Loving The Brethren-8 Series

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

Attention:

Hurricane Matthew(Oct. 4-10, 2016)—Haiti & the Bahamas were on the north-eastern side of Matthew as it traveled between themselves & Cuba.

The residents of Haiti experienced a loss ~900+/- lives. They had already been devastated by an earthquake in Jan. 2010 which had killed ~200,000.

Many need assistance but could not get into the area.

There was a threat of Cholera, which usually takes place 2-5 days after exposure to unsafe bacteria-laden drinking water...

Meanwhile, in the midst of this disaster both in Haiti & the United States, as we experienced losses too, the church bickers over miniscule trivia. Thus they hog-tie themselves as they are seemingly unable to extricate themselves from personal feelings in order to help others such as the Haitians or those of their own nation.

Loving The Brethren is a very practical application of the Good News of Jesus.

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?

14 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. APPROACHING(2:4-5)

13. CONSTRUCTION(2:6-8)

14a. PROCLAMATION(2:9a)...

*14b—God’s love is lived out thru an encounter with...

PROCLAMATION(2:9b-12—CONT...)

2:9—“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;”

Last time we found encouragement thru :9a, in that Christians, the family of God & brothers & sisters in Christ are...“a chosen generation,” “a royal priesthood,” & “a holy nation.”

It also states in :9 that These are also...

“His own special people”

God’s people are “His own special people.”

The King James’ “Peculiar” here is intended in a good light & never in a bad one. To a very real extent, believers are oddly out of place regarding the majority of humanity.

Through God’s “own” being “special” &/or “peculiar,” every man is confronted with God’s Divine wisdom regarding His overall design for man’s place/manner. The thoroughness(See peripoihsiv below) of the believer’s “specialness”/“peculiarity” is a tool supplying all men with the potential had in belonging to God.

“Special/Peculiar/For His own possession/Belonging to God”—peripoihsiv—Noun Accusative Sing. Fem.—1) A preserving, a preservation; 2) Possession, one's own property; 3) An obtaining. Strong—Acquisition(the act or the thing); by extension--Preservation. Used 5X.

*Thus=‘To be made or done throughly or throughout.’(see below)

From—peri—1) About, concerning, on account of, because of, around, near. Strong—from the base of peran[(pierce)through]; properly--Through(all over), i.e. Around; figuratively--With respect to; used in various applications, of place, cause or time (with the genitive case--denoting the subject or occasion or superlative point; with the accusative case--the locality, circuit, matter, circumstance or general period).—&—poiew—1) To make; 2) To do. Strong—apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; To make or do(in a very wide application, more or less direct).

“People”—laov—Noun Masc.—1) A people, people group, tribe, nation, all those who are of the same stock & language; 2) Of a great part of the population gathered together anywhere. In classical Greek—?An unorganized people at large. Whereas in Biblical Greek—The people of a heathen city.? ?Laov is a word which is usually limited in use to the chosen people, Israel.? Strong—apparently a primary word; A people(in general; thus differing from dhmov[The public], which denotes one's own populace).

2:9c—“That you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;”

Believers are all the previous things for a strict purpose...The purpose being that they “may proclaim the praises” of the very One who “called” them from “out of” a prior existence in “darkness,” & by means of that extraction, “into His marvelous light.”

It is not just any “light” that believers are “called” “into.” God’s “light” is one in which we have cause to “marvel”, wonder at, or be amazed at! Being undeserving, the saved sinner is utterly flabbergasted at the permanence of being declared a citizen of heaven!

That “calling” is by God’s grace, & is answered by personal faith! Thus God’s “calling” enables all believers to be able & willing proclaimers of God’s goodness, mercies, & grace!

Truly saved ‘children’ will & should progress in & expand their understanding of Christ & their world.

“Proclaim”—exaggellw—1)To tell out or forth; 2)To declare abroad, divulge, publish; 3)To make known by praising or proclaiming, to celebrate. Strong—To publish, i.e. Celebrate. Used 1X.