1 Peter 2:11-12 Teflon Christians
Introduction: History of Teflon® (Taken from Dupont’s Web site)
It all began April 6, 1938, at a Laboratory in New Jersey. Dr. Roy J. Plunkett was working with gases related to Freon® refrigerants. Upon checking one particular frozen, compressed sample, he and his associates discovered that the sample had polymerized spontaneously into a white, waxy solid. This material is inert to virtually all chemicals and is considered the most slippery material in existence. These properties have made it one of the most valuable and versatile technologies ever invented, contributing to significant advancements in areas such as aerospace, communications, electronics, industrial processes and architecture. Applications and product innovations snowballed quickly.
The invention of this product has been described as "an example of serendipity, a flash of genius, a lucky accident ... even a mixture of all three." Whatever the exact circumstances of the discovery, one thing is certain: this product has revolutionized the plastics industry and, in turn, gave birth to limitless applications of benefit to mankind. In 1990, U.S. President George Bush presented the National Medal of Technology to DuPont for the company’s pioneering role in the development and commercialization of man-made polymers over the last half century. Dr. Roy Plunkett (1911-1994) has been recognized the world over by scientific, academic and civic communities. He was inducted into the Plastics Hall of Fame in 1973, and, in 1985, into the National Inventors’ Hall of Fame joining such distinguished scientists and innovators as Thomas Edison, Louis Pasteur and the Wright Brothers
This product has become a familiar household name, recognized worldwide for the superior non-stick properties associated with its use as a coating on cookware and as a soil and stain repellant for fabrics and textile products. The Product – Teflon, whose surface is so slippery, virtually nothing sticks to it or is absorbed by it.
According to our text in 1 Peter 2; every Christian ought to be Teflon Coated.
It is presumed here that the world will speak evil of Christians – does that surprise us?
Maybe not as blunt today as in Peter’s day, but often times they do if:
You spank your child…
You home school your children…
You dress a little differently…
You take a stand against Abortion, Homosexuality, Pornography…
You refuse to worship in ways you feel as being offensive to a Holy God…
They might accuse you of being evil – but it will not stick if you are Teflon Coated.
Proposition: Every Christian should be Non-stick Teflon Coated.
How? Peter now tells us how…
I. You need to understand your relationship to this world (11).
A. You are a stranger – “a temporary dweller not having a settled habitation in the place
where he currently resides”
B. You are a pilgrim – “a foreigner who has settled down briefly among the native people”
People who see that this world is not their actual home, only a passing dwelling place.
Ill. When renting/leasing a home/living in base housing – you don’t spend a lot of money fixing up the place because you know you will be moving on in a short period of time…
It affects the decisions what you do, how you spend money…
Like when you visit a distant relative – you are there, but you don’t feel real comfortable and make yourself completely at home. Careful about what you do… what you eat….
Folks, Christians are nothing more than guests and temporary residents in this world. We are children of God and our home is in Heaven.
As Christians we should remember our distant home and not follow the practices of the strange land, which are at odds with homeland.
II. You need to realize you are engaged in a difficult battle (11).
A. Your in a War – sustained conflict with many combatants…, don’t look for quick end
B. The war is against your soul – “soul” = that dimension of yourself that relates to God,
Against your spiritual nature, and it affect your relationship with God.
C. The war is with fleshly lusts:
These are spelled out for us in Gal. 5:19-21 (Read in KJV and NLT to clarify)
Galatians 5:19-21: New Living Translation (NLT) “When you follow the desires of
your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure
thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, 20idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, 21envy, drunkenness, wild
parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”
These kind of things come from within, from our heart: Mark 7:20-23 “And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”
Realizing our relationship with this world and that we are in a war will help you to do the
next steps to becoming a Teflon Christian.
III. You need to modify your behavior (11-12). Peter says citizens of heaven and warriors
should not do something and do something…
A. Negatively: Abstain from fleshly lusts
Abstain = Tense is a Present Infinitive – this is an continuous action to be repeated whenever and wherever necessary
Voice = Middle – subject acts upon himself or for himself (doing for self)
To Abstain = to voluntarily hold oneself back and do without…
Like seeing a piece of cake but you don’t eat it even though it looks good… You don’t eat it for your own good. Others can not do it for you.
B. Positively: Have Honest conduct (conversation = conduct/lifestyle)
Honest = Morally Good and Beautiful; that is a conduct that is classified as both virtuous and in right proportion (balanced).
Tense here is a Present Active Participle = continuous or repeated action that is contemporaneous with the main verb.
In other words, it is not enough to just not give in to some sinful
desire/temptation, rather we need to Actively Do Right in times of temptation.
Application: (This is tough teaching here…)
Ladies: How should you respond when your husband is a jerk and you feel like
yelling at him? You should abstain from that behavior and you should still love
and speak kind to him….
Ladies: What about when that person you thought was a friend gossips and talks
about you behind your back? You want to yell, smack, talk about her – but you
should do right and talk calmly and pray for her…
Men: What about when your wife has asked you 10 times to replace that burnt
out bulb and then she comes and asks you for the eleventh time. You want to get mad and tell her to quit nagging you… You should not do that and you should take care of that job, tell her you are sorry
Men: You are tempted to have an improper relationship with another woman at
work. You need to do more than just not do it. You need to:
-- pray for the woman (if not saved)
-- eliminate/reduce the opportunities for you to be alone with her
-- move yourself from the place of temptation
-- get into God’s Word
-- Put all that time and energy toward your wife…
What do others see when they look at us?
Do they see a life that is free from fleshly lusts?
Do they also see a person that they can say is Morally Good; Beautiful;
Virtuous; Balanced?
Summary: Every Christian can become a Non-stick Teflon Coated Christian if:
I. They understand their relationship to this world (11).
II. They realize they are engaged in a War (11).
III. They modify their behavior (11-12).
A. Abstain from fleshly lusts
B. Have Honest Conduct
