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1 Peter 2:11-3:7 How Do You Then Live?
First Peter chapter 2 starting verse 11. You reading from chapter 3 verse 7. Hear the word of the Lord Beloved. I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh which wage war against your soul.
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. Be subject to the Lord's sake to every human institution.
Whether it be to the Emperor as supreme or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those Who do good for this is the will of God that by doing good? You should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.
Live as people who are free. Not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood fear God honor the Emperor. Servants be subject to your masters with all respect.
Not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust for this is a gracious thing. When mindful of the sorrows while suffering unjustly for what credit is it if when you sin and are beaten for it you endure.
But if you do good and suffer for it you endure. This is a gracious thing in the sight of God 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.
He committed no sin neither was deceit found in his mouth when he was reviled. He did not revile in return when he suffered he did not threaten but continued trusting himself to him who judges justly.
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 for you were straying like sheep. But having now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls.
Likewise wives be subject to your own husbands so that even if some do not obey the word. They may be one without a word by the conduct of their wives when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry or the clothing you wear.
But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. Which in God's sight is very precious for this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves by submitting to their own husbands as Sarah obeyed Abraham calling him Lord and you are her children if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.
Likewise husbands live with your wives in an understanding way. Showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel since they are heirs with you of the grace of life. So that your prayers may not be hindered.
May the Lord add his blessings to the reading of his Holy Word. Well, who do you think you are? You have an identity that gives you some rights. Well, we all do. Because of who we are we can do some things that most other people cannot.
Maybe it's as simple as being able to enter your house unannounced if someone else does it. Well, he's trespassing. You can have him arrested, but you can't be arrested for entering your own home. You have a right to be there.
Who do you think you are? Usually that said when someone goes beyond their rights. You know if a person of a stranger Walks into your house or a customer goes behind the counter at your shop or a patient Prescribes himself some medicine.
They're stepping over the line. They're doing something that they have no right to do. They forgot who they are. The rioters at Capitol Hill over two weeks ago thought that they could just force their way into the House and Senate and make Congress do what they wanted in The Senate.
A man with an ox head horn hat on and no shirt sat in the chair for the president of the Senate. He had no right to be there. It appears that they they were kept. That same mob was kept from getting into the House of Representatives because an officer inside shot the first person trying to step through a broken window.
A Court will probably decide whether it was justified shooting a person for stepping over that line into where she had no right to be. You have to know. What you have rights to do. Where you have a right to go and where you don't you have to know and what your status allows you to do.
Sometimes the reverse is true. We forget who we are and we don't take advantage of the rights that are ours. Some immigrants from other countries immigrants here from countries with authoritarian Governments are often afraid to propress their rights, you know.
They grew up in an environment where they didn't really have any rights. And so it's best in their environment to just try to be as low-profile as they possibly can. So their insurance company or landlord might try to cheat them and most Americans in the same position would sue or threaten to sue.
But the immigrants are then so conditioned by growing up in a society with no rights. Where the best of course is to just try to avoid any attention from the government that they'll let themselves. Not get the payout from the insurance company that they deserve or are not get the repairs from the landlord that are required.
From the landlord. They don't know their status. They don't know the rights that come from their status. And so they don't press them. Now I have four diplomas on my studies wall each of which say Slightly different ways that this degree confers on to me quote the the rights honors and privileges.
Pertaining therein to nice phrase so far. It seems though the only rights honors and privileges that they confer is the right to say I have that degree. What is your status and what rights honors and privileges do they confer on you?
Who are you and? How do you then live? Who are you what's your identity is what we saw last week? How do we then live because of our identity is what we see this week in this passage now last week we saw that we are remember from chapter 2 verse 9 a chosen race a royal priesthood a holy nation God's own people that's.
A lofty identity. How do you then live because of that identity and we see that here in four parts? The soul. Second the state then the work and finally family. How do you live in our souls? Because of your identity now some say that because we already have our identity as a chosen race a royal priesthood a holy nation God's own people.
What's to work for what's what's to improve that? We don't need to do anything more. Our status is secure. So why bother trying to get better? We will just we will just abide whatever spiritual sounding term they might want to use.
Well, there's enjoy our privilege status. We're beloved. Like in the beginning of verse 11, so why worry about trying to battle anything? You're just beloved right as you are. Don't don't worry about battling the world around us.
The culture that's trying to make us conform to its ways in the past that was racist. Now, it's sexually permissive. But here we're reminded again of our status as sojourners beloved. Sojourners that is pastors through travelers pilgrims on the way to somewhere else foreigners here and Like in the very first letter of the very verse very first verse of this letter.
Remember how it began the letter elect Exiles. Peter's reminding us of that again your exiles your people who are citizens of somewhere else. Maybe you're living here for now, but you're not really from here.
You have another homeland. We're to live like it. We're to live like foreigners as those kinds of people different people. Abstain from the passions of the flesh. They wage war against your soul. We are being wage war against by our own flesh.
That doesn't necessarily mean our body but our sinful nature is full of passions now. Sometimes those passions are about fulfilling physical desires maybe for gluttony intoxication sexual immorality laziness.
Our culture has so surrendered to the passion of sexual indulgence that it can't imagine that we're called to be Self-controlled maybe even lifelong denial if we can't find a proper marriage. But sometimes passions are about simply about exalting us even at the expense of physical pleasure.
Sometimes your flesh Makes you afflict your body. You know the Pharisees would fast afflicting their bodies to fulfill their passion for Self-promotion and would look at me how spiritual I am while afflicting their body.
Selfish anger is a passion and people can sometimes be so enraged by something that they hurt themselves flicking their body. Greed is a passion. People might rise early every day for decades. You know cutting their sleep short sacrifice their health work long hours in order to satisfy their lust for money.
Pride is a passion. People will sacrifice long hours Studying so that they can be called doctor to satisfy their pride or straining their body for athletic glory. Zealotry, it's not a political zealotry is a passion.
You know that my will must be done. My kingdom must come on earth. That mob that rampaged into the Capitol building was full of fleshly Passions and those passions propelled them to wage war on the police to break windows and doors and do you know?
What was the first thing they did when they broke into the Senate floor, you know? They stopped and prayed a prayer. They prayed and Someone even reminded them as they stopped started to pray take off your hats.
And even the guy with the oxhorn hat took his hide off obediently. Because they were thought they were so pious all of it fueled by fleshly passions and adding Taking the name of the Lord in vain to their long list of sins that day those passions Will so delude us that we think we're doing something that's noble that we're pleasing God.
Look I'm taking on my hat. I'm praying as we are surrendering to them here these passions Peter's talking about they're waging war Against us. They are soldiers and this war against our souls. So How are you going to live?
Now that you're being waged war against well, you have to abstain from those passions now like in a war. Sometimes those enemies are easy to identify. They come dressed in the uniforms of the enemy. If you're not married the passions for sex have to be abstained from.
That's pretty simple. But most of the time I I think most of the time often it's more complicated. Sex outside of marriage is a passion waging war against your soul, but within marriage it isn't in fact.
It's within marriage. It's a good that can help stave off that passion. Gluttony is a passion, but you have to eat. So, how do you separate your right desire? For and even enjoyment in food from passionate gluttony.
Selfish anger is a passion, but there's something wrong if you're not incensed at Injustice. Greed is a passion, but you are called to provide for your family and to be able to give. You have to make money.
Zealotry is a passion. But a Christian can be called to make changes in politics and even called to be passionate about justice for the least of these. Like in our culture the pre-born Pride is a passion but striving to be the best at what you do.
During academics and athletics in your career, that's a virtue. We're called to excellence so with the word and prayer. You need to be able to often search your heart to separate the fleshly passions from the spiritual excellencies.
Often it could be the very same thing you're doing and It's why you do it that makes it a fleshly passion or it could be a virtue. How are you going to do that? Well, the theme throughout this passage is that you live as those citizens of that Holy Nation at war with sinful passions.
You live by submission and honoring. That begins with God Submitting to him honoring him. How do you then live in verse 12 live among they because of Gentiles. That's the unbelievers and a way that's good.
Don't do anything that you don't have to do like go to church read your Bible and pray that that they think is bad. Don't make an issue out of mass wearing. Maybe you don't maybe don't even buy the reasons for it.
Okay, I'm questioning your medical expertise, but maybe you don't buy the reasons for it. But understand that most people think it's necessary and for that reason alone. Put one on when you go to the Food Lion and the Dollar General.
Don't claim I'm a child of the king and so I'm. I don't have to submit to your mandates. All that they see is That you don't care about them. Don't give them fodder to speak about against you as an evildoer.
It's just a selfish person a stubborn person. Unreasonable rule-breaker. Instead let them see that you care about. People that you meet in a gym and make the gym available for youth. Even when they're not all all your youth or he's some often none of them are our youth.
Because you're not just a bunch of self-serving people you're thinking about others. Let them see your good deeds. Not just your selfish passions and glorify God. Let's give praise to God because you didn't do your good deeds.
Just to satisfy your passion for pride, but you did it for God so when God visits The Holy Spirit comes convicts them of their sin to leave them to himself or maybe at the final judgment when he visits them for judgment.
They'll testify to how you Display God's love and glory. How are you going to live? What about in the state that is with the government? Remember, we are a chosen race a royal priesthood a holy nation.
God's own people. Then how do we live among? Unchosen races. Unholy nations among not God's people with their governments. Some say well, I just do. I just ignore it. I'm not of this world. Peter here says no you be subject in verse 13 be subject fleshly pride a passion this hates that we don't want to be subject to anything, you know, like that mob at the Capitol and Christians can twist their own beliefs our beliefs to serve the same kind of fleshly passions storm into the Capitol and say a prayer.
Claim that wearing a mask is tantamount to burning incense to Caesar in the first century like one Christian leader I saw this past week or something as slight as you know. Not recycling your plastic bottles because you say no one has a right to tell me what to do.
Well, yes. They do. They do have a right to tell you what to do. The Lord commanded them the Lord instituted them. So be subject submit to every human institution. He says to federal regulations the state's laws the county's ordinances.
Here Peter says to the Emperor. That's the Supreme King. To governors like Pontius Pilate who are sent to punish evil doers and reward good doers. They exist to bring in part Retribution God's wrath. Peter says here.
Paul says Romans 13 on criminals. God has delegated to them even if they don't know it even if they don't believe in God. But God has still dedicated to them these rulers the power to bring his judgment on evil here and now so submit to them.
He says for the Lord's sake. Because of the Lord because he's an authority. The Lord is and he's given his authority he's delegated it to these authorities and they're wielding his authority. It's a reflex among some American conservatives from which most American Christians come to reflect sort of.
To reject any idea of submission. It's a bad word. You know any place for authority anything? No, we don't we don't have we don't have to submit to authority. They might say we are freeborn citizens. We're not subjects.
That's our identity. And so we don't have to submit to whatever mass mandates taxes. Taxation is theft. That's a favorite conservative slogan in the US or defy tyrants about any restriction to try to stop the pandemic.
American Christians might dress that same attitude up in the costume of Christian lingo that since they're not of this world that we don't have to submit. You know like Kent Hovind remember him. I mentioned him about a month ago Dr. Dino with his fake degrees who one of the rights honors and privileges pertaining thereunto without doing any of their work.
Who thought that he was free of taxation and business laws? And the government didn't agree to send him to prison. I've heard Christians claim that a church getting a 501c3 IRS declaration is worldly compromise.
All that kind of thinking that we're not to live in this world that we're not to submit to its institutions. Really that is worldly compromise. They're the ones that are the worldly ones. Because these institutions come from God and so their rebellion to them.
Their idea that we could live without them that we can just ignore them that comes from fleshly passions. Not God. How do we then live in his exiles as foreigners in this world? Well, we submit and again in verse 15 almost the same as in verse 12 is repeating the same idea first 12 and 15.
It is the will of God that we silence foolish people not by the power of our arguments by the forcefulness with which we demand. Our rights the lawyers that we can pay to litigate for us, but by doing good.
Yet they'll see that we're good citizens. We obey the laws. We wear masks when required we recycle our bottles. We pay our taxes. We don't storm the Capitol building or plot to overthrow the government.
This is what the government in China needs to see that they're better off with more and more Chinese citizens becoming Christians because Christians make good citizens. There's just one area where we won't submit.
When we're commanded to sin. When in the first century we would be required to burn a pinch of incense to Caesar say Caesar is Lord. You know, we're not doing that. Today if they try to close down our churches or stop our baptisms or tell us that we can't raise their children in the faith.
Or share our faith or have a Bible. Well, we're not submitting to that. Good citizens in every other way, but we're not submitting to that. In colonial Virginia, the Baptist churches were illegal and once some Baptists were having a service outside The Babs were illegal, but they still had their services because they wouldn't submit to that law they were having a service outside and the local sheriff came along and flogged the pastor and After the flogging the pastor went right back to the church and continued the service.
Today in China unregistered church buildings are destroyed and pastors arrested the government there. It sees Christians as a threat, but they're wrong. Nowhere in history have Christians been a threat to any Decent regime only in Nazi Germany with the Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Support the resistance to the Nazis. Now if a regime gets so set on evil that it murders innocent people in mass. Then Christians will denounce it and resist it. But usually Christians make the best citizens because like here they submit to the government for the Lord's sake.
But we're free. Americans declare free not to care about others. Really free to be hysterical you know like Screaming that being told to wear a mask is the same as being told to get on a train to Auschwitz.
I've heard free to be. Selfish free to be uncaring. Free to storm the Capitol building and repeat unfounded conspiracy theories and not check our facts before slandering people. We really free to do all that.
We think we're free to do as we please to be self-serving. But in verse 16 we are to live. How are we then to live? Live as People who are free. But don't stop there not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil.
Much of the quote defied tyrants talk that I've heard in response to the the COVID regulations are just a cover-up for selfishness. For for willfulness for stubbornness. Which is another fleshly passion.
Yes, you're free. That's your status. You're part of it. A chosen race. A royal priesthood. A holy nation. God's own people. But if you're using that freedom to cover up some kind of selfish passion. You know like the arrogant assistance that I don't have to submit to anyone.
Well, then you're using it wrong. How do you live. Live in verse 16 as servants of God. How do you do that? Interesting. He says live as free and then as servants of God. We're never free servant. Well, that's what we are.
How do you live as a free servant for quick commands? He gives in verse 17 honor Everyone. Well, that's pretty good. Love the brotherhood to the church. Fear God. Does tremble at his word obey him. Honor the Emperor or the president here, even if you didn't vote for him.
Even if you don't think he should be the president. No one voted on the Emperor here. Here. He's Nero. Nero was was a monster. He would eventually have Peter here speaking to us telling us to honor him.
He would have Peter Killed now Peter could tell the church tell us to honor Nero. We can honor Whatever president. How do you then live as free servants of God in your employment at work? When verse 18 Peter uses an unusual word meaning house servants.
So these would be the people who work in their day in a household maybe stewards of children tutors Managers cooks cleaners so forth for us. It's about Work about how we live in our workplace. We're free.
How can we be told to serve? But we are in verse 18 again be subject. The willful defiant and no one's the boss of me that attitude has no place among Christians. Sure, we might actually have to sometimes defy tyrants like Bonhoeffer did when they really tell us to sin.
But we even do that. Meekly as servants of God. Out there in the economy and in society. We are Subject we're meek with all respect to bosses to professors to teachers and coaches. A Conservative family at Fuller seminary taught their kids that they that is the kids.
Told the told the little kiddos you have more sense than those professors of mine. Basically teaching them to be disrespectful to be haughty. That's bad parenting. I Tried never to criticize authorities in front of my boys once at the championship Little League football game.
The coach wouldn't put Micah in to play at all. I was livid. I was I was outraged. How much the inside is thinking how dare you do that to my son. But I didn't say I didn't want to say anything in front of my boys with all Respect not only if they're a good coach or boss.
But even if they're unjust and they treat you badly. They don't let your son play. How do you live like that? You need grace. He says this is a gracious thing. It could literally be it could be translated just as well.
This is a gift. You're suffering you're suffering for doing something, right? And he says this is this is a gift in verse 19. To suffer sorrows while suffering wrongly. Now you deserve to be treated better.
But with grace he says and being mindful of God thinking about God. Not just about yourself all the time about how your rights have been violated. How dare they do this to me you bear it if you suffer for doing evil.
Now you get a ticket for speeding and you really were speeding. You get your pay dock for being late to work. You get fired for not doing your job, right? No, that's not to your credit. That's not suffering that to your advantage you deserve that but if you do good you you you do your job.
You'll put time you do your work you pay your taxes. You're a good husband or wife and still you suffer you get fired you get betrayed that takes grace from God to bear up under. It's a grace a gift from God.
It's a gift to suffer like Christ after all. You're called to be like Christ and Christ never did anything wrong. He committed no sin in verse 22. So he never did anything that deserved any punishment any suffering.
But he suffered anyway. Christ suffered for you not only to pay for your sins, which is important. But also in verse 21 to give you an example to follow in his steps. And if you're gonna be able to follow in his steps if you're gonna follow someone Who suffered wrongly?
You're gonna have to suffer wrongly. You're gonna follow someone who bore a cross. You're gonna have to bear a cross. How do you now live as God's own people well like God's own son who suffered even though he did no wrong.
He never even said anything wrong. Not even the wrong tone of voice, but he was hated in verse 23 when he was hated. He didn't hate in return when he suffered he didn't threaten. I'm gonna get you into hell because of this.
No instead Jesus Trusted, you know, not just once notice verse 23. He continued in trusting like an ongoing Entrusting of himself to God who judges justly. That's why he didn't take vengeance on those who heard him.
He trusted in God's judgment and entrusted himself to the Father. Christ suffered both as an example. That we follow and as the atoning sacrifice the example that we can follow in his steps. But the sacrifice is something that only he can do.
In verse 24 is a great statement about the atonement worth memorizing he himself. For emphasis, so, you know, it was Jesus that he and us he himself Bore our sins. That's the punishment that our sins deserve.
He took it on himself in his body. That is physically on the Tree and he used that word tree there. Then literally just means wooden thing to connect this verse with where the law says that anyone who is hung on a tree is cursed.
That this is the purpose. We might die to sin that is that we would become as Responsive to our fleshly passions as a dead person is to getting poked in the ribs. That's unresponsive. So we're free from the penalty of sin.
We're now increasingly free from the power of sin and we will eventually at the resurrection be free of the presence of sin and live. How do we then live? To righteousness living right with God as his free servants.
By his wounds those vicious stripes that he took echoing Isaiah 53. We are healed. That is that the taking away the punishment that we deserve the bearing of our chastisement is what brings our wholeness our peace beginning now with our hearts with being able to overcome these passions of our flesh and Eventually sure even our bodies that it will all come from the pain.
From the death that he bore for or because in verse 25 we were all straying like sheep. We were sheep. We were straying. He wanted to bring us back. We were led away by our fleshly passions. But instead of straying to destruction Now we have returned we have been returned because of what he's done for us.
We've been returned to the Shepherd and the the overseer of our souls. Sinful passions are waging war against our souls, but Jesus is shepherding and overseeing us so that our souls are Kept safe and we're led back to him.
How did we then live? Well like him. Meekly. Rather than depending on our own abilities other than pounding our fist and demanding our rights. We entrust ourself to that Good Shepherd overseeing our souls.
How do we live in our families legally our marriages. Oh Peter says likewise. That is like Christ was meek. This is why this I'm continuing into chapter 3 this Section is connected to what came before likewise like Christ was meek.
Like he entrusted himself. Like we are to be submissive to leaders then How are we to live in our marriages? Then we be subject we have the understanding we be honoring in marriage. Wives in particular be subject just like before in verse 18 be subject.
He says to your own husbands in verse chapter 3 verse 1. Notice that it's not just be subject to men in general but to your own husbands and even if they're even if you're married as a wife to a unbeliever still be Subject.
You don't say well, I'm a child of the king and he's not so I'm just gonna ignore him. No, even if they don't obey the word that is they don't believe the gospel. They may be one. They may be. It's not a promise, but it's a possibility.
They may be one without a word. Without being talked into it not being nagged cajoled into it. But by the conduct of their wives they will see that the husbands even unbelieving husbands will see respectful and pure conduct and they may Be one by that.
So wives Peter says don't concentrate on the external hairstyles. Jewelry saying yes to the dress. But let your adorning that is let that which makes you beautiful. Be the heart the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit which in God's sight.
It's very precious. An example of that is. And scrubs. He's not here banning by the way, you're not banning nice hairstyles. It's fine to have nice hairstyles or jewelry or pretty clothes. But saying that you don't let that be where your beauty lies.
Be like the holy women who had hoped in God and trusting themselves to God like Jesus did submitting to again their own husbands. Like Sarah addressing him respectfully. You are her children if you do good and you live like that Proverbs 31.
Woman who laughs at the days to come. At the terrifying prospect of growing old and dying look at the end of verse 6. You are her children if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening so that an interesting phrase don't fear.
Anything that is frightening. Don't be terrified at the prospect of growing old and dying terrified. By losing that which you thought was everything good about you. Which is terrifying to those who put all their hopes and their looks in their body and their youth.
Trust in God and laugh. Husband's likewise in verse 7 also. Again, it's likewise also. With that meekness not submitting to the wives but submissive to the responsibility to care for her needs be. Understanding.
Let's think about her not just yourself. Wayne Grudem a leading theological scholar. He's in fact, I think the the leading expert on the Greek word Kephala. Head as in the phrase the husband is the head of the wife.
Dr. Grudem, it's the chief defender of the biblical teaching of the husband's headship in the family and a men's headship in the church. He was a professor at one of the leading Evangelical seminaries in the world.
He was also an elder at our church in Illinois. He stepped down from that seminary and went to a minor league seminary, it'd be like Quitting the New York Yankees and go and play for some whatever that you know minor league teams in some little town.
He went to a minor league seminary in Arizona. Because his wife had a medical condition that made it hard for her to live in humid places where there's high humidity. So he went to Arizona. He considered her a head of his career.
Husbands, how do you then live in light of your status as the head of the family? Well, I Christ who is the head of his people you live in an understanding Way show honor. To your wife now I'm offended whenever I hear a man make fun of or insult his wife.
I already an American preacher in Singapore do that once in a sermon and I thought and you're trouble and he was. Give her honor. You might think what she's a weaker vessel. She's weaker than me. Even he may she's lower in status.
I'm the head she's not but women are co-heirs. He says of the grace that gives life. We might lose the impact of that because we think well women are air. So what now in their day? Daughters didn't usually inherit anything from their fathers.
There were they weren't heirs. The idea of women being heirs was revolutionary. But in salvation Peter is saying in salvation women are equally heirs. They equally inherit eternal salvation. They have an equal status in salvation being bequeathed to them.
The Heavenly Father bequeaths to women Salvation as freely as he bequeaths it to men. So live with them like that so that your prayers won't be unheard because if you won't be considerate of them. Like God was considerate of you.
If you won't do her the honor of listening to her needs if that's how you're going to live. How do you expect God the Father to listen to you? How do you then live? You have these fleshly passions boiling in you.
You have a culture that's telling you to defy anyone that tells you to submit you have a religious culture. So fake that it throws fire extinguishers at police. Killing one of them smashes through windows and breaks down doors.
But then thanks God will be honored if we remember to take our ox horns hat off before we pray. No wonder that we have so-called Evangelical feminists who think they can just throw out the first six verses of first Peter chapter 3 and still be daughters of Sarah or other so-called Christians who really follow.
Just following any passions that have overrun their souls. How do we then live. We live like Christ who instead of Imposing his power meekly submitted even to unjust rulers like Pontius Pilate. Like Christ Who did nothing wrong ever not in word or deed and yet he still?
Suffered with jeered and rejected we live like Christ Who entrusted himself to his father. So we entrust ourselves? To Jesus the Shepherd and the overseer of our souls. He bore our sins in his body on the cross so that We can trust him.
We can trust him to shepherd and oversee us. How do we now live? With trust in the Good Shepherd.