A Study of 1 Peter 2:1-3
The story is of an old man who was shipwrecked and lived most of his adult life alone on an obscure island on which no other human being ever set foot, After many years of isolation, a ship came his way and a rescue party was sent ashore. He welcomed them, of course, then proceeded to show them around. Pointing to a small log cabin, he said, “This is my house. I built it with my own two hands.” Then he showed them a second building. “This is my Church” he said. “I built it with my own two hands.” Then he showed them a third building, saying, “This is the Church I used to go to.”
“The church I use to go to” could be number one in the hymnal. However, it doesn’t need to be that way, that is, if we know what to do before church, what to do while we are at church, and what to do after church. Three words will prevent church boredom – before, at, and after.
1.What to do before church – Repent:
Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 1 Peter 2:1
Start by noting the six things God hates plus the 7th which God calls an abomination (Proverbs 6:16-19). We can all start with number one on God’s hate list – pride! C.S. Lewis wrote that the sin of pride is “The utmost evil because it is essentially competitive.”
“Pride is competitive by its very nature. Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next person. We say that people are proud of being rich, or clever, or good looking, but they are not. They are proud of being richer or more clever or better looking than others.”
Let’s face the real issue which is that we find something wrong with the church to cover up our own personal problems. Be sure to utilize 1 John 1:9 next Sunday before church. Prepare to be blessed!
2. Review
“As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby” 1 Peter 2:2
Start with this Sunday. Now go back a year. Have you gone any farther up the ladder of growth described in 2 Peter 1:5-7 where it says "But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love."
Concentrate on number 8, the top of the ladder – Love. Often when I perform a wedding I use the following:
GOD IS LOVE
May you have His kind of love for each other.
LOVE IS PATIENT AND KIND
May you be able to lovingly overlook each
others faults and weaknesses.
LOVE IS NOT JEALOUS OR BOASTFUL.
May you seek praise for each other and not
for yourselves.
LOVE IS NOT ARROGANT OR RUDE.
May you give of yourselves for each others’
needs and treat one another with utmost respect.
LOVE DOES NOT INSIST ON ITS OWN WAY.
May you genuinely listen to each other with a
willingness to be wrong yourselves.
LOVE IS NOT IRRITABLE OR RESENTFUL.
May you be tolerant of each others’ moods, always
ready to forgive, never holding a grudge.
LOVE DOES NOT REJOICE AT WRONG
BUT REJOICES IN RIGHT.
May you experience happiness because of each others
triumphs and successes.
LOVE BEARS ALL THINGS.
May you seek to understand each others differences
knowing you will stick together through it all.
LOVE HOPES ALL THINGS
May you always expect the best in each situation
regardless of temporary setbacks.
LOVE ENDURES ALL THINGS
May you never give up your commitment to work on
improving your relationship.
LOVE NEVER ENDS
May you spend the rest of your lives together
enjoying His love. GOD IS LOVE.
3. Reflect - “if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” 1 Peter 2:3
Let me illustrate. A few years ago I sat with a young couple at church. They were visitors and it was evident this was their first church experience. The young man’s girl friend was pregnant, so they concluded that church might help them deal with their guilt. I got to know them and pointed out I wanted to encourage them so let’s agree to meet next Sunday. They agreed! I would find the place in the Bible for the sermon of the morning. Then, during the sermon I would write down questions that the sermon answered. During the week the young man would call and we would review his answers.
This was a great experience for all three of us, because 2 Timothy 2:2 was beginning to happen. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 2 Timothy 2:2.
Frankly it didn’t matter if there might be something in the service that might not be to my liking. It didn’t matter because I discovered true worship, which is, the application of divine viewpoint. Note Genesis 22:5, where we have the first use of the word worship in the Bible. Abraham didn’t complain. He did the will of God and as a result, he illustrates the meaning of worship.
Next Sunday you may have 300 attending the service, but only those who apply what they are being taught will worship. Here it is – death to church boredom – Information plus application.
A special thanks to that young couple for showing me how to worship. Cape Cod is a financial disaster for those just starting out, so the couple moved to Virginia. They attend church on a Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and also the mid-week prayer meeting. It all started as I went to church and stopped looking for something I might not like and submitted to John 4:24!
Let’s all be careful – our complaining is the symptom of a bigger problem! Vance Havner once said - “Too many church services start out at eleven o’clock sharp and end at twelve o’clock dull.”
1 Peter 2:1-3 illustrates what will make the difference.