1 Peter 1:13-2:12 "Be Prepared"
Sermon Four
"Be Attractive."
1 Peter 2:9-12 Page 1888
December 5th, 2010
Note: This Sunday completes 10 years of preaching and around 500 sermons or so. We are onto year #11 of a two year contract! Thank you for the blessing of being able to study and share God’s word with you week after week. There is nothing better.
This is a series about being prepared and that thought comes from 1 Peter 1:13 where Peter calls his audience, and us, to prepare our minds for action. The first part of preparedness was to have your hope fully grounded in the grace of God shown to us through Jesus (vs 13). The second part was to consider our connections. Connecting to Jesus permeates all aspects of our lives and I showed that through the food coloring and the paper towel object lesson. Last week looked at 2:1-8 and the call to be changed or be ready to face the consequence of disobedience. I concluded by asking how, and to whom, you were sharing God’s love and I would like us to keep that in mind particularly through the holidays. This week Peter continues the connection to change and warns us that some people may not like what they see – or smell!
Who here wants to help with a smell test? I have a few bags with nothing in them but can you smell them and tell me what WAS in them? How did the bag get the smell?
As disciples, our lives are on display, and some people want to see us fail. When we sin they may take that as an excuse as to why they do not need to change. When we put on a mask to cover our failings we may be discouraging people from connecting to Christ since the world does not need any more hypocrites!
 | Whose life did you watch as you were coming to Christ? |
| What about their life, and life style, attracted you to Jesus? |
| What did they teach you about sin, confession, and repentance? |
| Who is looking into your life in order to learn more about Jesus and being His disciple? |
| How are you making following Christ attractive without lowering the standard? |
| How do you handle the scrutiny? |
The Text:
1 Peter 2:8-12 Page 1888
Verse 8 ended with: "They stumble because they disobey the message — which is also what they were destined for." Which sets up the contrast in verse 9.
Then Peter speaks to a Gentile audience as if they were Jews.
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God,
Why have they, and us, been given such blessings?
that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. The idea of "declare" is "from now on you tell of…"
The Peter speaks to the level of change that they have gone through:
10 Once you were not a people (like Hosea’s child Lo-Ammi), but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy (Emphatic negative – absolutely had not), but now you have received mercy (aorist – once for all).
Because of the changes that God brought they need to live changed lives:
11 Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.
As aliens and strangers we do not connect here so stay away from the evil desires.
Not only stay away from the old life but…
12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong (this assumes that they have no evidence of wrongdoing!), they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us (the same is said in Matthew 5:16).
The areas of change are seen in the rest of the letter- 2:13-25 slaves and masters, 3:1-7 living a Christ centered home, 3:8-22 changed relationship with each other and those who accuse, 4:1-11 living for God, 4:12-19 suffering for doing good, and 5:1-11 Peter speaks to the elders about their responsibilities before he concludes with his final greetings in 5:12-14.
| Whose life are you watching, and how do they help you remain faithful? |
| Who is watching you and how do you help them remain faithful? |
| How attractive is Christ in your life? |
| Are people attracted to you because you have the aroma of Christ? |
I want to conclude with a passage from 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 on page 1795
14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. 15 For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? 17 Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.
When Christ is in us we carry His aroma and He attracts people to Himself through us. Go and be smelly!!
Next Week: We begin a three part series about the coming of Jesus. He is coming, he has come, and He is coming back. Join us if you can!