War Against Your Soul
Sermon Recording
Sermon Outline
Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series: Spiritual Vitality
1 Peter 2:1-12 (ESV)
1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,
“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”
8 and
“A stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense.”
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
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.
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.
Sermon Outline
To thrive spiritually you need to be aware of three realities:
1. There is a war against your soul (v11)
v11 “I urge you”
v11 “abstain from the passions of the flesh” (v1 malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, slander)
2. You have received mercy (v10)
v4 “… come to him… rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious”
v7 “the honor is for you who believe”
v11 “beloved” “as sojourners and exiles”
3. You must keep your conduct honorable (v12)
v9 “you are…”
v11 “abstain from”, v12 “keep…”
Prayer of Confession
Almighty and most merciful Father, we know you are good. We have sought to taste good apart from you and have instead discovered bitterness. We are undermined by our own envy and hypocrisy, and we suffer under the weight of our own sin. We have not conducted ourselves with honor. Instead we have given in to the passions that wage war against our souls. Forgive us for our offense to you. Forgive us for how we have offended others. Forgive us for our lack of integrity and help us as we deal with the consequences. We look to Jesus, precious in your sight and ours, and by faith look for the grace you extend to us in him. Cover us and fill us so that we may walk with honor as we sojourn on this earth. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
In what ways do you experience “war” within you? What tensions exist? What are the various forces at work in your heart and mind?
How do you experience resistance to doing good? In your effort to be a good person, what do you see? What discourages you? What holds you back?
Why is it so hard to be truly good?
When do you find it hardest to act honorably? What contexts are most challenging to you?
How does God’s mercy help with the process of change and growth?
What keeps you from being confident that you are beloved by God? What makes you think that isn’t true?
How does union with Christ form a whole new possibility?
When temptation comes, what can you do to reduce the power it has over you? How can you keep a sufficient distance so that you are not overpowered by it? What should you do when it feels inevitable you will give in? What should you do after you have given in?
How can a Christian identity, received by God, give you confidence to keep your conduct honorable? How is this different from pride? How can you tell if you are strong in faith or proud?