Nurturing the New life | 1 Peter 2:1-10

July 15, 2012

INTRODUCTION

We are in a book series from 1 Peter. This morning let’s look at:

1 Peter 2:1-10

1Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

The Living Stone and a Chosen People
4As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—5you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”
7Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
“The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”
8and,
“A stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.”
They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.
9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Nurturing the New life

Today, we are going to look at:
Ways to nurture our new life in Christ.
Marks of a spiritually nurtured Christian.
The blessings of God for a Christian

Nurture suggests ongoing care and protection, like watering and tending to a plant to help it flourish.

Our Christian lives need ongoing care and nurturing like watering a plant and pruning it, so that we can be fruitful and flourish. It is our responsibility to nurture our lives.

How to Nurture Our Christian Life?

Grow up in your Salvation by God’s Word.
Rooted and built up in Christ.

1. Grow up in Your Salvation by God’s Word.

1 Peter 2:1-3

How can we grow up in our salvation? Pure spiritual milk. (not adulterated.)

We are born again by the word of God; 1 Peter 1:23
This word of God was preached to us; 1 Peter 1:25b

We are to grow up with respect to our salvation by the word of God.

v3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
Salvation brought us the taste of God’s goodness, that should lead to a huger for God.

The same word is used for ‘Jesus tasting death for everyone.’

Hebrews 2:9

But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

Christ Followers Have Tasted the Heavenly Gift
Hebrews 6:4-5

4It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age.

Christ Followers Have Tasted the Goodness of the Word of God; Heb. 6:5

Christ Followers Have Tasted that the Lord is good; 1 Peter 2:3.
v3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Now that we have tasted that the Lord is good, we must hunger to know him better.

Recap: We can nurture our new life by coming to the word of God every day nurturing ourselves by it. Such nurturing will keep the old man away. For Peter it is: Malice, Deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander which are Peter’s concerns. For Paul it is: Gal. 5:19-21.

Another way we can nurture our new life in Christ is by:

2. Rooted and built up in Christ.

1 Peter 2:4-5

New theme: Now, Peter moves from the example of a child to a spiritual house.

Believers are a spiritual building being built.

Peter uses a metaphorical language as if we are stones being built. Those who follow Jesus are seen as a building being built.

The structure of the building have to hold together. From the foundation to the finish, one item is connect to another and together they become a building. This shows our connection to Christ as our cornerstone and connection to one another.

Believers are priests who minister in the Spiritual Temple.

Now, we get this idea that we are a temple. Believers constitute the new temple, but they are also the priests who serve in the new temple of which Christ is the cornerstone. Like the OT priests, they are expected to be holy, set apart for the Lord (2:5b; Lev 21:6). But whereas the OT priests offered physical sacrifices, these new priests are to offer spiritual sacrifices.

The Levites in the OT lived under stricter laws than other Israelites did.
They were to be set apart, holy. NT, it is priesthood of all believers. Martin Luther emphasised this. This is the foundation of protestant reformation. There is no separate priestly class in the NT.

Among many functions of the priests in the OT, here is what is applicable to us:
Mediators between God and people; Lev. 16:15-17. Intercede on behalf of people.
Burning incense and worship in the holy place; Ex. 30:7-8
Teaching the law and spiritual instruction; Lev. 10:11; Deut. 33:10.
Blessing the people in God’s name; Num. 6:23-27.

So we are to be involved as intercessors, worshippers, and teachers of the word, and blessing others.

It involves brotherly love.
It involves seeing God in reverence.
It involves looking for this hope.
It involves living and offering ourselves to God on a daily basis.

How to Nurture Our Christian Life?
Grow up in your Salvation by God’s Word.
Rooted and built up in Christ.

ILLUSTRATION

In The Last Days Newsletter, Leonard Ravenhill tells about a group of tourists visiting a beautiful village. They walked by an old man sitting beside a fence. In a rather patronizing way, one tourist asked, “Were any great men born in this village?”
The old man replied, “Nope, only babies.”
This is a very profound answer. There are no instant heroes–whether in this world or in the kingdom of God. Growth takes time, even spiritual maturity takes effort and time. -William C. Shereos.

Marks of a Spiritually Nurtured Christian:
Proclaiming Witness. Declare God’s Glory.
Living Witness. Living Holy Lives & Growing in Submission.

Proclaiming Witness. Declare God’s Glory.

1 Peter 2:9

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that (purpose) you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Here we have this expectation that believers, followers of Jesus are to proclaim this message.

Since followers are considered a: New Israel: Royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of God’s own. All of that exists for this one purpose: That we proclaim God and what he has done. We are to proclaim this marvelous kingdom program that we have become part of. We are been redeemed to work and operate within this Kingdom as royal priests.

So, we go out as members of this Kingdom and proclaim this message of God’s Kingdom.

All members of the church, all members of God’s Kingdom are expected to make this proclamation.

Matthew 28:18-20
19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Living Witness. Living Holy Lives (2:11-12) & Growing in Submission (2:13-3:7)

We will look at it the next time.

The highlighted difference of this high calling involves by contrasting by what the readers were and what they had before their conversion which was nothing. But now they have everything and they have experienced the mercy of God and God expects believers to share that mercy.

Our duty is to proclaim. It is the Holy Spirit who convicts the hearts of people. Some will believe and some will reject or stumble.

1 Peter 2:6-8

. 6For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone, (Ps. 118:23; Jesus: Mk. 12:10)
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”
7Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
“The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”
8and,
“A stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.”
They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

This stone becomes a rock of offence that raises opposition, that makes people fall. But those who believe in Jesus will never be put to shame.

CONCLUSION

As believers, we are called to grow in our salvation and be built up in Christ. The marks of a spiritually nurtured Christian is that the will be a proclaiming witness and living witness of the Gospel. A true follower of Jesus will never be put to shame.

Peter summarises their change of status like this: Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God (2:10; quoting Hos 1:10). God has extended his mercy to all and welcomes all believers as his people.

Life Application
Desire God’s Word for Growth
Reflection: How intentional am I in feeding my spiritual life with the Word of God?

Remove Hindrances to Spiritual Growth
Rid yourselves of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander; 1Peter 2:1
What attitudes or sins do I need to surrender to God today?

Stay Rooted in Christ, the Cornerstone
Is my life firmly built on Christ, or am I trusting in other foundations?

Live as a Holy Priesthood
Offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God; 1 Peter 2:5
How can I serve as an intercessor, worshipper, and teacher in my daily life?

Proclaim His Glory in Everyday Life
Who in my life needs to hear about God’s goodness, and how can I share it with them?

City Harvest AG Church

Nurturing the New life | 1 Peter 2:1-10