Pursuing Glory
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Introduction:
Introduction:
Doug and Joan Kouba 35th Anniversary
12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
Honorable Conduct
Honorable Conduct
One of Peter’s favorite words for expressing the new life of believers is the word “conduct.” The focus of this word is on the moral character of your conduct. Another way to say this is to keep your behavior honorable…keep your behavior morally excellent.
Why is this such a big deal?
Unbelievers viewed Christians with suspicion and hostility because the latter did not conform to their way of life (4:3–4). Since believers did not honor the typical gods of the community, they were naturally viewed as subversive and evil in that social context.
Peter did not summon believers to a verbal campaign of self-defense or to the writing of tracts in which they defend their morality. He enjoined believers to pursue virtue and goodness, so that their goodness would be apparent to all in society.
The New American Commentary: 1, 2 Peter, Jude 1. The Christian Life as a Battle and Witness (2:11–12)
Unbelievers viewed Christians with suspicion and hostility because the latter did not conform to their way of life (4:3–4). Since believers did not honor the typical gods of the community, they were naturally viewed as subversive and evil in that social context.
Peter did not summon believers to a verbal campaign of self-defense or to the writing of tracts in which they defend their morality. He enjoined believers to pursue virtue and goodness, so that their goodness would be apparent to all in society.
Schreiner, T. R. (2003). 1, 2 Peter, Jude (Vol. 37, p. 122). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.Why is this such a big deal?
Unbelievers viewed Christians with suspicion and hostility because the latter did not conform to their way of life.
3 For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.
4 With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you;
Since believers did not honor the typical gods of the community, they were naturally viewed as subversive and evil in that social context.
Peter did not summon believers to a verbal campaign of self-defense or to the writing of tracts in which they defend their morality. He enjoined believers to pursue virtue and goodness, so that their goodness would be apparent to all in society. the evident transformation of their behavior will contradict false allegations circulating in society.
Why should one’s conduct be excellent?
The motivations behind behavior is just as important as the behavior itself.
The motivational shift for the Christian comes when the new heart replaces the old heart. There is a distinct difference between the heart set on self and the heart set on God.
In the midst of embracing the motivational shift of the heart, each of us strives and struggles to become what God has declared as good and right. We struggle towards God because what He says we should be is truth, He created us and therefore has rights to demand of us what is best and right.
But we see this struggle in verses like
5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming.
7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.
8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices
10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,
13 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.
14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
16 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.
17 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.
Do you see how honorable conduct is a turning from one way and a turning towards another way. How the motivations come into play?
Who decides what is honorable?
The most obvious answer in our society is us. Many of us in this room have declared and decided what is honorable and acceptable. Tradition becomes the greatest way this plays out.
Ultimately it is scripture that we should use as our mirror to weigh what is honorable and what is not.
Should we view our lives as segmented?
Perhaps we have done ourselves a dis-service by creating a false dichotomy in our minds. For all of us, we have a mental divide. On one side of this divide we have the sacred, and on the opposite side of the wall we have the secular. I hear this divide come up mostly when individuals are discussing a secular job verses a sacred job. However when I read scripture the only divide I see is those who know Christ, and those who don’t.
Pursuing Glory
Pursuing Glory
12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.
Glorify is to positively acknowledge, recognize, or esteem God’s character, nature and attributes.
Good things should be done to show others how important God is to us. This verse is reminiscent of
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
What you treasure most will become the reason you do what you do.
If you value money, you will be consumed with saving, investing, and considering the financial cost for doing everything.
If you value relaxation, you will do only what is comfortable to you.
If you value fun, you will only participate in those activities that you deem as entertaining.
If you value God, then the definition and value of money, relaxation, and fun are redefined.
If you value God, then money will never be a worthy source of worship. Trust in God’s provision will cause you to spend, save and behave the way you should, and it will be different.
When relaxation becomes a chance to do what is refreshing in the presence of God that is true relaxation.
When fun is redefined to be that which honors God, then we can have fun being responsible and focus on the needs of God and others before our own.
How do we pursue our own glory over the glory of God?
