1 Peter 2:9-10 The Church Defined
Introduction: Many times you define something by giving a description of the thing. You can describe something by what it is and by what it is not and so forth…
Note how text breaks down:
“But ye (plural) are…that ye should…. (The church is four things and they are those for a purpose).
Proposition: Every Christian should realize the uniqueness of the Church
How? Peter now tells us how…
I. The church is a group of people who have responded positively to Christ (9, 7).
V. 9 begins with “but” contrasting v.9&10 with v. 7-8.
This contrasts the church’s response to Christ with the Jew’s response to their Messiah.
This is a quote of Psalm 118:22 which evidently their was a stone from the old Temple that was rejected by the architects as being unfit for the work of binding together two walls. The priests evidently wanted this particular stone so a trial was made and the stone was perfect. In Matt. 21:42-46 (Read) Jesus applied this passage to Himself.
Jesus is the stone and the Jewish leaders, the builders of the nation, had deliberately rejected Him (the Messiah). Thus the kingdom would be taken form them and given to others. God decided to build something brand new and decided to make Him the Capstone.
App: You need to realize that going to a church service or even joining a church doesn’t really make you a part of the church. To be a part of the church, there needs to be a time in your life when you can look back on and say that is when I accepted Christ. Can you say you made a conscious decision and that He indeed is the foundation on which you want to build your life?
II. The church is a group of people who are biologically related (9).
“Generation” = (genos) from which we get “race”, “species” or “kind” in O.T.
These are things that have certain genes in common because they have a common ancestor.
A genos is distinct from all other life forms. Pigs, cats, dogs, cows, horses….
2 Peter 1:4 “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
When we were saved we became a partaker of God’s divine nature. We became a new creation. (2 Cor. 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature…”)
We became the sons of God (John 1:12, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name”)
The church is all related because we all have Christ abiding in us…
This common bond unifies us:
This common bond reaches across color and culture…
This common bond so strong that we can be faithful to God even when our families may
want to disown us…
Is it any wonder we refer to each other as “brother” or “sister”?
III. The church is a group of people who have a special job (9).
“Priesthood”, priests have a special function in relation to the world…
A. They are to come near to God
B. They are to bring God near to others
C. They are to offer Sacrifices (not sure what all this may involve…)
Romans 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Philippians 2:17 “Yea, if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.”
The church is the only authentic priesthood. If you are outside of the church your sacrifices
are worthless. You can do all sorts of things with your body and you can have all sorts of
faith, but it is all vain, useless, it is nothing more than filthy rags said Isaiah (64:6).
IV. The church is a group of people who share a common government (9).
“Nation”, people who are not biologically related but related by common government.
We are a People who share a common set of laws.
We serve the laws of God. These are laws given from above. His ways are above man’s ways….
His laws are: Righteous because He is Holy
Perfect because He is Perfect
Tempered because He is Merciful
Good because He is Gracious
Fair because He is Just
Without bias because He is no respecter of men
Flip back to Matt. 21:43, the church is the Nation that Jesus spoke of….
V. The church is a group of people who belong to God (9).
“Peculiar” strange or odd like we think of it.
“Peculiar” = to purchase or to acquire; a peculiar/unique piece of property
Peter is telling us the church is a people acquired/purchased to God Himself. And He views
us as a Special Treasure. We have an intimate relationship with God, Our Heavenly Father.
VI. The church is a group of people who have a purpose (9).
A. The purpose is to shew forth the praises of God.
“shew forth” = to declare abroad, to make widely known
“praises” = virtues, moral excellencies, perfection, goodness of God
The Church is to be the visible expression of Christ.
When this world looks at the Church they should see God.
When people walk through the doors here, what do they see?
When we give praise, sing songs, worship, preach and teach do they hear and see God?
The church must endeavor to show God to the world. But,
The church is made up of individuals, what do they see when they look at you and hear
when they listen to you?
Summary: Every Christian should realize the church is a unique organization. It is defined by Peter as a group that is uniquely related to God, to Christ and to each other. It is also a group that has very special job to do.
Invitation: Are you a member of this group called the Church?
How well are you showing forth the virtues of God to the world?
