Sunday School Lesson

1. 1 Peter 2:11-25
“Living As Strangers”
September 25, 2016
First Baptist Church
Jackson, Mississippi
USA

2. What’s the number one thing?
http://quotesthoughtsrandom.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/first-things-first.jpg

3. The Glory of God!
https://forgodalmighty.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/cropped-sunset1.jpg

4. 1 Corinthians 10:31
31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do
all to the glory of God.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6tzRiT-BrDs/TIGM_Ih3dAI/AAAAAAAAAX0/0AJWPvlAfqw/s640/Gods+Glory.jpg

5. First Baptist Church Jackson Mission:
Multiply Disciples to Live Like Jesus.
http://tse2.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.M824600c9534029193ceef79dc4fff8fcH0&pid=15.1

6. September Memory Verse
John 14:6 (ESV)
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one
comes to the Father except through me.”

7. References
•MacArthur, John, MacArthur Study Bible (Nashville,
TN: Nelson Publishing, 1997).
•ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Publishers,
2008).
•Dr. John Piper, Desiring God Ministries, Sermons on 1
Peter.

8. Introduction to 1 Peter 2
•The Apostle Peter was living in Rome when he wrote
these letters in 64 AD.
•The letters are addressed “To the pilgrims of the
Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and
Bithynia”.
•These are Christians (Jewish and Gentile converts)
living under Roman Government occupation.

9. Peter’s Letters to Christians in Asia Minor in
the 1st Century

10. Christians Living Under Roman Occupation
•Nero was the Roman Emperor and had a drive to build
more structures in Rome.
•Nero blamed the Christians for starting the fires that
destroyed Rome in 64 AD.
•Persecution of Christians escalated after the fire.

11. “Nero fiddled while Rome burned”

12. Roman Culture in 64 AD:
•Roman religion was viewed as a social activity that
promoted unity and loyalty to the state.
•Christians were viewed as hostile to the state.
•Romans had many pagan gods (idols) for every
occasion.
•Christians were viewed as superstitious because they
worshipped privately in homes.

13. Roman Culture in 64 AD
•The Roman government offered no rights or
protection for Christians or their worship practices.
•Persecution began as discrimination and escalated to
seizure of property, torture and death.
•Roman emperors began to believe that they should be
worshipped as other gods with statues of self.

14. Peter’s Theme for Letters to Christians:
How are Christians to live and honor God in a hostile world?

15. Peter tells Christians to whom they belong.
1 Peter 2:9-10 ESV
9 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. 10 Once you were not
a people, but now you are God's people; once you had
not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

16. 1 Peter 2:11-25 Overview:
•Peter teaches Christians how to live a righteous life in
a hostile world.
•Christians are foreigners in a secular society because
their citizenship is in heaven.
•Peter addresses 3 areas of relationships where
Christians should be noticeably different.
• (1. Non-believers, 2. Government, 3. Employees)

17. 1 Peter 2:11-12 addresses the two most
important issues in the universe.
1. The salvation of the soul.
Matthew 16:26 KJV
26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the
whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a
man give in exchange for his soul?
2. The glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV
31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do,
do all to the glory of God.

18. Christians living as sojourners and exiles:
1 Peter 2:11-12 ESV
11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to
abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war
against your soul. 12 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.

19. “as sojourners and exiles”
Philippians 3:20 ESV
20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we
await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
•Sojourner – a person who resides temporarily in a
place.
•Exile – a person not living in their homeland.

20. This world was created by God but is occupied
by Satan after the fall of man.
2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV
4 In their case the god of this world (Satan) has blinded the
minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light
of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
1 John 2:16 ESV
16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and
the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the
Father but is from the world.

21. “abstain from passions of the flesh”
•In order to have an impact on the world for God,
Christians must be disciplined in an inward way by
avoiding the desires of the fallen nature.
•Fleshly lusts include more than sexual temptations in
Galatians 5:19-21.

22. Paul describes sinful nature.
Galatians 5:19-21a ESV
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality,
impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife,
jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,
21a envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.
• Abstain – to hold oneself voluntarily; a choice to make.
• Self-control – One of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians
5:22.

23. A step further
• Jesus further defines fleshly passions:
Matthew 5:27-28 ESV
27 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit
adultery.' 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a
woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery
with her in his heart.
• Paul to the Thessalonians:
1 Thessalonians 5:22 KJV
22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

24. “which wage war against your soul”
•Fleshly lusts are personified as if they were an army of
guerrillas who incessantly search out and try to
destroy the Christian’s joy, peace and usefulness.
•The goal is your soul – (Where will you spend
eternity? Heaven or Hell?).
•The spiritual battle ends forever at death or rapture.

25. Spiritual Warfare – 2 Types
1. The sin in ourselves – our sinful fallen nature
described in Romans 6:12-13.
‐ You are on offense.
2. Attacks from Satan – Ephesians 6:10-12.
‐ You are on defense.

26. 1. Your sinful nature:
Romans 6:12-14 ESV
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to
make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your
members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness,
but present yourselves to God as those who have been
brought from death to life, and your members to God
as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no
dominion over you, since you are not under law but
under grace.

27. 2. Attacks from Satan:
Ephesians 6:10-12 ESV
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his
might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may
be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For
we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against
the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic
powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual
forces of evil in the heavenly places.

28. How does 1 Peter 2:11-12 work?
•“…abstain from the passions of the flesh…keep your
conduct honorable…”
•The battle against the passions of the flesh is at the
level of our desires and the resulting manifestation in
our behaviors.
•The battle begins with our desires (thoughts).

29. Introduction reminder for verses 13-17:
•Peter was writing to Christians living under an
oppressive Roman government.
•These verses probably caused much discussion and
disagreement among Christians – as it does today!!

30. Christians as citizens:
1 Peter 2:13-17 ESV
13 Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution,
whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors
as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise
those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by
doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of
foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using
your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of
God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God.
Honor the emperor.

31. “Be subject (submit) for the Lord’s sake”
•The absolute in this verse is “for the Lord’s sake” and
not “submit”.
•Relating to authority is a Godward relationship and
not a man-ward relationship.
•The Bible is not a book on how to get along in the
world, but a book about how to live for God in the
world.

32. Role of government defined here:
•Verse 14 …sent by him to punish those who do evil
and to praise those who do good.
•Role of punishment of evil behavior and praise good.
•Biblical role of government is to restrain evil.

33. Paul affirms this in Romans.
Romans 13:1-2 ESV
1 Let every person be subject to the governing
authorities. For there is no authority except from God,
and those that exist have been instituted by God.
2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what
God has appointed, and those who resist will incur
judgment.

34. Paul affirms this in Romans.
Romans 13:3-4 ESV
3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad.
Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority?
Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval,
4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do
wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in
vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who
carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.

35. Paul affirms this in Romans.
Romans 13:5-7 ESV
5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid
God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For
because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities
are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay
to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are
owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to
whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

36. Government was part of God’s plan at creation.
Genesis 1:28 ESV
28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be
fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it,
and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over
the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that
moves on the earth."
•Subdue – to bring under control.
•Dominion – wise management.

37. All governments have this in common:
The legal use of force.
•Since the fall, the legal use of force has been granted
to government for the purpose of punishing
lawbreakers.
•Mosaic law contained prescribed punishments for
those who broke the commandments.
•The government may exercise force in ways that are
illegal for an individual.

38. “For this is the will of God, that by doing good…”
•Obeying authority is the will of God.
•By doing good, your accusers will have no acceptable
grounds to slander or persecute you.
•Governments can become corrupt and Christians will
suffer for doing what is right.

39. When do you disobey government?
Acts 5:29
29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and
said, “We ought to obey God rather than men.
•No earthly authority should lawfully forbid what God
demands.
•No earthly authority should command what God
forbids.

40. “live as people who are free”
•Your freedom stems from a total commitment to God.
•Freedom in scripture is not a license to sin, but
expresses itself in devotion to what is good.
•Freedom also means you are not tied down to the
things of this world.

41. everyone, brotherhood, God, emperor
1. Honor everyone – every person is God’s creation.
2. Love brotherhood – love and honor all Christians.
3. Fear God - do not fear man, fear God only.
4. Honor emperor – The emperor (king) is just a man
who God has placed in an authority position over
you.

42. Reminder:
•Peter is not teaching us how to get along in the world,
but how to live as a Christian in a world that is hostile
to our faith and our actions.
•A Christian’s behavior is contrary to his fallen nature.
•Christianity is the making visible of an invisible God.
•When someone sees you, they are seeing Jesus.

43. Difficult Bosses:
1 Peter 2:18-19 ESV
18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect,
not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.
19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God,
one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.
•Respectfully submit to just and to unjust bosses.
•The clue is “mindful of God” – living for God.
•Christians do refuse illegal & unethical directives.

44. 1 Peter 2:20-21 ESV
20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten
for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer
for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of
God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ
also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that
you might follow in his steps.

45. 1 Peter 2:22-23 ESV
22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his
mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in
return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but
continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.
•Jesus trusted the injustices committed against Him
and His suffering to God.

46. 1 Peter 2:24-25 ESV
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that
we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his
wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying
like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and
Overseer of your souls.
•Jesus is the protector of a Christian’s soul.

47. Lesson Application:
You might be a sojourner and an exile if…
1. You don’t drift with the flow of culture.
2. You stand out and don’t fit in well in the world.
3. You meditate on what is right “for the Lord’s sake”.
4. You ponder what is “good for the soul and the
Glory of God”.
5. Your behavior and reactions to injustice look very
different than what is normal for the world.

48. Final Scripture for “Living As Strangers”.
Philippians 3:20-21 NIV
20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await
a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by
the power that enables him to bring everything under
his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they
will be like his glorious body.

49. Next Sunday
October 2, 2016
1Peter 3:1-12
“Living In Relationships”

50. The Plan of Hope & Salvation
John 3:16 ESV
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that
whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal
life.”
John 14:6 ESV
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.”

51. The Plan of Hope & Salvation
Romans 3:23 ESV
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23a ESV
23a For the wages of sin is death,
• Death in this life (the first death) is 100%.
• Even Jesus, the only one who doesn’t deserve death, died in this life
to pay the penalty for our sins.
• The death referred to in Romans 6:23a is the second death
explained in Revelation 21:8.

52. The Plan of Hope & Salvation
Revelation 21:8 ESV
8 “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for
murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars,
their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur,
which is the second death.”
Romans 5:8 ESV
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.

53. The Plan of Hope & Salvation
Romans 6:23b ESV
23b but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Revelation 21:7 ESV
7 “The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his
God and he will be my son.”
Romans 10:9-10 explains to us how to be conquers.

54. The Plan of Hope & Salvation
Romans 10:9-10 ESV
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is
justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
Romans 10:13 ESV
13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be
saved.”

55. The Plan of Hope & Salvation
If you have questions or would like to know more, Please,
contact First Baptist Church Jackson at 601-949-1900 or
http://firstbaptistjackson.org/contact/