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Sermon #5695

A Chosen Generation

A Sermon on 1 Peter 2:11-12

Originally preached April 8, 1962

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Scripture

1 Peter 2:11-12 ESV KJV
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 …

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Sermon Description

This world is filled with hostility and confusion. The Scriptures, however, present the people of God as ones who live in this world, yet are not confounded by disaster. When things go wrong, the people of God have a quiet trust in the Lord. In this sermon on 1 Peter 2:11–12 titled “A Chosen Generation,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones highlights the importance of belonging to this people of God. Belonging begins with being born again. The Christian is aware of being called out of darkness; indeed, they want to come out of it. It is clear to others. The people of God are recognized as being different, because they are born of the same spirit as Jesus. The interests of the soul then become supreme for this new person. While the Christian settles down into this world, they are not of it. Their entire desire is to please and glorify God. This makes them distinct in the world as they live, not according to darkness, but in marvelous light. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones challenges his listener to know they are part of this people of God as their eyes have been opened to Jesus Christ. Dr. Lloyd-Jones finally calls Christians to do good works in this world, as they await the world that is to come.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The sermon begins by introducing 1 Peter 2:11-12 as the focus verses. These verses encourage believers to abstain from fleshly lusts and live honest lives so that unbelievers will glorify God.

  2. Dr. Lloyd-Jones then introduces the theme of believers never being confounded or put to shame, which is promised in 1 Peter 2:6. This promise is only for those who belong to God.

  3. Dr. Lloyd-Jones asks the congregation how they can become people of God. The answer is that people must be born again through God's action. People of God have a new nature and see Christ as the precious cornerstone.

  4. Dr. Lloyd-Jones discusses how people can know if they have been born again. Signs include being called out of darkness, obeying the call, and seeing the truth about Christ. Additional signs are recognizing one's sin, desiring to be free from sin, and finding Christ precious.

  5. Dr. Lloyd-Jones warns that if one is not born again, the wrath of God remains on them. He pleads with the congregation to make sure they belong to God.

  6. Dr. Lloyd-Jones introduces 1 Peter 2:11-12 again as a test to see if one belongs to God. The first test is having a central concern for one's soul. Unbelievers live for fleshly pleasures, but believers abstain from these because they war against the soul.

  7. Believers realize they have an eternal soul that will be judged by God. They put the interests of the soul first, even above natural human relationships. The soul's interests take priority over pleasure, success, reputation, and relationships.

  8. Believers have a new relationship to the world. They see themselves as strangers and pilgrims. They no longer belong to the world and its ways. Unbelievers settle into the world, but believers see it as temporary.

  9. Believers see the world as fallen, sinful, and passing away. They do not expect to find fulfillment in the world. Their hope is in the new heavens and new earth. They look forward to the coming of the heavenly Jerusalem.

  10. Believers live to glorify God, not themselves or others. They obey God's call to abstain from fleshly lusts and live honest lives so that unbelievers will glorify God in the day of judgment. Believers long for unbelievers to be saved from God's wrath.

  11. Dr. Lloyd-Jones pleads with the congregation to examine themselves to see if these marks of being God's people are true of them. If not, only judgment awaits after death. But believers will never be put to shame.

  12. Dr. Lloyd-Jones calls unbelievers to be saved from darkness and judgment by coming to God's light and believing in Christ.

Sermon Q&A

What Does It Mean to Be "One of the People of God" According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?

What are the key characteristics of being "one of the people of God" according to Lloyd-Jones?

According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, being "one of the people of God" involves several key characteristics:

  1. Experiencing the rebirth or regeneration - becoming "partakers of the divine nature"
  2. Being aware of being called out of darkness into God's light
  3. Having a different relationship to the world - being a "stranger and pilgrim"
  4. Placing the interests of the soul above everything else
  5. Being seen as different by non-Christians, often facing criticism or persecution
  6. Living for God's glory rather than worldly ambitions
  7. Having an eternal perspective rather than settling down in this world

As Lloyd-Jones states: "The Christian is a man who's come to know that this world, as the apostle Paul puts it in writing to the Galatians, is this present evil world."

How can someone know if they truly belong to the people of God?

According to Lloyd-Jones, there are several tests to determine if you belong to the people of God:

  1. The negative test: Do non-Christians recognize you're different? Lloyd-Jones explains: "The moment a man becomes a Christian, those who are not Christian know that something's happened to him."

  2. Do you face some form of persecution? Lloyd-Jones warns: "If you're still one with the world, as you always were, I have suspicions that you still belong there, than that you're not one of the people of God."

  3. The centrality of the soul test: "Are the interests of your soul the supreme thing in your life? Do they come before your interest, in your personal appearance? Do they come before what other people think of you?"

  4. The pilgrim test: Do you see yourself as a stranger and pilgrim in this world? "The Christian is a man who's come to see this world for what it is."

Why does Lloyd-Jones say Christians will "never be confounded"?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that Christians will "never be confounded" (never be utterly confused, dismayed, or put to shame) regardless of circumstances because:

  1. They have a secure foundation in Christ - "He that believeth on him shall not be confounded"
  2. They don't place their hope in this world - "The Christian doesn't expect anything from this world. He doesn't look to this world for his happiness."
  3. They have an eternal perspective - "He knows that all that men and hell can do can never touch that inheritance of his which is there in heaven with God"
  4. They understand the temporary nature of this world - "This man has got an entirely new view of life in this world and of the whole world. And though it goes up in flames and is smashed to nothing by a bomb, it doesn't make any difference to this man."

As Lloyd-Jones puts it: "This is the essence of the christian message, that if we belong to this, well, then it doesn't matter what happens to us. We shall never be confounded."

How does Lloyd-Jones describe the relationship between Christians and non-Christians?

Lloyd-Jones describes a complex relationship between Christians and non-Christians characterized by:

  1. Incomprehension: "The non-Christian not only recognizes the difference and can't understand it, he criticizes and persecutes the Christian."

  2. Criticism and persecution: "They speak against you as evil dwellers. They criticize, they persecute."

  3. Frustration with the Christian's changed priorities: "They say, you know, since you've become Christian, you've smiled everything. You used to be a decent fellow, decent woman. And how happy we were together."

  4. Spiritual opposition: "The natural man, the man who's not a Christian. He hates this thing that is in the Christian."

  5. Christian concern for non-Christians: "The Christian is a man who's concerned about those who are not Christian... He does all he can to enlighten them, to open their eyes and to deliver them ere it be too late."

What does Lloyd-Jones mean by "the centrality of the soul"?

Lloyd-Jones describes "the centrality of the soul" as a fundamental characteristic of Christians who:

  1. Are aware they have a soul: "The trouble with the world is that it doesn't know that it's got a soul."

  2. Recognize the supreme importance of the soul: "He realizes that the interests of the soul are the supreme thing in his life."

  3. Judge everything in terms of its effect on the soul: "Abstain from fleshly lusts. Why? Because they war against the soul. And this is how the Christian looks at everything."

  4. Live with eternal accountability in mind: "When he dies, when that great day comes, when God judges the whole world in righteousness, it is about the soul that he'll be examined."

Lloyd-Jones explains: "This man's life is ultimately governed by this knowledge that he's got a soul within him. And he's governed by it to this extent that if it becomes a competition as between anything else and the interests of his soul. The soul comes first."

Other Sermons

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.