1 Peter 2 (Part 2): Sojourners on Foreign Soil

1 Peter 2:11-12

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.”

What exactly is a Sojourner?

A sojourner is anyone who resides in a land temporarily. This term is not new to Christianity. It displays the believer’s life in rich expression. If we have put our faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross, then we are sojourners to this land we so sadly sometimes call home. Quite frankly, this world is not home to the unbeliever as much as it is not home to the believer. The distinction is, as believers, we know our citizenship lies elsewhere. A greater kingdom. Our citizenship is ultimately in heaven. We only reside in this world temporarily, and this is a good thing.

What Does Being a Sojourner Mean for the Here and Now?

1 Peter 11 states, “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.” Here is our command. Plain and simple…to understand. We are all familiar with what the Bible teaches, we fall short in applying. However, lifting up our eyes higher, we see our life here on Earth is much more than just obeying the do’s and the don’ts. As believers, we are on a battle ground in a hostile and distorted world. What does our uniform look like? What weapons do we have? How do we navigate our way through? These are important questions that call for important answers.

Uniforms

Uniforms separate and represent. We are to be separated by “abstaining from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against our soul.” We are to represent “as sojourners and exiles”. We must put sin to death and we must whole-heartedly obey Jesus as our King. Our King has sent us into this battle ground to do His work: to proclaim the saving grace while glorifying him in the process. It is HARD work. There is no room for lazy and apathetic Christians. Jesus says, “Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.” Pertaining to the parable of the weeds. (Matthew 13:24-43)

Weapons

Bible

God’s word is our sword that ironically does double damage. It pierces the hearts of unbelievers and either calls them to conviction which leads to repentance or hardens their heart and leads them to hostility. But, not only does it pierce unbelievers, but it also backfires with intentionality. The Bible also cuts into us and reveals the grime that lurks in our hearts, all while graciously pointing us to our savior who has taken our grime to the cross. Nailing it forevermore. Just as it pierces, it encourages so that us Christians can go back out into the world to proclaim the Gospel instead of loathing in our sin where we are.

Prayer

Just as John Piper has stated in the past, prayer is our spiritual walkie-talkie during the fight. Oh what a gift it is to be able to talk to the King directly and instantly. Do we really think we can win the fight without communication from the Commander? Do we really think we have the strength and the knowledge to navigate our way through this foreign soil we think we know so well. Sometimes it seems like we depend on Google more than we depend on God. When we call, He hears and responds. He is actually leading the way. When we fall, he picks us up. When we go down the wrong way which leads to turmoil, he graciously redirects our steps and reminds us of the mission.

What Happens When We Make This World Our Home?

As believers, all of our sin can be wrapped up in this one statement: We have forgotten this world is not our home. When we get angry because things don’t go our way, we forget we are aren’t the King and that we don’t have our own way. Our way is the Kingdom above. When we lust and fix our eyes on another, we forget our King is who we should have our eyes and hearts fixed on. When we look away from him, we look away from who we represent. When we put our hope in the things this world offers like money, a good job, a hot wife, a big house, a better president, we forget about the eternal treasure in heaven that God’s Son purchased for us with His life. Why would we trade in our souls for temporary lusts when our God has given His life for our eternal reward? Now that’s a paradox. We forget there is a better leader, a better King, a better President: Jesus.

Conclusion

Verse 12 states, “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.” The way we live on foreign soil does not just end with you. Our actions make an impact and people always notice. Even those who do nothing are still noticed by others that nothing has been done. Never cease to do good because as Peter says, even our good conduct on Earth could save a soul that is watching us. Christians: we are being watched. We naturally look different because we are on foreign soil. How are we doing?

VERSE 1 Deliver us from evil, Lord; We sojourn in a broken world Though evil hands give rise to war, Remind us this is not our home We look to You, we look to You, Sovereign King of all the earth We look to You, we look to You; In Your strength we will endure In Your strength we will endure

VERSE 2 Deliver us from evil, Lord; Our hearts so quickly run astray Temptation crouching at the door To turn us from the narrow way We look to You, we look to You, Christ the conquering Son of God We look to You, we look to You; Lord, complete what You’ve begun Lord, complete what You’ve begun

VERSE 3 Deliver us from evil, Lord; The devil’s seeking to devour With trembling hearts we hear his roar, But Your strong arm will crush his pow’r We look to You, we look to You, Come and end his earthly reign We look to You, we look to You; Lord, deliver us, we pray

TAG We look to You, we look to You You will come again to reign We look to You, we look to You All the earth will bow in praise