1 Peter 2:1-10
1 Peter 2:1–10 CSB Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander. Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow up into your salvation, if you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone—rejected by people but chosen and honored by God—you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture:
See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and honored cornerstone,
and the one who believes in him
will never be put to shame.
So honor will come to you who believe; but for the unbelieving,
The stone that the builders rejected—
this one has become the cornerstone,
and
A stone to stumble over,
and a rock to trip over.They stumble because they disobey the word; they were destined for this.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood,a holy nation,a people for his possession,so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Knowing who you are causes a change in your thinking.
1 Peter 2:1-3 “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander. Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow up into your salvation, if you have tasted that the Lord is good.”
When we are born again there is a change that happens to us. This new life that has begun in us is in need of nourishment. It isn’t our physical hunger that drives this need, it is the spirit within that hungers.
As we desire the word of the Lord and drink it in we start to recognize a disparity. What God is telling us differs from what we believed. The more we get a hold of God’s way, the more we must let go of our way.
This doesn’t happen all at once, but step by step. As you build your life on Christ, you move from the carnal to the holy. You grow up into your salvation.
Knowing who you are causes growth.
1 Peter 2:4 “As you come to him, a living stone—rejected by people but chosen and honored by God—
Christ was rejected by men but chosen by God.
Wow, as I was reading this it hit me, God chose Jesus, God chose me. If this is true of me as it was of Jesus, then the other side of the coin must be as true. Men rejected Jesus, men will reject me.
How is that sitting with you? Are you OK with it? Paul was, and we should take on this same goal.
Philippians 3:10 CSB My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death,
We are growing into the Priesthood
1 Peter 2:5-8 you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
For it stands in Scripture: See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and honored cornerstone, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame. So honor will come to you who believe;
but for the unbelieving, The stone that the builders rejected— this one has become the cornerstone, and A stone to stumble over, and a rock to trip over. They stumble because they disobey the word; they were destined for this.”
For the believing, we will never be put to shame. Honor will come to those who believe. Because we are obeying God’s word. We are walking in God’s ways. We are becoming like Jesus, our great High Priest.
Knowing who you are causes action.
1 Peter 2:9-10 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
Know what kind of people you are.
- A chosen people
- A royal priesthood
- A holy nation
- A people who belong to God
Let’s dig into a few cross-references on priests from the prophets.
Isaiah 61:6 CSB But you will be called the Lord’s priests; they will speak of you as ministers of our God; you will eat the wealth of the nations, and you will boast in their riches.
Revelation 1:6 CSB and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father—to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Revelation 5:10 CSB You made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign on the earth.
Revelation 20:6 CSB Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
Knowing what kind of people we are, gives us insight into the kinds of things we should be doing.
We are a kingdom made of all countries, colors, and cultures. But we have one thing in common. JESUS! We have been born again by His Spirit. That is where our national unity comes from, the very Spirit of God. This unity is created in the bond of Love. We are knitted and networked together through the Spirit.
We are priests. A priest is a person who has access into God’s presence, who represents men before God and God before men.
In Israel, the High Priest was the chief priest. He had four essential functions.
- He supervised other priests
- He made a sin offering (Le. 4).
- He offered the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement (Le. 16).
- He was shown the will of God (Nu. 27:21; Ne.7:65).
In the New Testament, we see Jesus as the perfect and eternal High Priest to God after the order of Melchizedek.
Before Christ, the presence of God dwelt in the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle and Temple. It was separated from men by a veil. Once a year the High Priest could enter in and make atonement for the people.
When Christ died that veil was torn from top to bottom by an act of God (Mt. 27:51). That torn veil is a symbol of Christ’s body that was sacrificed and torn upon the cross. As believers, we have access to God through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and being in Christ (He. 10:19-22).
Know what your purpose is.
- Make Intercession
- Offer Sacrifices
- He sacrifices his body.
- He sacrifices praise to God.
- He sacrifices his substance.
- He sacrifices his service.
Sacrifice of the body
Philippians 2:17 CSB But even if I am poured out as a drink offering on the sacrificial service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.
James 1:27 CSB Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
John 3:16 CSB For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
Sacrifice praise to God
Hebrews 13:15 (CSB) Therefore, through him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.
Luke 12:8–9 CSB “And I say to you, anyone who acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God, but whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God.
Exodus 25:22 CSB I will meet with you there above the mercy seat, between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the testimony; I will speak with you from there about all that I command you regarding the Israelites.
Sacrifice of substance
Romans 12:13 CSB Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality.
Galatians 6:6 CSB Let the one who is taught the word share all his good things with the teacher.
Galatians 6:10 CSB Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.
Titus 3:14 CSB Let our people learn to devote themselves to good works for pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful.
Hebrews 13:2 CSB Don’t neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it.
Hebrews 13:16 CSB Don’t neglect to do what is good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.
3 John 1:5–8 CSB Dear friend, you are acting faithfully in whatever you do for the brothers and sisters, especially when they are strangers. They have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God, since they set out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from pagans. Therefore, we ought to support such people so that we can be coworkers with the truth.
Sacrifice of service
Hebrews 13:16 (CSB) Don’t neglect to do what is good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.
Lastly, we must know what has happened to us. God doesn’t use anyone unless He first takes them through an experience.
Know what has happened to you.
- You have become the people of God
- You have received mercy
If you are not quite sure what to think of all of this, maybe it is time to take a closer look at your heart.
It is easy to take on the label of Christian. It is quite another to walk as one. How is your walk?
Are you feeling close to the Father? Are you resting in His love? Or do you feel separated from Him today?
It is our iniquity that separates us from our God. Sin will do that.
When we try to take what we can only receive, we are once again choosing for ourselves what is good and what is bad. God has defined what is good through His word.
Ignoring it and doing what is right in our own eyes started with Adam and Eve. It continued through Genesis and the entire Torah. Judges repeats the phrase several times. “And they did right in their own eyes…”
But what about you? Are you doing what is right in your own eyes or are listening and obeying God?
Today is the day of salvation. God loves you. He is not looking at all of your faults and needs. He is looking at what He can make of you and how you fit in His plan.
Our great High Priest, Jesus Christ, has finished the work. What we could not do for ourselves, He has done by becoming the perfect sacrifice. He canceled our debt and then rose in power forevermore!
Chose today whom you will serve. Will it be yourself or will it be the Father?
Pray with me:
Father, I can see where I have followed my own way and haven’t walked how you want me to. I confess it as sin and ask that you would forgive. Create in me a new heart. Lead me on your path of righteousness, that I can become more like you. Teach me Your ways and give me understanding. Help me to be Your kingdom and priest. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
