Challenged To Change Series

Sermon Brief

Date Written: October 13, 2007

Date Preached: September 16, 2007

Where Preached: OZHBC (PM)

Sermon Details:

Sermon Series: A Study in 1 Peter

Sermon Title: Challenged to Change!

Sermon Text: 1 Peter 2:11-12

11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, 12 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…

Introduction:

Have you ever met someone who was constantly sharing how much they knew or could do in a certain area, but when challenged they could not produce what they claimed?

I know that in sports this happens a lot, guys talk trash and cannot back up their claims… I can remember a guy who fought Mike Tyson when Mike was Mike… I guess it could have been the early 90’s and this guy claimed he was going to reign down terror on Mike and was going to overwhelm him with boxing skills… 45 seconds into the fight Mike knocked him out… we found out he was all bark and no bite!

As a pastor, I find this happening in the church, where people proclaim Christ with their lips, but fail to live as they claim! It is this type of thing that damages the church much more than Satan ever could. I can remember a DC Talk song, What if I stumble?

The song opens with a man saying these words, “…the greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips then walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle that is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable…”

We are called to speak Christ to the world, but we are also called to live Christ to the world as well. The Apostle Paul said on more than one occasion that we are called to live a life WORTHY of our calling in Christ. In Col 1:10 Paul said this, “…that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God…”

Paul wanted believers to understand that living the life was just as important as telling about Christ! We cannot speak Christ to a world of unbelievers and then turn around and live our lives as the world does!

And that is exactly where Peter is coming from in these 2 verses we are looking at tonight…he calls us to live out loud in our faith… so much so that even the world will see how we are living and they will give glory to God!

Tonight I want us to look at these 2 verse and see what we can glean from them to help us to live our faith out loud…in such a way that the world sits up and takes notice of our life and gives glory to God because of it…

A Saved Life is a Changed Life! (v.11)

Peter begins these 2 verses by using a term that many overlook, it is the term beloved… this term is a term of affection. Here Peter reveals his deep emotional attachment to these believers, and his overall love for all who were serving God…

He calls them his beloved… those he loves, will love and shall continue to love… but loving in this case is not just the mushy, sentimental love… this type of love was and still is an action love… it is a love that requires action on the part of the one giving the love…

Peter knew that unless he shared with these believers on how to live as they should, that they would stray and that they would struggle… he loved them and did not want that to happen if at all possible, so Peter springs into action and shares his love thru his teaching… just as his Teacher had loved and taught him, Peter was going to love and teach his flock as well…

Peter goes on to say, “…I beg you…” this is Peter’s way of getting the readers attention. This simple phrase has kind of a shock value for the readers. It is a picture of someone attempting to warn a loved one of impending danger!

But just what is Peter trying to warn his loved ones about? Well before he reveals what he is warning them of he describes who he is speaking to… he uses the phrase…Sojourners and pilgrims…

Peter is NOT speaking of an earthly residence or home country… but is speaking of an eternal state of citizenship. The old song we have heard so many times makes this ever so clear when it says, this world is NOT my home… I’m just a passin’ thru, my home is laid up somewhere beyond the blue!