October 13, 2022
1 Peter 2:16-17
Take Time to Pray
Psalm 69:13
13 But I pray to you, O LORD,
in the time of Your favor;
in Your great love, O God,
answer me with Your sure salvation.
Examine
16 Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a coverup for evil; live as servants of God. 17 Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the King.
Notice
God
· God is to be feared; to be looked at with awe.
· God sets us free to be servants to Him.
Lesson
· God has set us free to serve Him.
· We serve out of love and gratitude.
Do
Question
· What are we set free from?
· How do we live as servants of God?
Response
· Free from the weight of sin and death.
· Study His Word.
Serve others around us.
Share the Gospel with those God puts in our path.
September 2, 2023
1 Peter 2:16 - "Do not use your freedom as a coverup for evil"
Christians are set free by God, set free from the weight of sin and death. Christians are set free to live as God intends for them to live. The freedom of the Christian comes from the forgiveness that comes from the life and death of Jesus Christ. This forgiveness is granted by God's grace. Yet, it is possible to use God's gracious freedom in the wrong way.
Romans 6 speaks of one form of abuse:
1 "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?
2 By no means! We died to sin, how can we live in it any longer?"
This contradicts the idea that the more people sin, the more grace increases. Perhaps this idea is seen in people who go to church or confession, but then go back to living however they want afterwards. After all, it is reasoned, God has forgiven all sin, past and present. This is a form of abuse, of evil, a twisting of God's intention of Christian freedom. God has given us freedom to live a new life to live according to His Will and not the will of the flesh.
Some people may see living according to God's Will as a prison. However, living according to God's Will removes the guilt and shame of living by the will of the flesh. Things that feel good in the moment often yield feelings of guilt or shame. However, living inside of God's Will brings nothing but joy, there is no guilt or shame.