Quieting the Critics, Part 1a

1st Peter chapter 2 if you have your Bible 1st Peter chapter 2 and here begins the second half of this epistle as Peter explains exactly how we are to be holy amidst all kinds of hostility and that holy life is going to silence the scoffer it will quiet the critic I don't know if you've ever been criticized before I don't know if anybody's ever mocked you or or scoffed you because of your belief or because of your stand or just because of who you are but you know Peter is very practical I mean the principles he lays out for us are so practical I mean you could just take them and and apply them as if he was writing to us today listen to what Paul says about people seeing your life he says in verse number one of 2nd Corinthians chapter 3 are we beginning to commend ourselves again or do we need as some letters of commendation to you or from you you are our letter written in our hearts known and read by all men being manifested that you are a letter of Christ cared for by us written not with ink but with the spirit of the living God not on tablets of stone but on the tablets of human hearts Paul is is dealing with the false leaders and how they come into a town and how they would bring with them letters of commendation to prove that they were men of honor and they would seek to receive letters of commendation from i.e.

those in Corinth so they may go to the next town and spread their false gospel and Paul says do I need to commend myself among you the fact is he didn't because the Corinthians know that when Paul came to them he didn't come with persuasive words but he came with a godly message and he says very clearly these words you are our letter we don't need a letter written in ink because you're the letter your life is the living letter and he says that letter is now being read by all men we don't need to have some kind of private correspondence in our satchel when we arrive in Corinth and show it to a few of you that we might be leaders among you no we have all of you in the church here at Corinth you are all living letters and everybody who sees you reads you and what do they read they read something not put down with ink but because of the influence of the Spirit of God why he says this he says not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts the ten commandments you know were written on tablets of stone with the finger of God but we have something a little different than that it's the fulfillment of Jeremiah Ezekiel's prophecy in Ezekiel 36 and in Ezekiel chapter 11 where God says I'm gonna give you a new heart a new heart and you'll walk in my ways well these Corinthians were were walking in the ways of God and they became the proof the credibility of Paul's message because the message he preached was the message of God and and the Word of God has the power to transform people's lives right and so he was saying that the the proof of the ministry lies lies in the lives of the people who have a Redeemer whose lives have been transformed by the Spirit of God and everybody's reading that letter they're reading that epistle and I guess if I was to ask you today when you go to work I wonder what people read about your life your attitudes your actions what about when your ministry here at the church how people read you you know it's interesting to watch people in ministry and to see how they interact with other people especially in times of conflict you know to see how they respond when someone lashes out against them and their leadership in the ministry or their style of ministry and to be able to sit back and watch that to see how is it they can be a living epistle how because God has written his law on their hearts they are willing to live that law every single day not out of duty but out of devotion to their God you see all of us receive criticism every one of us do whenever you make a decision about something it will go against someone else who wishes it would go their direction and not the direction you took it and so you have to deal with that criticism whenever you take a stand on truth on the gospel people come against that because they think you're too dogmatic too hard too narrow-minded and yet you have to deal with that criticism whenever you take a stand to live for Jesus Christ there'll be those who don't want to live for Jesus Christ who will criticize you who will mock you who will scoff at you what do you do how do you handle that well Peter tells you makes it very clear and how you handle it is going to be determined on what people think about your Redeemer right they're gonna get some kind of idea about Christ by watching you in the midst of conflict and these people in Peter's epistle we're going through great conflict so this was the pristine time for them to shine for the Lord Jesus Christ this was the best time Peter knew that and so he was going to try to encourage them tonight I want to cover two points with you there are three we're going to cover in verses 11 down through verse number 17 but what there's going to cover two verses tonight verse 11 and verse number 12 and that will set the tone for verses 13 through 17 next week which will be the practice of godly conduct we'll begin with the plea for godly conduct and then we're going to look at the principles for godly conduct and then we're going to look at the practice of godly conduct Peter's going to give you the opportunity to practice the principles that he gives right away but we'll begin just with verse 11 12 this evening he says beloved I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers they may on account of your good deeds as they observe them glorify God in the day of visitation it says that in verse number 13 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 as the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men Peter says that when you live the right way when you live a godly way you will silence the critics you will quiet them so he begins with the plea beloved he says I urge you I urge you I I I beseech you I want to encourage you strongly encourage you that this is what you need to do in the verses 11 and 12 provide for us a a introduction to what Peter is going to cover in verses 13 and chapter 2 all the way through verse 11 of chapter 5 so you need to get verses 11 and 12 and understand the rest of the Bible or excuse me the rest of Peter okay to understand exactly what he's going to say and he has just reminded them how to prepare themselves for lowly service he's already given them the privileges of being in the family of God he's talked about their union he's talked about their admission he's talked about their possession he's talked about their satisfaction he's talked about their proclamation he's talked about all the privileges they have because of the people of God and now he says I urge you to live a certain way and in the back of his mind he has the picture of Christ now he's going to give us an illustration of that at the end of chapter 2 but throughout this whole epistle you realize that Peter is picturing in his mind Jesus Christ and how he handled hostility how you learn to handle the heat and that will be in the back of Peter's mind throughout this epistle throughout the rest of this epistle as we study it together but he says beloved he reminds them that they are loved by God they are part of the beloved family of God remember in Ephesians chapter 1 verse number 6 because the faith in Jesus Christ we are accepted in the beloved now Peter would would remind them several times in fact eight times in 1st Peter and 2nd Peter he calls them beloved he says it here in verse 11 chapter 2 and then over in verse number 12 in chapter 4 he says beloved do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you which comes upon you for your testing as though some strange thing were happening to you he reminds them once again that in the midst of the fiery trial that they are the loved ones they are the ones that are loved by God and they are a part of a brotherhood of love in the family of God and over in chapter 3 of 2nd Peter several times he says in verse number 1 he says this now beloved the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder and then now verse number 8 but do not let this one fact escape your notice beloved verse number 17 you therefore beloved knowing this beforehand be on your God he constantly reminds them of the fact that they are a part of a loved group of people loved of course by God Himself now that relationship ought to be that which motivates us to live for the Lord right we love Him because He first loved us you know a lot of people look at the Christian life and in terms of its duty but we need to look at it in terms of our devotion to God we are devoted to God we want to serve Him we we want to live for Him we want to love Him Christianity is not a bunch of I have to do this and I have to go here and I have to be this way that's not what Christianity is if that's your perception of Christianity you don't know Christ that's not what it's about you want to serve the Lord you want to honor the Lord because you're part of a of the beloved family of God and therefore you long to serve your God he gives a plea and there are three reasons behind the plea for godly conduct number one is because you're strangers in this country you're strangers in this country that's number one beloved I urge you as aliens and strangers aliens is is rather unique is the word it means alongside the house now that word is rather unique because you see we live alongside those whose home is earth you need to understand that we are the aliens if you were with us in our study of the book of Revelation there was a phrase used in the book of Revelation 10 different times and that word is earth dwellers that word is used 10 times those who dwell upon the earth and we told you when we say the book of Revelation that that phrase is used significantly of the unbeliever in the book of Revelation it doesn't talk about a geographical location it talks about a moral classification earth dwellers that is all they have is what is here all they have is what you can see and therefore those people those earth dwellers have a different perception than those who are not earth dwellers Peter says we live alongside those earth dwellers we are not the earth dwellers we are not the ones who have our homes here we are the aliens that's a rather important term because we know about aliens right we we think of an alien we think of a nasty ugly rotten creature we've seen the movies about aliens and we think of some foreign creature but we have to realize that that's not too far off the mark I mean we are foreign creatures one of our problems is is that we like to mix and mingle among the world we like to fit in with the world my folks used to always tell me tell me growing up they said you know son if you fit in you have a problem but but but shouldn't they like me shouldn't when I go to high school and when I go to my classes when when I interact with my shouldn't they like me and they said what's not about them liking you it's about how you look when you're around them it's about how you act when you're around them it's about what you say when you're around them because you're different you're an alien when I traveled with sports ambassadors right out of college I played baseball for them for for the summer months and we traveled down to Central America and we went down to Venezuela and to Guatemala and to El Salvador and we went down there specifically to share Christ through means of baseball so we'd play a baseball game and in between doubleheaders we would have a time where we'd there'd be some singing some testimonies different ones of us would preach and give the gospel and I can recall a time we went to Venezuela and we had spent some time talking to different young people after a game that they would come up to me and they would want to touch my hair you know and they'd want to touch the hair on my arms because you know I was right out of college I was 22 years of age and whenever I was in the Sun my my hair were turned bleach white just whiten up and the hair on my arms would turn really white well they'd never seen anything like that before they'd never they'd never seen a blonde haired blonde armed person before and so they would just come up to me and they would just want to touch my arm and they just want to touch my hair you see I was foreign to them I was different than them and I was thinking about that the other day thinking you know that that's how we are to be in the world when people look at us there should be a distinct difference about us from them we're aliens we're strangers we're pilgrims or foreigners we're different than the world the writer of Hebrews said it well in Hebrews chapter 13 verse number 14 for here we do not have a lasting city but we are seeking the city which is to come Paul would say in Philippians 3 that we are citizens of of heaven and we are eagerly awaiting our Savior you see there's a sense of eagerness behind our waiting there's a sense of anticipation about the coming glory of the King and so we realize that we're strangers here on this earth not only we strangers in this country but we are soldiers engaged in combat the reason we he pleads with us to live a godly life is because we are strangers in this country and number two because we are soldiers engaged in combat listen to what he says I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul listen we are in the midst of a heavy battle if you don't recognize that there's something wrong we are in the midst of great combat daily fleshly lusts which as Peter says wage war against the soul that word carries with it the idea of a military campaign it carries with it the idea of constant warfare day after day so much so that you must be on your guard it speaks of malicious aggression that's the way our lives are because we are involved in a war when we become Christians we don't automatically enter a life of comfort and ease we enter a life with Christ well to enter that life with Christ means we enter a tremendous battle and the fleshly lusts it's a general term that designates all desires that a man has you say well what are those desires well Paul would say a little bit about them in the book of Galatians the fifth chapter when he said this in verse number 19 he says 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 forewarned you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God those are the fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul and we are in a constant battle daily as we seek to honor our God you see our battle is not about the people around us it's about the passions within us once you understand that your life will get a whole lot easier it's not about your neighbor it's not about your boss it's not even about your spouse that's not your problem your problem are the passions within the fleshly lusts which wage war continually against your soul there's a constant battle and Paul would speak about it in Romans chapter 7 didn't he for the things I don't want to do I find myself doing he says and the things are supposed to be doing I'm not doing all wretched man that I am he found himself in a constant battle with with the lusts of the flesh because they're there constantly it was DL Moody who said that he had more trouble with DL Moody than with any other man he knew and that's the truth see our biggest problem is us see we think our biggest problem is so-and-so that if we just got rid of them if they weren't in the church our church would be a great church no maybe if you weren't in the church the church would be a little greater than it is see the problem is us it's not the other person and we have to learn to deal with those passions we have to learn to deal with that battle that's constant you know I've been doing my study in Exodus you know on Sunday mornings and I just finished Exodus chapter 17 about winning life's war in Exodus chapter 17 verse number 8 let me read to you just the first part of this verse well I guess it's the whole verse really it says this then Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim that one verse that one sentence speaks volumes you see Israel had just come off of a great hardship they had no water and once again they would murmur and they would complain and and Moses would would cry out to God and of course water would be would spring forth from the rock and and a great miracle would take place in the first seven verses of Exodus chapter 7 and then it says then Amalek Amalek is the grandson of Esau Esau listen was given over to fleshly desires fleshly appetites and what happens physically in Exodus chapter 17 verses 8 and following in the chapter is the exact thing same thing that happens spiritually in the life of a Christian it says then Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim when did Amalek come and fight Israel right after a great triumph right after that that's when Amalek came when do you have the the biggest prob with fleshly passions and when do they wage war against your soul right after a triumph those of you who just got back from Russia those you just got back from a high then Amalek comes then the fleshly desires wage war against your soul because you see Satan is not interested in your triumphs he's not interested in the joy you experience from them he wants to bring you down you see because he knows that that great joy and testimony that you have is going to impact other people well he wants you to be down in the dumps so that you don't impact other people and it was at that time that Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim but I want you to notice something it's all about how Amalek attacked Israel which shows you how the fleshly desires attack you Exodus 17 doesn't record it but Deuteronomy 25 does so listen to Deuteronomy 25 verse number 17 Moses says this remember what Amalek did to you along the way when you came out from Egypt how he met you along the way and attacked among you listen all the stragglers at your rear when you were faint and weary and he did not fear God where did Amalek attack Israel at the rear at the place of their greatest vulnerability he didn't attack them from the front he didn't attack them at their at their source of strength he attacked them at their weakest point where there was access to the whole group of them to bring them down at the areas of our weaknesses and that's how evil is evil never fights fair it always fights unjustly evil always attacks in your area of vulnerability