3: The House of God (1 Peter 1:22-2:10)

We are now in week 3 of this new series called “Hope for Suffering Saints”

from an ancient text, written by one of the closest disciples of Jesus, pointing beleaguered believers to their heavenly HOPE in the middle of difficult days.

Last week we were challenged and encouraged to live like Jesus is coming back, grateful that He has revealed His divine plan to redeem man through the prophets who FORESAW the future Messiah’s sufferings & glories, while the preachers who SAW Jesus the Messiah (like Simon Peter who is writing this) and came to share the gospel message with this audience…and ultimately with US so that we can have HOPE in our Risen Savior!

The question for us was & is: Was the death of Jesus Worth the PRICE for us? Are willing living like we appreciate the PRICE that has been paid for us? Are we living in the sin that Jesus died to pay for, OR...

....are we obeying the command to LIVE HOLY because God is Holy?

Today, we will discover what it means to be a part of The House of God.

If you’ve been involved at church for any significant period of time, you’ve probably heard something like this, “Welcome to the House of God” or “It’s good to be in the house of the Lord” And typically that person probably means that the ‘Church’ is God’s house. But that’s FALSE. That’s never taught in the New Testament.

During the life of Jesus, the “House of God” was 1 building - the temple in Jerusalem.

THIS place [point at walls and ceiling], this building is NOT the ‘church’ nor the ‘house of God’. WE…YOU and ME are the Church - The House of God.

And today we are going to discover how people who are part of the House of God should live & love.

LET’S PRAY

First, let’s read entire passage - 1 Peter 1:22-2:10

1 Peter 1:22–2:10 (NIV)

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—

you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”

Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and, “A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Okay. Let’s dig in!

1 Peter 1:22 (NIV)

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.

Our love for God and appreciation for His forgiveness should overflow in how we - a forgiven family - treat each other. We must have a sincere love for each other - not a fake, fickle ‘let’s pretend we get along’ kind of relationship. Instead we are to demonstrate REAL, GENUINE care for one another - former slaves who have been FREED and adopted into the same family! We are to love one another deeply, from the heart.

Does that sound like your relationship with other Christians? OR…is it all just smoke and mirrors - fake friendships?

The only way to experience this kind of real deal love for each other is to:

1. Spend time TOGETHER (outside of events where we say hello).

2. Speak the TRUTH in LOVE. Don’t dodge the truth, but neither should we be arrogant or unkind in sharing the truth with others.

3. Be kind, patient, & forgiving - knowing how kind, patient, and forgiving God has been to us.

Why should we put in THAT kind of effort? Why not just show up to church gatherings once a week and then go do our own thing? It’s simple.

1 Peter 1:23–25 (NIV)

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” [Is 40:6-8] And this is the word that was preached to you.

WE have been changed & transformed, born again. When we turn from our sin and TURN TO JESUS, the old sin goes away and we become a “new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). We can love one another sincerely and deeply because we are a forgiven family called to LOVE GOD and LOVE PEOPLE - especially those in our faith family.

How can we KNOW that we are born again? We TRUST the promises from the living and enduring word of God - the gospel message - the good news about Jesus spoken through God’s servants - a message that is TRUE and TRUSTWORTHY for all time!

While people, like grass and flowers, will soon die and fade away, “The word of the Lord endures forever.” [Is 40:6-8] Trust God at His word. He will not lie nor let you down. He will be TRUE to YOU and me!

So, what have we seen so far?

Those turning from sin and trusting Jesus have been redeemed by Jesus death on the cross - BORN AGAIN.

God’s BORN AGAIN family is to practice real-deal love for each other. Okay, but what’s the LOOK LIKE - you ask? You ask great questions!

1 Peter 2:1–3 (NIV)

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave [yearn, long for, desire], pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. [Ps 34:8]

Notice what Peter DOESN’T say - “Rid yourselves of this sin…WHEN you’re ‘at church’.

You ever noticed how some people think LYING, BAD LANGUAGE, DIRTY JOKS are okay…except at church. That somehow, God is MORE OFFENDED because of WHERE you are? NOPE. If you’re a follower of Jesus then it doesn’t matter where you are but WHOSE YOU ARE! You are part of The House of God and God’s family doesn’t do that....anywhere!

So, Peter writes to The House of God saying Rid yourselves of SIN. You know what God doesn’t do for us? He doesn’t snap His fingers, drown our sinful desires, and turn us into mature believers overnight.

The term (apothemenoi) translated “rid yourselves” or “put away” (ESV) was sometimes applied to stripping off dirty clothes.* In ancient baptism ceremonies the person would strip off the clothes they wore to the ceremony, step into the water to be baptized, and receive new white clothing symbolizing that SIN was gone and PURITY had come!

*John F. MacArthur Jr., 1 Peter, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2004), 97.

The believer is to make the conscious daily decision to rid ourselves of all this sinful behavior like:

malice - a desire to harm others*. It is sometimes translated as “evil” and might mean to be an umbrella for all the sin list that will follow.

*Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 763.

We are to disrobe of deceit - to trick & manipulate others. This term is literally referring to “BAIT for fish”*. We aren’t to lure others with lies. We are to be people of TRUTH.

*H.G. Liddell, A Lexicon: Abridged from Liddell and Scott’s Greek-English Lexicon (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1996), 208.

Of course, we need to do away with hypocrisy - we need to practice what we preach instead of telling others to do what we SAY, but not what we DO.

Envy needs to be kicked to the curb. We should be happy for brothers and sisters who do well rather than wishing it was us instead.

And Christians should never slander others - speaking evil to cause harm to the reputation of others.

Thomas Schreiner writes:

“The sins listed tear at the social fabric of the church, ripping away the threads of love that keep them together. Peter signals thereby that no sin is to be tolerated in the community, that sin is to be rejected comprehensively.”

* Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, vol. 37, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003), 98.

But believers aren’t just to STOP sinning against God and one another; believers are to START pursuing God and His truth. So, Peter writes:

1 Peter 2:2–3 (NIV)

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. [Ps 34:8]

Our dog recently had puppies. When Momma is around they aren’t real interested in playing or being cuddled by us. They crave Momma’s milk. If they are gonna to grow up, they can’t be distracted from what matters most.

So too...

Like newborn babies, [we should] crave [yearn, long for, desire] pure spiritual milk, so that [we can] grow up in [our] salvation.

[We have already] tasted that the Lord is good as King David wrote in Ps 34:8.

Isn’t that TRUE?

For those who KNOW what it’s like to be FORGIVEN - we have tasted and seen that the Lord is good!

For those who know what it’s like to have PURPOSE for this life and the next.

For those who have tasted that the Lord is good - it’s time to GROW UP! It’s time to spend time seeking God and obeying His truths.

But here’s the problem: Many of us aren’t doing that - we are spiritually anorexic. We don’t crave God’s Presence or God’s Scriptures. We’re feeding on junk food and wonder why we’re not GROWING and have no significant purpose.

A Disobedient Brother

I recently met with a brother who shared that he was struggling to find purpose and a reason to keep on keeping on. But during the discussion it became obvious that he was living in sin. As a brother who cares for his soul, I brought it to his attention and told him, “You wonder why you have no purpose while you disobey the God who gives you…PURPOSE! Turn from your sin and turn back to him.” And that’s what he’s doing!

And THAT’S where hope, forgiveness and purpose is found - in the Lord Jesus.

1 Peter 2:4–5 (NIV)

As you come to Him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to Him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

In other words, WE ARE The House of God - living stones...built into a spiritual house where the Spirit of Christ lives and moves. There is no more physical temple nor a need for one. And there’s no need for a holy priesthood to offer physical sacrifices…because WE - YOU and ME - are God’s holy priesthood.

How do we offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ?

1. We walk in obedience and thankfulness.

2. And we, like priests of old, intercede for others who cannot yet enter into God’s house. More on this in a minute.

1 Peter 2:6–7a (NIV)

For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a Stone in Zion, a chosen and precious Cornerstone, and the one who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.” [Is 28:16] Now to you who believe, this Stone is precious.

Who is THAT talking about? JESUS! He is the One we TRUST in and the One we will never be ashamed of. He is the Cornerstone, the One that the entire house is built on and around. What one does with Jesus will determine their eternal destiny.

Sadly, many refuse to follow Jesus. Peter and other apostles faced persecution & even death for pointing people to Jesus as the ONLY WAY to eternal life.

1 Peter 2:7b–8 (NIV)

But to those who do not believe, “The Stone the builders rejected has become the Cornerstone,” and, “A Stone that causes people to stumble and a Rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

1 Peter 2:9–10 (NIV)

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

To those who TRUST in Jesus and live for Him...WE are The House of God!

Now, all we’ve got to do is to start to LIVE LIKE IT! May we LOVE ONE ANOTHER and bless each others’ lives. May we carry this message of HOPE to our Christ-less culture.

For those who don’t follow Jesus - would you sit and talk with a Christian who seems to live their faith. Ask them WHY they follow Jesus and have them share some of what they claim HE has done in their lives.

This past week I was blessed to receive a phone call from a dear sister in our church whose parents live in a different state and are not yet followers of Jesus…people who have never been plugged in a church…BUT…people who have been watching us…and maybe are watching RIGHT now. They have questions and they want to know if someone will take the time to try to help them with them. YES! YES! YES!

Do you have questions or need some help? Talk with us. Call us.

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