Note to teacher: the basic objective of this lesson is to advance each student's awareness of his or her role in serving God's purposes. Becoming a Christian is more about God than about us. Certainly God provides us with grace, mercy, forgiveness, reconciliation, atonement, justification, etc. God provides these things to the Christian to save us. God provides us salvation to achieve two fundamental objectives. The first is to rescue us from evil. The second is to advance God's purposes in His war against Satan. These companion objectives must not be separated. The immature Christian is attracted to his or her salvation. The mature Christian wants his or her salvation to assist God's eternal purpose of defeating evil.
"What do you plan on doing?" is not one question, but many questions. We commonly ask that question of a graduate, or of someone moving, or of someone changing careers. It is the question we ask people in major transition. Commonly, a complete answer is much more complex than the simple response shared. Commonly, the verbal response gives an answer that vaguely relates to the real but unspoken reasons.
What are the hidden questions? They include, "What do you consider to be your life's purpose?" "Are you changing purposes for your life?" "Will you be using your life to achieve a purpose?" "Does this change focus on you? Or on your family? Or on considerations bigger than you or your family?" "Is this a spur-of-the-moment change, a planned change, or a necessary change?" "Does it consider only the moment, or does it consider your future?"
The purposes for a Christian's life are bigger than self, bigger than family, bigger than an earthly future, bigger than earnings, and bigger than possessions. The conflict between good and evil is older than the material creation. Evil transformed this world into a battle ground between God and Satan. Paul reminded Christians in Ephesus that prior to becoming Christians they were dead in their trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1-3). At that time, "the course of this world," "the prince of the power of the air," and "the spirit that works in the sons of disobedience" determined how they used life. Only God's incredible mercy, love, and grace rescued them from their destructive self-indulgence and brought them to life (Ephesians 2:3-10). In that destructive indulgence they were separated from Christ, excluded from God's people, and not in a covenant with God. They lived without hope and without God (Ephesians 2:12).
Jesus Christ changed everything for them (Ephesians 2:13-22). He was their peace and reconciliation. He gave them access to God. He placed them in God's family. He made them citizens of God's kingdom. He made them a part of God's living temple.
The war between God and Satan [good and evil] was a reality they must not forget (Ephesians 6:10-18). The Christian struggle is not against people. It is against the spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places. That includes the rulers of those forces, the powers of those forces, and the earthly forces that support this darkness.
For many, the decision to become a Christian might be a simple, pragmatic decision. It might be as simple as accepting forgiveness and becoming spiritually alive in Jesus Christ. It might be as simple as declaring war on the evil in this person's life.
From the moment of spiritual birth [baptism], the Christian begins his or her journey toward spiritual maturity. That journey produces insight and understanding. He or she realizes, "I have chosen God's side in a massive war older than this world." Suddenly, resisting evil is about something much bigger than "me." It is about something much bigger than "my" life span, "my" comfort, "my" future, or "my" material security. Resisting evil is about the permanent, eternal triumph of God over evil. "My" motivation for resisting evil is found in "my" dedication to God's purposes. It is found in "my" desire to allow God to use "me" for His purposes.
Note to teacher: the student must grow in the awareness that human salvation is just one of God's objectives in the defeat of evil. While we are genuinely loved by God, we should never allow human arrogance to conclude that we are the only thing that matters to God. Such arrogance decides that humans can manipulate God because "we are supremely important to Him." God's war will destroy Satan, his angels, and evil. Humans were (are) captives in that war. Our rescue is important to God. However, this war began before we were created. Though we were "caught" in the middle of this war, we are not the reason for the war. God rescues us from evil in the expectation that we will serve God's purposes as He opposes evil. We do not serve God's purposes by making war against evil people [all people are evil; those in Christ are forgiven], but by making war against evil.
Read 1 Peter 2:1-12.
Christians should put aside malice, guile, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. ALL of each of these should be "put away."
A Christian's hunger for the pure milk of the word should be as the hunger of a newborn baby. We should hunger for growth [movement toward maturity] in all those matters that concern our salvation. The moment we entered Christ and were forgiven, we were 100% saved. The objective is not to be "more saved." The objective is to develop the character and integrity that accurately and appropriately reflect our salvation. Our forgiveness is genuine and complete; our godliness must always grow and improve.
The Christian's appetite is created by a "taste." How often do you see people promoting a new food product by distributing free "taste" samples? They want people to taste their food. When people like the taste, they will purchase the food. When Christians "taste" [experience] God's kindness, they hunger to belong to God completely. This hunger constantly demands attention.
Men (people) rejected the living stone. God considered the stone choice and precious. Stone buildings were much too expensive for poor people, and poor people composed the predominate portion of society. Buildings made from cut stone were impressive and imposing. One of the most significant stones in the structure was the cornerstone. While the discussion continues about the precise location of this stone, it is agreed that this stone produced completeness and unity in the building. Because of its size and its shape, this stone made it possible for the building "to come together." There was significant argument concerning the role of Jesus Christ in the purposes of God. First century Jewish people who rejected Jesus declared Jesus served no role in God's purposes. Those who believed in and served other gods regarded Jesus Christ to be a destructive spiritual force. Paul who saw God at work from the days of Adam and who saw God at work in Israel saw the role of Jesus Christ as bringing God's purposes together. Jesus Christ brought completeness and unity to all that God did in providing a salvation that was extended to all people. Peter, as Paul, saw Jesus Christ as bringing unity and completeness to God's work and purposes. To many people, Jesus opposed God's purposes, so Jesus was rejected. To believers, Jesus brought the work and purposes of God together in completeness.
Those who placed their faith in Jesus [Christians] were also living stones. They existed to be the building material for the construction of God's temple. They would be both the spiritual house [temple] and the priests who functioned in that spiritual house. Their work within that spiritual house was to offer sacrifices to God. Please note that the emphasis is on life. Living stones build a living spiritual house in which alive priests serve as they offer living sacrifices.
Those who place their confidence in Jesus will not be disappointed [put to shame]. Peter is not suggesting that there can be no disappointment or shame for the Christian in physical life. There will be no eternal disappointment or shame for those who entrust their existence to Jesus.
To those who believe, this stone is a precious stone of great value. Note: the value of this stone is seen and understood only by those who see God's work in Jesus Christ.
To those who do not believe, the stone trips them, causes them to stumble, and offends them.
Christians are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people who belong only to God. Those who believe in Jesus [regardless of their physical ancestors or heritage] become what the ancient nation of Israel should have been: a chosen race, a holy nation, people who belonged exclusively to God. They also become something that could never exist in ancient Israel: a royal priesthood. In Israel the king could not be a priest, and the priest could not be king. From the death of David, descendants from his family [from the tribe of Judah] were to be king over the kingdom of southern Israel [Judah]. Priests came from the tribe of Levi. But Christians are a part of the royal family and the priests.
Before they became Christians, they were not a people and they did not live in God's mercy. After they became Christians they were God's people who existed in God's mercy. Their identity and the power that sustained them existed because of Jesus Christ.
They were to see themselves as aliens [a foreign people who were in no way related to the people among whom they lived or traveled] and strangers [the purpose for their existence had nothing in common with the people in that area or territory]. The purpose of their lives and the reasons for their existence was not determined by societies or people who rejected Jesus Christ and God's rule. Just as the Israelites were not "citizens of the desert" when they left Egypt, neither are Christians "citizens of the world that opposes God and rejects Jesus Christ." This was not a hostile comment. It emphasized a simple truth: when you belong to Jesus Christ you to do not belong to this physical world (see 1:1 and 1:17). Living on earth is being in exile.
They were to reject the physical desires that wanted to rule and control their existence because those desires warred against them spiritually. Those desires would destroy God's rule in their lives.
They were to maintain excellent behavior among those who slandered them and rejected God. They behaved in this manner to increase the strength and power of their spiritual influence. The influence of their godly behavior would cause some slanderers [in time] to become those who glorified God in "the day of visitation" [in contrast to those who greet God's visitation with fear, trembling, and anxiety].
Only the man or woman who surrenders to God as His servant will view self in this manner. Only this person will behave in this manner. Without complete surrender to God, a person will never "see" himself or herself as God's building material. Only with complete surrender to God will he or she define existence in terms of God's purposes. Only with the complete surrender of a servant will a person accept the challenges and responsibilities of godly behavior among ungodly people.
Why would anyone completely surrender to God? Having "tasted" the Lord's kindness, he or she wants to be nourished by that kindness. God's love expressed in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection offers something unique. God's love expresses something nothing else can express. What? Perfect forgiveness. Complete atonement. Unconditional reconciliation. Limitless mercy. Inexhaustible compassion. Kindness that exceeds human comprehension.
No person can ever do for self what God can do for him or her. No individual or group can do for a person what God can do for him or her. No individual or group can provide him or her what God can provide. For the person who discovers the power of God's love, surrender is a choice, not a necessity. He or she chooses the superior. He or she discovers surrender results in victory.
The road to certain defeat depends on self. The road to certain victory surrenders to God. The servant Jesus who was executed on a cross as a criminal is now enthroned as Lord and Christ.
Link to Student Guide
Quarter 3, Lesson 8