peter: be who you are

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PETER: BE WHO YOU ARE Last Sunday/Tuesday we began our series The Main Thing. Each week we will look at a different New Testament author to discover his core message. As the name of our series implies, we won’t be able to cover any of the authors’ message in great depth. We can do a pretty good job with a few of them – James and Jude, for example. Their books are fairly short and they only wrote one. But the others – we could spend all eight weeks on many of them and still just scratch the surface. Last week before we looked at the Gospel of Mark, I gave you some background on the New Testament. We said that it contains 27 books, four being Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, one being a historical narrative – the book of Acts, one being an apocalypse – Revelation, and twenty-one being letters or epistles. For the next few weeks before we jump into the lecture, I’ll give you some more general background info regarding the New Testament. This week let’s look at how the books of the New Testament are organized. First they are arranged by genre. The four Gospels come first, all grouped together. Next comes the Book of Acts which tells the story of the expansion of the early church from the ascension of Jesus to Paul’s house arrest in Rome. Then come the letters.

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And finally the last book of the New Testament, the Book of Revelation. There are 21 letters or epistles. How are they organized? By author. First we have Paul’s 13 epistles. Then the book of Hebrews and the book of James. After that, we have Peter’s two letters together, then John’s three letters, and finally the little letter of Jude. How are Paul’s letters organized? The first nine are addressed to churches. The next four are addressed to individuals. They are not arranged chronologically but pretty much by length. The longer ones first and the shorter ones last. Why? I have no idea. One last word of introduction is that the letters in the New Testament are occasional documents. Occasional here doesn’t mean every so often or sporadically. It means Occasional: intended for a particular occasion

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All of the New Testament letters were written to address a particular event or set of circumstances. The New Testament authors didn’t sit down and think, I should pen some interesting theological insights and send them out to folks. No, they wrote to address real questions that people had and the particular situations they were facing. Now before we dive into the lecture, I promised you a vintage video clip each week. Here’s your moment of Quest Old School. This one is from our series Hero and our lecture on Hal Moore and We Were Soldiers. Being close to Martin Luther King Day and considering where we are as a country I thought this would be a good one. Clip The author we will look today is Peter. He was a fisherman by trade, and one of the privileged 12 who walked with Jesus daily for three years. Within that group, he was part of an inner circle along with James and John. Peter was one of the three disciples present to witness Jesus transfigured on the mount. He was one of the three allowed to stay in the room when Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead. He was one of three invited to be with Jesus as he struggled in the garden the night before his crucifixion. And he was the first to proclaim, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

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Brash and impetuous by nature, Peter proclaimed he would die before he allowed Jesus to be taken by the Romans. But just a few hours later three times he denied knowing his Master to a chambermaid. After the resurrection of Jesus, he was the early church’s principal spokesman, preaching the first Christian sermon to several thousand on the day of Pentecost, no longer afraid, but boldly proclaiming that Jesus was alive, and that he was the Messiah of the Jews and the Lord of all. The Book of Acts reports that Peter performed many miracles and healed the sick. And he was the first to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles, ensuring that Christianity would become a faith for the whole world, not just a sect for pious Jews. Originally named Simon, Jesus gave him the name Petros, which means rock or stone. His missionary work is not as well-documented as the travels of Paul, but we have good reason to believe he took the Gospel to Map Palestine, Antioch, Asia Minor, Corinth and Rome. And we are told he was married and his wife often traveled with him. Church tradition reports that he was crucified, but at his request head down, because he said he was not worthy to die in the same manner as his Lord.

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We only have two letters ascribed to Peter in the New Testament though as we said last week, many scholars believe that Mark’s Gospel was based on the sermons of Peter. His epistles are not as deeply theological as Paul’s. That’s not surprising since Paul as a Pharisee was a trained theological mind, and Peter had been a fisherman who ran a family business. But Peter had walked with Jesus. And that comes through in the letters he wrote. He writes about Jesus being transfigured and crucified and resurrected with an immediacy that is both personal and powerful. His letters do make theological points but always with a pastoral emphasis, instructing and encouraging who were struggling. Peter was a natural leader and a gifted preacher – but with the heart of a pastor, much like the One he had followed and loved. Who was Peter’s audience? Most likely Gentiles who had come to faith in Christ who lived in Asia Minor. His first letter is addressed 1 Peter 1.1: To God’s elect … scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia. Map What was the occasion of Peter’s letters? That is, why was he writing? Two reasons.

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1. The believers in Asia Minor were becoming discourage from living in a pagan society and because they were starting to be mistreated and persecuted (1 Peter 4.12). 2. False teachers were troubling the churches in this area with erroneous teaching (2 Peter 2.1-3). Last week I told you that with each of these authors we will be able to look at only his core message. With Peter, I have chosen this: Be Who You Are. Maybe it was because Peter knew how Jesus had changed his life. How walking with Jesus had transformed him into a man he had never dreamed of becoming. But in many different ways Peter drives home this point to his readers: You are not who you were. Now that you have put faith in Christ, you are new person You have a new identity; you are part of a new family; and you possess a new purpose. Now live that way. Be who you are. In Peter’s first letter, five short chapters, he tells his readers, You are: born again (1 Pt 1.23) and purified (1 Pt 1.22), you are strangers and aliens in this fallen world (1 Pt 2.11), you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God who have been called out of the darkness into the light (1 Pt 2.9).

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Now, be who you are. You have a new identity because of Christ has done for you. So live life a new way, true to the new person you now are. We don’t have time to examine everything Peter teaches us about who we are in Christ. But I want to highlight three truths that I think are critically important. First he tells us that You are 1. Holy Weird, right? Let’s all say “I am holy” out loud together. Here we go, “I am holy.” Feels strange, doesn’t it? A mother in the church once told me years ago that as Dr. Robb and I were walking down the center aisle after the end of the 11:00 service, both in our robes, her three-year-old pointed at us and said, “Look, mommy, there goes God and Jesus.” She told him, “No dear, those are the pastors.” And the little guy said, “Well, they sure dress like God and Jesus.” I told her, Well, let him hang out with me for 24 hours, and I promise you, the little fella won’t get me confused with Jesus.

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Holy? Not me. A holy persons doesn’t do what I do, say what I say, or think what I think. And I bet that’s pretty close to how you respond to the idea that you are holy. But, look what Peter wrote. 1 Peter 2.9: You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

You are a holy nation. What does Peter mean when he tells us that we are holy? The Greek word for holy is hagios. Its basic meaning is “set apart.” It’s used to describe something that is set apart from other items that are similar, so it can be used for a particular or special purpose. And when the term is used in a spiritual sense, it designates something that has been set aside for God and his purposes. It can refer to a day like the Sabbath, or to a building like the Temple, or to garments that are to be used for worship but for nothing else, or to a gift that is being brought to the altar. By calling these things holy, it means that they belong to God in a special way and are to be used only for his purposes. And what’s true of things, is also true of persons.

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In the Old Testament priests are referred to as holy, as are prophets, because they have been set apart to do God’s work. And here’s what’s important. In the New Testament, all believers are referred to as “holy,” not because they are morally pure or spiritually advanced, but simply because God has claimed them, set them apart for himself, and has called them to live for his purposes. And that’s who you are as a believer in Christ: you are holy, you belong to God, and you have been set apart for his purposes. When we think about being holy, we usually turn it into a list of do’s and don’t’s. Do this. Go to church, say your prayers, read the Bible. Don’t do that. Don’t curse, smoke or drink. Don’t look at things that tempt you, Don’t go to places that entice you. Our tendency is to turn being holy or being spiritual into a legalistic litany of do’s and don’ts. But Peter tells us holiness is so much more. It’s a way of being in the world.

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It’s living each day and each moment knowing that you have been claimed by the God of the universe and called to serve him. Holy is not something you do as much as it’s something you are. Being holy is not an activity, it’s an identity. It’s a picture of a beautiful life that belongs to God and is committed to being his person in the world. Holiness is you saying, I don’t belong to my past. I don’t belong to my hurts. I don’t belong to my mistakes. I don’t belong to my job or to my possessions or even to my dreams. I belong to God. Take the whole world, but give me Jesus, because I am his and he is mine. Question. What’s your goal in life? Last year the George Barna Group asked American: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: “The highest goal in life is to enjoy it as much as possible." 84 percent agreed; 66 percent of Christians agreed.

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I’m not going to do my typical “God’s will is for you to be holy not happy” rant. But it’s one thing for nonbelievers to believe that. It’s something else for two-thirds of Christians to agree with that philosophy – not: the highest goal in life is to live for a purpose that matters, not: the highest goal in life is to bring others to faith in Christ, not: the highest goal in life is to please the One who saved me – but my highest goal in life is to have a kickin good time while I’m here – no wonder the church is so confused and so powerless. Peter writes 1 Peter 2.11: Dear friends, I urge you … to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.

We all have desires and passions – greed, lust, anger, pride and self-centeredness – that tell us just give in and well be happy. And maybe we will be for a moment. But Peter says these desires that promise happiness and life, they are waging war against our souls – they are trying to destroy the good that’s within us and take us away from the One who has called us to belong to him. Holiness is saying I don’t belong to my desires, I don’t belong to what makes me happy, I don’t belong to the American dream or to a materialist culture. My heart, my plans, my life belong to the One who is God. And I will forgo momentary pleasures to live for him and do his will.

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Before you came to Christ, Peter says, you belonged to yourself and you lived for your own purposes and you did whatever you pleased. But that’s not you anymore. You are holy. You belong to the God who saved you. You have been set apart for his purposes and his pleasure. Now, be who you are. Peter also tells his readers, you are 2. Aliens and Strangers 1 Peter 2.11: Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Aliens and strangers. Once we put faith in Jesus, we’re supposed to have the sense that this world we’re living in – it’s an awfully strange place. We’re supposed to walk around thinking, I don’t get these people. Their values just don’t make sense. Living as if life is about getting instead of giving. Putting self above others. Divorcing sex from love. Acting like this world is all there is, instead of seeing that it’s only a short preparation for eternity. Applauding entertainers who appeal to what’s base in us instead of those who call us to our higher selves.

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The people of this world – they are really, really strange. What did Jim Morrison and the Doors sing? Jim Morrison: People are strange when you’re a stranger. Here’s what many folks try to do. Good folks who come to church. They accept Jesus as their Savior. They believe he died for their sins. They are certain they’re going to heaven when they die. But they think the same way they have always thought about everything else. They believe in Jesus, but what they believe about money hasn’t changed. They believe in Jesus, but what they believe about success hasn’t changed. They believe in Jesus but what they believe about work and marriage and retirement is just like everybody else. Peter says, that can’t be you because that’s not who you are. Once you put faith in Christ, you no longer belong to the kingdom of this world; you belong to the kingdom of God. You’re like an alien living in a foreign country. And how people live and what they live for should seem strange to you. Part of our problem in living out our new identity in Christ – and one of the reasons Peter had to write his letters – is that the world doesn’t like people who are different.

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People who are different, people who are unimpressed with what the world thinks is important, people who act as if the prizes of this world are of little value, people who live for things that can’t be seen and who appear genuinely happy and fulfilled in doing so, they threaten those who have made this world their home. The world does not like people who are different, but the world needs people who are different. Peter tells his readers 1 Peter 4.3-4: For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do – living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you.

That’s how it was then and it’s not all that different now. The culture we live in – it’s materialistic. People think they will find life in what they possess. They think you keep score with dollar bills and the more you have the more you’re worth. The culture we live in – it’s hedonistic. Our morals have become crass, our entertainment is lewd, pornography is becoming acceptable. And you are a dinosaur if you think sex should be reserved for marriage and you are a judgmental hater if you do not embrace every sexual practice that people find pleasurable.

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The culture we live in – is cynical – we don’t trust our institutions or our leaders. No one is surprised when a marriage fails or when people shack up because they don’t want to make a lasting commitment to each other. And our culture is lost. And people are hurting. Materialism, hedonism, cynicism. Those values always leaves people empty. Promising life, they create people who are dead inside wondering why all the world offers is not enough to fill something as small as the hole in their hearts. And what does a cynical world need to see? People who are different because they have found something to believe in. And what do dead men walking need to see? Men and women who are alive because they have found something to live for. The world doesn’t need people who are condemning and judgmental. The world doesn’t need people who are superior or standoffish. But the last thing the world needs is for the people of God to live like the people of the world. Your friends and neighbors and family members who aren’t believers, they may want you to like them. But they don’t need you to be like them. They need you to be like Jesus. Jesus loved sinners and enjoyed being with them. So, of course, you should like your nonbelieving coworkers and friends. In fact, you should love them.

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But they don’t need to learn that you’re a Christian and see that you’re just like them. They need to see that you’re just like Jesus – sacrificial, giving, principled, and pure. They need to see that you have found a kind of life that the world cannot provide or even promise. I Peter 2.12: Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

You are different – live that way. You have different values and a different purpose – live that way. You belong to a different Kingdom . Live that way. Be who you are. The world is lost and people are hurting. How will they come to a place where they know and glorify God? They will see a different life in you and seek the life you have found. Third Peter tells us, you are 3. A Priest 1 Peter 2.5: You … are to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

A priest has two responsibilities. A. Represent God to others. You’ve heard it said, You are the only Bible some people will ever read. And it’s true.

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Our society is becoming more and more secular. Fewer people identify as Christians or read the Bible. And when they hear you’re a Christian, whether it’s at work or in your neighborhood or at your child’s school, they already have a stereotype of what you’re supposed to be like. And too often, it’s the picture of someone who is judgmental and hypocritical. And you are going to prove that stereotype right or wrong and in the process you will tell that nonbeliever what your God is like. That’s s big responsibility and a heavy burden, but that’s reality. You represent God to others. Politics Angry Negative – Atlanta I want to fine tune this a bit. I want to remind you that you will represent God to your family, especially to your children and your grandchildren. When children come into the world, their parents and grandparents are god-figures. Physically, we are bigger. Intellectually we know more and we’re wiser, and our children are dependent on us for their physical sustenance. And it’s our words and actions that they use to determine who they are – are they good or bad, smart or stupid, worthy of time and attention or not? Parents determine and define a child’s reality. And even if we don’t realize it, we are representing who God is to our children. And even if they don’t know what they are doing, they are determining their beliefs about God based on how we treat them.

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Is God loving or inattentive? Is he affirming or critical? Does God meet our needs or does he leave us on our own? Does he care enough to have high standards and to discipline us or does he care so little that he is lax and uninvolved? You are a priest to your children in the sense that whether you want to or not, you represent God to them. And your faith, how you live it out or not, is much of what they will learn about Christianity. Do you portray spirituality as a duty, as rules to obey, as a Sunday morning ritual – or as a relationship with God that is about knowing and serving him, and loving and serving others. Here’s what I hope you’ll do. Share your spiritual life with your kids and your grandkids. Talk to them about what you’re learning, how you’re growing, and why you do what you do. Let them see you read the Bible and hear you pray. You are their role model for God, especially when they’re young. And you are their model of a Christian, as they grow older. Take that responsibility seriously because there is very little that’s more important. A priest has another role and that is to

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B. Represent others to God. In the Old Testament a priest made offerings and sacrifices on behalf of the people. He was their representative. He stood between God and them to intercede for them. The high priest, the only man in all of Israel who could enter the holy of holies, where God’s presence was believed to dwell, he went there to offer a sacrifice for the Israelites. Here’s something interesting, on his breastplate were the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. He was their representative. He stood before God to plead for God’s blessing upon their lives. And as priests we are to do the same. Family members, friends, and especially our children and grandchildren. We are to bring them before the throne of grace, and pray that the Holy Spirit will be at work in their lives, protecting them, directing them, and bringing them to God. Let me ask you this question. If you’re not praying for your friends, who will? If you’re not praying for your wife, who will? If you’re not praying for your children or your grandchildren, who will?

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That is your responsibility as your child’s father, as your wife’s husband, as your grandchildren’s grandfather – you are a priest on their behalf, and you are to bring them before God. That’s what a priest does. He knows that he has been set apart for tasks that are holy. And he stands at the altar and cries out to God for his people, that they might be forgiven, restored and saved. Be the priest of your family. You represent God to your family. And you are meant to represent your family to God. Take your priesthood seriously. It is a high calling and a great privilege. You are holy, you belong to God. You are a stranger in this world, with different beliefs and values. You are a priest bringing God to people and bringing people to God. Now, be who you are.