The objective of this lesson: To fill us as Christians with a sense of privilege and to urge us toward a sense of responsibility in being Gods people.
There is a progression and a purpose. In the progression, we all begin at the same pointthe immaturity of a self-focused infant. Begin by considering a babynot a toddler or a pre-school aged child, but a baby. When a baby wants to eat, the baby lets you know itwhether at 2 a.m. or at noon. The convenience of the parents is not an issue; the issue is I am hungry! When the baby becomes uncomfortable in its diapers, the baby lets it be known. When the baby does not feel well because of gas, the baby lets it be known. The schedule of the entire family must yield to the babys needs and desires. Enormous immaturity expresses itself through self-focus.
Stress how self-focused a baby is because the infant is totally immature.
Every Christian who begins life in Christ is an immature baby. (One major difference in the spiritual infant and the physical infant is found in the fact that the spiritual infant must unlearn a former existence to learn a new existence.) Immature spiritual infants have a tendency to be self-focused. The more a person moves from self-focus to a family focus, the more that person moves from spiritual infancy toward spiritual maturity.
Stress that all of us begin spiritual existence as a spiritual infant. The infant needs milk in order to grow. Meat and other forms of adult food would produce death from choking or from a lack of nourishment (the inability to digest).
The purpose for all Christians is growth. Just as the rate of growth differs for physical infants, the rate of growth also differs for spiritual infants. Gods primary focus is not on the rate of spiritual development, but on spiritual development. The motivation that stimulates spiritual growth is tasting the kindness of the Lord. Progressively, the person in Christ grows away from a self-focus to a family focus. Spiritual maturity in an individual Christian typically occurs when the individual Christian becomes more concerned about the well-being of the spiritual family (the congregation) than personal desires. The challenge of spiritual maturity often involves determining the spiritually healthy balance between personal desires in a congregation and the well-being of the congregation.
Stress that Gods focus is not on rate of growth, but on growth. A persons background powerfully influences the rate of spiritual development.
Why? The spiritual person is profoundly impressed with the unselfish (often sacrificial) kindness of Jesus. The Christian constantly benefits from Jesus unselfish kindness. Increasingly, the Christian wishes to reflect (mirror) that kindnessincreasingly the Lord becomes his/her example of how to behave in Gods family.
The example in God-cherished spiritual development is Jesus. Christians look to the values that led Jesus to do and to be who he was in his physical existence.
Where is the Christian going? What is his/her destination?
The person who is serious about spiritual development must have an understanding of who he/she is in Christ and the direction he/she wants to develop as a person who is in Christ.
1 Peter 2:1-10 declares that the Christian wishes to become a living stone which the Lord Jesus will utilize as building material. Why? Jesus in his earthly existence was a living stone which God used as building material to achieve His objective. Did the Israelite leadership and priesthood see Jesus as a living stone, as a fundamental part of Gods building material? No! In fact, the majority of them rejected Jesus as being fit for divine building material! What knowledgeable people regarded as being unsuitable divine building material was used by God as the essential stone in the foundation of Gods building.
Jesus was not recognized as spiritually valuable by those who should have been the first to see his godly value. These peoples religious values were so perverted that they could not see the value Jesus was to Gods purposes. He who was of the greatest value ever to Gods purposes was discarded by religious experts as being worthless to Gods purposes.
Christians also serve the role of priests in Gods building. Their responsibility is to offer up spiritual sacrifices (verse 5) acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Please note that what makes the sacrifices offered acceptable is Jesus Christ, not the person.
In the illustrations of 1 Peter 2:1-10, Christians serve dual roles: (a) as Gods spiritual house (temple) and (2) as the sacrificial priests in Gods temple. The double emphases stress the importance of the Christians dedication to holiness.
Gods stone, Jesus Christ, serves a dual role. For the person who believes in what God did through Jesus, every promise God made (promises we can see from Genesis 12:1-3 forward) is fulfilled. Everything God intended to do for sinful humans He did in Jesus Christ. What God did in keeping His promises resulted in God sending Jesus to be the Christ. Jesus Christ becomes (is) the foundation for the individual believer to trust God to do what He says He will do. However, for the person (in context, the Israelite) who refused to believe in what God did (does) in Jesus, Jesus became the stumbling stone. For the person who rejected Gods presence and work in Jesus, Jesus caused a spiritual falling.
Jesus also served a dual role. However, the role he served depended on the faith of the individual. God did not give us humans who accept Jesus the role of judge of human rejecters or evaluators of human accepters. Our role involves encouraging and guiding, not serving as judges pronouncing eternal judgment. That is Jesus Christs role, not ours.
The contrast is striking! The contrast is between a stone that is precious to God and a tripping stone that caused people to stumble.
That Jesus could serve in those two roles at the same time is amazing! That he could encourage some while he rejected others is astounding.
Who were Christians to be? They were to realize they were selected by God to be a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people to be possessed (owned) by God. What were these people to actually do? They proclaimed Gods excellencies. Why? They did so for two reasons: (1) God called them out of darkness into His marvelous light. (2) They had become Gods people who received mercy.
Stress that those who are called by God through Jesus Christ to be Christians are called to be something. Too often we define Christianity in terms of what we are not rather than in terms of what we are.
Be careful! The dividing line was the willingness to trust Gods work in Jesus. It was not the worthiness of the individual, nor the accomplishments of the individual, nor the lineage of the person. It was the willingness to trust what God did (the making of an eternal Savior for all people) and is doing (forgiving, sanctifying, redeeming, dispensing mercy of grace, and providing propitiation in Jesus Christ).
We are too prone to define spiritual worth in terms of function performed or achievements. God does not define spiritual worth in those ways. God defines spiritual worth in terms of faith in Him and in the ways we are motivated by that faith. It is not a matter of ability we have, but of trust we exhibit. Thus, spiritually it is a level playing field for allthose gifted by ability are no more spiritually significant to God than those with few abilities. Regardless of ability, we have only done what we should do (Luke 17:7-10).
What are we as Christians? We are built by God upon Jesus Christ to be Gods temple. We are to serve as Gods priests in Gods temple. Again, that may not say much to you, but it was a profound call to holiness to those to whom Peter wrote.
Stress that people who are Christians sense that God is at work in them (by their permission, through their faith in Gods work in Jesus) to use them for His purposes. This is not about a person exchanging places with God, or assuming Gods responsibilities, or deciding he/she is spiritually special. God may use him/her in a very lowly way. It is about understanding that the Christian lives for more than the material and for more than personal gratification.
The key consideration was NOT whether you belong to the proper institution, but Who are you? What is your calling?
Serving Christ is about a sense of being, of purpose in Jesus Christ, and about a direction for life because the person belongs to God through what God did in Jesus Christ.
For Thought and Discussion
1. There are what two things?
There is a progression and a purpose.
2. The more a person moves from self-focus to family focus, the more he/she does what?
The more that person moves toward spiritual maturity.
3. Gods primary focus is not on what but on what?
Gods primary focus is not on rate of spiritual development, but on spiritual development.
4. The motivation that stimulates spiritual development is what?
The motivation is tasting the kindness of the Lord.
5. The spiritual person is profoundly impressed with what?
He/she is impressed with the unselfish, sacrificial kindness of Jesus.
6. 1 Peter 2:1-10 declares the Christian wishes to become what?
He/she wishes to become a living stone, Gods building material.
7. Christians also serve as what?
Christians serve as priests in Gods building.
8. What dual role does Jesus Christ serve as Gods stone?
a) He verifies God keeps His promises, gives the blessings He promised to believers.
b) He is the stumbling stone to those who reject what God did in Jesus.
9. Who were Christians to be? Why?
a) They were to be a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people possessed by God.
b) (1)They were called out of darkness into Gods marvelous light, and (2) they had received mercy.
10. What was the dividing line?
The dividing line was the willingness to trust Gods work in Jesus.
11. As Christians we are built by God upon Jesus Christ to be what two things? What is the emphasis?
a) Christians are built by God upon Jesus Christ to be the temple and to be priests in the temple.
b) The emphasis is on Gods call to holiness.
Link to Student Guide
Lesson 12