A Royal Priesthood

1 Peter 2:4-12

Key verse 1 Peter 2:9

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

In the previous passage Peter told them to be holy because they have a living hope and because God is holy. He also told them to rid themselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander of every kind (1 Peter 2:1). They thought that they were suffering because of others and were rejected. When we have trouble with others we want to get mad and fight back. We may do evil when we see others do evil or even envy others and feel sorry for ourselves. In telling them to rid themselves of these things, he pointed them to crave pure spiritual milk, meaning to go to the Lord and learn of him. 

In today's passage he encourages them by telling them what kind of people they are and what their purpose is as they wait for Jesus to come back. Let's look verse 9, the key verse of this message, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." Despite their sufferings and no matter what others were doing to them, they were still a people with a purpose. He didn't blame others or pay attention to them, but focused on the believers and their attitudes and actions. I pray that through this passage we may learn to not fight back but to live as a royal priesthood and declare his praises. 

First, as you come to him (4). 

Look at verse 4.

As you come to him, the living Stone---rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him---

The first thing is coming to Jesus. Peter did not say, as you "go" to Jesus, but as you come to him. He is speaking from the perspective of being there with Jesus and inviting people there. He had troubles with others. He fought with people all the time, like his fellow disciple, John, and he even cut off the ear of a man in the garden when they arrested Jesus. He even fought with Jesus by rebuking him once. But he learned to go to Jesus and learn of Jesus, instead of fighting. 

To be holy, to be obedient, to rid ourselves of those evil things, in times of trouble, in all things we learn here that we have to go to Jesus. The words "As you come to him" means that it is not a one time thing but we are continually coming to him, leaving behind the troubles and evil desires. As he mentioned in he previous passage, we come to him through his word and through obedience to him. We have to keep coming to him. 

Look at how Peter describes Jesus here. He calls him "the living stone." Peter's birth name is Simon. When he met Jesus, Jesus gave him the name Peter, which means rock. But Peter learned that Jesus is the Rock. He is the living Stone. It means that he stands firm and is dependable and steady as we come to him. He was not shaken when others caused him all kinds of grief. 

Peter also describes Jesus as, "rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him." Jesus knows rejection well. When we read the gospels we see one rejection story after another until they finally rejected him by nailing him to a cross, putting him in a tomb, and rolling a large stone over the entrance. But he was chosen by God and precious to him. Jesus knew this. So when he was rejected or had troubles he didn't fight back. He didn't harbor malice, deceit, envy, or slander. He served the Father and obeyed his commands. He loved and gave his life for sinners to be forgiven. He was a stone and unaffected by their rejection. In this way he was secure in the Lord, and even wept over them and prayed for them, he rebuked them and taught them, he was patient and kind, and he raised disciples. 

Sometimes we confuse being rejected by men to mean being rejected by God. And then we doubt God and are tempted by evil desires. Today's passage says to come to Jesus who is the living stone, rejected by men but chosen to God and precious to him. When we do we can be secure in Jesus and just like Jesus. We can be secure and serve God's purpose, not fighting back against others, just as Jesus did. We can rejoice and give thanks to God for rejections for we can learn more about Jesus and experience his life.

Second, you are being built into a spiritual house (5). 

Look at verse 5.

you 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.

As we come to Jesus something is happening to us. We are called like living stones. It means that in the first place we are like Jesus the living Stone. Which means further that just as he was rejected by men, so will be those who come to him. But just as Jesus was chosen by God and precious to him, so also are those who come to Jesus; and they are being built for service just as Jesus was.  

Peter describes this further by saying: "being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood." We are living stones and God is the builder. He's building us together to be a house to a holy priesthood. This priesthood is holy. It is not what we think of priests today, with robes and ceremonies. Peter applied this to all who are coming to Jesus. They are all part of this priesthood.

On the night he was arrested Jesus said of his disciples, in John 17:16-18, "[16] They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. [17] Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. [18] As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world." What Jesus prayed here perfectly corresponds to what Peter is saying. They were in the world, but strangers now, not of the world. And they were there as ones sent out by Jesus just as he was sent into the world. 

This means the priesthood is just doing the will of Jesus who sent us into the world, doing as he did. What did Jesus do (as a priest or otherwise)? He came and represented God's name, taught the word of God, shepherded over God's flock and offered himself as a sacrifice on the cross for the forgiveness of sins. It was all for sinners to be made acceptable to God through faith in him. Here in verse 5 Peter mentions the role of the priesthood to offer "spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." As Jesus did, we also need to represent him and give the message of him, shepherd over God's flock and teach the word of God so that people can be made acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 

The Apostle Paul shared this same sense of duty as a priest. He said in Romans 15:15-16,

"[15] I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me [16] to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”

This is the priestly duty which we are being built into a spiritual house to do.

So let's look at verses 4-5 again.

"[4] As you come to him, the living Stone---rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him--- [5] you 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.

We need to come to Jesus, be rooted in him, and tell of him. Instead of fighting back, we serve as a holy priesthood just like Jesus that people may believe in him and be presented as acceptable God. And like a house, as he says, we need to do this together. We need to come to Jesus together and serve the priestly duty together. So we need to love each other and forgive each other and build each other up in serving the Lord. 

Third, the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame. 

Look at verses 6-8.

[6] For 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." [7] Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone, " [8] and, "A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message---which is also what they were destined for.

The Old Testament scriptures talked about this work in Jesus. Verse 6 says, "See, I lay a stone.." Those who believe in him and trusts in him will never be put to shame. It means that they are secure when they trust in him. Even if others reject them, they are secure and will not be put to shame. 

Peoples rejection of Jesus did not change who he was and his purpose. He was rejected but became the capstone (7). Jesus did not stumble and fall. Those who don't believe and are disobedient will stumble and fall. Stumbling and falling because of Jesus is the destiny of those who do not believe and who disobey. 

God put you here as living stones just as he put Jesus Christ to do as Jesus did. If anyone does not believe or is disobedient then they will meet their destiny. Being rejected and sufferings is a given because Jesus was also rejected and suffered much. Those things don't change who we are and what we are to do. And we shouldn't hate or fight back against those who do such things to us because those who trust in Jesus will never be put to shame. Rejection is hard to face. We ask, Why was I rejected? 

Look at verse 9. "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." 

They are rejected, but are his chosen people, royal priesthood and holy nation to declare his praises. So he reminds them again of who they are and what they are to do. Those people may do that, but "you" go out and give the message of Jesus. A priest is not against people, but sympathetic. If someone is disobedient or unbelieving they will stumble and fall. But we ought to come to him, be rooted and built up in him, and tell about him and what he has done. 

Here he describes it as "declaring the praises of him who call you out of darkness into his wonderful light." Jesus came to save sinners. He calls out of darkness. His light is described as "wonderful." There is no "wonderful darkness," but Jesus calls out of darkness into his wonderful light. It's so wonderful because we used to stuck in darkness but he called us out and called to him! Living in the light, now we are called to declare his praises and invite people to the family God. This means repenting of acting like rejected people and instead act like chosen people, act like people who have been called because you have been called out into his wonderful light. He did what no one else could do for you and saved you. Now act like it. 

In the daily bread this week, in Luke 17, there is a story of ten lepers who were healed by Jesus. They all came to him and met him, standing at a distance and they cried out to Jesus for mercy. He told them to go and show themselves to the priests. As they went they we cleansed because they obeyed him by faith. Look at how one of them responded, in Luke 17:15:

"One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice."

When he received mercy he came back, praising God in a loud voice. He did so in a loud voice so that everyone could hear what God had done for him and the mercy he had received. We should do the same. We are like that leper. We could not make our sin go away and be healed. But in his mercy he saves sinners. He has mercy for all who cry out to him. Make sure you use a loud voice so his praises can be heard. 

Look at verse 10.

Once 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.

With the start of the Olympics, people are proud to declare the praises of their countries. They are proud to be the people of that nation. To be the people of God is to belong to his family. We could be a people of God through his mercy through Jesus Christ who died for our sins and rose from the dead. Those people at the Olympics were born as people who belong to that country. We were once not a people, but we became the people of God. It doesn't matter what ethnicity or national origin. And we became his people through receiving his mercy. How wonderful is that? We should show it and declare it better than those at the Olympics. We should have the attitude of a royal priesthood and live like Jesus. We may face a lot of rejection, even as go out and declare his praises. The environments may not always be so welcoming. But we a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a people belonging to God. So we need to keep going out and declare his praises. 

Fourth, abstain from sinful desires. 

Look at verses 11-12.

[11] Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. [12] Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

A holy nation does not respond to evil with evil. And we ought not to give in to sinful desires. Sinful desires are strong so that it is like a war against your soul. We see here that Peter did not blame others for the troubles they were having facing or have a pity party. He did not rouse them to anger or revolt against others, like the Roman soldiers. Instead, he pointed out their own sinful desires, urging them to abstain from them and live such good lives for everyone to see and so glorify God. It doesn't matter if you're rejected, accused, or mistreated. The war is not with people, but to abstain from sinful desires and live good lives that are in obedience to God and glorify him. And while here we carry out the priestly duty together as a spiritual house just like Jesus the living Stone did. We don't fight back but come to Jesus and tell about him. If someone rejects you or accuses you, bless them, pray for them, and tell them about Jesus. Verse 12 says to live "such good lives" not evil ones because you're a holy priesthood. And it is among the pagans. So not just good lives with church people, but good lives among the pagans. 

In conclusion, we learn to come to Jesus, trust in him, and declare his praises. Our position is the same as Christians in Peter's day. We are like Jesus who was rejected but chosen by God. He is building us into a spiritual house as royal priesthood. So that through us the message of Jesus would be declared and people would be invited into God's family. As much as we know Jesus we can serve as a priest and shepherd for others just like him. 

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