EXILES: Grace-infused Hope
Pastor Kent Landhuis
THEME - How to avoid ruin while living in exile.
TEXT - 1 Peter 1:13-25
Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. ~ 1 Peter 1:13
1. Don’t indulge evil desires.
* 1 Peter 1:13-14
* So roll up your sleeves, get your head in the game, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. 1 Peter 1:13-14 (MSG)
2. Demonstrate holy living.
* 1 Peter 1:15-21
* But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16 (NIV)
3. Double down on truth.
* 1 Peter 1:22-25
* Now that you’ve cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it. 1 Peter 1:22 (MSG)
NEXT STEPS
1. Confess Compromise.
2. Confess Isolation.
3. Love One Another.
GO DEEPER
Living in Exile: Food for thought…
To faithfully represent Christ, the church must learn to stand out from its surrounding context. Unfortunately, consumerism and individualism have so infiltrated the American church that it often mirrors worldly values with a veneer of Christian spirituality…
What can churches do to recover our witness? We must rediscover our identity as a distinct community set apart by God’s grace…
We must combat the secular narratives of our day by telling a more compelling narrative, the story of God’s kingdom…
As an alternative community, the church isn’t called to be against the city but for its good. Unfortunately, many Christians have an adversarial mindset toward the city, which is why most non-Christians assume the church is against everything in the world…
Our cultural moment has certainly proven challenging. Yet what’s happening in our world right now isn’t an obstacle but an opportunity for the church to rediscover its true identity as a people in exile who are called to witness to a better kingdom…
What do you think?
These excerpts are from “Orthodoxy in Exile: Church as an Alternative Community” by Jeremy Treat. READ ONLINE
RECOMMENDED READING - If you wish to go deeper into the "Exiles" sermon series, we highly recommend Exiles by Preston Sprinkle. BUY ON AMAZON