1 Peter 1:20–25 - The Enduring Word

1 Peter 2:4–10 - Living Stones

Recap: Peter has been talking to us about our identity and now he goes even deeper. Last week, we talked about… Because we have been born again through the living and enduring Word of God, a sign of our new life in Christ is a longing for God’s Word, craving it like newborn babies crave milk. Today, Peter shifts from our individual growth to God’s greater purpose: He is not saving isolated people; He is building a living temple that displays His glory to the world and He wants you to be a part of it. This is great stuff! (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. "If I held this rock up and asked you what it's worth, most of us would say, 'Not much.' You'd probably throw it into the landscaping or toss it into a field. By itself it's just another rock. But put that same stone into the hands of a master builder, and suddenly it becomes part of something beautiful—a fireplace, a cathedral, a bridge that carries thousands of people. The value of the stone isn't determined by what it looks like lying on the ground; it's determined by whose hands it's in." "Peter says that's exactly what God has done with us. Alone we are just scattered stones. But when we come to Christ—the Cornerstone, we become Living Stone—God begins building something we could never become by ourselves." That longing for purpose is fulfilled. (4)   In the NLT..You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. Vs 4 begins with: “Coming to Him, Coming to Christ,” Before he mentions who we are, he grounds us in a very practical, extremely vital present reality. We don’t ever stop coming to Him. We continue coming to Him every day for strength, wisdom, forgiveness, grace, and direction. We come to Him when our faith is strong, and we come when our faith feels weak. We come when life is joyful, and we come when suffering has drained every ounce of hope. We come after victories and after failures. The Christian never graduates from needing Jesus. The closer we grow to Him, the more we realize how desperately we need Him. And we come to him “as to a living stone.” A living stone? Stones are inanimate objects. Yet Peter deliberately joins life with stone because he is building a great metaphor to describe the construction of the Church. Every person who chooses to be a follower of Jesus is a stone hewn by God Himself fitted precisely into the body of Christ the Church.

1 Peter 2:1-3 - Living Like Newborns

We are back to our study in 1 Peter. We left off in Chapter 1 where Peter has reminded us that believers have been born again through the living and enduring Word of God, and obedience to the truth found in God’s word, cleanses us from our sins. Because we have been born again, God's Word gave us new life, now the Bible must shape the way we live every day and that’s where we pick up as we begin chapter 2. 2:1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. NIV "Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind." This verse is going to be a word study, because this one little verse is packed with practical information. Notice how Peter begins this next thought, he uses the word, "Therefore." Peter is connecting everything he has just taught with everything he is about to command. Since we have been born again through the living Word of God, since we have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, and since we have been called into a new family, our lives should begin to look different. Christianity is believing truth that causes us to live a new and different life.  Peter then uses a phrase that when taken literally means to take your clothes off, but he uses it figuratively to "rid yourself of something, to put off or away, to give something up, or renounce". Peter is saying that I want you to renounce, give up, cast away.. all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander (of every kind).

1 Peter 1:20–25 - The Enduring Word

We live according to the standards of God as aliens in a strange world of shifting ideals.  We don’t study God’s Word so we can know more—we study it so that we will live differently. Biblical knowledge is valuable, but it only has value when it  transforms our life. It’s not merely about what we know; it’s about how our lives reflect Christ. In the previous passage, Peter reminded us that our salvation did not come through perishable things like silver or gold, but through the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Now he explains what that redemption produces. Christ was God’s eternal plan, our faith rests securely in the risen Savior, our new birth comes through God’s living and enduring Word, and the evidence of that new life is sincere love for one another. 1 Peter 1:20–25 (NLT) “God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake. Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory. You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart. For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. As the Scriptures say, ‘People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. But the word of the Lord remains forever.’ And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.”

1 Peter 1:17–19 - Redeemed at Great Cost: Living as God’s Obedient Children

(17) Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. (18) for you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, (19) but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.   Intro: There are some things in life that become more valuable when we learn what they cost. I think about 40 years ago I heard a story about Moravian Christians who due to religious persecution left what would be modern day Czech Republic to go underground in East Germany, modern day Saxony. By the early 1700’s this group of Christians experienced an incredible revival. History tells that it was like what the first believers experienced at Pentecost. Based on the power of the Holy Spirit on these believers' lives they had an overwhelming desire to live holy, set apart for God. This was not based on strict rule following which was a traditional approach but on their relationship with a gracious and loving Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  This relationship motivated them to devote their lives to the Lord. This devotion led one of the most influential missionary movements in Church history. These Moravian christians had one driving force. “We must win for the Lamb, a reward for His suffering”. This rally cry led them all over the world. One in 12 of them entered the mission field. And great numbers of them died. Yet there was always someone to replace the ones that gave their lives.  Why? Every motivation to reach a lost and dying world had everything to do with their own experience of God’s grace. They understood the cost of their own salvation, and they wanted to see Jesus receive as much fruit as possible for His suffering which satisfied the wrath of God and His judgment of sin.

1 Peter 1:10–16 - The Wonder of Our Salvation

There are few things more beautiful than standing on a mountain ridge at sunrise. The valleys are still dark, the air is crisp, and as the first light begins to crest the horizon, the exhilaration of the first glimpse of the sun and its warmth soothes every cell of your being.  Peter is taking us to a high place spiritually. He wants to lift our eyes above our daily concerns in the dark valleys below, the everyday trials, concerns and stress, and he wants with our eyes on Jesus to take us to higher ground in our minds. He wants us to gaze and show us the breathtaking panorama of God’s plan of salvation. Many of us spend our days focused on practical matters. We think about work, family, unpaid bills, health concerns, livestock, relationship issues, weather, repairs, and responsibilities. Peter does not dismiss those concerns. In fact, he writes to believers who are suffering and facing a lot of difficulties.  Yet before he speaks further about their hardships, he wants them to consider the Old Testament prophets and the age of grace that they foretold was coming.   Let us read 1 Peter 1:10–20 nkjv. (10) Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, (11) searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. (12) To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into. (13) Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; (14) as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; (15) but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, (16) because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”