Distorted Desires & Glorifying God

Go ahead and open up to 1 Peter 2:11-12.

Thus far, we have hinted at the idea that Peter is going to address directly here.

Writing to a group of people who were pushed to the outside of society because of their belief in Christ, Peter is answering the question of “What now?”

He has already pointed out some of the incredible benefits we have of being in Christ. In our previous messages, we have talked about the incredible salvation we have already received and is coming for us at the return of Christ.

That salvation gives us hope in the meantime as we endure trials because we are believers.

Not only that, but we saw last week that we are set apart by God to be his special people so that we will declare his praises to the world around us.

This morning, we are building on that very concept as Peter sets up the next section.

Today, we are going to look at the basic principle that guides our response to the world around us.

In weeks to come, we will see how that principle plays out in specific arenas in life.

Each of those responses comes back to the straight-forward principles Peter outlines here: Distorted desires destroy us and good behavior glorifies God.

We will see this morning that our desires have been corrupted and distorted by sin. Jesus has given himself for us and now we no longer have to be enslaved to those desires. As we live life according to God’s design, He receives glory and what Christ does through our lives can draw people to himself.

With that in mind, look with me at 1 Peter 2:11-12…

So let’s break down what God is telling us through Peter:

1) Distorted desires destroy us.

Peter starts out verse 11 with one last reminder of who we are in Christ.

Although the translators of the CSB chose to translate this as “Dear friends,” the word here simply means “beloved.”

Most likely, he is looking back over all these incredible things God has done to demonstrate his love for the believers Peter is addressing, and he reminds them that they are God’s beloved.

As God’s beloved, though, we are strangers and exiles in the world.

We are people whose true home is the Kingdom of God and who will never feel completely at home anywhere until we are with him.

Since we are so beloved by God, and since our home is in heaven, Peter urges us to abstain from sinful desires.

Does that mean that all desires are bad, and we should live lives free from wanting or desiring anything?

That isn’t what Peter is saying. It isn’t desire that is the problem; it is when that desire gets distorted that it becomes an issue.

If you have been in church long, you might immediately think this is talking about sexual desire. That is certainly part of it—sexual desire for one’s spouse is a good and God-honoring thing, but when it is either too important or directed towards someone who isn’t your spouse, it is a sinful desire.

We do this with other desires as well, though. We take a God-given desire and either make it too important or seek to meet that desire in a way that isn’t honoring to God. That’s what makes these desires sinful.

Let me give you some examples:

God has given us a desire for relationships and friendships, but it becomes sinful when we do anything to be accepted, even if it violates what God has told us to do.

God has created us to work, but it becomes sinful when we pour ourselves into our job or our hobby in an attempt to find lasting satisfaction or to give our lives purpose.

We both need and have been created with rest as a part of who we are, but it becomes sinful when we pursue rest and comfort by sleeping too much or watching too much TV, becoming lazy and avoiding responsibility instead of engaging the world around us the way God has called us to.

God loves to give His children good things, but we corrupt that into sinful desires when we become materialistic and want stuff more than we want God to be active in our lives.

The world around us is chasing after its own desires.

That’s what Paul said so graphically:

Philippians 3:18–19 CSB

For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame; and they are focused on earthly things,

What a graphic picture of the way so many live around us—our stomach, our body and what it wants—become what is most important to us and the thing we give our devotion to.

Paul says that isn’t just a bad idea; living by your desires is living like an enemy of Jesus and his sacrifice.

That’s exactly what Peter is telling us to avoid; avoid making a god out of the desires of your body.

You cannot chase after your own desires your way and fulfill God’s design for your life!

Why? Because in no uncertain terms, Peter tells us that these desires will destroy you. Look at the strong language he uses… “that wage war against the soul.”

You don’t wage war with someone to be their friend; these fleshly desires are trying to destroy you!

Think about Russia’s war with Ukraine right now. Their end goal is to overthrow the Ukrainian government and absorb their country into Russia.

That’s what wars like this are fought over.

Peter says that is going on with these sinful, fleshly desires. Your corrupted desires are trying to destroy your ability to live a God-honoring life.

This runs completely counter-cultural, because we are told all the time to follow our hearts, do what feels right.

The Bible paints a very different picture of our hearts:

Jeremiah 17:9 CSB

The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it?

Your heart is sick! Left to yourself, your desires will destroy you.

That’s why God teaches us through Solomon:

Proverbs 14:12 CSB

There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way to death.

Sure, follow your heart, follow your own lusts and desires, and ultimately, you will find that it leads to death.

Your heart is sick; it can’t tell you which way to go!

It is bent towards sin and selfishness, and it will lead you astray.

If you follow your own distorted desires, you cannot grow in your walk with Christ.

Paul tells us this in Galatians 5, which Doug referenced at the beginning of the service last week:

Galatians 5:16–17 CSB

I say, then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want.

You can’t keep doing whatever you want and follow the Spirit of God at the same time.

But, wait a second, doesn’t the Bible say God will give me what my heart desires?

Here’s where that comes from:

Psalm 37:4–5 CSB

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act,

What has to come first before we follow our desires? A delight in the Lord.

We have to focus on who God is and what He has done to rescue us, allowing him to transform our hearts and give us the desire for the things he desires. <<gospel>>

You see, God knew that our hearts were wicked and that we couldn’t remedy them on our own. He sent Jesus, God in the flesh, who lived a life without sin and never desired anything but what God wanted. In fact, one of the clearest demonstrations of that was when Jesus prayed to God the Father and said, “Not my will but yours be done” as he faced the destruction that I deserved for my distorted desires.

In light of all Christ has done, Peter begs you to focus on Christ and his desires instead of what you think you need to make yourself happy. Instead of chasing after the world and what it says you need, why not chase after the God whose love can transform your distorted desires into life-giving desires that honor and glorify him?

As the psalmist said, we have to commit our way to the Lord, trust in him, and rely on him to accomplish it.

That’s a far cry from allowing my distorted desires to rule my life and destroy it.

Instead, I am allowing God to direct my desires in the way he knows is best, which leads to life!

I am following the Spirit of God as he directs, not my own desires.

This is difficult, and it is going to cause you to have to step up your game.

Gentlemen, man up! Reject passively floating through life, make the hard choices to follow God, and do what he has called you to do!

Ladies, recapture the beauty of who God has made you to be and how he uniquely created you to serve him. Don’t let our culture define what a woman looks like; allow God to shape you into the woman he calls you to be.

So, Peter tells us that we need to stay away from these distorted desires that destroy.

Why? So God can work through you to destroy those desires that are trying to destroy you, so you can live a life that is honoring him.

The impact of following God is greater than just saving your own skin.

That’s why Peter goes on to say…

2) Good Behavior Glorifies God.

Look with me at verse 12.

As you allow God to correct your distorted desires, you are going to live differently than those around you—we have acknowledged that we are living as strangers and exiles.

Peter refers to them as “Gentiles” in this verse. He uses that term symbolically, since technically anybody who wasn’t a Jew was a Gentile.

You’re not going to chase after the same goals, you’re not going to respond the same way, you’re not going to treat people the same way, and you’re not going to agree with those who don’t follow Christ.

Peter points out later in this letter that they will speak poorly of you because you don’t do the same things they do.

Isn’t this how those who don’t know Christ are responding to the position the church has taken?

Let’s take a couple hot-button issues:

When we as the church stand up and say, “You can’t define marriage and gender however you want because these are things God has clearly defined and created,” we are called hateful bigots who are on the wrong side of history.

When we say that every life has value, even in the womb, and that abortion is wrong, we are told that we are anti-women, anti-choice, and naïve.

That’s why this verse is so important.

People who don’t know Jesus are going to get upset at your for the way you believe and act.

When that happens, the way you behave will have tremendous impact.

If, when maligned for standing with Christ, you are a jerk back, calling names, being rude and vindictive, you play right into the stereotypes and distort the picture of who God is.

However, if you keep your behavior honorable, God can use those very things that make them mad as a way to draw them to Himself.

Ultimately, that brings glory to God, which is exactly what Jesus said would happen:

Matthew 5:16 CSB

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

It is interesting to notice what Peter didn’t say.

One commentator notes,

"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."[1]

This was written back in 2003, so it was before the world seemed as divided and hostile as it does now.

Although there isn’t anything wrong with being vocal about what believe, Peter’s primary emphasis is that the way we live will be the greatest attracting force. He will later couple that with being able to verbally defend Christ, but here, he is reminding us that our witness is backed up by our lives.

If we aren’t living well for Christ, then the world around us won’t hear anything we say.

That also means, like we talked about last week, that you and I need to find ways to get to know and interact with those who don’t know Jesus.

We need to do good in the community and in our jobs, and when people ask why we do what we do, we can point them to Christ.

Be careful how you interact on Facebook and other social media; make sure your behavior matches what you are saying.

So how does our living this out play out?

Take our stand on marriage: when we openly teach that marriage is for one man and one woman for one lifetime, we are also saying that anything outside that is wrong and destructive.

At the same time, make sure your marriage is as healthy and God-honoring as it should be.

When your friend who is living with his girlfriend gets mad at you for that, you are called to respond honorably, continuing to show him the love of Christ even as you don’t condone his actions.

That way, when your friend finds out you were right about sex outside of marriage and ends up seeing the damage it causes, God can use your consistent testimony to draw that man to himself.

You told him that the lifestyle he chose was going to lead to hurt, and it did, so the very same thing that drove him away may be the catalyst that brings him to Christ.

By the way, there is some question about what is meant by “the day he visits”.

It can either mean the day someone comes to Christ or the day Christ returns.

Although there is some debate, it looks most likely that this is referring to when God brings salvation to someone.

Most of the time in the New Testament, when someone is glorifying God, it is because they have been saved.

So, this verse implies that your excellent behavior will be what God uses to draw lost people to himself, resulting in them glorifying him.

As you keep yourself from gratifying your distorted desires, you will live differently.

Make sure you keep it up, even when it means others turn up the heat on you.

Your testimony in that time will be a clear demonstration of Christ, and God may very well use that to draw someone to himself.

Glorify God in all your behavior.

Endnotes:

[1]Schreiner, Thomas. The New American Commentary: 1, 2 Peter and Jude. Nashville: Broadman and Holman (2003). 122.