Living Honorably
Sermon Recording
Sermon Outline
Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series: Spiritual Vitality
1 Peter 2:11-17 (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.
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.
Sermon Outline
The new life we have in God requires adaptation to various contexts as we navigate how to live honorably in the world.
1. Abstain in order to do good.
v11 “abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul”
v15 “for this is the will of God, that by doing good you should silence the ignorance of foolish people”
2. Aim for genuine freedom.
v16 “live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover up for evil”
v11 “beloved, I urge you…
3. Get honor, love and fear properly oriented.
v16 “live as people who are free… as servants of God”
v17 “Honor… love… fear… honor”
v12 “keep your conduct honorable”
Prayer of Confession
Our merciful God, you are patient and kind. We admit that there is still a war in our souls. We confess sinful cravings, as well as making idols of what is good. We are guilty of compromise, blame-shifting, manipulation, lies, and various means of covering up evil rather than rejecting or dealing justly with it. Forgive us our many sins. Your love gives us the assurance we can be ourselves, with honesty, before you. Thank you for grace. Help us, Lord, and grant strength to conduct ourselves honorably as we go into the world this week. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
Do you experience a war in your soul? If so, what things are in conflict? How are you managing it?
Do you have confidence that doing good is always right? How do you know what is good? Is doing good effective?
What are some ways you cover up what you don’t like or don’t want people to see?
How does living justly and honorably promote freedom? How can you live as someone who is free in a way that doesn’t take freedoms from others? What does integrity look like?
What types of people do you fear and why? What causes you to fear people? What are you afraid of?
What kinds of people do you esteem? Who do you see as dishonorable, and why? Are there people you don’t view positively without having sufficient reasons?
When Jesus was crucified, what was exposed about humanity? What was revealed about God?
Do you have confidence God loves you? Why or why not (and what is the basis for your assessment)?
How can the honor we have received through God, who loves us, become a firm foundation on which we construct our lives? If we fear/revere God, how does that free us from our fears of people?
Do you find the possibility of living honorably in the world exciting? What would motivate you to seek out opportunities to do good? What would help you stay doing good when it becomes hard?