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Dr. Montia Setzler, Lead Pastor
October 2, 2016
Series: Enduring Grace – Hope
A Hope that Produces Harmony

1 Peter 1:22–2:10 (HCSB)

By obedience to the truth, having purified yourselves for sincere love of the brothers, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again – not of perishable seed but of imperishable -through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like a flower of the grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the word that was preached as the gospel to you. 1 So rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, desire the pure spiritual milk, so that you may grow by it for your salvation, 3 since you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4 Coming to Him, a living stone – rejected by men but chosen and valuable to God – 5 you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it is contained in Scripture: Look! I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and honored cornerstone, and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame! 7 So honor will come to you who believe, but for the unbelieving, The stone that the builders rejected – this One has become the cornerstone, 8 and A stone to stumble over, and a rock to trip over. They stumble because they disobey the message; they were destined for this. 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

 

As God’s people, we are to live in harmony with one another because:

  1. WE ARE BORN INTO THE SAME FAMILY vv 1:22-2:3
  • We have a common love for one another. v 22
  • We have a common birth. vv 23-25
  • We have a common need for repentance. v 1-3

 

  1. WE ARE LIVING STONES IN THE SAME BUILDING vv 2:4-8
  • We come to Christ, the living Cornerstone.
  • We surrender ourselves as living stones.
  • As living stones, God uses us to build His church.

 

  1. WE ARE PRIESTS SERVING THE SAME CONGREGATION  vv 2:5, 9
  • We serve as His priests and offer ourselves as living sacrifices to Him.
  • The church becomes a living, growing structure that God uses for His glory.

Ephesians 2:21 (HCSB)

The whole building, being put together by Him, grows into a holy sanctuary in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 3:16 (HCSB)

Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s sanctuary and that the Spirit of God lives in you?

 

  1. WE ARE CITIZENS OF THE SAME COUNTRY vv 2:9-10
  • As believers, we are a holy nation.
  • As citizens of that nation, we proclaim His praises.
  • As citizens of that nation, we receive His mercy.

 

Your assignment for this week:

Remove any bitterness, unforgiveness, or sin against another believer so that you can live in harmony with other believers.

To live in harmony with hope, I must forgive ________________.

As God’s chosen people, we are called to live in harmony with one another, desiring the nourishment of His Word.  With Jesus as the Cornerstone, we are the living stones God uses to build His church where we serve as His priests in the building He is creating.