Living with Hope Under Leaders

That song seems so reminiscent of our Lord who said that “without Him, we can do nothing” (John 15:5).

And we can’t – Christ is our spiritual Vine and we have been grafted into the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant.

That alone deserves a separate sermon, so perhaps in the providence of our Lord we will be able to discuss that theological truth at a later time.

Be that as it may – we’re continuing our series on Hope in Everyday Suffering with an emphasis of Living with Hope Under Leaders. But before we do that, I want to do a bit of a recap of the circumstances by which Peter wrote his letter. If you’ve been reading Peter’s letter, a main emphasis or theme will arise out of your study. That is: A Christian response to suffering.

You may recall that in chapter one, the Apostle opened wrote to Christians who were being persecuted for their faith in Christ. As a result of their faith and stance upon the Gospel once and for all delivered to saints, they were “scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia,

Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen.”

INSERT PIC PLEASE https://image.slideserve.com/975087/slide2-l.jpg

It was under the fires of severe persecution that Peter had to remind these scattered believers of their future inheritance because in their gaining Christ, they their earthly possessions (vv. 3-12). So he reminded them to look past their present sufferings because it is “not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to [them]” (Romans 8:18)

That is to say, we need to be reminded of hope when we bear up under the crucible of a providential affliction.

So because of this momentary affliction, Peter moves on to remind God’s people of their conduct before an unbelieving world – that’s chapters 2-4.

Then finally in chapters 4-5 he reminds the scattered church that Christ is coming and the realization of our victory in Christ over the world.

We live in an increasingly hostile world – this ought not surprise us. After all, we were warned about this because we are living in the last days. And if you know anything about end times, part and parcel of the unfolding of prophecy entails a moral downgrade of the entire world before the arrival of the antichrist.

We know this because in Paul’s letter to young pastor Timothy he said to understand,

“that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of

money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving,

irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous,

reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power.”

In other words, there will be a downgrade of the family. There will be a downgrade of society and governmental authorities. And with the downgrade of these things, Peter reminds God’s people to burn brighter and remember Christ, who is our hope of glory.

With that in mind, I want to highlight 4 ways to find hope in Christ in an unbelieving world with imperfect leaders

First,

I. Forsake carnal desires that threaten your ability to live out your new identity. (v.11)

verse.11 “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.”

Would you take note of how Peter opens up his letter to a scattered church who need hear who they are – they are “beloved”, referring to them as being the objects of God’s effectual love.

But the implication for us as God’s people is the notion of resting in the hope of God’s special love for you that he does not share with the unbelieving world. So Peter follows up this term of endearment to a sense of resolve. “I urge you…”

Parakaleo – “to beseech” “to encourage” (cf. Rom. 12:1)

In Romans 12:1 the Apostle Paul tells God’s people to reciprocate their love for God by living for him.

Romans 12:1 “I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

That is to say, because God loves us, it follows that our love for Him is reflected in our living for him, you see!

Peter says a similar thing, but under different circumstances, that being persecution. Their love for the God who redeemed them follows a kind of peculiar living for Him that is not the way the our world functions because it is under the sway of the wicked one (1 John 5:19). Their kind of living is from below, but ours is from above.

So peculiar is this kind of living with hope is Peter calling God’s people “strangers and aliens” –

Parepidemos – someone sojourning in a strange place. Literally, refers to someone “passing through” (defined by its context) (Biblehub.com)

Warren Wiersbe wrote that “if you have ever lived in a foreign land, you know that the citizens watch you and are prone to find things to criticize”, that can be true at times.

Peter applies that kind of terminology to God’s people who are not just strangers and aliens, but as a people passing through who are not to partake in the passing pleasures of sin.

Let’s finish Peter’s thought – verse 11 “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.” (stop)

apechó: to hold back, keep off, to be away, be distant. In other words, because we are passing through this land, we are always to be abstaining from fleshly lusts.

The problem however, is that although we have been born from above and have a new spiritual disposition and new longings that were not there before our conversion, we still find ourselves incarcerated by our fallen flesh which “wages war against the soul” as Peter described at the conclusion of verse 11.

And it’s that waging against the soul that we all experience. By the way, that phrase of waging war is a military term, that MacArthur described as a “strong term that generally means to carry out a long-term military campaign. It implies not just antagonism but a relentless, malicious aggression. Since it takes place in the soul, it is a kind of civil war…the image is of an army of lustful terrorists waging an internal search and destroy mission to conquer the soul of the believer.” (The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: 1 Peter”, p. 138)

Even the Apostle Paul described this war in his members in Romans 7

Romans 7:21-25 “I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, 23 but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Did you see how it ends, Christian – thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. The reason why we are able to obey Peter’s command in the first place is through Christ: the hope of glory!

That’s why the Apostle John could say in his letter that the purpose for which Christ appeared was to “destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8-9). How does he do that? God does this through the new birth, referring to salvation, which the Apostle John described as a “seed” referring to the principle of life God imparts to the one who believes.

Charles Wesley described this powerful truth in his hymn And Can it be, that I should gain” to which he described his salvation story with powerful metaphors

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature's night
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light
My chains fell off, my heart was free
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee

Thanks be to God through our Lord that we are able forsake carnal desires that threaten our ability to live out our new identity. (v.11)

Which leads us to a question? What are those lustful desires which Peter speaks of? Well, we can find a list of categorical sins in the book of Galatians. Take note of the list

Galatians 5:19–21 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality,

impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of

anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 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.

Immorality. Grk. porneia: fornication – refers to all illicit sexual activity or excess

Impurity. akatharsia: uncleanness.^[1]

This is closely associated with immorality. This kind of sin refers to the inward part of a

person who fantasizes about committing outward acts of sin. It refers to the stuff you

roll around on your tongue, which eventually manifest itself as some sort of outward

sexual immorality, some outward dark masochism.

In other words, there are layers to sins, some which are so horrendous that Paul says that they

must not even be named among followers of Christ (Ephesians 3:5).

Sensuality. aselgeia: licentiousness, wantonness. (outrageous conduct, conduct

shocking to public decency, a wanton violence).

This refers to a person who no longer hides his impurity but is out there in the public market

places, shocking the senses of the onlookers. This person would even go so far as to break the

law in order to get what he wants.

Sorcery. pharmakeia: the use of medicine, drugs or spells. It can refer to mood or

mind altering drugs. This is commonly associated with occult practices.^[2]

Strife…factions. Refers to sins manifested the area of human relationships. What does your

spouse say about you? What does your workplace say about you?

Drunkenness, Carousing. These two are sometimes seen together. We know what drunkenness is, but what tends to follow drunken behavior is carousing. Carousing refers to an unbridled sexual party. It refers to all riotous or rowdy behavior.

Does that describe any of you?

Why should we avoid these things? God says because those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God, these are the things waging war against the soul.

1 Peter 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens,

scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who

are chosen

1 John 2:15-17 - Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the

world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh

and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from

the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of

God lives forever.

My friends, it’s a battle against your soul…and the passing pleasures of sin is

contrary to your identity in Christ. You bear a different moniker, Christian.

So it follows that if we bear the name of Christ, we will live so contrary to this

passing world that it will hate everything you stand for.

John 15:18-19 - If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated

you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of

the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.

Galatians 5:16-18 - But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 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. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.

So, if our hope and identity is in Christ, Beloved, first we must avoid this way of

carnal desires, but then there is a way we should live every day that shows our

hope is in Christ, we must…

II. Keep Your Behavior Excellent Among Non-Christians (v.12)

1 Peter 2:12 - Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the

thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good

deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation. (take note)

Note, that Peter has in mind our behavior with reference to our daily conduct. What should our

conduct manifest in? Excellent = beautiful of outward appearance. Note the contrast that there

is a earthy behavior that the world sees and a holy behavior that the world sees and despises,

yes?

Of what stock are you? Does your behavior reflect a living kind of hope? Of what stock are you?

notice the purpose, If our stock is as children of the light, then it follows that living

with in the Hope of our God will draw suffering – will draw mistreatment – will

draw insults and being maligned such that the world will slander you as evil doers

A. Even when they slander you as evildoers

The early Christians were often slandered and labeled doers of evil. Does that not sound like

our society today, Christian.

For instance, because Christians did not embrace the anti-god values of the Roman

Empire and protected children and held the marriage covenant in honor they were

labeled as “haters of humanity.” Does that not sound like our current climate?

It was these kinds of accusations and many others that Christianity were seen as meddlers and evildoers – they were seen as the outliers of society.

“In the first century, the label evildoers (kakopoiōn) brought to mind many of the specific accusations pagans made against Christians—that they rebelled against the Roman government, practiced cannibalism, engaged in incest, engaged in subversive activities that threatened the Empire’s economic and social progress, opposed slavery, and practiced atheism by not worshiping Caesar or the Roman gods.” John F. MacArthur Jr., 1 Peter, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2004), 140.

Are we prepared to be maligned and respond with excellent conduct even when

falsely labeled as the evildoers? If we are not, we had better get ready.

The LBGTQ and those who espouse their way of conduct have already marked us

as a hate group. Just turn the television or read the paper and it’s right there in our

faces – they don’t even hide it.

They see our views of Scripture as hateful and unloving. Let them slander you – let

it come. They are not the enemy, but the mission field.

B. Let them see you doing good

One Christian writer named Justin Martyr (c.100-c.165), was brought to Christ by

watching the way that believers died in the arena. Here’s what he said in his letter

to a man named Diognetus…

“They are dishonoured, yet made glorious in their very dishonour; slandered,

yet vindicated. They repay calumny with blessings, and abuse with courtesy.

For the good they do, they suffer stripes as evildoers; and under the strokes

they rejoice like men given new life. Jews assail them as heretics, and Greeks

harass them with persecutions; and yet of all their ill-wishers there is not one

who can produce good grounds for his hostility” Letter to Diognetus 5.11-17,

trans. Staniforth, Early Christian Writings, 145.

Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your

good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”, Jesus said.

The world has got to see that we are a peculiar people…they have to see it in the marketplace –

they have to see it in the home. They must see that there is something is different about you.

Why? The Apostle Peter highlights what the purpose is purpose at the end of verse

12

C. So that they glorify God when his day of judgment comes

This is a very interesting verse. Let me explain it this way: I can look back to the days when I was an unbeliever, I can recall providential moments in my life when I heard the Gospel from believers, and I rejected the message of salvation.

One particular time, I heard the Gospel while working in a movie theatre. A worked with a man named Isaac – he was different from the crowd. He gave me the Gospel after I said to him all religions go to heaven.

He quoted John 14:6 when Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

I was thunder struck after hearing what he said, but I rejected God’s visitation of salvation mercy at that time.

Sometime had passed and I heard the Gospel at a play called heavens gates and hells flames where again, the Gospel was visited upon my soul and I surrendered my live to Christ.

Some years later, I ran into Isaac at a football game in my hometown. I remembered him and walked up to him and I had asked him if he remembered me, to which he said that he did.

Now, he didn’t remember our discussion, but I did – I told him how he gave me the Gospel and how the Lord used that discussion to eventually draw me to Christ. The look on his face priceless!

So what Peter has in mind is that when you are rejected by your friends and family there may come a time that some of them will remember their day of visitation and glorify God in salvation. But to those who rejected, God will visit them not in salvation…but Judgment.

Is today your day of visitation? If it is, then please speak with myself or Pastors Rod, Alfonso or Sam. But if you fail to repent, know for certain, you do not want God to visit you in judgment.

2 Corinthians 6:2 “For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

First, Forsake carnal desires that threaten your ability to live out your new identity. (v.11)

Second, Keep your behavior excellent among non-Christians (v.12)

III. Submit Even to Non-Christian Human Authorities (v.13)

1 Peter 2:13-15 “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution,

whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the

punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God

that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.” (stop)

I feel as though I am running out of time, so feel the need to give us a summary of Peter’s

Words.

Submit yourselves = arrange in formation under your commander

Submit yourself because of your loyalty to the Lord! Why?

A. Because they are sent by God (v.14)

B. By being a doer of good and not evil (v.14, 15)

C. So that you are praised and not punished (v. 14)

D. Because God wants you to silence the slander against Christians (v. 15)

The only time – I mean the only time, when Christians don’t submit to the governing authorities if we are told to disobey a direct command from God in the Scriptures. That’s when we will obey Acts 4-5 and five like Peter and the Apostles did and said we will obey God and not man.

IV. Live Like a Free Person (v.16)

1 Peter 2:16-17 - Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil,

but use it as bondslaves of God. Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God,

honor the king.

A. Don’t use your rights to justify doing evil

Galatians 5:13 - For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

B. Live like a bondslave to God

“Christian freedom is always conditioned by Christian responsibility. Christian freedom does not mean being free to do only as we like; it means being free to do as we ought.” (David Walls and Max Anders, Holman New Testament Commentary. Nashville, 34)

1. Honoring all people

2. Loving the brotherhood

3. Fearing God

4. Honoring the king

Let’s pray…

[1] https://biblehub.com/greek/167.htm

[2] See MacArthur Study Bible, p. 1768