefore, live like it, ridding yourself of malice and hypocrisy

You want to live your best life in 2019? It will have little to do with the weight you lose, the clutter you get rid of, the vacations you plan, even your family time…However if you live a life in response to the good news of Jesus Christ then that is where you will flourish.

The truth is, even today, that you have been redeemed. Not with silver or gold but a love of God that brought about his own sacrifice for you and me. God from the very beginning made a covenant promise to humanity....in our faithfulness he would be faithful. He would never break his promise to us and when we broke our promise....he paid for the consequence. And by the blood of Jesus we are children, with an inheritance today of hope, love, joy, peace, by the power of His spirit that lives in us....new life. And an inheritance to come that is when all things are made new.

This is the first resolution, our response to this good news.

Second resolve: Be holy

God is different, other, set-apart, powerful, and he calls us to be other and different and set apart.

He refers back to and the law as Peter reminds the churches that they are to be holy.

There is a way to live that should be different from the world around us.

The church is meant to be a window through which the world can see the kingdom of God and unfortunately the church is too often a mirror simply reflecting the world back.

We face some considerable challenges in our culture and surroundings.

Our world is growing increasingly secular. Christian witness and place in the conversation is shrinking quickly. The world is increasingly absent of Christian moral reasoning.

abortion, immigration, business, care for the poor, the orphan,

Because of this we continue into moral relativism

Moral relativism is the view that ethical standards, morality, and positions of right or wrong are culturally based and therefore subject to a person's individual choice. We can all decide what is right for ourselves.

Our world is overcome with technology leaving little to no time for connectional relationships. The influence of the world and narratives that are at times antithetical to the good news of Jesus flood our minds and lives:

CNN this week wrote a piece on study about screen time:

So, the report concluded that out of 168 hours in a week, we spend more than 50 with devices, said Douglas Gentile, professor of psychology at Iowa State University, who was not involved in the report but has studied how too much screen time affects children.

"The work week still takes up 40 of those hours, sleep at seven hours a night is 49, and if we assume all personal care -- such as eating, bathing, dressing, preparing food -- is three hours a day, then we have 58 hours a week left over for all other things," Gentile said.

"This includes hobbies, sports, spending time with children, spending time with friends and romantic partners, reading, learning, exercise, participating in a faith community, volunteer work, house maintenance," he added. "If people are spending over 50 hours a week with media for entertainment purposes, then there's really no time left for any of the other things we value."

There is a standard we have as called out children of God. Peter tells them, before you step outside know that you are different....which leads me to my last point for this morning:

Remember who you are:

Peter reminds them who they are.

You know the scene in Braveheart where William Wallace is getting them all jazzed about fighting. He is riding up and down the line of assembled rag tag scots. what does he tell them? He begins by addressing them: “sons of Scotland.”

“I see an army of my countrymen here in defiance of tyranny. You have come to fight as free men and free men you are....”

Peter here is reminding them who they are with familial language of children, Father and inheritance.

Today, this is the reminder or the re-reminder. The anchoring of our souls to this truth....ye, we are children of God.

This is the greatest motivation because it is based on virtue. See this text is not simply all do this or dont do that. This be holy business is not Peter wagging his finger at these people....hey no sex drugs or alcohol....no he is saying that you are new, different, born again. This is who you are. When my son is old enough I could talk to him about what it means to be a McMann…that we make these types of decisions and dont make those and there is identity there. Still better than just saying her dont do that and do that just because I say so....But what if I teach Luke about the power that lives in him as a child of God to live differently.

Walk to Emmaus, doubting my call

Today, many Methodist begin the new Year with something called the Wesleyan Covenant Service. Early Wesley would lead this service everytime he made it around to visit the societies but eventually it became a new years covenant renewal service. As we anchor ourselves to Him once more. Today we have that opportunity. So I am going to invite you to silent prayer

Commit yourselves to Christ as his servants. Give yourselves to him, that you may belong to him. Christ has many services to be done. Some are more easy and honorable,    others are more difficult and disgraceful. Some are suitable to our inclinations and interests,    others are contrary to both. In some we may please Christ and please ourselves. But then there are other works where we cannot please Christ    except by denying ourselves. It is necessary, therefore,    that we consider what it means to be a servant of Christ.

Let us, therefore, go to Christ, and pray:

Let me be your servant, under your command. I will no longer be my own. I will give up myself to your will in all things.

Be satisfied that Christ shall give you your place and work. We will say this together:

Lord, make me what you will. I put myself fully into your hands: put me to doing, put me to suffering, let me be employed for you, or laid aside for you, let me be full, let me be empty, let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and with a willing heart give it all to your pleasure and disposal.