The Church Is Bigger Than You Think Pt. 4

Introduction

Turn in your Bibles to 1 Peter…and keep them open and follow along as we will be looking at several verses tonight.

We kind of ended at a stopping place last week, with part 3, and I really didn’t want to move on to the next section of Scripture as it would take a a few weeks to go through it, and coming up on the two weeks of campmeeting, I didn’t want to start a new thought tonight, and not get back into it for several weeks, so we are going to look at something pertaining to our studies over the last few weeks, but sort of get out of the verse-by-verse exposition we have been in, and it will give us a good conclusion to the thought we’ve been looking at on “The Church Is Bigger Than You Think”

As a matter and fact, what we are going to do tonight is blend the last two thoughts, “The Church Is Bigger Than You Think” and “The Growth of A Healthy Christian” together and we will see how these themes run throughout the book of 1 Peter...

I mentioned last week that Peter has discussed separation by birth (2:2–3) and by belief (2:4–10). Now he turns to separation by behavior.

Sooner or later, there has to be a practical side to all divine truth.

I’m going to further show you what is meant by that tonight:

In this epistle, Peter gives us a sevenfold description of believers…He gives a description of those who are born again.

1 Peter 1:23 KJV 1900

23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

This is who the Holy Spirit, through Peter is talking to.

And, this description is just as true of Christians today as it was of Christians in the first century.

Peter tells us, first, what true believers are, and he emphasizes their privileges; but every privilege carries with it a responsibility, and thus he tells us, second, he tells us what those responsibilities are as Christians.

So, tonight, in conclusion to these last several weeks of Bible study, I want to take a look at this sevenfold description of true believers and see the relationship between this matter of privilege and responsibility.

Some of this may be repetitive, but that’s how we learn, Jesus was repetitive, the Bible is repetitive, so we are going to look at some things we’ve already looked at, but I promise it will help us to do so...

1-Newborn Babes

1 Peter 2:2 KJV 1900

2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

This tells us where it all begins. We begin by being born into the family of God, and when we are first born into God's family we are only tiny babies. What an immense privilege it is to be a child of God, to be born into the Royal Family of Heaven and to have God as our loving Heavenly Father,

It is a privilege to be born again!

But here’s the thing…Babies don’t appreciate the privilege of their position and parenthood while they are babies, do they? That should help us make sense of many Christians in the Church. If they would grow, they would appreciate, and see how big a deal the Church really is...But listen, the privilege is still there, all the same, even if the child doesn’t see it.

So what responsibility comes with this privilege of being newborn babes? The verse gives us the answer:

1 Peter 2:2 (KJV 1900)

2 ...desire the sincere milk of the word...

The responsibility that we have is to feed on the Word of God so that we can grow up!

We can only grow if we eat, and if we do not feed upon the right food and have enough of it we shall remain babies and we shall be dwarfed in our spiritual experience. In order to prevent this from happening we must "desire the sincere milk of the Word".

2-Obedient Children

1 Peter 1:14 KJV 1900

14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:

If it is a privilege to be a new born babe it is a greater privilege to be a child with the ability to understand what God has done in His grace in making us His own.

What is our responsibility as children? It is to be "obedient".

Remember, we must desire the Word of God, and naturally, the Word of God will lead us to obedience!

James 1:22 KJV 1900

22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

The Word of God not only brings us hope, but it also leads to our obedience.

1 Peter 1:15–16 KJV 1900

15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Because we are children of God, Who is holy, we must be holy, and this is a matter of straightforward obedience. How important it is for us to see this and act upon it! For it is only as we see this and render the Lord the obedience that is His due that we shall become holy people, that is, people who are more and more like the Lord Whose we are and Whom we serve.

3-Lively Stones

1 Peter 2:5 KJV 1900

5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

No doubt, as Peter writes this verse under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, he is taken back to the conversation he and Jesus had concerning the Church...

Matthew 16:18 KJV 1900

18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

What an immense privilege it is for us to be a stone in the spiritual building, the temple of God! But what about our responsibility ? Look again at 1 Peter 2:5, and you will see it clearly defined.

We are not dead, lifeless stones in the spiritual house of the Lord, but we are "living stones", and our responsibility therefore is to offer up spiritual sacrifices to God. We are a holy priesthood; as believers we are priests, what are these spiritual sacrifices?

Romans 12:1 KJV 1900

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Hebrews 13:15–16 KJV 1900

15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. 16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

4-Strangers and Pilgrims

1 Peter 2:11–12 KJV 1900

11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

Peter is saying that believers are like "strangers" in this world, for we belong to another world to which we are traveling. We are therefore "pilgrims" on the way to Heaven. What privileged people we are, for we are only "temporary residents" down here...

Our responsibility as "temporary residents" is to see that we do not become engulfed in and tainted with the life of the world around us, but that we are separate...

2 Corinthians 6:17 KJV 1900

17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

5-Servants of God

1 Peter 2:16 KJV 1900

16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.

Here, Peter reminds us that as Children of God, we are free! Christ has given us liberty!

It’s a great privilege to be God’s servant, but we have the tremendous responsibility as His servants, to do His bidding.

Not only this, but we have the responsibility to use our freedom responsibly and not as an excuse for wrongdoing.

A servant in the royal household of Heaven must be very disciplined and very loyal in his manner of life and in his service.

6-Good Stewards

1 Peter 4:9–10 KJV 1900

9 Use hospitality one to another without grudging. 10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Christians ought to be hospitable, one to another and whatever a Christian does by way of charity or of hospitality, he ought to do it cheerfully, and without grudging. Freely you have received, freely give.

The word steward refers to someone who is in charge of a house or city…literally, it means someone who manages the affairs of a master’s house and cares for it’s occupants.

We are stewards of God’s grace...We manage something precious that we received but don’t own. And since you are a receptor of grace, you ought to be a conduit for grace. So whatever your spiritual gift, it’s all about God—not you.

Whether you speak or serve, it should be done with God’s words and the strength God provides, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything.

That is what being a good steward is all about.

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To wrap things up, we are referred to as newborn babes, obedient children, lively stones, strangers and pilgrims, servants of God, good stewards, and to conclude and sum all those up into one word, we are called:

7-Christians

1 Peter 4:15–16 KJV 1900

15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. 16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

Just pause a moment and think what a tremendous privilege it is to be a Christian and to bear the name of Christ! But think also what a responsibility this is, a responsibility to be like Christ, and therefore to be loving, gracious, kind, considerate, gentle, understanding and humble.

This leads me to ask two questions:

(1) Are you a Christian, a true believer on our Lord Jesus Christ?

If you are...

(2) Are you like the Lord Jesus, and are you becoming more and more like Him from day to day?

Seven great privileges! And seven great responsibilities!

The Church is bigger than you think!