1 Peter 2: The House of Christ, the Footstep of Christ
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Good morning brothers and sisters in Christ. We started with 1 Peter 1 the last time I was here. I thought of continuing with 1 Peter, going on to chapter 2 today.
Just as a reminder; the first epistle by the Apostle Peter was written to believers having been exiled from Rome by the Emperor Claudius because of the missionary effort of the believers. Peter wrote to the believers in what is now Turkey, at the time the eastern frontier of the empire. As the believers faced persecution and discrimination in a society and community largely negative towards Christianity, Peter sought to encourage them. This is not unlike the situation that we in Australia increasingly find ourselves to be. Peter did not elaborate any grand strategy, but reminded the believers who we are, and how we should view the community around us, and how should we behave even when persecuted.
Our Collective/Community Identity: The House of Christ, vv 1-10
Our Collective/Community Identity: The House of Christ, vv 1-10
So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 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.
The word “so” refers to 2 things that Peter has just said in 1 Peter 1. Firstly, we are born again into a new life of living hope through the resurrection of Jesus - therefore, we are different from all the other peoples on earth - we are the elect of heaven, and like the Israel in exile from Judah, we are in exile here on earth from heaven; and like them, a people of Disapora. Secondly, God is a judge who does not give face but judges everyone by his or her work impartially.
“Therefore”, “so”, Peter exhorts us to behave differently; to behave true to our nature as heavenly citizens by putting away all malice, all wickedness, all things bad; all deceit, all dishonesty, all treachery, hypocrisy, jealousy, envy and all slanders, all evil speeches; but as newborn babes, crave pure unadulterated spiritual milk, so that we may grow and mature in our salvation. The metaphor “milk” refers to the whole grace of God, including but not exclusive of His Word - but also all of His grace and the work of His Spirit. And Peter goes on to explain the purpose why we “may grow up into salvation”:
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.
Having urge the believers to put aside everything bad, Peter exhorts us to crave pure spiritual milk that we may grow in our salvation - into whom we truly are. Who are we? We are like Christ. As we come to Christ, just as Christ was rejected by men, the believers were rejected and exiled from Rome to the eastern frontier of the Empire; and we are rejected by the world. And as Christ is the living stone chosen by God and precious to Him, the believers and us, like Christ, are also living stones, precious to God, and being used by God to build a house, not a physical house, but a spiritual one - the House of Christ, the house, the family, of Christ, like the House of Windsor.
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.
And more than a House, more than a Royal Household, more than a House of Priests, but also a Chosen Race, a Holy Nation, a people of God’s personal treasured possession. And Peter is quoting from Exodus 19:5-6 and Isaiah 43:20-21.
Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”
The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches, for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.
When Moses brought the Israelites out of Egypt in the First Exodus to Mount Sinai in Exodus 18 and 19, God promised to make them a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of God’s own treasured possession if they would obey Him and keep His covenant. And when Israel disobeyed God and was driven into Exile in Babylon, God promised to bring them back in a Second Exodus in Isaiah 43, and like the First Exodus, God will again make them a holy nation, His chosen people, a people He formed for Himself, and in Isaiah God declares the reason for doing so - “that they might declare my praise.” By combining these 2 verses here, what Peter saying her is that, the followers of Christ today are the true people of God, the Chosen Race, the Royal Priesthood, the Holy Nation, the People of God’s own, private, treasured, possession.
And the purpose is so that we may proclaim God’s praise - His Holiness, moral goodness. And just as God calls us out of darkness and sins into his wonderful and marvellous light, from being sinners condemned to death to being objects of His mercy, as God’s Royal Priesthood, we are proclaiming the same good news. Some will believe our message, some will not. But it is on Christ, the Cornerstone of the House of God, that every man and woman stands or falls before God’s judgment seat. And that is why it is so important that we live true to our calling, our nature, our identity - so that by looking at our words and behaviour, the world could tell God is holy, compassionate and merciful.
Our Character: Suffering For Doing Good: vv 11-20
Our Character: Suffering For Doing Good: vv 11-20
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 of visitation.
And how do we bear witness to God’s moral goodness, God’s holiness? By living an honourable life, a life of good deeds, a life alien to the passion of the flesh; a life that contradicts what the non-believers think of us and of God. Does the world believe we are judgmental? Well, show them the compassion, mercy and forgiveness of God. Does the world associate the Church with paedophile priests? Well, show them the holiness of believers in our conduct, our marriage and our behaviour. Does the world believe we are the polar opposite of the Greens in environmental concerns? Well, show them we care for this earth because it is God’s Creation, the Garden of God and we are stewards of God called to look after His Creation. Does the world believe we are anti-science, anti-vaccine? Well, show them we believe the world is created by a rational God, and we are created in the image of a rational God, and therefore, we believe that science is reflection of God’s wonderful character.
Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.
But more than that, Peter asks the believers to submit to the very authority that had treated them unjustly; that had exiled them from their homes in Rome to the eastern frontier of the empire. Peter wants the believers, and us, to show the world that even when we are treated wrongly, when we are treated unjustly, when we are blamed and punished through no fault of our own, we insist on doing right, doing good, and being forgiving and gracious. Show them that when we are free, we willingly live as servants and slaves of God that we may be a blessing to the world. And that by our actions - our willingness even to suffer when we have done no wrong, that our actions would silence the false accusations of the world.
But why should we do this? Why should we do things this way?
We do this because this is our character - this is who we truly are; this is what we mean when we say we are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of God’s own treasured possession - that we may declare God’s wonderful character - His moral goodness, His holiness.
Our Example: Christ: vv 21-25
Our Example: Christ: vv 21-25
For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
The second reason that we do this is because we are called to be like Christ and we are being formed into Christ’s image. Just as Christ suffered when he did no wrong, we are willing to suffer when we have done no wrong. When he was reviled and abused he did not retaliate; we will not retaliate when we are abused unjustly; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but he entrusted himself to God’s justice; and we will entrust ourselves to God’s justice when the world does not treat us right rather than taking things into our own hand.
You see, it is precisely because Christ was willing to suffer for us when he did no wrong and when we were His enemy that we are saved. God calls us to do the same today - be willing to suffer when we have done no wrong, that the world may see God’s true character, who He really is, and return as strayed sheep to the Shepherd, Overseer and Saviour of our souls.
Summary
Summary
1 Peter 2 sets up a sharp contrast - of who we are in contrast to who the world is; and being who we are, and being called to declare God’s praise - we are to live a holy life, willing to suffer even when we have done no wrong for the sake of the salvation of the world - just as Christ has done and left us his footstep to follow.
