Helps to Holiness (2)
Notes
Transcript
Intro:
(1 Pet. 1:22-2:1).
We are studying five comparisons in 1 Peter 1:13-2:10 .
As Children
As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,
As Strangers
And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,
As Brothers:
Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart
As Brothers,
As Brothers,
In the third comparison, live as brothers, Peter continues with his family metaphor.
1. Live as Brothers – “The Rope Illustration”
Prop: A thick rope with several knots tied along its length.
Setup: Hold up the rope and stretch it out. Point to each knot and explain how
each knot represents a different person—
different background,
personality,
struggle—
but all part of the same rope.
Application:
“We’re not meant to live in isolation.
God has tied us together in Christ.
Just like this rope—
individually, we’re not much.
But when we're united,
there's strength.
That’s why Peter says,
‘love one another deeply, from the heart’ (1 Peter 1:22).
Brotherhood is about being bound together,
not just being in the same room.”
Mankind is like grass that withers
and flowers that fall.
But God’s Word is eternal.
Holy Spirit uses the message of God’s Word
to purify us and give us spiritual birth
since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;
Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth,
Through God’s Word we partake of His nature,
and escape the corruption in the world (2 Pet. 1:4
he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature,
having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
So let us cherish the Word of God,
obey it,
and desire it for growth.
Earlier, Peter emphasized holy living
because we were redeemed,
not by silver or gold,
but by the precious blood of Christ (1 Pet. 1:18-19).
Likewise, our new birth came,
not through earthly parents,
but through the eternal Word of God we are once again called to holy living (1 Pet. 2:22-25).
So let us practice holy living
by loving our brothers and sisters
-since we are all God’s supernatural children.
... love one another earnestly from a pure heart,
Peter emphasizes that believers are family members-
brothers and sisters with the same Father.
for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls,
but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
We become a part of that everlasting nature with God when we are born again
God’s word is the catalyst to that new family
All of us believers were born into God’s family
as we obeyed the gospel truth-the Word of God (1 Pet. 1:22, 25).
The Holy Spirit used God’s Word to give us spiritual birth (James 1:18).
Through the promises of God’s Word, we “participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (2 Pet. 1:4).
Peter does not leave us to guess about what he means by loving our brothers (1 Pet. 1:22).
So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.
Many other versions use the word therefore instead of “so”
you are brothers and sister in Christ, born again into a new family through the living word of God
THEREFORE
He gives five examples on how to love.
We love as we avoid sinning against members of our spiritual family.
As we take off a dirty shirt,
we are to rid ourselves of attitudes and habits that hurt brothers and sisters.
Peter mentions
Five evils to get rid of:
Malice
Deceit
Hypocrisy
Envy
Slander
Malice is any intent or deed that brings harm to others.
Malice is mean-spirited, twisted conduct.
sabotage, setting someone up to fail
blaming, letting my brother take the punishment for my deeds
gossip that is meant to tear down another person’s reputation
Deceit is guile or any form of purposely concealing the truth.
In Greek, it referred to bait used to catch an animal or fish.
Peter insists that insincere motives are unfitting for holy living.
have you ever been fishing with lures?
they are meant to look like real food to the fish, but they are a lie
deceit includes active lying, like telling you mom you didn’t eat the cookie even though you still have chocolate on your face
it also includes lies by omission. your mom asks you if you did your homework and you mention that you finished your math homework but omit that you have an essay in english due the next day
Hypocrisy refers to covering inner evil with outward fake righteousness (See Matt. 23:28; Mark 12:15).
The Greek word hypocrite referred to an actor playing a role.
A hypocrite is a person who hides his real character,
feelings,
or motives for personal advantage.
Let us strip off hypocrisy as a dirty garment.
It is contrary to holiness.
Hypocrisy is a form of deciet, but it specifically make you look better
someone asks you in church if you read your Bible and you say you did even though you haven’t touched it since last Sunday
it is anytime you begin to allow yourself to think you are better than someone else
sometimes it is the lies we tell ourselves to justify our own wickedness or laziness
Envy desires something that another person has.
Even among the apostles,
envy was a source of conflict.
The ten envied James and John when they sought a way to be the greatest in the Kingdom (Mark 10:41).
Likewise, at the Last Supper, the apostles envied the seats of honor in the coming Kingdom (Luke 22:24).
James cites envy as a major source of quarrels among God’s family members (James 4:1-3).
What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?
You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.
You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
Peter urges us to weed this evil out of our hearts.
comparison is the thief of all joy
Slander is the Greek word katalalia, “speaking against.”
It includes evil speaking,
like slander and gossip
-any comment that harms a person’s reputation.
The tongue has caused a mountain of sins,
inside and outside the church.
Evil speaking quickly destroys the unity of God’s family.
So let us respect God,
and His family members,
by bridling our tongues
(James 1:26
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.
So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.
TRANSITION from brothers to babies
Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
As babies,
As babies,
crave the pure milk of the Word to grow in salvation (1 Pet. 2:2-3).
Peter commands his readers to increase their hunger for God’s Word.
He says, “Long for the pure milk of the word,”
and quotes part of Psalm 34:8
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
Translations vary on this verse.
The Greek word logicon (a form of logos, word)
appears only twice in the New Testament-
here and Romans 12:1
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Logicon may be translated as a noun, word,
or as an adjective, spiritually reasonable.
Either way, the context makes it clear that
the milk Peter writes about is the Word of God.
In 1 Peter 1:22-23, Peter reminds believers that we were born again through obeying the Word of God.
Then he contrasts the briefness of men
and their glory with God’s Word,
which is eternal (1 Pet. 1:24-25).
He exhorts us believers to get rid of sinful practices and attitudes, such as malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and evil speaking (1 Pet. 2:1).
And he exhorts us to crave the spiritual milk of the Word,
(now that we have tasted God’s goodness)
so we will grow up in our salvation (1 Pet. 2:2).
unfortunately a lot of the things we crave on this earth are bad for us
Appetite: Coffee, salad,
working out
2. Live as Babies – “Milk Bottle / Baby Formula”
Prop: A baby bottle filled with milk or formula.
Setup: Hold up the bottle and ask,
“What does a baby crave more than anything?”
(Let someone answer: milk.)
Application:
“Just like babies can’t grow without milk,
we can’t grow spiritually without the Word.
This bottle doesn’t do a baby any good if it just sits on a shelf.
The same is true for our Bibles.
If we're only sipping spiritual truth once a week,
we’re starving ourselves.”
Takeaway: As believers we are told to develop a hunger for God’s Word
and to grow daily in it
—not just depend on Sunday sermons.
Appetite is normal.
Having tasted the goodness of God,
we should hunger for more of Him.
Our hunger for God’s Word should be like the hunger of a baby for milk.
Every parent knows that the only way to silence a hungry baby is to give it milk.
My mom once told me that 90 % of the time that a baby is crying is because it is hungry
A baby’s desire for milk is so strong that nothing else will satisfy it.
We need the same kind of hunger for God’s Word.
Tasting God’s Word creates a hunger for more of it.
Wise parents refuse to give their children sweets before a meal.
They know that if they allow their children to eat sweets,
they will lose their appetite for healthy food.
Likewise,
We must beware of allowing other things to destroy our hunger for God’s Word.
Every believer should spend time each day with the Word of God.
The Word is an opportunity to meet with God.
As we read the Word,
study the Word,
pray the Word,
meditate on the Word,
and obey the Word,
God is able to transform us into the image of Jesus Christ.
Some believers look to preachers,
teachers,
or books
as their main source of God’s Word.
True, a preacher who is full of God’s Spirit can preach a message from God’s Word that feeds us.
But no preacher or book can replace our need to read and study God’s Word for ourselves.
One of the biggest needs in the Church today is a return to Scripture as our main source of spiritual growth.
As we crave God’s Word, we “grow up” in our “salvation” (1 Pet. 2:2).
The Holy Spirit uses the Bible to strengthen,
discipline,
encourage,
and mature believers.
The Bible mentions several ways the Word of God enables believers to grow and mature.
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.
TRANSITION
We have come to the fifth comparison Peter uses in 1 Peter 1:13-2:12.
In this section Peter compares believers to
obedient children,
aliens, brothers,
babies,
and living stones of a spiritual temple.
As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious,
you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”
and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.”
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
As Living Stones and Priests
As Living Stones and Priests
E. As living stones and priests of God’s temple, let us offer spiritual sacrifices (1 Pet. 2:4-8).
His word pictures help us grasp truth.
And they move truth from the head to the heart.
Let us examine two truths related to Peter’s stone temple metaphor.
1. Jesus is the living Cornerstone of God’s spiritual temple
1. Jesus is the living Cornerstone of God’s spiritual temple
(1 Pet. 2:4
As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious,
The cornerstone was the most important stone of a building.
For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
It was the first stone of the foundation, carefully laid square and level.
All the other stones were lined up from the cornerstone.
3. Live as Living Stones – “Pile of Bricks or Stones”
Prop: A stack of small bricks or stones.
Setup: Bring out individual bricks or stones. Set them one by one on a table. Hold up a single stone and say, “This alone doesn’t look like much. But when fitted together, these become something—like a wall, or a temple.”
Read: 1 Peter 2:5 – “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house…”
Application:
“God isn’t building a monument to our individuality.
He’s building a spiritual house—
with Christ as the cornerstone.
Every single stone matters,
and each one has a place.
Are you just lying around on the side,
or are you letting God build you into something bigger than yourself?”
Takeaway: Challenge the church to discover and step into their God-given role in the community and mission of the church.
Peter mentions that this stone is living.
This is the third time in his letter that Peter emphasizes that Jesus is alive,
raised from the dead (1 Pet. 1:3, 21; 2:4).
he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
through Him (we) are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious,
Trials come to believers, as they did to Christ,
but we have a living hope and will live forever in Christ.
Peter contrasts two responses to Jesus,
Some accept Him as the living Cornerstone.
in which they build their life upon
Some reject Jesus.
These do not believe in Him,
so they stumble and fall Acts 4:8-12
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders,
if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed,
let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well.
This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Peter quotes Psalm 118:22 and Isaiah as prophesies of those who reject the precious Stone God chose for the corner.
The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
Jesus also quoted Psalm 118:22 to the Jewish leaders when He told the parable of the tenants who killed the son of the owner of the vineyard
(Matt. 21:33-46; Mark 12:1-12; Luke 20:9-19).
“Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country.
When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit.
And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.
Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them.
Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’
And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “ ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.
And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them.
And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.
Peter ends his comparisons with,
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
Note that the reason why they stumble
is that they disobey the message of the gospel.
Disobedience always leads to stumbling.
Long before God created the world,
He decided and determined that all who disobey the gospel will stumble.
But all who obey will not stumble.
God leaves the choice to each person.
Those who reject Jesus
miss the wonderful destiny God invites all to share.
Some accept Jesus, obey and believe in Him.
To us who believe,
Jesus is precious, beyond words!
We cherish the promise,
“the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame” (Isa. 28:16; 1 Pet. 2:6; Rom. 9:33; 10:11).
“Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. O what a foretaste of glory divine!”
The first truth related to Peter’s stone temple metaphore
is that Jesus is the living Cornerstone of God’s spiritual temple
you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
2. We who believe are living stones and priests of God’s spiritual temple
2. We who believe are living stones and priests of God’s spiritual temple
5. Live as Priests – “White Robe or Clerical Stole”
Prop: A white robe or priestly stole.
Setup: Hold up or put on the robe. Ask, “Who do you think this is for?”
The stole is a long, narrow strip of cloth worn around the neck and hanging in front of the chest.
It is considered a symbol of the priest's authority as an ordained minister
and represents his role as a mediator between God and the people.
In many Christian traditions, a stole, symbolizes the yoke of Christ
and the wearer's responsibility to the church
and the ordained ministry.
“In the Old Testament, only a few were chosen to serve as priests.
But Peter flips the script.
He says you—all believers—are part of this royal priesthood.
That means you’re not just spectators in the kingdom;
you’re ministers.
You carry God’s presence into the world,
you pray on behalf of others,
and you offer your life as a sacrifice.”
Takeaway: We should all strive to live like a priest—
serving,
praying,
and carrying God’s light into dark places.
Jesus changed the fisherman’s name from Simon to Peter,
which means “stone.”
This name change happened when God revealed to Simon that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah),
the Son of the Living God.
Jesus said that on this rock He would build His Church,
and the gates of Hades (the evil powers of death) would not prevail against it (Matt. 16:17-18).
This was a great moment for Peter.
It’s not a surprise that Peter likes rocks
he must have cherished the thought that Jesus called him a stone-
something solid,
dependable,
and useful for building.
So the Spirit led Peter to expand the stone idea to other believers,
calling us all “living stones.”
When believers first read 1 Peter 2:4-8,
they thought of Solomon’s temple and the temple in Jerusalem.
Those temples were built of many large stones.
By themselves, the stones had little value.
But together, they became a place where God could meet with people.
Likewise, God unites all believers to Christ,
like a temple where God dwells.
What a beautiful picture.
Besides being stones of a temple,
Peter compares believers to
“a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 2:5).
A few verses later, Peter compares us to “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Pet. 2:9).
To be a priest in Israel, one had to be a Levite.
But under the new covenant, in Christ,
all of God’s people serve as priests (Rev. 1:5-6
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
The primary job of the old testament priests was to offer sacrifices to God
The sacrifices we offer include:
our bodies (Rom. 12:1
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
our whole lives (2 Cor. 2:15-16; 8:5)
For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved
money and possessions (Phil. 4:18; 2 Cor. 8:1-5; James 1:27),
the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.”
words of praise to God (Heb. 13:15
Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
and sacrifices of good deeds (Heb. 13:16
Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
Anything we do in service to God is a spiritual sacrifice.
As believers, let us be the priests of our homes,
schools,
places of work,
communities,
and in all the world.
Let us declare “the praises of him who called [us] out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Pet. 2:9).
As holy priests, we need to reflect the holiness of God in every area of our lives (1 Pet. 1:5-9, 14-17; 2 Tim. 1:9).
God does not redeem us just for our own pleasure.
He redeems us to glorify Him
by speaking about all He is and does.
As I close, be sure that you do not miss the significance of 1 Peter 2:10
Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Peter is referring to Hosea.
The northern 10 tribes of Israel disobeyed and rebelled against God for 250 years.
The time had come for God to judge His people.
So He told Hosea to marry Gomer, a prostitute, who was an unfaithful wife, and who represented Israel.
She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the Lord said to him, “Call her name No Mercy, for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all.
When she had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son.
And the Lord said, “Call his name Not My People, for you are not my people, and I am not your God.”
When Gomer gave birth to children,
God told Hosea to call them Lo-Ruhamah (no mercy)
and Lo-Ammi (not my people).
This was because He was going to stop showing mercy to Israel
and would no longer call them His people.
The Assyrians were coming to conquer Israel in 722 B.C.,
killing and scattering the nation.
Far in the future, Hosea saw a brighter day and prophesied:
and I will sow her for myself in the land. And I will have mercy on No Mercy, and I will say to Not My People, ‘You are my people’; and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’ ”
Both Paul (Rom. 9:25-26) and Peter apply the fulfillment of Hosea 2:23 to the Gentiles (1 Pet. 2:10).
As indeed he says in Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’ ”
“And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’ ”
Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
We were outside the covenant,
were not God’s people,
and had received no mercy.
But in Christ,
God offers mercy to all and welcomes us to be His people.
Wow! The privileges that once belonged to Israel, now belong to us
“the one who trusts in him,” the living cornerstone of God’s temple (1 Pet. 2:6).
LET US LIVE HOLY LIVES, EXPRESSING OUR THANKFULNESS TO GOD.
Let us live holy lives, expressing our thankfulness to God
for showing us mercy
and making us His people.
Let us declare “the praises of Him who called [us] out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Pet. 2:9-10).
