Suffer Now Glory Later
Notes
Transcript
MAIN OUTLINE
1.Born Again to a Living Hope
2.Living Resurrection Life
3.Remember Who You Are
4.Following Jesus Far From Home
5.Sharing Christ’s Sufferings, Showing His Glory
6.A Shepherd and a Lion
MINI-OUTLINE
A. Born Again by the Word of God
B. Born Again to the Living Cornerstone
C. Born Again as God’s Chosen, Holy, Royal and Treasured Possession
SUB MINI-OUTLINE
1) Conformed to His Image
2) Built up as Living Stones
3) Trusting in the Cornerstone
KEY VERSES
4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,
5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”
7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,”
8 and “A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
II. Built Up as Living Stones
4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,
Jesus is the Living Stone
On one hand, rejected by men
On another hand, chosen and elect by God
God chose and elected Jesus since the foundations of the world to die on the cross for our sins. But men still rejected Him
20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you
He is a stone that continuously gives life to those who continually come to Him.
If we come and draw near to Jesus in fellowship, we will also be like Him as a living stone
As a Christian, we will be rejected by men by our actions,
But we are precious in God’s sight.
What will we gain from coming to Jesus as the Living Stone?
5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
As Living stones, we also will be:
Built up (by God) as His spiritual houses (Temple) in view of a holy priesthood
As His holy priesthood, we are to offer up spiritual sacrifices - not for our sins, but:
Good works
16 that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
Fruit of our lips giving thanks
15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
16 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
Purpose for these offerings?
God is glorified, and loved
Sin will not totally reign in us
We will receive eternal rewards in the Bema Seat
III. Trusting in the Cornerstone
6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”
7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,”
8 and “A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.
6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”
Jesus Christ is the Cornerstone prophesied way back in Isaiah 28:16.
16 Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily.
Note that Peter made the connection of this with verse 4 when He described Jesus as the one “chosen” and “elect” of God. Isaiah also describes this Cornerstone as “chosen” and “precious.”
the word “tested” in Hebrew was translated by the Greek Septuagint to “eklekton” which means “elect.”
Saving the Saved: An Exposition of 1 Peter ii. Precious like Him 6-8
The “cornerstone” (acrogōniaios) was the primary foundation stone at the angle of the structure by which the architect would fix a standard for bearing the walls and cross-walls throughout. Christ is God’s great Cornerstone for the Church. By Him God measures all things and fixes the ultimate standard for all who come to Him.
Resurrection Life in a World of Suffering: 1 Peter Jesus Is the Cornerstone (2:6–8)
Jesus is the cornerstone of God’s house. He establishes the foundation and design of the whole building. Without him, people have no foundation and no direction in life. He provides both the stability and rationale for God’s building, and without him the building will fall.
Some scholars will interpret this on a corporate level - the Church because as we know Peter is the rock, and Jesus is the Cornerstone of the Church. But it is better to interpret this on an individual level because of the word “believe.” It is individual believers that believe, not the church, for him/her not to be put to shame.
Jesus is the cornerstone of a person’s life where He builds His life in a believer.
7 This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, “The stone which the builders rejected, This became the very corner stone,”
8 and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.
NKJV mistranslated this to “disobedient.” The original Greek used “apisteo” which is the negative form of believing. Thus, NASB translated it fairly to “disbelieve,” or “refuse to believe.”
Peter quoted Psalm 118:22
22 The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone.
Who is the stone and the cornerstone?
Verse 6 gave us the idea that it is Jesus. Acts 4:8-12 will also tell us that the same Peter preached this Psalm to the Jews. He tells them that the stone that the Jews rejected is the one whom they crucified - Jesus Christ.
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel:
9 If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well,
10 let it be known to you all, 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 stands here before you whole.
11 This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’
12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
The Stone = The Cornerstone = Jesus Christ
Jesus, the Cornerstone, will cause a divide between builders - people on earth. There will be those who will believe, and those who will not believe. Peter gave more emphasis to those who rejected Jesus.
Those that believe: They are precious
Those who disbelieve/reject: They are appointed to doom.
How do they disbelieve? They stumble (pres. act. ind.) by not obeying (pres. act. ind. / different Greek from apisteo) the word (quoted OT passage). They stumble on their own disobedience to the OT passage. The word that they disobeyed: Psalm 118:22. They didn’t believe that Jesus is the Cornerstone. That’s why we can refer back to Acts 4:8-12 because there Peter did say that they rejected Jesus.
The consequence of their choice to disobey the word - reject to believe is temporal (life on earth) and permanent (eternal) judgment.
The Grace New Testament Commentary 2. The New Spiritual House (2:4–8)
God’s hand in judging the rebellious is seen in that He has appointed them to stumble. Here the stumbling does not refer to failing to believe, but to experiencing the consequences of their choice to disbelieve. This is not describing election (double predestination), but temporal judgment on those who rejected Christ as the chief cornerstone and so disobeyed the word.
Those who believe will be considered as “precious.” A believer’s preciousness comes through Jesus alone, not ourselves. Note that the only requirement again is just to believe! We were never qualified in the first place to be considered precious. It is only through believing we can be considered precious.
With reference to Acts 4:8-12, we can presume that verse 6-8 are justification verses. This can also prove that Peter has the same view of the requirements for salvation - believing only!
But why did Peter need to mention these to his believing readers? Well, it is to emphasize that believers are “precious.” It is an encouragement to the persecuted believers reminding them that because they have believed, God has considered them precious and valuable just has Jesus is. And this is not because of their works or of their qualifications (no one was qualified in the first place). But because they “believed”!
C. Born Again as God’s Chosen, Holy, Royal and Treasured Possession
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
Israel and the Gentiles
Peter again quotes OT passages:
20 The beast of the field will honor Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I give waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My people, My chosen.
21 This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise.
5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.
6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”
What happened in Exodus 19
3 months after the Exodus from Egpyt.
Israel is in the wilderness of Sinai
God called Moses up to mount Sinai to give the 10 commandments
God says that if they obey the commandments (Mosaic Law), they will be called a special treasure to God.
Peter shifts back to the believers. After saying that unbelievers will stumble, he goes on to the identity of believers! But now, Peter goes collectively to believers as a whole. This is why he quotes OT passages that describes Israel as a nation. Now, those titles apply also to believers as a whole, even us Gentile believers.
Israel failed to follow the 10 Commandments to the dot. Disobedience didn’t affect their relationship, but only their fellowship as they didn’t became special in His sight. Believers now won’t lose their relationship but only their fellowship for failing to obey.
Identity of Believers in Christ
Believers are:
A chosen generation (genos eklektos)
A royal priesthood (basileion ierateuma)
A holy nation (ethnos agion)
A people He owns (laos eis peripoiesin)
But are these descriptions of believers automatic? I don’t think it is. The only description that is automatic is back in verse 7 where Peter describes believers as precious / valuable as it precedes believing. The 4 descriptions in verse 9 is conditional if we keep God’s commandments just as in Exodus 19.
But a better view is to see Jesus in all of this. Note that verses 9-10 doesn’t have a main verb. Majority are all nouns and adjectives, describing a believer. There is only one subjunctive verb (you may proclaim the praises of Him), an aorist participle verbal adjective (called you out of darkness) (an aorist is only a background information), and participle verbal nouns (obtained mercy). But these are not main verbs. The main verb can be traced back to verse 7 (believe!). This shows how the believing is given importance by Peter. What is important for you to do is to believe in the Cornerstone! All other things follow after you believe.
Thus, we are considered precious in His sight because of the work of Jesus - He fulfilled all the Mosaic Laws which Israel, nor anyone can ever do!
Resurrection Life in a World of Suffering: 1 Peter But You … (2:9–10)
If we obey the gospel and believe in the Lord Jesus, then his perfect obedience means that in him we are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people for his own possession. The language of intimacy and belonging is deliberate, and so is the group identity: together we are the people of God. Together we are chosen, royal, and holy—not because of anything we have done but purely on account of the Lord Jesus, the cornerstone, who establishes both the foundation and the design of God’s chosen people.
Believers are:
A chosen generation (genos eklektos)
The emphasis is on the generation - the time from Jesus’ coming was grafted into His future plans - to bring them into the Kingdom through Jesus Christ.
The Grace New Testament Commentary 3. The Contrast with Disobedient Israel (2:9–10)
Peter emphasizes God’s purpose and action in including them in His plans.
A royal priesthood (basileion ierateuma)
Royalty is emphasized. Eschatologically, those who serve God on earth will gain royalty in the Kingdom.
A holy nation (ethnos agion)
This shows that the Gentile believers are distinct from Israel, not replacing it. We will be with Israel as a nation in the Kingdom.
A people He owns (laos eis peripoiesin)
Just like Israel, those who believe in Him will be part of His people.
10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
Peter quotes Hosea 2:23
23 Then I will sow her for Myself in the earth, And I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; Then I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people!’ And they shall say, ‘You are my God!’ ”
Again, the reference here is Israel, not the Gentile nation. But since Peter quotes this in a letter addressed to readers who are also Gentiles, then we are surely included. We have obtained God’s mercy because of Jesus Christ!
Now we know our identity, what does this imply? Peter says that we “may” proclaim this truth to the world. He’s telling us to preach the Gospel to the world! He wants us to share God’s goodness to the world so they too can receive the same mercy we received in Jesus Christ.
But note here that the verb to proclaim (eksanggelo) is a subjunctive form. Peter could have used an imperative to make it a command. But a subjunctive form implies possibility or probability that the action will occur. Yet the last part of verse 9 is a purpose/result clause because of the “opos” adverb (so that). Your salvation is not affected by whether you proclaim or not so don’t be afraid. But still, Peter Peter wants us to proclaim His glory (evangelize) as a result of what Jesus has done (remember our identity is tied to Jesus).
Saving the Saved: An Exposition of 1 Peter iii. Peculiar like Him 9-10
We are His own special people even if we do have some flaws here and there. We are here for a reason; there is purpose.
Why didn’t Peter describe us as children of God instead of “people” of God? Peter quoted Exodus 19. The language that time was “children” referred to descendants of Israel. Israel was more described as people or nation. It may only be a linguistic choice of Peter to show the parallelism of Gentile believers with Israel.
Only John used “children” to describe those who believes in Jesus. John had a more intimate language than Peter. Paul also described believers in general as children of God.
