A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD

1 Peter 2:1-12
Key Verse 2:9

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."

This passage talks about the Christian identity. What is does it mean to be a Christian? The passage answers that question.

(Background)
This passage is from a letter from the Apostle Peter to the Christians who were scattered throughout Asia Minor. They had received the gospel with joy and with a demonstration of God's power in their lives. But now they found it difficult to continue to live as Christians in this world. They were scattered and suffered much because of persecutions, simply because they were Christians. There was a backlash from the Jewish people. People like the apostle Paul had been threatening the lives and security of believers; people were thrown in jail and taken away from their families. The Roman government also began to persecute Christians as Emporer Nero had come to power. The believers were lonely. They had security issues. And the biggest problem was fighting against sinful desires. What could Peter say to help such people in this situation? How could they keep their faith in such a hostile environment? Peter did not give them cheap words of sympathy. Instead, he praised God in their time of rejection! He told them to come to Jesus the Living Stone. At the heart of his message, he taught them about the Christianity identity. Like Jesus they were rejected in this world, but chosen by God and are precious to him. They were God's royal priesthood. 

First, We Are a Spiritual House Built on Jesus the Living Stone (1-8)

Look at verse 1. "Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind." 

In view of the hardships and sufferings, now was the most important time to be united and love each other deeply. The world treated them bad, but they must not treat each like that. They must love each other and be holy. Look at 1:22-23. "22Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God." Peter reminded them that they had been born again of the holy God, and were called to live as holy as he is. That is why they were being persecuted: they became a new creation in Jesus Christ, with a new life and a new hope, which the world hates, but they should continue in their new life in holiness. 

Look at verses 2-3. Peter then gave them a positive and humble direction to come to Jesus and grow up spiritually. "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good." This pure spiritual milk is the word of God, Jesus Christ. We must crave Jesus and his word and his life, and have the goal to grow up spiritually. We must always keep growing until the end of our lives so that we may have a godly influence in this world, imitating Jesus. 

Look at verses 4 and 5. "4As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— 5you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." As we come to Jesus, we are being built into a spiritual house. House means that they were united in the Lord. They were not a scattered and helpless people. 

How is God building us to be a spiritual house? Through building on Jesus Christ the living Stone. Here Peter calls Jesus "the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him." The characteristic of the living Stone was rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him. Jesus is the author of life. He came to give eternal life to men. He preached repentance and the coming kingdom of God. But people didn't want to build their lives on Jesus. They mocked him, beat him, and cursed him. Ultimately, they rejected him and tried to get rid of him for good by publilcly humiliating him and nailing him to a cross. What did God do when men rejected Jesus? God raised him from the dead and chose him to be the savior of the world and source of eternal life for all who believe in him. 

The early Christians were rejected simply because they stood by the truth of the gospel of Jesus. They could have a personal understanding of Jesus' own life and faith because Jesus was rejected, but he was chosen by God and precious to him. Jesus knew their trials and persecutions well. As the Christians come to Jesus, they could relate to Jesus Christ and it became the source of heavenly joy and vision--rejections were their perfect chance to know Jesus' life and power more. 

Look at verses 4-5 again. Peter says that we are living stones like Jesus. So he encouraged them  not be afraid of rejection and sufferings. Rejections and sufferings are essential to Christian growth and maturity. But to be a living stone, Peter says "rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him." Although people rejects us, God has chosen us and we are precious to him.

Rejection is so painful, but how joyful is it to be chosen? Even something small, like sports, demonstrates this well. When we play games at school and line up for teams, we don't want to be the last one chosen. We want to be first! But many Christians are afraid of rejections. Why? Because we love our lives and want to keep something for ourselves. So we deny our identity at work and keep our careers. We don't let our Christian faith interfere with school and friends. So they compromise with sin in a worldly environment and they don't preach the gospel or tell about Jesus Christ. However, we must overcome our selfishness and self-consciousness. God has called us to be like living stones, just like Jesus. Rejected by men but chosen by God. Compromise is not the way to be accepted and chosen by God. 

Look at verse 6. "6For in Scripture it says: 'See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.'" Jesus is the Living Stone. He is completely dependable. Maybe the world is ashamed of us, but we will not be put to shame before God. We will have confidence and joy. We are chosen and precious to him. This is the way to build our lives up, now and for eternity. But those who reject Jesus and do not put their trust in him will be very ashamed on the day Jesus returns as the Judge of the living and the dead (7-8). We cannot build on anyone or anything else but Jesus Christ.

This is the point of Peter's encouragement: Jesus is the Living Stone and as we come to him we are like living stones being built up. He is living and invincible. This is the first characteristic of our Christian identity. We are rejected in this world, but God has chosen us to be like Jesus. When we come to Jesus Christ, the Living Stone, we have true security and life. We receive vision and strength.

Second, A Royal Priesthood (5b-12)

What is God's vision for his people and spiritual house? Look at verse 5 again, "you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." "You are being built...into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood." Verse 9 also says, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God..." 

This is our appointed identity from God: a royal priesthood. This is the second characterstic of the Christian identity. Peter did make up these terms, a holy nation and royal priesthood. These are God's word. These are the titles God gave to his chosen people. Let's look at Exodus 19:5-6: "5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." 

First we must know what a 'holy' priesthood is. Exodus 19:5-6 give us an answer: "You will be for me a kingdom of priests." We are called as priests for God. We are not serving ourselves or anything else. Just because we are called as priests does not mean that we are good and okay. In the history of the Israelites there were good priests and bad priests. For example, Aaron's two sons does not follow God's holy ways and offered "strange" fire. Then fire consumed them and God took them out. However, Phinehas, was a good example. At a time when all the people had compromised with immorality, no one was willing to do anything about it. But Phinehas was devoted to God's holiness and took care of the problem. So God made his family line the priestly family during the Israelites' times. This tells us how we can carry out our priestly duty: by following God's holy ways.

Second, what is the purpose of priests? Look at verse 5 again. Priests are to make: "Offerings acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." What does Jesus make acceptable to God? He makes sinful man acceptable through his shed blood and the sanctification of the Holy Spirit. 

Therefore what is the priestly role: to bring people to God, made acceptable to him through Jesus Christ. In the example of the priests of the Old Testament, this is done mainly in two ways: a) by prayer, and b) by teaching the word of God.

The Prophet Isaiah lived seven centuries before Christ. His last words were a vision of the day when God's people would bring people to God as offerings. Isaiah 66:19-20 says: "They will proclaim my glory among the nations. 20And they will bring all your brothers, from all the nations...as an offering to the LORD...They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their grain offerings, to the temple of the LORD in ceremonially clean vessels." We are the ones chosen to fulfill this vision of bringing people to God.

The Apostle Paul also spoke about his ministry mainly as fulfilling his priestly duty: Romans 15:5-6 says: " 15I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me 16to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit."

This is our identity in Jesus Christ. A royal priesthood. These are God's words about us. God is the Creator, Soveriegn Lord, the Almighty God. And this is his declaration of his people: we are his royal priesthood. This appointment is not just to the Apostle Paul or Peter, or to pastors or clergymen, but to all who put their trust in Jesus.  

Let's think about the importance of a priest: People are not acceptable to God because of sin. This is biblical truth, because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Without Jesus' mercy, people cannot come to God accetably. 

Often times we get discouraged we have difficulties and when we are rejected. But we also get very discouraged when people don't respond well to the gospel message, or it seems that situations and culture is too wicked. And so we stop altogether and give up. But it is for these very people, for wicke people that God established priests. It's not for holy people, because God has established a relationship with them already, but for the lost and dying people. 

Therefore, it is our duty as priests to know God's heart and love for lost sinners. When Jesus was hanging on the cross he cried out in prayer, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34). He prayed this as our high priest because he knew God's love for this world. 

Let's read verses 9-10. "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness and into his wonderful light." "Once you were not a people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." 

It is only by God's mercy that have this identity and this glorious purpose. How did God show his mercy to us? When we were lost in the darkness of sin, when we were not the people of God, God sent someone to us who prayed us and who taught us God's words. 

Praise God for calling us out darkness and into his wonderful light. Praise God for choosing us to be his people and his holy instrument in this world to reveal his glory. May God help us to go out and bring people to him and to offer up earnest prayers for the lost. 

Look at verses 11 and 12. "11Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." 

Now, to be called an alien and stranger in the world was a good thing. They were different. We must not comprmoise with sinful desires because of God's mercy to us to be his chosen people and royal priesthood. We should expect sufferings and rejections. But we must live good and holy lives that glorify God, even among unbelieving people. 

Conclusion
We thank God for his mercy to choose us and make us his living stones and his royal priesthood in Jesus Christ.  We should accept our rejections as heavenly joy to be God's chosen and precious people and give all our heart and life to serve our priestly duty to bring people to God by prayer and teaching the Bible. 

One Word: A Royal Priesthood