A Living Stone and a Holy People
2:1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,
“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”
8 and
“A stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense.”
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
Submission to Authority
13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (ESV)
1 Pet 2:11-12 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
Bet you didn’t know that you are a sojourner and an exile… But it’s clear here that we are at war with the sinful body we are encased in for a period of time. God wants us to live by His righteous commands as a ‘testimony’ and a ‘light’ about Him to those who reject Him. And in the next paragraphs He calls out the extent that we are to do that: even suffering when we are unjustly punished, like Jesus, we are to endure it for Him. Pretty high bar to measure up against. Good thing He sent the almighty Holy Spirit to power our every move. Let’s honor Him and use the Spirit He sent to us and do what HE says today! And Lord, please come soon!
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
AGAIN, compelled to tears as I meditate on Who Jesus is and what He did for us. Oh, how HUMBLING. And what a source of encouragement He is, to have endured such injury so that my days of straying would be over, and I might return to my Shepherd and the Overseer of my soul.
I remember when I was little. I was a fesity little tyrant for the most part–so independent and tenacious. I didn’t scare easily (I still don’t, actually). But there were a couple times when I became aware of the fact that I may have been lost in public. And though I was lost already, it wasn’t until I became AWARE of my being lost that I got freaked out. And suddenly, my agenda of exploration, playing spy, or sheer rebellion was OVER. My new agenda became a do or die mission of finding Mommy. But it required that I step out of my self-absorbed state, and become aware of the fact that I was lost and needed to be found.
And so it is with us, only in terms of eternity, with Jesus. It is our obligation as believers to seek out the lost and bring them to an awareness that they are LOST. A crisis must be met, and a decision must be made: shall I continue to be a vagabond, or shall I return Home to my Shepherd? That crisis is met and dealt with by and between the Holy Spirit and the lost we plant seeds of awareness in.
Lord, keep me faithful in planting these seeds, praying for You to sustain the growth in fertile soil of these lost people’s hearts, and to model what You require of us in all humility, gentleness, and submission. Trusting in Your sovereignty and Your timing.
Thank You for Your sacrifice. No sacrifice You call me to is too big; nor does it even come CLOSE to what YOU sacrificed for US. As we are anticipating Easter, I celebrate Your victory on the corss, and I maintain a grateful heart for all You endured leading up to that victory.
amen stacy, keep on hvaing the holy spirt in you.
Great commment!
1 Pet 2:11-12 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
Peter is explaining that Christians are not citizens of this world, but citizens of heaven. Since the world is not our home, we must not act like the unsaved around us. That means we must not give in to the sinful desires of our flesh or the temptations of the world and the devil. We must take our fight against sin seriously…war is serious! If we have no plan of attack and no serious commitment to battling our sin we are going to lose the war against it. The pleasures of the world are enticing, if they weren’t it would be easy to fight against them. We must keep our focus on the truth…we were saved by grace through faith FOR good works, to live a life set-apart that brings glory to God. Be sure you have a battle plan against sin and other trained soldiers who are fighting on your side with the same goal…living holy lives that please God! It would make no sense for a soldier to go into a war without training and without other trained military members to aid him in his fight. In the same way it makes no sense for a Christian to have no plan of attack for spiritual disciplines or contact with other believers. I am committed to waging an all-out war against my sin, with the help of the Holy Spirit and other Christians, are you?
Yes i am committed! Your comments are always so encouraging (:
15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.
It is God’s will that Christians do good works. As we learned again from the sermon this week, we are not saved BY good works, but FOR good works. God has prepared for me good things he wants me to do. My job is to do them. I have the freedom to chose to do them or not. I can resist evil. I can live as a servant of God because Christ has set me free from living for myself.
6 For it stands in Scripture:
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,
“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”
8 and
“A stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense.”
who ever believes in him should not put to shame,
when im telling peple the word of God im going to read that
and John 3:16. Because its the truth.
17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust
yesss, honor everyone thats a hard thing to do sometimes.But as
a christian i been doing alot better…and i have been praying that
my anger doesnt come.
and its working:) everytime i wake up in the morning
all i pray is that i would really work on not. and once again i kno God
is anwsing my prayers=)
16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.
In the Bible freedom in Christ is not a license to sin, but rather the ability to choose, as this verse says, to live “as servants of God”. Before I was a Christian, I was dead in sin and trespasses (Ephesians 2:1), and I could not choose to glorify God. That is a big deal because I was created so that I might glorify God. Now that God has saved me, I am finally able to serve Him! In my life I need to be exercising my freedom in Christ not by pulling out the “grace car” like Pastor Bobby talked about last night, but by serving God! I need to be doing the good works, like reading my Bible, praying, evangelizing, encouraging others, and obeying my parents.
Great comment Cameron!
1 Peter 2:10 “Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.
Verse 18 really spoke to me when I was reading this morning. It is so hard to respect those that are unfair or gruff or just simply disagree with what you believe, but this verse is so important to read. Not only do we have to respect those who we agree with and who are gentle and loving but it is commanded to respect those who are unjust. I really need to practice respecting ALL authority and when I face a problem I need to face it head on so I can seek peace and purse it. I also love verse 19. When we are being persecuted or going through rough situations it is important to endure and stay far away from sinful temptations when going through those hard times. Like what Bobby said last night if we are being made fun of and being persecuted by people in our life we should be rejoicing knowing that means we are Christians and we are doing things right in our lives devoted to Christ.
Yes! me too. Instead of being upset we should be happy because we are suffering like Jesus. Great comment Shelby
ELLO… I read
I like verse 12,”Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”
I like this verse because it talks about about having street cred CHRISTianity. I like it because it talks about when the people try to say bad things about you like sins they can’t find any. I need to make sure that I pray to GOD that I stay as pure as possible so that when people try to find something wrong with me they can’t.
CYA
1 Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
We all know that Christ died for us, but when I looked at this verse it really seemed to flick a light on..By His wounds I have been healed…without Christ, I would be suffering, sick, lost and dying. But I’ve been healed because he bore my sins in His body on the cross. He gave up everything so that I could have everything. That is one convicting thought. He did that so that we could die to sin and live to righteousness, so I’m going to do my best to accomplish that. Die to sin. Live to righteousness, because Jesus Christ died for me.
Submission to authority was something I struggled with for a while. I would be constantly arguing with my mom about my responsibilities. It is so cool to look back and remember how I used to be. And how God has changed me. How he has saved me!!!!
MARANATHA
15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.
This reminds me of the sermon from last night- it is so important that we do good works for God, but to know that they do not save us! If I call myself a Christian, yet i am not doing anything good, I am considered a liar as the Bible says. I am supposed to be bearing fruit each day to show that I am truly saved and to express my love for God by obeying His commands! And i need to remember that Gods commands are not burdensome! I should want to obey His commands with a ‘happy’ heart…If i am obeying His commands, then basically I am doing good- I would be obeying my parents, not lying, not stealing, not lusting, not coveting, have no idols…I want to live my life 100% to please Christ!
Maranatha!
So my little brother read this passage out loud because he is that adorable. My mother even made a comment on a verse so that all can make insight in it.
MARANATHA!
Bobby just had a sermon on verses 13-17. subjection to our authorities…mmmmmm. Now a days I find that I can work on obeying the speed limit when I’m not paying attention. In my neighborhood, it’s especially hard to obey it..in Jeremiah’s it’s extremely hard! You have to go 5 miles an hour! IIII of course, find that rediculous BUT I neeed to obey because God set these people in charge to make these rules…I was working on it during the series but then I kinda stopped this week. ES MALO! I need to continue working on it, even after all the sermons are done, becoming the doer of the Word that the Lord calls me to be.
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Thank the Lord that he is so giving, and that he gives us the opportunity to be pulled out of the darkness and destruction of this world, into the Lord’s marvelous light, and so we cann be with Him someday.
18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust
I know from experience that this verse is not easy to obey. Everyday I go to school, and are faced with having to respect people who are unjust. I have this verse on my binder so that when I am tempted to disrepect any of my teachers, its right there to remind me. Some of my fellow classmates have read it, and I know for a fact they dont like it. When I first heard this be preached a few weeks ago in one of the sermons, I thought, I dont disrespect my teachers so Im all good. But once I thought about it, I do, by texting and disobeying their rules. Also on homework, like cutting corners and not doing all of it. Thats the hardest thing not to do, because some of my teachers just look for work, but dont see that I didnt do all of it and give me full credit. I need to not be cutting corners on my homework, and not texing in class. Got commands me to respect the unjust, and that is what I have to do. I cant do it alone, so I need to be praying that God will help by remember to respect them.
2:1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation. this is saying that we need to not hold grudges on others or slander but to fallow the golden rule. i ned to work on treating others especially my sisters the way i want to be treated
4 as you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious
This reminds me that when I am being treated badly by people or if they don’t except me, I can go to God because I am precious in his sight.
11-12 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
I always need verses like verse 11 to remind myself that I shouldn’t be fretting over the things on this earth that don’t work out. This is only temporary, and they won’t matter anymore when Jesus comes again. It’s hard sometimes though when things consistently don’t work just right, but I suppose that’s God testing my faith.
Verse 12, to me, is how we can reflect God’s love and power in the world to nonbelievers. Sometimes I wonder how I can help those who don’t except Jesus Christ as our savior to believe that he is indeed God made man. Well this pretty much answers my question. Basically, we need to do good deeds around them and they will notice it and hopefully will ask about it. That would give us a chance to teach them about Jesus.
Verses 20-23 could apply to a lot of things, both big and small. Sometimes I feel like when I do a good deed, it goes unnoticed but really, God notices and he will remember it. Also, when I get repremanded for whatever reason, I shouldn’t complain about it to my friends. I should just turn the other cheek and aspire to be like Jesus.
God, I love you with all my heart and am so thankful that you lead me to this website and I pray that you will keep me motivated to read your word every day.
once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
at one time, we did not want Gods mercy, but now for all christians, we realize how great that gift is!
c u all later
13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.
All authorities on earth were givin power by God. So every single governement was put into place by God for a reason. God put them there for a purpose, and now it’s my job to obey them.(and my fellow Christians should too). The reason why God wants us to obey ALL authority, is so that others will see our actions and won’t be able to say bad things about us. I should have aq reputation of keeping the law and not breaking the rules. A lot of times i’ll get asked to illegally drive someone home, and i’ll tell them no. They might not like it, but they can’t say anything bad about me because of it, because i’m keeping the law. obeying the earthly authority is obeying God!
Good Morning!!!
Verse 13
“13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme,”
For many of us this is extremely difficult to do. We do not always want to obey our authorities wether it be teachers, parents, the law, or adults. For me it is difficult to obey everthing my authorities state. I would love some prayers from anyone who reads this. Thank you very much and I will pray this for everyone as well.
I read…
Verse 12… “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.”
The main challenge that Paul places before us in this chapter is to keep our lives holy so that we may have credibility in the world. If our lives are not different, what is the point? I pray that we would all strive to live above reproach so that we may lead others to Christ as a result.
21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
When I feel mistreated I tend to get very bitter. But Christ, who had all authority in the universe, did not get angry but still acted respectfully when lowly humans falsely accused him and persecuted Him. And this He did for my benefit, that I might be saved. Whenever I feel unjustly treated, LORD, please help me to remember that you suffered so much more out of love for me. Please help me to entrust myself to you, the God who judges justly, still obeying you though it hurts because I love you and you are so worth it.
18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.
I really liked this because I found we can use this in all aspects of our lives. We need to be subject to all ours masters and mainly to God. When we respect our leaders and submit it really pleases God. We also need to submit to leaders we don’t or agree with. Sometimes many of us get a teacher we think is unfair but despite that you may not agree with them, we still need to respect them as authority over us. I think for me personally I need to submit more to my parents even though at times I don’t exactly like too, but when I do it is honoring to God and that is the whole point. God puts certain people in our lives for a reason be thankful, because maybe God’s using them to help you later on…
2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
I really liked this verse today because it explained how we as Christians should need the Lord’s word everyday like babies need milk from their mothers. With the Lord’s word daily, we will grow a great Christian life!
4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious
I liked this verse because I felt that it went along well with the sermon this weekend. People don’t see us for who we truly are. They only see certain aspects or the outward appearance, and then everything else they just reject. God looks at the whole picture. We want to be accepted by God, not man. I feel like our world has it backwards…
23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.
While watching mythbusters on t.v. last night, they showed a commercial for a new show that is about who really framed Jesus. This verse right here pretty much sums it up. No one framed him. He chose everything that happened. He was in control the whole time. It really made my heart heavy to see that all society cares about is the death, not what it meant. They only look at the surface layer.
10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
I love this verse because it reminds me how I am GOD’S child. He loves ME. It sounds so plain when i just say it, but it is such an honor that He chose me for salvation and not some kid at school who hates me for being godly. He could have easily made them His child and made me the one who laughs at other people for being godly. But no, He wanted me for some reason to spread His word, be holy, and earn street cred for Him. So what can I do but obey?
20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.
This totally reminds me of Pastor Bobby’s sermon this weekend. Why would we want to suffer for Satan’s team when the rewards are eternally better for suffering for God’s team. I want to legitly(new fav word taken from Pastor Bobby) suffer and persevere and say thank you to everyone who calls me a “Jesus freak” cos honestly, that’s street cred right there…
MARANATHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
mhmmmm. That is so true!
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Some people think that Jesus came to be a “good example.” They think that He died just to show how much God loved us. While both of those things are true, they aren’t the primary reason Jesus came and died. He came to live the perfect life of righteousness and then die for our sins…to bear God’s wrath for us, so that we might have eternal life in Him and no longer be separated from a holy God. Without Christ’s death we have no hope to be saved from Hell. Thank God He loved us so much He didn’t even spare his Son.
10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
I love the second meaning of this verse. It is like before God we are nothing. We receive no mercy nor do we have a true understanding of love. God gives us the mercy and love that we need for life. It is a crazy cool thing to think that we were once unsaved and now we have everything.
20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.
This is a good point. Jesus did this as they say in the next verse and the Lord advises us to follow in his footsteps but obviously not entirely. I mean, going around saying you are the messiah would be a huge sin. But suffering when you don’t really deserve it, that’s the good thing to do.
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Jesus Christ bore our sins even though He did not deserve to die. We are the one who should have been up on the cross dying for our own sins. Christ was punished unjustly and yet He held his head high and did not fight back. We ought to be in His likness when we are treated unfairly. Whether it be because we are christian or because we are just purely treated wrong we should turn the other cheek. I need to follow Christ’s example and trust in God and be patient.
21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
With being a Christian comes persecution. I know that I will suffer for following Christ. But in this I should rejoice because, as they are mocking me, disliking me, etc., they also did to Christ! He endured the absolute worst form of persecution, death on a death, along with mockery, and people who scoffed at him. I want to learn how to rejoice more in persecution, because I know that this is what Christ did for me and my reward is great in heaven!
11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
It is important to be living a legit christian life especially those who have not yet chosen to commit their lives over to God. and when we do this when they try to talk
bad behind your back theyl reealize theres nothing to talk about and they will want
to have a similar walk with God that you have.
13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good
These verses are very relevant to our time and really important for us high schoolers to remmeber. Its easy to show respect to someone who shows you respect aswell but we nedd not respect not only the people we find easy to respect but we also need to remember to show repect to those who bash you and who seem to be after you becase God has reason for putting that authority in your life and you showing respect to them while they are being disrepcted by everyone else will make them wonder what makes you different and you can witnes to them
I posted a comment but I’m not sure if it is working
It was a good chapter anyways and I wrote a blog on v. 24 it if anyone wants to check it out just click my name and it is titled: Tossing Out Your Old Life
20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
Just like the message today, if I am a Christian then I need to get out of my comfort zone step out and show people I am a Christian and I should be glad to be persecuted. God has given his life for me I need to do the same in return. I remember when pastor Bobby was talking about the “christian police” and how they went around and gathered all christians, if that were to happen I would be so scared not be taken, that would mean they thought I was not a christian. That just really hit me today, I do not want to be a christian where people don’t know that I am one. But I know for sure that I am a christian, now I just have to try harder to show that I am, starting at home.
18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.
I really liked this verse because it reminded me of submitting to parents, or as Pastor Bobby would say, Parental Units. <hahaha
Being highschoolers it is very uncommon to find anyone who respects their parents. But if you think ahead, if we respect our parents now, then we are preparing ourselves for marriage in the way that we may submit and respect our husbands. We must also respect our parents because God commands us to. It says in the bible, honor your father and mother. Therefore, respecting our parents is a big deal. If you think about it, our parents do a lot for us; they buy us things, feed us, give us money, give us a home, and most importantly love us. There is no reason for us to complain about doing the dishes, or cleaning up. They have sacrificed so much for us, so we can at least help them out a little bit. And God commands it, and if you think about it, you would want your future children to respect and obey you! 
Amen!!
15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.
I love this verse! By living for Gods glory and being an positive and godly example, this will put to rest the people that defy God! I pray that I can do this and live my life godly so that I will not be a hypocrite of my faith.
11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
This is a great verse. We need to make sure that we abstain from the evil things of this world. When we give in, we are not only doing something that hurts ourselves, but also that ruins our credibility as Christians. That isn’t good.
12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
I can’t be a hypocrite and claim to be a Christian whilst not acting like one. But the reason is not just for me…I have a responsibility to everyone else! My actions speak louder than anything else, including my words, ever will. They need to reflect my beliefs so that people can’t point at me and use me as the reason they don’t want to be a Christian.
23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
I loved these verses soo much! Jesus went through so much and he did not turn and snap back he stayed calm and handled it without sin. I love how this verse is saying that he died on the cross for our sins and even when we stray from his righteous path he is the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls who will put us back on his right and just path.
12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
This is such a important verse for us to live out. I love how if we christians have street cred then evildoers can see that we do what we say we are doing and glorify God. That would be so cool if because of my street cred someone from SVCS glorified God. verse 12 also shows me that I need to be watching what I say and do to see if it is honorable and keep striving for more street cred.
18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.
This verse is really encouraging because it is a motivation to respect all masters, even those who are unjust. There are those teachers out there who may be harsh or mean, but they are authorities placed in our lives to teach us something and therefore, we need to be honoring them with respect. It is easier to be nice and respect those who are good and nice back to you, but as this verse says, be subject to those who are not only good and gentle, but to the unjust. Examples are parents and teachers for sure. These days, its cool to not be obedient to those who are considered your masters, but then we all would be just like the world and conform to the patterns of it. I want to be different and stand out by just having a gentle and quiet spirit and not disrespecting any adult or “master” who is above me. Sure I may get upset by some things my teachers say, but that gives me no reason to say a comment back ever or to be rude. I need to be gentle and friendly towards those who are unjust! I pray that I will think before I speak and respect everyone all the time!
20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.
As a Christian, I am going to be persecuted! There is no getting around that! If I am doing what God calls me to do, (good works) I will be made fun of and put down by others! I need to consider this to be a priviledge, because I am right there with Jesus. They treated him worse than they will ever treat me, and I need to consider being called a “Jesus-freak” or being made fun of on Christ’s behalf a compliment! God will reward me one day for it too.
10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Before I realized my sin, I was heading for Hell!!! Eternal fire and punishment, that was what I was getting and that’s what I deserved. But now that Christ pushed me to repentance and putting my faith in Him, I can be assured that I can spend eternity with Him! Not because of anything I did or am doing, but because God forgave me through Jesus Christ and has shown me amazing mercy. Praise be to Jesus Christ, even if I go through hard times in life, because a bad day is nothing compared to what I can experience through Christ.
20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
This totally matches up with what Pastor Bobby said in his sermon today: that it is better to suffer for doing good than to suffer for committing sin. I would much rather suffer from my peers by standing up for God than by trying to fit in with the world and suffering at the hand of God. I look forward to people persecuting me, because I want others to know that I care more about what Christ thinks of me than what my peers think of me. Christ called us to suffer for him by following him because he suffered for us on the cross. He deserves for us to dedicate our heart and souls to him.
This is definitly spot on about our sermon today. I remember verses 11&12 really well since it was one if the verses we had to remember for revival09. It was my first and best revival so far. I like how the non Christians will someday see our good deeds. They will noticed that something is different about us and se will calls us names. I encourage all of you to take that as a complement. If that a way other people will see that’s ok. Some might take interest in you and that might get them saved. We are all going to suffer. This is a good thing not Abadan thing don’t ever forget that:)
3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good
This verse just stuck out to me because the Lord is so good. I couldn’t imagine being without him. Anyways…
12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation
I got convicted from this verse because sometimes I’m tempted to laugh at the world’s jokes and join in on bad conversations and sometimes I fall. Now it seems like every year I do it less and less, but even doing it one time can seriously damage the reputation of Christ. I just have to remember that I am Christ’s ambassador and I need to act like it always.
21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
I love pastor Bobby’s sermon today. A great way to check if you’re living for Christ the right way is to see if you are being persecuted. Not that we should seek out the insults of other purposely, but they should come normally from other people (i iknow that sounds wierd)
21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
Just like Bobby Blakey’s sermon!! This week, I am going to go to school with an attitude that is excited for persecution!! I want to embrace it, knowing that Christ is being glorified!! It’s the least I can do for my Lord!!
11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
I remember learning these verses at Revival. And I am so excited that i still remember them! They are awesome! Obviously, we all suffer from the temptations of this world and it stinks that we have to be constantly at war with our souls. BUT, the good deeds that we do for the LORD are not all for nothing. We are being examples of Christ every single day to those around us. I need to remember that when I am going throughout my day. I need to shine the light of Christ in every single thing i do.
2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
This is a great reminder that we need to be constantly growing in our faith! As we grow up as people, we also need to radically grow up as Christians, striving for greater righteousness.
11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
This one is good because it starts out “beloved” showing that He is up there caring for us. It warns us to not give in, but that we will be able to stay strong in this life, and will be rewarded for it. I just like that one. =)
17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
Mmmm. I really like this verse and the sermon that Ben did. Ever since that I have really applied this verse. Even though people might be rude or mean because I am a Christian, I am commanded to honor everyone. One phrase that he said that stood out to me was that once you have treated someone below honor and respect you are forgetting the goodness of your salvation.
12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
I remember this verse from one of the christianity street cred sermons. We should try to be an example for non christians because when they look at us, they see us as a representative of Jesus. If we act bad infront of non christians they will think that christians are just a bunch of hipocrites. Be a good example for people so then they think well of Jesus. when someone goes to put you down they don’t really have anything against you which, i’m sure, would leave them thinking.
23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. —This reminds me of this weekends sermon(: Jesus was already on God’s team and he knew what he was in for and was ready for it! He lived a holy, perfect life and then died for people who did not deserve it! He did bear the good fruits that we should have as Christians and went through major sufferings! I want to know that I AM on God’s team and I want to know what kind of suffering I want! Like in the sermon, I need to be carrying Christ’s sufferings because if I am truly following the LORD I will be in it through everything including persecution! Persecution is a sign of perseverence and it is a sign of street cred! I want people to know of my faith and the good news for the people who live according to his ways just by looking at my life! LORD please help me to show those good works that I should have because I am saved! I want to wake up every morning wanting to do good things for you!
MARANATHA!!!!
true north was legit this weekend
Great comment (:
AMEN (:
Verse 16: Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.
This verse definitely speaks to the fact that although all true Christians are saved from Gods Judgment and will be going to heaven, it does not mean that people should go back to their old ways just because they think they have been saved!
That is exactly the opposite of what our God wants His people to act like! Instead, He wants us to live up to our faith in everything we do so that we may be an example to others. And although this may be quite a difficult task many times in our lives, we need to remember that by standing strong and representing Him in all we do, we will not only please God, but also serve as an example so that others may come to know our God!
2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—
In the book Practice of Godliness ( i know i talk about this book a lot but its a great book and i encourage everyone to read it) it talks about how the only way that one can truly be godly comes from three aspects–the fear of God, the love of God, and the desire for God. This is the type of verse pertaining to the desire for God. To really understand God, I need to be studying his word every day…CRAVING it like this verse says.
10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
And then theres verses like these that remind me of the love of God. Jesus performed the ultimate act of love on the cross–how can I not reply with love back? Realizing the love of God makes me want more of him.
16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.
AS i read this verse i was thinking about what bobby said in his sermon this weekend about the “get out of jail free card”. God has given us the freedom from sin, not the freedom to sin. I want to always look at grace as Gods precious gift to us that we dont deserve and use my freedom from sin to fight my flesh here on earth
16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.
we are free from sin and free from hell, God has graced us with His forgivness. however the grace and freedom is not a license to sin. we are free from sin not free to sin. this is a message that is not portrade accuratly in the US and in the high schools of OC. i need to do a better job fearlessly preaching and talking about God to classmates. i also need to stay on my guard so that i dont become seared to sin and let it pass me.
MARANATHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
I need to make sure that I’m always aware that I am representing God everywhere I go. Especially at work where I am surrounded by non-Christians. I want them to be able to know that I am a Christian by the things I do and the words I say. I might be the only representation of Jesus they see. I need to make sure that in every way it is accurate.
16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.
What an awesome chapter. This verse reminds me of Pastor Bobby’s sermon this weekend. On how we use our salvation to get out of things and not try to live for God. So many times I here people say, oh I am a sinner and can’t help but sinning, but I have Jesus so I am ok. I shall never use that excuse, I am a sinner and I should be one that serves the Lord in all that I do! I need not to hid my sin but confess it to God, for He sees and knows all. What an awesome God He is! :]
***GLORY BE TO GOD!!!***
Being submissive to authority: easier said than done, I would say.
This chapter makes it pretty clear that no matter where the instruction is coming from, whether the person is just or unjust, we are to submissively follow and put ourselves under that person.
And of course, the only excuse to go against this is if the person’s instruction would force you to sin. I think we can agree though, that this is not the case in most situations, and because of that, in most situations we MUST submit!
11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
These are two of my favorite verses in the Bible. My actions should be the kind that when other people see them, there is absolutely no doubt in their mind that I am a Christian, actions that I am likely to be persecuted for as well. I pray that the Lord will help me further develop a God-likeness or Godliness that is unquestionable, and that when people see the way I act, they will see God in me.
12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
This verse talks about having ultimate street cred Christianity!! When people try to bring you down and talk bad about you and try to pin point your wrongdoings, if our acts are honorable and glorifying to God, than they cannot call us out on anything!!
MARANATHA!!!!!!!!!!!!
Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
Street Cred is of the upmost importance for Christians. Its cool to think that people will glorify God, because of my good deeds. This truth should keep us motivated and open our eyes to the profound effect our good deeds can have. If people are watching my good deeds then that means they see the bad ones too. That means when I disobey God and sin not only does it affect me it affects others. My sin or disobedience could cause a non-christian to never want to listen to a Christian ever again just because my sinful act so offended them or reminded them that Christians are a bunch of hypocrites. Dear Lord, help me to obey you so that I may be a better witness to those I work with.
12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
i love this verse! Being christians, our purpose if to do good works to glorify God. There are so many great outcomes to doing good deeds! If we do good works, the evildoers who persecute us and mock us, might see our good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us and we will go to Heaven! The only negative outcome of doing good deeds, is persecution. But as we talked about at true north this weekend, we are designed to suffer! THe question is what kind of suffering we want! Personally, i want to suffer like Jesus, on Gods team and i want to be persecuted! THe other option is to suffer the wrath of God because you chose Satans team. I am on Gods team so bring on the persecution! I cannot wait to be called a Jesus freak(:
mmmmmm designed to suffer!!! (:
BRING ON THE PERSECUTION!!!
15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.
This verse makes me want to be the best Christian i can be and to obey God’s words as best as i can because it is something i get to do, not something i have to do! im a Christian and i get to repent and i get to read my bible and i get to pray and praise the lord and i get to know that i’m forgiven because Jesus loves me and died for me!!!! i want people to know that it is a choice i made and something i am so happy to be a part of when they talk about me and my amazing God!
2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—
As christians there should be this longing or yearning for the things of the Lord. An infants whole life is centered around one thing and that is milk from mom. The only thing they want is that milk. As christians our lives should be centered and focused on one thing and that should be Christ. As we center our life around Christ we grow and mature in him. We do this through the word, communion with him, being obedient to his commands. Just as babies rely on milk to grow and mature we need to rely on Jesus to grow and mature. I pray that Jesus would be the center of my life and that I would rely on him alone.
Reading this reminds me of the sermons on submission to authority. Those were awesome, and set my priorities straight on a lot of things. I absolutely love verse 4 when it says, “As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious.” This is so encouraging, to know that we will be rejected by men, but in God’s sight we are chosen, and precious! I am striving each and every day have a gentle and quiet spirit, and be a perfect daughter of the King, and it is words like these that put a smile on my heart. Also in verse 12″Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
it tells us that we are to be above reproach, and live lives holy and pleasing, to that when people try and point out the wrong in us, they will see the Lord in us, and ultimately give him the glory.
By his wounds you have been healed.
(:
Maranatha!!!!!!!! COME OH LORD!
great comment jo!!!!! So encouraging (:
11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
Few images could have more gravity than that of war. Even though our generation has barely tasted this grave experience, most throughout history have dealt with the tragedy of war. They know what it is to survive battle. They know what it is to lose a friend in the fight. They know that war is no laughing matter.
I must view my fight against sin with this same sobriety – no, I must think of it with greater seriousness. The stakes of this battle are eternal. So the question I have to ask myself is, Am I fighting? What sins in my life am I seeking to kill?
Another great reminder from God’s Word!
So encouraging Pastor Ben! Thank you.
16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.
The term “free” is widely misused in our society. Many teenagers are told that the United States is a “free” country and they take advantage of it, using the time they have to slack off and partake in sinful activities. The TRUE meaning of free is to not be bound to something permanently. We are FREE from satan’s clutch and we’re FREE from sin. Jesus death on the cross is the only true freedom someone could ever experience. As a result of our freedom from sin, we should be slaves to God because without his son dying on the cross we would have no chance of freedom or salvation. Let’s be servants and slaves of GOD! Douloss!
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Maranatha!!!!!!!!!!!!
10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
What an awesome truth to be meditating on as I wrap up the day! The mercy of God blows me away! I desparately need to be making sure that as Pastor Bobby said today, I do not want to see grace as a get out of jail free card. My awe at God’s grace should spur me to good works which God has prepared for me to do.
1 Peter 2
15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.
This verse reminds me that my actions as a Christian even the most mundane are used to silence ignorant and foolish people. To fulfill the will of God I must live a life that is good and above reproach. We are called to be holy people because He is Holy. If we do what is bad than we bring honor to all who are bad. In turn if we do what is right and good we bring honor to God and silence the slander from those who in their ignorance mock our Lord. The truth of this verse fires me up to live a life that is holy so that by doing the will of God I will bring him honor and glory.
17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
Lord give me discernment so I can be sensitive to your will.
16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.
this verse really stuck out to me