Live as Exiles

So last week, we looked at the beginning of chapter 2 where Peter is writing to these Gentile churches scattered across what is now Modern-day Turkey. And he tells them that they are living stones and that they are a spiritual house, but for those that do not believe in Jesus, he is stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. In other words, Jesus’s message causes some people to stumble and be offended. Today Peter writes to those that do believe though, and he tells them characteristics that describe them, and he tells them how they should behave in the world in which they live. I would argue that there has never been a more critical time as Christians in America for us to be concerned about our conduct—not only toward our neighbors but also in our interaction with political leaders. Without question, our current political climate is the most polarizing and divisive it’s been in my lifetime. We don’t know how to disagree with someone without it turning into a heated and passionate argument. There is very little civil discourse taking place today. You’re either with us or against us seems to be the mentality of the day. And not just in politics but in other social issues as well. Remember, Peter doesn’t have an American context in mind as he writes these words. But still he writes to Gentile Christians who live in cities and towns just like we do, and he expects them to act in a way that honors Christ.

Proclaim the Light:

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." — 1 Peter 2:9

Brothers and sisters in exile here is what you are. You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession. In your exile and isolation, remember you are chosen by God, a nation set apart from the others, and under the ownership of God. Peter is telling these churches that God owns you. He’s got your back, and he wants what is best for you even though you’re experiencing difficult situations in exile.

But these characteristics don’t just describe us as believers to make us feel good, and there is a purpose behind it. All of these qualities describe us so that we can proclaim Jesus. Jesus chose us, he made us a priesthood, he set us apart as a holy nation which takes us back to Exodus 23:22 when he sets apart the Israelites as his people, and he possesses us. When you think of these characteristics, don’t just use them to boost your ego, but remember what they describe for the purpose of telling people that Jesus saved you.

If you have a story of God transforming your heart today, I don’t care how good of a story it is or how bad your life was before Christ you have been saved out of darkness into light. The light/darkness image that we find throughout the New Testament is a powerful image. Even today, study after study shows that light and darkness have powerful effects on our mood. A 2014 study showed that people who have windows in their office exercise more, get more sleep, and had an overall greater sense of well-being than those who had no windows. Researchers believe exposure to natural light helps our bodies stick to their natural circadian rhythms so that they know when to be alert and energetic.

Before we walked in the light, we were not a people because our identity was not in Christ. We were roaming on this earth, seeking purpose and fulfillment through avenues that would not satisfy our hearts. But since the light came into our lives, we are now a people. We are God’s chosen people. There was also a time Peter tells us when we had not received mercy, but now we receive mercy from God. Mercy is a theological word for showing kindness or concern for someone in serious need.

Do you believe that your neighbor, coworker, family member, and a friend needs God’s mercy? If they are not in Christ, they are wondering. They might think they have fulfillment and purpose in life through their work, family, or possessions, but these areas only deceive them into thinking they have what they need. We must tell them how God desires their hearts.

Christian Conduct Reflects Jesus:

"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." — 1 Peter 2:12

While you are in exile, remember that you will need to abstain from the passions of the flesh. Remember, these are Gentile believers to whom Peter is writing. They are characterized by all of the qualities that we just mentioned, and yet they are still in a battle every day. We are in a struggle every day too. It’s a battle between our human flesh and the Holy Spirit. And they are waging war over our heart and mind. Paul tells us in Romans 8:13-14, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live. For all who are led by the spirit of God are sons of God.”

I’ll confess to you this morning that I don’t take this daily battle serious many times. I don’t view my heart and mind as being the prized possession that both Satan and God want, but yet this is how it is regularly described in the New Testament. The flesh is fighting for control, and the Spirit is fighting for control. And the weapon that we use to fight off the flesh is the Word of God; it’s the sword of the Spirit Paul tells us in Ephesians. So the best chance you have of defeating Satan’s attempt to take control of your heart and mind is to defeat him with the Sword of the Spirit, which is why Peter just told us last week to crave the pure spiritual milk of the Word. These passions of the flesh that Peter mentioned are not explained, but they are the same passions of the flesh that we struggle with today.

Notice that the use of Gentile has now changed. Peter slips this in here without really explaining it, but this letter was written to Christian Gentiles, but now Gentiles mean all of those that are not believers in Christ. So there are now Christians and then Gentiles.

Keep your conduct among everyone who is not a Christian honorable. Can this be said of us? That all of the people that are in our spheres of influence view us as honorable because of the way we conduct ourselves. The Christians living in exile in this letter were living in places where avoiding the temples of the gods was considered disrespectful. And so, these Gentiles often spoke badly of the Christians because they were going against the grain of society.

Does anyone ever speak badly of you because you are not willing to participate in things in which the rest of the world engages? People might think you are arrogant or superior to them because you avoid certain activities. Let them speak evil of you. It could be that they will never understand, BUT we pray and hope that they will know that our behavior stands apart not because we are better than anyone but because we want them to glorify God when they see our behavior.

• I bring back this quote that I used about a month ago now, N.T. Wright, one of the most influential New Testament scholars in the world, says this, “The lived community is one of the key things, a church that is actually being the church on the street. Christianity did not spread by the great brains passing ideas to other great brains who developed them, and then there was a trickle-down effect. The reason people became Christians was because their neighbors were behaving differently, and the way they were behaving was deeply attractive, and they wanted to know why.”

What if we spent less time trying to fit in, and more time trying to stand out? I would guess that if we stood out, more people would have more questions for us, and this would allow us to share our faith with them. So they know why we behave the way we do.

Our Role in Human Institutions:

"Be subject for 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." — 1 Peter 2:13-14

Peter tells his audience to be subject to the emperor. Now you might disagree with a person in office in this country, but I promise you that your disagreement with that elected official is nothing like the behavior that was exhibited by the Roman emperors. Now 1 Peter was most likely written in the early to the mid-60s AD, and the emperor in Rome at this time was Nero who reigned from 54-68. Nero was an evil, ruthless emperor who is credited with killing both Peter and the apostle Paul.

The very man who eventually is responsible for the death of Peter is telling his audience to submit to this emperor’s authority. In 64 AD, a great fire erupted in Rome, and many early Roman historians believe that Nero started this fire himself, but he blamed this fire on the Christians in Rome. As a result, Christians were arrested and brutally executed some were thrown to beasts, others crucified, and some were burned alive and used as torches to light up the city at night. This is the man to whom Peter was telling people to submit. So the next time we want to complain or speak negatively of our elected officials, let’s remember that our brothers and sister in Christ who were living in exile were told to submit to an emperor and governors that were living lives so different from their own.

Peter doesn’t just recommend that they do this. This wasn’t just his opinion. He says this is the will of God. Listen closely, friends. We are as polarized as we have ever been in my lifetime in this country. What are we as Christians doing to alleviate this polarization? Peter is not telling these believers that they should only submit to the emperor if they agreed with everything he was doing. There are laws that we as Christians disagree with, but if we believe that God is sovereign, then no matter what law is passed, God is still on his throne.

The way we as Christians talk about public officials does matter. We should be the ones people look to and say you know this person might not agree with so and so or so and so policy, but I see them praying for these leaders. Does that describe us? Does it describe me? If I'm honest, not really. But Peter is pretty clear when these Christians submitted to human authorities it showed that they were good citizens, and the enemies of the Christians could not use their lack of respect for authorities as a way to get them in trouble.

Just in case these exiled Christians were beginning to think that Peter was saying do whatever the emperor tells you to do, he says to live as free people. This brings us back to our discussion we have had the last few weeks regarding freedom. Freedom is not the absence of restrictions but rather than finding the right restrictions. We are as Christians are actually the most free when we under the law of God. If we go back and look at the story of the Exodus. God tells the people Pharaoh let my people go so that they can serve me. They were freed in order to be enslaved to God. So even the Israelites were not given true freedom, but when we are enslaved to God that is as free as we will ever be because that is the way we were designed to be. Serving anything other than God will enslave you, and yet being free to God means you serve him.

Peter’s Motto:

"Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor." — 1 Peter 2:17

I love the way Peter ends our passage today. I think it’s a simple motto for all of us to use and memorize. If I were ever going to get a tattoo (which I’m not), I think this might be the verse to use.

Honor Everyone. Not just those that you agree with, not only those that look like you, not just other Christians. Everyone. Now trust me, I did the research and the study for this text, and if there were some way I could get around honoring everyone, believe me, I would do it, but there is no other way to interpret or explain this verse. We should honor all people. People that we disagree with, people that treat us wrong, and people that defy the name of Christ. All of these people have value and worth and deserve honor because they are created in the image of God.

Love the brotherhood. A special bond exists though between believers in the church. We are to love our brothers and sisters in Christ. There is a special relationship that exists between us that cannot be shared with anyone else. There are people in this room that I love with all of my heart because of the common bond we have in Christ. If that bond didn’t exist, then I would otherwise have very little in common with them. But I love them because we are in Christ together.

Fear God. Have a deep admiration and awe of who God is. He is the creator of the universe. He spoke light into the world. He spoke, and humanity was created. He created the Rocky Mountains, Mount Everest, and the Grand Canyon. This same God chooses to have a relationship with finite human beings like ourselves. He is worthy of our awe and reverence.

Honor the Emperor. It doesn’t matter what he has done to you, what his character is like, what laws have been passed that you support or you don’t support. We should honor his position. And perhaps maybe we as Christians can be the ones that bring unity to a fragmented political climate.