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Sermon Outline

Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series: Imagining the Church

1 Peter 2:1-12 (ESV)
1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
    a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,

“The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone,”

8 and

“A stone of stumbling,
    and a rock of offense.”

They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

Sermon Outline
What does it mean that the church is a “priesthood”?

1. A Spiritual House

• v5  you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood

• v11 I urge… to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul

• vv1-2   put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander… long for… spiritual milk, that… you may grow up…

2. A People Called with Mercy

• v7 “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”

• v9 you are a chosen race… him who called you… out of darkness

• v10 Once you were not a people… but now you have received mercy

3. Those Offering Sacrifices

• v3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

• v5 …offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ

• v9 that you may proclaim the excellencies…

• v12 Keep your conduct… honorable…

Prayer of Confession
Almighty and most merciful Father, without your help we will lose the war against our souls.  We confess our weakness.  We have ignored or justified envy when we should have recognized it and turned from it.  We are guilty of malice, deceit, hypocrisy and slander.  As a church, we have been weak in proclaiming your excellencies and our good works have been insufficient.  Forgive every sin.  We thank you for the mercy we receive through Christ, who offered himself as a sacrifice on our behalf.  Empower us with your Spirit to offer spiritual sacrifices that bring you glory.  Amen.

Questions for Reflection

1. Do you ever experience “war against your soul”?  What feelings or experiences drain you (or feel like they are killing you)?

2. What is your experience with envy?  How does envy function in your life?  Are you always aware when envy is at work within you?

3. How does envy keep people stuck in misery?  Why is it so hard to get free from envy?

4. How is envy connected to malice, hypocrisy, slander and deceit?

5. Why is it so important that God is merciful?  How do we know God is merciful?

6. How does God use the rejection of Jesus Christ to turn us from lifeless rocks to living stones?  How does the resurrected Jesus call us out of darkness and into his marvelous light?

7. Have you tasted that the Lord is good?  Has your soul had any stirrings of life because of some connection with the goodness of God?

8. What does it look like to make spiritual sacrifices through Christ? 

9. How does “proclaiming the excellencies of him who called you” (praise to God) help safeguard against envy?

10. How does God use the church to fill the world with worship and good works?  Where is the church failing in this calling?  What can the church be doing in this period of time?