SERIES: Trust and Obey
Week #2: Living in Hope and Holiness
1 Peter 2:1-12
MESSAGE PREVIEW:
These are difficult days. Not the same difficulty as the recipients of Peter’s letter were facing, but they are still difficult. Last week we learned about two legs that the church has to stand on in the midst of difficulty: Hope and Holiness. Today, we will learn what standing on those legs results in.
Living in Hope and Holiness
- We put away sin and pursue spiritual growth. (2:1-3)
- Put away (Malice, Deceit, Hypocrisy, Envy) – the focus is community relationships. Brotherly and sisterly love. These sins tear at the fabric of the church ripping away threads of love. (Understanding the Roman culture helps us see that a community that puts these things away stands in sharp contrast to the surrounding culture. Very SET APART)
- Crave – Pure Spiritual Milk – illustration; crave it like an infant craves milk for growth. The word “spiritual” is logikon. Relates to the logos. This is to emphasize the craving of the word of God.
- We crave when we have tasted the goodness of the Lord. We want more and we long to grow closer.
- We are being built into a spiritual house (the new Temple) (2:4-5)
- Living Stones (living because of our resurrected LORD. Not dead stones.)
- Built into a spiritual house. (oikos)
- Holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Christ.
- Jesus is the cornerstone in Zion (2:6-8)
- We are chosen and called for a purpose (2:9-10)
- Chosen Race, Royal Priesthood, Holy Nation, People for His own Possession.
- Purpose: Proclaim how excellent is the One who led us out of spiritual darkness into light. You became His, recipients of His Mercy, though once you were not.
- The way we conduct our life matters. (especially in difficulty or persecution) (2:11-12)
- Sojourners/Exiles – Our home is another Kingdom. Just passing through.
- Abstain from passions of the flesh which wage war against your soul.
- Keep conduct honorable among “gentiles” – unbelievers; persecutors.
1) When they speak against you the evidence shows good deeds.
2) They will glorify God. Your salvation is in view of the gentiles.
3) Day of visitation = judgment, return of Christ, day the Holy Spirit woos them to salvation.
ICEBREAKER QUESTIONS
Begin your session with prayer and use the following questions/discussion to get the conversation started…
Q: What are the God moments from this past week?
Q: What is the best way that we can pray for you or your family?
This week’s message was great in helping us see what the results of standing on the legs of Hope and Holiness is like during difficult times. Let’s talk more about this week’s message and scripture and be encouraged today.
Start by reading 1 Peter 2:1-12.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Ask and discuss the following questions
Q: In what ways does malice, deceit, hypocrisy and envy expose themselves amongst us today? (Open social media, watch the news, etc. It is not just a “them out there” issue. It is often an “us in the church” issues as well.)
Q: What will be required of us to put these things away? (It will require a death to self (Mt. 16:24).)
Q: Why do you think that Peter commands these Christians to put these things away? (Because it is not in line with who they are. The unbelieving world operates in such things. The people of God ought to look different.)
Q: What does Peter command to do instead? (long for and crave the pure spiritual milk)
Q: What are foods that people crave? What is required to have happened in order for you to crave that thing? (Chocolate, a nice steak, etc. In order to crave something, you must have tasted it previously, at least in some way.)
Q: What might the life of someone who longs for or craves God’s word look like? Maybe you know someone like this.
Q: Peter says that we “are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God…”. Where else in the New Testament do we see this language of offering spiritual sacrifices to God and what does it mean? (Paul uses this language in Rom. 12:1-2. There he says that we are to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice. Peter and Paul both are calling us to offer our whole selves to God as a form of worship.)
Q: What might it look like in your day to day life to offer spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Christ?
Q: According to v. 9-10, why does Peter say we ought to be different than those that “disobey the word”? (Because we are something different. We are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession.)
Q: For what purpose has God made us all of those things listed in the first half of v. 9? (That you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.)
Q: Why do you think that Peter would call these people “sojourners and exiles”? (At the very least it is to remind them that where they are is not their home. The same is true for all of us who are in Christ. THIS IS OUR NOT HOME.)
Q: How does knowing that this is not our home motivate us to live according to what Peter says in v. 11-12? (We are reminded that this is not as good as it gets. The Kingdom that has come and is coming is FAR better.)
Q: What is another motivating factor that Peter gives in v. 12? (“They may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” The way we live matters.)
Q: What is your personal “take-away” from this week’s message? What is one specific thing the Lord spoke to you this week?
Q: What is your “action step” this week? How are you planning to apply what God has said to you?
CONLUSION:
Take some time to pray through 1 Peter 2:1-12 together as a group. Divide up the passage between your group (v. 1-3), (v. 4-8), (v. 9-10) and (v. 11-12) and have each person pray through their portion for the group. An example of praying through part of this text if below:
v. 1-3 – Father God, as your people, by the power of your Spirit, help us to put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Instead we desire to long for the pure spiritual milk of your word so that we might grow up into salvation.
v. 4-8 – Lord, we are thankful that though we have been rejected by men you call us chosen, precious, living stones. We are thankful that you are building us into something bigger than us. Would you strengthen us to be the kinds of people that offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to you?
Here are a few reminders:
New Service Times Beginning July 5 – 9:00am, 10:30am, and 5:00pm. July 5 and July 12 will be online only, no in-person gatherings. You can join us online at www.bayarea.church/live.
Church on Your Street: One of the ways we can serve others is by loving those closest to us…on our street! Don’t forget to go to www.bayarea.church/live and click on the “Church on Your Street” icon. Participate in this effort and then take some time to share stories of how God is using you as you love your neighbors.
Reading Plan: Encourage your group to participate in the Psalms Bible reading plan that is posted at www.bayarea.church/live.
SCRIPTURES FROM THIS WEEK’S MESSAGE:
- 1 Peter 2:1-12, Ps. 34:8, Is. 28:16, Rom. 9:33, Ps. 118:22,
NEXT WEEK’S MESSAGE: Trust and Obey: Week 3 – 1 Pt. 2:13-3:7