1 Peter 2:11-12 - New Life, New Desires

intro:

Image: Childish desires - appropriate for a child, not an adult

Need: We all have desires - many need correction

Subject: Desires of a Christian

Preview: 1/2 Having been saved… 1. Your Heart Is Different Now! (v.11) 2. Proclaiming His Excellencies 3. Your Life Is Different Now! (v.12) [PPT]

Hom.Prop.: Let the Lord conform your desires to His desires

.5 Because of being saved and transformed.... [PPT]

vv1,2 Chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood

v. 3 Born again to a living hope

v. 10 ‘as to this salvation’

v. 12 the Gospel was preached to them

v. 15 ‘be holy in all your behavior’

vv. 18-19 redeemed with the blood of Christ

v.23 born again

2:1 ‘putting aside...’

v.3 ‘tasted the kindness of the Lord’

v. 7 ‘this precious value then is for you who believe’

vv. 9-10 once were not/now are

TRANS.: Because of salvation and new life in Christ,,,

1. Your Heart Is Different Now! v.11 [PPT]

Salvation Produces a Change of Desires

Peter urges them to abstain from those former fleshly desires

urge [PPT]

Peter strongly urges, appeals to, exhorts; makes a strong request; entreats; implores these Believers - in light of their salvation, DO NOT GO ON LIVING LIKE THIS! TURN AWAY FROM THIS!

“as aliens and strangers” [PPT] recalls the language of Abraham in Genesis 23:4 “4 “I am a stranger and a sojourner among you; give me a burial site among you that I may bury my dead out of my sight.””

As followers of Christ, as those captured by his grace and made new, we are foreigners and strangers - we are here, but our allegience is to Christ

Abstain from fleshly desires

define: fleshly [PPT]

Often the word sarx refers to the body and flesh that is visible and physical. It means simply the physical body or physical self.

But the writers of the New Testament also use it in another sense:

the ethical flesh, that facet of us that is related to the sinful nature we once possessed before being made new in Christ.

Sometimes used synonymously with the sinful nature

The residual and physical reminder of our former enslavement to sin

The Body is not sinful though! The Body is a good and righteous gift from God.

Yet the Christian still struggles with sin and this body is still affected by sin, and our desires are often still a holdover from that previous master, Sin.

Galatians 5:16–26 NASB95

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. 19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.

But we do not have to live according to those desires!

define: desires [PPT]

desire, craving, longing - for good things.

Jesus at the Passover meal Luke 22:15 “15 And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;”

Paul in 1 Thess 2:17 “17 But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short while—in person, not in spirit—were all the more eager with great desire to see your face.”

desire, craving, longing - for evil things - often translated “lust” if the context indicates that possibility

“which wage war against the soul”[PPT]

The effect of these fleshly, sinful desires is an internal war

This war that we sense internally, the tension of going back to our old master (SIN) is only felt by those who have been born again

The unbeliever, the unregenerated who have not been born of Christ do not struggle in the same way with sin.

To the unsaved, sin is the natural course of things. Sin is the current master - and so there is no tension of returning to the former way of life.

But for the Christian, born again by the Holy Spirit, we have life through the Spirit and there is conflict between the Spirit and the flesh (Gal 5:17)

“Beloved” [PPT] Agape’d by God - No longer operate by those fleshly desires

But now - spiritual desires

Natural result of conversion - Changed Desires

2. Proclaiming His Excellencies - Life Transformation vv.9-10 [PPT]

Last week we talked about life transformation

“You With Christ”

God has rescued us from darkness so that we would proclaim His excellencies!

1 Peter 2:9-10 “9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

Every life that is transformed by Christ is a miracle.

Every life called out of the domain of darkness is a witness of His grace.

After being called out of the darkness, our lives are marked by growing in God’s grace and our desires being changed.

God’s Grace in David’s Life [PPT, props]

Change of desires throughout

Initial Calibration - Blue Dog

Deviation - machete sheath

Reorientation - Sandal

ReCalibration - Folder, Calvary Bible College

Finding Balance - Wedding Bell

In Use - Keys

ReCalibration 2.0 - Student I.D.

Theme - God’s Grace in my life

God has been so patient with me. God has been so patient with you!

God has changed, and is changing, my desires

What about you? How has God’s grace been demonstrated in your life? How has God changed your desires? [PPT]

trans.

3. Your Life Is Different Now! v.12 [PPT]

“Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles” [PPT]

Again Peter brings up way of life, behavior, conduct expressed according to certain principles

Behavior that is good, noble, praiseworthy, excellent

Other Christians are watching

God is watching

The unbelieving world is watching

“so that in the thing in which they slander you as evil-doers” [PPT]

The unbelieving world will hurl insults and slanders and accusations against you

Your excellent behavior will be called out and distorted into evil

Your devotion to Christ will be misunderstood as blind unreasonable faith

Your way of life as a follower of Jesus will not make sense to those in darkness!

“they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them” [PPT]

They will be looking and observing your behavior, but remember - men love darkness rather than light.

It takes a miracle of God’s grace to call someone out of darkness

“glorify God in the day of visitation” [PPT]

The final purpose of this excellent behavior is a life that results in glory to God.

This glorification of God may be in the time when He visits the unbelievers and calls them out of darkness

This glorification of God may be in the unbeliever’s response to your righteous conduct and way of life - vindicated and proven right

Or this glorification of God may be in the final judgment of the wicked.

Philippians 2:9–12 NASB95

9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;

Whenever this glorification of God takes place, your way of life, your conduct as a Christian is an outward visible witness of God’s grace in your life, and how He has changed your desires.

4. What About Your Life? [PPT]

Have you been called out of the domain of darkness?

Are you proclaiming His excellencies?

Are your desires being changed?

Think about your desires [contra. ‘think about your thinking’]

Ask yourself diagnostic questions

Is your behavior such that accusations fall flat?

God’s grace, love, mercy, kindness are waiting for you....