Facing Warfare Against The Soul — Warren Henderson

Well, it's a joy to be with you. That is my favorite hymn. It's really hard coming up here wiping your eyes tears right before you preach. It's hard for me to get over a verse two. All right, if you would turn in your Bibles to first Peter chapter 2 and I do have a handout.

If you did not get one just raise your hand or a few left. Caleb. Can you? Pass out the remainder. Thank you. And we'll be looking at the subject as Paul mentioned facing warfare Against the soul now i've started by giving you a little outline of first peter.

I don't think that's been done so far. And I did not see the other topics that the other brothers were speaking on and so it's been a real delight. Just to see how the lord would lead me and putting together this simple Outline for our time together this week.

The New Birth, New Life, and New Behavior

So we started in first peter in chapter one. And verses 3 through chapter 10 or chapter 2 verse 10 the new birth the new life. And her brother george was telling us about that. And new life in christ then leads to new behavior.

We're to be a holy people for he is holy. And I will be starting to kick off that section and then brother sam will be finishing that up. This evening. And then a new life in christ. Brings new behavior.

It also brings new suffering. There's consequences for living for the lord. Jesus christ. And so there'll be new persecution. There'll be suffering. And uh, but there's also new responsibility. As those who are strangers and pilgrims and so that's just a little brief outline for the entire epistle and It's interesting now as we start in verse 11 of chapter 2.

Abstaining from Fleshly Lusts That War Against the Soul

That most of the rest of the epistle deals with relationships. And how we're going to interact with other people other believers as being strangers and pilgrims. So we'll be beginning in chapter 2 verse 11 Beloved I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims.

Abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. And the the title of this message is facing warfare against the soul. He starts out by saying beloved. I find eight times. In the two epistles that peter wrote that he uses his terminology.

I don't think peter was saying. I love you. What he was saying is you're loved you're loved by the lord. Jesus christ. And so he begins this section. Beloved I beg you as sojourners. And pilgrims the king james says strangers the the word there basically means a foreigner.

Strangers don't belong. Where they're at? Pilgrims belong where they're going and that describes the believer in the world. And he says in light of being beloved by the lord jesus christ. In Light of being strangers sojourning in the world.

In light of being pilgrims that are venturing heavenward. Abstain from fleshly lusts. Abstain literally there means to hold oneself back. It's in the middle voice. So it has to be a personal decision.

And what peter is laying out here in the groundwork is why the believer would want to make that decision? What are the benefits of making that decision of holding back from pursuing uh fleshly lusts. The word lusts In the greek is not necessarily a negative or positive word but fleshly modifies it and so in this context.

It's clearly a negative Thought it's speaking of sinful appetites. Those things are not consistent with the will of god. And then he says uh that war against the soul now. He uses this word suke a number of times in the book in chapter three I think joe will be handling that Portion of text he'll talk about eight souls saved by water.

Sometimes we use that terminology. The ship went down and a hundred souls were lost. A hundred people were lost in that disaster. I like the way that it's used and I think that's the thought here um. It's the soul is who we are where paul in his first epistle to the Thessalonians in chapter five he talks about the fact that our spirit our soul and body are to be sanctified.

The spirit is god conscious. The soul is self-conscious and our Body is flesh conscious. And so god speaks to us through the spirit. The world is reaching into us through the five senses. And the battle zone really is in the soul with the with the mind being at the center.

And in the handout I provided just a few verses about the soul. Um, we could say it's total self it um. It it it's unique each one has a unique soul. There's no one like you. And that was nice not to hear an amen with that.

We're unique right? Every person is unique. And it exists after death. We get that picture in revelation chapter 6 verse 9 with martyred souls being under the altar. Waiting for judgment. So the soul continues on it expresses the Entire personality of the person psalm 33 20.

It includes intellect desires emotions and decisions and so. Uh in john chapter 10 that passage just talks about the good shepherd laying his life down for the sheep. Well, that's the word suke and The lord gave his total self.

He gave all that he had he gave his entire life. When he laid his life down for the sheep and so I've looking through this passage and thinking about it I came up with five practical things. I think that Peter is trying to convey to us to these Christians that were being suffering throughout asia minor these five different provinces that george mentioned earlier.

And he wants them not to suffer from tunnel vision. He doesn't want to suffer from Hurting themselves by pursuing carnal lusts. He wants them to go on for the glory of god. And so in each of these five points, I just want to preface it based on who you are.

That's dearly beloved in christ where you are at that's strangers in the world and where you are going. That's pilgrims headed to glory refrain from fleshly lusts. Why and the first reason we have in verse? 11 is You don't want to war against your own soul.

You don't want to war against your own soul. Flip over to first john. And not first john third john. I don't know how many times I read this epistle, but I don't know that I really contemplated this verse before doing this study.

John says beloved. I pray that you may prosper in all things. And I think he's speaking there of the the walk. That they have in the walk of uh serving the lord in verses three and four. So that you may prosper in all things and be in health Just as your soul prospers.

So the point here is that You prosper when your soul prospers. Why would you want to do something against your own soul that would hurt your own health? Hurt your own ministry and. So as we're thinking about the practical ramifications of this when trials come and they will come.

Peter in chapter 1 verse 13 says gird up the loins of your mind, right. When you had a Ship that was going into a bad storm. The sailors would undergird the ship with cables and ropes to keep it together.

Knowing the hard times were coming that hopefully they could ride out the storm and survive. And so the believer is to gird up the loins of their mind. Think ahead as the suffering's coming. So that when you head into it you don't do things that will adversely affect your walk and undermine the glory of god.

And so When trials come Yield to and abide with the lord. Don't permit things like depression. And carnal thinking rule you. We have a new behavior to live out the life of christ within us. Brings a new behavior that the world must see.

They need to see the life of christ. And it would be easier for believers when times get hard to say Why would I ever want to keep going on? This this is just not worth it. Or what's the use? Why does it matter?

And so we can actually Start adapting the mindset of the world. And and pour ourselves into things that the world would say. That's really good education making money. We might slip into depression and become lethargic all these things.

Or we might as our brother was just teaching in the previous session. We might want to get even Seek revenge. The world says yeah, that's good. But that's not the way of the lord. And so we don't think like the world would think the things that the world would applaud are not those things which lord applauds.

Hamilton smith. He's one of my favorite Writers from yesteryear. He says this we are exhorted to abstain from fleshly lusts. We are not called to war against these lusts, but rather to abstain from them.

It is hardly our business to wage war against the evils in the world. But rather to show forth the excellencies of him who has called us out of the darkness into light. William kelly. Now this is typically william kelly wordy.

But it's uh, this is a really good quote if you can follow with me according to the mind of christ the high privileges of faith were but to strengthen the believer's delight in god. And Vigilance as strangers and sojourners in holding aloof from the fleshly lusts that war against the soul.

How often through a lack of prayer and watchfulness? Fleshly lusts spring from sincere esteem pure affection. Unawares gliding into carnality. These fleshly desires many which men praise as doing well to self.

War against the soul and are an abomination in god's sight. How contrary to the new and eternal life we have in christ and inconsistent. With god's wonderful light in which we walk. How mischievous and debasing to the christian.

They grieve the holy spirit dishonor christ and they fight against the soul. They injure the believer and it's not the life of christ shining through. It's the old life getting its way and that will never propagate the glory of god.

So the first point is don't do things that war against your own soul. And then the second point is in Verse 12. He says having your conduct Honorable among the gentiles that when they speak against you as evildoers They may by your good works, which they observe glorify god in the day of visitation.

So again based on who you are Dearly beloved in christ where you are strangers in the world and where you're going pilgrims headed to glory refrain from fleshly lusts because You want the unregenerate to be saved and glorify god?

Amen in other words if you respond to Um the ill will of the world the wickedness of the world if we pursue fleshly lusts the world sees nothing different than what it sees. Every day and so as the darkness grows, there's more opportunity to shine brightly for the lord.

Jesus and so. What the world really needs to see today is the validity of the gospel in the believer's life. And so as we're evil spoken of or things are done evil to us, then there's that opportunity for the light of the gospel to come through.

When we lived up in Rockford, illinois, we had a little farm out outside of town. And we had a neighbor who had cattle. He was a dairy farmer. He had cattle across the road and occasionally they would get out.

This man was a pretty vile man. He was very rude to us. Never said a kind thing any interaction we had there was cursings. Um. But as the time went on his his cattle will get out heifers will get out.

I would call him and Say, hey randy your cattle are out. I'll help you put them in. Sometimes I just put them in and I call him. I said now put your cattle in but you may need to come and fix Your fence and this went on for for two years.

And we just met kind his hostility with kindness over and over and over again. We had a big snowstorm. And early in the morning. I heard this tractor. And randy came up and plowed out our entire driveway.

It was like 10 12 inches of snow. I took a cup of coffee out to him. I said, I really appreciate that randy says Yeah, I don't know why i've been so nasty with you guys. You're good neighbors. I almost said I don't know why you've been so nasty either, but I didn't.

So I came back in the house and there were all the kids around the table. I said see guys. You see what happens when the world experiences the love of christ. That's different and and that's what we want now the.

The commentators have a little disagreement on what this is glorify god in the day of visitation by the way, the the word there is the the same word in first timothy 3 verse 1 when paul's talking to timothy and he says A man that desires, uh, the office of a bishop desires a good work.

Episcopate is the word there for office of a bishop. It's not the actual title of the office. That's episcopos, but episcopate. And it means the superintendents the outworking of that office and that's the same word here translated visitation.

Some commentators think that well if you live the light of the gospel before The lost and they reject that and don't respond to it. Then there's more accountability. On the day of judgment and then they'll bring more glory to god.

I tend to think this is probably more like the the usage in acts 15 verse 14. The whole tenor of this passage is god wants lost sinners to be saved. And so the idea here is that as we live the gospel and we show forth the light of christ.

That god in his administration and his stewardship of things brings people to himself. And that's already been brought out in an earlier message. He's drawing people to himself and so When people do evil and there will be people that do evil by your good works.

They observe and glorify God now there's examples of that. He's going to get into talking about our relationship to government authorities. He's going to talk about relationships from slaves to masters.

At the time that this was written The roman empire was about 120 million people and half of them were slaves. So that was something they could very much relate to as we think through it and walk through the passage today.

I would like us to think more of the employee employer type of relationship. All right, and then and uh, sam will be addressing tonight. The submission of the the wife to the husband. So there's these three different usages.

Of of how to relate to authority over us, which is what he brings up in verse 13 so submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the lord's sake whether To king as supreme or to governors or to those who are sent by him.

For the punishment of evildoers for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of god. That by doing good you'll put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. As free yet not using liberty as a cloak or for vice.

But as a bond servant of god we'll pause a reading there. So the third reason. Again based on who you are dearly beloved in christ. Where you are that stranger in the world and where you're going pilgrims headed to glory refrain from fleshly lust.

Point three you should want to honor god by submitting to and respecting his ordained authority. This is a huge problem today. God instituted human government. In genesis chapter 8 to teach us submission.

Human government is not perfect. God is perfect, but he's teaching us submission by submitting to ordained authorities. And so if you think of god's authority like this big funnel, he he's bringing it down to us.

There's civil authority. There's home authority and there's church authority. And as we yield to that authority we rest under that god funnels down blessings to us. When we rebel against god-ordained authority, we really have not removed ourselves from authority.

If if a woman if a woman Runs away from her husband and says I don't want to live with you anymore. She hasn't escaped his authority. She has now put herself under satanic authority because there's only two authority structures in the world today.

What god has ordained and he blesses and what's opposing him? And so when we start getting this mindset god's teaching us submission through these authority structures, although they're not perfect. What he's doing is teaching us submission to himself so we submit under these stories onto the lord as long as they don't directly Contradict the scripture and we see the apostles holding that up that teaching in acts chapter 4 and chapter 5.

So in verse 13. Therefore submit it's an heiress imperative. It just means be obedient to some ordinances of men. It doesn't say that does it. Be obedient to those ordinances you think are correct. Doesn't say that either.

I hear a lot of rationalizing today about not submitting. But god is honored as long as it isn't contradictory to his word when we submit to authorities over us. Even when we know they're not right. My wife has told me several times she goes, you know, I am so glad i'm not a man.

And I said, you know, i'm really glad you're not a man, too. And She said, you know as long as I submit to you you follow the lord. I get off scot-free. He said the buck rests with you boy. That's a lot of accountability, isn't it?

And whenever god gives authority there is responsibility, which is a transition that we get into in chapter 4. So he says be obedient to those ordinances. Which the governors have put in place and then notice it's also to those sub-levels of government in verse 14.

Now in romans chapter 13 Paul tells us that that god has instituted these earthly authorities. And anyone who resists those authorities resists him and brings judgment to themselves. And so we have an obligation Before a world that needs to see christ to not be complaining.

Not be bittered against those authorities. It doesn't mean that we agree. There's a lot of things. I do not agree with. That's going on in this country right now. But it's not my place to be out criticizing.

And giving all kinds of nasty Expressions against the government what what the world needs to see is a either a quiet submitted spirit or just a respectful attitude. Submission has the aspect of obedience and respect.

He gets to the point of respect in verse 17. For this is a will of god that by doing good you will put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. Now this is an interesting word in the greek. Peter actually uses several metaphors, but in verse 15 see where it says to put to silence.

That word actually means to muzzle. To muzzle now when you muzzle something it doesn't mean that they can't make sound. But it does mean that they're not going to have a distinct sound and so as you live christ before those who Are doing evil things against you.

And they see a submitted Spirit, there's nothing really that there can be there's no legitimate basis for accusation. And what it does is it muzzles them. It doesn't mean they might murmur and groan, but they have no distinct sound that will carry any weight against you.

And so, um, that's powerful, isn't it? What that means is we can actually control the situation. By taking the low humble obedient respectful route. And I like what paul says it's in philippians chapter one towards the end of the chapter.

He says that when you live the gospel out in when there's suffering he says that does two things first of all. It's proof to you of your own salvation. He tells the church that that's the like of the same thing.

And then writes why would you ever suffer for the lord if you didn't really believe it and were saved you wouldn't do it. So it's a token of your salvation. But it's also a condemnation to those persecuting you.

Because they're you're revealing more truth to them the the truth of christ is coming out before them. And it's an appeal to their conscience. And so you're you're also giving a testimony of christ to the oppressors and it's also Uh a benefit to yourself because you say hey, I wouldn't do this.

I wouldn't be going on and suffering like this if I wasn't saved. I really do believe this and you go on with the lord. Verse 17 he says honor all people that just means respect. Love the brotherhood.

He's talking about the body of christ fear god. I appreciate our brothers george's message. Um, this is a real issue and even among believers. You know when moses took the people Up to mount sinai and this in exodus 2021.

Remember, he had him three days to consecrate themselves clean themselves up and they Moses brought them up to mount sinai. And they couldn't come to the mount the the border just to the border. They went on the mount they died and then the lord Came on the mount and the mount shook and there was fire and smoke and rumbling and you remember what the people did.

They started backing away Moses you go talk to the lord lest we die and that was exactly the response god wanted in other words. The first response and the holiness of god is recognizing who he is and I think our brother made that point.

And then once the people started backing away. Then the next thing you see is moses building an altar. And the sacrifices were put and the blood was sprinkled on the people. And just a couple chapters later.

You have the 70 elders Of israel and moses and aaron on the bottom of the mount if they went there a few days earlier They would have died and there they are enjoying a meal before the god of the universe.

And he talks about the bottom of god's sapphire throne being seen it's a beautiful picture Of fellowship of the lord, but it didn't happen until they recognized who he was in all of his glory. And so when the writer of hebrews brings that up He says moses Was exceedingly fearful in that sight.

And he ends a chapter our god is a consuming fire, by the way, that's new testament. Right. He's speaking to believers. That's new testament. And so that's the concept that this great and This awesome god that we have.

Same god as the old testament. Nothing's changed and yet we've lost there's this uh, kind of a superficial familiar familiarity with the lord that sometimes I think belittles his holiness. Let's keep him on the throne.

He is the god of the universe. He deserves all worship and all honor. And then point four, this is verses 18 through 20. He says servants be submissive to your masters. Now submissive here is a participle.

Patient Suffering Under Unjust Authority

It's a verbal adjective. So it's describing the attitude of the servant and servant here, uh, the greek word is not the The slave the bond servant but a household servant so there's a little more familiarity here with these servants, but they were to be Have a submissive spirit to their masters with all fear.

Not only to the good and gentle but also to the harsh. Now this is actually another metaphor that he uses the the greek word for harsh there is scolios. Where we get scoliosis and that's the curve of the spine.

And so what peter is saying you be submissive To your masters whether they're good. Or whether they're crooked. Whether they're abusive. Whether they're not good masters because you have a master that's higher than that master who is good.

And you submit to your good highest master as you would this master. Well, that's hard, isn't it? I mean i've been in this employee situations that were very hard to submit. Um, actually when I started at sunstrand years ago in the aerospace, I uh told my boss who was not a christian I started easy.

I I just said now I want you to know that I take my instructions for you. But I choose a but I choose to serve a jewish carpenter who is now in heaven. And he didn't quite understand what he was saying.

But as the years went on I was able to tell him more and more About the fact that I I took my instructions from him and I also said this I think if I please him i'll please you. And that that's the idea.

All right, so, um. For this is commendable. This is thankworthy if because of conscience towards god one endures grief suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it when you are beaten for your faults you take it patiently?

But when you do good and suffer. If you take it patiently this is commendable before god or this is thankworthy and so Based on who you are dearly beloved in christ where you are Strangers in the world and where you are going pilgrims headed to glory refrain from fleshly lusts.

Because suffering patiently for wrongdoing that's others wrongdoing to you refreshes god's heart because it reminds him of his son. When we look at the text when it says what credit is it when you are beaten the word there literally means to strike.

Strike a blow for your faults you take it patiently. In other words, that would be normal. You do something wrong and there's a corporal punishment for it. But when you do good and suffer in other words, you have not done anything wrong if you take it patiently.

This is commendable before god. It reminds the father of his son. He breathes it in. That reminds me of my son he didn't do anything wrong. He was buffeted. And he took it patiently and so that is a I think Encouragement to the heart of god.

There have been times that in the lord's supper. Just that time with between me and the lord. Where in a very personal way, it wouldn't be something I would say audibly. But I said lord this happened and I don't believe i've done anything wrong, but your son Suffered like this and I just release this to you as a sacrifice.

And it's it can be an act of worship. If you look at that knowing how it refreshes the heart of god now if you release the incense up. You can't pull it back down, right? It's only a sacrifice if it Costs you something and that's why uh, ephesians 432 also colossians.

I think it's 313 tell us about Forgiving one another. Charadzoma here charadzoma I the idea of unconditionally releasing. Why. Because we've experienced the love of god we've experienced the the forgiveness of god.

So it is a sacrifice pleasing to god. It puts his son into remembers anything that we can do in our christian lives that put the lord Jesus into remembrance for the father to appreciate that's a good thing.

Amen. That's a good thing and anything that we can do that makes the loss be able to see the lord jesus. That's a good thing. Bill mcdonnell writes this. It is a mark Of deepest and truest humility to see ourselves condemned without a cause to be silent under it.

To be silent under insult and wrong is very noble imitation of our lord. Oh my lord when I remember in how many ways you did suffer. Who in no way deserved it? I know not where my senses are when I am in haste to defend and excuse myself.

Is it possible I should desire anyone to speak any good of me or to think it? When so many ill things were thought and spoken of you. Oh, that's good. When we look at the lord and what he did and how he submitted himself and that's where peter goes next.

Following Christ’s Pattern in Suffering

Um, we have such a beautiful pattern to follow he says and by the way verses 21 through 25 Peter is pulling out of isaiah 53 verses 1 through 11 pretty consecutively. He says for to this you were called.

Because christ also suffered for us. Why? Leaving us an example that you should follow in his steps. Yes. It's interesting that the word example there actually Is um a very specific. It means a copy to follow or copy to pattern off of.

We have a four-year-old in our meeting whose name is lily. She's learning her letters. And so in her abc book she has a's and it shows this. The strokes in order to make a letter a and a little a and so forth.

She's got her capital. She's working on her little letters. Now if that copy book was clear at the end of the auditorium and she was standing up here. How well would she be able to learn her letters? Not very well.

But with the copy book right near her she's able to with great accuracy learn to write her letters. And that's the thought the closer that we are to christ. The better we're going to be able to copy his example in our own lives to pattern after it.

He is the copy to follow and we want to be as close to the original as possible in order to properly imitate him. We were hiking with another couple up in the canadian rockies in june and they had a very cold winter.

Deep snow and even in the third week of june. We got turned back on three hikes because of snow. And but we wanted to get to this one place is gorman lake. And at six thousand feet we started running in the snow and it just got deeper and we were going through four and five feet Of snow and there was interesting.

Mike was leading and he's he's kind of a shorter guy. He's light. He's still he's 72, but he still runs two miles a day. He's in great shape. And then the ladies falled and then I follow up the the rear and a thought was We have the lightest to the heaviest.

And as they step through the snow. Hopefully it would hold me by the time I got there and occasionally we'd fall through and go clear up to our crotch. I mean, we're in deep snow and we actually we didn't get to the lake.

But that's what the lord has left us. He's has this these steps this close pattern to follow and we try our best by grace and the power of holy spirit to To put our foot down specifically. But as johnny reminded us this practical sanctification.

It's it's not we're not going to do perfect. The goal is is to follow christ's example and by god's grace we want to. But we just realize until we have a glorified body that's not going to happen. But he the closer we are to him the better we're going to follow the copy.

And that's a great take-home point for for that verse. He says, uh who committed no sin. Nor was deceit now. Johnny talked about that word earlier. No guile. It just means what you see is what you get when when the lord jesus was on the cross.

There was no deceitfulness about it. What you saw in christ on the cross is exactly what god was doing. And he was a propitiation for us. No deceit found in his mouth. Who when he was reviled? Did not revile in return now in the english.

It doesn't quite come out as strong as the greek the word the first time you see reviled there. It means to heap upon abuse. And that's what happened at the lord with the lord. Jesus. Abuse was heaped on him, but he did not retort back in return.

When he suffered he did not threaten but committed himself to him who judges rightly righteously. In luke 23 When when the lord he'd been he'd been on the cross for three hours. I count in the six hours.

He was on the cross. He probably took about 5 000 breaths of air. Meaning he had to push against the nail in his feet to get the air out of his diaphragm to breathe and exhausting his his back has been plowed open with the roman scourge.

And 5 000 plus times our savior went up and back on that that cross just to breathe. And then he says this Father forgive them for they know not what they do. Now the greek verb there said is in the imperfect tense.

We have these seven statements of christ from the cross. But that one he didn't say just once imperfect implies he said it and he said it for a period of time and then he stopped. He said it over and over again meaning to get the air through his vocal cords to make the words it caused excruciating pain.

Why did the lord say it over and over again if you examine the text the. The rulers as they mocked our savior. And the passers-by as they hurled insults at him and the soldiers mocked him. Every one of those is in the imperfect sense.

Here's all these accusations and blasphemy coming up to our savior why he's suffering. He's agonizing. And he's calling out to the father father. Means let it be suffered father suffer it father. Don't judge it father.

Let it be. He wasn't forgiving them for their sins. He was making intercession to the father in heaven. He didn't revile back at them. He showed the love of god For them even while he was suffering. Is that incredible?

Heaped on abuses. And here he is making intercession the love of god pouring out through the savior. Beloved how does that compare with what you and I? suffer in this world. It just doesn't. And so this was the pattern that the lord is is leaving us.

He says he committed himself to the one who judges rightless righteously. Let me ask you this beloved. Do you trust god to act justly on your behalf? Do you trust god to act? True justly on your your behalf.

Amen. The lord did and that's the pattern he was given 100 Complete surrender without reservation. He trusted god and this is a great help when when the Trials come in. And so forth to follow his pattern.

Completely being given over to what god would have us to do keeping on the mark. I guess one confession. I've always been a nut for science fiction movies and when. Back in 1977 star wars came out and I went to see that.

And it was just an incredible movie and The reason i'm bringing this up is if you remember at the end of the movie when they're. They're trying to take out the death star and they're in that trench run.

Right and here's all the fire coming and the enemy's trying to take the rebels out and you remember the commander he says Stay on target. Stay on target. Stay on target. Right, and he's leading them all the way through to the end objective.

And I think that's what peter's trying to get across on us. There is this dark world. There's the phrase coming in and we need to keep on target follow the pattern stay the course. Don't be sidetracked gird your mind follow the example and uh.