House of Hope Online

August 4, 2024

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Today I would like to share with you today from 1^st Peter 2, which has some timely advice for us as Christians living in an increasingly unbelieving world.  1^st Peter was written by the Apostle Peter to the early Jewish believers who were being persecuted throughout the region of Asia Minor, which included Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.  Peter urged them to conduct themselves in such a way that might one day encourage their persecutors to glorify God.

1^st Peter 2:

 12 Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may on account of your good deeds, as they observe [them,] glorify God in the day of visitation.

Think about that for a minute:  when people persecute you for your belief in Jesus and the Word of God, conduct yourselves in a way that encourages them to one day glorify God.  That is the standard we should use before we speak, or post on social media.  Will what I say cause the audience to glorify God someday, or am I behaving in poor character, just trying to win a debate and feel good about myself?

This message is relevant for us today when we encounter the unbelieving spirit of the world.  Instead of engaging the debater of this age in angry debate, Peter instructs us to put aside some things that we might be tempted to use when we engage the enemy.

Put Aside Malice

Peter begins Chapter 2 with a strong admonishment to put aside malice, and instead long for the word of God.

1^st Peter 2:

 1 ¶ Therefore, putting aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisy and envy and all slander,

 2 like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,

 3 if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

There is some serious advice for us in that passage.  If you have tasted the kindness of Jesus, then put aside all malice, which means evil and wickedness, and put aside all guile, which refers to deceitfulness, trickiness, baiting, craftiness, and subtlety.  As we all know, there is a lot of that going around today.  Just listen to a few political ads.  We as Christians can fall victim to those maladies, especially in response to persecution.  But there is no place for that stuff in the heart of a believer. 

Therefore, Peter is telling us to put all that aside.  Do not partake in it.  Search yourself for any hypocrisy that might be in you.  Are you envious of others?  Are you slandering others, which means uttering falsehoods, whether intentionally or not, that defame or damage the reputations of others?  These are the things that can ruin your character and cause cold-heartedness.  Instead of reacting this way, Peter tells us to long for the pure milk of the word, like a newborn baby will long for milk, so we can grow in respect to our salvation.

I remember a few years ago, one of the first times that Nancy and I babysat my granddaughter Hailey, we were having a fun time until Hailey realized how much she missed her mother.  She began to long for her mother to come home.  She cried real tears, sad tears.  I felt so bad for her.  There was no consoling her except to say that mommy would be home soon. 

That is what Peter is saying we should do with respect to the word of God.  Long for it, don’t be satisfied until you are growing in it.  Long for the pure milk of the word as a newborn baby would long for milk.  Allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the word and enable you to put aside all malice, guile, hypocrisy, envy, and slander.  Long for that, and pray for that, in Jesus’ name.

Come to the Living Stone

After instructing us to put aside the bad stuff, and to long for the word of God, Peter goes on to urge us to come to Jesus when we are persecuted, because He is the choice, living stone who was rejected by the builders.

1^st Peter 2:

 4 ¶ And coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected by men, but choice and precious in the sight of God,

 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

 6 For [this] is contained in Scripture: “BEHOLD I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER [stone], AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”

 7 This precious value, then, is for you who believe. But for those who disbelieve, “THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE VERY CORNER [stone,]”

 8 and, “A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this [doom] they were also appointed.

If we believe in the precious Corner Stone, Jesus, we will not be disappointed, even though we may have to walk through persecution.  There is persecution today for Christians.  Our beliefs are being challenged in many areas by the unbelieving spirit of the antichrist.  Jesus said we will be hated because they hated Him first.  Peter is telling us in verse 5 to walk as living stones, and to be built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus.

Get the significance of verse 5.  Instead of clamoring for “justice” from unrighteous judges, we are to walk with the spirit of life in Christ (as living stones) and offer our persecution as a spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God.  But notice we are to offer that sacrifice through Jesus.  In other words, the persecution must be because of Jesus for it to be a sacrifice acceptable to God.  If persecution comes because of our own malice, or guile, or hypocrisy, or envy, or slander, then it does not qualify as a sacrifice.

Keep in mind that your persecutors are stumbling over the precious Corner Stone, who was rejected.  Verse 8 says the precious stone will become a stumbling block and a rock of offense.  Our persecutors are offended by Jesus because they are disobedient to the word of God.  They are not longing for it as a newborn baby does for milk.

We Are Royal

Continuing in 1^st Peter 2, Peter teaches that we are a chosen race and a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people for God’s own possession.

1^st Peter 2:

9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR [God’s] OWN POSSESSION, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

 10 for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.

In other words, Peter is saying: “You are better than that.”  Come away from the fray, and know you are chosen.  You are royalty.  You don’t earn royalty; you are born again into it through Jesus.  Focus your energy and your purpose in life on proclaiming the excellencies of Jesus, who called you out of that darkness and into His marvelous light.

Just take a moment to appreciate that Jesus called you out of darkness and into His light.  But for the grace of God, we would be among the unbelieving spirit of this world.  We would be the disobedient persecutors instead of the persecuted.  But we were chosen as a royal priesthood, and a holy nation, and a people for God’s own possession.  Knowing who you are will keep you out of the muck and the mire of this unbelieving world.

In the King James version, verse 9 says we are a “peculiar people,” not meaning weird, but instead meaning in the original Greek that we are “preserved, purchased, possessed, and saved.”  Praise God.  Verse 10 emphasizes we were once not a people, but now we are the people of God.  We once had not received mercy, but now we have received mercy.  We found all this in Jesus when we asked Him into our heart.

Closing

And so, in closing, I want to point out that Peter is urging us to keep our behavior excellent in these days, not to be seen as righteous, but instead to witness to our persecutors so they might someday glorify God.

The day of visitation is coming.  The Rapture will be sooner than many believe.  The evil of these days has increased, and people’s love has grown cold, just as Jesus prophesied.  Recognize the mercy extended to you when Jesus called you out of the darkness and into the light.  Walk as a living stone built up in the Spirit to offer your persecution as a sacrifice acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Let us pray.

Father God, thank You for the mercy You have shown to us.  Thank You for calling us out of the darkness, and into Your marvelous light.  Quicken us by the Holy Spirit to put aside all malice, guile, hypocrisy, envy, and slander.  Help us to walk as a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people for your own possession.  Help us to walk in excellent character, even as we are persecuted in these days for clinging to Your word and believing in Your Son.  May our persecutors see our good deeds, and therefore glorify You in the day of visitation.  In Jesus’ holy name we pray.  Amen.