Peter encourages us

Peter's Encouragement to Live the Christian Life  I Peter 2

   Peter reminds us  as the hymn we sing " Because He Lives" conveys tells us that we have a " living hope through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" 1:3 and that our inheritance and future is " uncorruptible , undefiled, and unfading reserved in the heavens for us" 1:4 .  Life is worth the living just " because He lives".  He writes his letter to encourage the believers as they go through various trials, perhaps at the time of the Emperor Nero, to be holy 1:16 because they have been redeemed out of their sin and selves " by the precious blood of Christ".

     Their suffering is real " various trials" 1:6 but the suffering they endure is for a reason and he lists three reasons why they should not give up but perservere in their Christian faith.  They are not to return to their former lives of lust, desire for the pleasures of this life as their lives' goal, and the indulgence of  passions that do not glorify God.  Instead Peter talks to the christians there and to us about self-discipline.

     Just what exactly is self-discipline?  from sermonillustrations on self discipline, " Edmund Hilary the first man who conquered Mt Everest was asked..about his passion for climbing mountains and said, ' It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.'  "  M Scott Peck writes in " The Road Less Travelled , ' I spent much of my ninth summer on a bicycle.  About a mile from our house the road went down a steep and turned sharply at the bottom.  Coasting down the hill one morning, I felt my gathering speed to be ecstatic . To give up this ecstasy by applying brakes seemed an absurb self-punishment.  So I resolved to simulateneously retain my speed and negotiate the corner.  My ecstasy ended seconds later when I was propelled a dozen feet off the road into the woods.  I was badly scratched and bleeding, and the front wheel of my new bike was twised beyond use from its impact against a tree.I had been unwilling to give up my ecstatic speed in the interest of maintaining my balance around the corner.  I learned ,however, that the loss of balance is ultimately more painful that the giving up required to maintain balance."

     Why should we have self-discipline as Christians?  I listed these reasons in the rector's corner for today.  We are going to take a look at them now. 2:11 " Beloved, I exhort you as strangers and sojourners to abstain from fleshly desires..."  We do this not only because the apostle commands it through the Lord but because we do not belong to this world any longer if we are Christians.  2:1 " Having laid aside therefore all malice and all guile and hypocrises and envyings and all evil speakings as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word that by it you may grow..."  The two greek words strangers and sojourners are about temporary status in the world here.  1:1 Peter calls the christians " elect sojourners"  Hebrews 11:13 as well says we are strangers and pilgrims on the earth but we see them ( the promises) from afar, " and having been persuaded and having embraced them " we " confess that we are strangers and sojourners on the earth."  In other words our very natures have changed.  We have been " born again" from the incorruptible and living Word of God. 1:23

         Secondly we have self-discipline as Christians such " self-discipline is in the interests of our true well-being." Alan Stibbs, I Peter   Stibbs again, " They wage war within against the true self"  Ro 7 :23-  " ...I see a law in my members warring against the law of my mind, and leading me captive to the law of sin..."  The prayer for today also expresses this desire that we live according to our new nature as well :" ALMIGHTY God , who showest to them that are in error the light of thy truth, to the intent that they may return into the way of righteousness; Grant unto all those who are admitted into the fellowship of Christ's Religion, that they may avoid those things that are contrary to their profession, and follow all such things as are agreeable to the same; through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen."   Peter reminds us that we must " abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul."  Abstain means to " hold one self from" or " keep one self from" literally.

         Lastly Peter reminds us as christians to exercise ourselves in self-discipline for a very important reason and one I have been talking about through the last few Sundays.  VS 12 of I Peter 2 ," your manner of life among the nations having right that wherein they speak against you as evil doers, through your good works having witnessed they may glorify God in the day of visitation." ( perhaps meaning when they come to a point of conversion in their lives thru the Spirit and seeing what how our lives are different)   Our Lord said the same thing in Matthew 5:16, " thus let your light shine before man, that they may see your good works, and may glorify your Father who is in the heavens." I close with what  John Newton said and said  it well, "  When people are right with God, they are apt to be hard on themselves and easy on other people, but when they are not right with God, they are easy on themselves and hard on others."