Living His Goodness, Part 1

Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, Pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. We know that the Christian life calls us to live differently than we lived before coming to Christ. But we're not called to keep up appearances or simply manage our sin.

That would be equal to tying apples on a hemlock tree and calling it an apple tree. Instead, we have a radical call to abide in Christ, to let His Word inform and transform our desires and affections. The fruit in our lives will be a product of our genuine confidence and satisfaction in Him. Listen as Rich takes us through 1 Peter 2, 11 through 12, in this message titled, Living His Goodness. You can open your Bible to 1 Peter 2.

We'll be reading 1 Peter 2, 1 through 12. So, put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk that by it you may grow up into salvation, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to Him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 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, 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. 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 and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. They stumble because they disobey the word as they were destined to do. 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. Once you are not a people, but now you are God's people.

Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh which wage war against your soul. 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. Let's pray. Father, we have indeed tasted that you are good. I pray that this war which wages against our soul, that we wouldn't try to fight that. God, we can't fight that.

We're too weak. The only thing that I know we can do is to run to you because Jesus has fought it and has already gained victory. Help us to find our victory in Christ. I pray that you would give us your grace to know you more. And I know that prayer is already answered because you said that you resist the proud but you give grace to the humble and so we humbly come to you asking that you help us to know you more.

Not know more about you, but to know you more. To walk with you. To pray with you or to pray to you and to talk to you throughout our day and not relegate it to a Sunday or to just one time. God, we thank you for this word that you've given to us. We thank you for the way that you're going to use the scripture to challenge us and we pray that you would, that we would again humble ourselves this morning to open the minds of our hearts or the ears of our hearts, the ears of our minds so that we can hear and understand what it is that you want us to hear. Father, we thank you for the way you love us and have loved us in Christ.

We love you. I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. So you have your copy of the scriptures open to 1 Peter chapter 2. As we continue our study through this letter from the Apostle Peter, live as people who are free.

That is our call. That is what this letter is about. To a people who have been derided, reviled, some of them driven from home. Peter writes to them, he says, live as people who are free. And this series is a 12-part series, 12 characteristics of people who are free.

We're on the third one today as we are in chapter 2. And the first one was people who feed, free people are people who are feeding on His goodness. The second one is people who are proclaiming His goodness. Free people proclaim His goodness. Today, verses 11 and 12, free people are living His goodness.

Living His goodness. So let's look at those two verses once again. Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct honorable. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable. That's not so hard because we're all Gentiles in here, isn't it?

Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable so that when they speak against you as evil doers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. So he begins once again with their identity. And this is all through this letter from the apostle, reminding us of our identity in Christ. How do we know that?

Well, let's look at the very first word. Beloved. Beloved. Sojourners and exiles. Beloved sojourners and exiles. Those who live in a place that is not their home. What is an exile? Sojourners. Those who live in a place that is not their home. That's what you and I are, by the way. If you are in Christ here today and every day, you are living in a place that is not your home. You don't belong here.

But you are here and you're here on purpose with purpose. That's who we are. The Bible speaks to our status. It speaks to our identity.

It speaks to our mission. The three basic questions of humanity. And people say, well, you know, these are things philosophers think about.

No, they're not. These are things that common, everyday, ordinary people think about. Who am I? Why am I here? And where am I going? And listen, biblical Christianity provides solid, clear answers to all three of those questions.

And much of it is right here before us today. Who am I? I am chosen and beloved. I am chosen and beloved. Christians, say that with me. I am chosen and beloved. You have been the object of God's loving concern for eternity.

Very comforting truth in reality. We are the people of God. That's our identity. Now, we've covered that a lot up to this point.

So I don't want to take too much time on that. Who am I? I am chosen and beloved. Secondly, why am I here? The Bible speaks to this. Why am I here? But to know God and enjoy Him and thereby glorify Him. Christians, know that.

This is the very reason for your existence. To know God and enjoy Him and thereby glorify Him. Practically speaking, what it means to glorify Him is point people to God. If you know God and enjoy Him and you are satisfied in Him, you are going to point people to God. Your life will point people to God.

Because you won't be marching to the drumbeat of a world that's living according to the passions of their flesh. Because you're satisfied in God. Why am I here? Proclaiming His good—see, as we glorify Him, we have the ministry of reconciliation. And I fulfill that ministry by proclaiming and living His goodness. Because I've been at His—feasting at His banquet table of goodness. And the third question is, where am I going? Well, Peter answers that here all the way back in chapter 1. And that's that part of Scripture that we're memorizing.

I assume, I trust you're working on that. Where am I going? I'm going to an inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, which is kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Where is that? Where is my destiny? What is this inheritance? It is this, that you and I will be with God, enjoying Him forever, in His perfections.

That's our inheritance. Enjoying Him forever. The psalmist said this, and this is a messianic psalm.

It is directly related to Jesus Christ the Messiah. In His presence is fullness of joy. At His right hand are pleasures evermore. Jesus is there—do you know what the Apostle Paul tells us?

We're there with Him. God already sees us right there, seated with Christ in the heavenlies. And if that is true, in your presence is fullness of joy, at your right hand are pleasures evermore. You see, that's what God designed us for. That we would realize our highest good and our deepest satisfaction in Him. The one who is infinite and is infinitely good.

That's our design. That's where I'm going. These things being true, so this is what Peter says, verse 11, Beloved, as I urge you as sojourners and exiles, these things being true, what does he say next? Verse 11, I urge you, he says, to abstain from the passions of the flesh which wage war against your soul. Now this is a call to live the gospel, to live the reality of who we are, to bring to outward manifestation the divine life that is within. The realities of being in Christ, indwelt with His Spirit, forgiven, made new, all of that. Bring that to outward expression, living the gospel. We're so glad you've joined us for Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, Pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. You can hear this message and others anytime by visiting our website, www.delightingrace.com. You can also check out Pastor Rich's book, Seven Words That Can Change Your Life, where he unpacks from God's Word the very purpose for which you were designed. Seven Words That Can Change Your Life is available wherever books are sold. As always, tune in to Delight in Grace weekdays at 10 a.m.