1 Peter 2:11-25 - A Life of Integrity

Introduction: You can tell a lot about people by looking at the back of their cars. Just think about how often we drive down the high way and just by looking at the car in front of us, we can get a picture of that person’s life.

We can often tell who they voted for. Who their team is. What college they went to. We can tell how many people are in their family by looking at their stick figure family. We can tell if they recently had a baby by the baby on board sign. Oh look the person who just cut us off has a Jesus fish on their car. Bless their heart.

Everyday, we tell the world a lot about ourselves without saying a word. The way we act. Body language. The way we dress. The brand on our coffee cup.

How often do we consider what our actions say about our faith? As a Christian, what does your life say about Jesus? Sadly, the world does not always have a positive impression of Christians. While we may not be able to change that, the way we live, can change just one person’s impression. And who knows if that one change might lead that person to put their faith in Jesus.

The world is not changed by big things but a series of small things that make a big difference.

Transition to the Text: Turn with me in your Bibles to 1 Peter 2:11-25. While words are incredibly important, it should not surprise us how often the Bible returns to our conduct and actions. And really, what we see throughout the Bible is our actions as a response to the world around us. Life happens, how will you respond. Good things happen. How do you respond? Bad things happen? How will you respond? What story does your response tell?

Introduce:

Big Idea: Let your life tell the story of God’s love.

Read:

1 Peter 2:11–25 ESV

11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 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. 13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. 18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Big Idea: Let your life tell the story of God’s love.

1. Consider your actions, especially before unbelievers. (1 Peter 2:11-12)

Explanation: As Peter has talked about before, your actions matter. How you live your life matters.

Too often in our lives, we act as though our actions don’t matter because every sin we’ve ever committed is covered by the blood of Jesus on the cross.

And there is some truth to that. Jesus did cover every sin we’ve ever committed, but does that mean we can live however we want?

Because the way that you live your life says a lot about what you believe.

For starters Peter says to recognize that there is a war going on inside of you related to how you act. The passions of the flesh is a phrase that speaks to the ongoing temptation that even us Christians face.

And while we will make mistakes and continue to struggle with sin, it is imperative that we don’t raise the white flag on our sin life. We need to be winning that war.

Illustration: An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”

He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

Now for Christians we don’t wage this war alone so don’t think its about sheer willpower. We wage it in the power of the Holy Spirit and through the accountability of other Christians: the church.

Application: But why is this important? Because the world is watching.

Because the truth is, the world will revile us as evil doers because of our beliefs. And there are things we believe that will be offensive.

But our actions should speak for themselves.

Let me give you one relevant example. A few weeks ago, Roe vs. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court. And it is no secret that many Christians had been praying for that day for 49 years. And many Christians voted for candidates they believed would uphold the sanctity of life from the point of conception which the Bible affirms in Psalm 139:13, Luke 1:41, and Jeremiah 1:5.

Now I can applaud the court ruling and be called evil by the world. And I’m ok with that. But the other accusations that will be thrown at Christians is that we only care about babies before they are born and not after.

Which if you look at the objective facts, that’s just not true.

Christians are number 1 in adoption.

Christians are number 1 in foster care.

And the fact that there are over Christian 2,500 crisis pregnancy centers that provide actual free prenatal services and free diapers and classes speaks against that common misconception.

People will also say that Christians will shame Christian mothers for having babies out of wedlock. Maybe that’s happened in the past, but honestly I have never that happen in the church. And at North Hills, a single mom should find nothing but grace, love and support. All this to say, as Christians we are pro-life from conception until natural death.

So if we are to be reviled for being pro-life, let’s be so incredibly pro-life that while the world may hate us our stance against abortion, they can’t deny that we are definitely pro-child regardless of race or nationality. May it be known that we stand with single mother as well as the married mother. May it be known that we love the widow and orphan. May it be known that we are staunchly antiracist. And we care about our elders too. And through it all, may we point people to the one who came to give His children abundant life (John 10:10).

For Christians, if are going to rejoice that babies are born, let’s also work hard to make sure they truly live as well.

Roland Warren President of CareNet

2. Be good citizens, as you live as aliens and strangers in this world. (1 Peter 2:13-17)

Explanation: It’s always interesting to me whenever the Bible talks about aliens. The Bible means foreigners, but I immediately think of little green people, visitors from another world who know this place is not their home. But like in “Men in Black,” where those aliens become a part of society, Christians ought also to be good citizens. And we need to consider our actions in a pagan and secular world.

We have to acknowledge that for most of history, God’s people have not found themselves in a situation where they were the dominant political power.

Even the nation of Israel only had a strict independence for a few generations. And even within that independence, you had a mixture of godly kings and wicked kings.

There were a few cities that had godly leadership during the reformation begun by Martin Luther, namely John Calvin’s Geneva.

It’s true that the puritans had a few years of their city on the hill prior to the birth of the USA. But history tells us they were terrible parents who probably did raise a generation of witches and warlocks.

So if throughout history, God’s people find themselves more in Babylon than they do in Jerusalem, this shouldn’t surprise us, and we ought to know how to live in Babylon knowing that we’re a long way from home.

Peter says to be subject to every human institution whether the emperor or his governors. Which sounds crazy considering the government of Peter’s day was the one doing the persecution they were experiencing.

Peter says it is the will of God to be subject even to wicked governors. Again, why? Because, it’s your ability to suffer well that points people to Jesus.

Ironically this is one of the reasons why Karl Marx called religion the opiate of the masses. Christians content with God’s rule over their lives don’t cause widespread rebellion. Christians were not called to overthrow Rome, they were called to honor all people.

Verse 17 sounds like a mission statement: Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the Emperor. Shockingly I’ve never seen that on a coffee mug. Maybe we should.

Application: What does it look like to be a good Christian living in the US? What should our response be to the growing secularization of our culture? What about the fact that most Christian denominations are bowing to mob culture?

Perhaps in Peter’s words, what does it look like to honor everyone while not celebrating their sin?

What does it look like to truly love the church even when it’s imperfect?

What does it look like to fear God in “religion” that only wants to emphasize God’s love?

And what does it look like to honor the emperor when the emperor is a government that makes laws we disagree with? Or candidates that we didn’t vote for?

Well for one, remember that this world, this country and the state of california are not your home. You are an alien and a stranger awaiting your heavenly home. So live for home. Live for Jesus because Jesus is coming.

1 Peter 2:12 ESV

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.

It does not matter who is in the government. You serve God. If Daniel could serve under Nebuchadnezzer, you can be subject to the US government. And if you remember, Daniel led Nebuchadnezzar to salvation. The final recorded words of Nebuchadnezzar are recorded in Dan 4:37

Daniel 4:37 ESV

37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

3. Be a good worker, as though working for God and not people (1 Peter 2:18-20)

Explanation: Peter goes on to take his instructions into the workplace. We may push back on terms like “servant” and “master” in our culture, but today, the idea of boss and employee is very relevant. Most of us work for someone else. Most of us don’t own our own business.

And chances are, your boss is not a Christian. So the way that you do your job will impact your boss’s view of Christ if he or she knows you are a Christian.

When it comes to our job, Christians should be the best workers. They should have the most integrity with regard to their job.

Because here’s the thing, there will be times that you are going to have to draw a line in the sand regarding your integrity. You won’t lie, cheat or steal. And holding a moral line in a secular world will cause issues. People will revile you for your principles; especially when everyone else is doing it.

Peter suggests that you will be disciplined for messing up. And that’s going happen. And perhaps you’ll deserve it. But what about when you are treated unjustly? Remember that God honors you when you suffer unjustly.

But be the hardest and best worker in everything else and your actions will speak for your value.

Application: Regardless of what you do for a living, whether it is a plumber, teacher, doctor, lawyer or stay at home mom, do everything as though it were for the Lord.

1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV

31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Be an example of a Christlike attitude in all that you do. And again, people may ridicule you for your faith, but they should not be able to ridicule your work ethic.

It costs you nothing to show up on time ready to work.

Work ethic, effort, attitude, energy, passion, readily accepting feedback, and doing a little bit extra all cost you nothing and don’t require a degree. But these things can change the way other people see you and how they see Jesus.

4. Be like Jesus (1 Peter 2:21-25)

Explanation: Finally, as so often happens in the Bible, whenever someone wants to give an example of how you are to live your life, they point to Jesus.

You might say that’s not fair, he’s God in the flesh! Of course He was perfect and made every right decision!

But look at what Peter is saying.

If Jesus was willing to suffer, what makes you think you’re above suffering?

He was sinless and was reviled. Still He didn’t get even or take matters into His own hands. He trusted God. You are a sinner and some of the stuff that happens to you is actually deserved. How much more ought you to entrust yourself to God?

Jesus was willing to sacrifice His rights and privileges that we might be saved. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. How much more ought we to sacrifice for others.

If, in our suffering, we could lead others to Jesus so that even our enemies might be transformed by the power of the Gospel, isn’t that worth it?

Illustration: I always love the story of Bart Millard of MercyMe who grew up with an abusive father who physically and verbally abused him. But through endurance and prayer, Bart talks about how his father came to know Jesus and was completely transformed by the Gospel. He became a man not only that Bart was able to forgive but a man that Bart wanted to be like because his father became a man devoutly in love with Jesus.

Don’t mishear me saying abuse is good because it can lead to good. It’s not and God is not pleased with it.

But God is pleased when we respond like Jesus with grace and mercy.

There is no such thing as pointless, meaningless suffering. It can have a purpose when we respond like Jesus.

This is what Paul meant when he said,

Romans 8:28 ESV

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

It may not sound good. It may not feel good. But it can be good when we respond with integrity.

Application: It may seem trite to say, “Be like Jesus.” It may seem pandering when we ask, “What would Jesus do?” Because often we don’t know what Jesus would do. And any answer we might give is only subjective.

But we can certainly look at the way that Jesus handled suffering. And we can do our best to respond like He would when we are unjustly treated.

Jesus is our example. And we can do our best to spend the rest of our lives being more like Jesus each and every day.

And the more we have opportunity to be like Jesus and succeed the easier it gets to entrust ourselves to God.

So yeah, be like Jesus. Or better, become like Jesus more and more each day.

Summation:

Consider your ACTIONS, especially before UNBELIEVERS. (1 Peter 2:11-13)

Be good CITIZENS, as you live as aliens and strangers in this WORLD. (1 Peter 2:14-17)

Be a good WORKER, as though working for God and not PEOPLE (1 Peter 2:18-20)

Be like JESUS (1 Peter 2:21-25)

And regularly ask:

Response: What does your life say about God?

Closing:

The great writer, C. S. Lewis, said, “Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.”

It’s one thing to do things so other people will see them, it’s another to them when no one sees them. Because when no one sees them the world says they gain you nothing. In a world where we put everything we do on social media for the world to see, it can be hard to differentiate between who we really are and who we want other to see.

I think in a day of social media, integrity is being who you really are whether online or in person.

I love the story of Fred Rogers and his dedication to bringing joy to children through Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. My younger years caught the tail end of his career. And now my youngest loves Daniel Tiger’s neighborhood which is based on the world Mr. Rogers created.

Fred Rogers is perhaps the most genuinely authentic person in recent memory. So much so that there were some who were out to find out that he was a fraud. Lloyd Vogel was a jaded magazine writer was assigned a profile of Fred Rogers and he wanted to show the real Fred Rogers. One problem, after countless hours with Mr. Rogers, he found out he was exactly who he seemed to be. Vogel overcome his skepticism, learning about empathy, kindness, and decency from America's most beloved neighbor. And they had a lifelong friendship.

If you saw the movie a “Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” one thing you would not have seen is the reason why Fred Rogers was the way that he was. The truth is, Mr. Rogers treated everyone with respect and love, because that’s what Jesus would have done.

As an ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church, he considered Mr. Rogers Neighborhood to be his ministry. And while he couldn’t share the name of Jesus on Public Broadcasting, his actions shined the light of Jesus and taught them what it meant follow in Jesus’ steps.

We need to be shining examples of Jesus to a world that needs peace, hope, and love.

One final thing. It’s not enough just to be a person of integrity. Let your actions authenticate your words when you tell people about the amazing journey of following Jesus.

In words and actions, let’s point the world to Jesus.

Let’s Pray.

Week 3 of 2022 Summer Sermon Series: Unshakeable: A Life of Integrity (1 Peter 2:11-25)

Big Idea: Let your LIFE tell the story of God’s LOVE.

Consider your ACTIONS, especially before UNBELIEVERS. (1 Peter 2:11-13)

Be good CITIZENS, as you live as aliens and strangers in this WORLD. (1 Peter 2:14-17)

Be a good WORKER, as though working for God and not PEOPLE (1 Peter 2:18-20)

Be like JESUS (1 Peter 2:21-25)

Response: What does your LIFE say about GOD?

Opening Discussion:

It’s been said, “Actions speak louder than words?” Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?

Sermon:

Why does Peter tell people to live lives of integrity? According to Peter what is at stake and what is the benefit?

Why does Peter say to “be subject to every human institution?” According to this passage what is the purpose of government?

How do we reconcile this command with the often evil nature of human governments in history?

What does Peter say about the balance between living free and not abusing that freedom?

What does Peter say about how you should respond to being mistreated? How can your patient endurance make a positive impact for Jesus?

Can can Jesus serve as our example of a life of integrity in the face of suffering?

Application:

What does it mean to be a sojourner and exile? How do your actions change when you see yourself as a sojourner and exile?

How can you obey Peter’s instructions to be subject to the governing authorities? How can we be subject with not obeying any sinful laws?

What is something your patiently enduring right now? How might God use your respond to your circumstances to draw people to Himself?

How can following Jesus’ example give you strength to live a life of integrity during tough times?