Loving The Brethren-6 Series

LOVING THE BRETHREN-VI—1Peter 1:22—2:12

Attention:

Memorable Student

"Mom, the teacher was asking me today if I have any brothers or sisters who will be coming to school."

"That's nice of her to take such an interest, dear. What did she say when you told her you are the only child?"

She just said, "Thank goodness!”

Just as it is somewhat trying to love certain people, it is also difficult to love our brothers & sisters in Christ!

So far in our study of 1Peter we have examined the fact that

Christians are...CONSIDERED ALIEN(:1-2)...

We’ve examined...WHAT’s So GREAT About GOD—(:3-12)

And discovered God’s means of...UNLEASHING Your SPIRITUAL VITALITY/Vigor—(:13-21)

Today we will continue applying the above truths toward LOVING THE BRETHREN(1:22—2:12).

Regarding LOVING THE BRETHREN, we are instructed from the word that...

:22—“Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,”

Peter exhorted the aliens to love their brothers & sisters in Christ as they were also loved by God.

Christians are to love as they are loved by God.

How are Christians to live out God’s love?

12(?) encounters thru which Christians are to live-out God’s love.

We had previously found that

God’s love is lived out thru an encounter with...

1. CLEANSING(:22a)“Purified”

2. OBEDIENCE(:22b)“Obeying”

3. SINCERITY(:22c)“Sincere”

4. INTENTION & DEPTH(:22d)“Fervently with a pure heart”

5. REBIRTH(:23a)

6. GROWTH POTENTIAL(:23b)

7. THE INVINCIBLE WORD(24-25a)

8. THE INESCAPABLE / AVAILABLE WORD(:25b)

9. AFFIRMATIVE ACTION(2:1a)

10. UNADULTERATED SUITABLE SUSTENANCE(2:2)

11. The FLAVOR Of GRACE(2:3)

12—God’s love is lived out thru an encounter with...

APPROACHING(:4-5)

Explanation:(:4-5) Choice & Offering/Both God & man

:4—“Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God & precious,”

“Him” is a reference to “the Lord” of the previous verse— “if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”

Our desire will be for the “pure milk of the word” &, thru the growth produced, our manner will be to lay aside divisive ruminations, thoughts, & actions(:1).

We will also make a personal priority & pilgrimage of “coming to” our Lord. We approach Him as approaching “a living stone”. Jesus is a living stone—the source & strength of our being— in the sense of His being the “chief cornerstone”(:6).

A majority of men willfully reject Him outright as that “living stone,” yet the reality is that He is both “chosen of God” & thus a “precious” unchanging stone. Mankind regularly & readily rejects what is meant for his well-being, by God.

In what sense is He a stone? He is the chief cornerstone in that the cornerstone sets the course for the rightness(squared & plumb) of the remainder of the house. He is “living” in that this stone is not monolithic, cold & unfeeling but that His vast love is the premise upon which this building of God is constructed. His ‘house’ is thus built to endure the cleansing fires of God’s determinations.

His foundational presence is what makes Jesus “precious” both to man as well as to God the Father.

“Coming”—prosercomai—1) To come to, approach; 2) Draw near to; 3) To assent to. Strong—To approach, i.e. literally--Come near, visit, or figuratively--Worship, assent to.

From—prov—a preposition of direction; Forward to, i.e. Toward(The side of, i.e. Pertaining to; By the side of, i.e. Near to, i.e. Whither—&—ercomai—To come or go.

“Living”(See :5)—zaw—1) To live, breathe, be among the living(not lifeless, not dead); 2) To enjoy real life; 3) To live i.e. Pass life, in the manner of the living & acting—3a) Of mortals or character; 4) Living water, having vital power in itself & exerting the same upon the soul; 5) metaph.--To be in full vigor—5a) To be fresh, strong, efficient, 5b) as adj.--Active, powerful, efficacious. Strong—a primary verb; To live(literally or figuratively). “Stone”(See :5, 6, 8)—liyov—A stone—1a) Of small stones, 1b) Of building stones, 1c) metaph.--Of Christ. Strong—apparently a primary word; A stone(literally or figuratively). RWP—Liyov is a loose stone in the path, whereas a Petra(“rock”-:8) is a ledge rising out of the ground.

“Rejected/Disallowed”(See :7)—apodokimazw—1)To disapprove, reject, repudiate. Strong—To disapprove, i.e. by implication--To repudiate. Used 9X.

From—apo—a primary particle; “Off,” i.e. Away(from something near), in various senses (of place, time, or relation; literal or figurative)—&—dokimazw—To test (literally or figuratively); by implication--To approve. ‘To separate thru testing, examination or proving for genuineness.’

“Indeed”—men—Particle—1) Truly, certainly, surely, indeed. Strong—a primary particle; properly, indicative of affirmation or concession--In fact; usually followed by a contrasted clause with de --This one, the former, etc.

“Chosen”(See :9; :6—“Elect”)—eklektov—Adj.—Picked out, chosen—1a3) Choice, select, i.e. The best of its kind or class, excellence preeminent: applied to certain individual Christians. Strong—Select; by implication--Favorite.

English=‘Eclectic’

From—ek—From, out of—&—legw—1) To say, to speak—1d) To point out with words, intend, mean, mean to say, 1e) To call by name, to call, name. Strong—a primary verb; properly--To "lay" forth, i.e. figuratively--Relate; by implication--To mean.