Sermon on flesh found in 1 Peter 2

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:11-12

11 Beloved, I urge you has 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.

Title:

Opening Illustration: – Something about being in someplace new, someplace you’re not familiar with. 

 

Transitional Statement:

 

Take your copy of God’s Word and open with me to: 1 Peter 2:11-12

 

Read Passage/Prayer

 

Background: Written by Peter. One thing we cannot forget is the target audience: Christians. This isn’t an evangelistic letter, thought it, as all of Scripture can, be used to reach the lost, the original intention of this letter was an exhortation to already established Christians and Churches throughout the known world. 

Passions of the flesh wage war sermon notes

Verse 11: “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 

 

Beloved – Agape love. The people Peter is writing to are beloved by God, chosen as His elect (1 Peter 1:2). 

• Agape love prefers others above one’s self. John 15:13 – “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”
• Peter did eventually do just that, lay his life down for Christ as a martyr. 

 

I – Peter is identifying himself here as he begins to address believers on how to conduct themselves in foreign lands, i.e. as sojourners and exiles.

 

 Urge – To earnestly support or encourage a response or action. Here, this is a purposeful exhortation to something intentionally

 

You as Sojourners and exiles – terms are interchangeable. Aliens in a foreign land, guests staying only temporarily. 

• They are traveling and living in these lands because they have been forcibly removed/moved from their own lands. 
• They are not only sojourners exiles from their physical lands, but they were, as we are, sojourners and exiles here on earth, as the Christian’s true home is within the Kingdom of Heaven. 

 

To abstain from the passions of the flesh – 

• Abstain from – To keep away from. Intentional avoidance (think abstinence). 
  • There are many things that we ought to abstain from as Christians, and they all fall under the passions of the flesh…
• The passions of the flesh – the lustful desires of our fallen, human, sinful selves
  • Galatians 5:16-21 (read and go over some of the heavy hitters listed here). 

 

Which Wage War – Military terminology. The passions of the flesh are an army waging war against our individual souls. 

 

Against your soul – Your life. My life. The breath of life, “the immaterial part of a person which is the actuating cause of an individual life.” Genesis 2:7 – God gives us that breath of life. 

 

Verse 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.”

 

Keep your conduct – Maintain one’s way of life, ESPECIALLY one’s moral character. 

• And, it’s an active verb, so it’s intentional that we keep our conduct. It doesn’t just happen, but it happens with intentional purpose. 

 

…honorable – Greek Kalos – Moral Excellence. 

• Maintain your way of life so that it is of moral excellence. 

 

Among the Gentiles – Gentiles – used to refer to non-Jews.

• Here, Peter is most likely referring to non-Christians, believing the Church = new Israel
• Look at Peter’s target audience – the “elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Appadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.” (1 Peter 1:1).

 

So that when they speak against you – Slander!

• To charge falsely with malicious intent. -> 2 Timothy 3:12; Luke 12:51-53; Acts 6:10-11; 

 

As evildoers – An evildoer is someone who intentionally does evil, i.e. a criminal. 

 

That they may see your good deeds – 

• That they may see -> to intentionally follow with your eyes; observe, watch, see. 
  • Must be purposeful actions to pay attention to. Present, active verb. 
• Your good deeds -> deeds of Moral Excellence 
  • Good deeds = same word as “honorable”, of moral excellence
  • Good deeds are a product of our salvation – James 2:14-26

 

And glorify God – To praise, honor, and extol God

• 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 – aroma of life to life and death to death
• Philippians 2:9-11 – every knee shall bow. 
  • Everyone will worship God eventually, but for many, it will be too late

 

On the day of visitation – the day of judgment

• 1 Peter 1:5-7 -> perseverance 
• Matthew 25:31-46 -> sheep and goats 

 

Application:

 

Three things regarding how we live our lives as Christians amongst Gentiles, or non-believers

• Live our lives in imitation of Jesus

1. 1. 1. Peter writes to abstain from passions of the flesh, i.e. resist temptation, just as Jesus did (Matthew 4:1-11). While we can’t live sinless lives like Jesus, we must strive to reflect that His righteousness, His perfection, is imputed to us (2 Cor. 5:21) to those that are around us. 

• Live our lives as “outsiders”, i.e. “sojourners and exiles” amongst a hostile people

1. 1. 1. Honorable conduct (Moral excellence) – Philippians 2:14-16, 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, Ruth 1:16-17
         

• Live our lives in light of the Gospel
  

1. 1. That they may see our good deeds “and glorify God on the day of visitation.” I.e. see that there is something there and, because of it, be converted. See the difference open themselves to hear and respond to the gospel. 

 

Invitation: