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1, 2 Peter, Lesson #4
1 Peter 2.11 - 25/ Living as Strangers

Good Questions Have Groups Talking
www.joshhunt.com

OPEN

What is your name and one thing foreign country you have been to, if any.

DIG

1.      1 Peter 2.11 – 25. Let’s read this passage as a whole, looking for any application we can find.

As a body, we are to do three things in light of our unity. First, we are to live in purity. Having talked about trials and persecution from without, Peter seems to shift gears here and address the potential danger from within. “I beseech you,” he says. “I beg you. I plead with you. Hear the cry of my heart: Abstain from fleshly lusts that war against your soul.”

In times of difficulty, people sometimes say, “Why should I refrain? Why should I abstain? I just can’t take it anymore.”

Peter answers, “Even as things get tough, whatever you do, don’t give in to your fleshly lusts. Be careful. You’re vulnerable.” Perhaps better than anyone else, Peter knew what he was talking about, for he was one who succumbed to his fleshly lusts when things got tough. — Jon Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2003), 1554.

2.      What do we learn about ourselves from this passage?

As Christians, we must constantly remind ourselves who we are; and Peter did this in 1 Peter 2:11. To begin with, we are God’s dearly beloved children. Eight times in his two epistles, Peter reminded his readers of God’s love for them (1 Peter 2:11; 4:12; 2 Peter 1:7; 3:1, 8, 14–15, 17). In ourselves, there is nothing that God can love; but He loves us because of Jesus Christ. “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (2 Peter 1:17). Because of our faith in Jesus Christ, we are “accepted in the beloved” (Eph. 1:6).

Our “love relationship” to Jesus Christ ought to be motivation enough for us to live godly lives in this godless world. “If ye love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). There is something deeper than obedience because of duty, and that is obedience because of devotion. “If a man love Me, he will keep My words” (John 14:23).

Not only are we God’s beloved children, but we are also “strangers [sojourners] and pilgrims” in this world. We are “resident aliens” who have our citizenship in another country—heaven. Like the patriarchs of old, we are temporary in this life, traveling toward the heavenly city (Heb. 11:8–16). If you have ever lived in a foreign land, you know that the citizens watch you and are prone to find things to criticize. (In all fairness, we must confess that sometimes we are critical of foreigners in our own country.) Some years ago, a bestselling novel called The Ugly American depicted the struggles of an American as he tried to meet the needs of a foreign people, and still maintain his credibility with his fellow Americans, who, unfortunately, completely misunderstood the situation.

We are also soldiers involved in a spiritual battle. There are sinful desires that war against us and want to defeat us (see Gal. 5:16–26). Our real battle is not with people around us, but with passions within us. D.L. Moody said, “I have more trouble with D.L. Moody than with any man I know.” If we yield to these sinful appetites, then we will start living like the unsaved around us, and will become ineffective witnesses. The word translated “war” carries the idea of “a military campaign.” We do not win one battle, and the war is over! It is a constant warfare, and we must be on our guard.

Most of all, we are witnesses to the lost around us. The word “Gentiles” here has nothing to do with race, since it is a synonym for “unsaved people” (1 Cor. 5:1; 12:2; 3 John 7). Unsaved people are watching us, speaking against us (1 Peter 3:16; 4:4), and looking for excuses to reject the Gospel.

If we are going to witness to the lost people around us, we must live “honest” lives. This word implies much more than telling the truth and doing what is right. It carries with it the idea of beauty, comeliness, that which is admirable and honorable. To use a cliche of the ’60s, we must be “beautiful people” in the best sense of the word. — Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 403–404.

3.      Peter says we are strangers and exiles. Ever been a stranger in a physical sense? Who has a story? How does that help us to understand what it means to follow Christ?

I woke up gradually that morning. I had been tired out by the events of the previous day, and I had been sleeping so deeply that I seemed to be emerging slowly from a warm, dark tunnel. It’s not an unpleasant feeling, but when eventually I opened my eyes I wondered, for a few moments, where on earth I was. Nothing seemed familiar. I wasn’t at home, clearly. Nor was I with my grandparents, or in any other house I knew well.

Then it all came flooding back. The long car journey. The suitcases and boxes. Up and down three flights of stairs. Sorting out the room. Meeting a couple of old friends and lots of new faces. A meal, a drink, then collapsing into bed. I had at last arrived in college. I was an undergraduate student. This was one of the biggest steps of my whole life.

I lay there for a while, trying to take in the fact of who I now was and where I now was. I had thought about this step often enough, but now that it had happened it seemed, and indeed it was, truly enormous. I was about to learn a new language. I was about to study new subjects and texts. I was in the process of becoming someone different. I had to discover how the whole system worked, how to live within this new world. The new identity offered so much, but also posed major challenges.

After the breathtaking vision of the opening verses of chapter 2, which we looked at last time, this passage has something of that feeling of blinking, rubbing our eyes, and saying, in effect: All right, this is who we now are, so what are the priorities? How are we now going to behave? How do we live within this new world? Right away Peter gets to business. Once you’ve understood who you really are within God’s great, world-changing purposes, it is vital that you learn to live appropriately. — Tom Wright, Early Christian Letters for Everyone: James, Peter, John and Judah, For Everyone Bible Study Guides (London; Louisville, KY: SPCK; Westminster John Knox Press, 2011), 64–65.

4.      How are foreigners and tourists similar? How are they different?

Christians are not living on this earth as carefree tourists. We are not vacationing our way to heaven. We are soldiers on raw, pagan soil. Everywhere around us the battle rages. The danger is real, and the enemy is formidable. Christ died not only to gain victory over sin’s dominion but to equip us for that fight—to give us the inner strength we need to stand against it. Therefore . . . we are to arm ourselves with the strength that Christ gives because our purpose in life is the same as His. — Charles R. Swindoll, Bedside Blessings (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2002).

5.      We are foreigner and strangers. What difference does it make? What is the application?

Unhappiness on earth cultivates a hunger for heaven. By gracing us with a deep dissatisfaction, God holds our attention. The only tragedy, then, is to be satisfied prematurely. To settle for earth. To be content in a strange land.…

We are not happy here because we are not at home here. We are not happy here because we are not supposed to be happy here. We are “like foreigners and strangers in this world” (1 Pet. 2:11).…

And you will never be completely happy on earth simply because you were not made for earth. Oh, you will have your moments of joy. You will catch glimpses of light. You will know moments or even days of peace. But they simply do not compare with the happiness that lies ahead. — When God Whispers Your Name / Max Lucado and Terri A. Gibbs, Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year (Nashville, TN: J. Countryman, 2000), 25.

6.      Note the word “abstain” in verse 11. What does it mean? What does it not mean?

Peter knows what he’s talking about when he says to the early believers, to you, and to me, “I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims. Abstain from the lust of this world.” Notice Peter doesn’t say, “Refrain temporarily,” or, “Know when to say when,” or, “Be sure you have a designated driver.” No, he simply says, “Abstain completely.” — Jon Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2003), 1554.

7.      In 1 John 2.1 we read that the goal is not to sin—at all. It is not to merely cut back on sinning. Why is this a reasonable goal?

The whole purpose of John’s letter, he says, is that we not sin. One day as I was studying this chapter I realized that my personal life’s objective regarding holiness was less than that of John’s. He was saying, in effect, “Make it your aim not to sin.” As I thought about this, I realized that deep within my heart my real aim was not to sin very much. I found it difficult to say, “Yes, Lord, from here on I will make it my aim not to sin.” I realized God was calling me that day to a deeper level of commitment to holiness than I had previously been willing to make.

Can you imagine a soldier going into battle with the aim of “not getting hit very much”? The very suggestion is ridiculous. His aim is not to get hit at all! Yet if we have not made a commitment to holiness without exception, we are like a soldier going into battle with the aim of not getting hit very much. We can be sure if that is our aim, we will be hit—not with bullets, but with temptation over and over again. — Jerry Bridges, The Pursuit of Holiness (Colorado Springs: Navpress, 1978), 92–93.

8.      Would you say most Christians’ goal is to not sin, or not sin very much?

Believers must abstain from fleshly lusts, for they “war against the soul.” And lusts that enslave are lusts that will eventually destroy a person’s life. There is no such thing as compromising with lust. You cannot partially abstain. Walter B. Knight remarks:

A missionary … was asked, “Have you gotten those terrible cannibals to a place yet where they do not eat each other?” “No, [came the reply] but we have succeeded in getting them to use knives and forks!” — Leadership Ministries Worldwide, Practical Illustrations: 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude (Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 2003), 56.

9.      We can’t live sinless lives. Why bother trying?

Only the holy will see God. Holiness is a prerequisite to heaven. Perfection is a requirement for eternity. We wish it weren’t so. We act like it isn’t so. We act like those who are “decent” will see God. We suggest that those who try hard will see God. We act as if we’re good if we never do anything too bad. And that goodness is enough to qualify us for heaven.

Sounds right to us, but it doesn’t sound right to God. And he sets the standard. And the standard is high. “You must be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

You see, in God’s plan, God is the standard for perfection. We don’t compare ourselves to others; they are just as fouled up as we are. The goal is to be like him; anything less is inadequate. — HE STILL MOVES STONES / Max Lucado, God’s Promises® for You: Scripture Selections from Max Lucado (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007).

10.  Verse 12. What do we learn about witnessing from this verse?

[You might consider showing this great video to your group.]

Transcript of Lee Stroble's Testimony

For most of my life I was an atheist. I thought the idea of an all-loving, all-powerful creator of the universe--I thought it was stupid. I mean, my background is in journalism and law. I tend to be a skeptical person. I was the legal editor of the Chicago Tribune. So I needed evidence before I'd believe anything.

One day my wife came up to me--she'd been agnostic--and she said after a period of spiritual investigation she had decided to become a follower of Jesus Christ. And I thought, you know, this is the worst possible news I could get. I thought she was going to turn into some sexually repressed prude who was going to spend all her time serving the poor in skid row somewhere. I thought this was the end of our marriage.

But in the ensuing months, I saw positive changes in her values, in her character, in the way she related to me and the children. It was winsome; and it was attractive; and it made me want to check things out. So I went to church one day, ah, mainly to see if I could get her out of this cult that she had gotten involved in.

But I heard the message of Jesus articulated for the first time in a way that I could understand it. That forgiveness is a free gift, and that Jesus Christ died for our sins, that we might spend eternity with Him. And I walked out saying--I was still an atheist--but also saying, "If this is true, this has huge implications for my life." And so I used my journalism training and legal training to begin an investigation into whether there was any credibility to Christianity or to any other world faith system for that matter.

I did that for a year and nine months until November the 8th of 1991, and on that day I realized that, in light of the torrent of evidence flowing in the direction of the truth of Christianity, it would require more faith for me to maintain my atheism than to become a Christian. Because to be an atheist I would have to swim upstream against this torrent of evidence pointing toward the truth of Jesus Christ. And I couldn't do that. I was trained in journalism and law to respond to truth. And so on that day, I received Jesus Christ as my forgiver, and as my leader.

And, just like with my wife, my life began to change. Over time my values, my character, the purpose of my life began to be transformed over time in a way that, as I look back, I can't imagine staying on the path I was on compared to the adventure and the fulfillment and the joy of following Jesus Christ. http://www.washedred.com/content/?contentID=47

11.  The truth of verse 12 can be seen most clearly by looking at its opposite. Think of a time when a Christian you know failed to “live such good lives among the pagans…” What harm was done?

Christians will be accused of doing wrong, just as unbelievers criticized Jesus in His day. This is a given in this world, but we are to make sure that the criticism is undeserved. Think of the damage done to the Gospel by every scandal in which a minister is accused of adultery or a prominent Christian businessman is shown to be dishonest in his business dealings. An unbelieving friend said to me one day, “Jerram, why are so many of the Christian businessmen in this city so lacking in integrity in their business practices?” I will never forget those words, for this non-Christian is honored for his integrity by the business community, and he is right to ask such a question. It has challenged me to try to live before him in such a way that he will see genuine virtue in my life and will one day praise God as the source and measure of all true goodness. — Jerram Barrs, The Heart of Evangelism (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001).

12.  Verse 13. How should Christians feel toward the police, judges, senators, and the president? How is this different from the world?

One of the more theological rationalizations for rebellion I’ve heard is, “I just submit to Jesus. I don’t have to submit to any man!” The statement contains just enough truth to lead us astray, but on balance that isn’t what the Word of God says. The Word says to submit to every human institution (1 Pet. 2:13–25) and to your leaders in the church as those who must give an account for your souls (Heb. 13:17). There’s truth in that statement that I must submit only to Jesus and not to follow idolatrously and blindly after human leaders, but that’s not the whole truth. Let’s learn to apply the Scriptures in the Spirit and context God intended.

A third attitude of the heart reflected in mental rationalizations is, “Submission to authority diminishes me,” as though authority implied superiority. “He’s no better than I am. I don’t have to listen to him!” Our society as a whole seems to have bought into this superiority/inferiority deception. Multitudes are falling into it and living its destructive effects as though it were a contagious disease. It’s one of the roots from which we seem to be compelled to knock our leaders down.

Godly authority means that authority serves and lays down its life for those in its care. Authority has nothing to do with the value of persons but only with position and order and with anointing from the Lord by grace. We honor authority figures, therefore, as other sinners like ourselves, saved by grace. They are normal human beings who just happen to be called to occupy sensitive positions where mistakes stand out in bold relief. That at least deserves a little compassion! — John Loren Sandford, R. Loren Sandford, and R. Loren Sandford John Loren Sandford, Life Transformed: How to Renew Your Mind, Overcome Old Habits, and Become the Person God Designed You to Be (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2014).

13.  How do you feel about submission? How should we feel?

Submission is not a dirty word; it is a liberating word. We are all under God’s protective authority, and we can only be free if we seek it and submit to it. Coming under authority is your protection. Living free is your opportunity to be all that God created you to be.

There are two types of people who will never live up to their potential in Christ: those who can’t do what they are told to do and those who won’t do anything unless they are told. Don’t wait to be told what you are already free to do. Step out in faith and live up to your potential in Christ. You can bring light into a dark world if you will allow Christ to shine through you. You don’t need a greater position; bloom where you are planted. Stop waiting for the big opportunity and seize the one you have. Someone in your world of influence desperately needs what Christ can do through you. — Neil T. Anderson and Joanne Anderson, Daily in Christ (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 2000).

14.  Verse 16. What does it mean to live as free people?

Freedom is liberty within bounds: liberty to obey holy laws, liberty to keep the commandments of Christ, to serve mankind, to develop to the full all the latent possibilities within our redeemed natures. True Christian liberty never sets us free to indulge our lusts or to follow our fallen impulses.… — A. W. Tozer and Ron Eggert, The Tozer Topical Reader, vol. 1 (Camp Hill, PA: WingSpread, 1998), 212.

15.  Galatians 5.13, 14. What do we learn about freedom from these verses?

Unqualified freedom in any area of human life is deadly. In government it is anarchy, in domestic life free love, and in religion antinomianism. The freest cells in the body are cancer cells, but they kill the organism where they grow. A healthy society requires that its members accept a limited freedom. Each must curtail his own liberty that all may be free, and this law runs throughout all the created universe, including the kingdom of God.…

The ideal Christian is one who knows he is free to do as he will and wills to be a servant. This is the path Christ took; blessed is the man who follows Him. — A. W. Tozer and Ron Eggert, The Tozer Topical Reader, vol. 1 (Camp Hill, PA: WingSpread, 1998), 212.

16.  1 Peter 2.23 - 25. What do we learn about Christian living from this verse? What is the application?

Someone you love or respect slams you to the floor with a slur or slip of the tongue. And there you lie, wounded and bleeding. Perhaps the words were intended to hurt you, perhaps not; but that doesn’t matter. The wound is deep. The injuries are internal. Broken heart, wounded pride, bruised feelings.

If you have suffered or are suffering because of someone else’s words, you’ll be glad to know that there is a balm for this laceration. Meditate on these words from 1 Peter 2:23: “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate. . . . Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.”

Did you see what Jesus did? . . . He left the judging to God. He did not take on the task of seeking revenge. He demanded no apology. . . . He, to the astounding contrary, spoke on their defense. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34 NIV). — No Wonder They Call Him the Savior / Max Lucado, Grace for the Moment® Volume Ii: More Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2006).

17.  What do we learn about Jesus?

When Christ was nailed to the cross, he took off his robe of seamless perfection and assumed a different wardrobe, the wardrobe of indignity.

The indignity of nakedness. Stripped before his own mother and loved ones. Shamed before his family.

The indignity of failure. For a few painfilled hours, the religious leaders were the victors, and Christ appeared the loser. Shamed before his accusers.

Worst of all, he wore the indignity of sin. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness.”

The clothing of Christ on the cross? Sin— yours and mine. The sins of all humanity. — He Chose the Nails / Max Lucado, Grace for the Moment® Volume Ii: More Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2006).

18.  Are you ever insulted? What do we learn from Jesus’ example about how to handle such situations?

Every wrong ever committed ultimately will be paid for. It will be paid when the offender has repented of his sins and put his faith in Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for our sins. Or, it will be paid for at the final judgment for those who do not trust in Jesus for salvation. God will avenge all wrongs that have been done in this world.

Jesus gave us the example to follow. The Bible tells us: “‘He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.’ When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:22–23). — Greg Laurie, Walking with Jesus: Daily Inspiration from the Gospel of John (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2007).

19.  Verse 24 speaks of the cross. How would you explain to someone who did not know about the meaning of the cross?

I came across a list the other day of the worst inventions of all time. Among them were a detachable dog sack which allows you to drive with your dog on the outside of your car, wigs for cats, an inflatable dart board, an anti-eating face mask, a battery-powered battery charger and an anti-prank fire alarm trap that handcuffs pranksters to the alarm they just pulled. (Of course, it is also a deterrent for anyone who may want to use it in the event of an actual fire.)

While all of these are great candidates for the worst idea of all time, there is one bad idea that rivals them all: It was when God himself was put on trial. Here was the long-awaited Messiah of Israel, the Savior of the world, God in human form—and men come up with the idea of putting him to death.

But humanity’s worst mistake was, at the same time, God’s master plan. The Bible says that “it pleased the LORD to bruise him” (Isaiah 53:10). This means the crucifixion of Jesus was not a mistake. Nor was it an afterthought. It was part of God’s plan from the very beginning. Before there was a solar system, much less a planet called Earth or a garden called Eden or a couple known as Adam and Eve, a decision was made in the councils of eternity that God himself would come to Earth as a man and would go to a cross and die in the place of all sinners. Why? So that humanity could be put into contact with God.

Jesus came to Earth to purchase back what was lost in the Garden of Eden. He came to buy back the title deed to Earth. He came to die on a cross for our sins. The Bible says, “He suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone” (Hebrews 2:9, NIV). In his own words, he came to give his life as a ransom for many (see Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45).

In other words, Jesus was born to die so that we might live. The purpose of the incarnation was for our atonement. The birth of Jesus was for the death of Jesus. The wise men had it right when they brought him the insightful gift of myrrh, an ancient embalming element.

The cross was Jesus’ goal and destination from the very beginning. He spoke of it often, and sometimes in graphic detail. He warned his disciples it was coming, again and again, yet somehow they didn’t grasp the concept until it actually unfolded before their very eyes. — Greg Laurie, As I See It: Thoughts on Current Issues and Things That Matter from a Biblical Perspective (Dana Point, CA: Kerygma Publishing—Allen David Books, 2011).

20.  What do you want to recall from today’s study?

For true comfort we must turn to the Master Healer. The apostle Peter gives us the promise of healing when we turn to Christ, “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (1 Peter 2:24–25).

We are comforted by the knowledge that because of our Savior’s lonely suffering and death and His glorious resurrection, we also will rise again to have eternal life in heaven. Even when our loved ones die and leave us behind, we can become true survivors in Christ and not be overwhelmed by the pain of separation and aloneness, for we are not forever separated from them nor are we ever truly alone. Our Savior is always with us and through His power we know that the death of an earthly body is not the end of life, but the beginning of eternal happiness. Knowing this gives us comfort. — David Jeremiah, Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God (Nashville, TN: Integrity Publishers, 2002), 42.

21.  How can we support one another in prayer this week?