1st Peter 2 Study and Blog
In this blog entry, I share my perspectives after studying 1st Peter Chapter 2. I hope you find it encouraging and challenging. Before you begin reading, you can’t just count on a pastor to feed you spiritually once a week. You must feed yourself daily. We are all called to study God’s Word and get to know Him better. Below I have shared my sources for this study.
Grudem, Wayne The First Epistle of Peter, an Introduction and Commentary
Spurgeon, Charles
Adam Clarke (1762 – 26 August 1832) was a British Methodist theologian
Meyer, F.B. Tried by Fire – Expositions of the First Epistle of Peter
Barclay, William The Letters of James and Peter
Cross References, Commentaries, Study Guides (Pastor Chuck Smith)
Pastor Gary-Cornerstone Chapel
Pastor Paul-Calvary Chapel Ontario
Life Application Bible Commentary by Tyndale
NLT NIV and ESV Bibles
Have you ever had a craving that gets the better of you? Recently Morgan and I were at home and I was just craving french fries. It got so bad, that I even checked the bank account and looked at our budget. We had food to eat at home but I wanted fries. So I went to get fries and it hit the spot. They were perfectly salted and so good!! Can anyone relate? Or just have 1 scoop of ice cream and not want more. Or 1 piece of frozen mango from Costco or 1 marshmallow or piece of candy? I have a pretty strong sweet tooth and that one is hard for me. This is the kind of craving or desire Peter is talking about in verse 2.
2 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, 3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness. (NLT)
The word crave or desire is strong. In the Septuagint (an ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament) it is used for man’s deepest longing for God: As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God (Psalm 42:1). It speaks of the desire each believer should have for the word of God. “The failure to either desire or to receive this pure milk of the word is the reason for so many problems in both individual Christian lives and in congregations.”- Wayne Grudem
Vs 3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.: If we have received from God and have tasted (personally experienced) that the Lord is kind, gracious, then we have great reason and responsibility to receive the word in the enthusiastic way that babies receive their milk. This morning I have broken chapter 2 into 6 points.
Point 1. Create a Desire for God’s Word
4 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. 5 And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.
a.Vs 4 You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple: Peter’s picture here is that God is building a spiritual temple (a spiritual house) using living stones (Christians), those who have come to the ultimate living stone (Jesus).
This spiritual house shows that as much as Israel had a temple, Christians also have one. Yet the Christian’s temple is spiritual, and they themselves are the temple. We are the temple.
Jesus is first called the living stone; then we are called living stones vs 5. We live because we are connected with Him who is the source of life.
Vs 5 you are his holy priests or Chosen by God and precious : As much as God chose Israel, so the church is also chosen, as being the body of Christ. As much as Israel had a priesthood, so Christians are a holy priesthood. Through Jesus.
A holy priesthood:The believer is his own priest before God. He does not need any mediator except his great High Priest, Jesus. “There can no longer be an elite priesthood with claims of special access to God.” (Wayne Grudem)
Think of it this way, these verses leave us with a wonderful promise upon which we can build our lives and our spiritual growth: We are acceptable to God because of Jesus. With this truth as the foundation, we can build lives that please God. Verses 6-8 show us Jesus is the cornerstone on which our faith is built. Our series is titled Enduring Hope in Difficult Days.
Point 2. Establish Your Faith
6 As the Scriptures say, “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” 7 Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him, “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. 8 And, “He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall. They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.
If we are being built into a spiritual house, there is no doubt who our Chief Cornerstone is. Even though men rejected Jesus, He has become the Chief Cornerstone in the work of building the church.
Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of Psalm 118, the stumbling stone of Isaiah 8, the foundation stone of Isaiah 28, the supernatural stone of Daniel 2, and the rock that miraculously gave Israel water in the wilderness (1 Corinthians 10:4 and Exodus 17).
Vs 7 Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. He is precious to those who believe. One way to know if a person has truly Biblical faith is to see if Jesus is truly precious to them.
When Charles Spurgeon was 16 years old, he preached his first sermon in a village cottage to a handful of poor people, and he chose for his text 1 Peter 2:7: “Unto you therefore which believe He is precious.” Spurgeon said that he didn’t think he could have preached on any other Bible passage, “but Christ was precious to my soul and I was in the flush of my youthful love, and I could not be silent when a precious Jesus was the subject.” (Spurgeon)
“Is Jesus precious to your soul? When I shared in the Pre-Decide series I used a rope to talk about the hours in a week.
Point 3. Make Jesus Precious to You
A chief cornerstone is the starting point of a building; everything is laid out according to its connection to the chief cornerstone. Because it stands at the corner, the same stone is the starting place for two walls.
Thus Jesus set out the course for both Jew and Gentile to be joined together into one glorious house for God. This in itself was the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.for the Jews, who thought that Gentiles should not have equal share with the Jews into God’s great house.
In the thinking of many Jews of that time, God should not have built a new building with both Jew and Gentile. But God did something different, and it was a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall. for many first-century Jews.
Therefore these great titles of 1 Peter 2:9-10 now apply to all believers, Jew and Gentile alike; whereas before they only applied to the Jewish people as God’s covenant people.
9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. 10 “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”
V9 The world thinks Christians are odd or unusual, because we praise and love Jesus Christ and spend hours at Bible studies instead of doing worldly "fun things."
But you are a chosen people: The things that once exclusively belonged to Israel – their election (chosen), priesthood, and calling are now no longer the property of Israel alone. These are now the property of every Christian, through Jesus.
We are a royal priests or priesthood. The offices of royalty and priesthood were jealously separated in Israel. But Jesus, who is our King and Priest, has brought them together for His people.
His own special people or in the NLT God’s possession: We are special because we belong to God. A museum may be filled with quite ordinary things: hats, canes, shoes, and so forth; but they may be significant because they once belonged to someone famous. God takes ordinary people; and because He works in them, they are special.
Now in Jesus we belong to God as His own special people.
For example, when a father puts a child on his knee, gives a hug, and tells how much he loves that child, neither one of them doubts the message: “of all the children in the world, some of them brighter, healthier, less troublesome-you are special, you are mine.” Later that child crawls into bed at peace with the world. God gives us the same tender treatment. If not a bounce and squeeze, surely the equivalent in peace and affirmation: We are God’s special people. Face tomorrow’s troubles assured that your heavenly Father goes with you each step. Don’t worry and rest well tonight.
Verse 10 In our culture, with its Christian foundations, we don’t easily understand the great sense of privilege and relief that came to Gentiles as they were shared in the New Covenant with the God of Israel. Peter’s message is wonderful: “You didn’t used to belong, but now you belong to God and among God’s people.”Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people.
Since it is true that believers have a new life principle (chosen people), a new access to God (royal priests), a new government (holy nation), and a new owner (His own special people or possession), it will affect and should affect the way the believer lives life. That effect is described in the following verses.
Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. 12 Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world. (NLT)
Christians were falsely accused of great crimes in the early church. Pagans said that at communion Christians ate the flesh and drank the blood of a baby in a cannibalistic ritual. They said that Christian “agape feasts” were wild orgies. They said that Christians were antisocial because they did not participate in society’s immoral entertainment. They said that Christians were atheists because they did not worship idols.
V11 We're not a part of this world anymore. We're pilgrims longing for a new land “temporary residents and foreigners”
But over time, it was clear that Christians were not immoral people – and it was shown by their lives. “The striking fact of history is that by their lives the Christians actually did defeat the slanders of the heathen.” (Barclay) When Jesus is precious to us our actions reflect that fact.
What are some of the good deeds that Christians can live out as Peter mentions in verse 12. Well the following verses offer some examples.
13 For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, 14 or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right.
15 It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. 16 For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. 17 Respect everyone, and love the family of believers.Fear God, and respect the king.
Vs 13 submit to all human authority Go ahead and underline that in your Bible also under line vs 17 and 18. Also Chapter 3 vs 1, 7, 8. As Christians we should be good citizens, submitting to the government. This was very different from those zealous Jews in Peter’s day who recognized no king but God and paid taxes to no one except God.
Peter wrote this in the days of the Roman Empire, which was not a democracy and no special friend to Christians. Yet he still recognized the legitimate authority of the Roman government.
“The meaning of St. Peter appears to be this: the Jews thought it unlawful to obey any ruler that was not of their own stock; the apostle tells them that they should obey their civil magistrate, let him be of what stock he may, whether Jew or Gentile, and let him exercise the government in whatsoever form.” (Clarke)
Since governments have a rightful authority from God, we are bound to obey them – unless, of course, they order us to do something in contradiction to God’s law. Then, we are commanded to obey God before man In Acts 4 Peter and John are confronted by a religious council. Telling them to stop preaching this is their response: 19 But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him?(Acts 4:19).
Verse 14 He has appointed (had you circle). God uses governing authorities as a check upon man’s sinful desires and tendencies. Governments are a useful tool in resisting the effects of man’s fallen nature.
Verse 15 Your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. : Point 4. Exemplify Honorable Lives. Be a typical example of, or give an example of honorable lives
Peter knew that our conduct is a way to defend the gospel. He knew that those who never read the Bible will read our lives, so it is by doing good that we put to silence the ignorance of foolish men..
The testimony of a changed life is a far better witness of God’s grace than a lecture. When hurting people see how God has brought us through difficult times and transformed our lives, they will want to know how God can change them too. As “temporary residents and foreigners” Peter goes on with more example in verse 18 through 20 how to exemplify honorable lives.
18 You who are slaves must submit to your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel. 19 For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. 20 Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong.But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you
The command to submit to masters isn’t just to those who work for masters that are good and gentle, kind and reasonable, but also to those who are harsh or cruel. If we must endure hardship because of our Christian standards, it is then commendable before God.
To be punished for our wrongs is no credit to us. But when we are punished for doing good and endure it patiently, we are complimented before God.
VS 20 We may suffer for many reasons. Some suffering comes as the direct result of our own sin; some happens because of our foolishness; and some is a result of living in a broken world. Peter writes about suffering that comes as a result of doing good. Jesus never sinned and yet suffered so that we could be set free. When we follow Christ’s example and live for others we too may suffer. Our goal should be to face suffering as he did, with patience and confidence, knowing that God controls the future. Peter explains this in the following verses. Vs 21-23 Christ is our example of the way we should respond when persecuted.
21 For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.
22 He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. 23 He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. 24 He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.
Vs 21 Just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and we must follow in his steps.: Jesus is our example as someone who endured punishment unjustly. When He was insulted Jesus did not insult in return, but in His sufferings He committed Himself to the Father.
5. Naturally Reflect Christ
Verse 24 we can be dead to sin and live for what is right Peter reminds us that when Jesus died on the cross, we also died to sins. Our life is permanently changed by our identification with Jesus on the cross, so act like it, live it and reflect it.
In verses 21-23 Peter made it clear that preserving through difficulty and pain can be the God-ordained path to maturity. God does not ask us to endure anything that he did not endure himself in Christ. Like us, Jesus was tempted to give into sinful pleasures, to lie his way out of a dilemma, to return insult for insult, and to seek revenge, but he chose not to do so. Like Jesus, we can respond to injustice with a faith that entrusts matters into God’s hands and simply seeks to obey Him.
Not only does Jesus serve as our example for how to deal with suffering, but he also suffered for us. He received the punishment for our sin so we wouldn’t have to. Instead of facing terrible punishment, we can receive His mercy. He desires to set us free from our bondage and heal us from the devastating effects of sin in our lives.
d. By His wounds we are healed or By whose stripes you were healed: Peter quotes Isaiah 53:5, Lets take a look. Written 700 yrs before JEsus was born. which primarily refers to spiritual healing but also includes physical healing. The provision for our healing (both physically and spiritually) is made by the sufferings (stripes) of Jesus.
25 Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian (Overseer) of your souls.
Overseer”. This is much less familiar to us, but William Barclay explains that in ancient Greek times…
6. Turn to Your Shepherd
So then, to call God our “Overseer” of our souls is to call him our Guardian, our Protector, our Guide, and our Director. We can always count on Him!
This verse also echoes Isaiah: “All we like sheep have gone astray,” (53:6) Sheep need the constant protection of a shepherd or they will wander away, following their noses and sometimes getting into great danger. People can be like that, wandering through life in whatever direction circumstances might take them. But that was in the past; now you have turned to your shepherd, the guardian or overseer of your souls.
At salvation, each believer returns from going his or her own way, the way of sin. Peter described God as a Shepherd who tirelessly looks after the sheep guiding and protecting them.
Whatever trials and difficulties you might face, your Shepherd is always by your side and the guardian of your soul is ready to protect you. You just have to go to him and ask.
We have covered a lot of scripture this morning, praise God! Let the richness of it just feed your spirit, that you might grow and become strong.
I feel like -- I like to just start all over right now and go back through these first two chapters again. Just to, you know, extract out more of the richness that is here. But I’ll leave that for you to do on your own. Go back and review it. "Desire the sincere milk of the word that you might grow. Our series is titled Enduring Hope in Difficult Days. How do we get through those difficult days? We CEMENT ourselves in Christ, in the Word of God. We CEMENT ourselves in the comfort and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Create a Desire for God’s Word
Establish Your Fatih
Make Jesus Precious to You
Exemplify Honorable Lives
Naturally Reflect Christ
Turn to Your Shepherd C.E.M.E.N.T.
May God bless you, and give you a very fulfilling week as you walk in fellowship with Him.
Let’s pray Father, thank You for Your good Word. May Your Holy Spirit now apply the truth in our daily lives. Help us, Lord, as we live in the world not to partake of the world. Help us, Lord, not to live after the flesh but to live after the Spirit, knowing that we are dead to the flesh to the old life. May we be alive unto You in and through Jesus Christ. Oh Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth. Thy glory fills the heavens and they fill our hearts and our lives tonight. May we live to the praise of Thy glory. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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