1 PETER 2, Being Built 1

Freedom is never free!

Intro: Over the past year we experienced the cost of freedom. Real freedom never comes without cost and responsibility. As a nation we have paid the price over the years for the freedom we enjoy and the privilege to worship God without the threat of reprisal. As Christians we often enjoy the benefits of our faith without giving too much thought to the price paid or the responsibility God expects of us.

Over the past year I have come to appreciate the practical guidance given in the Word of God, especially in the midst of suffering and pain. No other religious faith offers inner peace or the strength to live rightly before God—Christ alone saves, provides courage, and supplies everything we need to succeed in the life.

Yet, He expects us to value the price He paid, and be responsible of members of His the family!

1 Peter 2:1-10 reveals clearly the guidelines of practical and Godly living expected from every Believer…to understand the passage, let’s place it in its context:

1 Peter 1:1-9 (NIV)

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance. 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

The price paid was the suffering and death of Jesus Christ—don’t ever forget what it cost to be free!

1 Peter 2:1-3 (NLT) (OUR RESPONSE…)

So get rid of all malicious behavior and deceit. Don’t just pretend to be good! Be done with hypocrisy and jealousy and backstabbing. 2 You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you can grow into the fullness of your salvation. Cry out for this nourishment as a baby cries for milk, 3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.

A.     Be Mature – two “evidences” of maturity Appetite & Attitude (vv. 1-3).

·        Response of Appetite: The phrase “newborn babes” is the same as that used for the infant Jesus in Luke 2:16. The new believer is a baby in need of milk (1 Cor. 3:1-3). In fact, one of the evidences of spiritual life is a hunger for spiritual food, the Word of God. We are not to remain babies! As we grow in the Lord, we include meat and bread in our spiritual diet. We become “young men” and “fathers” in the family (1 John 2:12-14).

Our food is the Word of God; not mixed with human philosophies or teachings…

Growth comes with time and is often accompanied with pain…

THOUGHT: What I hated about Iraq was separation—what I loved about Iraq was genuine, practical faith…

·        Response of the right Attitude: Once we have tasted the Lord’s blessing, we want to put away the old sins of the flesh and put on a new attitude—we put away hypocrisy, jealousy and backstabbing…and we crave spiritual nourishment as a baby craves milk!

Ø  Unfortunately too many Christians have Punitive Attitudes—they give people what they think they deserve!

Ø  We should adopt a Redemptive Attitude—which treats people with respect, in the hope we may have a part in growing them up or leading them to Christ!

“They make me so mad…!”  Attitudes are chosen!

The mature response to Freedom is appetite and attitude

B.     Be Spiritual (vv. 4-8).

1 Peter 2:4-8 (NLT)

Come to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by the people, but he is precious to God who chose him.

5 And now God is building you, as living stones, into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are God’s holy priests, who offer the spiritual sacrifices that please him because of Jesus Christ. 6 As the Scriptures express it, “I am placing a stone in Jerusalem, a chosen cornerstone, and anyone who believes in him will never be disappointed.” 7 Yes, he is very precious to you who believe. But for those who reject him, “The stone that was rejected by the builders has now become the cornerstone.” 8 And the Scriptures also say, “He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that will make them fall.” They stumble because they do not listen to God’s word or obey it, and so they meet the fate that has been planned for them.

·        As growing, maturing believers—we are also ministers offering up spiritual sacrifices…

·        We are “being built” into a spiritual house—we are not yet complete!

Ø  We are “stones” being built upon the living Cornerstone—Jesus Christ!

Ø  No one has “arrived”—all of us are on the same journey!

Ø  If you think you have “arrived” you are deceived!

C. Be Good Citizens (vv. 9-10).

1 Peter 2:9-10 (NLT)

But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are a kingdom of priests, God’s holy nation, his very own possession. This is so you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. 10 “Once you were not a people; now you are the people of God. Once you received none of God’s mercy; now you have received his mercy.”

·        The church is “the people of God,” His holy nation, His very own possession. We are the recipients of His mercy—we did not earn or deserve His favor, yet He freely loves and keeps us!

Ø  We are chosen by God to be His people despite our failure

Ø  We are appointed priests even though we are sinful

Ø  We are declared holy regardless of how we live

Ø  We belong to God and live for one primary purpose: To declare His goodness to others…

1.      We fulfill our primary responsibility and demonstrate our gratitude by:

a.       Faithfully sharing the message of God’s goodness and mercy through Jesus Christ

b.      And rightfully living in harmony with God and one another.

CONCLUSION: The freedom we enjoy was not free!

• Our freedom as a nation and as a Christian came thru pain and suffering…
• Our mature response is to feed the spiritual appetite and demonstrate the right attitude
• Our gratitude demands responsibility citizenship and responsible living
• Our conduct reveals whether you genuinely understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the decision you made to follow Him.
• Freedom does NOT give you the right to disobey God’s commands. Freedom is never free!