Exclusive Benifits 1 Peter 2:4-10

[Slide Gods Word] Start

Last week; Desire Displays Our Master {vs 1-3}

Do we love our religious trappings i.e.

Malice [Evil intentions against any of God’s creation] {Sarah gave a great testimony}

Deceit [Evil manipulations of your will cloaked as God’s will] {Preachers looking for the best paying gig}

Hypocrisy [Evil false impressions of righteousness] {Arrogant attitudes instead of humble spirits}

Envy [ Evil covetous behaviors] {We should rejoice at another persons good fortune}

Slanders [Gossips] {Speak more to people than about people!}

Do we love God’s word i.e.

Do we desire Gods word over TV - Magazines - Radio - Books - Entertainment

Seek Revelation over Reason or Comfort

Are we growing spiritually or fading religiously…[Part of Gods Body (Unified) or Self Sufficient (Isolated)]

Are we living God’s word?

If you are His you will live Him…You will be - [Slide Thankfulness] Thankful

Because You [Tab Slide] live above the Circumstances of this World...

Exclusive Invitation [Today Exclusivity] [Slide Benefits]

God’s Children are EXCLUSIVELY blessed with every Spiritual Blessing [Eph 1:3 “Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens.” ]

All Starts with God’s Invitation [Eph 1:4 “For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love” ]

Today Peter will expound on what Paul wrote...

[Slide 1 Peter 2:4-10 “]Coming to Him, a living stone—rejected by men but chosen and valuable to God— you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it is contained in Scripture: Look! I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and honored cornerstone, and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame! So honor will come to you who believe, but for the unbelieving, The stone that the builders rejected— this One has become the cornerstone, and A stone to stumble over, and a rock to trip over. They stumble because they disobey the message; they were destined for this. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

[Slide 1 Peter 2:4 “Coming to Him, a living stone—rejected by men but chosen and valuable to God—”

Coming and Chosen...

Predestination - Foreknowledge - Sovereign God - all make the word Coming out of place

e.g. Compelled - Constrained - or Chosen by Him…excludes free will...

Coming allows us reject [free will] the call...

One Way - Life - Light - Love [Jesus Christ as Lord & Saviour]

The Sovereign Will [Chosen] of God still allows the free will [Coming] of Man to Jesus

The 1st Exclusive are those Coming to Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, the Chosen Son of God to be Living Stones...

We accepted the [Slide Exclusives ]… Exclusive Invitation vs 4

What else do Christians posses that the world cannot comprehend?

[Slide Exclusives - Tab] Exclusive Purposes vs 5

Exclusive Purpose

[Slide 1 Peter 2:4-5 a]“Coming to Him, a living stone—rejected by men but chosen and valuable to God— you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

Living Stone [Singular] and Living Stones [Plural]

No longer Dead [Eph 2:1 ]- Living Stones - patterned after THE LIVING STONE…Purpose #1…Unity & Identity

Next [Slide 1 Peter 2:4-5b] Being built into a Spiritual House [Supersedes any Church House]…Purpose #2…Commune with Christ as a Spiritual Dwelling

The writer of Hebrews further identifies the spiritual house : (Heb. 3:6) “Christ was faithful as a Son over His house—whose house we are”

Christians have an [Slide Exclusives] Exclusive Calling [Invitation]

With Exclusive Purposes

We also have Exclusive Privileges [Slide TAB]

Exclusive Privilege

Next [Slide 1 Peter 2:4-5c] For a Holy Priesthood

God Sovereignly Chose the OT Priests [Exodus 28]

Church Age today we are equally made alive in Jesus Christ Holy Priesthood

God Cleansed the OT Priest of sin before serving [Lev 8:6-36]

Today we are forgiven all our sins by Jesus Christ Holy Priesthood

God Clothed the OT Priests for Service [Ex 28]

Today we are covered by the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ Holy Priesthood [Its NOT us]

God Anointed [Empowered] OT Priests for Service [Lev 8:30]

Today where God provides His Holy Spirit…Individually Provides for Jesus Christ Holy Priesthood

God Prepared OT Priests for Service [Lev 8]

This age of the Church has a completed Word of God - The Bible prepares us for Jesus Christ Holy Priesthood

God demanded OT Priests Obedience for Service [Lev 10:1-3]

Today we live obedience or die disobedient to God’s demand to be Jesus Christ Holy Priesthood

Christians have an [Slide Exclusives] Exclusive Calling [Invitation]

With Exclusive Purposes

With Exclusive Privileges

and with Exclusive Offerings [Slide TAB]

Exclusive Offerings [Way more than Money]

Next [Slide 1 Peter 2:4-5d] Offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ…

Spiritual Sacrifices?

NT gives Seven basic/distinct ACCEPTABLE spiritual sacrifices...

All our human faculties [our bodies]

Rom 12:1-2 “Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.”

Jesus died for us so that we can live for Him!

Praise or Worship [Way beyond Singing] References on Bulliten...

Fruit of our Lips IS

Giving Praise to God our Father

His Sons Righteous Covering

Declaring God’s many Attributes! Pss. 83:18 “May they know that You alone— whose name is Yahweh— are the Most High over all the earth.”

Declaring God’s Unfathomable Works! Pss 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands.” etc...

Believers exclusively live THANKFUL LIVES of PRAISE & WORSHIP

Doing Good

2 Cor. 9:8 “And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work.” God has provided everything for doing good works

Titus 3:8 “This saying is trustworthy. I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed God might be careful to devote themselves to good works. These are good and profitable for everyone.”

Matt 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”

Believers have a transcendent purpose [A Cause Greater than Self] We don’t have Jobs - - Ministries

Sharing or Generosity

Mark 12:42–44 “And a poor widow came and dropped in two tiny coins worth very little. Summoning His disciples, He said to them, “I assure you: This poor widow has put in more than all those giving to the temple treasury. For they all gave out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she possessed —all she had to live on.””

Acts 2:45 “They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as anyone had a need.”

Acts 4:36–37 “Joseph, a Levite and a Cypriot by birth, the one the apostles called Barnabas, which is translated Son of Encouragement, sold a field he owned, brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.”

2 Cor. 8:1–4 “We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God granted to the churches of Macedonia: During a severe testing by affliction, their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed into the wealth of their generosity. I testify that, on their own, according to their ability and beyond their ability, they begged us insistently for the privilege of sharing in the ministry to the saints,”

Believers Start Hospitals, Schools, Boys & Girls Clubs, Homeless Shelters, Warming Stations, Benevolent Funds, etc...

Witnessing to Unbelievers

Rom 15:15-16 “Nevertheless, I have written to remind you more boldly on some points because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, serving as a priest of God’s good news. My purpose is that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”

Only believers understand Eternal Realities

Sacrificial Love for One Another ...References on Bulliten...

1 Peter 4:8 “Above all, maintain an intense love for each other, since love covers a multitude of sins.”

Matt. 22:37–39 “He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” etc...

Only Believers have Agape {God’s] Love GODS LOVE

Sacrificial Prayer Life is Holy Acceptable to God through Jesus Christ

Phil 4:6 “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” and the peace...

We can exclusively Communicate with the CEO of this Universe!

In every instance we give back what Jesus Christ has already redeemed and graciously provided!

[Slide 1 Peter 2:4-5e]

CHECK TIME -= Don’t announce it...

Christians have an [Slide Exclusives] Exclusive Calling [Invitation]

With Exclusive Purposes

With Exclusive Privileges

With Exclusive Offerings

We Also Have Exclusive Access [Slide TAB]

Exclusive Access

Exclusivity

Christianity is not relevant at all if it is merely one of many possible paths to God. The relevance of the gospel has always been its absolute exclusivity, summed up in the truth that Christ alone has atoned for sin and therefore Christ alone can provide reconciliation with God for those who believe only in Him.

John F. MacArthur