1 Peter 2

1 Peter 2:1

Peter closed the first chapter of his epistle by saying we should love one another fervently because we’re members of the same family. Just as we were all conceived by the incorruptible Word of God, as newborn babes, we’re to continue in the Word of God. If you’re a parent, you know how newborn babes crave milk. In the middle of the night, they want milk. When you’re trying to study, they want milk. Every few hours they want milk. Peter says we’re to be the same way. He doesn’t say if we’re newborn babes, or when we’re newborn babes, but rather we’re to continue all the days of our lives as newborn babes, craving the sincere milk of the Word. If we are all in the Word together, the result will be unity. If you don’t believe me, take a look around. This group of people would never get together for any other reason except the Word. We have different interests, political inclinations, ideas, philosophies, and backgrounds. However, as we study the Word, we are knit together in unity. That is why we are to lay aside the slow-burning anger of malice, the trickery of guile, and the divisiveness of hypocrisy, envy, and evil speaking. The degree to which those attributes exist in our lives will be the degree to which our hunger for the Word will be diminished. No matter how good the meal my wife, Tammy, prepares for me, if I stop off at McDonald’s on the way home and score a couple of Quarter Pounders with large friesand super-size the whole dealwhen I get home, I won’t be interested in what she’s made. When people stop reading or studying the Word, it’s because they’re eating the junk food of the world. That’s why Peter says, “First lay aside the junk and then you will desire the milk of the Word.”

1 Peter 2:4

Peter says not only are we children in the same family, but we are stones in the same building. Several years ago, there was a mini controversy at Applegate Christian Fellowship for a few days relating to whether young men should be allowed to wear hats in church. While I understand the concern for respect, the issue wasn’t that guys were wearing hats in church. The issue was that the church was wearing hats. The building isn’t the churchthe body is! We are the living stones. People like to be on the church grounds at Applegate Christian Fellowship. They enjoy the amphitheater, the sanctuary, the mountaintop. I like to be there, too. Why? It’s not because the grounds are anything special. It’s because the fragrance of the church is left behind. These buildings are nothing more than buildings. But because the church is here worshiping and praying, studying and fellowshiping with the Lord, the environment is filled with the fragrance of Jesus. That we are living stones who are being built up, or fit together, as a spiritual house brings to mind a most interesting Scripture… And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.1Ki_6:7 When Solomon’s temple was being constructed, all of the chiseling, hammering, cutting, and chipping was done underneath the old city of Jerusalem. When the stones were taken to the temple mount, they could be fit together in silence. We’re living stones being fit together for an eternal temple in heaven. This life is the quarry, which explains why we always feel like we’re being chipped and chiseled. “Why am I next to this blockhead?” you ask, or, “Why are they part of the family?” You know why? As living stones, we constantly rub against one another, knocking rough edges off one another in the process. You see, God puts us right next to the very people He knows will smooth us down so He can build us up into a temple for His glory. The problem is, I try to get away from the blockhead I’m rubbing against. But because God puts us in fixes to fix us, He puts us with people and in situations He knows will shape us most effectively. So if I try to fix the fix God put me in, He will be faithful to put me in another fix to fix the fix He wanted to fix in the first place! If we don’t learn this, we’ll go from fix to fix until finally we say, “Okay, Lord. I’m not going to try to fix this, or wiggle out of that, but I’m going to embrace and accept where You have me because I know You’re doing a work on me, shaping me for eternity.” According to tradition, during the construction of Solomon’s temple, work went smoothly until the builders were unable to locate the cornerstone. Word was sent to send the missing stone up to the temple mount. “We sent that stone a long time ago,” the quarriers replied. The builders were confused until one of them remembered a perfectly cut stone that was tossed over the gully into the Kidron Valley because no one knew what to do with it. The rejected cornerstone is a biblical allusion that shows up again and again throughout Scripture (Isa_28:16-18; Psa_118:22; Act_4:11). “It was a mistake to marry him,” she cries. “I can’t figure her out,” he sighs. “This is unworkable. Let’s quit,” they say. The same thing happened to Jesus… “How can this carpenter, this peasant, be the Messiah?” they scoffed. “He leads no army. He has no credentials. Let’s get rid of Him,” they said. Instead of saying, “Dump them,” you and I must be those who look at people and situations and say, “I bet this is the Cornerstone working in my life. Jesus is using this situation in some way I can’t figure out. It doesn’t fit in with my thinking. It doesn’t work according to my calculation or designbut somehow, even as He was rejected, this could very well be a key to what He is doing in my life.”

1 Peter 2:9

Not only are we children in the same family and stones in the same building, but we are priests in the same temple… As children of the same family, stones in the same building, priests in the same temple, we are also citizens of the same nation. People look at us and say, “What a peculiar group you are.” Any nation that would heavily fine a person for destroying an eagle’s egg, yet actually encourage the destruction of a human embryo is peculiar indeed. Therefore, I’m glad they look at us as being strange! The Power of Sacrifice A Topical Study of 1Pe_2:9 As I read page after page of Richard Scarry’s What Does Daddy Do? to then three-year-old Peter John, he discovered that some daddies are bakers; some are carpenters. Some are policemen, others firemen. When we finished the book, I said, “Peter, do you know what your daddy does?” Peter thought for a minute and said, “You’re a screecher!” “No,” I said. “A creature?” he tried again. “No, Peter,” I laughed. “I’m a preacher.” There’s nothing I’d rather be, for there is nothing as fulfilling as being in ministry. As a minister, I get to see people’s eternal destiny changed. I get to share the Good News of what Jesus did on the Cross of Calvary with people who are not sure where they will spend eternity. I get to see marriages turn around and families discover a foundation upon which they can build successfully. There’s nothing I would rather do than be in the ministry. Guess what. Our text tells us you are in the ministry every bit as much as I amfor we are all chosen to be a royal priesthood. “Wait a minute,” you say. “How can I be in the ministry? I’ve never been ordained.” Really? Didn’t Jesus say, “You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth much fruit” (see Joh_15:16)? “Well,” you say, “if I’m an ordained minister, where’s my office?” If you work at a bank, your office is in a bank. If you work at Wal-Mart, it’s at Wal-Mart. If you go to school, your office is your campus. You see, the Lord ingeniously has positioned his pastors in places “professional pastors” like me could never go. When we understand this, it changes everything because we see ourselves not as a banker, a student, or a truck driver, but as a minister of the gospel who has been subversively placed in a given arena to make an impact for the kingdom. Truly, we are a royal priesthood, ordained and assigned by no less than the King of kings. What is a priesthood? In the Old Testament, the priesthood consisted of a specific group of men who would stand before God on behalf of the people, and before the people on behalf of God. In New Testament times, the entire church is a priesthood. “If that’s the case,” you say, “it was the job of the Old Testament priests to offer sacrifices to the Lord. How does that apply to us?” Consider the following five sacrifices we, the New Testament priesthood, are instructed to offer… The Sacrifice of Self I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.Rom_12:1 The first sacrifice we offer as New Testament priests is that of ourselves. Because living sacrifices tend to wiggle off the altar, we must continually lay our lives down. Thus, daily, even hourly, we pray, “Today, Father, I give my eyes to You. May I look at people the way You do. I give My lips to You. May I speak words that are in harmony with Your heart. I give my hands to You. May they reach out in love. I give my feet to You. Please guard and guide my steps. I give my body to You, Lord, a living sacrifice.” The Sacrifice of Souls That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.Rom_15:16 When you witness at Wal-Mart, the bank or around your neighborhood, when you speak in such a way that people can see you’re a Christianbe it as you give a word of testimony, or as you turn the conversation in some way to the goodness and grace of Godyou are offering a well-pleasing sacrifice to the Father. The Sacrifice of Stuff But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God.Php_4:18 As in Old Testament days when the aroma of barbequed bulls and lambs was well-pleasing to the Father, the material stuff we share is delightful to His senses as well. Why? He knows our tendency to buy things we can’t afford with money we don’t have in order to impress people we don’t like. Therefore, He says, “I want you to givenot because I need the money, but because you need to be released from the bondage of materialism.” When you give to the Lord, gang, you’re not just supporting a ministry, but you are giving away a bit of your selfishness and greediness. Doing so is pleasing in God’s sight. The Sacrifice of Song By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.Heb_13:15 The Father is delighted when His children come together to praise Him. This is not surprising. Gifts of thanksgiving and love and praise delight the heart of any father. Tammy and I were sitting in the backyard. “Mommy! Mommy!” we heard our then six-year-old call at the top of her lungs. “Mary,” said Tammy, “if you want to talk, you’re going to have to come back here.” The next thing we heard was an odd noise working its way through the house. Wearing her rollerblades, Mary then appeared in the backyard. At this point, I was all ready to lecture her about why she shouldn’t have been yelling in the first place, much less wearing her rollerblades in the house, when suddenly she took from behind her back a beautiful hand-picked bouquet. You know what? I forgot all about my lecture. You, too, might feel like you’ve messed up. But when you come before the Father with a bouquet of praise, saying, “Lord, I know I left rollerblade tracks behind me, but I love You,” His heart is touched. Maybe singing praise songs isn’t your thing. If you choose to lift hands, or bow the knee, or sing anyway, you’re sacrificing your own comfort, shyness, image or feeling of inadequacy. Then it becomes a true sacrifice of praise. As is the case with the sacrifice of our stuff, God doesn’t need to be praised. We need to praise. God doesn’t need affirming. He doesn’t suffer from low self-esteem. He’s not saying, “Am I really the Holy and Anointed One? Am I really sweeter than honey? Thanks for reminding Me because I was questioning that this morning.” No! That’s not it! God knows who He is, and He also knows we need to acknowledge who He is in order that we might be reminded. The Sacrifice of Service But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.Heb_13:16 When you write a thank-you note to someone, when you tell a brother you see the Lord in him, or when you affirm a sister in her faith, you offer the sacrifice of service. When you mow someone’s lawn or bake someone cookies, you’re doing good and offering a sacrifice which is well-pleasing to God. “Okay,” you might be saying, “I understand I’m in the priesthood, and I understand the sacrifices I am supposed to offer. To be honest, however, the idea of sacrifice just doesn’t appeal to me.” Sacrifice may not appeal to you, but I’ll bet success does. Sacrifice secures success because sacrifice releases power, and great sacrifice releases great power. This is one of those pivotal, essential, and foundational understandings for success in spiritual life. The reason God is calling you and me to be a priesthood that offers sacrifices is because He knows that sacrifice secures success. Sacrifice releases power, and great sacrifice releases great power. For a story which illustrates this point, turn to 2 Kings 3… The nations of Judah and Israel had allied with the nation of Edom for one reason: to engage the murderous Moabites in battle. On their march across the blistering, burning desert, they ran out of water. In trouble, they called for a prophet. Elisha was dispatched and told them in the name of the Lord to do something rather odd. He told them to dig ditches. So they dug the ditcheseven though it seemed impractical, illogical, and a waste of their rapidly diminishing energy. The next morning, the ditches were miraculously filled with water, and they were saved. The miracle continued. Not only was their thirst quenched, but when the rising sun shone on the water, it appeared as blood to the Moabites. “The three nations have taken up arms against one another!” the Moabites said. “Their alliance has crumbled. They’ve killed one another!” Thinking all they had to do was march in and pick up the spoils, the Moabites were sorely surprised to discover that the Edomites and Jews weren’t dead at all. Proving to be no match for their combined forces, the Moabites fled before them. But Israel pursued them to their city. Surrounded by the Israelites, and sensing he and his people were doomed, indeed, the king of Moab did something unbelievable when he offered his eldest son as a burnt offering upon the wall of his city. When the men of Israel saw the prince hanging from the wall, they returned to their own land. The king of Moab saved his people through a great sacrifice. He sacrificed his son, and in humiliation, the son hung for all to see. I’m sure you understand the analogy. We were about to be wiped out because of our own sin. Yet the Father stepped in and sacrificed His Son, hanging Him on a tree in humiliation, pain, and suffering to die for you and me. The Enemy that was about to chase us down and damn us eternally can no longer fight against such a sacrifice. Sacrifice releases power. Great sacrifice releases great power. The greatest sacrifice ever offered was when God gave His Son. The greatest power ever released is that which secures our salvation. May God help you and me to understand that sacrifice is not something that is simply to cause us pain or agony. The sacrifice God calls us to is to set us free in order that we might be successful and powerful in life and ministry. If you want little success or little power, give little sacrifices. But if you want great success and great power, say, “I’m going to praise the Lord even if it means getting less sleep.” Or, “Instead of gossiping in the lunchroom at work, I’m going to slip away to a quiet spot and thank the Lord for His goodness to me.” Or, “I’m going to share the Lord with kids at school.” Or, “I’m going to give to someone in need.” The Father will breathe deeply of such sweet-smelling sacrifice to Himas you take your place in the royal priesthood.

1 Peter 2:11

As a body, we are to do three things in light of our unity. First, we are to live in purity. Having talked about trials and persecution from without, Peter seems to shift gears here and address the potential danger from within. “I beseech you,” he says. “I beg you. I plead with you. Hear the cry of my heart: Abstain from fleshly lusts that war against your soul.” In times of difficulty, people sometimes say, “Why should I refrain? Why should I abstain? I just can’t take it anymore.” Peter answers, “Even as things get tough, whatever you do, don’t give in to your fleshly lusts. Be careful. You’re vulnerable.” Perhaps better than anyone else, Peter knew what he was talking about, for he was one who succumbed to his fleshly lusts when things got tough. “Watch and pray,” Jesus told him specifically, “lest you enter into temptation” (Mat_26:41). Peter listened to his flesh, saying, “This Passion Week has been pretty intense. You need a break. Kick back. Relax.” So he did. A few hours later, standing by the fire not of persecution, but of temptation, Peter ended up denying Jesus three times. Shaken in his soul, he wept bitterly (Luk_22:62). Peter knows what he’s talking about when he says to the early believers, to you, and to me, “I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims. Abstain from the lust of this world.” Notice Peter doesn’t say, “Refrain temporarily,” or, “Know when to say when,” or, “Be sure you have a designated driver.” No, he simply says, “Abstain completely.” The Greek word translated “war” is strateuomai, from which we get our word “strategy.” The Enemy has a strategy to war against your soulyour personality, your emotions, your will, your volition. The strategy of Satan is simply to say, “Abstinence is too old-fashioned, too legalistic, too unrealistic, too harsh. Just know when to say when. Be wise in what you’re doing.” You see, gang, Satan won’t come blasting into your life with a drug dealer in tow. No, his strategy is much more subtle. He simply wants you to compromise a little here and a little there, until there is nothing left of your purity. The problem with lust is not that it hurts God or others. The problem with lust is that it wars against us. It tears us down as it wears us down.

1 Peter 2:13

We are to walk in purity and humility. At the time of Peter’s writing, a majority of Rome’s population were slaves. They were treated as less than human. Peter instructs them to not only honor the king, but to submit to their masters. How, then, can we have the audacity to snivel about our president or whine about our bosses when our brothers and sisters served cruel masters and honored a demented king whose main objective was to annihilate them? Lord, forgive us.

1 Peter 2:21

We are to walk in purity, humility, and we are to walk in conformity to the Lamb. Facing persecution, the early believers were not left on their own without a model to follow, for “Christ also suffered for us, leaving an example, that we should follow in his steps.” When my son Peter-John was about three years old, we were playing in the snow, and I said, “Come on, PJ, follow in my footprints if you can.” He couldn’t. My stride was too big. To be frank, folks, I look at a verse like this and read that when He was being wrongly, cruelly, terribly treated, Jesus didn’t answer back. I am to follow His steps. Yet I know I can’t do this because I want to fight back; I want to let my opinion be known; I want to make sure I’m heard. Here’s the good news: Jesus not only is our example; He is our enabler. He is not only the Lamb He is the Shepherd of our souls. Peter-John did indeed follow in my steps that dayas I lifted him into the air and back down again and again so that he could put his feet in each one. He followed in my footsteps not only because I gave him steps to follow, but because I also enabled him to do so by lifting him up. That’s what our Lord does. He’s the One who hoists me up and allows me, if I’ll let Him, to follow in His footsteps. And He’ll do the same for you.